Knowing that he had to go back to Romani Ranch so soon filled Link with dread.. It helped less than he expected knowing exactly what to expect there rather than being caught by surprise. This simply meant he had to dread every second until he faced the two sisters again. At the very least, he had the perfect reason to rush the interaction as much as possible. He had to get to Mikau as soon as he could to try and save the Zora's life! If he at least knew saving Mikau could be done at all, it'd be a small weight off of his shoulders.
…Ignoring the fact he'd die each and every time Link didn't go to the Great Bay at all…
As quickly as he could, Link got a Powder Keg from West Clock Town and used his Goron form to roll towards Milk Road. He once more destroyed the boulder blocking the path and went back to his Hylian form when the carpenter went off back to Clock Town.
While the boy dreaded every step he took within Romani Ranch, he couldn't afford to drag his feet and take his time! Any second could be the difference between life and death for Mikau! Quickly, he reached Epona's pen once more, the filly nuzzling against Link's hand as he reached through the fence.
"You like that horse, huh? She's brand new!" A voice called from behind Link, making his blood go cold as she spouted out the same words as the last time he was here.
One thing that Link noticed when going back in time over and over was how some people said the same words or phrases in the exact same way more times than he cared to count. Anju, for instance, usually asked about his parents when he went to her desk and tended to word it the same way each time. It was so unnerving to Link, seeing these people who he knew that didn't know him saying the same lines again and again…
Steeling himself, Link turned to see Romani standing there just like last time, her dog wandering about and sniffing at the ground. He assumed that she would have noticed him approaching from inside or elsewhere, given the significant time gaps between their previous meetings. However, he was surprised to see that she had appeared at the same spot as he reached Epona. As he expected, even knowing that he was going to be seeing Romani, it didn't make things any easier. It still hurt to see someone he cared for so deeply in the form of a copy that would always see him as a stranger.
This time, at least, he was able to speak for himself rather than having to rely on Tatl. Granted, it took him a second to find the nerve, and he wasn't able to fully look Romani directly in the face, looking more to the side instead. "Yes. Epona is my horse and I lost her the other day." He really just wanted to demand the gate be opened, but Romani still needed to be convinced that Epona really was his…or at least his for the time being.
Luckily, Romani seemed just as easily convinced as the last time. "Oh? Really? My sister thought it was weird that a young horse like her was all alone!" She explained, once more repeating herself from the last time. "She does seem really calm with you…she was pretty bad with my sister and I! Okay, I'll go get the key!" With little hesitation, she rushed into her house just like before.
"Man, it's really good how easily she believes us. Why are you rushing things so much?" The fairy asked, at least a bit glad she didn't have to prod Link into talking this time.
Link never really explained this to Tatl, but he was surprised she wouldn't have just realized. "The sooner we get to the ocean, the better of a chance Mikau has. I want to save him this time."
Oh, of course. That made sense! Tatl remembered how Link had blamed himself the last time, despite Mikau insisting he was going to die anyway. "Look…just remember…the last time, he said he was a goner. Don't get your hopes up too much, okay?"
Before the boy could respond, the house door opened up and Romani marched out with an accomplished air to her. "I got the key!" She declared, holding the small, rusty object for the two to see. The girl went over and opened the gate, cooing at how Epona instantly walked over to Link and nuzzled at him. "She really is your horse! That's so sweet, I'm glad we could keep her for you…uh…what was your name again?"
Not wanting to spend any more time on the horrid ranch than he had to, Link hopped onto Epona. "I'm Link, but I have to go, sorry." Without waiting for a response, he prodded the filly forward, ignoring how Romani called after him.
Tatl glanced back at the redhead, who ran after the boy for a few feet before giving up with a sad expression on her face. "Kinda feel bad for her, she looks pretty miserable that we just ditched…"
Link didn't want to imagine Malon, not even someone that looked just like Malon, looking sad in any way. Shutting the image out as best as he could, he urged Epona to go faster. "Every second counts if we want to save Mikau." Was all he said in response.
