Has anyone seen Princess Mononoke? You know the demon boar? The strange tentacle things on its body probably influenced this chapter a lot.
I love Miyazaki's movies. Anyone here agree with me? If you don't agree, go watch some of them! (I'd be happy to suggest some. Howl's Moving Castle might be my favorite, but it's hard to choose). The only reason I haven't done a fanfic on any of his movies is that I don't feel I could do them justice ^-^'
Chapter 24: The New Guardian"I just realized," Link said, "I'm surrounded by girls. Even Sheik is Princess Zelda in disguise."
Several faces turned to him: Midna, Nabeen, Navi, and Sheik.
"Did it take you that long to figure it out?" Nabeen scoffed.
"For all purposes, I am, at the moment, male," Sheik said.
"I can hide in someone's shadow if you like," Midna suggested sarcastically.
"I was just commenting," Link said, shrugging.
"Well, stop commenting," Nabeen said. "We're almost there. Pay attention to your surroundings."
"Are you sure your arm's better?" Navi asked.
Link nodded. "Pretty sure. I feel in pretty good shape too."
"Vaati should be expecting us," Sheik said. "If all goes well, no one will need to fight."
"That's why Medli wanted to come," Navi sighed. "She's been with us the whole time so far, so she was sad that she had to stay behind."
"She can't fight though," Nabeen said. "If we do get into trouble, she'd only be in the way."
"That's what Shadow Link kept telling her too," Navi sighed.
"You seem sad that our old group broke up," Midna noted. "All the people you were traveling with before Shadow Link ran away."
"Well, yeah," Navi admitted.
"They'll play their part before long," Midna said, shrugging. "It's not like they're all gone."
"One of them is," Navi murmured.
This comment made everyone fall silent.
"We should be careful from here on out," Midna said after a while. "There were redeads around when we came here before.
The group stopped for a minute. They were nearing the deepest part of the forest – the forest from Midna's time where Shadow Link had tried and failed to draw the Master Sword. Link had used a hookshot (provided by one of their allies back at camp) to cross the ravine that lead into the heart of the forest. Nabeen and Sheik had climbed across the extended chin, and Midna and Navi simply flew across.
"I'll check ahead," Midna said. She hopped up into the air and peered over a rise of earth in front of them. She came back a moment later.
"It's completely deserted. All of the redeads are gone. But I don't see Vaati either.
"Maybe he's hiding," Navi suggested, not sounding entirely convinced with the explanation.
"I don't like it," Nabeen stated flatly. "Your friend should be here to meet us if he's planning on helping. Maybe he'll turn on us and do a sneak attack. Are you sure you can trust him?"
The others exchanged glances. No, they weren't sure that they could trust Vaati. But he had helped them before…
"I smell a trap," Nabeen concluded confidently.
"It's possible," Sheik agreed. "Things don't feel right."
"So, what do we do?" Midna asked. "Run away? That doesn't sound like my kind of plan.
"Whether or not it's a trap," Link said, "we still have to go. We need the sword. And maybe if there is a trap, it won't be set for so many of us."
"Sounds fun," Midna said, grinning.
Nabeen shrugged. "Whatever. I've never been opposed to a fight."
"While I don't' enjoy fighting for fighting's sake, I will fight for what's important," Sheik added.
"And I'll do what I can!" Navi chimed in.
Link nodded. "Thanks guys. Okay. Let's see what's ahead of us."
They continued up the trail, moving cautiously, all senses on alert. Then the clearing came into view. And there was the Master Sword, sunk into its pedestal.
Sheik dashed ahead, moving quickly and motionlessly. He circled the clearing, examining the immediate area for enemies. Then he beckoned to the others.
Link looked at the ruins around him as he walked towards the Master Sword. The broken walls and cracked floor- could this be the remains of the Temple of Time he once knew? It was, in a way, sad to see it reduced to this state.
The others lined up behind him, watching as Link stepped up to the sword and reached his hand towards the hilt.
"AAAHHHHHHH!" Navi shouted suddenly.
Link spun around in time to see a dark-colored vine hanging from one of the trees above. It looked like it was swaying in the wind.
But there was no wind.
Nabeen turned and slashed her knife up, severing the vine. There was a horrible hissing sound and the remainder of the vine withdrew up into the trees. Link glanced down at the end of the vine that flopped to the ground. The tip of it was flat and circular and had something like an eye pattern on it. It twitched a couple times, and then lay still.
