The Legend of Zelda: Rings of Dualty

by FerreTrip

The Master Sword has -always- been carried by just Link. But when a threat so large, one alone is too little, comes, it's time to initiate a Plan B the goddesses made in three rings. Link must now share the legendary blade with...a lizalfos! This is gonna be different...A tale with dungeons original ones and other game mechanics woven into the plot. Please review if read!

9. Samba's Betrayal

Samba ran his way across Hyrule Field, getting to the foot of Death Mountain by midnight. He panted a little despite the rings' effect on his stamina. Before him was the path to the Gorons. A sign in front told him that he just had to go straight. 'But...Well, let's hope...' He began up the path, which was plagued by a few monsters and, for some reason, giant rocks rolling their way down from above. "What's with these boulders?" Link asked, coming out of his ring and providing light (though Samba's eyes didn't need it). "They always here?"

"Yeah, uh, no," Samba said a bit grumpilly, having just been glanced on the side by one. "As far as I know, this is the first time there's been any coming down..." He suddenly had an idea. 'Of course! Eureka!!' He climbed upwards and onwards until finally reaching a fork. He took a left.

"Huh? Didn't that sign say we're supposed to be going forwards?" Link asked at this.

"1: This is a shortcut I know, and 2: I don't feel like becoming Flat Samba," the lizalfos replied. 'At least ONE of those is true...let's hope that works...'

Link bobbed up and down. "I understand. You know this place better than I do, though; sorry for backseat wagon-driving."

"No big deal." Samba continued, going along a rough path up the mountain. There WAS a path, but it certainly wasn't made for humans; instead, strong gorons could climb the walls' big footholds and lizalfos could jump. He noticed a lot of places where, if something about the lizalfos's height was there, Link could likely get up, and the other places had enough protrusions and cracks that Link might be able to climb up. 'So it's not for humans, but that doesn't mean they can't come up,' Samba mused. He also encountered some enemies. Mostly, they were

"Red tekitites," Samba answered when Link asked what the red, spider-like, jumping THINGS were. He slashed one and killed it in one blow using the Master Sword. "They're mountain-dwellers who can't swim. Instead, they like to jump around and annoy the crud out of you. Vertical slashes are the way to go, usually." He whipped around and launched a reverse hook kick at one, crushing it in midair with the force of it. "Unless you've got legs like a lizalfos, that is," he smirked. He then jumped forward to meet one last one in the air and plunged the Master Sword into it, nothing around it when he landed with a CHINK!.

Samba, after a while of climbing, finally made it to the end of the path. A steepish, pretty much one-way path began at his left. He recognized it. On his right was a cavern, dark and echoing. "You sure this is a shortcut...?" Link asked a little tentatively.

"Yeah," Samba answered, turning to enter the cave. "I know what I'm doing." 'And my scales are dayglow orange...'

The cave was populated only by drips of water from stalactites, stalagmites that ranged from finger-sized to man-sized, and everyone's favorite enemies inside pitch-black and pit-heavy rooms in the Game Boy Color Zelda titles. 'If ever there were a contest for it," Samba grumbled, spin attacking some away, 'these might just win Most Annoying Monster...That, or they'd tie with like-likes...' (Note: Link's Awakening DX (my first GB Zelda and GB game in general when Mom gave me hers :D) is for GBC, so, technically, I'm correct up there, since DX IS essentially the same game as the original GB one, only it's in color and with an extra, not-too-friendly dungeon (tho it was pretty fun), so there's not much difference.)

As he continued further into the cave, though, Samba, thoughts of what lay ahead dancing about, tried to focus his attention on the path. Then, after reaching a long stretch of level land, he stopped running, slowly going to a jog, then to a walk. Before him, getting closer with each step, was a ravine with long, somewhat skinny pillars of rock forming stepping stones across.

Link noticed this and came out. "Samba?" he asked. 'I think he said something about an entrance into his home like this...Is he...?' "Samba? This REALLY a shortcut...?"

But Samba gave no answer. Only the clenching of his fists said he was still there as he walked onwards. With only a few grunts while hopping across the stepping stones, he got to the other side and went onwards. Turning right a bit, the tunnel began to slope down a bit. Sounds and glimpses of torches began to be detected. Link tried asking Samba again, but to no avail. Finally, he said shortly, "Where are you taking me?"

Samba simply cupped his paw around Link and slowly pressed him back to his ring. As he expected, Link was pushed back inside. He kept his paw over it for a moment before removing it again. Link got the hint and stayed inside. Samba glanced at it with a pang of guilt. 'Understand...' He looked forwards again as the path leveled out again and climbed up and around just slightly.

Torchlight met his eyes as a familiar sight did, as well. Two guards were posted at the entrance to the underground community. When they saw who it was, they gasped and took a step back.

"N...No way...!"

"Is...Is that...?"

Samba bowed his head as he passed on by. Silently, he padded along the path around the underground lake.

Link blinked in wonder at this. 'Wait. Did those guys just speak...Hylian...?'

Samba passed by a scant few others on the "street". Each one raised their eyeridges, or blinked, or put a paw over their mouth. Samba never saw the bugging-out of the eyes behind him after the sword he carried was seen.

Samba continued on, silent, before reaching a dock with two guards, one on either side. The dock ended in a short pathway of floating, anchored rafts. They led to a large platform in the middle of the water made of a long, very broad stretch of combined flat rocks and bridge. Across from that was the other side of the lake, where a lone, grand house stood--the chief's house. To his right was the poster that had told them about the day to leave. Now, it was torn to shreds by someone, for some reason. To his left were the guards and dock. To his front, in the distance, was the end of the path--his house. It was dark. The twilight before dawn was filling the sky, slowly changing to be brighter. 'This reminds me of only a few nights ago,' he thought. 'Let's hope that nothing disastrous comes, this time...'

One of the guards at the dock came over to him. "Excuse me, sir?" he asked curtly. "What business do you have here after dark?"

Samba held up his right paw. The Triforce shone in the torches' light. "Samba," was all he said.

The guard took a step back at this. "S-Samba? Wait...of course, there's only one blue lizalfos here..." He stood erect again and said, "Samba, the chief has been waiting to see you. Wait here, please, and we shall go and get him." They turned to run across the dock.

"Rhhrrrrrrr..." sighed someone sitting in his house at his desk by the window. He had his head in his left paw, turning the page of a book with his right. He heard voices outside. He raised his head a bit to look out the window. When he saw what was occurring outside his house, which was near the poster, he scrambled out of his chair abruptly, knocking it loudly to the cold stone floor. Jaw agape, he poked his head out of the window, adjusting his glasses with one paw while resting the other on the sill. "Samba...!" he breathed, a smile coming to his face slowly. Before another second had passed, Ko wrenched his door open and was hopping out, going down the path to the "street".

Samba stood, watching them, back turned to Ko. Link wondered if he should come out. Samba felt like he knew what Link was thinking, so he shook his head, glancing at the green ring. Link understood and, reluctantly, stayed put. 'What is he doing...?'

Ko finally got to him, panting. "Samba!!" he gasped. Samba didn't turn. Ko looked worriedly at him for this. "Samba? Did you hear me?" he asked.

"Woah! I'll be damned!" Ko turned his head to the left to see Thyu trotting over, a smile on his face. "What brings you here at this hour, Blue...Boy..." He slowed to a halt as he saw the sword at his side. His eyes widened and he took a step back. "Is...Is that...?!" he gasped.

Ko circled around to see, and when HE saw it, his jaw practically broke off and crashed to the floor. "By the godesses!! I-I-I don't hardly believe it!!" he stammered.

"Believe what, old man?" The ground shaking warned Ko and Thyu of Drejsk's arrival behind them before his voice did. They turned and found the overweight lizalfos jogging towards them. He stopped when he got an answer.

"First, I'm not old," Ko replied, "and second, take a look at Samba's sword..."

Drejsk leaned his head between the two to look. He was puzzled for a moment before his pupils shrank into paper-thin slits. "Sholy hit," he whispered.

Before the other two could correct him, Drejsk "reh?"ed and looked down. Holding onto his leg and using it to hide, Rakeh peeked out to look at Samba. She looked worried, but said nothing. She gasped, too, when she realized what Samba wore on his belt, and she put a paw to her jaw.

Samba ignored the small crowd forming a bit behind and to the left of him. Instead, he watched forward, thinking furiously about what he was going to do. 'I can't believe this is actually happening...' Finally, after what felt like an age, the guards came back. "Samba, the chief is waiting for you," said one as they passed by. They then continued on to the path and turned around. Some more guards were coming, as well. A few onlookers began to gather around, but were stopped by a wall of guards.

