OK! A long chapter to make up for the last one!
My friends have been bugging me to use weirder characters, cause mine are usually too nice, and I don't have as many evil people. My friend's influence is the reason Shadow Link turned out the way he did. I almost made him completely different. But this has been a good experience for me. I'm trying to make Shadow Link a real jerk, while still getting the readers to care about him. So, he's obnoxious, but he occasionally shows a slightly less-mean side. I hope it's working though! Tell me what you think about it.
I keep getting the names Medli and Midna confused! Waah! What was I thinking putting the 2 of them together?
Chapter 19: Fallen Hero
Pitch blackness closed around them. They felt themselves plummeting downwards, though they could see nothing above nor below.
Midna had been standing on the ground at the time, not floating. The vanishing of the ground had caught her off guard, but now she tried to stop herself. It didn't work. She could still feel the air rushing past her.
"I can't fly!" she shouted, alarmed.
"Waah! Me either!" Navi wailed.
The fairy's glowing body was their only source of light in the pitch blackness.
"We should try to grab hold of each other!" Medli called, reaching out towards the blue light and carefully cupping Navi in her hands.
Midna reached out and grabbed Medli's elbow.
"How's that gonna help us?" Shadow Link snarled.
"We're slowing down," Midna shouted.
Suddenly, all of them hit the ground. It wasn't hard enough to break bones, but it knocked the wind out of them. Navi flew out of Medli's hands and bounced off the ground. Midna landed rather heavily on her feet. Shadow Link landed flat on his back, and sat up, groaning and rubbing his sore back.
"Stupid Vaati."
They slowly stood up and looked around. It was still pitch black. Even Navi's glow was insignificant.
Shadow Link's legs felt weak. He sank back to his knees, breathing hard.
"Are you OK?" Medli asked, hearing his gasps.
"Urf…"
"Did you hit your head when you fell" Navi asked.
"No…"
"I think I know what it is," Midna said. "It's too dark."
"What?" Medli asked, confused.
"Well if there's no light, then there's no shadows, right? Everything is one big shadow. They all blend together."
"I-I hate light."
"Nevertheless, you need at least a little bit of it to survive," Midna replied. "I know. I've put shadows to good use during my time in Hyrule. Let's get out of here."
A moment later, there was a crackling sound and a soft glow fell over them. Midna had produced a glowing orange ball in her hands.
They were in what looked like a small cave. At least, it was small unless you looked up. The ceiling was so high that the top disappeared into the gloom.
There was only one direction for them to go. Shadow Link got to his feet and they walked down the tunnel. Barely a minute later, they emerged.
They all stared, open-mouthed in the same direction, their necks craned upwards. They were in an immense cavern with massive lanterns hanging from its rooftop high above. In the center of the cavern was a towering castle, carved out of a monstrous column of stone. It reached in a pillar from the floor of the cavern up to the very top. There were few, if any windows, but a few precarious pathways looped around its perimeter.
"How will we ever find Link in there?" Navi said hopelessly. "And we have to find that other girl too…"
"Forget about her," Shadow Link snapped. "I can find Link without too much trouble, but we'll never find that other girl in this labyrinth. Let's just get Link and get out of here!"
"Vaati said we'd need her," Medli replied.
"Enough! I'm surrounded by girls already! Sheesh! Let's just find a way to get in there without triggering an alarm."
"I'm on it," Midna said. She looked back and forth from Shadow Link to Medli. "Hm. You are a shadow, so I don't' think my little trick will work with you."
"What?"
"I'm going to borrow your shadow, Medli," Midna announced.
A moment later, she sank out of sight.
"Whaaa?" Medli exclaimed, startled.
A moment later, Midna had reappeared, though her form was now black as though she had become a shadow herself.
"OK. I'm harder to spot like this," she announced. "I'll have to find an entrance that this guy can get in through, cause he can't fly." Midna jabbed her thumb in Shadow Link's direction and floated away before he could retort.
Shadow Link and Medli sat down in the tunnel they'd just emerged from, out of sight of the castle. All they could do was wait for Midna to return.
Shadow Link looked more sour than usual, probably because he'd appeared weak in front of them due to the darkness.
"Would you cut that out?" he snapped, watching Navi bob back and forth. "Just sit still. You're driving me crazy."
Navi glared at him before perching on Medli's shoulder.
Several minutes passed before Midna arrived again.
"OK. Found a way in, I think."
"You think?" Shadow Link snapped irritably. "I'd like a little more certainty before heading out there."
"It's the best we've got. You guys just need to be really sneaky."
"You should wait here," Shadow Link said abruptly to Medli.
"Huh? Why?"
"Because you're obviously no good at fighting or stealth. You'd only be in the way."
"I helped Link through a dungeon once!"
"Or did he have to protect you the whole way through?"
"I…"
"Yeah. Anyway, you wait here!"
He gave her a push back into the cave and strode off.
"Hey!" Navi shouted.