The trip to the Great Bay was just as fast as the last time and Epona leapt the fence just as easily too. Once more, Link had to slap her on the flank to get her to hop back over, realizing he'd have to do that each time he went to the ocean…
Following Link as he sprinted to the ocean, Tatl was preparing herself for Mikau to still be on death's door like before. There wasn't any time to get a Red Potion from that hag in the swamp, so the fairy assumed he was just going to die again. She really hoped Link didn't take it too hard…
When the two arrived at the shore, Link scanned the water, looking for Mikau. He was ready to toss his fear of the ocean aside if it meant saving someone's life, someone he now knew would die without his aid. Last time he hesitated, but he was above that now and he'd even use the Zora Mask to help, as morbid as that was to think about. Link barely paid attention to how the waves gently knocked against his boots or how the salty sea air stung at his nostrils. Instead, he just focused on looking for Mikau or the seagulls attacking him.
Except…
"Hey, where is he? He was in this part of the Great Bay, right?" Tatl asked, scanning the water as well, but seeing nothing. That flock of seagulls was pretty big and was all but impossible to miss! Yet the birds weren't there, and the fairy even flew about near the water's surface, but saw no sign of the Zora either. Flying back to Link, she started to grow concerned. "I don't see him anywhere!"
But why? Where was he?! Link kept looking, but he saw no signs of Mikau at all! And he knew this was the right area! It had to be! The only thing he could think of was…! "Maybe we're too early. Maybe he doesn't appear until later." Granted, it wasn't all that much later in the day when the two arrived last time. They didn't go to Milk Road as fast and had to make a trip for the Powder Keg, and then there was a few extra minutes spent at Romani Ranch. But that was it! Termina Field wasn't as big as Hyrule Field, at least going to one of the areas in each compass direction, so the time difference really wasn't that huge!
"We'll just wait, then. And keep an eye out." Tatl suggested, turning back to the ocean, but still not seeing any signs of the injured Zora.
Without much else to do, that's just what the pair did. Link had the Zora Mask at the ready as they waited by the shore, the boy especially on high alert. Any time there was a larger wave of some kind, his gaze darted to the source of the noise, but Mikau was never there. Time went by painfully slowly, and eventually an entire hour passed but the Zora didn't appear. "I don't understand…" Link commented, looking up at Tatl. "Where could he be? We didn't get here this late last time."
Tatl was just as confused, scanning the water fruitlessly. Even if Mikau wasn't too visible, that flock of seagulls was impossible to miss! There was no way the both of them could miss that! Nothing they did could possibly affect Mikau's appearance either…unless…there was one thing. Slowly, she turned and looked at the Zora Mask and pointed at it. "…Is it that? His soul is in there…can two of someone's souls possibly exist at once?" It was a farfetched idea, sure, but it was the only thing that made any lick of sense.
Link glanced down at the mask too, his blood going cold in the warm beach air. While he was of course familiar with souls, he was hardly an expert. Did anything Tatl just said make any sort of sense? He really had no idea! At the very least, he could see some logic in it. It's not like there have ever been two or more versions of him and Tatl walking around, for instance. Maybe only one copy of a person, or their soul, was allowed to be in the same period of time?
But this meant that Link doomed Mikau. If he had just allowed the Zora to die on his own, there was at least a chance of him being saved in another Cycle. But now…if Tatl was right…then that one shot was it. Link completely ruined his chances of ever properly saving Mikau by turning him into a mask! And that meant Darmani III was gone forever too, his ghost surely now erased entirely!
With his own mask having broken recently and unleashing so much stress, Link was able to remain visibly calm, though inside he felt like he was going to throw up. "…So, he's gone. Really gone. Forever." The boy droned, keeping his voice level despite the despairing situation. Clearly, Mikau wasn't showing up and apparently never would.
