Yo, readers! How are you all?
Moriko: I'm sure they're fine, Wing. Calm down.
Me: How can I calm down? I'm already calm.
Moriko: What? You? Calm? HA! Never...
Me: Oh, really?
Moriko: Ya, really!
Me: Oh, really??
Moriko: Ya, really!!
(edited for length)
Moriko: Shut up, you!
Me: You shut up, or I'll hit you with a poptart!
Moriko: Oh, I'm so scared! Just try it! Bring it on!
Me: (smacks her over the head) QUIET, I'M TRYING TO SPEAK TO THE READERS!!
Moriko: urgh...fine. Get this over with...
Me: Thank you. Now, I thank you all for your kind reviews, and I hope you liked the glimpse into Kaiser's past last chapter! BTW, CloudrunnerSparty, there's a frog in this chapter. (remembers last time there was a frog) No, wait...that was a toad...ARGH! Anyway, I hope you like the chapter! The fight scene was fun to write! XD So fun!
Taiki: The Wing Alchemist doesn't own anyone except Moriko and the random people you've never heard of.
Chapter 24: The Temple of Farore
Moriko took less then four steps into the temple, then immediately voiced her much-appreciated opinion of it.
"This place is really, really smelly."
Link, who had just caught up to her, nearly tripped at the comment.
"Well, yes, I supposed it would be after several hundred years without a decent cleaning."
Moriko nodded and walked into the center of the room. It was like the underground temple in Hyrule Castle, except for a few things.
One, the rug wasn't a rug. It was extremely smelly loam that felt like syrup on the bottom of your boots.
Two, the place was covered in vines, trees, and mushrooms; you name the plant, it was growing somewhere in the room. Every manner of plant species, good and bad, was somewhere on the walls or on the floor, maybe even the ceiling.
And three, the place was a complete mess. Deku Baba plants were scattered everywhere, vines grew everywhere on the walls, the boards that acted as paths looked rotten and weak, and there were holes in the ceiling that allowed sunlight to filter into the room. Small specks of dust filled the air, giving the entire room a stuffy and unclean feeling.
Moriko shook her head and pulled Taiki and Navi out of her collar. They were still a tad drowsy, but they stayed awake anyway. They settled back into her collar after a bit of complaining, but just so they could rest. Taiki was still dizzy from the hit Moriko had given him, and Navi was still recovering from the strain of carrying the bottle of disgusting ChuChu jelly.
Link walked beside them as they made their careful way through the next few rooms. The loam under their feet soon turned to a swamp-like mush. Moriko kept the Master Sword in as they trudged on, dispatching any monster they met. After a while, she began noticing a pattern. With every group of monsters they met, there'd always be one Bokoblin in the upper rafters of the temple, watching them with intense eyes. And the odd thing about that monster was that every time the others died, it would run away, heading deeper into the temple. At first, she hadn't really paid it any attention to it, but now it was just annoying.
"Oi!" she yelled after dispatching the newest monsters. "If you want to fight me, sunshine, then get your butt down here!"
The Bokoblin glared at her.
"If you insist on fighting, then fight the master," it hissed, jumping down to the first floor and into the next room. Moriko blinked at the Bokoblin's voice, which she'd never heard before, and attempted to keep her mouth from hitting the slushy ground.
"Did that Bokoblin just…speak?" she asked Link. He just stood there, his mouth hanging open as well.
"Oh my…that's…never happened before."
"I can see that from the way your mouth is hanging open. Care to give chase?" she asked, pointing after the Bokoblin. He took a second to shut his mouth, then grinned.
"Why not? He asked for it."
They chased after the monster, heading into the next room. This one was bigger, there were more ledged lining the outer walls, and the ceiling was practically gone. All that was left of it were crumbling stone arches, like an old abandoned church. A large group of Bokoblins were gathered in the middle of a beam of sunlight, chattering like a bunch of angry birds. It sounded like they couldn't speak like the other one.
Moriko stepped towards them, trying to calm her nerves.