Link, from his "camera's perspective", saw this and was a little perturbed, but Samba only looked forwards. Onto the platform stepped the chief, in full dress--plus mondo sword--from his boat. On the other end was a burly guard who was pushing forth...'Vardi!!' She was gagged and bound; only her eyes and legs could move. The chief was also accompanied by a pair of guards. Samba lowered his head for a moment before raising it again and hopping across the rafts. There were three of them and, after he reached the stone end, they floated away, for some reason. He noticed this, merely glancing behind him and down.

"Samba." He turned his attention back to the front and saw his chief standing a few feet in front of him, giving him a smugly triumphant smile. The dawn light slowly fell upon the lake, bathing everything in a slow, gentle crescendo of color. "Come here."

Samba slowly stepped forwards. He halted a bit before the chief and, after a slight moment of hesitation, kneeled down. Vardi looked over at him with wide, wild eyes.

The chief held his paw up. "Rise." Samba obeyed, and he lowered it again. "Now, then...you have completed your mission, I see. The rumors of your death have been greatly exaggerated." He smirked at this.

Samba fought any facial expression at the classic joke.

The chief stopped smirking and looked at Samba's left hip. His eyes widened a little bit. "And I see, for certain, now, that you have completed it in a fashion I would never have dreamed. Well done." He then held a paw out in the direction of Vardi. "While I cannot have the sword itself, I can have the rings. That way..." He narrowed his eyes, which appeared to gleam in the morning light. "...nobody can hold it ever again. If you give them to me, I shall release your sibiling. However..." He pointed the paw he had up to his neck. "Should you refuse..." He made the "dead" gesture, thumbclaw ever so slightly going across his own neck. As it went, Samba could almost hear the sound of nails against a chalkboard. (Of course, it was but in his imagination.) "You understand?" he asked. He held his paw out to Samba. "Give me them. Give me the Rings of Dualty, Samba!!" he ordered, a hint of anxiety in his voice.

Samba looked at the eyes above him. 'Those eyes...My chief...' He slowly raised his right paw and placed his claws around the first ring.

"Samba! DON'T!!" cried Ko, panicked and shocked look on his face. "You know what'll happen!! Don't--UUNGH!" He grunted as he was shoved back by a guard. Him and the others there looked around them in alarm as the guards raised their weapons to them.

Samba glanced back only at the sound of Ko getting hurt. He saw the guards around the people, including his friend and comrades from nights before, and raised his eyeridges. 'Ko! Everyone!!' He blinked for a second before darting his eyes around, looking for anything he could do. He turned his head back forwards, instantly trying to look calm. He bowed his head again, but looked left and right while he went. He saw the chief in front of him, the guards around HIM, now, and Vardi, who was looking at him with crying eyes, shaking her head at him and making muffled, pitiful sounds like thoses of a wounded dog. The guard holding her had a helmet on, but there was still the spot directly between his eyes. Samba looked at himself and his paw. He clasped the first ring still. He wore the Master Sword and, nearby it, his pebble pouch. "There's...only one thing I can do..." he whispered. "...I'm sorry..."

"Samba! Hesitate any longer, and I might change my mind!!" threatened the chief.

Samba closed his eyes for a moment before finally raising his head again, slowly removing the ring he'd been holding. He slowly held it up, still clenched between his thumb- and foreclaw, ready to give it to the chief.

Inside his ring, Link was panicking. 'Samba!! What the hell are you DOING?!'

"Samba! SAMBA!!" cried Ko, who got shoved again.

Samba paused for just a moment, when the chief made a beckoning motion with his paw. In a weak-sounding, somewhat croaky voice, the blue lizalfos quietly said, "Orders are orders." He slowly held his paw out to the chief, closer, closer...

Link held his breath.

The ring he was in was an inch above the chief's palm.

Then, Samba stopped, looked at his chief right in the eye, and clenched his other fist. With a determined cry, the dawn light flashing in his eyes, he spun around and threw the ring with all his heart across the water. It soared outwards, going as fast as if he had thrown a pebble. And, although it went farther and farther from Samba, Link never appeared. Finally, though, when it came right to shore, he began to appear. By then, Link had caught on to his partner's idea. When he was fully out, he was right in the middle of the guards with sword and shield out. He stood and did a quick, single spin attack to push the armored guards away. He ended his spin and got into stance in front of the other lizalfos. He looked at Samba from behind his shield with his eyes.

Ko gaped at this. "The...The stories were true...!" he mumbled. (Link, to his surprise, could still understand them. He suspected the rings were at work.)

Samba returned Link's gaze for a moment. "And I always follow them," he whispered before he heard a roar behind him and turned. The chief was seething mad, shaking a bit. "You--!!" he growled before he thrust his paw to the guard with Vardi. "Throw her into the lake!! Let her drown!!" he ordered.

Samba was one step ahead of him, however. He grabbed a pebble and threw it right between the eyes of the lizalfos. The guard shouted at the sharp pain and reeled back, putting his armored paws to his face. In an instant, Samba was at Vardi. With his claws, he slashed away the bindings on her paws, tail, and jaw. "Brother!!" she cried afterwards, turning and hugging him with all her might.

Samba shook his head and picked her up. He ran over to the other side of the platform.

"Oh, no, you don't!!" roared the chief, drawing his huge blade. He swung it horizontally towards them.

Samba jumped it easilly, even with Vardi. He landed and knew he had to get rid of her for the moment. He looked across the water and shouted, "LINK!! PROTECT VARDI!!" before, to her surprised horror, he hucked her as far as he could. She landed in the water with a loud SPLASH and came up again, coughing.

"WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?!" she cried after getting a good breath, shaking her fist at Samba and glaring at him. Samba, however, was too busy dodging another gigantic sword swing to notice. Seeing this, Vardi stopped and blinked. "...Oh, my...He did that to protect me..." She looked behind her at the hylian keeping the guards at bay. "He ordered anyone that would dare oppose him to be imprisoned...That's why those guys are doing that..." She nodded, turned, and swam to shore. She was able to get up on shore before being swarmed by guards. "Eeep! And that includes me!!" she squeaked.

THWHUP-THWHUP-CLANG!-CLANG!-CLANG! The boomerang whacked the three guards' heads and stunned them with the gong-like sound their helmets resonated. Vardi looked up at Link, who made a beckoning motion before catching his boomerang, and ran towards him. She passed him and ducked down to join Rakeh.

Link smiled at her before looking back over at Samba. He nodded.

Samba gave a relieved smile over his shoulder at the fact his sister was safe before raising his buckler and blocking a vertical swing. This wasn't that smart, since, while he was fine, his arm and entire body hurt from the shock of the largest sword he'd ever seen. He grunted and turned back to look at the chief.

The chief's eyes were becoming more and more bloodshot by the second, rage seeping from his being. "SAMBA!! You'll NEVER get away with this TREASON!!" he roared. "GIVE ME THE SWORD OR I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!!"

Samba growled and threw the blade off of him, drawing the one the chief was talking about. It shone in the light and rang almost musically as it came out. "Sorry to say, but I guess I have to," he replied. The other guards gathered around him. Samba looked to either side of him. Then, without looking, he thrust the Master Sword forwards to the one in front of him, the big one. As he had hoped, the guard, scared of the blade, jumped aside. As soon as he had done this, Samba raised the blade up and quickly rested the flat of it between the eyes of the poor guy. Instantly, he roared in agony and stumbled back as a hissing emitted beneath the blade.

This worked. The other two guards looked at him and ran off, the third joining them soon thereafter, and jumped into the boat to leave. The chief roared and held a paw out to them. "COME BACK, YOU COWARDS!!" But they were gone. The dinolfos and the lizalfos were alone on the platform. Turning back around, the chief rested his blade on his shoulder, between his neck and the sole spiked shoulder pad he wore, and shot a glare at Samba. "So. You turn upon your own chief...upon your own kind..." He glanced at the Master Sword. "However, I must say one thing about you: Though your fighting skill is phenomenal, you shall never be able to best me. Therefore, once you die upon this platform, the Master Sword shall be untouchable by anyone--your 'friend' over there can't last forever," he gestured to Link, who was surrounded and trying his best to defend the innocent lizalfos behind him. "And if he doesn't die now, I'll just kill him after I'm done with you," the chief continued, looking back at Samba. He lowered his sword again, pointing it in front of him. Eight feet away, Samba's eyes crossed as the tip of the blade stopped an inch in front of his muzzle. "Now, then, as some hylians say," the chief said. He narrowed his eyeridges, reeled back his swordarm, and roared, "EN GARDE!!" before thrusting it forth again.

Samba jumped aside and the battle truly began. 'I'm going to have to contend with that absurdly large sword of his,' he thought. 'And then...can I really damage him...? He IS my chief, after all...' He looked worriedly at him. He then recalled something. 'Wait! Metal makes you heavier! That's why the guards didn't just swim away...The chief's got some armor on, and that sword of his...' He ducked a horizontal swing and narrowed his eyes. 'Time to take a bath, chief.' He ran forth to try and get to him, but he had to run or jump whenever the sword came at him.