Tatl frowned, wondering if Link would break again or not. "You shouldn't blame yourself." She quickly insisted, knowing that he was just about to do so. "How were you supposed to know that?" She still felt pretty bad for Mikau, just being erased like that! At least, in a way, he was living on…but then what happened to the Mikau of this Cycle? Did he ever exist at all? Did he just vanish when this Cycle started? Maybe it was best not to think about it too hard…
"It is my fault, though. I did this to him. And I can't even fix it." As horrid as Termina was, at least he was able to fix any mistakes he made. He had as many tries as he wanted to save someone or right some wrong…but Mikau and Darmani III were just…gone. Nothing he could do to help them! Even in a world where he could have as many chances as he wanted to make things right, he still found a way to permanently mess up…
"Link, that's so unfair!" Tatl snapped, trying a bit of tough love since Link was in a better emotional state. "You're really going to be mad at yourself for not automatically knowing this would happen?! You can't save everyone! You're not responsible for these people or what happened to Darmani and Mikau!"
Sure, he wasn't quite so responsible like he was in Hyrule, there he was a Child of Destiny, he was literally handpicked by the Golden Goddesses to save the kingdom, and he screwed things up. Here, he just stumbled into the situation with the Moon and Majora's Mask, but he was still the only one that could stop all the horrors Termina was facing. He may not be responsible, but he was the land's only hope.
"It's still something I did." Link insisted, but realized he couldn't stop and just give up. He still had so many other people to save. "We still need to get the eggs back." Trying to move on from his guilt, just pressing it down as best as he could, he still wanted to help Lulu.
Tatl sighed, knowing that starting the argument back up wouldn't help anything. "Fine, fine. Yes, the eggs. I don't know why we went to Lulu last time, she couldn't even talk to us. We'll need to find someone else to talk to about how to get to the Gerudos…"
Link was glad Tatl suggested not going back to Lulu. He already had to face the false Malon every time he came to the Great Bay, he didn't want to add the false Ruto to that list too. Even going back to Zora Hall was a nasty idea to him, though. So, thinking quickly, he pointed out the odd building out in the water with a giant hook on it. "What about there? If no one's on the beach, what about that place?"
The fairy looked at the building and hummed. "The guy there is some kind of scientist…I mean he is closer so…why not? If he lives here he probably knows about the Gerudos a bit…"
Relieved to hear that, Link put the Zora Mask back on before Tatl could change her mind. Once more, his form was stretched and twisted into that of Mikau's, the closest thing the Zora would ever get to living ever again. Ignoring the self-directed disgust, Link entered the warm, salty water. Thankfully, it was a very quick swim to the waterlocked building, Link not seeing any signs of fish or other living creatures beneath the waves.
Getting to the lower platform of the building, he climbed onto it and removed his mask. Tatl, just flying over, reached him at about the same time and perched onto his shoulder after the boy climbed the ladder. "What's the scientist like? Is he nice?" Link asked, feeling like he should've brought that up before swimming over.
"I mean, I don't really know him, but he seems nice I guess." She and Tael only encountered him a few times, and it wasn't like she wanted to hang around with some old guy all the time! "I don't know if he's even here anymore, I mean everyone else left…"
That was good enough for Link, who would rather take the chances with some unusual professor living in the water than risk seeing Lulu again. Without knocking, a concept still rather alien to him, Link simply opened the door and waltzed in.
Inside was a rather unusual home that didn't look too comfortable to stay in. The first thing the boy and fairy noticed was a massive water tank that took up an entire wall of the room, but held nothing in it. To their right was a much smaller tank that, surprisingly, had a few red fish swimming around it. And on the left was a table with numerous vials and flasks full of oddly colored liquids. Like all the buildings they entered, there was a clock ticking away perched on the wall.
Standing by the table in front of a closed door was an elderly man, his back was hunched, and his face was a tad bit unnerving. His face was more like that of a goat's, and his eyes were wide, but not from being startled, they seemed to just be that way and it was hard to look at. The man, surely the scientist Tatl spoke about, grinned at the two. "My, visitors? Haven't had one in ages!" He exclaimed. "Who are you two?"
