Note: Have fun with this one.
Nestled on the eastern foothills of Death Mountain, Veles Forest stood black against dark night sky itself. The forest was as dense the Lost Woods and as old as the Temple of Time (if not older). The whole area screamed 'eerie' with its ancient, twisted trees and tussock grass that grew in tall bunches around the foliage…it didn't boggle the mind too much that the name Veles was shared with a watery, hell serpent as well as with this forest.
Link stood at the edge of Veles Forest, along with Okiru and the old man. As the hero peered into the dark depths of the woods, he wondered if the forest truly did have another side…or did it just continue on and on, with no end. Link's train of thought was broken by the man……
"Deep in Veles Forest lays a natural fountain…which is the seat of Titania's domain. No person has ever seen it and-"
"Let met me guess…they never came back alive?" Link's interjection was answered by a nod from the elderly man…much to the hero's disappointment, "Sigh……Why does it always end that way……"
"Hey, what's worry, Mr. Hero?" Okiru posed mockingly with large grin, "Are you scared of a dark forest? HAHAHA-OW!!"
The old man's staff silenced the young shaman. It was the twentieth time he 'silenced' Okiru that night and boy was starting to feel small concussion being brought on (that's how Okiru described it). Link was too focused for the boy's verbal abuse to have any effect, anyway. The dangers of the forest prompted the hero to state of alertness and there where few things that could escape Link's sight during such a state (……like a snare…). Link narrowed he's eyes at the writer's comment (Oops! Made him mad). Before the hero could retort back at the writer's witless humor, a rumbling noise sounded behind the group.
"Hey!! Hold on a second!!" a voice called out. The three looked back to find a fast rolling ball racing towards them. And, like all sensible people who see a giant ball barreling at them, they moved. The ball speeded past them and skidded to a halt. Two arms appeared from the ball and pushed it up onto its legs. It was the Goron with red bandana, the older Goron's son! The new arrival gazed at the three with a cocky smile and stuck his thumb towards himself, "The name's Ryuga and I'm going with ya'."
"WHAT?!" Okiru bellowed in furious tone as he rushed over to the Goron, "Who do you think you are?! Yelling out your name like you're someone big!! Aren't you shameful?!"
"SHAMEFUL?! YOU'RE ONE TO TALK!!" Ryuga snapped back, "JUST THIS MORNING, HALF THE VILLAGE HEARD YOU PROCLAIM YOURSELF AS 'THE GREATEST SHAMAN IN THE WHOLE WORLD'!!"
"They're…already fighting…" Link was mesmerized by speed that the young shaman could rouse an argument. The old man just sighed heavily. The hero paced over to the quarrelling two and held his hand out in between them to stop, "That's enough you two! This isn't a time to bicker like old maids. Ryuga, why exactly did you come here to help for?"
"When I heard about what happened to so many people in this forest, I wanted to help out!" Ryuga answer incited a smile across Link's face. So he's another good guy who wants to help, the hero thought silently, Good.
"Alright. Welcome to the party, Ryuga!" Link replied with a grin and the Goron gave him a confident nod. Okiru wasn't all too happy, though……
"Why do we need him for, anyway!! Huh!!" The young shaman demanded. He pointed at Ryuga and sent him a nasty glare, "He'll just get in the way and make a mess!!"
"It's my call to make, so he's coming. And that's final." Okiru was shocked by Link's declaration and looked to his master for verification against it…the old man just shook his head……
"It is the hero's post to lead us through this undertaking. If he chooses to have the Goron come…then it shall be……"
"Alright!! Than let's go!!" Ryuga exclaimed and Link nodded in agreement. Okiru responded with grunt as he folded his arms in front of his chest.
And so, Link and Ryuga stride into the black depths of Veles Forest, side by side, as though their were competing for the lead. The old shaman was a couple feet behind them, keeping a nice and even pace……Okiru…sulked at the rear of the group, a yard or so from the front. First we let that stupid Goron into the group, the young shaman thought to himself, now I find out that I listen to that No-Name Hero!! (Yes, he still did not remember Link's name)
As the party proceeded into the woods, the limited light of the moon became dimmer and dimmer, until it was pitch-black. What a time to forget Lantern Girly Meeko, Link silently thought. The group pressed on, despite the darkness.
"Wait, what's that?" Link inquired as a small ball of red light appeared in front the group.
The four stopped in their tracks as the red light came closer. It halted third yards from them and they got a good look at the creature: It's was nothing more then a skull, though no ordinary skull. It was longer and somewhat smaller than a human skull, with huge eye sockets. The lower jaw of the skull as gone, replaced by two long mandibles that seemed to be more at home on a giant insect…not a skull. Four flames of crimson fire twirled around the being, supplying the red light.
