Chapter 8: Skyloft Rails
"Okay, now repeat after me," Karoline said to Link as they stood on the edge of a loading bay behind a floating factory in the Hylian District. "Flip the switch to unhook the talons, aim them at nearby line, and then press the button to release the line."
"And after that?" Link wondered, following the Skyloft Rail that started above their heads down to a platform that was several feet below the loading bay over an area of open air.
"You just hold on," Karoline replied, aiming the Talon Clasp on her arm at the rail-line overhead.
Once the talons securely grabbed the rail, Karoline leapt off the loading dock and went flying down to the platform where she safely landed.
Link was about to follow her when he felt a pinch on his shoulder. He turned his head and saw Pip standing behind him.
"Here's a little tip," Pip said and pointed to a small nob on the side of the tube. "To control the amount of rope, turn the nob right to extend the line and then left to stop."
"What are you waiting for?" Grody shouted looking past a large wooden crate. "The factory workers are going to finish their lunch soon!"
"Keep it down, Grody!" Pip snapped.
A murmur of voices suddenly erupted from beyond the wooden crate.
"I think they heard us," Fletch said nervously.
"Get going, Link," Pip said. "We'll follow behind you."
Immediately, Link followed Karoline's instructions and flipped the switch to unfold the talons. Then he aimed the talons at the rail above and pressed the button. When the talons hit the rail after the line was released, Link flipped the switch again to close the talons on the rail. Once this happened, Link jumped off the loading bay and held on. The Clasp carried him down the rail-line, but he forgot to turn the nob left and so the rope kept extending causing Link to dip further below the upcoming platform. Quickly, he corrected himself and turned the nob causing him to impact the platform knee-first. Karoline noticed and pulled Link up.
"Are you all right?" Karoline asked as she retracted Link's line just as the other boys showed up.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Link said and noticing his shirt pocket quivering.
Unfortunately, Karoline noticed too. "What's that in your pocket?"
"Uh, nothing," Link responded putting a hand lightly over his pocket.
"Let me see." Karoline pried Link's fingers away though Link tried to push her away.
"Hey, back off!" Proxi cried, flying out of Link's pocket and hovering a few inches from Karoline's nose. "Don't you know there's a thing called 'personal space'?"
"Is that a…Fairy?" Karoline said, pointing at Proxi causing the boys to look in her direction.
"Cool!" Crow said reaching for an empty jar. "I've always wanted to catch a stray Fairy."
"I'm not a stray Fairy!" Proxi exclaimed and landed on Link's shoulder. "I travel with Link and speak on his behalf."
"His behalf?" Pip noticed Link's mouth was closed and realized, "So you're—
"A mute?" Grody chuckled. "I should've guessed since your voice sounded a bit distorted."
"I'm speaking from my mind, you idiot!" Link glared as Proxi translated.
"What did you just say?" Grody gritted his teeth.
"Don't think about it, Grody," Pip said standing in Grody's way.
"But he just called me an idiot," Grody said clenching his fists. "And no one gets away with calling me an idiot."
"You'd better apologize to him, Link," Stitch taunted.
"Or Grody will turn you into pumpkin soup," Crow added.
"Not while I'm here," Pip said sternly.
"Yeah, why should he apologize?" Karoline said pointing an accusing finger at Grody. "You shouldn't have made fun of Link in the first place, brother!"
Before Grody could speak, a pair of metallic canisters similar to the ones Link encountered earlier suddenly appeared at the end of the street that connected the platform to a poorhouse neighborhood in the Hylian District.
"Shoot!" Pip exclaimed. "It's Ganon's Policemen!"
"The factory workers must've called them in," Crow guessed.
"We've got to get out of here," Karoline said and noticed a rail-line below the street. "We'll use that line to get back to HQ."
"Sounds like a plan to me," Pip said and readied his Talon Clasp. "Follow my lead!"
As Ganon's Policemen closed in, the Rail Riders leapt off the edge of the platform and latched onto the rail-line below. Link almost missed, but managed to grab on just as he was about to plummet toward the clouds. He tried to keep up with the group as they swung from rail to rail throughout the Hylian District which consisted of brick buildings, fountain squares, and small green parks here and there. But at some point, Link missed them and he found himself traveling along a rail that took him out of the Hylian District and into another that consisted of one giant swamp with thick trees and muddy waters. To his right, Link could see the Goddess Statue looming tall as ever even as he seemed to be getting further away from it.
Eventually, the rail-line ended on the shoreline to a murky lake inside a barn-like structure. Link retracted the Talon Clasp and landed softly on the roof of a passenger cable-car that was parked. Next to the cable-car was a platform and an unmanned booth with a sign that said, 'Deku Swamp Tours' in bright red with a flashy yellow background. Behind the booth, Link saw a group of well-dressed Hylians milling around while a strange creature that resembled a wooden stump stood nervously on the dock to the murky lake next to a boat made of leaves and wood.
"What's going on?" Link asked approaching the crowd after hiding his Talon Clasp underneath his shirt sleeve.
"It's my twin sister, Kasai," cried an old woman with wrinkled green skin, white hair, and wearing a black robe. "She went into the Woods of Wonder, and hasn't come back yet."
"Yeah, and we want our money back," cried an overweight Hylian with brown hair wearing a striped suit.
"Plus, we're starving," said a woman who was standing next to the brown-haired Hylian wearing a pink velvet dress, white gloves, with a lot of makeup on. "Have you got anything to eat around here, Madam Kouri?"
"We've got fruits and veggies!" the wooden creature offered. "That's what we Dekus primarily eat around here."
"Ugh, no thanks," replied the woman in the pink dress who gave the creature a disgusted look.
"I'll go look for your sister," Link said, causing everyone to stare at him. "Just tell me which way she went."
"That way," the old woman known as Kouri said, pointing to a cave-like structure inside a cliff that stood a little ways off from the shoreline. As Link followed the path that was barely seen through the underbrush, Kouri yelled, "Be careful, young man! The Woods of Wonder are like a maze. If you get lost, you'll end up back at the beginning. So keep that in mind, will you?"
"I won't forget!" Link replied, and ran into the cave.
To be continued…