A/N: I'm going to freely admit this is neither my favorite nor my best chapter. More info on why I did some of the things I did at the end of the chapter, but if you feel any weirdness please point it out. Also, this fic is now a year old! Wild! I might post some retrospective stuff about it on my tumblr later this month, so check there if you're curious.
~Sleeping With Fishes~
"Link?"
That was Navi. Where was she?
"Link, wake up!"
As he came to, the light of his eyes flickering back to life, Link let out a loud groan, shifting slightly. He was on his back, in some sort of dimly lit chamber. His body felt… moist, or maybe almost like he was coated in a layer of slime. He forced himself to sit up and realized how squishy and springy the floor felt. That was… abnormal. Moss was kind of springy, but this did not feel like moss. But this floor was bumpy and almost seemed like it was moving, just a little.
Navi fluttered into his line of sight as he sat up.
"Oh, thank goodness, you're finally awake. I was getting really worried when you weren't responding."
The skull kid slowly looked around. Although the lighting might have been dim, he could tell that the floor below him was a pinkish color and oddly textured. Just a few feet in front of him, it sloped downwards into a shallow pool of water. Or at least, he figured it was water.
"Where are we?" He asked the fairy. "I remember we were running from those zoras…"
"And then Jabu Jabu ate us," Navi finished. "I think you must have landed hard, because you were out of it for a few minutes."
Link glanced back behind them. Sure enough, there was a row of teeth blocking his exit, a great row of glistening, off-white protrusions as big as he was. He let out a disheartened cry. "How are we supposed to get out of here?"
"I've been thinking on that," Navi said slowly. "I think… maybe we're here for a reason?"
"To become dinner?"
"No, not that! Think about it, we heard them say that the princess had been eaten, right? There might have been a reason for that, maybe Jabu Jabu brought us in here to take her back out?"
"That sounds… weird."
The fairy paused, flying a bit lower. "I suppose it does but… Well, I think we should go deeper inside at least. Maybe we'll find answers further in?"
"I guess it's worth a shot…" Or maybe we'll just die, he silently added to himself. Usually, he was more optimistic than this, but becoming a fish's dinner did not do his feelings any favors.
Link let out a sigh, then set off, fighting the urge to shudder as he began to walk across the strange, squishy, fleshy surface, stepping into the "water." It was not water though, he quickly realized. Or at least, not pure water, as it seemed to be a bit thicker, more viscous. Water mixed with bodily fluids, perhaps. Moisture occasionally dripped from the roof of the mouth, dripping into the small pool. He shuddered.
The pool of water stretched across the chamber, coming up just below his knees at its deepest point. He shifted through it, careful to keep his footing on the slimy tongue underneath him. As it grew shallower, the chamber narrowed into a tunnel of sorts. Once he was out of the pool, he took a moment to try to empty his boots of the liquid, shaking them with a gaging noise while he stood on one foot. He would have to wash them properly in water later to get the rest of it off. Disgusting.
"I know it's kind of dark," Navi mumbled, fluttering nearby while she waited for Link to finish. "But… don't you think it's kind of weird that there's any light at all in here?"
Link paused his cleaning efforts for just a second. "Dunno."
Have fluttered closer for a moment, then away again. "Oh… I guess it could just be magic that comes with being a great spirit. There was light inside the Deku Tree too, after all."
Not satisfied but resigned that he would get no further until he could properly clean his boots, Link shouldered his bag just a bit more steadily and set off squishing down the tunnel. The pair walked in silence for several moments, beyond the occasional gag at the fishy smell or comment on how gross this was.
But finally, their efforts to explore were rewarded. The tunnel opened up into a larger chamber, far bigger than the oral cavity they had started from. The flesh that made up the floor was paler here. To his right, Link could see that the ground dropped off sharply, though he could not see the bottom nor the top of the room.
"Yep, this place is definitely magic, because that is certainly not normal," Navi reported, flying a few feet over the gap. In the middle a platform seemed to float, sharp bones protruding from the bottom. The room gave a violent shudder, then he watched for a moment as it descended into darkness.