The chief roared at him with each swing and wasn't slow, exactly. Samba had to react quite quickly if he didn't want to get cleaved in two, which he rather would not. He finally got up close and knew what he had to do: With a yell, he gave a jump kick to his chief, right under the jaw. The dinolfos grunted in pain as he was thrust upwards. Samba then proceeded to land a series of midair kicks at him on the way down before landing a two-legged double kick that left him prone on the ground and his target fifteen feet away and counting.

The chief was nearly at the edge before he dug his feet and claws into the stone and wood, actually making marks in both. He growled and slashed over at Samba. Samba was still getting up and was, therefore, only able to dodge away with his left leg getting sliced open. "RRAAAAUUGH!!" he roared in sheer agony, slamming to the floor and writhing as he grabbed his wounded leg. A gash the length of Tales of Symphonia went from his thigh to halfway down his calf. It was bleeding pretty badly, too. He knew he couldn't take another hit like that, or else he'd be in too much pain to move, which he already almost was. I say "almost" because he was able to move in time to escape the giant blade slamming down towards him again. He got up on his feet and winced in pain as his leg screamed at him. 'Gotta make this finish, fast!!' he thought. He saw the blade and its size, and an idea popped up. 'Does it actually work...?'

He tried running at his enemy again, this time deciding to toss a pebble at him first. The plan failed, though, since the dinolfos's tough hide made it bounce away without slowing him down. He swung at him horizontally with the enormous sword, and Samba jumped just a smidgen later than he normally would have, thinking, 'I'm crazy, I'm crazy, I'm crazy...'

The chief grunted as he swung, glaring at Samba. Then, when the sword blurred past his field of vision, it appeared to take Samba with it. He stopped and blinked a moment. "Huh?" he went almost comically, holding his sword steady behind him.

Samba was crouching on top of the blade, amazed that it actually worked. 'I thought it was only in stories...' He looked and noticed there was actually a red spot on the back of the chief's head. It slowly pulsed. 'What the...?! Wait...I wonder...' He rapidly took aim and fired a Fire Pebble at it. It hit its mark and prompted the chief to squack and freeze. Samba tore down the blade, trailing blood from his leg, and jumped down to in front of him. He landed in a crouch, paws on the ground, and was in the perfect position to give the chief a good mule kick. The dinolfos went flying, roaring, into the water, sword and all. A gigantic splash was heard as the blade hit the water.

Samba turned to his leg at this point. 'I have to heal it...!' He rummaged in his bag, looking for SOMEthing that could help him. It was then that he noticed, growing from the rock of the platform, a small stalk of lizafloren. It looked like green-and-blue-petaled lavender. "YAS!" He scrambled towards it, uprooted it, and rubbed it against his leg. Within moments, not only was his left paw all bloody, but his gash no longer hurt. As he stood still, the raw lizafloren's powerful healing properties took further effect and encouraged the wound to stop bleeding, which it did after a few more seconds. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, I was getting light-headed..."

Splashing alerted him to look to the front again as a paw reached up on the edge of the platform. "YOU..." a deep growl said. Slowly, the chief, soaking wet, pulled his head up and gave a glare at Samba. "YOU!!!" His eyes were full-on glowing red. He was shaking extremely badly, as if suffering an amazing chill.

Everyone on shore stopped to look at this. The guards gulped at the sight of their boss and ruler in this way. Link bit his lip. 'Samba...'

Samba, feeling his health returning with the lizafloren faster than it really should have (he, too, theorized, later, that the rings had something to do with this), took a step back, clenching his bloody paw and redrawing the Master Sword (he had put it back after throwing a pebble before, when he was running at the chief). He gritted his teeth uneasilly, looking at the chief.

The chief was frothing at the mouth as if he had rabies. "I AM ABOUT FINISHED WITH YOU!!" he roared. "WHEN I AM, COUNT YOURSELF LUCKY IF THERE'S ENOUGH OF YOU LEFT TO OCCUPY EVEN A CUBIC FOOT!!" While he said this, he started to glow red, brighter and brighter. Now, an aura of dreadful red was seeping from him, as if he were a living tesla coil radiating crimson power. He clenched his paw on the platform edge as he began to, to Samba's dismay, deform.

The hunk of rock he was gripping broke off as the paw grabbing it grew bigger. The clothing on the chief ripped and tore away, but his loincloth changed to become more ornately-decorated. His cape fell away, though, and his shoulder pad fell into the water. His eyes were nothing BUT red, now, and his muscles--though already reasonably large--grew gigantic. As they did, Samba could see why: The scaly hide covering his body tore in a few places as he grew, revealing a crystaline, red substance beneath, including under his upper arm muscles. The chief grew up and up, roaring louder and louder and deeper and deeper as he did.

Finally, he stopped, towering at at least thirty feet tall above Samba. Spikes and horns had grown everywhere over his body like a daikaiju (see Godzilla), and there was strange, pulsing, red crystal showing in spots on his left thigh, right breast, right bicep, the back of his left paw, on his forehead, and, though he couldn't see them, on his right footpaw, his back, and, still, on the back of his head. The tip of his tail had become nothing but a wicked hook of that same crystal. In a voice so deep and animalistic that couldn't possibly belong to anything but a demon, he finally roared, "DIE!!" Spit flecked everywhere.

Samba was blown back and temporarily half-deafened by the force of the voice, and some of the stone around him cracked. 'Well, this can't be good,' he thought casually as a glob of saliva splashed against his shield. He yelped and hauled blue tail away from an incoming spike-knuckled fist that pulverized the wood beneath it. The fact it was spiked worked against it, sticking it into the rock for a moment. Samba saw this and knew that he had to take a chance. He jumped on top of it and ran along the length of the arm, which was at a steep slope. This was the right arm, the one with the section of crystal on the bicep. 'That crystal's the weakpoint--It's like the kind Link described from that big pig and it made him scream pretty loudly when I hit it with a Fire Pebble...'

With a (quieter) roar, Daikaichief raised his left paw and made to slap him like a mosquito. Samba gave a quick burst of speed as fast as he could go, which could have taken him to the foot of Death Mountain three hours sooner if it weren't for the fact that it pushed his legs so hard, the rings couldn't keep up. (These short dashes are essentially the same as Epona's dashes.) He managed to evade the paw and made it up to the bicep. While he got there, Daikaichief freed his arm and lifted it up and away from the ground. He tried to slap Samba again, but his increased bulk, while it made him able to tear the entire village apart in less than a day, slowed his movement down by a considerable amount. This gave Samba the opportunity to get to his bicep.

After getting there, he reached the spot and grabbed onto a nearby spike (told you they were everywhere) with his tail and left arm. With the Master Sword, he began hacking away at the small hill of crystal-covered muscle. As he slashed, Daikaichief yowled in pain. The crystal, being assaulted by the Master Sword itself, became more and more cracked with each slash. After about five hits, Samba knew that now was the time. He twirled the sword around his paw, stopped it pointing straight to the crystal, grabbed it with both paws, and plunged it right into the crystal. It shattered with the sound of an grand pane of glass breaking into pieces. (Oooooh, imagine the fun of recording THAT sound effect!! Well, not if it's a mirror breaking, but still! (DAMN, I'm a savage...))

After the cavern-shaking howl of agony, Samba removed the Master Sword and hopped down, rolling to evade injury. He turned around and saw Daikaichief glaring at him. He tried swiping at him and missed thanks to a roll by his prey. Angry, he stomped through the deep water (which came up to his kneecaps) around the platform. He got to one of the long ends and grabbed both sides of it. With a maniacal, beastly cackle, he thrust himself forwards at Samba. Samba yelled and looked around to see what he could do. He was near an edge, so he ran and jumped off the platform into the water. This got him just low enough that the behemoth soared a foot above his head. He got back onto the platform after his chief landed and skidded, breaking just about all of the other wooden sections.

Samba got back on and found that he had to get up slowly, so he ran to the closest part he could find that was crystaline. Jumping onto the left arm, he ran, then slid his way to the back of Daikaichief's left paw (slid seeing as he was getting up again and had lifted the arm Samba was on). He stopped at the paw and quickly caught himself around another horn. After another slashfest, he plunged the Master Sword with both paws (which was saying something since, by this time, Daikaichief had inverted Samba, who was hanging on with his big feet and powerful tail for his life). He dropped down again and noticed that, as he looked up again, the crystal on the back of Daikaichief's paw seemed dull and flaky with cracks. 'It's broken,' he thought.

