AUTHOR'S NOTE: I love creative bursts! Remember to read, review, and most importantly, enjoy!
"This is the place?"
"It would appear so, Groose."
Groose and Link looked on at the large Cistern. It was deteriorating, chunks missing from the outside. The waters around it had long since dried up, and a sludgy mud pit surrounded the cistern's base. An eerie feeling crept over the group. Groose and Link shuddered as they stepped into the sludge, moving slowly towards the door leading inside. Cheeb, riding on Link's shoulder, looked down in disgust.
As the three approached the gateway, Groose looked back at Ghirahim, who was standing at the edge of the pit, looking down. "Are you okay?" Groose called out.
"Uh… yeah. I'll just find another way around."
"What? Why?"
"I… I don't want to touch it."
"Are you really afraid of getting dirty?"
"Oh, so terribly, it would mess up my shoes."
"You're not wearing shoes, Ghirahim."
"You can't tell me which general laws of footwear apply to me!"
"Fine, sheesh. Can't you just teleport across?"
"My powers don't work… when I'm around… uh… sludge. Yes, that's it." Groose didn't notice the bead of sweat forming on Ghirahim's forehead.
"Well then do you want me to carry you?"
"Aren't you supposed to be saving the world Groose? Did you ever think of that?"
"Well, I don't really think period, but I suppose when you put it that way…" Groose was mildly confused by the situation.
"Well hurry up and get to it!"
Groose turned around to see Link and Cheeb already inside. He quickly dashed through the door to catch up with them.
Ghirahim smirked, his cheap trick fooling Groose. He snapped his fingers, then disappeared in a burst of diamonds.
The trio entered the main chamber of the cistern. The crumbling remains of the statue in the center were held together with a dark, spiked ivy. Thorns protruded out of the vines like daggers. The statue itself was a deep red, the aged clay weathering over the years. Around them, small holes in the ceiling let in minimal light, falling down from above in streams. Grabbing an old lantern that was lying on the ground, Link surveyed the area before lighting the lantern. The area around them illuminated, revealing dark messages scrawled on the walls.
"So… where do we start?" Groose asked, flipping some pebbles over with his foot.
Link waved the lantern around, searching the place. The light fell upon a spiraling stairway in the statue. Signaling over, Link and Groose walked to the center of the room, crouching in the doorway to the staircase. As they made their way down, Cheeb began to get a bit antsy.
"Hey Link… how far down do you think this staircase is?"
"I don't know, Cheeb. Probably not much farther."
"How did you light that lantern? It's been sitting there for hundreds of years or something, hasn't it?"
"I don't know, Cheeb. I'm not the one at the keyboard."
As the two bantered back and forth behind him, Groose continually looked down. They had been climbing down for quite some time now, and they hadn't reached the end yet. Groose's eyes were slowly adjusting to the darkness, but all he could make out were the outlines of the brick. Growing weary of this seemingly endless staircase, Groose grabbed Cheeb from Link's shoulder.
"Hey Cheeb, do you want to know how deep down this stairwell goes?"
"I sure do! Do you know?"
"No, but you're about to!" Groose flung Cheeb down the stairwell, ricocheting off the walls, listening to him scream all the way down.
"Groose!" Link screamed in a hushed tone. "What the hell was that?!"
"We have to use what we have to our advantage."
"You can't just throw him down there!"
"Hey Cheeb! How deep is it?" Groose was met with nothing but a constant, high-pitched screaming. "I'm sure he'll be fine."
"Come on, Ghirahim… you know you want it…"
Ghirahim spun around, slashing with his blade. This better not be turning into a pattern, he thought to himself.
"Can you feel it?" Ghirahim quickly jabbed forward, feeling his blade penetrate his target.
He pulled back his other hand, forming a dagger as he did. He drove it forward, making contact.
The demon let out a strained, cackled laugh, then dissipated around the blades. "Really? For someone of your standing, you've stooped low, Ghirahim… You've grown weak." His attacker moved about him in the darkness, torturing him.
Ghirahim lashed out again, his pulse rapidly intensifying. He could feel his hands clenched around his single blade, which was held out in front of him, waiting to sink into his target. This hellish creature was spouting nothing but lies.
Ghirahim slashed out in front of him, hitting nothing. Reacting quickly, he leapt up in the air, hearing the monster slam to the ground below him. He shot downwards with impressive speed, sinking his blade into the beast. A thick stream of black goo spurted out, and the beast slowly melted around Ghirahim.
"Ha… is that all you have?"
Ghirahim was prepared to face the sound once again, forcing himself to stay focused. Unfortunately, this focus was broken by an outside noise. Ghirahim noticed a peculiar, yet strangely familiar noise coming from above him. Knowing better, he dared not look up. He listened above the growing noise, waiting for the next hint as to where the demon might be.
It didn't take long. Ghirahim heard a voice mutter under it's breath, "What the hell is that?" Taking his chance in the confusion, Ghirahim sheathed his sword and sent out a bevy of gleaming daggers, temporarily illuminating the area. The quick glimpse of his assailant was all he needed. Teleporting away from the daggers' intended target, he landed just precisely behind the demon chief. He ever so elegantly unsheathed his sword, silently preparing his attack. Though he couldn't see it, he felt a twisted grin cross his face.
Though his prediction was correct, nothing could have prepared Ghirahim for the Kikwi that was about to fall upon his head.