A.N.: Sorry. If you came here looking for funny today, I don't think it's here. :(. BUT. I finished character portraits for Link and Vaati on my dA homepage. Check it out if you're curious.

Chapter 7: The Helmaroc King

The platform they were on was in a U shape, Link and Vaati on one side and the moblins on the other. There was a large door near the middle, and it was going to be a race to see if it was the escapees or the moblins to get there first. They all began to run at once.

"Vaati, can't you blow them away with the Wind Waker?" Link yelled as he ran. He could see that the moblins were going to reach them as soon as they got to the door.

"This is indoors! It only works outside!" the mage gasped. He ducked as some of the moblins began to throw spears.

Link unsheathed his sword as they neared the door and faced the moblin hoard. They slowed as Link stopped. "Get the door, I'll come soon." He took out a bomb and threw it in front of the moblins, causing them to back up hurriedly. A few spears bounced off Link's shield as a few of the monsters found an opportunity to throw them.

Vaati didn't wait as he sped up the steps to the door and heaved open the wooden bars that bolted it shut. He struggled against its weight but finally managed to free it. "Link, get over here."

Link sprang up the steps and flew past the open door as the bomb exploded. The two wrenched the door shut and bolted it from inside. They stood facing it for several minutes as sounds of determined ramming issued from the other side. The two were surprised when the ramming suddenly stopped.

"Did they give up?" Link asked.

Vaati had turned around and his red eyes were darting from side to side, taking in the surroundings. They were inside the tower they had planned to meet the Helmaroc King, and Vaati didn't like the strangeness of it. There was a pool of water at the bottom, and an unsteady, broken wooden walkway spiraled up along the walls all the way to the top. That was it. There was nothing else.

Link and Vaati's head snapped up as a metallic groaning pierced the air. The ceiling was opening, letting in the icy night wind.

"Link, start running. We can't let the bird catch us here," Vaati hissed as the water began to rise.

They began to run up the walkway as a distant screech rang from above. Vaati was leading with Link following closely behind.

Link was trying to focus on not falling off the edge into the rising water when something slammed behind him and sent splinters exploding everywhere. He nearly lost his footing when he chanced a look back and saw the Helmaroc King inside the tower. "Goddesses, the thing's inside!"

Vaati sneered, "Smart bird, isn't it? It was one of my favorites. Too bad Ganon has it now." He flicked the Wind Waker as he continued to run. A slight breeze caused the Helmaroc King to sink a little in the air, but it was able to recover quickly. The mage growled. "Link, I can't use the Wind Waker yet."

As soon as Vaati passed a pot along the walkway, it shattered and a bokoblin popped out, snarling and swinging a cutlass. Vaati lost his footing and fell down into the water below.

"Vaati!" Link gasped, looking over the edge. He abruptly looked up as a dark shadow hovered above him.

Kreeeee!

"Ah!" Link jumped out of the way as the Helmaroc King made another dive, sending the walkway flying down into the water below, the bokoblin with it. The bird flapped its wings and steadied itself until it hovered in the middle of the tower. It turned its attention away from Link momentarily to mark Vaati trying to swim back onto the walkway, an easier target.

"Vaati! Watch out!"

The mage frantically tried to reach the walkway as the Helmaroc King readied itself for a dive. He knew he wasn't going to be fast enough. Crap. I hate my ex-pet.

He glanced back towards the bokoblin that was also swimming after him closely, determined to catch him. Then he looked up at the Helmaroc King. I hope this works, he thought as he took a deep breath and went underwater.

Vaati felt the water slam against him as the Helmaroc King crashed into the pool. Water erupted, and the behemoth flew off holding a struggling figure tightly in its claws, creating a shower with its wings.

Vaati spluttered and coughed as he came back up and reached the walkway. He caught up to Link who had a look of relief on his face. "Come on. It'll come back when it realizes it caught the bokoblin instead of me."

Link went first this time, making sure to smash any more suspicious pots. Some of them had monsters inside like the bokoblin pot that had caused Vaati to fall earlier. When they reached the top of the tower, they heard a furious screech signaling the return of the Helmaroc King. A bloody beak hinted the fate of the bokoblin it had captured by mistake.

"Vaati?! You wanted to fight it here?" Link yelped as he took a look around where they had arrived. The ceiling was closing again so they could now walk on the roof of the tower. The roof was more like a fight rink with spikes along the railings. One unlucky stumble and they would gain a couple gaping holes in their bodies.