Daikaichief wasn't very happy. He roared and launched a kick at Samba, who was too busy looking up to see it coming. He got hit as if by a freight train, being carried with one of the only footpaws in the entire village bigger than his own all the way until he was flying up vertically. He fell down, down, down into the lake again, splashing down spectacularly. He gasped for air after coming to the surface again, scrabbling for a moment before shaking his head, sheathing his sword, and swimming as fast as he could back to the platform. He was still unable to swim for long, however, and he was halfway beneath the water before reaching the platform weakly. He grunted and pulled himself up again, feeling a broken rib in his chest. 'Need...hearts...now...Need...hearts...now...'

Link grimaced in worry as he remembered what Aradia had told them a few nights ago. 'If he dies...'

Samba saw Daikaichief coming at him with another kick and, painedly, jumped aside. He then saw him bring the footpaw back again, this time coming down again hard. Before he was stomped into a pancake, Samba leaped aside once more, yelping in pain at the shockwave. The shock of the stomp must have upset Daikaichief, who grunted and winced for a moment, standing still. Samba saw that the footpaw he'd just slammed down was the right one. So, he dashed and jumped onto it and, facing the bridge of the foot, began slashing away in a four-slash combo attack that ended in a spin attack, counting up five hits. With a roar, Samba then jumped and jammed his sword into the steep slope of the foot, tearing down it and breaking the crystal. Afterwards, he jumped off and backed away on the platform, nearly falling into a portion originally covered by wooden bridge.

Daikaichief jumped back into the water, causing a huge splash that got everyone, including the people on shore. He looked over his shoulder and tried to whip at Samba with his tail. Samba had planned something from the beginning for this, though. He jumped as high as he could over the tail when it came at him and kept running off towards the edge of the platform. After jumping twice, he found he was in the right spot. So, he waited and readied a spin attack. The tip of the tail came towards him once more, and he bravely slashed at it with the spin attack as soon as it reached him. It worked, stunning Daikaichief long enough to let Samba slash it three more times and finish it.

During this time, Samba noticed that Daikaichief's stomping all over the rock sections of the platform had created some of the small boulders that frequently held items that he'd encountered in the Empty Cavern. While he waited for Daikaichief to get up again, he grabbed one nearby and destroyed it. Indeed, to his delight, THREE hearts flew out. "Thank the godesses!!" he cried, dashing to let them absorb into him. His wounds, including his leg and rib, totally healed from the power of them. He skidded, but he couldn't stop himself from sliding down beneath the huge sweeping kick his adversary gave him. He heard the WHOOSH! of air just as he surfaced from the water and knew he had lucked out. As he climbed up again, he saw that Daikaichief obviously still couldn't control his new body quite yet. He had crouched down, on one knee and arms in the water, as he launched the kick with his left leg. He had brought it back to rest in the center of the platform while he reoriented his self. He grumbled as he did so. 'I think he's regretting making himself into what he wants to make Rargon into,' Samba mused, taking his chance.

After Samba attacked the crystal-covered portion of the left thigh and destroyed it, Daikaichief drew himself erect once more and Samba wondered how he could get to the other parts of him. This time, for an attack, Daikaichief decided to do something old, punching. He missed, and Samba, now getting an idea, climbed up again and ran until he was in range. He quickly got out a Fire Pebble and shot him in the forehead. As he had hoped, this caused him to make a strangled cry and fall sideways onto the platform, landing on his right side. Samba had jumped off before he went down with the ship and now decided to attack the place on the right breast. He destroyed it and backed away, twirling his sword. "And there goes all the easy stuff," he muttered.

Thankfully, it appeared that Daikaichief had run out of ideas for attacks. After he did the swipes, the sweep kick (which was so obviously telegraphed from the one-and-a-half-second windup--getting down and then drawing back--Samba laughed and waited until the last moment before ducking down again), and then the body slam, which Samba dodged by ducking into another hole in the platform, this time, Samba got up onto his back to attack his back's section. He was only halfway done when he was almost thrown off by the rising body. He grabbed a huge back spike and held on until he was able to stand on its smooth, rounded surface. He then finished the section and found himself in a new situation.

The way Daikaichief's back was laid out with spikes was interesting. There were classic spinal spikes, which were biggest, and between each of them, on the sides, was a smaller spike. As he was now, Samba couldn't get up higher from the spike below to the one above directly, and he was too high to jump down safely. Fortunately, though, he had an idea and was glad it worked: He jumped from the large spike to a smaller one a bit higher up, then back to a large one. He did this and made his way upwards, pressing up against the back when the tail, also spiked, tried to slam him. The back's spikes were longer than the tail's, so, even though they fit together, there was space for Samba to stay safe if he went right up against the wall of a back. After climbing up the spikes, he got to the back of the head. Here, he shot it with a Fire Pebble and hung on while he went down. The fall was amazingly thrilling. He hung onto the topknot (spike directly on top of the head) and whailed away on the back of his head. When that finally shattered, he held on once more while he was lifted again.

At this time, Daikaichief couldn't do much except slap himself on the head, which he couldn't do on top for fear of skewering himself. So, Samba played a cruel joke on him: He waited in front of his forehead before jumping up and away from the paw. His idea worked, conserving his magic power by having (the obviously dumbed-down) Daikaichief daze himself. So, finally, he destroyed the crystal on the forehead.

At this, Daikaichief let out a phenomenal roar, whipping his head around (and throwing Samba off and into the water). After some of this thrashing and roaring, he fell down, front-first, onto the platform. His tongue lolled out tiredly while what appeared to be a cartoonish lump grew from his head. Samba realized this was the kind of crystal that possessed Big Bessie. After getting back onto the platform and his back, Samba screamed towards it. He leaped high as he approached, letting out a finalistic roar as he did the down stab attack towards the crystal. As he reached it, the blade of the Master Sword stuck into it like it was mud. Everyone stood still for a moment before a flash came from the crystal. Then, with an amazing crash, the gem shattered and exploded like an enemy at the same time.

And, finally, it was finished. Daikaichief rose up a bit, roaring like a dying beast, before he turned and backed up a bit, rolled onto his back and let his head fall limply to the platform. Samba got off of him right when he had destroyed the crystal, panting very hard with his paws on his knees. "That...was...the...hardest...fight...I...have...ever...done," he wheezed. 'But, of course, it's the chief.' He looked at the enormous form before him and found, to his relief, the chest the size of a house heaving up and down slowly. "Chief..." He went over to the giant head and found his monstrous features fading away--the crystal, the oversized muscles, and the excess spikes. Soon, he looked like nothing more than a thirty-foot chief.

The crowd didn't roar. They didn't applaud. They were all tense. They were all mixed. The guards all stared, jaws agape. Link was holding his chest, heart thumping from the fear that he might have died--both of them. Finally, Ko looked around and said, "I don't know about you, but I'm not going to stand here with my mouth open to catch flies all morning." He jogged off down the dock. The rafts had returned to their places, probably having been under control by the chief in some way. Link followed, then Thyu, Drejsk, Vardi, and Rakeh.

Samba panted and looked up as they came to him. He gave a weak wave before returning to panting. He had slowed his breathing to a more calm pace by the time his Hylian teacher reached him. "I'm sorry, everyone," he said to them. "It...I think it had to be done..." He looked to the chief.

"He's not dead, you know," Ko said, pointing to his chest.

"I know," Samba nodded. "But...when will he wake up? When will he shrink down again?"

Ko shrugged, shaking his head. From behind him ran Vardi. "BIG BROTHERRRR!" she cried.

Samba smiled and, Master Sword in his right paw still, hugged his sister with his left arm. "Vardi...Oh, thank heavens, you're alright..." A few tears pricked from his eyes. "I feel like I've been going all over hell and creation to make sure you're safe..." He then realized something and drew back to look at her. "Is Mom home?" he asked tensely.

Vardi laughed a bit, wiping a tear away. "Not yet," she said. "Not yet."

"Correction!!"

Everyone turned and Samba froze as he saw his mother come across the dock. She made her way to them slowly, going around everyone. She stopped at Samba and Vardi, paws on her hips. Her backpack seemed much lighter than it had when she left. She tapped her tail on the ground while giving them an eyebrow raise. "Weeeeeeell?" she asked.

Vardi blinked a moment before pointing at Samba and shouting, "HE DID IT!!"

Samba squeaked and shook his head up at their mother.

Samba's mother's scowl slowly turned into a smile, then a laugh. "That he did," she said, crouching down and putting a paw on his shoulder. She looked proudly into his eyes. "That he did."

Samba looked a bit confused, tilting his head. "Reh?"

His mother chuckled a bit. "You won. And you kept an eye on Vardi...even if it was from afar," she explained. "Thank you."

Samba gasped and smiled, then breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Rrr-OOOOOHH!"