Link paused for a second because after taking a look at the man for a few seconds more, he realized that the man was actually familiar! He had only seen his Hyrulian counterpart once, so even with his distinct look, the boy needed a moment to recall. The boy had been able to make himself visit Lake Hylia a few times during his stay in Hyrule Castle, whether it was with Malon or Ruto. Being so close to the Water Temple made him anxious, but it wasn't quite so bad compared to some of the other Temples. In any case, he saw the scientist from afar once, a hunchbacked old man that lived in a lab right near the lake. The two never spoke, but Ruto told him that the scientist had lived there for decades studying the body of water. Interesting how he lived at the ocean in Termina…
"My name is Link, and this is Tatl." The boy introduced, gesturing to the fairy. "We were hoping for a bit of help." It was good that the scientist wasn't someone Link truly knew. Yes, seeing a familiar face was always unnerving, but he could put up with it relatively easily if it wasn't a friend.
"Link and Tatl…I haven't seen a fairy in ages! They don't much like the water!" The scientist mused before shrugging the thought off. "If you need help about the ocean's unusual nature, I'm afraid I can't find the cause and can't help you."
The boy shook his head. "I need to know where the Gerudo are. How do I get into their hideout? Can you help with that?" If Mikau could get in, surely he could as well using Mikau's form…
"What?! Why would you want to do a thing like that?! That's so dangerous for a young man like yourself!" The professor crowed, eyes somehow getting even wider.
"It's not us that wants to go in!" Tatl intervened, thinking a lie up fast. "A Zora friend of ours wants to go in. Some Zora Eggs were stolen by the Gerudo, and he needs to get them back. He just sent us here to ask for a way in. That's all!"
Upon hearing that, the marine scientist took a few breaths, seeming relieved. "Oh, you nearly made my poor old heart give out!" He said with a light laugh. "I suppose if it's a Zora going in, that's not so bad. As it happens, I know how to get in. When I was younger, I discovered the hideout entrance by mistake. Those Gerudo pirates have been around for generations, you know!"
"Yes, yes, but how do we find it? Where is it?" Tatl pressed, wanting to get this egg situation done quickly. The two still had no idea where the Great Bay Temple was, but figured Link wouldn't enter it without rescuing the Zora Eggs anyway. They could find that information out later!
"It's to the south of here." The scientist answered simply. "Not too far down the coast, but you can't walk to it at all. It's built into the stoneface, you see, a big metal fortress! Under the waves is an opening that leads right into the base! No idea why it's there, but your Zora friend can get in easily."
That sounded pretty simple! Link was glad for that much at least. "Thank you. We'll tell our friend about this." He didn't like to lie, but it was better than leaving and coming back with the Zora Mask on.
"I wish him the best of luck. Actually…I say, he should bring the Zora Eggs here! If they've been far from their mother for too long, they'll need extra special care." The scientist explained, gesturing to the massive water tank. "Tell your friend to drop them in there, and I'll make sure they're nice and safe."
The scientist seemed like a nice man, and what would he want with the Zora Eggs? Granted, what would the Gerudo want with them? Either way, the boy felt like he could trust the old man and gave a nod. "We'll let him know, and he'll be back as fast as he can, thank you."
With that out of the way, the boy and fairy left the scientist as he kindly waved them off. After going back down on the lower platform outside, Tatl piped up. "Worked like a charm! Glad I thought of that lie, huh? I never actually went out that way before." She mentioned, looking down to the south. "Tael and I just stuck by here or went near Zora Hall. I guess this means you'll have to bottle me up, though…"
Indeed, Link had made sure to have an empty bottle just in case it was needed. "I'll try and make the trip into the fortress quick so you won't be in there for long." He promised, taking the item out of his bag. "Are you ready, Tatl?"
"Hey, not so fast! How about we actually reach the fortress first?" The fairy insisted, floating away from Link a bit. While she was the one to suggest the bottle idea, she wasn't exactly keen on entering one. She remembered hearing stories of nasty humans that would trap fairies in bottles and shake them or other nasty things. Then there were stories of humans that trapped Healing Fairies and forced them to use their magical properties as needed! Not that Tatl thought Link was capable of such things, but…
"That's a good point. We'll do it that way." Link said, keeping the bottle out as he took out the Zora Mask and donned it once. After being forcefully transformed, he still had his empty bottle in hand for the last leg of the trip. Stepping into the warm ocean water, he looked up at Tatl. "I'll stay near the surface so you can see me, okay?" After a noise of confirmation from the fairy, Link sank a bit below the surface and darted to the south. Even swimming as fast as he could, Tatl was still able to keep up with him easily. In a straight line like this, there was no creature he knew of that was faster than a fairy!
