Ok, so this chapter was originally going to cover the entire Faron Woods stage, but I decided to split it up because sure. Anyway, I'd just like to say thank you to everyone who has followed/favorited and a HUGE thank you to all 112 of you who have reviews! I really am amazed at how successful this story has become, especially since I never thought it really would be! Just for your info, its actually the #1 highest rated Hyrule Warriors based fic in the entire zelda tag! I can't believe it! Thanks so much guys! You're the fuel that keeps the fire of this story going! So with that said, let's get onto the reviews!
UnNaturally Me: Aw... thanks so much! (and yes, Skyward Sword ref for the win!)
skyhopper: Hahaha, well we'll see in this chapter how I plan on introducing Lana, as well as her lil crush on Link... ;)
Pikatwig: Well, its my understanding that Sheik is a girl in the game, so... Anyway, glad that I'm going a good job of explaining things and yeah, there's a short little scene before we get to Faron, so I hope you'll enjoy it!
explodingbunnies52: Thanks! And I already have! :D
Jack: Yeah, I know, but I'm not really sticking to the character entrances exactly, since they'd be a little tedious I think... but whatever :)
RandomButLoved: Thanks! Glad you caught the SS ref! ;D And I'm also glad that you're noticing little characterizations that I've been doing, of which I believe this chapter is just full of! :D And while this chapter has Lana in it, I absolutely can't WAIT until we get to Cia (I already have her entire character planned out hahaha!)
Ezakiel: The Spirit of the Caves actually was in this part of the game and its my understanding that it barred progress in the caves or sent out more monsters or something like that. I would guess that Cia or Wizzro or someone recruited it to their side with magic or something, but who knows. It was a minor detail really. And yes, I do plan on explaining Sheik's presence much better, since I also didn't really get why Zelda found it necessary to disguise herself either (though I do have a theory, which I will incorporate here!)And as for the harp... I think that's really the last thing on Impa's mind right now, what with all the stress of trying to find Zelda and everything. And I'm sure that Zelda's not the only person in the world with a harp that might look like that, so... And yes, I'm looking forward to Lana's entrance in this chapter too! I plan on giving her a much larger role than the game had for her, since her character is so important to the plot after all. And as far as the action goes, I think I'm good for now, but thanks for asking. Its not that I have anything against you, its just that my biggest focus here is more on the emotions and character building more than anything else (though action is still important). But thanks anyway! :D
gandalf42: Nice! I also can't wait to write Link's reaction to Cia, especially considering the fact that for the most part Link is a pretty humble guy so probably seeing a woman with a crazy stalker crush on him would probably freak him out a little hahaha ;D And yes, Ghirahim is a creeper in SS and he'll still be a creeper here lol! And indeed, Lana is here! :D
Sigma73: Aw, thanks a ton! *blushes* And yeah, the thing with Volga was a typo, one that I should probably go back and fix hahaha... :P and yeah, I'm actually using both the fire rod and the naginata in this chapter (irony!)
R-king93: Good! :D
mysteryfriend16: Well, here they both are! :D
Skydragon74193: Thank you!
mega-dark: Eh, Eldin Caves weren't so bad for me (the stage that gave me tons of problems was Death Mountain actually) And as for the Hylian forces not finding Cia in Lanayru valley, she wasn't actually there at that point, but rather at her main base in the Palace of Souls, so yeah. And yeah, that tension will be pretty awkward later on when Zelda comes back... hehehe... I personally think Lana is an awesome character, who is an absolute blast to play as! :D And I loved ur Sony E3 ref hahahah!
Flameshield: Yeah, Sheik is actually going to have several slip ups that hint at her true identity, but no one will really notice them... ;P As far as the split goes, I'd like to keep it under wraps for now, if that's alright, mostly since I'm still in the process of figuring everything out myself... ;)
silverhawk88: Hahaha, yeah, the game wasn't very discreet about Sheik's identity either I think, but whatever. And I'm glad to see you're still reading! :D
Itherael: Thanks!
tAll3Shyguy Skull Land: Thank you! Its nice to see that I'm getting some pub on Tumblr, but if I may ask, was it through a reblog or was it because of the promotion I've done for it on my own blog...? (Im just kinda curious ;D
ultimateCC: I think she was blushing too hahahah... ;)
DarthPheonixFire: Yeah, I kinda dislike Wizzro, but I do plan on making him more interesting, and hopefully this chapter will show a little of that
GO ZeldaXLink: I totally will!