"Don't shout! Do you want to tell everyone that we're sneaking in?" Shadow Link snapped at the fairy.
"You shouldn't treat her like that!" Navi continued hotly.
"That is a little overboard," Midna agreed.
"She's been really helpful!" Navi persisted.
"Doesn't seem like she's done anything," he said, shrugging and striding off across the boulder-strewn cavern floor.
Medli sighed. "I guess I should wait behind," she admitted to Midna and Navi. "I probably would get in the way."
"Are you sure?" Navi asked, concerned.
Medli nodded, looking a bit forlorn. "Go and rescue Link."
Midna nodded and floated after Shadow Link. Navi hung back a moment longer before following.
Shadow Link darted from boulder to boulder, always keeping out of sight of the tower in case someone was watching. Midna blended in with the shadows and Navi hid behind her.
They slowly crept further and further forwards, taking it very slow to the base of the castle.
"This way," Midna said, leading them around the base to a small gap in the rock. It looked like a vent or a gap to fire weapons out of.
Midna went in first, sliding easily through the window. Shadow Link wriggled through, nearly getting his shoulders stuck. Finally he flopped out of the other end and Navi followed him through.
"Your turn," Midna informed Shadow Link as he pushed himself to his feet again. "You said you can lead us to Link, so lead the way."
"Up," Shadow Link mumbled.
"You don't say" Midna scoffed. "We have to go up? I never would have thought."
Shadow Link remained very quiet as he walked to the other end of the room and peered through the door.
"I remember there was a spiral staircase somewhere," he mumbled to himself.
"Before you go out there," Midna said, leaning against the wall, "maybe we should figure out a way to not get caught."
"Easy. If we see a monster, kill it."
"Right. And then when they find their dead guards scattered all over the place, how do you think they'll react?" Midna demanded. "They'll tighten security so much that we'll never get out. It's going to be hard enough if Link's in as bad a condition as it sounds. And being sneaky only works until you're caught. If someone acts like they don't belong somewhere, they stand out. What you need to do is pretend like you know exactly what you're doing, and that you come here all the time. The lesser monsters will probably be fooled by that, no problem. So, put your hood up and let's get going."
"Stop telling me what to do!" he hissed. "And what about you? How are you going to hide?"
"If Medli were here, I could use her shadow. I'm still in my shadow form, at least, so I'm less noticeable. I should be able to hide behind you with no problem."
"I guess I gotta hide in your cloak," Navi sighed reluctantly.
Shadow Link made a face, but let her fly into his pocket. He pulled his hood up and strode confidently out of the room.
He made his way down the empty hall, It took them a few minutes to find the stairway. Shadow Link stared upwards at the endless flights of spiraled stairs, reaching up out of sight.
"I'm glad I can fly," came Midna's voice from somewhere. "At least I don't have to walk up all that."
"Shut up," Shadow Link hissed.
He began to climb.
After about ten flights, he was breathing hard, but he kept going.
At fourteen, they heard footsteps descending from above.
Shadow Link kept walking, pretending he didn't care. He came face-to-face with a pig-faced, spear-wielding monster which stopped and sniffed at the hood of his cloak. Midna, at least, was nowhere to be seen. Navi trembled in the pocket of the cloak.
"Buzz off, pig head," Shadow Link snapped, shoving past the monster. It gave an annoyed snort, and continued walking down the stairs.
Twenty flights up, Shadow Link dropped to his hands and knees, panting and trying to regain his breath.
"Make sure you're going nice and slowly," Midna suggested from somewhere.
"We're getting close," he huffed. "Nearly there. I can feel it…" He pushed himself to his feet and willed himself to keep stepping up.
It was after nearly thirty flights when he finally stopped and walked out of the doorway to the stairwell. They were in another bare stone hallway. His knees shaking a bit from the walk up the stairs, Shadow Link continued on. With every step, he felt as though he was growing heavier.
Several minutes later, he stopped outside of a doorway.
Midna appeared beside him.
"Is he through here?"
Shadow Link hesitated "Yes."
"Then what are you waiting for? Let's go! You're not afraid of enemies are you?"
He shook his head. He looked nervous and anxious, quite unlike Midna or Navi had ever seen him. He took a step backwards.
"Do you sense danger?" Navi asked.
"It's not that…"
"Come on then." Midna bounced in through the doorway and Shadow Link followed, dragging his feet.
Navi flew out of his pocket and up to Midna.
"I think I know why he's nervous," she whispered.
"Hm?" Midna asked.
"I think he's afraid that Link will take the Triforce back and turn him into a shadow again."
"Good point. But we have to find Link no matter what."
"Yeah."
They stepped into a dingy cell lit by sputtering torches. On a heavy wooden table, a few weapons had been unceremoniously dumped. The opposite end of the room was barred off in a sort of cage. There was a figure lying motionless on the floor.
"Link!" Navi cried, zooming through the bars and landing at his side. "Link, wake up! It's me! We're here to help you!"
