A/N: Chapter 5. Have fun reading, yada yada yada, bad things happen, as usual, please review. I'm extremely desperate!
Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers or the Legend of Zelda.
CAVE OF THE ANCIENTS: CHAPTER 5.
"Look out," Zelgadis says quietly, drawing his blade and holding it out in front of Zelda's head. Something ricochets off of the steel seconds later, making a ringing sound that echoes for miles.
As the princess crouches down to observe it, Zelgadis glances over at Lina, who is still unconscious. It's been almost two hours now, and his other two companions aren't helping matters. The monsters keep getting stronger and stronger the closer they get to the castle. Things such as Darknuts and baby Dodongos have started attacking them, and it's getting harder to hold Lina out of harm's way and still attack at the same time.
"A bullet," Zelgadis says when Zelda holds up the small metal piece questioningly. "I've used them before; they're dangerous, extremely so, and could punch straight through your skull. I've found that lizards in particular are sensitive to them."
Although he's still hostile towards them, his information and protection has proved helpful in terms of things from his world. They've found that things from Zelgadis' world have appeared in Lorule, like demons and even low-level mazoku, most likely because of the portals rapidly appearing. In the last couple hours, the few portals that have appeared in front of them have had demons come through and then were immediately destroyed.
"How are we supposed to...?" Link breathes.
Zelda holds up a hand to Zelgadis. "For something like this, I can use Nayru's Love on the both of us. You don't have to do anything."
He breathes a sigh of relief as Zelda chants under her breath, and suddenly pale blue light surrounds both she and Link in the form of a diamond. Shuddering at the form it takes, she says, "Come on, let's get going. If we continue like this, we should make it by dusk."
"If that's the case, we would have to camp out there beside the castle for the night, where a barrier might not be safe enough. It's never a good idea to go somewhere like that at night," Zelgadis mutters.
Link looks confused. "I've gone inside dungeons during the middle of the night before."
"Were you rested?"
A nervous laugh. "Well, no, not completely."
"Then we'll camp about a mile from the castle, and in the morning we'll—Lina is starting to wake up." Zelgadis slowly releases his Levitation spell and gently lowers the redhead to the ground, settling her into a position in which she is sitting up, resting against one of his arms. As she begins to stir, he whispers, "Lina, are you okay?"
The first syllable of his name forms on her lips as she opens one of her eyes and stares at him. "Z-Zelgadis...still in Lorule?"
He gives her a smirk and nods, holding out his other hand to help her up. She takes it and stumbles a little, but refuses to fall on top of him again and gives a great sigh. "Well, that was embarrassing." She turns to look at Link and Zelda before saying perkily, "I don't think we've been properly introduced yet. My name is Lina, Lina Inverse!"
"I am princess Zelda, and this is Link, the Hero of Time," Zelda says, looking sheepish. "I-I'm sorry for any rude actions earlier. I admit I did not like you very much at first."
Lina gives her a laugh and an almost gentle slap on the back. "Oh, it's fine. I didn't like you much at first either, but apparently you're nicer than you look. So, Mister Hero." Lina turns to look at Link. "You can talk, right?"
Link forces a nervous laugh. "Yes, I can talk. I just prefer not to most of the time."
"We need to move on," Zelgadis insists. "Lina, can you walk, and are you able to fight? Swords are preferred."
The fiery redhead nods, drawing her sword. "But, um, can I ask why they're surrounded by floating blue crystals?"
"Bullets," Zelgadis replies. After that, Lina makes sure to keep a tiny little wind barrier around her head.
At dusk, and to Lina's dismay, they're still miles away from even the bottom of the mountain on which the castle lies.
Zelda heaves a sigh. "It appears we'll have to travel on for now, and stop when we have to." With slight unease in her features, the princess glances at Zelgadis questioningly. He shrugs.
As the Hylians move a few paces ahead, Zelgadis purses his lips, wondering how to start this.
"Lina," he begins. "Would it be okay if you put up the barriers tonight?"
She looks at him as if he's grown an extra head. "Well, if you desperately need me to. Is there a reason?"
He looks almost scared to tell her why. He is about to answer but then shakes his head and says, "I'm sorry, Lina. I-I'll tell you when I feel it's a good time, okay?"
He swears he can see Link's ears prick slightly, as though he is intrigued and confused by how his friend is acting. Lina stares at him, perplexed, before sighing in resignation and muttering, "If it's that important, then yeah, sure. I'll put up the barriers."
