Chapter 9: Blast Mask.
Zak reached up with great difficulty. The bandages around his arms prevented him from scratching the part of his chin that itched. He rolled from side to side in the bed in an attempt to gather momentum. Finally, he flopped onto his right side. With his chin, he hurried rubbed up against the slightly scratchy blanket underneath him. He sighed softly in relief. Romani, who had been watching him while holding a small wooden tray with a bottle of milk and a bowl of steaming soup, giggled to herself.
"You're in a sorry state," she said playfully, "Did that monster really bang you up that badly?"
Zak accidentally fell back onto his back, surprised at her arrival, "I'm not going to respond to that question." He frowned stubbornly.
Rolling her eyes, she set the tray down next to the bed and felt his forehead with hers, "It's your own fault, running all over the place with wounds and wet clothes. Now you're sick and injured. You aren't super human, you know."
Zak sighed, "I'm aware of that. Well, I am now, anyway. By the way, I have something for you." He grabbed something he had hidden under the bedside table and handed it to her. Romani couldn't help but smile. "You said you like the cute ears, so I made this for you."
She hugged him, which caused him to cry out, "Oh, Zak! You're so sweet. Thank you so much!" Romani put the rabbit hood on. One of the ears drooped down lower than the other. She smiled, her cheeks a little red. Zak could help but smile back at her.
Cremia knocked softly on the door frame, "How's the sick patient?"
Romani saluted, "His condition has been stabilized, sir. He needs more bed rest and hot soup."
"At ease," Cremia laughed, "Speaking for soup, have you ever heard of Don Corneo?"
Zak nodded, "He's a local composer, known for his work with frogs. What about him?" Romani marveled at Zak's encyclopedic knowledge.
"Well, he's selling a concoction made from frog juices," she glared at their mutual faces of disgust, "Don't give me that look. It works wonders with illness. I use it for Romani all the time. I have to watch the cows in case the Gorman brothers show up before tonight, so will you go get some of Don Corneo's concoction, Romani?"
Her eyes lit up, "My own mission? I won't let you down, sis!"
Cremia rolled her eyes, "Right. Of course. Make sure to bring your bow, just in case." Cremia headed back downstairs. As Romani headed towards the door, Zak grabbed her by the hand.
"If you see one of the monsters out there, be careful," he warned, "They don't die without the song. If you get stuck, leave it be until I'm better."
She smiled, "Thanks for your concern, but I think I can handle this. I'll catch up later."
Romani loaded up her bow and her quiver full of arrows into the wagon. She set her bomb bag, slingshot, and bag of seeds next to the adult sized wallet full of rupees that Cremia had let her borrow. Once she loaded up, Romani headed down Milk Road. The Gorman brothers passed by, watching her intently as she passed by. They searched her wagon with their eyes, but decided to do nothing to her. She breathed a sigh of relief. Something told her that if she had a milk shipment, they might've attacked her.
Romani drove the wagon through the field without incident, much to her disappointment. She secretly hoped to find one of the monsters on the way to Don Corneo's place. She headed towards the mountain, sighing in boredom. Romani crossed in front of the blacksmith shop, smiling as they peered out of their windows at her crossing. As she headed towards the Goron Village, she stopped the wagon at the first wooden bridge. Cautiously she stepped out on it, bouncing slightly up and down. Once she figured it was sturdy, she climbed back into her wagon and headed across. She did the same thing to the following two bridges, and soon found herself at the winding path to Goron Village.
Several Gorons rolled around on the ground, cutting off her path to the village. She decided to dismount and proceed on foot. The Gorons retreated from her, scared of something. As she rounded the corner, Romani spotted a large blue sphere with a large white skull painted on it. It immediately started chasing after her. Her eyes widened, and she pulled out her bow. The Gorons fled in terror, and she realized that if she shot it, it would probably explode. The fuse at the top sparked to life, and it swiftly rolled at her. Thinking quickly, Romani took off running back down the mountain.
She rushed across the bridges, barely a few steps ahead of the bomb. It hopped the bridge and landed in front of her. Romani threw the bow over her shoulder and dove off into the water. When she surfaced, she looked up to see the bomb fling itself off after her. Romani swam as fast as she could manage in the water, just barely avoiding it as it crashed down into the water. She hoped that the fuse would fizzle out. The bomb resurfaced, its surprising buoyancy flinging her into the air. As she fell, Romani noticed that its fuse still sparkled away, much to her disappointment.
She crashed hard into the water, and, using the large pillars as cover, she managed to climb out onto the other side. Romani gasped for air a few times, her body sore. Man, Zak really makes this look easy, she silently admitted to herself. The bomb spotted her and raced across the water as fast as it could go. Narrowing her eyes, she aimed her bow at it again. Some Gorons rolled across the bridges overhead, and she cursed. Romani ran up the steep slope and headed towards the blacksmith's house. The bomb stopped, observing the house. The blacksmiths poked their heads out. Upon seeing the bomb, they immediately closed the door.
Romani tossed a few rocks at the bomb to get its attention. The bomb turned towards her and rolled at her, glowing a menacing red. She hightailed it down the mountain, but the bomb bounced over her head. Luckily, she skidded to a stop and took aim. The bomb flew high overhead, too high to not detonate when it hit the ground. She held her breath and fired a single arrow. The bomb exploded, raining rocks and dust down on her. Romani shielded herself with her arms as best she could. Rocks bashed into her, which sent her to the ground.
One the dust settled, she pushed the pile of rubble off of her and dusted herself off with her bruised arms. The bomb's core landed nearby, black and smoking. It twitched and convulsed violently. She took a deep breath and sang out the notes of Zak's song. The core dissolved away, leaving behind a half-spherical shape. She shot an arrow through it. The shimmering white light drifted up and faded away. Romani turned around and limped back towards Goron Village.
Near the end of the day, Romani pulled the wagon into the barn. Exhausted, she lumbered into the house.
"Oh, goodness," Cremia exclaimed, "What happened to you?"
Romani placed a bottle of greenish liquid on the table, "I really don't want to talk about it." She climbed the stairs and opened her bedroom door. Zak looked at her wearily. Without a word, Romani slipped into bed with him, pushing him to the side with her rump.
"R-Romani, uh," Zak began, "What are you..."
"Shh," she said, exhausted, "I've had a rough day. I don't care if I get sick, I'm going to bed." Zak opened his mouth to argue, but noticed that she had fallen fast asleep. He inspected her arms, but took care not to touch her. Cremia opened the door a crack. She smiled a knowing smile before discreetly closing it.