"Bokoblins, I seek your leader. Take me to him, and I won't harm you."
The Bokoblins shrieked as she spoke, startled by her voice. They looked at her, then charged in pairs of two. Moriko dispatched them easily until there was only one left. It was the big one from the forest. It grinned widely at her and tilted its head in a creepy way.
"You are strong girl," it said, speaking in partial sentences. "I Bokoblin leader. I want you gone."
"I'm not leaving until I do what I came here to do."
"And that be?"
"To rid this place of evil, and to find my best friend."
"Oh, you look for dark haired girl? She here, but as prisoner."
Moriko felt her rage flare up. "What did you say, monster?"
"I say girl here, but as prisoner. She trespassed, so we take her here. She stay until crime forgiven."
"Where is she?"
The Bokoblin raised a grimy hand and pointed up. Moriko's eyes flew to the ceiling, where a large iron cage hung from one of the few stable rafters. Laura was propped up against one of the sides, a small line of blood running down her cheek. There was a bruise forming on her neck and on her temple, and her hair was matted with sludge and blood.
Moriko unsheathed the Master Sword and pointed it at the Bokoblin, her eyes blazing with anger.
"Let…her…go."
"No," the monster said, taking out a spiked club. "We keep that which ours. You go, or she die."
"Let's settle this in a duel. If I win, you leave the temple. If you win, I'll leave."
"Good, good. We fight!" it cackled, jumping up and down happily.
The Bokoblin launched itself at Moriko, holding the club in both hands. Moriko evaded and slashed at the monster's unprotected back. It rolled forward and spun around, clipping Moriko's shoulder with a spike. Moriko bit her lip and jabbed at the monster's gut, slicing an inch into its side. The monster tumbled to the floor and jumped back, successfully landing itself in a large deep puddle. Moriko bit back a laugh as the monster sputtered and dog-paddled back to land, completely covered in smelly sludge.
It saw her grinning face and leapt at her, but tripped on its club. If fell in a heap in front of her, shrieking incomprehensible words, and Moriko couldn't hold it in anymore.
She burst out laughing, and kept laughing until she fell over. The Bokoblin untangled its legs from the crude weapon and glared at Moriko, its mouth contorting into a frown.
"You done laughing?" it asked. Moriko's laughter died as she got up, her smile disappearing.
"Yes. Shall we continue?"
"Yes."
They leapt at each other again, their movements becoming a blur to Link and the fairies. It lasted for another ten minutes, and abruptly ended when Moriko accidentally tripped the Bokoblin onto its club. It lay there for a few seconds, unmoving, but soon disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving behind a key.
"That was kind of lame," Moriko said after she picked up the small silver key. Link nodded, but motioned her towards the ramp that spiraled upward. She followed him as carefully as possible up to the cage holding Laura, though the boards under her feet creaked and bended under her weight.
When they reached the cage, Moriko was beginning to freak out. It wasn't just that she was afraid for Laura, but she was also freaked out by the distance between her and the floor, as well as the stability of the boards. She clung to the outer wall like a spider, and when she had to walk out into the middle of the room to get to the cage, she got down on her hands and knees and crawled over to it.
She had the door unlocked soon, and she dashed to Laura's side, checking to see if she was okay. Her friend was unconscious, but relatively unharmed. Aside from the injuries Moriko had seen before, Laura had a few small gashes on her arm, her friend would survive.
Moriko opened her bottle of red potion and put it to her friend's lips, letting a little liquid slip down her throat. Laura stirred as the gashes on her arm healed, but her eyes remained closed.
At first, Laura was unsure of where she was, but she slowly began remembering what had happened to her. Losing track of the rest of the gatherers, stumbling into a group of Bokoblins, then being kidnapped to someplace deep in the forest. After that, nothing was clear. Her head ached to much to think anymore.
She felt the bottle against her lips again, and she drank whatever her rescuer was offering. She felt her nerves surge in her limbs, and the pain she felt began draining away.