He turned his attention away from the hole, instead carefully making his way across the ledge, hanging close to the wall. His path lead him through another tunnel, deeper into the maze of tissue.
It did not take long for Link to realize that it was a bit lighter up ahead. He hurried ahead to find himself in another chamber of sorts, this one only a bit bigger than the fish's mouth. At the far end of the room a strange, long tendril stretched from top to bottom, pulsating with light and energy. Link quickly decided he would stay clear of it.
He took a step forward, only for Navi to fly in front to stop him.
"Hold on Link, watch your step!" She fluttered down close to the floor, pointing out small holes in the floor. The tissue around it was bruised blue and seemed to ooze a reddish fluid, probably blood. He quickly realized that there were several holes in the floor that were roughly the same size and shape.
"What do you think could have caused that?" Navi mumbled.
Link slowly shook his head, clueless. Carefully, he inched his way towards the nearest hole to get a better look.
A squelching sound behind him made him whip back around, reaching for his sword.
Near the wall, originally hidden from his view when he entered, was a young zora, frozen in place. She had the same pale and dark blue-green body as the others he had seen, but unlike the others she did not have the long, fish-tail like protrusion from the back of her head, instead, the back of her head raised up to a flat, wide bulge, two purple orbs on either side that Link swore might be a second pair of eyes.
Despite being unarmed, she seemed neither frightened nor impressed by Link's weapon. Slowly, he returned the sword to its sheath, as Navi fluttered to his side.
"Link," she whispered. "I think that might be the princess."
He nodded slowly in response.
The zora girl placed her hands on her hips. "You there," she began in a sharp tone. "Monster. Who are you and what are you doing in Lord Jabu Jabu?"
Link flinched at the harsh statement. Fortunately, he did not have to do anything, as Navi answered for him.
"He's Link, and I'm Navi. Are you by chance Ruto?"
The zora removed her hands, letting them drop to her sides. "How did… yes, my name is Ruto. You still have not answered the rest of my question. Why are you here?"
Navi looked back towards the skull kid for a moment. "Um…. well you see, we overheard your father and his guards were looking for you, and they said they found a letter in a bottle that said you'd been eaten up by Jabu Jabu, so we decided to come rescue you. Only…" she paused, turning away to look at her surroundings. "We had not planned to be eaten up like this."
Ruto scoffed waving her hand dismissively. "Letter in a Bottle? I have no idea what you're talking about! Like I would ever ask for help like that. I'm exactly where I need to be."
Navi turned back to the zora. "You… are? What are you getting on about?"
The princess stuck up her nose. "Like I need to tell you. Anyway, I can't go home right now, I have things I need to take care of. You... Go ahead and get out of here, understand?"
She whipped around, sauntering off away from the duo, nose still in the air, not paying attention to her surroundings.
"Ruto, wait!" Navi shouted. "Watch out!"
But her warning fell on deaf ears. The two could only watch in horror as the zora stepped right into one of the wounds. She tried to catch herself but slid, falling down before slipping through the hole with a squeal.
Link dashed forward to the edge of the hole and looked down nervously. He could just barely make out solid ground below in the dim light. Fortunately, he could see where Ruto landed. The princes was already up, dusting herself off as if only mildly inconvenienced.
He turned to look at Navi for a moment. After what the princess had said, he was a bit nervous about approaching her again. But no, they needed that stone. He could put his feelings aside for now. So, he took a couple steps back, and then sprang forward, diving into the hole and landing on the ground with a clumsy roll.
Link took a moment to look himself over. He was a bit sore from the clumsy landing, but everything seemed okay otherwise, and all his equipment was still in one piece. Only then did he turn his attention to the princess to his side, who had her hands on her hips and was impatiently tapping her foot.
"Why are you still hanging around here?" she huffed. "I told you to go away!"
Link decided not to answer. If she wasn't going to answer them, then why should he answer her? He still, however replied with a quiet "are you okay?"
