Chapter 34: Scimist, Iron Forestbane

…

When Link, Cale, and Irleen reached the top of the stairs, Link took a few moments to make sure that the switch in the corner still kept the tiles at bay by stomping on it. Afterwards, he and Cale took a few minutes to rest. Well, Link rested; Cale found the energy to relive the excitement four times before Link decided to get moving.

"—and that boomerang! Wheah did you find it?!"

Link sighed, grateful that they had finally reached the top floor. Maybe Cale could unload his enthusiasm on Luggard. "In the treasure chest," he groaned. "The one you didn't want to open because you thought you'd be desecrating the crypt."

"More spoils for you, as I said," Irleen said, circling Link's head.

Link cast a glare upwards, remembering that it was the same reason he had not wanted to open the chest. "Thank you, Irleen."

"You're welcome!"

Link gave her an irritated look when she stopped in front of him. "You're enjoying this way too much."

The top floor had a fresh beam of misty light protruding from the ground above. The hole was as wide as the stairs and deep enough that a taller person like Luggard could use the stairs without having to duck.

Demonstrated when Luggard ran down the stairs just as Link was about to ascend. "Ya don' wanna go up there," he said as he passed Link.

"What? Why?" Link asked, turning to follow.

Bmmmmmm… Dirt shook from the ceiling, forcing Link and Cale to shield their eyes.

Luggard, stopping at the bottom of the stairs, pointed up.

"Tha's why."

Bmmmmmm… More dirt fell, and Luggard dashed for the stair leading to the floor below.

"Wait! Luggahd!" Cale called behind him. "What's happening?"

Bmmmmmmmm… Bmmmmmmmmmmm… BMMMMMMMMMMM. Link glanced out the hole above him.

In the next moment, Link tackled Cale to the ground just as a large blade of dull-grey iron sliced through the frail earth above them. Chunks of dirt rained down from above, caking Cale's face and causing him to cough. The blade retreated, and Cale closed his eyes to protect them from more dirt. When he opened them again, he gave a high-pitched scream, prompting Link to look over his shoulder. The giant blade had knocked most of the dirt above out of the way, giving a clearer picture of the dull sky above.

And a picture of the large beetle looming over the crypt entrance. It had a shell of thick iron, scuffed and dented over many years. Its orange eyes looked down into the crypt in a permanent, angry squint due to the plating over its face. Link realized that the blade that had destroyed the ground above was one of a pair of mandibles the width and length of a locomotive with a smooth outer edge and serrated inner edge. They gave an irate, metal clank with each flex as the beetle stared down at them.

"Ah… aaaah—run!" Link cried out, pushing away from Cale. He darted hunched for the stairway below, dragging Cale behind him by the waistcoat.

GHANNNNG! Link could feel the breeze caused by the beetle swinging its pincers into the crypt. But the angle the creature had attacked from turned out wrong, and the creature embedded the outer edge of the attacking pincer into the center spire. This gave Link enough time to shove Cale into the stairway and follow before the released pincer crashed into the wall.

Link and Cale found Luggard huddled at the bottom of the steps. Cale immediately cried out, "What on the Goddesses' eahth was that?!"

"'Ow should I know?!" Luggard shouted back.

All three young men braced themselves against the inside of the stairwell as the crypt around them shook. Link found Irleen hovering next to his head and asked, "Any ideas, Irleen?"

"Uh… uuh…" Irleen looked between all three. "Irleensoutofhermindrightnowshellbebackinafewmomen ts!" With that, she dove under Link's hat.

"'Ave room for 'nother under there?" Luggard asked.

"Can we get to the train?" Link asked him.

"No way!" Luggard shouted. He pointed to the ceiling. "I ain' puttin' the Seventeen ou' t' rail with tha' wand'rin' 'bou'! I say we wai' 'ere 'til it leaves."

The crypt shook again, and Cale brushed dirt and dried entrails off his shoulders. "What's to keep it from just tearing this place apaht?" he asked.

Luggard shrugged. "Don' know, bu' 'ere's be'er than runnin' for the Seventeen." Then he frowned and looked both Link and Cale up and down. "Wha' 'ave ya two been doin' down 'ere?"

"Running from Blastworms and Spinuts," Link said.

Luggard grimaced. "So we prob'ly don' wanna stay 'ere, either."

"Just as long as we don't go down any further, we should be safe."

"So we wait?" Cale asked.

"I can live with tha'," Luggard said. Link nodded in agreement.

So they waited. But just a minute after the conclusion of their conversation, they realized that things above them had already fallen to silence. Link made to stand.

"Where is ya goin'?" Luggard asked him.

"It got quiet up there. I want to see if it might've left already."

"Jus' waitin' for us, Link. Le' it wai' a momen'."

"It can't hurt to at least take a peek." At this, Luggard just shrugged, so Link slowly climbed the steps.