"Aghh!! It's a Bubble!!" Okiru declared…but Link was forced to correct him……
"No. Bubbles look much different than that thing……It's something else…"
"An Anti-Fairy……" The elderly man stated in aw, "I have only seen crud pictures of the creatures before, but I am sure that this is one of them."
"Anti…Fairy…?"
"Indeed…As the name implies, this is the exact opposite of the healing fairies. It will try to harm us and steal our life energy!"
"Feh. I'll take care of it, no problem!!" Okiru bellowed as he jumped to the front of the party. The young shaman lifted his hands before his chest, clasping them together. With his index and middle fingers point upward, the young shaman began to speak in a strange tongue:
"Amatsu kami kunitsu kami
"Yaoyorzu no kamitachi tomo ni
"Kikoshi mese to
"Kashikomi Kashikomi mo maosu
"……Hakkei!!"
At the moment he finished his foreign chant, Okiru thrusted his hands out and a torrent of whirling blue lightning soar out. Each lightning wave spun in a large oval, spraying electrical sparks around about them, as they flew through the air……and past the Anti-Fairy? The scarlet flamed creature continued to hover perfectly still and unharmed.
"Damn…it dodged every shot!" Okiru murmured aloud, but Link saw it another way. It didn't move inch, the hero thought to himself, the kid missed!!
"OKIRU!! YOU FOOL!!" the elderly shaman exclaimed was bashed his staff against the boy's head, "I TOLD YOU PRACTICE YOUR HAKKEI ATTACK!!"
"Watch out!!" Link called out as the Anti-Fairy charged towards Okiru and the old man.
The hero leaped in front of the two and pulled his Hylian shield from his back, whacking the Anti-Fairy backwards with the face of shield. The creature flew back a few feet and repeated its attack. Link grabbed the hilt of his sword, slashing it out of its sheath and at the Anti-Fairy…but the creature veered off at the last second, moving its sights towards Ryuga.
"This thing's fast!!" The Goron related as he took a swing at the Anti-Fairy with his powerful fist…only to have the creature veer off again as it did with Link. The Anti-Fairy flew off through the trees and arched back toward the party for second run, "Damn it!! How do we stop it?!"
The Anti-Fairy was barreling towards them at a break-neck speed…Link needed to think fast. A straight forward attack like an arrow or a wand blast would have been easily dodged by the creature and close-ranch assaults were useless. There was one last item that the hero had brought with him, though, as a passing thought (he didn't really think he'd use it…).
Reaching into his pack, Link drew out a long, curved and bright orange item with a ruby in the middle of it. A second later, the hero hurled it at the creature. The item twirled around and around as it flew toward the Anti-Fairy. However, just as it was about to hit, the creature dodged the item and maintained its dash at Link.
"AHH!! YOU MISSED!!" Okiru screamed. The hero smiled and continued to watch the Anti-Fairy plummet towards him.
Then……WHACK!!
The item Link had thrown had returned and smashed into the back of the Anti-Fairy, breaking the skull in half and quenched the red flames. The remains of the creature plunged to the earth, right in front of the hero. Link reached his hand up and caught his item……a boomerang (of course!!).
"Well done, hero!!" the old man cried out and patted Link on the back.
"That was pretty slick think!" Ryuga said as he joined in the praising of the hero, "Hitting it with boomerang rebound and all!"
Link just rubbed the back of his head and gave a sheepish grin as he replaced the boomerang into his pack. Okiru was brooding off on the side lines during the congratulating. He could have stopped the Anti-Fairy himself, you know!! If…any of his attacks had hit the creature……
Okiru's thought's were interrupted when a small glow caught the boy's eye. It was come from Link's feet…from the remains of the Anti-Fairy……
"Hey…what's that?" The young shaman asked and pointed to the remains. The four stood over the half skull and peered down at dime pink light inside it. It was a female fairy!! Her miniature body could be seen through the light and it seemed that the fairy had passed out, "A healer fairy. Why would she be in there?"
"An Anti-Fairy is the product of an evil corrupted fairy…" The elderly shaman enlightened the party, "When this one was defeated, she reverted back to her true self."
"She's going to be ok, right?" Link asked anxiously. I'd hate if I actually hurt the poor girl, the hero thought disquieted.
"…Yes……But Okiru should carry her in his tunic until she awakens…"
"WHAT?!" The boy exclaimed, "Why should I have to carry her?! The green guy and Ryuga attack her too!!"