Ruto tilted her head up, rolling her eyes. "I'm fine. I've been going inside Lord Jabu-Jabu's belly since I was little."
Navi raised her voice skeptically. "Really? Then why was everyone so surprised when they heard about it?"
The princess flinched, caught in the lie. But she quickly managed to come up with an excuse and brought a finger up to her mouth. "Because it's mine and Jabu Jabu's secret. No one needed to know. Besides, my dad would have freaked out and probably wouldn't have let me visit Jabu Jabu anymore." She paused, hesitating. "Although… I guess it is strange that Jabu Jabu hasn't let me out yet. He has been behaving strangely the last few days..."
"How has he been behaving strangely?" Navi asked.
"Oh, there are electrified jellyfish and strange holes around...On top of that, my precious stone was…" Suddenly, she seemed to realize that she was sharing more than she meant to. "That's none of your business! Off with you now, forest beast!"
Link winced at her tone and choice of words and began to open his mouth to say something, but Navi spoke up before he found his words.
"Oh, come now, we're just trying to help you! ...And help the rest of Hyrule as a result of that. So, won't you please come with us back to your dad?"
Ruto pointedly shook her head. "Not a chance. I won't leave until I find the thing I'm looking for."
Link tilted his head slightly and asked in a quiet tone, "the stone you mentioned before?"
"I told you that it's none of your business."
"Oh right, we're looking for a stone. Maybe it's the same one? We'll help you look for it if you'd like, princess."
She gave the pair a hard stare for nearly a minute. Link shifted awkwardly on his feet, waiting for her to speak up.
"Well… I suppose I could allow you to accompany me. That way I can keep an eye on you and make sure you're not causing Jabu Jabu any trouble." She nodded once. "Yes, that seems like a good idea. Come along now."
The princess turned and began to head down a corridor behind her. Link looked in that direction and, realizing he had no way to go back, decided to follow her for now, at least.
He followed behind just a short distance in silence for a moment, trying to come up with a witty reply and focusing on watching his step to avoid stringy bits of flesh that stretched across from top to bottom at odd angles. But nothing came to his mind. So, he instead just spoke bluntly. "I'm not a monster."
The zora paused, looking back at him for a moment before continuing to walk. "Really?" She said. "Because you seem like one to me. Glowing eyes… Wood instead of flesh… And you don't seem to be really alive…" She listed out each of the traits on a finger. "Sounds like a bunch of monster traits to me."
Navi made a noise like she was going to say something but ended up holding her tongue. Link didn't try to speak to Ruto again after that.
The path eventually opened into another small chamber. Link realized with dismay that there was a pool of smelly liquid between him and the other side, this one far deeper than the one back where he started in Jabu Jabu's mouth; he would have to swim across.
Unless… he had managed to do magic before, back in the caverns, maybe he could manage now?
Ruto came up to the edge of the pool and grimaced. "Although I hate to swim in it… I suppose I will for my mother's stone, come on now, we don't have all day."
She carefully dipped a toe into the liquid and shuddered. Link had to resist the urge to push her the rest of the way in. But after a final deep breath, she jumped forward, and pushed her way through the stinky pool.
"Link," Navi said, turning to look at him, "come on, what are you waiting for?"
"I'm trying something," Link mumbled. The light of his eyes flickered out as he concentrated, trying to think back to the feeling he'd felt before, when he had fought the lizalfos.
He had envisioned his arm coated in magic, like a thick honey enveloping him from the inside out. He had to do the same now, but with his entire body. Everything, all of him was magic, and the magic enveloped all of him.
Now, he envisioned the platform on the other side. He tried to envision himself there, standing there, waiting.
"What are you doing over there?" He heard Ruto call out. "Come on, hurry up!"
He was snapped too soon back to the moment. Suddenly, he fell with a splash into the pool, the stinking liquid soaking into him. He quickly kicked back to the surface. He had been doing it! He had been using his magic! But his concentration had been lost, and he had ended up only a foot or so into the water. Not wanting to stay any longer, he quickly swam the rest of the way across and climbed back up to the shore. He took a moment to wring out his clothes best he could while he waited for Navi to fly across and join them.