Lovely girl 10: Thanks so much!
Wooo... So many reviews... But I never tire out on replying to them for you guys! Now let's get started!
Chapter 5: Sorceress of the Woods
The sun was blocked off by clouds once again as the Hylian forces marched steadily along the path that led to Faron Woods the next morning, keeping on guard for monsters, which they fortunately found relatively few of. Impa led the way at the front of the pack, her expression conveying her aggravation well. So far there had been no signs of the princess as they traveled deeper into the woods, but instead they had been joined by an ally that the Sheikah guardian believed they did not need and whom she certainly didn't want. Ever since they had encountered Sheik in the caves, Impa had a bad feeling about her, as if something was off about the Sheikah warrior. Of course, Link seemed to trust her openly, but the Sheikah guardian had not scolded him for it yet since he was still fresh when it came to warfare. But all the same, Impa was resolved to keep a close eye on Sheik; after all, the last thing she needed to deal with now was any sort of spy or traitor amidst their ranks.
As they headed closer to the forest, Impa couldn't help but overhear the mostly casual conversation between Link and Sheik that was going on behind her. It was clear that the naturally-curious hero was trying to chat the enigmatic Sheikah warrior up, but she didn't seem to be revealing too much about herself, something that gave the Sheikah guardian more reason to be suspicious about her.
"So, why do you keep your face covered?" Link asked her, though he wasn't meaning to pry if it was for personal reasons.
"Because I believe that a person's face does not always have to be seen," Sheik said vaguely, her tone still largely monotone.
"I don't understand," the hero frowned, wishing that she was more straightforward. "Are you trying to hide something?" he asked, not with suspicion, but instead with wonder.
"If I was trying to hide something, then I would not have told you anything about myself," the Sheikah warrior said cryptically. "But I told you both my name and my race. What else might you want to know?"
"A person's name and race is hardly anything to go by," Link said, wondering what reason Sheik had for being so mysterious in the first place. However, before he could ask her anything else, the Sheikah leader quieted him, something that caught Impa's attention as well.
"Listen," she said softly, her crimson eye narrowing as the subtle sounds of battle became apparent from nearby. "Do you hear that?"
Both the Sheikah guardian and the hero nodded frowned and nodded, the shrieks of monsters growing more and more apparent as they got closer to the entrance of Faron Woods itself. "Looks like they have a foothold here too," Impa said, referring to the enemy monsters that they had been encountering along this entire journey. "Come on," she ordered to the rest of the troops firmly. "Keep a close eye out for the princess! She could be closer than we know…"
A small village was tucked away inside of the deepest depths of Faron Woods, and very few knew of its existence. It was a rather primitive place, its dwellings being composed of nothing more than the wood of the forest itself. However, this otherwise reclusive, peaceful place was certainly anything but now, as hordes of bulbins and gibdos beset it, causing havoc all over. The inhabitants of the village had already fled for safer parts, but they all still feared for their endangered home. What few of them knew however was that there was a force, however small, of soldiers fighting to save it from its invaders, a resistance that had been working across those parts for the past several weeks to free it from the monsters attacking the land.
The unfolding battle between this resistance and the monsters was what the Hylian forces arrived in the hidden village to find. Without question, this had to be the group of freedom fighters that they had heard about through various rumors, meaning that their leader, a young woman that Impa hoped was Zelda, would certainly be among them. But as the Hylian troops ventured onto the battlefield and began aiding in the fight, Link, Impa and Sheik found no signs of the princess anywhere at all.
However, as they glanced around the area and began to fight off the bulbin forces, the three of them couldn't help but notice a sudden burst of blue, electric magic surging throughout the area several feet away from them, taking out several monsters at once. Though none of them stopped fighting, the hero and the two Sheikahs watched as a young woman dropped down onto the battlefield from above, and the moment they saw her, their hearts equally sank.