"But…you struck first." The old man replied a sagely tune, "And if you carry her, your shaman powers will involuntarily heal the fairy."
"GRRRGHHH……ok…"
The young shaman lifted the fairy from the skull half and took a better look at the tiny girl. Her appearance was akin to a nine-year-old girl's, with short pink hair tied in two little ponytails. The fairy's skin glowed a dull cherry light that felt warmed to Okiru's hand. It's odd to have someone as small as her in your hands, the boy silently thought, it feels like I have to protect her…even after she attacked us. After carefully placing the fairy girl into his red tunic, the young shaman and the rest of the party press on in the forest.
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Further to the edge of Veles Forest, three white clad maidens were trailing through the overgrowth. After Naru had awakened, Rin had insisted that they go after Link and the others. And Meeko was all too happy to come along……
"Why, Why, WHY didn't we stay back at the inn?!" Meeko moaned as she took up the rear of the progressing trio (Ok, I was lying!). The poor Yellow Maiden had hoped to get a full night's sleep after last night's dungeon crawling, ghost fighting incident. Unfortunately, Rin had other ideas……
"Where's your sense of adventure, Meeko? I thought after traveling around with hero boy, Link, you'd be screaming for excitement!!" Rin stopped her pace and looked back at her blonde friend with a brash smile across her face, "Don't tell me that old geezer's story really scared you, did it?"
"Meeko, your not afraid…are you?" Naru asked with a concerned tone.
"Don't be ridiculous!! Of course I'm not afraid, you guys!" Meeko answered back with a grin and waved the matter off with her hand. Though this is the creepiest forest I've ever been to, the maiden thought to herself, and I keep getting this weird feeling that we're being watched!!
"Come on!!" Rin commanded as turned back to the trail and out stretched her hand to the dark reaches ahead, "We're going to find Link-hun and the guys…and save the day!!"
"Really, Rin. Do actually believe that guys like Link and them need rescuing." The green haired maiden stated fatly, "They can get out of any trouble they get into."
But the raven haired girl disregarded her friend and pressed on to the black woods. Naru and Meeko sighed heavily, then followed after Rin.
The three girls had been walking for half an hour when they arrived at the darkest part of the forest. The shadows were quickly pushed away by Meeko's 'Nayru's Sheen' and the trio continued on. The young Maiden of Light had been growing more apprehensive by the second…the watching feeling she felt before had doubled. In the black curtain around the girls, an entire army could have been hide without the three taking notice. Or…a lone attacker… as he looked for the right moment to strike the three……
Suddenly, four scarlet balls of light appeared in front the girls and started racing towards the trio. The three brought to a standstill as the several floating skulls with long mandibles and red flame wings hovered before them. The four creatures closed in, inch by inch, on the maidens, snapping their pincers in anticipation.
"Oh, look girls…" Rin said smugly as she took a step forward, "Some frightful creepy-crawlies have found us……LETS DO IT!!"
"Hallowed Mothers who art in the skies; Listen to thy's need forth cry." Meeko began to chant as she made a triangle with hands, "In the life of plants and animals that grow; Let the Thous' might forever flow. Deliver thy the strength of the wind! Din's Howl!!"
"As smoke vanisheth, so let them vanish away…" Naru then started as she copied her blonde friend's movements, "As wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of the Three! Judge Thou, them that wrong; overthrow them that fight against! Blaze of Farore!!"
"Woe to the foolish who forsakes the Mothers!" Rin cried, loudest of the three, as she emulated the other two hand gestures, "May the sword fall upon his arm and upon his right eye; Let his arm wither away entirely, and his right eye be blind forever! Nayru's Virtue!!"
Bright orbs of radiance appeared in between the maiden's hands: yellow, white, and green, as light whirled around them in auras of vivid colors. The Anti-Fairies drifted backwards, awed and petrified of what they had once thought of as an 'easy kill'. The orbs of power had reached their zenith and the girls rung them forth at the creatures……
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"Did you guys hear an earth shattering explosion?" Ryuga asked as he turned back to where their party had just come from.
"No. Not really…"
The Goron shrugged, placing the thought aside and moved back to the group. Link was standing next to the old man with a make-shift torch as the man pasted a paper slip onto a tree. Okiru was some feet away…sulking (this kid is starting to get too emo). When the elderly shaman finished his task, he turned and spoke to the party……
"It is time that we split our congregation and search the forest more thoroughly…" The old man paused and hand Link a cylinder object…a compass! He then handed a second compass to Ryuga, "We will search in pairs and meet back at this spot."