Samba's mother smiled and rose up. She looked to the end of the platform as another woman, this one decorated with bright feathers on her dress's collar and on her head around a headband, came onto it. She was looking with wide eyes of terror and a paw to her mouth. "Don't worry, Ibarn," called Samba's mother. "He's alive." A loud, low groan was heard, making everyone jump a bit. Samba was immediately up and in battle stance once more, and Link ran up beside him and did the same. Samba's mother held a paw out to this. "See?"

Ibarn slowly walked over. "Kargaro..." she whispered.

He groaned again, squeezing his face and turning it forwards. Finally, he opened his eyes. They weren't red. They weren't glowing.

They were the most beautiful shade of blue Link had ever seen in his life. They were as clear and blue as the tropical seas.

"Uuuunnh..." he groaned. "What...happened...?" he asked weakly. His voice was no longer that of a demon's, but was still so deep and loud that it reverberated through everyone around him. It was also very rich and pleasent to hear. He looked to his side with his eyes and gasped at the sight of the others. "How--?! UNGH!!" He suddenly clenched his eyes shut again. "Pain!! My head! My body!! How--" And, just as suddenly, they shot open again, a slow gasp of horror entering his lungs. His pupils thinned down to paper-thin slits as his jaw hung open.

After a half a minute, he finally blinked. His eyes were twitching around a bit. "I...remember..." he whispered. Tears began to form at the corners of his eyes. He shut them and clenched a fist.

Bravely, slowly, Ibarn took a few more steps to him. "Ka...Kargaro...?" she asked in a quiet voice, putting a paw on him.

The beast opened his eye to look at her. It was blurry with tears. It widened a moment before relaxing, a warm, comforting smile stretching across the dinolfos's lips. "Ibarn..." he whispered.

Ibarn sniffed, tears coming down more. "Kargaro!!" she cried before running and hugging him. "Kargaro!! Kargaro!!" She sobbed and sobbed into his scales. "I never...-sniff-...I never thought I'd really see you again!! Kargaro, oh, my Kargaro!!"

Tears poured out like waterfalls from Kargaro's eyes. He gently, slowly, put a paw over her. "Don't cry, my love," he said even gentler. The way he spoke now was so different from before, Link thought this was someone entirely different. "I'm back. I'm back. And I'm so very sorry. Very sorry."

Ko took a step over. "Chief...Chief Kargaro? Is that...Is that REALLY you?" he asked tentatively.

Kargaro blinked away his tears and looked over to the others. He slowly nodded, smiling broader. "Yes, Ko, without a doubt," he replied. He chuckled a bit. "I thought that you could see that better than anyone!"

Ko smiled a bit, tears starting in his eyes, too. In fact, most of the lizalfos there were starting to cry. 'Is this turning into one big water show?' Link thought. "Yes, my chief, but I had to double-check, is all," Ko alibied.

Kargaro nodded. "Ibarn..." he said softly. Ibarn sniffed, looked up at him, nodded, and drew away. With a loud, pained groan, Kargaro tried to heave himself up. He let his head back down with a slam, hurting everyone a little with a shockwave. "Too...Too painful..." he grunted.

The rumble and crashing of giant footsteps wading through water came to them, and Rakeh looked to the side. She gasped and clapped her paws together. "DADDY!!" she cried.

Rargon, with a tired look on his face and looking a bit larger than before, smiled as he made his way to the platform. He got up on the other side of Kargaro and offered his paw. Kargaro looked and widened his eyes. "Rargon...?"

"My chief, would you desire any assistance?" Rargon asked, smiling broadly. He held a bag in the other paw.

With his help and bag of lizaflorenized blue potion, Kargaro was able to get up into a sitting position similar to that of the Indians. He sat on one end of the broken platform while the others stood on the other. Samba STILL had the Master Sword out. Kargaro breathed in, held it, and breathed out. "My people...I am so very sorry," he said. "I recall all of the terrible, cruel things I have done to you. For that, I am deeply ashamed and horrifed at myself." He bowed down, paws on either side of the crowd that had grown in that time to include other villagers, too. "Please, my people...accept my deepest, most sincere apologies. My only alibi is that pure hatred flowed throughout my veins instead of blood. It addled my thinking and heart so much, I neglected to do what was right for my people. Instead, I have abused my privilages as chief of Jgk'hry to achieve my own ends, ends which were, I am going to admit here and now, awful, evil fantasies I have had for a long time. Hatred has been clouding my mind for too long. But now...it is clear." He opened his eyes. When he had bowed down, his head was right in front of Samba. "And for that, I thank you, Samba," he said.

Samba started. "Reh?"

Kargaro nodded slightly. "Yes. You were the one who had the courage to do what you knew might have ended in drastic failure...the one who destroyed the pure hatred plauging my form." He paused for a second, seemingly thinking, before nodding, jaw dipping down to the water in the hole below him. "If that is not enough, then here..." He closed his eyes as he began to glow red once more...but this was a soft red, a red that was tinged pink. Above his head, from a ball of gathered light, what should appear but a gem. "A gem most precious to those who weild that Blade of Evil's Bane..."

SHEEN!! The red flashed out of existence as a giant heart did. It floated down slowly to the ground. As it did, Samba smirked. Then, he finally did his flourishing sheath, the Master Sword returning to its sheath with a pleasant ringing sound, its work done here. He then walked over to the Heart Container, Link following. They looked at each other, smiling, and nodded. Together, they lifted it up high in victory, Samba to the left of Link and each using their dominant hand, before letting it absorb. This time, it broke apart and went into both of them equally. When this was finished, Kargaro chuckled a bit. "Interesting," he muttered before clearing his throat. Samba took this cue to step back, Link following suit.

Closing his eyes again, Kargaro continued. "Now...Village of Jgk'hry, village of the lizalfos...do you forgive me for what I've done? Can you? I understand if you cannot...and will humbly step down from my position and offer it to the one you choose to take my place."

At this, everyone gasped. "Are you sure, Kargaro?" Ibarn asked.

"Yes, Ibarn. I promise. I also promise to, should you forgive me and allow me to try being a better chief, try my best to make up for everything I have done to you in any way I can," he added. "So...do you forgive me, people of Jgk'hry?"

There was silent for a moment. Then, Ko stepped forward and said, "I forgive you, my chief."

"I'm with the coo--er, Ko," Thyu added, getting a look from Ko.

"I yorgive fou--FORGIVE YOU!!--as well," Drejsk stumbled out. (Link raised an eyebrow at this.)

"I'm just happy you're back," Ibarn sniffed.

"No hard feelings; I deserved a bit of a lesson, anyway," Rargon shrugged.

"If Daddy says it's okay, then I do, too," Rakeh said, smiling.

Vardi put her arms behind her back. "Even though you took me hostage and threatened to kill me and my brother," she said in a small voice, "I...I understand that you weren't yourself. So, really..." She smiled. "Being cranky at someone who was just being really cranky doesn't help things at all for anyone."

The other lizalfos said things as well, things that amounted to the fact that, yes, they forgive him. Finally, it was Samba's turn. Samba looked at his chief. He looked at him hard. "Chief, you have done a lot of things to me. You put me through hell. You nearly got me killed--and more than once. You tested my skills, my beliefs, and my desires. But you've tested my heart the most of all. Tested to see if it would cry out loud enough for me to hear it. And..." He looked to the Master Sword, then at Link beside him. He smiled. "...I don't forgive you--I thank you. Without all that, I would never have discovered the fate I was destined for...nor would I have discovered a new friend--who I hope forgives ME for taking us on this little detour," he added, sweatdropping.

Link smiled and nodded, making Samba raise his eyeridges. "Don't ask why, but I understand you guys' language," he said, shrugging.

Samba nodded and smiled. He turned back to Kargaro and bowed his head. "But, really, I do forgive you. And, apparantly, so does the rest of Jgk'hry."

"...Really?" Kargaro opened an eye to look at everyone. They all nodded back at him. He knit his brow in that "Awwww!" way. "You..." He smiled and closed his eyes, which had begun to water up again. "I cannot properly express my gratitude to you all in any way I know."

"Can you go back to normal size, at least?" Ibarn asked. "I know you can. This IS your secret ability, after all."

Kargaro nodded. "Yes, that can be arranged," he said, then chuckled. "I suppose I have breathed my foul breath on all of you long enough." He then was still for a moment, focusing very hard. Blue energy surrounded him as he slowly shrank down again. His loincloth returned to normal size with him, as well as to its former design. When he was finished, he opened his eyes and stood up--almost falling again if his mate hadn't caught him. He gave a weak chuckle as he looked at Samba. "Samba, I think you might have gone a little too hard on me," he joked.

Samba furrowed his brow worriedly. "I'm sorry, my chief! In all honesty, I was trying my hardest to kick your tail, and I might have gone too far!!" he confessed.