She opened her eyes, but her vision was blurry. She saw the hazy outline of someone leaning over her, and she lurched forward, her eyes opening all the way.
"Get away!" she shrieked.
Moriko was taken aback by her friend's sudden outburst. Laura had never done that before.
"Laura, look at me!" she said, taking he friend's bruised hand. "It's me! Moriko!"
Laura blinked and turned her head sharply, staring at Moriko with disbelieving eyes. They sat there, staring at each other for a while, the Laura caught Moriko in a fierce hug.
"Moriko, it's really you! Oh thank the Goddesses! You're home!"
"It's been a while, hasn't it, Laura? I missed you a lot."
"I missed you too! Did you finish your journey? Did the hero begin his?"
"Uh…well." Moriko bit her lip and averted her eyes. "The hero did begin her journey."
"Her journey?" Laura asked. Her eyes drifted from her friend's face to the sword on her back. Her eyes went wide. "You…are the hero?"
"Yes…and I still have a job to do here."
Laura gawked as her friend stood up and inched towards the open cage door. "You took out all the monsters?"
"Yes," Moriko said. She turned back to her friend and offered her hand. "Laura, come on. I can't leave you here. More monsters might come."
Laura nodded and joined her friend by the door, and together they made their way down the unstable wooden ramp and back down to the first level. Laura said hello to Navi and Taiki, and then turned to Moriko.
"When they first brought me here, they always stayed away from that big doorway over there. I wasn't sure why, but I didn't want to ask."
Moriko followed her friend to the far wall and pulled the vines away from it, revealing a large stone door. It had the Hyrulian royal family crest carved into it, and the Triforce was carved just below that. Moriko placed her hand on the door and watched it open, just like the door under Hyrule Castle. Moriko stepped inside, and the door closed behind them. Laura was about to follow, but Navi flew in front of her face.
"She needs to do this on her own. We will wait here for her."
Laura nodded slowly and stepped away from the door, praying for her friend's safety.
Moriko stepped quietly into the center of the room, feeling ill at ease. She didn't like how the outer rim of the room was dark, and the shadows that played across the floor. She could barely see the ceiling in the dark room, but the one thing she could easily see was an elaborate altar set up on the far side of the room. It was embedded in the wall, but was surrounded by a deep hole far too great to jump. Moriko began reaching for her Deku Leaf when a sudden wind buffeted her. She leaned against it, but jumped back when she saw a giant cloud descend from the darkness above her. A red, frog-like creature popped out of the top and looked down at her.
"Farore has told me of your quest, little one. I am Gorador of the Wind, and who do I have the pleasure of fighting?"
"My name is Moriko, the one who will defeat you!" she said boldly, unsheathing the Master Sword. Gorador laughed and disappeared back into his cloud, which quickly escalated into a small tornado.
"Ha! You, defeat me? We shall see, Moriko! If you hit me three times, you win."
"Fine by me!" Moriko yelled as the wind started up again.
Gorador's tornado approached her at a slow speed, but its control of the wind was incredible. It actually lifted Moriko off the ground as she took out her bow and arrow. She was already hatching an idea.
If she could shoot Gorador, maybe he'd fall out.
"Hey, Gorador! This is just a breeze from what I've experienced!"
Gorador emerged from his tornado, an even darker shade of red than before. Moriko let her arrow fly, and it struck his shoulder. He dropped back into his tornado and laughed.
"Hahahaha! What a neat trick! Too bad I won't fall for it again!"
Moriko cursed under her breath as the wind increased in velocity, sending her higher into the air. She tried to aim her bow at the top of the tornado, but the wind deflected all her arrows. She stopped firing and pondered her next idea.
If she used the Deku Leaf, she might be able to fly above the winds. Then she could get a clear shot of the frog beast.
