Chapter 17
A long silence followed after the creature spoke. Almost four hundred and fifty years? This thing must be something special, Tael concluded.
"Please, you must help me. My other half is in a cell on the other side of the castle," the creature pleaded. "I don't know who you are, but I'll pay you back greatly if you can get me out of here."
"Other half?" Tael questioned. "You look pretty whole to me."
"Trust me. This isn't how I'm supposed to look."
"All right then. If you can help me get my friend back, I can help get you out of here."
"No problem," the creature replied. "Now, there's a Moblin guard that comes by here every day to give me food. You can probably snatch the keys from him while he's not looking. If you miss him, he comes by my other half afterwards. You'll have to be quick and quiet, though."
There was a sharp click, and the thick wooden door groaned loudly inward. Tael brushed off his hands, smiling. The creature stared in amazement.
"How'd you do that?"
"There was a ring of keys hanging on the wall. Now let's go get your friend...err, other half."
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"I didn't ask your name," said Horacio after what seemed like hours.
"Link," Link said without opening his eyes.
"Where are you from? What brought you to this unfortunate situation?"
Link chuckled at the phrase. "I'm from Hyrule, but I don't know if you've heard of it. It's a parallel dimension to Termina. I came from there trying to find some kidnapped friends of mine."
"Hyrule. No, never heard of it," Horacio commented. "So, were they kidnapped by Moblins or what?"
"No. I got lost in the desert and kind of dropped in on the Moblins' festivities."
There was a small pause, and then Horacio asked, "What were you doing in the desert?"
"It's a long story."
"In case you haven't noticed, we're practically made of time right now," Horacio said in a joking tone, but he wasn't kidding.
Link bit his tongue and then recited everything that had happened since Tael had come to him pleading for help. Horacio was silent and absorbed every detail.
"It sounds a little far-fetched," he said after Link finished. "But I'll give you one thing: you're a great storyteller."
Link remained quiet. It didn't matter whether Horacio believed him or not, but he was a little upset that he didn't. He fell asleep wondering what would become of them.
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"Here it is," the creature said as Tael and he came to the end of a darkened, torchlit passageway. A thick wooden door stood on the left wall, and another creature was waiting there. It looked exactly like the other. The creature with Tael held out the key ring and tried the keys until one of them worked.
The click resonated through the hallway, and the instant the door swung open, the two creatures leapt at each other eagerly. Tael watched as time seemed to slow down until it was almost stopped. The creatures were inching towards each other in midair, then suddenly, with a bright flash of colors, the two of them were sucked into a two-dimensional white hole.
The hole pulsated with different colors: soft pink, sky blue, and spring green. The pulse quickened and then an explosion rocked the hallway, sending Tael sputtering to the floor. A bright white light blinded him, and he shielded his eyes, excited but frightened to see what stood before him.
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Pyrobia, year 132
A feeling of horror, sorrow and weakness swarmed through Gruth's body the instant he got a look at the source of the bright light. It was a woman, human in appearance, but giant butterfly-like wings sprouted from her back. She was floating three feet off the floor, her glowing white gown fluttering around her in a nonexistant breeze. She could be nothing but a fairy.
Her face was beautiful but terrifying; it was as soft as a flower and as hard as stone at the same time. Waves of amber brown hair rippled around her head like a crown, engulfing a wreath of white flowers. Gruth found that he couldn't speak.
"I am Rosaria, the Great Fairy of the Mountain," said the fairy in a voice that was neither male nor female; it sounded like a roaring waterfall behind a rippling brook. "It is my duty to protect the Gorons of Pyrobia, even if it means to eliminate any who stand in my way. You have no right to destroy their lives like this."
"It...was not my choice," Gruth managed to stutter.
"It was not your choice? I've been watching you, and you have not been acting on that statement."
"You don't understand. I really don't want to do this, but when I am forced to, I enjoy it against my will. I can't explain it any differently. Please, don't hurt me!"
Rosaria closed her eyes and for a moment Gruth could see her temples throbbing. Then a sharp pain rapped against his brain and he recoiled, suddenly tense. The pang seemed to pulsate through different areas of his head as if probing for something. The instant Rosaria opened her eyes, the pain was gone.
"You speak the truth. I am deeply sorry for your predicament. I can free you of your curse if you-" Rosaria was cut off abruptly as she exploded into two blinding pieces that flopped on the ground in front of Gruth. It felt as if his very soul had been violently torn apart. His supervisor stood behind the bright white figures, axe in hand.
"Quick, grab them!" the Moblin yelled, struggling with one of the strange, scaly creatures. Other Moblins rushed over to help restrain the two pieces of the fairy. Gruth's expression changed from pure horror to pure anger in an instant. Without thinking, he dove into the group at his supervisor, axe raised.
In a matter of minutes, two Moblins lay dead, their blood mingling with that of the Gorons. In his anger, Gruth had torn apart his supervisor and killed himself in anguish. If his life would only bring death to others, he may as well end it, and in the process, save hundreds of people from suffering.
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The gruff voice of a Moblin woke Link, and he unclenched his eyelids, looking in the direction of the sound. Before he had time to react, he felt a firm, thick hand grasp his arm and he was wrenched through the cage door, his head throbbing painfully. He gritted his teeth at the pain, but was unable to do anything about it; he was being dragged across the smooth stone floor.
Horacio and the other humans stared after him sympathetically, but he knew they couldn't do anything. Another Moblin behind him had locked the cage, and he was following them now. Without a second thought, Link stretched his legs and kicked at the second Moblin's ankles, causing him to stumble and then trip forward violently.
He had fallen so suddenly that Link didn't have the time to twist out of way of the crashing beast. The thing landed on top of him, tearing his arm from the other Moblin's grip. Link screamed in agony; it felt like every bone in his body had been snapped at once. He was sure that his shoulder was dislocated.
Immediately the Moblins growled, and both of them grabbed him with such violence that he couldn't help but shed a few tears in pain.
"ENOUGH!"
The explosive voice sounded like a volcano crumbling into the ocean. Link was painfully dropped to the ground and he almost passed out. Somehow, he remained conscious.
"I have returned to avenge the Gorons so mercilessly treated in their very homes over four hundred years ago. I now see that I have more reason to destroy you."
The voice continued to boom through the cavern, but Link couldn't turn his head to see what was happening or who was there; something was wrong with his neck. Suddenly the voice stopped and the cavern started rumbling. Link felt a slight breeze ripple across his body; it turned to wind, and then to a gale. All the while the shaking of the cave continuously increased. Link was then aware of the walls. They were starting to glow a fierce cherry color.
What is going on? Link thought frantically, trying to scramble away from the burning floor before realizing his arms and legs would not move. There was a sharp shriek and a blinding flash of light, and the Moblins standing above him gave fatal screams as they were galvanized from the inside out. They both slumped to the floor, dead.
Another flash of light and the top of a cage in the corner of his vision crumbled into dust. A deafening cheer rang through the cavern. The last thing Link saw before passing out was the ghostly sight of a purplish ball of light floating above his head.
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