A/N: Thank you Moon ninja Luna, Walavouchey, Othaeryn, DiscountPineapple, Mokki Takashi, Bluebadger, CrashingUpward, SarukoDark, Alter Ego Bob, and LyricalLazuli for your reviews on the last chapter(s). Your support and advice means so much.
And a special thank you to Mokki Takashi for drawing an amazing fanart of Kya! I can't get the link to work. T_T But if you go to my profile, you'll find my deviantart link there. Mokki's picture is in my favorites. ^_^
As for Kya's name, it wasn't the first I came up with for the character. But after looking up names, the meaning of 'Kya' solidified the choice. It is African in origin, and since the Zelda series has many unique names from many different cultures, I figured it would be okay. According to different sources, it can be pronounced Kai-ah or Kee-ah. I prefer the former, but please use whichever you prefer.
Chapter 9
"Here's the frickin' key. Take it, take it!"
Link scrambles for the object I've shoved to his chest. With contraption in hand, his expression hardens into one of resolve and he turns to put the key into its rightful place. It slides in, clicks, and gears spin. There is a trembling, and the doors part.
"Go!" I wheeze, unable to stand.
He doesn't. The idiot turns back and crouches before me, holds out a bottle of red potion.
I push it away. "No. I won't take that from you. You'll need it."
"I'm not going anywhere until you drink it." His blue eyes are earnest and unrelenting, yet shine with a compassion that pours out like a cooling balm against the hot wind hissing around us.
My face crumbles at the undeserved kindness, and my head bows to hide it. "No…"
The red bottle is stubbornly pushed into my line of sight.
"No! Just—just go! Zelda needs you! I'll…I'll catch up." Funny how I said something similar to Ghirahim earlier. I shouldn't have. I should have dragged my feet more, I should have whined and moaned and acted like we had all the time in the world. But no, my stupid survival instinct had to act up again, had to remind me who was going to take the beating for any delay after all was said and done.
Link's argument is one of silence. He does not move, not himself or the potion, and eventually I have to concede.
The potion is a cold fire down my throat, in the pit of my stomach. When I'm done I jab the bottle out, hit him in the gut with it, hoping it will be distracting enough so he doesn't notice I left it quarter full. I'm not taking it all, dammit.
I think he notices. Of course he does. The liquid swishes as he tilts the bottle, and I can practically feel him gauging the amount, but he says nothing and puts it away.
Then his footsteps wander away, the noise of his boots crunching dirt and clicking on stone fading.
I sit there, head down, hair hanging a curtain around my face, waiting, feeling the potion's effect wave through me. Burned skin tingles as it melds back together, cuts crawl as they rejoin, and bruises throb less and less like the quieting of a drum.
In the silence I squeeze my eyes shut. I try not to think of how quiet the Bokoblin camp is, or how it got that way. Because I already know. Link took them out. And feeling sorry for them won't bring them back. Why would I want that anyway? They're the enemy. The enemy.
The rasping sound of Link's boots gives me a start. I had not expected him back.
"What are you doing?" I gasp. "Go."
He takes my hand, turns it palm up, and fills it with red, fleshy petals. I stare bewilderingly, only distantly realizing they are petals from the heart flowers and that, yes, there are a few that grow here on the mountain.
"If you're not going to drink, then eat." Link nods to the petals. "I'll go find some more for—"
My fingers hook into his tunic before he gets away. "No—I will. You need to get going. Seriously."
"I can't leave you like this…" He sounds uncertain, and I look up to see it in his expression.
"Link," I say, stressing my next words, "Ghirahim is already in the temple."
It has the effect I knew it would. His breath comes in sharply through his nose, and his eyes widen with fear. Then those blue eyes harden to steel. His hands clench to fists.
"Wait here. Hide. I'll be back for you."
I can do nothing but nod weakly, downcast, because I…
Link's footfalls recede, for real this time, and tears prick again at my eyes, refreshing the streaks that have yet to dry. I promised. I promised myself I wouldn't be weak the second time around. I promised I would be of help. And I suppose I was—with the key, but…
The red petals are shoved into my mouth, chewed viciously. My fingers curl to fists in the dirt, the grit grinding in my grip.
I will not be weak. I will not be incapacitated. Not again.
Get up, get up, getup! snarls the she-wolf.
Get up, baes the ewe.