Indeed, this young girl was not the missing princess. She was of a slender, wispy build and of an average height and she had long, light blue hair which was tied up into a pony tail at the side of her head by a violet clip. She wore a purple, midriff bearing top and from the mantle on her right shoulder extended flowing white fabric to go with her long sleeves, and underneath her somewhat short purple and white skirt were white leggings accentuated with golden designs, which went into her violet boots. The girl's eyes were also violet, and they were noticeable large and expressive along with the rest of her rather pretty, youthful features. As she dropped down into the battlefield, she held a thick brown tome close to her chest as she rushed towards a fallen soldier, looking over his injuries with concern before another sight caught her attention.
The hero tore his blade through a number of nearby bulbins, cutting them down with obvious ease. The young girl watched him carefully for a moment, almost entranced by how much skill and valor he wielded into battle, until one of the monsters he slayed landed dead right beside her, reminding her of what was going on around her.
"You…" she said softly to the hero as he approached her, her voice youthful and lovely to match her appearance.
"Who are you?" Link asked curiously as he sheathed his sword now that the monsters were gone.
The girl blinked her slight awe away for a moment or two before she smiled softy at him. "I'm Lana," she said brightly. "It's nice to meet you, Link…"
"How do you know me?" the hero asked, wondering how so many people knew his name before he even had the chance to introduce himself.
"Well…" Lana said with a bit of awkward hesitation. "Let's just say I've heard a little about you and your friends…"
Before Link could ask this mysterious young woman anything else, Sheik and Impa joined him, having finished their own respective battles. "Are you the one leading these warriors?" the Sheikah guardian asked the young woman, eyeing her up and down carefully.
The soldier that Lana was tending to rose as another knight helped him get to safety, freeing her to stand and address them properly. "Yes, I am," she said with a firm nod.
"You can use magic," Impa mused, noting how the girl had used cleared out the nearby earlier. "Where did you learn your craft?" she asked, knowing that spell-casters outside of the Sheikah or the royal family were rare to find in their current day and age.
"Oh, well… I'm a sorceress," Lana informed, nodding down to her magical book, the Tome of Spirits. "You know the one who started this war? Cia? We come from the same magical clan."
"Ah, well that explains it," Sheik said, nodding in understanding.
"And what does this 'Cia' want from Hyrule?" Impa asked, realizing that whoever this Cia person was, she had to be their main enemy if she was the one responsible for this sudden outbreak of monsters.
"You really want to know?" Lana asked, holding her book close to her as she smiled mysteriously. "Well… Why don't you all help me defend the forest? If you do that, then I might tell you…"
Confused by this sudden request and the mystery that this young woman was showing, Link, Impa and Sheik all gave each other wondering glances. However, before any of them could say anything else, the sounds of battle emerged from the deeper parts of the woods, catching Lana's attention instantly. Her coy smile faded as she quickly turned around to head back into the fray. "Well, come on!" she shouted to the trio energetically. "There's no time to waste! Let's get to it!"
The three of them didn't argue with her there. After all, even if they had not found Zelda, they now had a lead as to who was responsible for these attacks, and that was something they were not about to let go of. And besides, the forest certainly needed all the help it could get. The last thing any of them were willing to do was turn a blind eye to its desperate plight.
Both the Hylian troops and all of Lana's troops that were nearby immediately set out from the west, hoping to take care of the source of the threat plaguing the forest. Already a group of bulbins was rushing for them as the different forces began to split up to defend different parts of the forest, though Link, Impa, Sheik and Lana remained relatively close for the time being. And, fortunately, they didn't have to guess too much as to who was the leader of the dark forces that they were already battling against.
"Scatter those Hyrulian pests!" Wizzro called out from the enemy keep to the north, though his cackling command echoed all throughout the woods. "Exterminate them!"
"Not him again…" the hero said in aggravation as he ran his blade through a bublin's stomach before moving onto the next kill.
"He sure does seem to get around…" Sheik mused as she played a melody known as the Requiem of Shadows, summoning a wave of darkness to take out her nearby foes.