"Were you trying to use your magic to cross?" Navi asked, to which Link only nodded silently. "I was concerned that something might have happened when you grew unresponsive…"
"Are you two done?" Link turned his head back to the speaker, Ruto, who was now waiting by another tunnel for them to finish, tapping her foot impatiently.
Link nodded, quickly pulling his hat back on, and hurried over to stand beside the zora. "Sorry…"
"It's impolite to keep a princess waiting, you know," she pointed out. But she did not chide him further, and instead turned to head down the tunnel on the other side.
Link followed her in silence through the tunnel. Why was she so mean to him? Was it because she was royalty? That could not be it… Zelda was royalty, and she had been so nice to him! Was it because he was a mon… a skull kid? Maybe so. Maybe she did not know what a skull kid was? Maybe once she realized he was just a forest spirit, and not your run of the mill force of darkness, she would be nicer. Maybe.
Right?
The tunnel led them right through a valve-like wall of flesh that the trio had to push through. Ruto insisted that Link lead the way, leaving the skull kid to hold open the exit for her to pass, something that he did with a grumble.
"Are you okay Link?" Navi asked him as he emerged from the other side.
Link did not answer, focusing only on flicking moisture from his arm. Once he was as clean as he could expect to be, he turned his attention to the room.
They were on a small ledge in a small, round room. Behind them was the way they came. On all other sides was a deep pool of water, or whatever the fluid was.
Link let out an exasperated noise. It was a dead end! And there was no other path they could reach back the way they came… Were they trapped now, doomed to become a meal for the godly fish?
Navi voiced his concern. "Where do we go now?"
"Shh!" Ruto exclaimed. Link swore the fins on her arms twitched impatiently. "Just wait a moment, you'll see."
And wait they did, in silence. Link side-eyed Navi in exasperation. If this didn't work out, they would have to figure some way to escape, lest they lose their lives as well as all the stones to Jabu Jabu, leaving Ganondorf to win. If it came down to it, maybe they could cut their way out? He doubted that the zoras would take kindly to that.
But as his thoughts drifted away to methods of escape, the chamber they were in seemed to tremble and shudder.
"You may want to back up," Ruto warned.
As he took a step back, he saw a small trickle of water filter in from above. Then he noticed something descending from above. As it grew closer, he realized it was the floating platform he had seen earlier. He began to hop out onto it, but Ruto held him back with an arm.
"Wait," she warned.
The trickle of water continued, then more and more came, like a cascade, the water level below them quickly rising. He took a step back. The water continued to rise, until they were backed into a corner. But slowly, the torrent trickled to a stop, leaving them a small sliver of shore.
Ruto, without explanation, took off as soon as the water slowed to a stop, taking a graceful leap to land on the platform. She slowly turned, before sitting down and pulling her knees to her chest, addressing Link with a smile. "Well beast? Will you be joining me? Or staying down here to die?"
"I'm not a beast!" Link snapped, his patience wearing thin. But he still followed behind the princess, landing on the platform with a squelching noise.
"That's no way to speak to a princess, spirit!" Ruto griped in turn, her smile replaced by a frown and a crinkled nose.
Link opened his mouth to argue but shut it again as he felt the ground under him shift. He dropped to his hands and knees, fingers digging into flesh as he felt the platform slowly begin to rise back up.
"This is weird," Navi decided. "But I think we can agree this is a cause of Jabu Jabu being, well, magic" She fluttered down to land on his shoulder and continued to speak only to him.
"Don't let her get to you Link, it's not worth fighting over. Not when we all need to escape."
Link wanted to argue that it was worth fighting over. It was not fair that he got pinned as a monster and a beast and an ill-natured spirit! But he said nothing, the light of his eyes flickering to dimmer pricks. "Okay," he mumbled.
The platform soon came to a jolting stop, right where they had seen it before. Link stood up and prepared to jump, but the sound of Ruto clearing her throat made him pause and turn to her.
