I'm so...so...SOOOOO sorry about how late this chapter is! I've been so freaking busy with life, it's not even funny! But alas, here it is! I hope you like it! I'm not really what to make of it...I mean...I like it, but I was experiencing a painful writer's block while I was writing it (another excuse for the lateness). The writer's block broke last night so hopefully more to come soon!
The warrior could hardly recall how he willingly put himself into such a painful situation. Though he was wounded and sapped of all strength, the sight of Ghirahim on the verge of being attacked sent fear and the possessive need to protect the demon lord through Link's mind, offering him new found strength. With a sudden rejuvenation of energy, the boy leapt from his fallen position and took off running towards the beast, his sword held high and a fierce battle cry on his tongue. Before the vicious monster could lay one bite into the demon lord, Link crashed his body against it, sending the beast sideways and away from Ghirahim's body as it attempted to stabilize its wobbly footing. The warrior grunted as he fell to the ground and onto his hands and knees, covering the demon lord's body with his own. He gave Ghirahim a defiant glare and said through clenched teeth, "you will not die on me today."
The demon lord's eyes widened in shock at Link's self-sacrificial actions; his fathomless black orbs began to fill with the smallest hint of tears. But his arms came up strong as they tried to force the sky child away. "No!" He growled, his fists pushing against Link's chest violently. "This is none of your concern! Leave me be!"
Link's reply was a cry of pain as the ferocious beast ripped off his shield and adventure pouch and dug into his shoulder with its jagged teeth, tearing through his tunic and skin as if they were made of paper; the serrated claws that the monster wielded sank into his sides, capturing him in a painful and dangerous embrace. And yet the sky child refused to move from his huddled position over top of Ghirahim's body, protecting the demon lord and using his own flesh as a shield against the monster's unrelenting attacks. Link attempted to shrug the giant beast off of his back without exposing the demon lord underneath him, but the creature held on with fervor. The boy gritted his teeth and let out a low groan as the monster continued to claw and bite at him, feeding on his flesh and blood. He opened his eyes to see the demon lord gazing up at him with a mixture of horror and sadness, and amidst the tremendous pain he was experiencing, Link couldn't help but feel his heart warm up at the sight of Ghirahim's concern. He felt a little guilty when his voice came out as a growl when he spoke to the demon lord. "Why are you still here? Go!"
The demon lord bit his lip, conflicting emotions racing through his face. He hesitantly dropped his hands down to his chest and gave several deep breaths. When he spoke, his voice did not carry the same defiance and stubbornness as it had before. "This wasn't meant to be your battle, Link."
The beast's mouth moved closer to Link's neck as it began to lose interest in his shredded shoulder. The boy's eyes widened in both agony and fear, and he bit back the howl of misery that wished to come out. "It's my battle now!" He shouted, fighting past the weakness that accompanied the loss of blood and continuous flow of pain that rushed through his body. "Ghirahim, please!" Link pleaded through clenched teeth; he knew that if the demon lord did not make an effort to leave now, the sky child would soon be too weak to fight off the beast any longer, and both of them would end up dead, thus creating a lost cause.
Ghirahim's face crumbled into sadness, and his chest began to rise and fall rapidly as he fought to control his breathing. "Link…." He whispered the boy's name apologetically before slowly wiggling out from underneath the warrior and stumbling away—having not yet regained all of his strength—from the dangerous battle.
Link allowed time for Ghirahim to get to the boulder before he decided to act; the beast had significantly loosened its claw-filled grip on the boy's sides as it eyed the demon lord's suddenly exposed body when he staggered away. Ignoring the incredible agony that raked through every fiber of his being, the boy dropped one shoulder and pushed himself into a roll, putting a small amount of distance between him and the confused beast. Quickly springing to his feet, Link didn't allow the monster the privilege of coming to grips with the changing situation; with a vicious growl, the warrior positioned his sword for an attack and charged forward, plunging the goddess blade deep into the beast's shoulder. The sudden attack earned him a howl of misery from the monster as it tried to cringe away from the blade. The hero gave a hard smile and pushed the steel further into the creature's flesh, twisting the sword back and forth. "Eye for an eye, my friend," he whispered sadistically before yanking the blade out with a grunt.
The beast, as if it understood the warrior's taunt, let out a furious roar and tried to swipe at him with its good arm. Link jumped back so that the monster's knife-like claws merely grazed his stomach instead of impaling him completely. He let out a sharp breath and narrowed his eyes. "Nice try." He growled sarcastically.