Barely two miles from where they started, they settle down after a particularly long brawl against quite a few Darknuts. All of them are quite exhausted, but still willing to put up with a constant watch all night. This time, Zelgadis wants to start out with a watch, agreeing to actually switch with Link, unlike the first two nights, in which both of them took turns keeping watch the entire night and decreased their strength as a whole over time.
True, their swings are slower and their blows are weaker, as both Zelda and Lina have noticed. The fatigue and simple sleeplessness are weakening them, and that is why both females counter their argument and insist that they should keep watch. At first they're met with resistance, but that's until Link finally gives in, and so Zelgadis has to give in as well. The Hylian has always loved his sleep...
Lina, while putting up her barriers, discusses a few topics with Zelda as the two men fall asleep. Together they speak of what they could be facing, what is most likely to happen. Really, it's like a bonding of sisters. They didn't like each other at first, but to Lina it's like the little sister she never had, and to Zelda it feels as though she belongs somewhere, that someone can treat her as an equal, without any awkwardness tied in-between.
Truly, Lina Inverse is an amazing and powerful woman, no matter how weak she came off as. Her spirit is unbreakable, and her resolve, if possible, is even stronger. The only thing Zelda can imagine defeating her is defeat itself. Were she to lose, she wouldn't lose because of whatever felled her, it would be the fact that someone failed her.
And as they exchange their stories, Zelda realizes that Lina has only been felled once, a couple years ago, when one of her companions was kidnapped and she was unable to save him. Just before that, when one of her strongest spells failed, possibly weakened her to the point of breaking.
Still, Lina is unmistakably strong and simply carries an air of strength and spirit about her. She doesn't even have to tell you her name for you to get the impression that not only is she strong, she's dangerous. That Zelda can tell from her wild red hair, and the light glinting in her eyes. When the princess of Hyrule comments about that light, Lina laughs.
"I've heard that before, actually." The redhead clears her throat and quotes, "'That light in your eyes. That is a light in the eyes of one who has never known despair. Come, let us walk the path of destruction together.'"
"Who was that from?" Zelda asks. "Shakespeare?"
"The evil Demon Lord Shabranigdo himself. Or rather, the ghost of a seventh of the evil Demon Lord Shabranigdo himself," she corrects herself with an even larger smile. She's about to say something else when a crash against the shield makes her cry out, putting her hand to her chest. Her breathing quickens, and she turns to search through the darkness for the cause of her pain. "Lighting!"
A ball of light rises into the air above them, illuminating the immediate area. The two men in the near vicinity shoot up from the ground at Lina's cry, and Link rushes over. "Are you two alright?"
Zelgadis, however, like the women, narrows his eyes at something hiding in the darkness. Adding his own light to Lina's, the monster becomes visible. But at the same time...it doesn't look quite human, and not until Zelda and Link yell a name do the other two know who it is.
"Ganondorf!"
Red hair blazes just a shade darker than Lina's, falling far past his shoulders. His vomit-green skin somehow makes him even more menacing. But perhaps the most terrifying feature of all is his scorching amber eyes, blazing brighter than any sun, and blazing with hate.
Pointed at Link, who stands petrified, unable to move. Never has he seen these eyes so filled with hate, even when Ganondorf was in his beast form, which was utterly fueled by hatred. Zelgadis brings him back to reality, yelling, "Link, snap out of it and move Zelda back behind you!"
Immediately Link takes Zelda by the arm and pulls her slightly behind him.
He doesn't expect Ganondorf to start cackling. "You fool! You think I'm after the princess? How well that went last time!"
He continues to roar with laughter until Zelgadis suddenly shouts, "Ra-Tilt!"
Brilliant, pale blue light flows from his hands straight into Ganondorf...but when it fades, there's absolutely nothing there. "It didn't work," Lina whispers. She glances back at them and cries, "Zelgadis! Look out!"
"I have found it wise to take you out first," Ganondorf whispers from just behind Zelgadis. The chimera whips around quicker than lightning, but somehow, Ganondorf is faster. He holds out a hand almost lazily, and a ball of lightning knocks Zelgadis to the ground.
"L-Lina...get the others out of here..." he breathes. Blood pools onto the ground, and his eyes roll back in his head.
"Ya heard him, Link! Let's get out of here!" Lina screams, eyes wide and worried. She takes command as leader, if only for a few moments.
Ganondorf's eyes narrow, and he glares at Link before declaring, "I sense a lack of power from you. You no longer possess the power of the Triforce, which means you are now useless to me. Then again, captives always work well."
Before the almost-blonde Hylian can react, Ganondorf uses the same spell he used on Zelgadis, and both men lay unconscious on the ground.
Lina and Zelda are already running before Ganondorf can get at them, too.