When he reached the top, he found that most of the dirt covering the crypt now lay in a thin sheet over the glass floor. The spire, which Irleen had concluded correctly was part of the block that rested on the surface, had a large gash across the side facing the stairs. Link's eyes wandered along the nearby walls, seeing more large scratches in the glass. Undoubtedly, this beetle was strong, and Link felt that their best bet was to reach the Seventeen and ride out of the forest as soon as possible. Which looked like a promising idea since the creature was no longer lurking about the immediate entrance. With trepidation, Link stepped out of the stairway and looked around. Nothing immediately told him that the beetle was nearby, so he ventured towards the stairs leading above ground with his eyes wandering the sky. He climbed almost to the top, just enough that his head was above ground. Other than the mist rolling about the half-dead field, he could not make out any sort of movement from any direction. He even looked up just in case the creature was capable of flying.

Although not completely satisfied, he walked back into the crypt and leaned into the stairway. "Guys," he said in an even voice, "it's clear. Looks like it left."

"Gave up a li'le quick, didn' it?" Luggard asked.

"Maybe it knows that once something gets down heah," Cale suggested, "it's out of reach, so it doesn't puhsue fuhtheh."

"I still don' like it."

"Come on, guys," Link urged them. "This might be the only opportunity we get."

Luggard and Cale exchanged looks. "Fine," Luggard sighed. As he stood, he added, "Bu' I see tha' thin's shadow, I's takin' my chances with the Blastworms."

"Okay, come on."

In only a minute, all three boys stood with barely their heads above ground, searching for signs that the creature was still around. Link was the first to set foot on the ground, and he waved Luggard and Cale to follow him.

But as he looked around, he realized something and asked, "Luggard? Where's the temple?"

Luggard began to point with his mouth open. Then he clapped it shut. His eyes searched through the mist around them. "Uh… tha's a… well, tha's a fair question."

"The fog's gotten thickeh," Cale observed.

Link nodded in agreement as he squinted into the fog, trying to at least find the Spirit Tracks. If they could just see the faint glow, they would be able to follow the tracks back to the temple. Or back out into the Lost Woods, Link grimly reminded himself. He comforted himself with the knowledge that at least it was a fifty-fifty shot.

Fortunately, Luggard was cutting the odds with his own survey of the nearby ground. He pointed out a smaller hole on the other side of the dead ground. "Tha's where Cale fell through, so the Spiri' Tracks 'ave go'a be in tha' direction." He bent over to a spot next to the large hole and retrieved a shovel. "Le's go."

"I suppose it would be easy foh a train engineeh," Cale remarked as they started walking.

"Naturally," Luggard said with a large grin. He rested the shovel on his shoulder. "Engineer's go'a 'ave a good sense o' direction. Ain' good t' be los' all the time, 'specially when ya go' places t' go."

"Luggard," Link asked, "when did this fog get so thick?"

Luggard wrinkled his face. "Don' know. Didn' notice it 'til Cale said somethin'."

Bmmmmmmm… All three froze in their tracks, falling silent.

Irleen's light protruded from Link's bangs. "Wha-wha-what was that?"

Bmmmmmmm. Kzzzt.

Luggard gave a sigh. "Is we jus' tha' stupid?"

"We-we-we might be able to make it back to the crypt," Cale suggested. Luggard nodded in agreement, and all three turned.

But the opening to the crypt had already fallen to the veil around them.

"Tha's jus' unfair," Luggard groaned, unshouldering the shovel. He grasped it at about the middle, holding the metal end up like a weapon.

"If we keep walking this way, we should find the tracks," Link said, pointing in the direction he hoped they had been traveling.

"Go slow, boys," Luggard said. "We don' wanna le' it know we know where t' go."

"This is nuts," Irleen commented as Link and Cale started backing toward where they thought the tracks sat.

Kzzt. Kzzzt.

"What's that sound?" Cale asked.

"Don' know," Luggard said as he started following them. "Tha' should scare ya enough."

"You're not helping, Luggard," Irleen growled.

Kzzt. Kzzzzzzzz—bm. Bm. Bm. Bm. BM. BM. BM. BM. BMMMM! All three boys swung their heads when they finally realized the direction the sound traveled from.

"Look out!"

"Wah!"

"Yah!"

They scattered as the towering insect sped through their clear patch. Cale, attempting to run in one direction, tripped over his own feet and landed on his stomach right in the beetle's path. His only fortune was that the insect was far enough from the ground that it sailed right over Cale without noticing. Luggard and Link had dived in the same direction. They wheeled about to find Cale clutching the ground.

"Cale!" Link shouted.

"I-I'm o-o-o-okay!" Cale replied.

"Tha' thin's go'a be 'eavy as a train!" Luggard shouted. "'Ow is it flyin'?!"

BMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmm! The distant sound of the insect landing clued them into where it had landed. Then the subsequent thuds indicated movement.

"Uh… I think it's turning around," Link said.

"More good news," Luggard growled.

KzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZ… The beetle sailed back into view, and Link and Luggard spun and flung themselves in opposite directions. As it flew past, Link flipped over to look at the insect. He managed to gauge its size the rough equivalent of the Grand Sails, which meant about as massive as the receiving bay holding the Seventeen train. It had its rear shell suspended open, allowing a pair of thin, almost invisible wings to propel it along the ground. This gave Link a look at a massive abdomen, covered in yellow skin.

Very soft-looking yellow skin.

It disappeared into the fog again. Luggard was jogging up to Link as he was standing. "Well, I's ou' o' ideas," he said to Link.

"I think I might have one," Link said as he removed his shield.

It was not until Link took out his boomerang that Luggard started picking up on Link's idea. "Wai', ya ain' actually thinkin' o' fightin' tha' thin', is ya?!" he shouted.

"If I can wound it, we might be able to get away," Link nodded, popping the boomerang open.

"'Ave ya los' yar mind?! 'Ow's ya gonna do tha'?!"

BMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmm!

"I don't have time to explain. Find Cale and see if you can keep him quiet. I need to get its attention." Luggard opened his mouth to argue, but he clapped his teeth together and left Link with an irate growl. Link looked up at his brow. "Irleen, we'll need to call attention to ourselves."

"You're nuts!" Irleen said. "What are you expecting to do?!"

"Just come out here; we can use your light to get that thing's attention."

Irleen jumped out of Link's hat. "This better work."

"For all of us," Link agreed. Then he beat the boomerang against the outer surface of his shield. "Try to keep track of my boomerang; I don't know if I'll be able to."

Bm. Bm. Bm. Bm. Link's heartbeat felt like it had merged with the beetle's thunderous steps. He started hitting the boomerang harder.

"Are you sure this thing navigates by sound?" Irleen asked, hovering over Link's head.

Kzzzt.

"I think we're about to find out."

KzzzzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZZ… The beetle's massive pincers showed up first. Upon seeing them, Link dashed in a direction perpendicular to the path the beetle was taking. Then he spun as the beetle flew over the spot where he had stood. Link did not take the time to sight up the beetle for the throw. His arm swung long before he could think about the throw, and his finger flicked the wing back to ensure a strong spin. The boomerang first looked as if it would land short. But Link had thrown it just slightly askew from being level with the ground, and that caused the boomerang to tilt and curve to the right. The curve caused one of the boomerang's wings to clip the insect's abdomen before the boomerang's spin was thrown off by the wind coming off the beetle's wings. The beetle gave a thick grunt, and Link could see a small bit of wobble in its flight before it disappeared back in the fog.

"Link!" Irleen cried out. "Your boomerang!" She dove into the fog, and Link quickly chased her. "Over here! Over here!"

"Thanks, Irleen," Link said when they found the boomerang.

BM-Baboom bm!

Link's head spun in the direction of the klutzy-sounding landing. "I think that did something," he said as he picked up the boomerang.

"This is still crazy!"

Bm. Bm. Bm. Bm. Kzzt.

Link clapped the boomerang against the shield. "Here it comes again."

"I got you covered!" Irleen said, circling above his head.

KzzzzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZZZ… Link ran to the side again, just as before. He turned and loosed the boomerang again, using the same kind of throw. This time, the boomerang made a solid thup against the side of the beetle's abdomen, and the beetle more visibly shook before disappearing into the fog again.

"Hurry! Hurry!" Irleen shouted. Link followed her again.

BOOM-baBOOM! The beetle sounded like it had landed closer than before.

"Irleen, where is it?!" Link shouted. Then he spotted her hovering on the edge of the mist. "Never mind; found you!"

BM. BM. BM. KZZT.

"Liiiiiiink…" Irleen said, her tone rising to match her sense of urgency.

KZZZZZZZZZZZZ…

"Got it!"

Link scooped up the boomerang just as the beetle's pincers emerged. He immediately turned to run in a different direction. However, he did not get much distance before he spun and threw. He did not have the time to gauge where the beetle was before he released, and the boomerang struck the first thing he had in sight.

A wing. Ktsit.

This time, the beetle veered away from Link. Without its right wing, it –BMMMMMMMMMM!— bashed hard into the ground, kicking up clumps of dirt. Link watched in surprise as it folded its wings against its bruised abdomen and slowly picked itself up from the ground.

Ksssssssssssssssssssssssssst. Link took a step back at the hissing sound. The beetle began to leak thick clouds of mist from its middle section, like a train letting off steam.

"Uh oh," Irleen said. "Oooh, that's not good. What's the plan now?"

Link gulped as the beetle began to vanish in a dark, thickening cloud. "Uh… yeah, probably run."