"So that wizard's in charge, huh?" Lana said after creating a wall of magic energy, which she used to plow into a group of unprepared enemies. "I bet if we defeat him, these monsters will finally leave the forest alone!"
"I doubt he'll allow himself to be defeated so easily a second time…" Impa growled in annoyance. "He's turning into a real thorn in our sides."
Almost immediately after this exchange between the warriors, Wizzro shouted out to the Hylian troops once more, hoping to lower their morale as he carried out his newest devious plan. "Foolish little worms!" he scoffed at their efforts to clear out some of the nearby keeps that were filled with an assortment of his forces. "This'll teach you to interfere with my plans!"
As the allied troops continued to fight, they were all startled by the sudden rumbling of the earth, which was soon followed by multiple tall plants springing up from the wooded forest ground. However, unlike most plants, these seemed to be sentient, moving freely as they let out a strange purple substance from their maws. Sheik noticed how several of the soldiers near her cried out in pain and grew week upon being caught up in it, and she warily backed away from the creature, already knowing well what was happening.
"Why is that plant spewing poison into the surrounding area?" the Sheikah warrior asked as she tried to think of a way to get in close to it without touching the poison.
"That's a Deku Baba!" Lana exclaimed with a suspired gasp, knowing how dangerous such foes were. "Unless we can take it out with a sharp, ranged attack, everything in this forest will die of poisoning!"
"In that case, we'd better lend a hand," Impa said as she switched her giant blade out for the other weapon she made sure to always carry with her, a long naginata that she could harness Sheikah flame magic through. "We'll have to split up from here. There's about four of these things spread throughout this area, from what I can tell. Taking them out is our main priority right now."
"We'll need to hurry," the sorceress said worriedly as she glanced over at one of the Deku Babas, noticing how the cloud of poison surrounding it was already starting to expand. "If we don't then the whole forest could be covered in that stuff in a matter of minutes! Be careful everyone!"
At this, all four of them spread out on their own separate paths, with Sheik and Impa heading more towards the south and Link and Lana taking a more northern path. With the ranged, fiery attacks that her naginata allowed her, the Sheikah guardian was able to land a few hits on the Deku Baba that she had decided to engage, but as the poison surrounding it grew, she found that it was getting harder and harder for her to land a hit on it lest she get caught up in the deadly substance. She glanced over a few feet to her right to see that Sheik was having much of the same problem, since all she really had in the way of ranged attacks were her kunais, which didn't do nearly as much damage as she hoped for.
"Poisonous weed…" the Sheikah warrior muttered under her breath in frustration before she called over to Impa. "My attacks have no effect. We need a new strategy…"
The Sheikah guardian said nothing in response, though she did nod in agreement nonetheless. Though they regretted it, they fell back, heading back to the starting clearing in the hopes of coming up with a proper attack plan. Meanwhile, the hero and the sorceress had reached the two Deku Babas to the north, where the poison had already been spread so thick that they couldn't get anywhere close to the plants.
"The poison's spreading too fast!" Link exclaimed as he took out a few nearby bulbins for good measure, though like Lana, he was doing his best to cautiously keep away from the cloud of poison that was quickly startng to encroach on them. "What should we do?"
The young sorceress bit her lip anxiously for a moment as she examined the Deku Babas, knowing full well that they were running out of time. "This might be a bit of a longshot…" she said hesitantly, though her spur of the moment plan was the best that she could come up with at a moment like this. "But it will have to work for now." Closing her eyes in concentration, Lana held her hands out in front of her as a bright red glow formed around them. Less than a moment later, a long rod with a glowing red orb at its end appeared in her hands, and she didn't hesitate to hold it out to the confused hero. "This is the fire rod, Link," she explained quickly, knowing they had no time to waste. "It has some long range attacks, and since Deku Babas are vulnerable to fire, it should be able to wear them down a little bit. While you take care of them, I'm going to try and find a bow that we can use to take them out for good. If I remember correctly, there should be one located somewhere south of the village."
Link sheathed his sword as he took the fire rod, examining it warily. "Ok, but how does this thing-" before he could finish asking, a sudden burst of flame shot from the orb at the tip of the rod, startling the hero. Fortunately, Lana had the wits about her to create a temporary barrier around herself to shield her from the flames before they quickly died out.