Midna dissolved into a cloud of bubbles and passed easily through the bars to land at his side.
"He looks just like him," she whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But he's so pale. He's barely breathing."
"Ganon probably put him under a curse, or something," Shadow Link muttered, walking towards the cell door. He put out his hand, and to his amazement, the door swung easily open. "He didn't even lock the door."
"You won't be saving your hero any time son," came an icy voice from a dark corner of the cell.
They all whirled around to see a figure rising from the shadows. Shadow Link took a step back, his hand automatically going to his sword hilt. The stranger looked exactly like him, with the dark clothes ad hair. But instead of Shadow Link's pale skin, this person's skin was solid black.
"It's you," Navi whispered to Shadow Link.
"No," Shadow Link hissed, pulling his cloak off. "That's not me. That's Dark Link."
Dark Link drew a black sword and took a step towards them.
(For convenience sake, they are now Shadow and Dark)
Shadow stepped out of the cell and slammed the door shut behind them to give the others some small amount of protection.
Dark gave a sweep of his arm and overturned the table in the middle of the room, sending it crashing into the wall. The contents scattered about the floor.
Shadow quickly scanned the layout of the room. It was small. Not much room to maneuver. And now there was stuff all over the floor for him to trip over.
Suddenly Dark lunged at him, and Shadow raised his sword barely in time to block the blow. He pushed himself away and stabbed with his sword only to have Dark flick it sideways with his own blade.
Shadow spun around in time to block a dangerous series of blows to his middle, and then raised his sword to stop a strike that would have cleaved his head.
Dark kicked out, getting Shadow in the shins. He staggered backwards, cursing under his breath. He would never get a hit in like this. Dark was too good…
Dark rushed forwards, swinging his sword over and over again, driving Shadow back against the wall. Shadow braced himself against the stone and launched off of it, driving his shoulder into Dark's stomach.
The blow didn't affect him at all. His sword came down, snagging Shadow's arm and tearing the skin.
Shadow landed heavily on the ground and quickly rolled onto his back to block Dark's sword as it swung down at him.
Shadow kicked out and Dark jumped back.
Shadow reached out and grabbed something off of the floor. A boomerang.
He hurled it, but Dark ducked and the boomerang clattered against the wall and fell to the floor.
Shadow scrambled to his feet and backed away. Dark was on him in an instant, forcing Shadow back against the wall once more.
Shadow's arms ached and his teeth rattled as the intensity of Dark's blows increased. It was all he could do to keep his head from getting chopped off.
Dark's sword darted in and hooked in the hilt of Shadow's sword, twisting it. One of Shadow's hands was wrenched from the hilt. He barely managed to hang on with the other, but an instant later, Dark's blade was at his throat and Dark was smiling triumphantly, showing pointed teeth.
"Time for you to go back to the shadows," Dark hissed softly.
Shadow Link trembled and his eyes fell on the cell. Even in his desperate situation, he registered a moment of confusion. It looked very much like Midna had picked up the slingshot and was aiming it at Dark Link. And what was the ammunition she'd put in the slingshot? It looked like Navi…
Midna released the sling and Navi hurtled through the bars of the cell into Dark's face.
Dark's head jerked sideways. Shadow Link didn't hesitate, but raised his sword and drove it into Dark Link.
For a moment, there was silence. Then Dark Link let out a high wail. There was a hissing sound and Dark Link began to dissolve into black vapor. A few moments later, he was gone.
Shadow Link dropped to his knees, and his sword clattered to the ground in relief and exhaustion.
"Aah! I did it!" Navi shouted. "It worked! Midna, I told you it would work! Yesss! We did it!"
Midna grinned, showing her fang. "That was some fancy sword work there," she said to Shadow Link. "But we'd better hurry. We need to get Link out of here. He doesn't look very good. And he won't wake up."
"Vaati told us that the girl who's trapped here could help," Navi reminded them. "He probably knew that Link was cursed. Maybe the girl can break the curse."
"How are we supposed to find her," Shadow Link gasped, still very much out of breath. "And what do we do with Link? He's unconscious. Should we just leave him here and come back?"
"Then why did we come here if we were just gonna leave again?" Midna asked. "Besides, Vaati said that we should find Link first."
"So, do we just have to drag Link around this maze until we find the girl?" Shadow Link demanded.
Navi and Midna exchanged glances.
"I guess so," Navi suggested.
"You'll have to carry him," Midna said.
"WHAT? Why should I have to carry that guy around?"
"Cause neither of us are big enough to carry him," Midna pointed out, sounding exasperated.
"That's the stupidest plan I've ever heard! How are we supposed to blend in if I'm carrying a dead-looking guy around on my back? And how am I gonna fight if I'm carrying this sack of potatoes? I'm tired enough as it is!" He gestured wildly at Link's still form.
"You should stop shouting," Midna said, examining her fingernails and sounding bored. "You don't want the bad guys to hear."