BM! BM! BM! BM! BM! Link was already running away when the dark cloud started moving towards him. He had only ever known himself to run this fast before in his life. That was back in Whittleton, when he was running to raise the warning about the Bulblins. His muscles were getting sore again, and he could feel the pain from the fall in the crypt returning. He could not handle running like he had before. Without his boomerang, he could not take blind shots at the beetle. Not that he would be able to set up a throw anyway; if he stopped, the beetle would be on top of him.

But if he turned…

As soon as the thought was out, Link pulled his sword and started to curve to the left. A wind swept over his head, almost taking his hat, and he caught sight of one of the beetle's blades slicing the air above him.

Then he jerked to a stop and ran towards it. Because if he could see the beetle, he could hit it.

He ran into one of its massive feet. The foot, about as thick as a horse and high as Link, rose in response. Link saw a soft, brown spot in between the armor covering its leg, so he swung his sword into the gap. The foot retreated underneath the beetle, digging a furrow in the ground in front of Link. He jumped over it and ducked under the next leg he saw as it stretched out to compensate for the injured leg. In the dark caused by the large amount of fog, Link could barely see that the body section where the creature's legs converged was covered by a plate and out of reach for Link to hit with the sword.

That was fine. Link did not want to take off its legs. He continued until he found the third foot.

Concluding that this was one of its rear sets of legs, Link struck the same fleshy point he had found on the first foot. The strike drew yellow blood, and the foot slid against the ground. Link darted from under the creature just before it settled against the ground.

Its abdomen opened, and Link barely had time to bring his shield up. The impact of the shell against his shield knocked Link onto his butt with an ungrateful grunt. He ducked his head when one of the clear wings on this side of the beetle rose. It started a breeze as the wing began beating fast.

But Link was on his feet already. He ducked under the large appendage and approached the exposed, fleshy abdomen as it slowly rose from the ground.

Without a second thought, Link plunged the sword's blade into the abdomen. Yellow blood started to flow from the gash. Link then stepped towards the beetle's rear and pulled the sword with all his might. The blade began to slice through more flesh, and more blood spurted across the ground. The beetle's flesh convulsed under Link's blade, eventually ejecting it. Link spun with surprise and backed away quickly.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!" the beetle roared, its blades rearing up in the mist around its head. For a moment, Link thought that it would spin and try to slice him in two. "Haaaaaaaghaaaaaaah!" And it tried. The pincers came down, and one buried itself into the ground in the middle of the beetle's spin. Link backed up further, both in caution and in horror. The beetle's whole body shook as its entrails started leaking through the gash in its abdomen. Two of its limbs swung wildly, as if trying to find grip in the air. Its body arched.

Then the beetle settled against the ground with a heavy thud. Link could see the one eye visible to him dim until it was a brown slot in the beetle's face. Link could only stand and watch the unmoving hulk of metal, heart pounding and breaths heaving.

"Oh, jeez, Link," Irleen whispered as she brought herself to a hover next to his head. "Oh, jeez. You… you killed it.

"YOU BEAT IT, LINK! YOU DID IT!"

Irleen's scream snapped Link out of his stupor, and he looked down at the sword in his hand. The blade and part of the hilt was covered in fresh, yellow blood. On an impulse, Link swung the blade in a diagonal cross, then he twirled the sword in a circle near his hip. He held it up before him to examine the blade again. The swinging had slung the blood from the blade and the hilt, leaving just the green stains from the evening before on the hilt. He gave a shrug and sheathed the sword. His eyes fell on the dead insect, and he subconsciously pumped his free arm.

Link then noticed that the fog around him began to lift. To his right, he saw a large block a mild distance away from him. Further on in that direction sat the large hole the insect had beaten into the crypt. And to the left—

"Link!"

"Oy, Link!"

Luggard and Cale ran towards Link from that direction. Behind them were the Spirit Tracks, glowing their usual blue against the grey surroundings. Both of them came to an abrupt stop when they were close enough to the dead beetle. So Link jogged towards them.

"Jeeziz shi', Link!" Luggard told him. "You killed it!"

"And we missed it!" Cale added, gripping his hair. "Oh, no, I can't believe I missed it all!"

"I saw it!" Irleen said, bobbing up and down. "I can give you all the details."

Link gave a relieved laugh. "You do that, Irleen. I don't think I can."

"You can count on me!"

Link nodded. "Luggard, how soon can you get Old Seventeen ready?"

"Jus' a few minutes."

Cale started and handed over the boomerang clutched against his chest. Link took it and nodded. "Good," he said, collapsing the boomerang. "Because we need to get to Diggerton. We think we know where Ryain might be."

"Tha's fine by me. I can' ge' ou' o' 'ere any faster." He turned towards the now-visible temple. He put one finger in the air and drew a circle. "All aboard!"