Chapter Sixteen
In less than an hour, Link had tuckered out Epona, angrily ordered Fyer to allow him to go to the desert, and was now dashing across the sandy planes, in wolf mode. He did not head straight to Arbiter's Grounds; rather, he ran around in furious circles, trying to figure out if this was all a nightmare or not.
It was not. The harsh reality bore into him, like a continuously thrusting and stabbing blade. He had almost forgiven King Bulblin for those many attempts on his life, and yet…was this how he was to be repaid for his kindness? To learn that the creature he had taken pity on had betrayed him before they had even formed an alliance? If Link had known, he would not have been so gentle when he fought King Bulblin. Glorious, revenge-driven imaginary scenes flashed through his mind; there were as many scenes as grains of sand, all there for a moment before being splayed out and quelled under his paws. All of them featured King Bulblin facing a terrible demise, and this death was delivered by Link.
'I must calm down,' he thought, even though it was the last thing he wanted to do. Despite his humanity, wolfish instincts and characteristics were taking over him. He wanted to fight, to find King Bulblin and all of his disgusting followers, sink his fangs into them, feel the blood gush into his mouth as he ripped out their flesh….Link quickly tried to shove these images into the back of his mind, but before he could reorganize his brain, he felt the ground underneath his front paws disappear, and he careened forward into a large crevice, letting out a howl of despair.
OoO
When Link awoke, he was in a dimly lit, small, circular room. In front of him was a long corridor, also very dark: he could not see where it ended. He slowly stood onto his feet and shook his head, trying to get his bearing.
He had fallen. That much he remembered. But what had happened? During the fall, he seemed to have lost consciousness, and now, here he was, standing in what looked to be an underground dungeon. He looked around him, running in circles, trying to find a magical beam of light that would let him reach the surface, but there wasn't one. He was trapped.
'Only way to go is forward,' he thought grimly, and began to lightly tread into the oppressive darkness, down the long hallway, his heart thumping loudly. As he did so, he paused; some familiar stench was permeated his nostrils. He lifted his nose in the air and sniffed, but he did not have to in order to see where the source of the scent was. He heard a garbled sort of shout, and a flame immediately burst into the darkness somewhere overhead, illuminating the face of an arrow-wielding Bulblin. Several arrows were shot at him; Link let out a bark of rage and betrayal. There were many Bulblins, all situated on ledges jutting out above him; he would never be able to shoot them all, not if he wanted to survive. He began running down the hallway, feeling the rush of arrows and the heat of flame pass by him. The corridor was not very long, but it felt that way; danger pursued him recklessly as he dashed. A dim light came into view, but there was also a very large hole in the ground, stretching from wall to wall. With an almighty leap, Link crossed it, barely scrambling up the side. He paused and looked behind him; Bulblins continued to shoot arrows, but none of them made it past the rectangular hole.
'He knows,' thought Link grimly as he trotted into this room. 'King Bulblin knows that I figured it out, that I know he killed my mother. That's why his minions shot at me. This must be his—his secret place or something.' He surveyed the new room. 'Well, doesn't matter. I will find him here, and I will destroy him.'
This new room was very large, and almost in the shape of a cross. He trotted into the center of the cross; there were four hallways, including the one he had just come from, extending in each direction. He walked straight forward, looking around, but found nothing except a chest. He quickly assumed human shape and opened it; there was a dungeon map. It was crudely drawn, and very silly of King Bulblin to place a map here, but it worked in Link's advantage. He showed him the shape of the dungeon. There were three floors, and one basement level; the first and second floor were the same shape: they were actually formed like a giant rectangle, but parts of it were blacked out, leaving only the cross-shaped inside and two long, skinny rooms on the east and west side. On the first floor, off the west hallway was a small, square room; the second floor did not have this room. Link went to the east door first, because it seemed to indicate that there was a staircase there that led to the second floor, but to his dismay, it was locked. He had to go to the west door.
