Author's Note: Yeah, I know, I was supposed to write about the helmaroc king, but while I wrote it I suddenly remembered about the mini boss before it.
After some encouraging words from the King of Red Lions (for once he actually wished him luck on rescuing his sister instead of harping on about Hyrule), Link dashed up the stairs of the Forsaken Fortress.
Still wary of the bright searchlights, Link had to remind himself: I'm not defenseless this time. I can hold off some Moblins by myself now. I have a vast selection of weapons to choose from. And, Link smiled. I've got the Master Sword. If Ganon comes, I can just kill him here and now.
Link steeled himself and boldly and deliberately waltzed into the beam of a searchlight.
A chilling laugh resounded from all around him. Link jumped and threw his head side to side, and saw nothing there. But as he whirled around, directly behind him materialized an apparition from the ether. It was cloaked in unnatural darkness, as was its enormous sword. On it were some Hylian words inscribed onto it that Link didn't have time to read. The ghost, the phantom, threw its head back in ghastly laughter, then proceeded to summon an electric blue ball of energy as it levitated menacingly over Link.
Well, that sure was a fast introduction. I really hope I won't have to fight this thing again in the future, Link thought. All he had time to do was draw his sword as the ball came flying toward him-actually rather slowly, but fast enough that Link was unable to avoid being hit.
It felt more like being hit with a battering ram. The electric shocks were nothing worse than those of a yellow chuchu, and faded seconds after. But the force of it launched him into the stone wall. He was able to get up without missing a beat. It was painful, but nothing worse than what he'd expected.
He reconsidered this after being struck several times more. As he stiffly got up from the floor a fourth time, he was beginning to worry. He just didn't know how to defeat it. The phantom never approached him face-to-face; it was content with hurling his projectiles at the hero from a distance.
Projectiles. Link whipped out his bow and arrows, his bombs, and his boomerang and sent them to the fiend. Nothing worked. They did not harm it in any way, and it was him that suffered the most. In hindsight, he should have known it wouldn't have worked. It was just unlikely that a bunch of random arrows and explosives would injure it.
His experiment had yielded him no fruit. Instead, he was the one deep in the danger zone. Skulls, free of flesh, lay scattered nearby, ironically carrying healing hearts. Finally, for once something containing free healing, Link thought. While he could have walked over and collected the healing hearts from them, Link was much too frustrated to be content with that. Plus, it was risky. While there was little chance of dying right before getting healed, Link wasn't going to risk being insta-killed. The much easier solution would be to down a healing concoction.
Link replaced the bomb bag in his hand with a bottle of blue potion. No soup today, Link thought as he grimaced and tried to stomach the "energy drink", the nickname for either chu jelly or boko baba potions. Vile as it was, the effects were instantaneous. Link felt his energy return, his injuries mended, and his mind cleared.
He didn't even have time to cork the bottle when yet another ball rushed straight at him. How many of the energy balls could it make? Defenseless, Link flung his arms around his head protectively and ducked, bracing for impact.
Nothing happened. He dared to peek through his arms, then dropped them down at his sides while his eyes widened in shock. The ball not only did not hit him, it was racing back to the phantom! Link must have knocked it back with the bottle of all things. He immediately developed a new respect for it.
The phantom was probably surprised that its own weapon was speeding at it, but it merely knocked it back at Link with its club of a sword.
Link waited, eager to try whatever it was again. As it was bounced back to Link, faster than before, he waited, and waited...
And swiped sideways with the bottle. He was too early though, and the fizzling ball exploded on him. Unhindered by this, Link waited for another one. The phantom obliged, sending a blue ball at him.
Link waited. And waited. He knew he would have to wait until the very last second before he struck. Think of it as catching a fairy, Link thought to himself. Actually, I wonder if you can catch these things in a bottle. Well, I didn't earlier, but-
OH NOW NOW NOW! Before Link could think further, his arm already responded, swinging around and smacking it hard. Plink! It sailed back to his opponent.