The creature let out a growl of its own and took a clumsy leap forward, favoring its wounded shoulder. The warrior quickly dodged to the left in order to prevent getting pounced on, and as soon as the beast landed, he lunged forward on his toes, thrusting his sword forward until it made contact with the monster's flesh once more. The steel tore through the creature's neck smoothly, but it was only a small superficial wound, and it did little to slow the monster down. 'Aim before you strike, Link.' The warrior reminded himself gruffly as the beast easily brushed off the new wound without so much as a whine. It eyed the boy with apparent intrigue, its mouth open to form a sick make-shift smile that craved flesh.
Link's flesh.
Link narrowed his eyes in concentration and crouched low to the earth, preparing to attack once more. "You will not win." He whispered with determination, knowing that the monster's sensitive ears would be able to pick up his words with ease.
The beast let out a huff of air and shook its fur coat, its muscles tightening with anticipation and eagerness. With careful steps, it began to circle around the boy, stalking him with predator-like instincts. Link turned on his toes in order to keep the monster within his viewpoints, but he never left the center of the circle, never took his eyes off of his opponent.
The deadly dance continued for what seemed like hours without a move being made from either opponent. The warrior's muscles ached from being tight and unmoving for such a long period of time, but he refused to falter, show any signs of weakness. The beast growled with impatience and pawed the ground, its red eyes shooting daggers of malice in Link's direction. The sky child gritted his teeth together. "If you want to end this so badly, why are you scared to make the first move?" He mocked quietly, a smirk forming on his tight lips.
The beast howled with fury and pounded at the ground with its claw-infused paw, sending a wave of dust and dirt in Link's direction. Instinct took over, and the boy raised his hands to protect his eyes from the hail of grime that sailed his way. It was at that very moment, when Link took his eyes off of his opponent, that he knew he was in more serious trouble than getting several flecks of dirt in his eyes. 'No…' The sky child moaned inwardly as he ripped his hands from his face in order to take on the beast's imminent attack.
The monster was airborne, claws pointed in the warrior's direction and thick, taut arms spread open for a deadly hug. Its mouth opened wide with the intent of stripping the boy's flesh from his bones. Link didn't have time to think as the creature tumbled onto him, knocking his sword from his hands with an angry swipe. The warrior let out a cry of pain as claws sank into his shoulders, pinning him steadfast to the ground. The beast let out a victorious growl and pushed his claws further into Link's skin, seemingly pleased as the boy gritted his teeth and writhed in agony. The weight of the monster was nearly too much to bear on the sky child's arms, cutting off his circulation and making his limbs go numb. The goddess blade lay enticingly close, the hilt only several feet away from Link's reach; it glowed a dull blue hue as Fi tried in vain to contact him. Link looked up with a snarl as the beast lowered his snout till they were staring eye to eye. "I said…that you will not win!" Link growled ferociously, nearly surprising himself with his seemingly endless determination.
With all of the strength he could muster, the boy curled his back and drove his legs upward, planting his heels into the beast's stomach with an incredible force. The monster threw its head back and bellowed in agony and surprise. Seeing his chance, Link kicked again, harder and into the creature's ribs, earning several sharp cracks of bones fracturing. The beast rose to its hind legs in pain, releasing the warrior from his immovable prison. Link immediately began to shuffle back on his elbows, keeping his eyes on the raging creature as he tried to place as much distance as he could between them. The monster's beady eyes looked around frantically, searching for the boy that delivered the pain it was feeling. When its blood red eyes landed on Link, it let out a vengeful cry and bounded towards him with the mindset of killing and a lust for blood.
Link let out a grunt as he quickly swept the ground with both his hands and his eyes for his sword. His hands travelled quickly over the ground, feeling the coolness of dirt, rocks, and tall grass, but no hilt. "Come on, come on!" He growled, becoming frantic as the beast took another leap in the air, aiming for his fallen form. Suddenly his hand grazed the unmistakable hilt of the goddess sword from behind his back, and without thinking, the warrior grabbed it and pointed the blade upwards.
Right into the beast's falling direction.
The monster impaled the sword with such a force that the blade was driven all the way until not even a glimpse of the steel could be seen. The beast let out a cry of anguish as the blade burned into its chest, causing an un-repairable wound that began to pour out sweet smelling blood. Link grunted and pushed the creature off of his body and to the side, pulling out his blade once the monster was writhing on the ground, whining and seemingly not having any intent of getting up anytime soon. Breathing hard, the boy fought to stand on his shaking legs; pain raked through his body with such intensity that it took several tries before he was actually standing strong. His disgusted eyes watched the beast as it squirmed on the ground, and with the last of his strength, the boy raised his blood-soaked blade into the air. Voice filled with the unmistakable power of the chosen hero, Link called out. "Goddess, please grant me the power to rid the surface of this evil!"