"Ahem, don't you think maybe you should… help a princess cross, so that she's not risking her life?"
Link looked to Navi helplessly, then back to Ruto. How was he supposed to safely cross if he was helping her? Then an idea came to him. He grinned mischievously, a look that made Ruto falter. He approached and lifted her by the torso, finding her surprisingly lighter than expected. Then he approached the edge to get as close as safely possible and hurled her across the gap. Ruto let out an alarmed scream but landed safely a good foot or two away from the edge on her bottom. Link easily leapt over the gap shortly afterwards.
Ruto stood up and dusted herself off, her cheeks puffed out. "Really, is that how you treat a lady? How uncouth of you!"
Link chose to not respond, instead turning back to walk towards the tunnel he had been through before, ignoring her. A moment later, he heard the squishing of footsteps following him behind.
"H-hey, wait up! You can't just leave me behind."
He was aware of Ruto falling into step just behind him but continued to remain silent. She could follow if she wanted, but he was only concerned about finding a way out, not about the rescue. Not anymore.
Soon, he found himself back in the chamber they had first met. He carefully made his way around the gaping holes of whatever organ or organ-like structure they were in, working his way towards the back of the room.
"Shouldn't you be following my directions?" Ruto called out behind him. "It shouldn't be that way!" But Link again ignored her, walking forward with fists at his side.
"Link wait!" He heard Navi call out suddenly. "Get back!"
He sprang to the side just in time to avoid the monster that fell just where he had been standing, reaching for his sword. The gooey creature landed with a wet splat in the way. Link instinctively struck at it.
Immediately, as he sliced the creature open, his body suddenly seized up. He dropped his sword involuntarily and let out a scream as energy coursed through him. He almost swore he smelt burning…
The next thing he knew, he was lying face up on the ground. Everything hurt. He had no idea how long he had been laying there. It could have been seconds; it could have been hours. He was vaguely aware of someone calling his name.
"Link! Link get up! Please get up Link!"
Slowly he felt feeling return to his body. He carefully squeezed his hands a couple of times to test before slowly forcing himself to sit up. Navi rushed down to rest on his shoulder.
"Oh my goodness Link, thank the goddesses you're alright!"
He shifted his gaze slightly. Ruto was sitting a few feet in front of him, watching. Even she seemed a bit concerned. Looking around, he couldn't see the corpse of the monster that had done this to him.
Navi seemed to get what he was looking for. "Magic," she explained quickly. "Just like those cursed bugs back in the Deku Tree."
He mumbled something in response, but it came out garbled. He shook his head slowly in an attempt to clear the numbness, and then turned to locate his sword. Slowly, he raised to his feet and stumbled over to his blade. Feeling was finally really starting to return, though not without pain.
Once he had made certain he had everything, he turned back towards the tunnel he had originally been approaching and began to walk through it. Ruto stood and hurried after him.
"Link," Navi whispered, speeding up to fly in front of him, "do you need a break? We can take a few minutes if you need it."
The skull kid shook his head quickly. "No," he muttered. "We have to keep going. We can't stay in here."
Navi seemed to hesitate for a moment, but conceded, ducking back under his hat. He walked in silence for a moment.
And then he heard Ruto let out a scream.
He whipped back around just in time to see her fall. Around her ankle a long, worm-like creature had latched its jaws. Link could see electrical pulse surging through its transparent, segmented body. Not wanting a repeat of the prior shock, he chose to forgo his sword for stamping on the creature's head until it let go, though not without leaving jagged punctures on the wound, blood welling up. The worm did not seem too interested in fighting them again, instead drilling its way back into the lining of whatever organ they were in.
As frustrated as Link was by the zora, he still offered a hand out to her to help her to her feet. She accepted the help, pulling herself back up, only to snatch her hand away once she was standing. Link let out a huff.
"A-a princess does not need help from common riffraff such as yourself," she stuttered in a matter-of-fact tone. But as she took a step forward, shifting her weight onto her injured foot, she winced and shook and struggled to stay standing, avoiding looking at Link.