The chief laughed, but groaned in pain afterwards. "Ugh...It's not your fault," he said. "Urgh...Say...could someone take me...to the medical cavern...please...?" he asked. "Oooof..."

"I would feel honored to help you, my chief!" said Rargon, offering a paw again.

Kargaro smiled at him. "Thank you, Rargon," he said, taking the paw that could now squeeze around his body with only half of it showing. He smiled sadly at the increased size. "I'm especially sorry for subjecting you to that," he told him.

Rargon grinned. "Naw, that's fine," he said. "Sure, it wasn't fun being forcefed potion like that, but, ah..." He crept his head down and whispered, "...quite frankly, I kinda like being able to lift two gorons at once, if you know what I mean." The five people around him who could hear sniggered at this. Samba sighed and shook his head, looking up.

As Rargon held a lying-down chief in his paws and began to rise again, Kargaro poked his head up. "Wait...hylian," he called, using Link's language.

Link raised his eyebrows and stepped forth. "Hm?"

"Please come to me later. I wish to speak with you and Samba. And I thank you for your valor in defending my citizens from my foolishness," he added. He then told Rargon, in his native tongue, that they may leave now. And with that, everyone began to leave and go about as normal, a new day brightening the village of Jgk'hry.

- - -

"...That's just unbelievable." Ybir, Samba's mother, sat back at the table, crossing her arms as Samba finished his story. She had been listening, as had Vardi, to him (and Link, once Samba told him that Vardi knew as much Hylian as he did and Ybir knew more) recount the events of our story thus far from the time she'd left. Ybir looked at the Master Sword lying on the table, sheathed. "My son...Of all people, I never expected you to be able to hold the Master Sword, of all things, to be honest," she said, smirking. "I'm actually a bit proud."

Link looked confused. Vardi raised an eyeridge at him. "What, you expected ALL of us to be evil?" she asked him.

Link blushed and said, "Well, erm...kinda, yeah."

Ybir smirked and waggled a claw. "There's an exception to every rule," she reminded him in very fluent Hylian. "The one here is the 'all monsters must be evil' rule. As Samba told you when you guys met, we've been here for hundreds of years. So, from a nomadic tribe to a civilized one, I suppose, you can expect us to be a bit mellowed-out. In fact, our eyes are proof; they're normally more beady, less full of life," she added, pointing to her eyes.

Link nodded. "Yeah, I fought some others of your kind on the way to Zora's Domain," he said. "Now that I think about it, their eyes weren't as expressive...they were more animalistic."

Ybir nodded. "Yes. I'm very glad to have been born a Jgk'hry lizalfos," she commented, looking about her humble abode and at her family. "We live more like you hylians do, and, quite frankly, I have no idea how I would live otherwise!" She giggled, which actually sounded pretty sweet for a monster.

Samba sighed and shook his head, smiling. "That's my mother," he said.

Vardi did the same. "A hylian in a lizalfos's body."

Ybir pouted. "Hey, I'm a lizalfos in here! Just a really domesticized one!" she fought back. The family shared a laugh.

Link couldn't help but smile at this, memories of times he's had with his grandfather coming back. 'It's nice to see families like this,' he thought. 'That's what we're doing this for. Hyrule. The people and families of Hyrule.'

Ybir looked outside and raised her eyeridges. "Oh! Link, Samba!" she said, snapping her claws. "Our chief said he wanted to see you, didn't he?" she asked.

Link and Samba nodded. "Yeah, he did," Link said. "Should we go now?"

Ybir nodded. "Yeah. I want to come, too," she said. "I mean, besides, I think I have a little bit to tell you about the gorons and the state of affairs over there, seeing as you mentioned that's where you were GOING to go before my son lied to you and brought you here..." She gave a hard look at Samba when she said this last part, making him shrink a bit.

So, they were off. Samba led the way and Link was just behind him, talking to Ybir next to him. "So, what's the deal with the gorons, now?" Link asked.

She nodded and began, "Okay. Now, what I do for business is I go and sell lizaflorenized blue potion to the gorons. They buy them a lot because they like how energized it makes them feel. I suspect a few have also discovered the effects Rargon has, too," she added as bit suspiciously. "Anyway, though, the last time I was there, things weren't all that great there. They were all a little ornery when I mentioned their leader. They said it was something about King Zora arguing with him. They also said how they didn't really like him at the moment, since it's a known fact that he's been having a few secret talks lately."

"Secret talks?" repeated Link.

"They don't know with whom, but he's been seen sneaking out and talking with some folks in cloaks," she answered, shrugging. "If what you've been telling me is true, that something evil's afoot, then I think it might have something to do with those rumors going around these days of a monster uprising...They're just rumors, though, but still..." She crossed her arms and bowed her head in thought. "Well, anywho, I'd be a bit cautious around the gorons," she advised.

Link nodded. "Thank you," he said.

Finally, they got to the medical cavern. It was basically the village's version of a hospitol: Soft BEDS were against the wall, the smell of lizafloren was omnipresent, and the nicest-looking lizalfos in the village worked as nurses. Currently, Chief Kargaro was lying in a bed, being looked over by a nurse. "It appears as if some evil magic energy has been controlling you for a long time," the nurse was saying as they came in. "The energy being let out so abrupty by the power of the Master Sword must have left you weakened. A few days in bed and you'll be fine," he said. (Remember? Guys can be nurses?) "Just...don't stick around sources of evil energy, my chief," he joked.

Kargaro chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind," he replied.

The nurse bowed shortly and walked out. He walked around the three back outside into the lobby of the medical cavern. When Kargaro saw who it was, he smiled and beckoned with a paw. Link and Samba came over, Ybir staying a little behind. "Yes, my chief?" Samba asked.

"You two are now the Knights of Dualty, if I'm not mistaken, right?" he asked them in Hylian. He got nods and gave one himself. "Then I think I have an idea what you need to do." He laced his claws together. "When I was still more evil than a lizalfos has any right to be, in my opinion, I felt...connected to some being. And now, after being freed from the power of that being, I can sense it. Right now, if I use some of the magical power I have within that I also use to grow to that grand size you saw me in, I can see that many monsters have been...'infected' by this power." He closed his eyes. "Some monsters aren't really monsters, but actually non-hylians. For instance, I sense that there is something wrong with the ruler of the gorons...and much more than I do with King Zora, though I am unsure if it is due to distance or not."

Link and Samba looked at each other. "I had a feeling there was something fishy going on with him," Samba said, lowering his eyebrows and putting a paw to his chin.

Link blinked before slapping his forehead and giving a gentle punch to Samba's shoulder. "That was bad," he said. "But, yes, me, too."

Kargaro nodded, opening his eyes. "I see. Now, I know this is a bit to ask, but could you perhaps try to visit Princess Zelda, with whom I know you have ties with if you have the third Ring of Dualty, and tell her--"

"We can't," Link interrupted suddenly. Samba looked sharply at him. "She's been kidnapped."

Kargaro whipped his head around. "She's been WHAT?!--UNGH! Ow. REAL smart move, there, Kargaro..." He grumbled and massaged his neck. "I see, then. I was going to ask you to tell her of the events that have transpired here and that I believe that other rulers might become similarly affected--that she might, please, look into this matter," he explained. He shook his head gently. "Bah, no matter, now," he said. He looked at them both in the eye seriously.

"Samba, Link," he addressed. The two nodded. "HAVE you met with Zelda? Did she say anything?"

"Yes, we did, actually," Samba answered. "In fact, we all three met during the night you sent me to lead the raid to obtain Nayru's Ring. Link was actually after it, too--for nobler reasons, if I'm not being too rude as to say--and we got to the ring at the same time. So, we fought, nearly down to our last breath, untill the Princess of Hyrule herself stopped us and gave a lengthy talk to us about the rings and our destinies as the Knights of Dualty."

"She told us that she saw evil taking over the land in a dream," Link said. "Then, each in a beam of light that cleared the areas around of darkness, she saw us each holding a Ring of Dualty. That's how she knew we were them. She then said that, because of how she interpreted her dream, there shall be an evil taking on Hyrule that we, after getting the Master Sword, have to find and defeat together, an evil too large for one of us alone...Well..." He blushed. "ME alone, I suppose, seeing as I'm apparantly the decendent of the great Hero..."

"But, regardless of whoever's usually holding it or not, we've been sent by Zelda to first get the Master Sword, then find the evil and destroy it," Samba summarized, holding a claw up.

Kargaro nodded a bit, eyes closed and growling slightly in thought. "Grrrrrrrrrrmmmmmm...I see. Well," he opened his eyes, "I suppose this means I WAS thinking correctly before. I had a feeling that's what she wanted you to do; so, if you want to do it, I advise you listen close." Link and Samba leaned in a bit to listen. "Now, Ko most likely knows scads more about this than I do, but there exists a set of items that are said to contain a vast amount of power. These items are tied to the Rings of Dualty, as well. Whoever holds them holds the power to destroy entire nations--or save them. Do you want to know why?" he asked.