"It kind of ended up like this, right? And no one told me about spikes!"

The Helmaroc King screeched again and rapidly flapped its wings to unleash a barrage of sharp feathers. Link blocked them with his shield, while Vaati whipped up a wind that caused them to hit the ground before his feet with a few tinks.

"All right, Helmaroc. I'm going to teach you what happens when you disobey." The mage sent a gust that pushed the bird sharply away from the tower. The startled bird retreated and flew around in a wide arc, trying to see what its foes were capable of.

"What do you have in mind?" Link asked.

"I'm going to ground it. You do remember how you got rid of it the last time, boy?"

Link took out the Skull Hammer. Vaati nodded, and then grinned.

"Don't miss."

The bird zoned in on Link and Vaati who were standing defiantly in the middle of the roof. It spread its wings and gave a mighty blow with its wings, sending a powerful wind to hit the two full force. Link fell down and slid across the stone, desperately clawing at the ground to stop himself from being skewered by the spikes that lined the walls. Link slowed as the wind changed, and he looked up at Vaati as he regained his breath.

The Hero of Time froze in surprise.

The mage was standing, calm, as though nothing had happened. The wind was savagely raging around him but he didn't need to fight against it as Link had done. If anything, he appeared relaxed as he brought up the Wind Waker and waved it sharply downwards, sending the Helmaroc King whirling down onto the roof. The Wind Waker was faintly glowing blue, and the binding curse's bright runes were spiraling around the mage's wrists and the baton.

"Would you hurry up?" Vaati's sharp voice caused Link to snap out of his stupefied expression.

He ran up to the bird that was struggling to escape from the wind that was holding it down and swung the Skull Hammer down onto its helm. It cracked and the helm crumbled away.

"Wait." Vaati stopped Link as the green clad boy brought up the Master Sword for the final blow.

The mage kneeled gently beside the Helmaroc's piercing yellow eyes and placed a hand on its head. He said a few words in a soft voice that Link couldn't hear, and the struggling bird gradually calmed until it lay completely still. Vaati stopped the wind holding it down and stepped back.

"Ok Link. Make it quick."

Link thought he could hear regret in the sorcerer's voice, and he noticed Vaati look away as he brought the sword onto the waiting monster's head.

It was only after the bird's final screech was silenced that Vaati slowly turned around to face Link. "Let's see what we get out of this, now," he said quietly as a part of the railings slid down to reveal a narrow path leading onwards to the fortress's final section.

OXXXXXXXXO

H-bomber: Link - Yes! I'm recognized! And wow, thanks. Top five fav? Vaati, we're awesome!

Vaati - Get away from me, fool!

Reily96: Vaati - They think we're entertaining.

Link - What's bad about that? We want to entertain.

Vaati - If I wanted to entertain I would've joined that Fyer in his Land of Fantastication!

Link - Sorry he's so grumpy. And gee thanks! Vaati, are you listening? I know best.

Vaat - Hmph.

Diablo1123: Vaati - Definitely. That moblin was picking his teeth with it. Disgusting.

Yuudai Arai: Vaati - Thank you, and welcome. Though I gag at the thought of being 'cute.'

Link - It's kinda funny if you think back on everything we've argued about, you know. And sorry, Vaati, but your fan popularity is mostly drawn because they think you're 'adorable.'

Vaati - What? I'm evil!

Link - I know. I don't get it either. Anyways. Alcove? What alcove? I checked everywhere and there was nothing!

fleets - Ah, guys, sorry to interrupt. There used to be an alcove, but I figured, 'why not make the monsters smarter and let them fix that gaping hole in the prison'? And they were more organized than before; this is what I wanted to happen in the LoZWW. I don't want to make it too easy for you two or else it will become too predictable.

Vaati - One. I have no idea what you're talking about (LoZWW?). Two. HOW DARE YOU MAKE MY LIFE A LIVING H-

fleets - That's enough. One more word out of you and I'm going to create an accident that will cause all your hair to fall out in the next chapter.

Peka the Corsair: Vaati - He's five.

Link - No I'm not! I'm eleven, you ancient old grandpa.

Vaati - He used to look eighteenish in the previous past, but now he looks like he's -

Link - eleven. I'm eleven. And Vaati's over a hundred and he's still shorter than me.

Vaati - Would you cut it out? That's old.

Link - Not as old as you.

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