Chapter 16: Don Gero's Mask.
Zak stood up and sheathed his weapons, his eyes on the castle's entrance. As he stared, a small frog hopped into the room. His eyes widened. Romani would have to wait until later. Zak ran out of the castle, spotting a few frogs between him and the cliffside. Without hesitating, he leaped off of the side, plummeting to the river below. Moments later, he pulled himself out of the water and took off running towards Termina field. Dodging the explosive monsters, he tumbled down the hill and sprang back up to his feet. Romani was nowhere to be found, but Zak couldn't worry about her yet.
As he stepped foot into Termina field, he stopped short. Hundreds of frogs hopped along the ground, ribbiting incessantly at him. The biggest concentration seemed to come from the entrance to the mountains of Snowhead, which surprised Zak little. He ran off towards the north entrance, slightly impeded by the mountains of frogs in his way. He trudged through them, the sheer mass of them as high as his waist, until he arrived at the Mountain Village. The path to the west spewed out countless frogs. Zak headed for Snowhead. Several Gorons stood in front of him, their arms outstretched to keep him from going any further.
"Oi!" the big one remarked, "You're not going anywhere, stranger. This place is off-limits to your kind."
Zak gripped his sword, "Get out of my way. Now."
The Goron narrowed his eyes, "Oh, so it's a fight you want, eh? Alright, fine. Maybe a good licking will teach you to respect your betters." He held up his fists. Without hesitation, Zak withdrew his Giant's Toothpick and pointed it at the Goron. The Goron charged, punching wildly at him. He jumped backwards, narrowly avoiding the strike. The Goron advanced, and Zak tumbled across the ground in order to get behind him. He jumped up and slashed the Goron up the back, sparks flying through the air. The Goron fell flat on his face, wounded. The other two Gorons rushed him, crying out in rage. Zak spun his sword in a circle around him, the sheer force of his attack flinging them off of the cliff side. He sheathed his weapon and looked towards the Snowhead Temple.
"You'll...never...get...there..." the Goron said weakly. Narrowing his eyes, Zak removed his shield from his shoulder and gripped it with his hand. After backing up, he ran towards the gap in front of him at top speed. At the last second, he jumped up, dropped his shield at his feet, and slid across the ground using it like a surfing board. Once he hit the wooden ramp, he soared high over the gap and landed on the other side. His momentum allowed him to continue towards the Temple, occasionally using the blunt end of his spear to pick up speed. Soon, he found himself facing the treacherous winding path of the Temple. Zak took off his shield and strapped it to his back. As he walked, a figure wearing green robes jumped down from the Temple's entrance to meet him.
"I knew it was you," Zak growled, "Gero-sama." The bipedal monster said nothing, its amphibious hands gripping a sheathed sword. The frogs around it hopped and ribbited happily. Zak stared down his opponent, and the frog monster met his gaze, its jowls working in determination. The green straw in its mouth twitched to and fro as it considered Zak's moves. Zak gripped his sword's hilt, but did not draw it. The monster charged forward with a mighty yell, its sword flying out of its sheath with incredible speed. Zak dodged backwards, unable to avoid getting slashed several times by the monster's initial assault. He pulled out his hookshot and fired at the frog monster. It dodged the hook and chain effortlessly, but didn't slash it away, much to Zak's dismay. Zak put away the hookshot and reached for his sword, but hesitated. The frog monster slashed him deeply across the arm.
Zak smashed into the frog monster's sword with his spear. Their weapons exchanged blows, each creaking under the pressure of the other. Zak tried his best to get around the frog monster's sword, but couldn't find an opening. His own blood spilled out onto the ground. The spear felt heavy in his hands. The frog monster jumped back, sheathed its sword, and ran at Zak. Zak sheathed his spear and grabbed at the hilt of his sword. The frog monster withdrew its sword, aiming to take Zak out in one deft stroke. Zak unexpectedly rotating in place, his movement allowing him to duck the sword slash aimed for his throat. While rotating, Zak pulled out his sword and struck the frog monster's body in an amazingly powerful strike.
The frog-like mask covered in dark green spikes fell to the ground with a wooden clank. Zak bowed slightly before sticking his sword's tip through it. A white light drifted up to the heavens past him before dissipating. Zak turned and headed away from the Temple. He placed his shield onto the bottom of his feet and slid across the path once more, careful to jump over the Goron's crumpled form on his way down the mountain. Zak let the blood drip freely from his wounds as he slid out onto Termina Field. A small gasp escaped the lips of a woman who happened to spot him.
"Zak? What happened to you?" she asked, "And where in the world is Romani?"
Zak stepped off of his shield and kicked it up into his hands, "Hello, Cremia. She should've returned to the ranch by now."
Cremia shook her head from atop her wagon, "No, I haven't seen her since that incident with the high-pitched whistle. Now I'm really worried. She wasn't with you, was she?"
Zak shook his head, "Not a chance."
"Now I'm really worried," Cremia frowned, "Get in. we're looking for her together."
Unable to see a way out of it, Zak climbed into the back of Cremia's wagon. He wiped off his blood on a large piece of cloth he managed to find in the back that Cremia was using to cover the milk crates. "Head to Great Bay," he commanded, "I think I can get a lead, there."