Moriko put her bow in her mouth and took out the Deku Leaf. As soon as she took both ends of the leaf, it came out like a parachute, and pulled her up to the ceiling. She noticed a hookshot disk embedded in the ceiling, but ignored it. She maneuvered her arms so her hands held onto the leaf, but managed to reach back and take and arrow from her quiver. She spat her bow into her right hand and, taking a deep breath, let go of the Deku Leaf. As she fell, she notched her arrow and let if fly straight into the tornado.
As Moriko landed on the ground, Gorador let out a shout of pain. The wind died again and he emerged, Moriko's arrow stuck in his nose. He glared at her, then went back down into his tornado.
"Nice shot, girl. What an arm you have! One more strike, and you win." Moriko sighed in relief as the wind died down, but Gorador laughed. "I know! What a relief! But how can you win, when there's no wind to carry you up?"
Moriko bit her lip, realizing he was right. How could she win if she couldn't ride the air?
Then it hit her. She looked up at the ceiling, locating the hookshot disk she'd seen before. She reached into her bag to get her hookshot, but Gorador saw her plan and shot a blast of lightning at her. She tumbled backwards and landed in a heap near the wall, nursing her head. She felt another zap come at her and lifted her arms for protection. Gorador's lightning slashed at her, leaving paper-thin gashes up and down her arms.
When the attack ceased, Moriko jumped to her feet and ran around the perimeter of the room, digging in her pack for her hookshot. She found it and skidded to a halt, aiming for the disk on the ceiling, but was knocked over by another bolt of lightning.
"This is pathetic, Moriko!" Gorador shouted. "You can't do anything right!"
Moriko glared at the tornado and got up, immediately beginning her run around the room again. The lightning came again, but Moriko stayed ahead of them, dodging every blow. When she was ready, she shot the hookshot at the ceiling, but missed the target by mere inches. She took aim again and shot the claw again, this time latching it onto the center dot on the target. She was immediately pulled upwards, hanging directly over Gorador. She took a deep breath and unsheathed her sword, then dropped from the ceiling. It was nauseating, but she managed to land that last blow upon Gorador.
The frog beast shuddered as the Master Sword pierced his back, and the stormy winds died down immediately. Moriko was transported to the ground via cloud while Gorador sank to the floor, sighing sadly, despite the smile on his face.
"Heh…I've been bested by a girl. Oh, what will Valoo and Jabun think?" He shook his head and looked at Moriko. "You, Moriko, are definitely the chosen hero. I'm glad the Goddesses chose you and not some idiot."
"So am I, Gorador. So am I."
Gorador waved his hand towards the altar. "You can go and place the item now."
Moriko nodded and stepped up to the elaborate shrine and took out the Book of Secrets. It was beautiful from afar, but when you looked closely, it was badly damaged. She remembered it as the book Tanner had taken back from Elrond back in Kakariko. She placed it in the middle of the seals, then looked back at Gorador.
"What now?"
"Place the Master Sword in front of the altar."
Moriko set the sword in front of it and stepped back, watching as the Book of Secrets merged with the Sword. They were surrounded by a small, visible tornado. It lasted for a while, then faded as the Master Sword floated back to Moriko, glittering in the little sunlight that was beginning to filter into the room. When she gripped the sword, she felt the wind surround her. It was a weightless feeling that seemed to lift her off the ground.
"It seems the Master Sword has regained a bit of its previous powers," Gorador said, approaching the altar on his cloud. Moriko nodded, sheathing the sword with a flourish.
"Where do I go now?" she asked, determined to keep going.
Gorador closed his eyes for a minute, then looked towards the exit. "You must head into Goron City. On the lowest level, you will find the temple, as well as the next temple guardian, Valoo."
"Valoo? Is he a frog like you?"
"Oh, definitely not. He's too proud to be a frog. Unfortunately, I can't inform you on him. That would be cheating!" Gorador grinned at Moriko sudden change in expression, which went from curious to exasperated in seconds. "Now, I suggest you get your friend home. Everyone's worried about you."
"Uh…do I have to go the same way I came?" Moriko asked warily. She thought of crossing the chasm in the labyrinth again and shuddered. It would be hard to do, let alone impossible with Laura in tow.