"Careful," she said with a small giggle. "It's a little touchy. For now, just try to aim for the Deku Babas and the rod should do the rest. Good luck, Link!" she called out before dashing off to the south in search of the bow she had talked about earlier.
After Lana left, Link looked down to the fire rod in his hands once more, still unsure of how its mysterious power worked. However, before he took the sorceress up on the advice she had given him, he glanced up at Proxi, who was flittering nearby at the ready as usual. "So, what do you think?" he asked the fairy, hoping that she knew more about this new weapon than he did.
"I'm sensing a lot of magical energy radiating from this thing," Proxi stated as she flew in closer to it, though she made sure to stay clear of its flame emitting tip. "Have you ever used something like this before?"
"No," the hero said with a frown. "But I guess the only thing I can do is listen to what Lana said and point it at these things."
The fairy nodded in agreement as they both turned towards the Deku Babas, making sure that they were still far enough away from the poison. "Yeah, but be careful," she cautioned. "Fire is a dangerous, unpredictable element. If you don't watch out, we won't have to worry about the whole forest being filled with poison 'cause I'll be burnt to the ground instead!"
Link heeded her words as he aimed the tip of the fire rod towards the nearest Deku Baba and, sure enough, a plume of fire shot out of it, cutting through the cloud of poison and landing a direct hit, despite the distance of several feet between them. The hero smiled in satisfaction as he sent out another fire blast, hitting the living plant once more as it recoiled in obvious pain, though it still wasn't enough to take the creature down. But nonetheless, he continued attacking, getting more and more used to his new weapon while the sorceress hunted down what they needed to take care of these pests for good.
And sure enough, Lana soon found what she was looking for. In order to stay clear of the creeping poison, the young sorceress had taken to the treetops, leaping gracefully from branch to branch as she made a beeline for the southern end of the forest. And it didn't take her too long to locate the item in question, locked safely away in a small chest in an abandoned keep. With a small smile, the girl descended back down to the earth and claimed the bow as her own, before quickly making her way back towards the others.
However, even despite the fiery attacks of both Impa's naginata and Link's fire rod, the hero and the two Sheikahs were quickly starting to find themselves in dire straits. The poison had quickly spread to the point that the only safe area was a small clearing near the entrance of the woods, where Link, Impa and Sheik had all managed to find themselves grouped towards. With each passing second, the deadly substance grew closer to them on all sides and there was little any of them could do to stop its advance. The trio stood back to back as they found that there was no way of escape, but even so, they continued to try and hit the monstrous plants with everything they had, even if they attacks were no longer reaching them anymore.
"Nothing's working!" Link shouted to Sheik and Impa as he gripped the fire rod even tighter, watching worriedly as the poison threatened to come onto them.
"Curse these infernal plants!" the Sheikah warrior growled in frustration, knowing that her musical magic could do nothing to weaken the Deku Babas at all. "They're just as stubborn as Wizzro himself!"
Impa glared at the Deku Babas, all of them wriggling off in the distance away from them, even though their poisonous influence had spread far. Already quite a few of her soldiers had fallen to the deadly cloud, and now it seemed as though the three of them were next. "Keep attacking!" she commanded the hero and the Sheikah warrior firmly, even though she knew it was pointless. "We can't fall here, not while Princess Zelda is still out there missing somewhere!"
Link and Sheik exchanged a brief, worried glance, but they both nodded nonetheless, even as the poison began to creep up towards their toes, giving the three of them no room left to move. As the violet cloud finally overtook them, they all began to cough roughly as the thick substance entered their lungs and seeped its way seamlessly into their skin like air. It quickly started to sap their energy away, numbing their senses and filling them with a heavy, laborious pain all at once. However, as the two Sheikah women finally collapsed to their knees, no longer able to stand amidst the cloud of poison that was starting to kill them, the hero remained standing nonetheless, even though it was incredibly difficult. And, though pain mounted each of his slow steps, he began to move towards the nearest Deku Baba, realizing that now that he was enclosed in its inescapable field of poison, there was only one thing he could do to keep himself and his comrades from dying, even though it was incredibly risky.
