Chapter 6: Great Fairy's Mask.
Zak walked alongside Romani as she skipped down the dirt path of North Clock Town with a bag of rupees in hand. He couldn't help but sigh, adjusting the spear on his back. She looked over at him, her expression becoming more annoyed.
"Look, just because you didn't have any fun, that doesn't mean it wasn't a good day," she pouted.
He sighed, "Yeah, I enjoy a farmer's market as much as the next guy. What I was really hoping for was that rumor about the stone wall to actually pay off for me. Of course it would be a bunch of kids making stuff up. How could I be so foolish?"
She smiled, "I think you're being too hard on yourself, Zak. These things will come, you should be more patient."
"I suppose you're right," he said. Several lights flew overhead, headed for a nearby opening. Zak blinked a few times as hundreds more zoomed into the cave. "What the-"
Romani shielded her eyes from the sun with her hand, "I can't quite tell what those are... are they fireflies?"
Zak swallowed hard, "No, those are fairies. Wait here, alright? I'm going to check it out."
"Wait, are you sure?" she called out, but Zak already took off running to the cave's opening. He stepped inside cautiously, his hand on his spear. The cave lit up as he entered into a huge fountain of sorts. The fairies twirled and danced near the center. He approached them, ignoring the ankle deep water below him. Once they spotted him, they swarmed around him and chimed frantically.
Zak swatted them away from his face, "Hey, hey, one at a time. I can't understand you all at once."
A pink fairy drifted in front of him, "It's just awful! Some sort of impostor is trashing the Deku Scrub's sacred temple! It looks just like the Great Fairy of Magic."
Zak exhaled, "I was wondering when this one would show up. Listen, I'll deal with this impostor. Just tell me how to get to the temple."
The fairies swirled around him happily. The one in front of him dinged alarmingly, "You have the power of Farore's Wind, warrior? In that case, we can teleport you straight to the temple."
He sighed, "I do, but that was supposed to be a secret. Alright, I'm ready when you guys are. Let's go." The fairies spun around him at great speed. Zak felt himself drift up into the air. Magical blue crystal surrounded him, and he warped off to the temple. When he arrived, he drifted down and landed in the waist deep water. All he could see was water and logs in the swamp. Without hesitation, he drew his spear. A large pink female figure circled him overhead.
The monster landed in front of him, flipping its hair with its long nails and winking at him. Zak gasped a little. If he didn't know better, he wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between it and a Great Fairy. The fairy monster held out its hand to him, studying him. After a few seconds, a large fireball erupted out of its fingertips. Zak dodged, plunging into the water. The fireball exploded when it hit the water, which launched a wall of water at him. He jumped at it, pushing through the wave with his shield. The fairy monster flew up high and shot several icicles at him. Zak dodged as best as he could, until he was cornered. He rose his shield to block the ice spears raining down on him.
The fairy monster cackled, floating high above the swamp. It launched several fireballs at Zak while it turned its attention to the temple. As he dodged the onslaught, Zak noticed a massive gust of wind as the fairy monster conjured up a gigantic tornado of green magic. The tornado sucked in most of the water at the center of the swamp, and a massive portion of land rose slowly due to its influence. Zak trudged through the water, spear in hand. He took in a deep breath as he sheathed his spear. As the temple rose out of the swamp, he pulled out his hookshot and aimed at the trees near the top. The second the tornado dissipated, Zak fired. He hooked onto the tree and tugged to make sure the line was solid. He pressed the retraction lever on the hookshot, and walked up the side of the temple. The fairy monster preoccupied itself by inspecting the temple. It touched various parts of the entrance, unsure of what it was seeing. Zak reached the top of the temple just as it spotted him. The fairy monster summoned a huge gust of wind, and Zak dug his spear into the temple roof to keep from flying off. Unsatisfied, the fairy monster fired multiple blue diamonds at Zak, who narrowly avoided them. He charged her, only to be diverted with a barrage of fireballs.
Damn it, he narrowed his eyes, I can't get close to it. This thing could keep me at bay all day, if it wanted to. Zak looked around to see what he could find. His eyes fixated on the tree he used to climb. Swiftly, he fired his hookshot at the trunk. It stabbed perfectly into the tree just as the fairy monster fired another mighty gust of wind at him. Zak jumped backwards, allowing the wind to carry him. He spun around the tree, through the air, and flew off at the fairy monster. It tried to fly out of his way, but Zak managed to catch it around the ankle. He climbed it as it thrashed around in the air, firing spells in all directions. Zak held on until it started to tire out. He managed to hold on until it hovered over the water before his grip loosened. The fairy monster surrounded itself in a green tornado, which pitched him through the air. Zak crashed onto the roof of the temple, where his spear and hookshot were waiting for him.
Zak pulled his hookshot free and hooked it onto his belt, and grabbed his spear. He turned around to see that the fairy monster had charged up a fireball larger than the Deku Scrub's temple. He narrowed his eyes.
"Alright, fine," he said while running the length of the temple, "You leave me no choice." The fairy monster fired the fire spell at him. Zak's free hand glowed with a green magical light, and he vanished in a bright green light. Zak appeared above the fairy monster, his spear brandished at it. The spear stabbed down into its torso, and gravity sent them plummeting into the swamp below.
Once Zak managed to stand up, the fairy monster's body started to flop around on the ground. He put the grass to his lips and played the song. Its body dissolved until all that remained was its face. With a deft stab, he sliced the mask straight in half. The shimmering white light drifted out of it before dissipating. Zak fell to his knees. Fairies poured out of an opening in the far rock face and surrounded him.
"Wow, you did it!" One of them exclaimed.
Zak pointed to the ruins of the temple, "No, not exactly. It still managed to destroy the temple."
Several fairies drifted around where the monster's body had just been. A thick green handle stuck out of the muck. Zak grabbed it and pulled. After struggling with it a little, he unearthed a large two-handed sword covered in mud. He looked at the fairies quizically.
"It's the Great Fairy Sword," the fairy announced, "Perhaps you'll need it for your adventure."
"Fine," he shrugged, taking it, "I'll have to make a sheath for it, though. Mind helping me get back to North Clock Town?"
The fairies swirled around him, which caused him to become encased in the blue crystal once more. Once he landed on his feet, a few of the fairies swirled around him, covering him with their sparkles. He stepped out of the cave to Romani, who had fallen asleep in the grass while waiting for him.
He nudged her awake, "C'mon, let's go."
She stared at him, yawning, "What happened to you? You're covered in mud."
He shrugged, "Don't worry about it. Just a little fairy problem."
She crossed her arms, "You fought a monster without me, didn't you?" He laughed. The two headed towards South Clock Town, Romani pouting the whole way back home to the ranch.