Against his better judgement, despite his anger directed at the princess, Link reached out again, shifting to wrap one arm around her so that he could support her weight. This time, she did not try to pull away.
They continued down the tunnel for some time, until Link saw something unusual stuck amidst the pink, pulsating walls. He reached down to pull it loose, ignoring the spurt of blood that followed.
The foreign object was made of wood, polished but unpainted except for a few green and yellow stripes, and curved like an elbow. An ornate red gem sat in the crook.
"A boomerang?" Navi questioned. "What would that be doing here?"
"Jabu Jabu probably ate it up by accident while swimming around," Ruto replied.
"I'm keeping it."
Both girls turned to look at Link.
"Um…"
"...That's kind of gross, but okay."
Link shifted to secure the boomerang between his belt and his tunic, then readjusted his hold on the zora.
The pair continued down the winding corridors for some time, neither party speaking to the other. Unfortunately, the missing item in question was nowhere to be seen down here. The most they found were a few parasites, the larger ones of which Ruto demanded Link dispatch. Smaller electrical creatures that drilled their way into the flesh, like the one that had grabbed Ruto. Huge, spiked worms that were as thick around as he was.
Surprisingly, he quickly found a use for the boomerang as a way to kill the smaller, electric ones, and to stun or knock loose the larger worms. But eventually, they had to turn back to the room they had first met in once more.
Link let out a frustrated huff. "This is getting us nowhere, now what?"
"Maybe if you let me lead the way," Ruto started, "we would have found it by now."
He clenched his fists and sucked in a breath but said nothing. Don't argue, he reminded himself. We still need to find a way out.
"You know," she continued, "I think there was still some places to look down there, if we land right." She punctuated her statement by pointing down at the holes in the organ lining.
That was… a fair point. Link tried to think back to which hole they had fallen through before. They were on the other side of the room now.
"Hey, wasn't there a tendril coming through here earlier?" Navi pointed out. Maybe that was one of the worms you killed, because It's gone now. It was… over here!" She flew forward to hover over a particular wound on the right.
Wordlessly, he lifted her up by the waist, despite her protests, and began to carry her to the hole. He dropped to his knees while holding her over the pit, then to his stomach, before he lowered her down first as carefully as he could, letting his grip slide until he was holding just her wrists before finally letting go.
Fortunately, the hole they fell through led to the highest ledge in the chamber below, giving them a chance to walk through the tunnel beyond.
The room they came to on the other side had a huge platform in the middle, bone-like structures sticking out of it. Once again, Link found himself wondering if this was normal.
"Look!" Ruto called out suddenly, pointing to something on the platform. "Up there! Throw me up there!"
Link followed the direction of her outstretched arm and caught a glimpse of something glimmering. Wordlessly, he lifted the zora once again and tossed her up so that she could crawl over to inspect the item.
As she reached the object, she let out a delighted cry before turning to hold it up. "That's it! Oh my goodness! I finally found it... "
Navi flew closer to get a better look. "It's the spiritual stone of water, right?"
"Wait, how do you know?" Ruto asked sharply. Then, deciding it did not matter that much, she continued. "My mother's stone… I got very upset when Lord Jabu-Jabu swallowed it…" She hesitated before crawling closer to the edge and sitting down. "While I was feeding him, he suddenly swallowed me up… I was so surprised I dropped it inside…"
Now Navi hesitated for a moment. "It sounds like it really means a lot to you…" A pause. "I know this is asking for a lot, but is there any chance that we could borrow it?"
"I'll… consider it." Ruto paused for a moment, before suddenly perking up as something occurred to her. "But, now that I've found it, I don't need to be in here anymore! So, take me home, right now!"
Link nodded quickly. Finally, they could figure out a way home. He reached out his arms to help her down, and she began to crawl forward. But before they could reach each other, the ground shifted below them. Link let out a gasp, losing his footing. As he looked up, the platform began to rise.