"Link!" Sheik coughed out roughly as she caught sight of him through the violet fog. "W-What are y-you doing!?"
Link didn't answer as he merely groaned out in pain, remembering what Impa had just said moments ago. They could not die now, not while Zelda was still missing and quite possibly in danger. "Link!" Proxi called out to the hero worriedly as she flittered just above the cloud of poison. "You need to stop! You're pushing yourself too hard!"
The hero merely shook his head as he came to stand right before the Deku Baba, his legs threatening to give up on him as his body began to shut down. But nonetheless, he refused to give up, no matter what the cost to himself was. If he could get rid of at least one of these beasts, then he could help his allies even in such a small way, which was worth it to him. He glared up at the monstrous plant, which had taken notice of his close proximity and appeared to be quite surprised that he had gotten in so close to it. But nonetheless, it let out a growling roar as it reared its head back, before it snapped its sharp-toothed maw towards Link, viewing him as a snack and little else. That is, until its mouth chomped down on the tip of the fire rod instead.
The Deku Baba let out an earsplitting screech as its entire form immediately caught fire, such a direct attack scorching it critically. Link continued to keep the fire rod held towards the creature, even though the edges of his vision were starting to grow dark and his body began to be seized by convulsions from the poison. Sheik and Impa merely watched him in shock as they felt their own bodies grow weaker, but all of the sudden, the murderous tendrils of poison suddenly began to dissipate, specifically the moment that the Deku Baba that the hero had attacked collapsed to the ground and withered away, finally taking its thick poison with it.
Unable to remain standing any longer, Link finally collapsed to the ground semi-consciously, his heart racing and his lungs crying for fresh air as he lay unable to move thanks to the paralyzing effect the poison had on him. A cloud of poison still hovered over Sheik and Impa, but only for a moment as the rest of the Deku Babas nearby were apparently taken out by some unseen force, much to their confusion. Though still quite weak, both Sheikahs were much better off in their condition than the hero, as the two of them were actually able to sit up and work on regaining their strength. As if on cue, Lana dropped down from her perch high in the trees with the bow on hand, looking around to make sure that she had taken care of all of the Deku Babas. "Woo," she sigh with a sigh as she helped both Sheik and Impa to their feet. "That was a close one. At least those poisonous plants are finally taken care of. What a relief!"
"T-thank you…" Impa said with sincere gratitude, though she was still trying to catch her breath. "If y-you had not come when you d-did, then we would have b-been dead for sure…"
"Don't mention it," the sorceress said with a humble smile. "Hey, wait a minute… Where's Link?"
Both Sheikahs nodded over in the hero's direction as he lay several feet away from them, still unmoving as he let out a soft, hoarse groan of agony. Lana gasped in shock as she quickly hurried over to him, placing an arm around him as she propped him up.
Link opened his eyes weakly as he let out a soft cough, his vision blurry and his body feeling as though he had been drowning for hours, even though he had only been subjected to the poison for a few minutes. "L-Lana?" he asked, his voice little more than a rough, small whisper.
Hearing him say her name in such a way made the sorceress's heart clench with pity and grief, as well as the slightest bit of terror and woe. And yet, she knew that now was not the moment for such thoughts as she placed a tender, albeit nervously shaking hand on his chest, biting her lip as she quieted him down. "Shh…" she said, her voice soft and comforting as a healing blue aura surrounded her hand. "It's ok… You're safe now… Unlike Sheik and Impa, the poison managed to get into your bloodstream, but I should be able to get it out since it's not too deep. Now just lay still and…" she trailed off as her hand took on a bright glow for a moment or two and the hero let out a sharp gasp of agony as his eyes grew wide for a second, before he wearily shut them again, his breathing shallow and shaking.
Lana's hand quickly flew off of his chest as she looked over him with wide lavender eyes, hoping that she had not done anything to hurt him even more. However, those concerns were quickly put behind her as Link opened his eyes once more, his breathing returning to normal as he attempted to sit up. The sorceress was quick to help him as he took in several deep breaths, before he finally regained enough of his energy to speak.