Both aspects of me crow in tandem, towards the same goal, in a rare moment of unity.
I surge to my feet, dive back into rush-mode. I rip petals off the flowers, shovel as many as I can into my mouth, scrub what's left into shreds on my face, my arms, healing the burns there, letting the secretions linger for lasting effects.
And then I'm running into the temple.
The heat blasts into me like a giant oven that just had its door opened, stinging against the still-tingling burns, threatening my entire body with black-out exhaustion. I push against it, the rage spitting through me rivaling its intensity.
"Link!" I call into the inferno. "Link! I'm coming with you!"
"Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"Yes, I'm sure!" I say as I leap up onto the smooth round surface of the rock ball. "It'll be fine. I know what I'm doing!"
Link eyes the lava that the precariously lolling boulder rests in, then turns that discerning eye on me. "And we're both going to fit up there?"
"Sure!" I chirp. "We just gotta be super coordinated with each other. Come on up!"
His disbelief is palpable. "Maybe it would be better if you wait here and I—"
"No, no, my way's totally better." I nod vigorously, the potion and heart flower effects having refilled my energy, and maybe fritzed my brain a little in the process. But who's paying attention to that? Pssh, not me.
"Kya, seriously?"
"Hop on up; I know exactly where to go—screw the map! We don't need the map!" My words jumble together, and a small spark in my brain says maybe this isn't your best idea, and reminds me of the spectacle I made of myself after coming down the temple stairs. And, no, I did not fall down them this time.
Only after entering the temple did I realize no weapon protected me, and as a fiery bat came swooping down, I improvised.
"Ah! Pocket sand!" I screamed as I raked up dirt and flung it into the creature's eyes. Its squeals lingered behind as I ran away shouting for Link. I caught up to him, blurting about the statue he needed to blow up in order to secure a way to traverse the lava pool. But he was already readying his slingshot, aiming at the bomb flowers that grew in the fissures of the fallen down statue. So he really didn't need me for that part, but, but… He'll definitely need me for the rest of the temple! I know exactly what to do, where to go. Excitement welled up and instilled a giddiness that has yet to dissolve.
I am going to be so much help.
With a shrug and a sigh, Link finally relents and jumps onto the spherical boulder. I motion for him to situate himself behind me, tell him of the movements we'll have to coordinate to get this hunk of stone rolling.
Putting it into effect, I realize I really didn't think this through.
"Back, back, back!" I squawk. "No, move back!"
"I am! Your leg keeps bumping mine!"
"You're the one bumping me!"
"Kya, this isn't working!"
"It is working! Just move with me, dammit!"
There is a short span of trial and error, leading to me declaring the positions of the clock as directions for our movements. Twelve o'clock for directly in front of us, six o'clock for behind, nine o'clock to the left, three o'clock to the right, and so on. It works rather well, except for once or twice when the ball spins too fast, and Link grunts alarm before yanking me back by the shoulders, causing me to fall into him, and he must lean forward to keep us from pitching backward.
Uh, yeah…this might've been easier if it was just him on this rock, but…
Oh, look! That's where he'll get the bomb bag!
"Three o'clock—run it over!"
The bloated frog-like Spume doesn't get far before it's crushed under our rolling sphere. I briefly wonder, in the back of my mind, how on earth those things live in the lava. In fact, how are we able to be so close to the stuff without bursting into flames? Long ago I accepted that there are differences in this world, differences like magic that causes islands to indefinitely float in the sky for one. We're so high up in the atmosphere, I used to wonder as I stared off the edge of Skyloft, how is there enough oxygen for us to breathe? This realm is simply different, I concluded after weariness stopped my mind from trying to wrap itself around a scientific explanation. More oxygen, thicker atmosphere, magic—I don't know. I don't know and I have no one to tell me. How would they look at me if I asked these questions? So I didn't. But I know in the Knowing Realm we would have burst into flames from being so close to pools of lava, and I know I wouldn't be able to breathe so high up in the Knowing Realm's atmosphere, and I know magic is nonexistant there.
As Link and I jump off a rolling rock that technically should be too hot to touch after wading in molten rock, and thump onto solid ground, I come to the same forgone conclusion. It's different. It's not like the magma from the Knowing Realm, which would have ignited us as soon as we stepped into the temple. Lava that would have flashpoint killed any Spume trying to 'live' in it.