Gorador gave a booming laugh. "No, of course not! The sword will allow you to use Farore's Wind to transport yourself anywhere you please."
"Are you serious, Gorador?! That's perfect! Thank you so much!"
"You deserve it, Moriko," Gorador whispered as the girl ran back through the large room, pushing the door open with enthusiasm. He smiled as she threw him one last glance, as well as a wave, then disappeared, never to return. Gorador smiled and settled onto his cloud for a nap, knowing full well that the enthusiasm that girl had shown was going to disappear very quickly.
The expressions on the fairies' and Laura's faces lit up as Moriko emerged from the dark room, grinning happily.
"I did it!" she shouted, tackling her best friend in a huge hug. "We're ready to go home now!"
"Finally!" Laura said. Her voice was full of relief. "I thought you'd never come out of there and that we'd never get to go home!"
"Come on! I'm stronger than that!"
"If you ladies are finished, can we leave?" Taiki asked, fluttering around them. Moriko and Laura happily obliged and headed back through the temple. Back through the masses of loam and vines. Through the re-spawned Deku Babas and lesser monsters. Through the empty rooms and into the bright ruins of the courtyard.
The labyrinth panned out in front of them, still as foreboding as before. Laura, who hadn't seen the labyrinth before, nearly keeled over.
"How are we supposed to cross that?!" she shrieked almost hysterically. "I can't jump that far!"
"Laura, calm down! I can get us back without having to go near that thing!"
Laura eyed her friend warily as the blonde drew her sword. The wind seemed to pick up all around them as the Master Sword began glowing green in the fading sunlight. In a flash of green light, Gorador appeared before the group. He held a large paper fan in one hand, and a map in the other.
"Hello, Moriko. Where do you wish to go?"
Moriko found the closest place to the village and pointed to it, declaring it as the groups destination. Gorador rolled the map up and snapped his fingers, causing a huge, puffy cloud to materialize next to him.
"Climb aboard, friends," he said as Moriko helped Laura up onto the cloud. Link merely jumped up, and the fairies flew. "This is a one way ride, so please keep all appendages inside the cloud at all times. Do not lean over the side, do not jump up and down, and please keep it clean. Thank you."
Gorador thrust the fan in a downward sweep, causing both clouds to rocket up into the air. He began using the fan like a paddle, and guided the clouds in the direction Moriko had indicated.
Speaking of Moriko, she and Laura were having difficulty maintaining their sanity. Being a few hundred feet off the ground was a little awkward. Laura was certain that once she reached hard ground again, she'd never leave it again.
For Moriko, the trip was a little like being fired out of the Lake Hylia cannon, minus the constant pressure on her face. It would've been enjoyable, but she just didn't like being in the air.
When they touched down in Faron Spring, everyone was glad to be off the cloud. Gorador waved goodbye and disappeared in a flash of green light, leaving the group knee-deep in spring water. Moriko, having been to the spring before, led the group into the forest and back towards the safety of the village.
NOTICE: I'm doing a side fic with Moriko, so post any questions you have for her or the fairies in your reviews!
I went to Benihanas yesterday, and I'm still stuffed! Their food is AWESOME!! Gah, I won't be able to eat my yearly foot long hot dog at the State Fair tomorrow...ack.
Moriko: You'll be fine. Just relax.
Me: Yeah, so I'm officially tired now. I got a job two days ago, and I won't start until after school starts. Wish me luck, all!...I'm t-i-r-e-d now...(doze)...zz...zzzz...ZZzzzZ...ZZzzZzzzzzzZ...
Moriko: Hey look! It's David Tennant!
Me: (Instantly awake) WHERE?! OMG WHERE'S THE HOTTIE?!
Moriko: He was headed for the city! After him, Wing!
Me: I'm coming, David!! (runs off)
Moriko: And that, dear readers, is why you do not listen to the voices in your head! Thank you, and good night/day.