Link and Samba nodded.

Kargaro chuckled. "Well, good; once you find that out, tell me, since I'd rather like to know, too," he replied.

Link, Samba, and Ybir nearly anime-fell. "Well, as you said, Ko can probably tell you guys more about it," the female lizalfos said, shrugging. "But they DO sound potent. Are you suggesting these boys go out and find them, my chief?"

Kargaro nodded. "Yes," he confirmed. "I seem to remember that finding them would have been the next part of the plan that I, in my state of perpetual hatred, concocted; however, as so often occurs when things happen while you are having a fit of rage, the details are hazy. Everything is." He held his head in his paw as he said this. "What I DO remember is that I was an awful person...to everyone."

Ybir sighed and nodded solemnly. "Yes, you were," she agreed softly. "You worked our young men to their limits to become warriors, save for those who did so regardless, like Samba. You severely cut back on our interactions with the outside world, and when we did go, it was far longer than normal. You sometimes meted creul and unusual punishment. And you were very rude around people you obviously secretly dislike."

Kargaro nodded slowly at each offence. "Not to mention," he added, "I plotted to do something insane and used the fine people in this village to carry it out, placing some in grave danger. For instance, I sent Rargon to the Empty Cavern for such a relatively minor offence because I knew what would happen to the poor, oversized lizalfos."

Samba gasped and reeled back in horror. "You...You KNEW he'd become possessed by the Krungratrg?" he asked incredulously. "He was TORTURED when like that!!"

Kargaro shook his head, eyes squeezed shut. "I know, I know," he groaned. "It pains me to know I did that to him. I was being so cold...I had the desire to, at some point, go to him in the Empty Cavern and get him, though only now do I know how: I would have used the power of the evil formerly controlling me--or, really, it would have used me. I wanted a supersoldier, and I knew I had a good consolation when you came out of the dungeon with him in tow. I had thought of a second plan, using what I knew about Rargon and the potions. So expensive...ugh, I made us lose SO much money..." He shuddered. "Ybir, please add 'pointing us into a recession' onto your list, would you?" he asked weakly, looking up at her with sorry eyes.

Ybir sighed and shook her head. "It's not all your fault," she told him. "Remember, you weren't quite yourself. You were drunk, in a way; it's when people are sober that what they do has true credence."

Kargaro smiled at her. "You are such a fine woman to this village, Ybir," he complimented. "Wise, intelligent, brave, and always willing to listen to your good heart. Good..." He looked away a bit. "...I suppose that is something that all of us lizalfos have been trying hard to resist," he said quietly. "So long together, we've developed relationships--first out of need, then because it made things easier for us, and then because we need them for a completely different reason. Our hearts have softened a bit." He put his paw over his chest. "We know love. If we can love one another, I know...I know we can love others." He smiled as he looked up at Link. "Proof of that is the admiration I feel and the friendship Samba feels regarding you, Link. You, a hylian--and the decendent of the one who has harassed us for eons, it feels, to boot!" He chuckled and shook his head. "Haaah...Sorry if I seem to be acting strange...well, in a way different from before, of course. It's just that..." He looked away. "After you've been evil for that long, you have the sudden urge to be good. You know what I mean?"

"It's normal," Ybir said. "It's called 'being sorry and willing to make up for it.'" She smiled. "That just means it looks like you're going to carry out those promises!"

Kargaro smiled as well. "Heh, good," he said. He sighed. "Call me crazy, but...maybe...well..." He looked out the window carved into the rock at the villagers going about outside. "Maybe, just maybe...should I try and...and encourage us to...to let go of the evil within? I know that in all of us lizalfos, a race of monsters...there is evil. More than the amount in most other civilized creatures like hylians, zoras, or gorons." He put a paw to his chest again. "They've softened, but...have they softened enough that we could...we could try and accept the hylians, at least, as equals, making peace with them?" He looked to Link. "If we could do so with you, Link, then perhaps..." He shook his head and waved a paw. "Oh, forget about it. We'll always be evil inside. Sure, more good than evil, but still evil." He chuckled and added, "I should be grateful we're kind enough not to be cruel towards each other. Looking back on what I said before, I forgot how much race made a difference..." He sighed and shook his head again.

"I think I DO need some rest," he said. "I'm getting all philosophical and such. A good rest in a bed should do me good. In the meantime, I advise you go and speak with Ko about those items I talked about before you leave to the gorons." He smiled and bowed as best as he could from his bed. "I wish you luck, Knights of Dualty."

They bowed back respectfully and turned to go, Ybir waving farewell behind her. As they left the medical cavern, she commented, "You know, this kind of thing is pretty normal--remember, one doesn't know what one has 'til it's gone." She smiled and looked up at the sky through the giant fissure in the main cavern's ceiling. "I wonder if...Naaaah," she muttered, shaking her head. "The day THAT happens is the day I see my husband again," she said very quietly. Only Link, who was next to her (Samba was leading the way to Ko's house), heard her. He knew better than to make a comment, though.

When they reached the teacher's house, the door opened before Samba could knock. "Samba!" Ko cried happily, a wide grin on his face. "I was hoping you'd come say 'hi' before leaving again! And I don't have to trouble you to ask the hylian to come, either," he added, looking over at Link. He smiled at him and beckoned for them to come in.

"Ko, thank you for looking after my children as best you could while I was gone." Ybir took a sip of some herb tea that the scholar had had brewing beforehand. They were currently all sitting in his house, with her on his bed and the guys in the only three chairs in Ko's home.

Ko smiled and nodded. "It was my pleasure," he told her. "They're wonderful. Let's not forget they're great students, as well," he added, grinning at Samba. "Any trouble with your Hylian, Samba?" he asked.

Samba shook his head. "Nope. Everyone says it's actually very good," he said in the language. He chuckled. "I would be in quite a situation if I didn't know as much as I do, that's for sure. Thank you very much," he thanked, bowing.

Ko smiled warmly, blushing a bit. "It's just my job," he dismissed the implication that it was his teaching that had gotten Samba the way he was in terms of his second language. He sighed and looked at Link. "And here I am, talking my long tongue off without paying you any heed!" he said in Hylian. He bowed to him. "I am Ko, scholar and teacher of Hylian. I am very pleased to meet a hylian in person and honored to have them be who they are."

Link nodded and smiled. "Thank you very much," he replied. He raised his eyebrows as he remembered something. "Ah! NOW I know why your name's sounded familiar!" he said. He pointed at him. "Do you happen to know a hylian named Betta?"

Ko started in surprise. "Reh? How'd you know?" he asked. "Did Samba tell you?"

Link nodded. "Yup," he replied. He leaned in close. "Has he said anything recently?" he asked.

Ko nodded. "Yes, but...wait..." Ko looked him up and down. "Your name is Link, right?"

Link nodded again. "Yes. I'm from Kochyrae, waaaaay down on the southern end of Hyrule. It's scary, now that I think about it, that I'm friends with him," he mused aloud. "I mean, Samba's friends with you, and you taught him Hylian. I'm friends with Betta, and he taught me swordplay. And you and Betta know each other." He put a hand to his chin. "Strange." (Yes, I JUST realized this, myself. I'm that slow X.X)

Ko laughed. "Yes, that's odd, alright," he said. "Perhaps it's fate." He nodded and smiled. "Good, then I have a message to pass on to you," he told him. Link sat straight in his chair, interest piqued. "He told me, 'If you ever see my friend, Link, tell him that he doesn't have to worry about Kochyrae and that I'm healing really well.'" He crossed his arms and raised an eyeridge at Link. "He told me about your fight with Ruedekul. Sounded pretty exciting."

Link chuckled and groaned. "Uuuurgh, please, I'm surprised I didn't get any nightmares afterwards about it," he said. "It was NOT easy."

"Well, did YOU have to contend with something that could squash you with one toe?" asked Samba.

"...Technically, he didn't HAVE any toes."

"You know what I mean!"

"...Not really."

"Then I'm still saying mine was harder."

"Well, did YOU have to figure out a story problem to get by?"

"Nope."

"Then at least my ordeal beforehand was harder than yours, in my opinion."

"Yeah, but YOU didn't have to deal with screwed-up elevated platforms!"

Ko laughed at this exchange. "Of course you two were chosen to be partners," he commented, smirking. "You're so alike, yet different, it's perfect."

The swordsmen raised their eyebrows/-ridges and looked at each other. "Well, I guess he's got SOMEwhat of a point," Samba said.

"Dunno what all is similar, though," Link muttered.