If I could have taken my old body with me to this world, instead of being reborn into a new one, I wonder how it woud have faired… Would it have been stronger? Weaker? Would the differences of living in the Knowing Realm have made a difference? I guess I'll never know.
The upper half of a Mogma, those strange mole-like people, sticks up from the ground. Ledd is his name, I think. I spare only a cursory glance at his ruffled tawny fur and thick black claws, and leave Link to deal with the talking. The Mogma tells Link of his plight, but the only words I pick up are 'bomb' and 'bag' and I know we're on the right track.
Looking for the explosive flora, I crawl through a gap under a crudely built metal chain-link fence and freeze where I lay in the dirt. A Bokoblin dozes on the other side. The red creature sways on its feet, snorts. I creep forward with eyes trained on it as if I am a cat sneaking up on prey, before flicking my gaze to the nearest bomb flower. Fingers inch out, claw at the deadly flower bud until it is uprooted. I stiffen as the fuse hisses to life and am quick to pinch it dead. My stare darts back to the Bokoblin, who thankfully continues to snore softly.
One, two, three, I count in my head the bomb flowers. Yes, this should do it. I line them up and then one by one I take them out under the gap, wriggling gently through the space.
"Do me a favor and get my bomb bag, will ya? Buddy?" Ledd waves a hand at Link's face, but the hero is suddenly far too focused on what I'm doing behind the Mogma's back. Three bomb flowers are daintily placed into various crevices of the rock that blocks our way. I give one bud a firm tap, wait for its hiss, and trudge back over to Link's side.
I look at him, mouth drawn in a thin line. "Boom."
The ear-shattering sound follows not a second later, scattering debris, and despite my one-word nonchalance I flinch at the assault of dust and pellets. The Bokoblin wakes up with a startled warble, its body and cleaver clattering to the floor, and Ledd disappears beneath the ground.
I think Link is the only one who stood unmoved.
The hero starts to move for the now unblocked doorway.
"Wait," I say.
He looks back at me expectantly, but I struggle to articulate my thoughts.
"Uh, hey, listen, I—doh!" I smack myself in the face. 'Hey, listen!' is not how I wanted to start that. Just like Navi. Ugh. "Listen—I mean, dammit! Look," I try again, "there's two Lizalfos up ahead. They're the ones who found the bomb bag, but, um…"
I tiptoe ahead, stepping around Link as if to catch the drop on him. He watches me with sudden suspicion.
"Um, is there any chance you'll wait here? I want to see if I can…"
But those blue eyes are already hardening.
"No."
"B-but—!"
He walks ahead, deaf to anything else I have to say.
I wanted to try stealing it without their notice. Or, if that failed, I wanted to bargain for it with reason. Unfortunately as Link and I crossed the threshold of molten rock, our boots clapping on the stone platform, the Lizalfos snapped to attention, rolling their arms in preparation for a fight. I saw them before that moment, facing each other, gesturing humanly, laughing as they spoke, and images of Shii and Essil came to mind.
Even now, as they bounce on their toes and stare us down I can't help comparing them, especially in regards to Shii. Green scales, narrowed eyes, and sneer wrinkling snouts. Suddenly I don't want to fight, suddenly I…
"Go back, Kya. You don't have a weapon."
Link. He's noticed my hesitance, the stuttering of my legs as they step forwards and backwards, like a wobbly colt that can't decide which way to run.
"No, I…" I step forward. "Let me try something first. Please."
Confusion knits his brow, and he pauses. Though his hand does not retract from his sword's hilt. He is at the ready, and I realize if I'm going to do something I must do it now.
The Lizalfos' sharp teeth frame angry, taunting tongues. My thoughts stumble, much so when one Lizalfos jumps towards me and jerks out an armored covered fist threateningly.
The warning chink of Link's metal shield and sword sounds from behind me.
"U-uh, hey. Nice bomb bag you got there." I point to said bag, hanging from the holster of the leftmost Lizalfos. "Mind if we—? Oh, ho shit!" I roll out of the way of a swinging fist, leap back up to my feet. "Hey! Stop it! I just wanted to talk, you dick! I'm warning you, I—I—!"
I am charged, and then all hell breaks loose. Link explodes into action. He rams the Lizalfos nearest to me with his shield, knocking it sideways, and it fights to keep balance. The other one continues its advance on me.