As the two went south, Link kept his eyes peeled for any sign of danger. There were apparently no fish in the area, but he was still weary of something attacking him from the murky waters. As he got farther from the shore and more into the open sea, he was especially anxious, feeling like he had to be aware of every direction at once or something would pop out at him! At one point, he even thought he saw something massive shifting in the distance…just close enough that he could vaguely see it in the murky water.
Yet, when he blinked, it was gone.
Thankfully, nothing impeded Link's progress as he made his way to the south, and it didn't take long before the two reached where the scientist had mentioned. Built into the rockface was indeed a giant metal structure, seeming to be little more than just a giant wall to hide the Gerudo's base within. It didn't look…right to Link.
Growing up, all the homes of Kokiri Village were made of trees, and it was all he knew for an entire decade save for the mysterious entrance to the Forest Temple. Then he left the confines of the Lost Woods he encountered houses made of dead wood and stone, the most stunning building being Hyrule Castle itself. When he first lived there, the stone walls and floors took some getting used to, the feeling of it against his feet or hands was a bit unnerving to him. Yet even that became normal for him after two years.
A structure made entirely of metal, however, was even more unnatural in his eyes. Metal was for weapons, shields, and armor, not to build a place for people to actually live! It seemed like it'd be so cold and miserable to be in that hideout for even a small period of time. Was the entire base like that, or was it just the wall…?
"Alright. This looks like the place. Ready the bottle…I guess…" Tatl still hated the idea of being put into one, but who knew what the hideout was like? She could fly over the wall, but who knew where the secret passage went to. The two of them could end up totally separated and unable to find each other!
Holding the bottle out of the water, Link uncorked it. "I'll be as fast as I can." He promised, watching as Tatl slowly descended into the bottle, hoping she would be okay. "Are you ready?"
"No." The fairy bluntly confessed, voice wavering in fear. Even though the whole bottle thing was her idea, she was quickly regretting it. Tatl thought she could handle it, especially because she deeply trusted Link, but actually floating down into one made her feel ill. "J…Just do it! Hurry up!" She demanded, trying to steady her breathing so she didn't use up all her air when the bottle was corked.
Link understood what was happening right away and felt bad for Tatl. He had the same mindset she did about the wall, though, and was afraid if she just went over as he went under, they may end up entirely separated! "Okay, just hold on…" Quickly, he corked the bottle and made sure it was in properly before diving under the water. Before doing anything else, he looked the bottle over, satisfied when he didn't see any water leaking inside of it. Glancing around, Link saw a perfectly rectangular hole in the metal wall that went beneath the waves. It was far too accurate to be anything but manmade! But the false Zora also saw something troubling…
Skeletal fish, all swimming towards him!
Despite what Mikau said, there were fish coming at him! Or at least their skeletons! Given their eerie nature, they had to be monsters born from the curse! Even in the murky water, Link was able to see they had glowing orange eyes that made him feel anxious. Why did they always have to be orange?! Also, he felt his fins stiffen, seeming to react to the danger. They felt like they could give an opponent a good whack or a slice, but rather than do either of those things, Link instead swam around them. The skeletal fish snapped at him, but all missed as his superior Zora speed made itself useful.
The bottle clutched tightly in his hand, Link swam into the rectangular hole, the fish skeletons following him for a few seconds before losing interest or maybe just realizing they'd never catch him. At this point, the false Zora's fins slackened as the danger passed, something he'd have to ask his companion about later on.
As the two escaped the unusual fish, Link and Tatl found themselves in a metal tunnel, one without a source of light, yet Link was able to see just fine somehow. Could it be his Zora eyes that allowed it? It made sense to him, he supposed. Though it wasn't as though the darkness meant too much, as there wasn't really anything to see in the tunnel. No branching pathways, no obstacles, no turns, just a straight shot for about half a minute. At that point, the tunnel went straight up, Link quickly ascending and hoped it lead to the surface. He had no idea how long Tatl could stay in that bottle!