Ko shook his head. "Nevermind, nevermind," he said. He leaned closer to Samba. "Could you...show me the Master Sword?" he asked, obviously hiding excitement. Samba nodded and drew it. Ko gasped at it and kept his jaw dropped. "It's...just like my books and scrolls say..." He bravely, quickly tapped the blade with a clawtip and hissed after drawing it back. "Owch. Yeah, exactly," he said, looking at a smoking clawtip. "Only you guys can touch it, alright. I suspect it would hurt a lot more were I not so...well, not to toot my horn, but so good..."

Link raised an eyebrow. "Another good lizalfos?" he asked. Ko gave a small blush and nervous smile and chuckle. "Wow. Beginning to wonder about this 'evil' you guys are talking about, from what I've seen so far," he joked.

Ko waggled a claw. "Ah, but you've just seen us reacting to a big event and getting our chief back," he said. "Come back in a couple days, and I assure you, you'll get more than a few grumbles and rough shoves by passerby." He cleared his throat. "Erm, well, could you, Link, show me the Ring of Dualty? And you, Samba, show me the others? I'd...rather like to see them, if you don't mind." He looked a bit shy and pressed his index clawtips together. Link and Samba complied, though, and showed him the rings. He raised his eyeridges in amazement at them. "They DO look so plain," he said in wonder. "But you can still see their luster as being above what they should have, if you look closely." He nodded and let them sit back again. (Samba had sheathed the Master Sword after Ko was finished looking at it.)

Before Ko could ask anything else, Samba said, "Ko, the chief talked to us and said something about items related to the Rings of Dualty that could save or doom nations. Know anything about them?"

Ko raised his eyeridges. "Oh? Well, those do sound familiar...hold on..." He got out his book and put on his glasses. "Let's see...hrrm..." He leafed through it, starting from the section about the Rings of Dualty. After a second, he let out a soft, "Rah!" and pointed to a paragraph. "It says something about eight special items that have the power to control terrible forces. These items are said to be tied to the Rings of Dualty, which are said to also be able to control said forces--but only when...something happens. Rrrgh, sorry, but the words are old and hard to decipher here." He gave a sorry look to them. "I'll hopefully have the rest deciphered by tomorrow. If you come back, I'll tell you. For now, though, all we have is what I've said and the fact that they've been scattered throughout Hyrule, deep within places that only...someones, I think, could get through."

Link and Samba nodded. "Thank you, Ko," Link said. Standing and stretching, he said, "Well, unless we've got any more important things to do here, Samba, we shouldn't waste any more time."

Samba nodded, getting up as well. "Right. As much as I'd love to stick around, we've got a job to do," he agreed. "Believe it or not, the shortcut I alibied about actually exists; it's how we get to Goron City to do trading. It's not exactly safe, but we should be able to handle it."

"Awwww..." Ko frowned disappointedly. "And I was about to ask about what's been happening..."

"I'll handle that," Ybir said to the swordsmen, chuckling smile on her face. "In the meantime, before you leave, Samba, why don't you go home and get some paper?"

Samba titled his head puzzledly. "Huh?"

"You're helping Link by telling him about different monsters, right?" Ybir asked. "Well, why not keep a written log of them? That way, you won't have to remind Link if he forgets--he could just refer to it."

"Wait, a monster log?" Ko asked. He got up and rushed to some shelves, rustling around mounds of parchment and paper. "Hang on...Ah-HAH! I KNEW I'd one left!" he cried triumphantly after holding up a wooden-covered, metal ring-bound book. It was about 4x7 inches and had at least and inch and a half of paper inside. Attatched by a length of string to the book was a sharpened charcoal stick. He held it out to Samba. "There. You can record it in here. It's a lot more professional than just a few sheets of paper, plus it's more compact. I'm pretty sure you're going to be carrying enough as it is," he chuckled.

Samba took the book, held it for a second to look at it, and opened it. The pages were all blank. "Nifty," he commented, smiling as he rifled through it. "Thanks, Ko!" He put it away. 'I'll write in the details on whoever we've seen already later. I think I'll even include things about the Leviathans, too. This is going to be pretty fun, actually, now that I think about it.'

"We'll come back after we're done with the gorons," Link told him. "That'll probably take a bit more than a day. Oh, if you can, tell Betta I said hi!" he added, smiling.

Ko nodded, smiling as well. "I will. Thank you for coming," he said, bowing. "You're welcome anytime."

Samba and Link moved to the door and turned to wave. Ybir and Ko waved back. "Bye, Samba! Be careful!" Ybir bade. "Come home anytime you need to, okay?"

"Good luck, you two! Whatever's going on, I know that you can stop it," Ko encouraged.

The swordsmen said farewell and left. After they got down, Link asked, "Are you guys always so sociable?"

"Naw, only the good ones," Samba said. "Besides, circumstances, you know?"

They ran into Thyu and Drejsk on the way to where Samba knew the shortcut was located. "Wow," Thyu said, putting his paws on his hips. "I never thought I'd be seeing a hylian and not beating on him...AGAIN."

"Yeah; normally, I'd be busy hitting on sim," Drejsk added. He bopped his head and corrected, "SITTING on HIM!"

"Nice work there, by the way, Samba," Thyu complimented. "I was worried when you never came back, but, DAMN, did you make a heck of an entrance." He chuckled and smirked at him. "Never knew you were the dramatic type." He shook his head, chuckling again. "Well, whatever's going on must be important, and you're stuck in the middle of it." He patted Samba's shoulder and laughed, "Have fun!!"

Before they went out of earshot, Drejsk called back, "Hey! If you're ever in the mood, feel free to come and spar with me! I'll make it worth your while!! I mean...wait, nevermind, that was right..."

"Sparring?" Link asked, looking at the blue lizalfos and raising an eyebrow.

"Drejsk's a...erm...dunno how to say it in your language," Samba replied.

"I can understand you guys, remember?"

"Oh! I forgot! But, uh, I'll just keep using Hylian whenever possible to keep my practice up." Samba nodded and said, in his native language, "As I was saying, Drejsk's a masochist."

Link stumbled a bit as he fought laughter. "You're joking?"

"Nope," Samba said, using Hylian again. He grinned. "It's actually a GREAT way to relieve stress and keep your skills sharp, using him as moving target practice and a fighting partner. I wonder what he meant when he said that he'd make it worth our while, though..." They shrugged and kept a mental note on that. For now, they needed to focus on getting out of Jgk'hry, since this chapter's taken long enough--er, they'd used enough time already.

Samba led Link halfway down the row of cave-houses and other places. They had a tavern, "The Liquid Lizard" in translation, that specialized in selling drinks with an herb that also grew nearby the village, ginseng, as well as some with a bit of lizafloren. An inn was connected to it, transtlatedly called "Scaled Nights". They also had a general store--"Greun's Bag"--that Link would have liked to go into (he was wondering if he should get a new shield before his precious, homemade wooden one burned), but Samba reminded him that they should keep their money for when they really needed it. They also passed by the somewhat-smelly area of town where the potion vats were, and Samba wondered if he should get a refill of his bottle. "I'd save it for a fairy," Link told him, so Samba let it go. (Besides, it WAS expensive.) Finally, they reached a great gap where another tunnel went. A guard stood on either side of it.

"Hey, you're Samba, right?" went one when they approached. "Thanks for whupping our chief's tail! We were getting tired of being so...well, not-fun, I guess. Abusing his power--tell me about it!" The guard shook his head. "Haaah...Anyway, you know that this path leads up to Goron City, right?...Okay, just checking. Oh, and tell the hylian that he should consider finding a metal shield; we've gotten reports of those annoying bokoblins playing with flaming arrows in places."

Link raised his eyebrows and gulped. 'I'll...just hide in my ring until we get there,' he thought. He'd worked hard on his shield, and he didn't want to see it burned up.

Samba nodded. "Right, thanks," he said, and beckoned Link to come on.

"Be careful!" called both guards after them.

"We know!" Link and Samba called back.

So, at last, after a long detour, Link and Samba continued onwards to Goron City and with their journey.

-- -- --

WOO-gah! Sorry for this one, guys; I think as Samba said, it had to be done. Worry not, though; After the next chapter, I promise to give you guys A DUNGEON!! -hears collective groan- Yeah, you think it's bad already? I don't hardly know where to START with it!! The other ones came so easily...perhaps this fic might go under an extended hiatus, like it did when I was stuck on The Empty Cavern...-remembers he ought to upload those maps on dA someday- I have a sort of idea about what to do beforehand, though, so at least you can expect another chapter. Thank you very much to the people who've been leaving those comments! I honestly feel honored, especailly from the one that, making me smile and blush (if I COULD blush; I have a feeling I'm incapable of the action), said it should be a game. That's what I aim for, actually -happy-sweatdrop- Well, I've gotta go do college applications...Hope you enjoied reading more than I did writing!!