"No!" He cried out. He stumbled to his feet and rushed forward, grabbing hold of one of the bone structures as it rose into the air. With the other hand, he dug into the flesh, holding on for dear life.
Ruto scooted forward and held out an arm. "Take my hand! Hurry!"
Link struggled straining to raise his hand as the floor began to rush away from them, and the ceiling rushed closer. Finally, he managed to grab hold of Ruto's wrist. She scooted back, pulling, and managed to drag him up to safety just in time, just before he would have been caught between the two bits of flesh.
He let out a sigh of relief.
Unfortunately, the relief was short-lived. As he slowly looked up, away from Ruto's face, he realized that there was… something behind her. A large lump of mass, throbbing and pulsating. Tendrils stuck out from the top, worming their way into Jabu Jabu's flesh Around the wounds the flesh had turned a nasty, sickly color, with tendrils of the color spreading out around it.
Three of the tendrils were not worming their way into the flesh, however. At the ends of these were a cone of sorts that reminded Link a bit of a flower, with a pointed stinger in the middle. The three loose tentacles drooped, the conical ends twitching occasionally.
After a moment, Link realized that there was more to the monster than he first thought. On the lower part of the lump, more of the gelatinous creatures like the one that shocked him were resting, pulsing with energy occasionally.
"That's got to be what's causing Jabu Jabu's ailment," Navi whispered, putting what Link was thinking into words.
Link nodded. He looked back towards Ruto. She was staring with a glint of anger in her eyes, clutching the sacred stone to her chest. He began to move towards her. But as he shifted on the slimy, pulsating floor, the cone closest to them twitched and began to raise up, the other two following after. Navi was the first to notice.
"Guys move!" she cried out.
Link scrambled to his feet and grabbed hold of Ruto's wrist, pulling her to her feet and dragging her to the side, ignoring her pained yelp as the bark of his skin scraped against bare flesh in the rush. They moved not a moment too soon; just as she was pulled away, electricity arced through the air, lighting the chamber, striking the spot they had been and leaving a blackened mark. The trio gagged at the smell of burnt flesh.
He kept moving. There was an exit at the far end of the room. He practically dragged Ruto along behind him, pulling her into the safer area.
Only then did he turn and run back into the chamber, stopping just a few feet away from the monstrous growth.
The cones quivered and shifted, trying to locate him. They would home in, and he would have to take off running again to avoid being zapped. He had to think quick; he couldn't get close to attack. And even if he could, the jelly monsters on the flesh would just shock him.
His slingshot would not be strong enough to cause any real damage with the seeds he had. He could try throwing bombs, but as he reached for the bag that still held a few, Navi called out for him to stop.
"You can't throw those here!" she called out. "They'll hurt Jabu Jabu just as much as they'll hurt the monster. If not, more!"
He quickly stuffed the small sack back into his bag. Then what should he do?
He remembered the boomerang he had found earlier. On one hand, it was not exactly made for cutting and slicing. On the other, the jelly-like monsters could be cut into easily. If he could just expose the main mass…
He ducked out of the way of another bolt. It was worth a shot. He reached down to pull out the boomerang, turned and planted his feet, then tossed it.
The wooden weapon flew out in an arc, spinning faster than his eyes could easily keep up with. He rolled out of the way as one of the cones shot another bolt of electricity, the impact causing the flesh around them to wiggle and convulse.
The boomerang found its mark, the thin edges making contact with and cutting into the thin membrane keeping the jellyfish monsters in-tact. Both of the two it hit fell loose, deflating as the slimy contents inside the sac spilled out on the ground.
Link turned back and jumped to catch the returning boomerang in midair, suddenly thankful for his thick, barky skin. He dashed to the side and threw again, watching as more of the protective gelatinous blobs were cut loose. This time, when he caught the boomerang, he returned it to his belt and instead reached for his sword.
He dashed forward to close the gap, avoiding another strike of energy. But as he neared the beast, he slipped on the gelatinous remains of the creatures he had already killed. His momentum caused him to fall, sliding uselessly under the monster.
"Link, get up!"