"So these compasses are going help us find that natural fountain place?" Link posed, giving his compass a good shake. The needle in the center of the compass twisted around…then stopped, pointing in the direction of the paper slip.
"The O-fuda talisman I placed on the tree will act as an anchor. The magic-locating devices will be attracted to the talisman no matter how far we travel from this place. After an hour of searching, we will follow the compass needle and return to the tree."
"Handy…" The hero commented and then looked towards the young shaman, "Okiru…You and Ryuga will check out the north-western corners. Me and the old man will check out the east."
"Why do I have to pair up with that rocky jerk!!" The boy whined to Link, but the hero ignored Okiru's griping and started off into the forest with elderly shaman.
"Come on, you little pain" Ryuga declared as he lit his own torch, "Let's get going."
"I'M ONLY SHORTER THAN BECAUSE YOU'RE OLDER!!" Okiru bellowed back at the Goron. With a heavy sigh, Ryuga spun around and launched off towards the north-west with the young shaman close behind.
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After walking through the black woods for a few minutes, Link began to feel the weariness set in. He was sure that he could remain awoke for the rest the night and on, but he feared that the sluggishness could possibly pull down on his reflexes and awareness. The hero pressed to start a conversation to refuel his attention.
"So……um…" Link had always hated starting small-talk, "…aahhh…Okiru……He lives with you?"
"Oh…yes. Yes he does." The old man replied, "It is necessary for his training that we begin from sunup to sunset…else the lessons would tread into the night."
"Ha…like tonight……"
"Yes……sigh…" Link looked over to the man. His face was held downward and an expression of sadness span across it, "I wish that was the only reason that the boy was in my care…"
"Why is he in your care, then?"
"Mmhh……Okiru is…for a lack of a better word…an orphan. His father died in the war before the boy could ever know him. And his mother…left him in Kakariko for the village to care for. I would like to say that the villagers welcomed Okiru with open arms and hearts……However …human-beings are not always as kind as our tales construe us as. For thirteen years, Okiru was scorn by the village…no adult look at him and no child would play with him. He is alone among the many."
"What?! The kid's annoying, YEAH, but why would the whole village treat him so badly?"
"……Okiru…is a one who has no single tribe. He walks on line of acceptability…his father a Hylian and his mother a sheikah. With the Shadow Folk's exodus from Hyrule, the villagers distrust the boy's loyalties and fear the powers given to him by his non-Hylian's half. Okiru's mother had hoped that in Kakariko, where the sheikah warrior Impa is praised, her son would be treated will. It always brings great sorrow to me that I and my other trainee are the only ones that didn't abandon the boy to the night air……I only wish that someday the others will lose their bigotry and recognize Okiru as my successor as village shaman."
Silence fell over the two as the old man finished. Link was angry…angry at the villagers that turned away a child…angry at a war that took away a father and mother…angry at himself for not receiving a similar fate. He, too, was an orphan that was left at a foreign village…but where Okiru was thrown out, Link was welcomed and loved. Ordon had no reason to help a Hylian babe, but the village took him in and raised Link as their own. It wasn't right…Okiru had as much a right to that kind of life as he did and Link was furious at whatever force that had decide their fates. A overwhelm sense of sympathy filled up in the hero, as well as understand for the boy's difficult nature.
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Ryuga and Okiru were walking through the forest, dead silent. The tension between the two was thick and was threatening to choke the pair. It had been thirty minutes since they venture off into the western half of the woods and their search had brought them a whole lot of NOTHING!! But that wasn't exactly why the atmosphere was so uneasy.
For the past half an hour, the two did nothing but search for Titania's fountain…and bicker. Oh, there was yell…cursing…physical blows exchanged and they had come to the final tactic…the silent treatment. The first one that would crack losses the two's mini-war. Neither showed any sign of breaking……
Another minute passed…and the two remain strong as they moved into a clearing. The dense forest canapé gave way to the night sky. The moon was half its size and eerie yellow color. The young shaman and the Goron halted their pace for a moment to gaze at the sight as though it was the first they had ever seen a star filled black heaven. The two shared a sense of wonder at the unknown…at what might be there and what might not be. A feeling crept upon the two that people hundreds of years ago might have done the exact same thing they were doing now. At that moment, Okiru and Ryuga felt an oneness with every living creature in the land……Then they looked at each other…and scowled. (So much for brotherly love…)
The pair returned their attention back to the clearing. In the middle of the area, a large circular rock stood. The rock was sloped, rising up from the outer edge to five yards up at the middle. The stone reminded Ryuga of his own home, Death Mountain, as the rock had a great hole at the top, creating the effect of a volcano. Suddenly, the ground beneath the two began to shake. Steam started bellowing out of the rock's hole, followed by powerful stream of water.