The fairy was doing decently enough given her position. As soon as she saw those freaky skeletal fish, she screwed her eyes shut and refused to open them. Tatl did her best to just take shallow breaths to preserve the air for as long as possible, but she started to regret closing her eyes. Being trapped in a bottle was bad enough, but trapped in a bottle and not knowing where you were was worse. By the time she opened them again, the two were in the dark tunnel, and her small amount of light barely illuminated anything. At the very least, it soon felt like they were heading up! Just a bit longer in the glass prison, hopefully…
Before too long, Link and Tatl found themselves out of the tunnel and in a wider open span of water. Above them were objects moving about the surface which the false Zora quickly deduced were boats. Moving as far away from them as possible, Link slowly surfaced, only letting the top of his head peak out of the water. As he looked around, he lifted the bottle out of the water and let Tatl out.
As she flew out of the bottle, the fairy joined Link in looking about the place they found themselves in. Those objects on the surface were indeed boats, each having two women on them that moved the vessels about. Right away, Link recognized the sight of a Gerudo, the ones here in Termina mirroring the ones in Hyrule perfectly. Dark skin, red hair, piercing eyes, and even down to the poofy clothes that showed off their midriff. Over the last two years, Link had noticed a bit how nice pretty women looked…though he tended to be too busy with his internal struggles to think about it much. He just liked looking at them sometimes and he didn't really know why…
Aside from the Gerudos, the two saw that the entire fortress was made of the cold, grey metal that the wall was. Walkways, ramps, and doorways were built right into the rockface, a small tunnel leading deeper into the fortress. There were some guards along these walkways and paths, but the two also spotted things like crates and barrels that were perfect to hide behind.
"This place sure looks friendly…" Tatl murmured, taking a few deep breaths now that she had all the air she wanted. "Glad I'm out of that bottle, though…"
"I tried to go fast, I hope it wasn't too tough on you." Link replied sincerely, only able to imagine what such an experience would be like.
Tatl tried not to smile at Link's words, not that he'd easily be able to tell anyway due to her natural light. "Don't worry about it, let's just focus. I have no idea how big this place is or where those eggs might be…"
"Mmhmm…" Link was only half listening as he gazed at the Gerudo women before him. He recalled his run-in with them in Hyrule, and how he had been captured so easily! If it weren't for Zelda's aid, his quest could've ended right there. Since he started to live in the castle, the Princess told him that the Gerudo and the Hylians had drastically higher tensions than in the past. Many of the women were furious that Ganondorf was captured and executed, the race of thieves not yet having seen the true colors of their king.
For that reason, Link hadn't gone to the Gerudo Desert, or even the valley near it, a single time since his quest ended. That meant he never saw any Gerudo women, not even Nabooru, in all that time. The two had only known each other for a very brief period, but the boy still saw her as his friend, and he at times wondered if she felt the same way. She knew of Ganondorf's horrid ways, so she wouldn't be mad at Link for aiding in his arrest. He just didn't know if she ever really saw him as a friend or not. The boy also wondered if she tried to quell the anger of her fellow women, but Zelda had no information for him when he asked.
The boy's thoughts were interrupted as Tatl loudly cleared her throat. "Hey, come on! Are you really ogling the women?! We have a job to do!" She didn't take him as the type to do something like that…
Link glanced up at Tatl, shaking his head. "I wasn't ogling. I was thinking." Not about anything crucial to their goal, but it was still the truth.
"If you say so…" He was a boy like any other, his blatant mental issues aside. The fairy couldn't blame him for staring a bit. "But anyway, I have no idea where to even start. It looks like this is just the outer area, so let's head deeper inside!"
Shrugging off the awkward conversation, Link quietly nodded. Slowly and silently, he shifted around the outer edge of the area, keeping away from the Gerudo pirates on the boats so they wouldn't spot him. Granted, he was probably safe in the water, but if they saw him, they'd probably be on high alert for a long while afterward which would make things pretty tricky!