Loud clanging fills the blazing hot room. Statues of old watch in frozen aghast as spiked tails hammer metal shield and white blade chips armored arms.
My confrontation is less physical than Link's. I skitter backwards, jump left and leap right in a deadly volley of tag. Or 'Don't be tagged' rather. I dodge, since dodging is the only thing I can do. Words spew from my mouth, while gestures and near-forgotten signs of a silent language flail with my hands, but all attempts to pacify my enemy go unheeded. Darn it, I find myself thinking. What do I have to say—what do I have to do? I don't want to kill these two—I don't want them to be killed! I should say since I won't be doing the killing. Shii and Essil, and these two…
They're not 'its' anymore. Not faceless enemies I can't care to think about.
Suddenly they're people, suddenly I have to save them.
How do I tell these Lizalfos to stand down?
"Ghirahim!" I shout suddenly, causing Link to flinch and cast out a wary eye. "I'm Ghirahim's! I'm his! Stop! Stop it now!"
My command borders on a scream as I twist away from a swiping fist, the wind of it hitting my face. The Lizalfos that chases me blinks her shrewd eyes at the familiar name, but shows no understanding beyond it. It is then I remember…
The language. They don't understand what I'm saying.
"Shaa haaf ssil, shaa haaf ssil!" I screech in panic as I tumble over my feet, my butt hitting the hard floor. I raise my hand as if to catch the metal layered knuckles that jab toward my face.
The Lizalfos' fist stops mid-strike, and she watches me with sudden interest, sudden confusion.
She is waiting…
"Shaa haaf ssil," I say weakly, my mind desperately trying and failing to unearth more words she will understand…but those were the only ones Shii ever said to me.
The moment passes, and her yellow eyes harden once more.
I curl in on myself as she leaps for the final blow, only to hear a clash and a string of resounding shrieks.
I do not open my eyes, or uncurl. I keep my forehead to the slightly cooler floor, focusing on squeezing down the pressure that builds behind my eyelids.
I know Link has killed them.
A hand grasps my shoulder. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine!" I snap, but my voice warbles in its call. I failed.
The rustle of fabric and the quiet whisper of chainmail precede the hush of his sword returning to its sheath. He's in front of me, waiting, probably wondering what the heck my problem is. "Kya…?" But there is only worry in that voice, and it doesn't help fight off the welling in my eyes. "Hey. What…what were you saying about Ghirahim?"
"Nothing!" I twist into a standing position in a single motion and stride for the door without looking up, without looking back. I don't want to see them lying there. "I was just trying to end things peacefully, dammit!"
There is no response from Link. But somehow I feel his sad stare.
"Are you coming?" I call back when I hear no footsteps succeeding mine.
"In a minute."
I stop in my tracks. Understanding clicks and my shoulders shake as I give a single curt nod. I push onward, trying not to think of it, fighting down the lump forming in my throat, and let the door fall shut as he cuts off their tails.
I already have bomb flowers stacked up by the time Link comes through. I'm already shuffling on my knees towards him with an armful more as he speaks to Ledd.
"You can have it. But knowing me that bag's probably empty, but if you harvest some bomb flowers you can…uh… Yeah, like that."
Ledd trails off as he sees me yank open the bag tied on Link's waist. The hero grunts and stumbles as I shove in multiple explosive buds. "You're going to need them," I say gruffly, without looking at him, before trudging back to the stone ball. I jump up and wait with back turned and head down.
His boots tap on the crumbling azure stone that probably hailed a once grand walkway. "Are…you sure you're okay?" he asks uncertainly.
I pick my head up and square my shoulders. "It's hard to tell from here, but there's actually a large fissure in that far wall over there." I point. "A couple bombs should do it. That's where we need to go next."
I'm going to have to get over it, I realize. There are more enemies where that came from and if I stop to feel sorry for every one of them, we'll never get where we're going.
I refused to be held responsible for Ghirahim's delay, and I won't be the cause for Link's lateness either.
"Let's go," I urge when he doesn't hop up. I even attempt a smile. "We don't want to be late."
A/N: I hope you liked the chapter. I'd love to know your thoughts!
I hope the dialogue is okay...
I've only gotten to one boss in BOTW. Lack of time to play coupled with my tendency to stop every five seconds and catch grasshoppers has...significantly slowed me. ^_^' Ha, ha... *sigh*