"What is that?!" a voice called out from behind Ryuga and Okiru. Twisting around, the pair found Meeko stand a yard or so away in the bushes.
"Meeko-chan?!"
"Meeko, you idiot!!" Another voice proclaimed.
"Please don't make the Goron notice us!!" Pleaded a third voice.
"What's going now?!" Ryuga cried out as Naru and Rin popped out of the bushes, "Why are the girls from the inn here?!"
"We were…f-following you…" Naru peeped out. The raven haired maiden sent her a nasty look, but the girl went on, "We heard you in the forest and…and R-Rin wanted to follow you to Link!!"
"Why didn't you just come up to us…" Okiru asked flatly as had narrowed his eyes at Rin. The girl answer back in a matter-of-fact manner……
"I wanted it to look like we'd stumbled upon with him and you guys…obviously. Do you want me to look like I'm a stacker?"
"Oh…because your not one." The green haired girl stated. Meeko in the meantime was still enthralled by the pillar of water gushing into the sky.
"What is that thing?" Meeko inquired in small voice as she walked into the clearing, eyes locked on the spectacle.
"It's called a geyser." Ryuga replied to the maiden's question, "They're common around the hot spring area of Death Mountain. It's better to stay away, that water is probably hundreds of degrees hot!"
"Meeko-chan!" Okiru cried as grabbed the girls shoulder, "You should stay back and let me protect you-"
The Yellow Maiden quickly shut the boy up with a sharp elbow in the stomach. The young shaman stumbled backward, holding his swore abdomen and then fell on his rear, out of breath. Meeko-chan…., Okiru silently thought,…stronger…than she looks……
A steering inside of Okiru's tunic pulled the boy's mind off of Meeko. All of a sudden a pink light popped out the tunic and into the air. It was the fairy girl from earlier! Hovering above the party, the little fairy gave out a tiny yelp……
"EEK!! What happened?! Why am I here?!"
"Little Fairy-chan…" The young shaman related to the floating girl as he stood up, "Don't you remember. You were in the Anti-Fairy that attacked us."
"Oh my!!" The little fairy gasped as she took in her surroundings, "Then this is the eve of Fregerock! Please forgive any mishaps I may have done…" The fairy bent her minuscule body down in a bow, then looked up at Okiru, "…By the way…why was I in your tunic…"
"Why was she in your tunic, Okiru…" Meeko inquired ominously as she appeared behind the boy. Without a warning, the maiden jammed her fingers into Okiru's mouth and pulled the two sides apart as far as they could go (OW!!), "Do you get some sick please out of tormenting innocent little fairy girls!!"
"OW!! Meeko-chan!!" Okiru pleaded as the blonde girl continued to yank, "It's not like you think-OW!!"
As Meeko maintained her punishment on the boy, the geyser's water began to change colors…from misty white to a pale violet. The geyser stream abruptly stopped and a torrent of purple flame roared out of the rock. An entity flew out of the hole, burst through the fires, and drifted before the group. The creature seemed to be made of the same purple flame that came from the geyser, with blazing wings and blazing hair. Its body glowed in the same hue as the flames and was in the shape of a woman. The face was nearly featureless…only its gleaming red eyes shone through the purple fires. The five were frozen at the sight of the creature as the tiny fairy girl retreated back from the entity.
"Titania-sama!!" The fairy yelped.
"Are you saying that that is the fairy queen?!" Ryuga stared in amazement at the flaming fairy and connected the dots. The geyser was the 'natural fountain' the old man had described as Titania's home…they were the trespassers. Damn that old geezer, the Goron thought to himself, why couldn't he just say what it was?!
"Why have you lead these outsiders hear, little one." Titania demanded to the fairy girl, her voice booming across the forest.
"Titania-sama…" The tiny girl replied meekly as she flew closer to Okiru, "I d-didn't bring them here. They…they came here themsel-"
"SILENCE!!" The queen bellowed. Titania held out her hand and giant, purple flame fireball formed. The blazing woman hurled the fireball down and it raced toward the fairy, Okiru and Meeko.
"MEEKO-CHAN!! MOVE!!" The young shaman shouted as he pushed the maiden away. Okiru quickly wrapped himself around the tiny fairy as the fireball enveloped the two and exploded on the ground.
"OKIRU!!"
Author's Note: Hey, what's up. This chapter just didn't want to be written, I don't know why!! I really wish I could get out of this damn forest faster, but I always put three times more detail in the writing then what I plan. Please review on the matter and tell me if you think things are get too slow. Please, please review!
