Chapter 60: Checkmate

Knowing that dark Link was extremely weak to light arrows made everything so much easier. Even after the shining of the light wore off, there appeared to be small sparks still dancing around dark Link's body! Although he wore an expressionless face after all of that, the scream from earlier was enough to tell all three of us exactly what we needed to know. However, it also allowed him to know that I was the one with his weakness!

Dark Link charged at me more ferociously than I had ever seen. It was only luck that made me able to dodge out of the way in time. He may have missed me, but he didn't skid to a halt, like what anyone else would have. Instead, he whipped around with both of his swords out, slashing at me with every chance that he got. I managed to block most of it before future Link came in with his hammer and whacked dark Link over the head! Yet, the only response that we got from dark Link was him doing a full spin and kicking future Link away.

While he did that, I jumped back and began trying to knock another light arrow. Dark Link then rushed forward and tried to cut one of my hands off with one of his swords. However, just before he managed to do that, a certain hook latched itself onto his tunic and pulled him away. As the light arrow was charging up, I saw him get pulled towards slave Link with his sword ready to impale him. Leading my shot, I fired the light arrow so that either dark Link's sword would fall slack, or slave Link would be able to get out of the way in time.

Thankfully, both happened as another scream erupted from dark Link! I knew that from that point on, with dark Link weak and slave Link back up, that we were going to win. Yet, I wasn't going to take any chances as I started to knock the third light arrow. What unnerved me, though, was that when dark Link turned to face us, his eyes were glowing and even brighter and deeper shade of the deathly blood red than before! Obviously, he was pissed!

However, this time, he didn't rush at me. Instead, he rushed past us, impossibly fast! To say that we were confused would have been an understatement. Yet, when he turned heel, he went straight for slave Link! This time, though, dark Link grabbed him and began to hold him hostage. Because of this, I could tell that he was getting desperate. Although the worst part was that his face twisted into a wicked grin!

Dark Link didn't say anything, but all three of us could clearly see that he was ready to kill slave Link if I didn't bring the unfired, but still knocked, light arrow down. The problem was that I knew that he could slit slave Link's throat faster than what the arrow would hit him, AND the splash damage (that was really the only thing that it could be called) would hit slave Link. I lowered the arrow. Dark Link's grin grew even wider.

At this point, dark Link began to move while still holding slave Link. He then whispered something that I couldn't hear into slave Link's ear. However, future Link seemed to somehow pick it up and the face that he made let me know everything that I needed to know. It had suddenly become personal! Future Link and I were so enraged, that we didn't even need to say anything to know that we had to separate in order to get dark Link from the sides. Yet, dark Link seemed to be a bit more focused on me than he was on future Link, considering that I was the one with the light arrows.

I then made a show of seeming to put my bow away as dark Link focused on me. Thankfully, this allowed future Link to stalk forward just enough to be able to lunge forth and grab dark Link's hand. I immediately pulled my bow back out (I hadn't actually put it away) and knocked another light arrow! Dark Link took note of this, but in his haste, he made a fatal maneuver and future Link managed to wrestle slave Link free. As soon as he was, I fired the final light arrow and dark Link screamed even louder than what he had before. He then fell to the ground on one knee, dropping his swords and panting.

"How? How did you muster that kind of strength? You are only mere pieces of the whole that you were supposed to be!..." He mysteriously stated in between breaths. He paused for a minute, caught his breath, and then continued.

"… Fine… you can have the white light. It's not like it's going to do you much good against my master: your demise, anyways." As he said this, the entire room began to shift. The men from earlier were pulled out of the shadows again and the balls of light were revealed once again.

Almost immediately, the white ball and the black ball both split into three each. At this, I noticed just how much smaller the white ball was than the black ball. Although this was cause for concern, the three pieces of the white ball still made what seemed to be a mad dash towards the three Master Swords. None of the three of us paid any mind to it, though, as we watched the three pieces of the black ball enter each one of the men!

It obviously possessed them, but we couldn't do a thing about it! Instead, we could only watch as the three possessed men each opened their eyes to reveal a glowing, blood red. We didn't even notice that dark Link had melted away into shadow once again until it engulfed the three of them and proceeded to make off with them, leaving the three of us alone in this room. After a while, slave Link fell again, obviously more injured than he let on, and both future Link and I went straight to his rescue. However, he went unconscious before long.

I began to fret over him, stating that we had to get out of this place and back up to the surface, where Zelda was. I then looked at future Link, seeing as he almost always seemed to have the answer to a problem like this. However, this time, he was blank. He had no idea of how to get out of where we were and at least back to the boat that had brought the three of us there. Yet, I didn't panic.

Both future Link and I knew that slave Link would be alright, so neither of us did. Although, that didn't help that we were stuck. Somehow, though, it seemed like something heard us, because a massive torrent of the spirits of the dead suddenly flowed down around us. Then, they began to lift us, seeming to use all of their energy to become corporeal enough to hold us. My vision was flooded, but before long, I found that all three of us were suddenly back on the boat!

Slave Link managed to wake up just in time to see the spirits that helped us leave. However, his gaze was set on one in particular. He then uttered the one questioning word that confirmed that these spirits knew him. That these spirits knew of our cause and truly believed in us to fulfill this cause, just so that no more people would have to suffer.

Knowing that the lead spirit had been slave Link's (apparently dead) mother, we silently promised that we would do it. And that both dark Link and his 'master' would not have their way.

HOLY CRAP, that was the longest fight that I have ever written, and the best part is that most (if not all) of it was written on Christmas Night! XD Silent flippin' night, my ass. Okay, I should stop now. Anyway, I'd love to hear what you thought of it, via review, because I'm just so giddy that this set of chapters is finally up! :D Also, who do you think is dark Link's master? LET THE SPECULATION COMMENCE!