"Thanks…" the hero said, giving her a small smile, one that she returned with a soft blush lighting up her cheeks.
The two of them stood up together and rejoined Sheik and Impa, all of them taking note that the area was thankfully free of both poison and monsters. However, the poison had clearly taken quite a toll on all of the nearby allied troops, with many of them being adversely effected by it and some having even lost their lives to its influence, much to both Impa and Lana's displeasure. "Everyone's pretty tired…" Lana said with a worn sigh as she looked around the area. "We should retreat to the Deku Tree for a moment. It should be safe there, which will give us a chance to regroup and strategize."
Link, Sheik and Impa nodded in agreement with this plan as they gathered up the nearby troops and began to make their way towards the large Deku Tree in the center of the woods. As was to be expected, there were plenty of bulbins and gibdos lining the way there, but since Sheik and Impa had recuperated enough from the poison to fight, they took the lead and cut down most of these weaker foes with ease, while Lana stayed by Link, who was still somewhat weakened and ill, to ensure that he could make it there safely. Though the trail to the tree was winding and arduous, the allied troops eventually caught sight of its tall form, its large, hollowed out center standing out as a safe haven for them.
"We're almost there!" Lana exclaimed with a relieved smile. "Come on, everyone! Now we should have a little time to finally catch our breath before we head out again!"
However, what none of the Hylian forces could have seen was the single glowing eye watching them all from the shadows, waiting for them to finally make their approach on the Deku Tree so he could take them all out at once. And as they finally passed into the large threshold of the tree, the dark wizard finally decided to make its appearance.
Wizzro appeared in the very heart of the Deku Tree, right as the Hylian forces began to enter inside. Sheik, Impa, Link and Lana all immediately stopped in their tracks as they saw that the enemy commander had so easily invaded their base, but the wizard simply grinned wickedly at them as he let out a callous laugh. "So, you all decided to flee to this stumpy little bush, huh?" he asked darkly. "Too bad none of you will be able to get the rest that you all need so badly…"
"Get out of here!" Lana shouted angrily as he held her tome at the ready to attack. "The Deku Tree is sacred ground and you have no right to trespass on it!"
"You want me to leave?" Wizzro asked challengingly. "Go ahead and make me."
With another sinister chuckle, the dark wizard suddenly vanished into thin air, much to everyone's confusion, before he suddenly reappeared directly behind Link, startling the young hero by gripping both of his shoulders tightly.
"Aw, what's the matter, little hero…?" Wizzro whispered sadistically to the weakened hero. "Did the poison from my Deku Babas tire you out too much? Perhaps now would be the prefect chance to take you to my mistress… After all, she'd much prefer it if you were too weak to put up a fight…"
Link's grip on the fire rod tightened upon hearing this, a burst of anger rushing through him as the dark wizard coldly mocked him for something he had caused. If there was one thing the hero hated, it was being considered weak and insignificant, especially by his enemies. "Get off!" he shouted in fury as he roughly spun around, breaking the wizard's hold on him. As Link turned, he was quick to point the fire rod at Wizzro, but as the burst of flame came free from it, the elusive wizard disappeared once more, leaving the hero and all of his allies to watch in both horror and disbelief as the fire missed its target…
And exploded into the interior of the Deku Tree instead.
Panic filled the entirety of the Hylian troops as the fire quickly spread up through the tree, quickly creating a dangerous blaze. Already, Lana, Impa and Sheik were working to get everyone out safely, but all Link could do was stand numbly and watch in shock and guilt as the disaster he had unintentionally started grew widely out of control.
"Enjoy your little success, weasels!" Wizzro called out from nowhere to the scattered Hylian troops, his wicked laughter echoing throughout the burning tree as he reveled in his successful plan. "Because now, your spirits will be burned to ashes! And it's all thanks to your honorable little hero…"
Well, I'll just leave you all on a cliffhanger, since things seem to be getting a little long here... Hahahaha... Hope that this chapter was sufficient for you all, even though I had wanted to write a little more, but at least I have some fuel in my for the next chapter, which will be basically more of the same, but its all good! :D Anyway, for now I encourage you all to show some love through REVIEWS as always. Until next time!