Link crossed the room again, still surveying the map. The third floor and the basement were also similar in structure: they were very large, oval rooms, and hanging off of the southwest corner was a small, square room, identical to the one he was heading to. He approached the door; it was large, wooden, and it was unlocked. He quickly stowed the map and put his hand on the doorknob, wrenching it open and stepping inside.
The room was dark, too; Link, feeling a sense of dread, pulled out his lantern to see at least a dozen Bulblin eyes staring at him. His heart shot into his throat and he quickly drew his sword as the Bulblins rushed towards him, wielding clubs and fire arrows.
Link brought down his sword onto a Bulblin, striking angrily. It flew onto the ground, weak and dying; Link executed a fine Ending Blow, finishing it off with pleasure. He spun around, his blade slicing furiously, sending several Bulblins flying. He blindly hacked and slashed, racing after one Bulblin that tried to escape; he stabbed it multiple times, even after it was dead.
The whole affair took less than five minutes, but Link could have gone on for longer. His lust for seeing all Bulblins destroyed was overtaking his logic, and he was even searching for more when he was finished. He would have continued searching if his lantern had not gone out. He needed more oil.
Luckily, a lantern flared into light at the south end of the corridor, showing him a door. He strode over to the door and opened it; it was a brightly lit room with a treasure chest in it. He hurried across the room and kicked open the chest, pulling out a small key. He went back into the long corridor and blindly felt his way back to the door and hurried across the cross-shaped room. He unlocked the door and entered the room; it was shaped exactly like the long hallway on the west side, except this one was brightly lit and did not have a corner room. To the north was a set of stairs, which Link quickly scaled. When he got to the top, he found himself in another long corridor; according to the map, the second floor was shaped exactly like the first floor, except…in the cross-like part, the northern part was closed off with a door. Link was able to rush through the door when he noticed what looked like a huge goblet on the other end of this room; when he looked at it, he noticed it was full of lantern oil. He filled up his lantern and a bottle, and entered into the cross-shaped room.
Just as he had predicted, the northern part was locked. He crossed the room and opened up the western door, expecting to find a horde of Bulblins…and he was right. As soon as he whipped out his lantern, they charged, as did a great deal of Bokoblins, wielding clubs and scimitars. There was at least a score and a half of them; he swiped his blade, eagerly feeling it cut through harsh flesh. This time, the battle took less than ten minutes, and his bloodlust was not as strong as it was before. At the end of the hallway was a chest, which he rushed to, opening it to reveal a small key.
He hurried into the center room, put out his lantern, and hurriedly unlocked the northern door. He entered the room, which was lit by only two lanterns, and immediately perceived that it was not a room at all, but a small platform, leading off into darkness. He was about to turn around and rethink his plan, when he noticed a light glinting off of a thick rope that extended into the dark. Link quickly assumed wolf form and began shuffling across it.
It seemed to extend up and north, until he reached what looked to be a doorless doorway leading into a wide, oval, stone room. He slowly began walking forward, looking around cautiously; it was very plain, with many torches lit around the room, and several jars placed under each torch. To the southwest corner was a door, Link began heading towards it, but, as soon as he neared it, grates flew down, blocking off his pathway. He whipped around, gritting his teeth and ready to draw his blade, when he heard a terrible slicing noise. He looked back towards where he had entered the room and, to his shock and horror, saw that the rope had been cut, and was flying off into the darkness. He had no way of escape now.
His eyes sought the culprit, and he soon found it, a terrifying sight. It looked like a deformed man, twice Link's height, with very thick muscles; he was extraordinarily brawny, and wore a long, chainmail tunic. On its head was a helmet that could have been a metal skull; two large, hooked horns protruded from it, facing downwards. It held a thin, long, double-bladed, double-hilted scimitar. It let out an eerie screech, almost reminiscent of Zant, and charged at Link.
Link drew the Master Sword, holding it aloft. This was not a battle he would lose.
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