Then another of the black vines dropped from the forest canopy, reaching towards the Master Sword. Link backed away, drawing the sword he'd brought with him. The others took battle stances. Sheik knocked an arrow to his bow.
And a moment later, the air was alive with writhing tentacles that lashed out, reaching for the group below.
Link swung his sword, connecting with one of the largest tentacles. Nabeen's knife was a blurred ark in the air, and she dodged between the black ropes, cutting every one that was within reach. Midna, small as she was, was able to dodge most of them, and she shot twilight bolts in rapid succession.
Sheik paused, aiming his bow upwards. It would do no good to attack the tentacles. They had to attack the source of the problem. He stepped to the side to avoid a flailing vine and stared up into the tree, trying to find something to shoot at.
There. Something that was a lighter color than the leaves of the tree. It had just moved.
Sheik took steady aim, and then loosed his arrow.
There was a horrible squealing, snarling sound and the tentacles lashed out fiercely. Then they withdrew and clamped onto low tree branches and parts of the broken wall. Then something large, bulbous, and acid green lowered itself down from the tree and landed with a thud in front of the Mater Sword. A toothed mouth opened up, revealing a large yellow eye. A moment later, it closed, shutting the eye behind the protective lid.
It was the monster Bellum.
Then the tentacles all shot forwards. Link leapt to the side, only to realize too late that they were aiming for Sheik.
Sheik loosed another arrow, but it was lost in the seething black mass that was headed for him. He reached for another arrow, but was too late. He was suddenly engulfed in the slimy, wriggling wave. Link dashed forwards and swung his sword down, trying to cut through the base of Bellum's many arms. His stroke cut through several of them, but one of the ling twisting limbs lashed out, catching Link painfully in the middle amd knocking the breath out of him.
Nabeen vaulted over him, hacking at Bellum's arms. Midna shot bolts at Bellum's head, but they did little damage.
The remaining tentacles rose up into the air, bringing Sheik with them. He had managed to hold onto his bow, but the quiver had been ripped off of his back.
"Stop attacking the tentacles!" Sheik shouted. "You need to go for the core!"
"But it'll kill you!" Link shouted.
"Then focus on killing it first!" Sheik shouted back.
Midna flew up to try to loosen Bellum's grip on Sheik, but one of the tentacles closed around her middle, pinning an arm to her side.
"I have an idea!" Link shouted. "Navi, help Nabeen find Sheik's arrows! Sheik!"
Sheik nodded in understanding.
Link dashed forwards and slashed at Bellum's fat green body with his sword. He dodged some of the long black arms and rolled up against the creature, sinking his sword into its body. Bellum let out the horrible squelching bellow again and rolled to its side, trying to crush Link. He barely rolled out of the way in time.
"Link!" Navi shouted. He glanced over to see Nabeen snatching an arrow off of the ground. She threw it to Sheik. At the same time, Link brought the hilt of his sword down on Bellum's closed eyelid. Bellum opened its eye just as Sheik reached out to catch the arrow. But as his fingers touched the shaft, one of Bellum's arms statched it out of the air and broke it against the wall. The eye closed again.
Link cursed and dodged away from Bellum's body to avoid the clinging black limbs. He couldn't see Nabeen anywhere, and he had to retreat further from the onslaught of Bellum's arms.
Then he saw something that made him nearly drop his sword. Bellum was lowering the struggling Midna towards the strange mouth-eye. And the lid was opening as though it was preparing to swallow her.
Link hacked through the wall of black arms and charged forwards.
Then he saw something in the branches above. Nabeen. She had climbed up into the trees. She dropped something down to Sheik. Something long and thin.
Sheik caught the arrow and knocked it. He took careful aim, and then loosed.
The arrow shot past Midna, missing her by an inch. And it embedded itself into Bellum's eye.
Bellum let out a raging scream and dropped Midna and Sheik to the ground.
Link launched himself into the air and brought his full weight down, driving the sword deep into Bellum.
There was a low, gargling moan, and then Bellum rolled to the side, the tentacles falling limp.
Link released a relieved sigh and dropped to his knees.
Midna pulled herself out from beneath a tangle of vine-like arms. Sheik picked himself off the ground and went to retrieve his arrows. Nabeen swung down from the tree and Navi landed on Link's shoulder.
"Shouldn't you draw the Master Sword?" Navi suggested. "Before something else happens?"
"Oh. Yeah. Good idea."
Link walked around Bellum's lifeless form, eying it warily. He placed his hand on the hilt of the Master Sword, closing his fingers around it. He took a deep breath, and then tugged upwards.