The blade of the goddess sword began to hum with steady vibrations as electrifying power seeped into the steel. Link tightened his grip as he felt the goddess grant him his wish. The blade sung with power, and began to glow as it became strengthened; the light filled the woods, seeping into all shadows and crevices, showing off its pure glory. Link gave a hard smile to the suddenly frightened beast. "Your life ends now!" He shouted.
And with a battle cry that rumbled deep within his chest, the warrior drove his blade deep into the evil monster's chest with perfect precision, piercing its heart with steel. The monster cried out one last time in misery, unable to bear the pain of death; it attempted to move away from the blade, but only succeeded in getting stabbed again, and again. Link grunted as he pulled out his blade and wiped the monster's blood on the back of his pants, staining the fabric. The creature's frantic movements became less and less until the beast was not moving at all, being too exhausted and painful. The dull throb of its heart beat slowly ebbed to a halt, and the rapid rise and fall of the beast's wounded chest stilled completely.
In a matter of seconds, the beast disintegrated before the warrior's eyes, becoming nothing more than tangled wisps of purple and black smoke. The monster's final cry of redemption continued to resonate among the forest until it eventually became saturated into the ever-growing silence. The miserable weather left with the monster, and a peaceful aura overtook the forest once more. The warrior clung to his sword, feeling the faint vibrations of the goddess' power send tingling sensations through his fingers. Taking several more deep breaths, Link's eyes drifted over to the figure that hid deep within the shade that the large boulder had to offer; Ghirahim stood like a stone, wide black eyes transfixed onto the sky child, mouth etched into a frown that portrayed both fear and sorrow, hands clutched tightly into impenetrable balls at his sides. The demon lord took a meager step forward in the boy's direction, but quickly decided against it and shrunk back into the cover of shade. Link stood for a moment longer, gazing at Ghirahim with tired eyes until his legs couldn't take on the simple task of standing anymore; with an inaudible groan, the wounded warrior crumpled to the ground, not even having enough energy to voice the excruciating pain he was in.
"Link!" The demon lord cried out in alarm before clamping his hands over his mouth, eyes portraying shock towards his worried outburst towards the warrior.
Link's chest continued to heave uncomfortably as he attempted to regain the oxygen that was stolen from him, but with each breath came a fresh torrent of pain that left him shaky and feeling ill. The boy could feel fresh waves of blood exit his many stab wounds at an increasing rate, and waves of dizziness began to cloud his mind uncontrollably. With a pained sigh, the hero gently turned his head to the side, trying to ease the pressure that was building up in his neck. His hazy blue eyes immediately fell onto his adventure pouch that rested only several feet away from his reach. 'Always having to reach for things…' Link thought sarcastically as he waited for the tremors of pain to settle before he began moving towards the ripped bag.
Pushing past the immense agony that echoed his every movement, the boy slowly shuffled towards his broken pouch. He continued to wriggle on his back, shifting one aching shoulder back after the other, until the soft leather of the pouch brushed lightly against the warrior's dirty hair. As if he could already feel the restoration effects of the healing potion, Link let out a relieved sigh before reaching an arm over his head to grab the pouch. Once he managed to find his way inside, the boy allowed his fingers to wander within the bag, searching through the contents without feeling the need to use his eyes. He let out thankful chuckle when his fingers brushed lightly against a small warm glass vial. "Only a healing potion is that warm, while the others remain ice cold…." He mumbled as his tired fingers sought to gain a better hold on the tiny container.
Wincing as he pulled the vial out, the sky child wasted no time ripping off the cork lid with his teeth and downing the red fluid in several large gulps. He closed his eyes and let out a small grunt as the heat of the potion transferred throughout his broken body, focusing on the areas that were incredibly wrecked and damaged by the monster's claws and fangs. Tingling sensations vibrated throughout his limbs, becoming a pulsating throb that reached his fingers and toes and caused the boy to tremble slightly. One last wave of warmth shot through Link's body before it came to a halt completely. He remained on the ground for a moment more, flexing his fingers and toes. His shoulders ached slightly when he attempted to rotate them, but the stabbing agony he was experiencing mere seconds ago was completely gone. 'Alright, let's try standing now." Link thought to himself with determination.
To prevent further light-headedness, the boy crawled up to his hands and knees slowly, taking his time getting up to his feet. As he slowly rose to a standing position, his knees trembled, and his feet tingled uncomfortably with the after-effects of the potion, but the sky child remained firmly upright on his feet. Link wasn't surprised to find himself breathing hard by his sudden physical excursion; his body shook with the undertone of weakness that threatened to take over at any moment. But all thoughts of exhaustion, all inklings of weakness, everything drifted away once the warrior's blue eyes landed on the demon lord once more. The world around the hero faded to black, the sounds and vibrant life of the woods dulling to nothing but a distant hum. All he saw was Ghirahim, his Ghirahim, staring back at him with guilty black eyes.