As he slowed to a stop, Navi's alarmed call caused him to roll to the side. He scrambled to his feet, barely avoiding another electrical strike.
His sword. Where was his sword?
He spotted a glint of reflection back near the beast. He turned and ran back towards it, this time preparing himself for the slimy mess by dropping low, grabbing his sword as he slid by.
Back on his feet, he turned and charged back towards the monster. Again, he slid, but this time he kept a tight grip on his sword, jabbing it up into the bottom of the growth as he slid underneath. His blade found its mark, cutting deep enough into the flesh that by keeping hold of his sword, he managed to stop his momentum.
He rolled over and scrambled back to his feet, wrenching the blade free. Green blood spilled forth from the puncture.
The growth writhed and wiggled, all three of the attacking tentacles waving.
One strike wasn't enough. He sheathed his sword quickly, then jumped, digging his fingers into the writhing mass, holding on for dear life as he began his ascent higher on to the beast, all the way to the top.
The tendrils waved, trying to knock him loose. But he was used to scaling objects, even if usually those objects were mostly or completely stationary trees instead of writhing masses of flesh. Now at the top, he pulled himself up onto one of the tentacles attaching the growth to Jabu Jabu and began to hack at it, cutting it loose in a few short slices. As it began to break loose, he swung over to the next one, repeating the action.
As he prepared to move to the third one, however, he heard Ruto call out "Look out!"
He had no time to react as one of the attacking tentacles hit him square in the chest with a crack, sending him flying across the chamber.
He hit the ground hard, the only saving grace the elasticity of the flesh that made up the room. Everything hurt, but especially his chest. He was vaguely aware of Navi calling out his name nearby, shouting in hopes of getting his attention.
"Link! Link get up! You've got to move!"
He groaned, balling one hand into a fist. Slowly, he raised himself up on one elbow to look up. Only one main tentacle still held the beast up now.
But all three of its attacking stingers were aimed straight at him.
He was exhausted. But he couldn't let it end like this. He dragged himself up, forcing himself to his feet, and began to limp-run as quickly as he could.
Before he could get far, though, he heard a ripping noise. He glanced back up; the one tentacle was not enough to support its weight. It was ripping loose! Before he could be attacked again, it came loose, a gush of green blood spraying as it crashed to the ground, stunned.
This was his chance to end it. His sword. Where did his sword go now?
"Hey tree-brain!"
His attention whipped around to Ruto. She had emerged from her hiding spot and was limping towards him. Holding out his sword. He closed the distance between them as quickly as possible and accepted the sword with grateful hum.
Then he turned his attention back to the monster. This was his last chance; his strength wouldn't last much longer. He pushed himself forward, nearly stumbling once, and forced himself to approach the beast. Then, before the stingers could get at him, he plunged his sword into it, as deep as he could. He put his boot on the flesh to brace himself and pulled, tugging the sword free. Then again at another spot. And another. The growth writhed beneath him, the tentacles flailing. But slowly the more he stabbed, the weaker it became. Until finally, its struggles ceased entirely.
He backed up as he caught sign of a flicker of mystic flame out of the corner of his eye. The flame spread quickly, the monster bloating as it burned away to nothing, its curse broken.
Link slumped, exhausted. It… it was done, finally. Finally, they could leave. He caught sight of Ruto approaching cautiously, and of a blue circle of light forming.
But then his strength failed him, and he fell. He heard Navi call out his name as she landed on his chest, his sticky, sappy chest.
"I'm alright," he mumbled. "Just… give me five minutes…"
And then he blacked out.
A/N: So you're probably wondering why I cut about the last third of the dungeon and had the fight against Barinade where the big octo fight usually would be. It boils down to the fact that that whole portion just didn't add any to the written story as a whole, and would have required this chapter to cut off right after the big octo fight, or made this chapter drag out in a way I didn't see necessary.
Also, Ruto's a bit mean to Link, ain't she? I made an effort to balance stuck up, stubborn princess traits with more childish traits. Hopefully it landed at least decently.