Success! Link almost said out loud. The phantom hit it back with the flat of his blade. Smack!
Plink!
Smack!
Each time they volleyed it back to each other, the ball flew faster and faster, like a bullet.
Plink!
Smack!
Plink!
Smack!
Plink!
The phantom didn't swing fast enough, and was finally hit with his own projectile. About time, Link thought. Rather than plopping down onto the ground like all those others bosses, he floated down, like he had the air resistance of a feather. It knelt on the ground, hunched in defeat, its sword the only thing keeping it upright. It was picto-perfect.
Picto-perfect? Don't I mind if I do. Trading out his bottle for his pictobox, Link quickly snapped a picto of it. Excellent. Couldn't find a better time to get its picto, really.
Right then, the monster snapped out of its daze and returned to the fight. As it rose into the air, it generated a blue ball. With an eerie cry, it hurtled it at Link. It moved rather slowly though.
Link whisked out his sword, and a second later realized, Wait I need the bottle!
Too late. As if his arm had a mind of its own, it swung of its own accord, squarely slapping it back to his attacker. Bam!
Smack!
Bam!
Smack!
Bam!
Smack!
Bam!
Smack!
Bam! Smack! Bam!
It whizzed by so fast that the phantom couldn't keep up anymore. It sank to the ground again.
Link dashed over and unleashed a series of horizontal slashes. Slash slash cut slash! By now, most of the bosses and mini-bosses he'd fought would have retreated, but this one was still on the ground. Not fearing any potential traps, Link pressed on with a series of vertical slices. Slice slice uppercut spin attack!
But as he was doing the spin attack, the phantom disappeared into thin air. What the... Where did it go? Just in case, Link backed up, tightly clutching his sword. He should have known it would pull a trick like that.
Right behind him, the phantom reappeared. Before Link gave it a chance to raise its sword he launched into a flurry of cuts and slashes. Not long after, it dissipated once again.
The searchlights continued their aimless wandering on the battle floor. It was rather spooky. Shadows loomed up where the lights shone. One moment Link would have to squint in near darkness, the next moment he would be blinded by a light right in his eyes.
It emerged high above him, a ball already prepared and ready to hurl. As the ball made its way to Link, he quickly backed up and put away his weapons for the empty bottle. It felt weird to fight the phantom without a shield in his right hand. It dangled there, exposed.
It got closer, enlarging in Link's view. Almost...
Plink!
Smack!
Plink!
Smack!
Plink!
Smack!
Plink!
Smack!
Plink! Smack! Plink smack plink smack plink!
It had gotten to the point where if he'd even blinked, he would have missed the chance of rallying it back and then would have gotten hit.
But Link won their little contest. Link had always been rather competitive, though somehow he was never a sore loser (but still, how the heck did he get second place at that pig-catching contest last year?).
So as he sank the blade of evil's bane into the phantom's shadowy flesh, he thought, Thanks for the challenge. For once, I enjoyed that fun mini-boss fight.
But, you got beaten by a bottle. That's... Just incredible.
The phantom didn't exactly die, like the other monsters. It thrashed around, and then vanished in a puff of smoke. Or something akin to smoke. Anyway, Link glanced around, waiting for the phantom to reappear. He was rewarded with the phantom's ominous laugh, coming from above. As he gazed up, it spun it the air with rapid speed and then shrank into nothing. Much like what the portals at a boss room would do to Link.
The bars holding closed the doors rose, seemingly of its own accord, and a treasure chest materialized in the center of the cold stone floor. The lights seemed to linger on it.
For a short second, Link stared in awe at his empty bottle. Who knew it had such deadly and surprising potential? I wonder what else it works on.
Well, y'know, that pesky octorok in the Forest Haven has always annoyed me...
Author's Note: If you're curious, the words on the sword translate to "Zubora Gabora", I think. I guess I would call that significant... If I knew what was so special about it. Also, I think I'll be able to upload the next chapter soon, but that's all for a while. I'm going on a last minute vacation!