Tatl even dimmed her light as much as she could, though she never really stood out in the daytime. Thinking of that, maybe they should have entered at night instead. Who knew if Link would even be that patient, though? And who knew what the Gerudo were doing with the Zora Eggs? Why even steal those things in the first place…?
It took a bit of time, Link moving slow and steady to make sure he wasn't noticed, but he and Tatl made it to one of the ramps leading out of the water without being spotted. Thankfully, there were some crates nearby that the two ducked behind, Link removing his mask to make himself smaller and harder to spot. Glancing around the boxes, he and Tatl saw some Gerudo pirates patrolling the area, a few of them talking amongst themselves and not taking their jobs too seriously. With how tough it was for the average person to enter their fortress, they could hardly be blamed. It made the pair wonder just how Gerudo got in and out of their hideout. There had to be some secret entrance somewhere…
"You think I should act as a distraction? If they just see me, they wouldn't possibly know that you're here too." Tatl suggested. Even with Link's skills, she doubted he could handle fighting all the guards at once, let alone the inevitable reinforcements. And she knew he'd never be able to bring himself to seriously harm a human, there was just no doubt in her mind about that. It just didn't seem like Link at all!
Link considered that for a moment, but he remembered how much the Gerudo back in Hyrule despised fairies. Was that something that carried over to Termina too? They could very well attack Tatl who would surely be able to dodge around the assault, but the boy felt nervous about risking it. "No. But you're harder to spot, so I'll need you to peek out and tell me when there are openings."
Tatl decided to just trust Link's plan. It was blatantly obvious he had been on a quest of some sort in the past. No one got that good killing monsters by just sitting around all day or even just training at some child soldier camp or something. His actions shouted loudly that he had a great deal of experience in all sorts of dangerous, unusual trials. Maybe he had even done some sort of infiltration before! "Alright, fine. Let me just study their patterns a bit…"
The boy ducked behind the boxes as Tatl watched the guards for a few minutes. Assuming these pirates had organized routes, there had to be some sort of window in there where the two could slip by. If there wasn't, she'd have no choice but to be a distraction. Carefully, she eyed the guards one at a time, seeing where they went and how long they maybe lingered in one spot. She then tried to look in the general area all at once to see if they were any big gaps in their routine. It took some time, Link patiently waiting in his hiding place, but Tatl eventually felt like she had a grasp on it!
"You think there's an opening?" Link asked when Tatl flew down behind the box with him. He was feeling pretty nervous, not sure what he'd do if they got caught. The best he could come up with is just donning the Zora Mask, sprinting to the water, and swimming away. Though this would still surely put the pirates on high alert, forcing the pair to either wait for a day to pass so the Gerudo calm down or just turn the clock back. Having to go back to Romani Ranch a third time so fast was hardly a pleasant thought…
Then there was the case if the two were caught deeper in the fortress. Sprinting back to the water may not be an option if they went in too deep, especially since there was no telling how large it even was. At that point a quick Song of Time could be the only option. This was assuming he wasn't capture before then and stripped of all his items. At that point, all of Termina could very well be doomed if he wasn't able to escape or get the Ocarina of Time back…
Once more, Link was shaken out of his thoughts by Tatl. "Yeah, I think so. It's kind of a small timeframe, and you'll need to hide a few times before we get to the next area." It was lucky that there were barrels and crates along the way for Link to duck behind. "You ready?"
Link nodded, trying not to notice how hard his heart was beating. After a few moments, Tatl told him to quickly move forward. Keeping low to the ground, the boy moved as quick as he can, following the fairy's instructions as he ducked behind a nearby barrel. All the guards had their backs to him, so there was no issue.
Slowly, the two made their way across the area, Tatl carefully picking the times for her and Link to move forward. Things went smoothly, though there was a moment where, after ducking behind a barrel, a pirate walked by it and lingered for a moment, her back to the pair. She just stood there, looking at something the intruders couldn't see as they tried their best not to move an inch.
His heart slamming against his ribcage, Link especially felt the pressure. While he faced creatures in Termina that he did in Hyrule, found himself cleansing Temples, and even met copies of people he knew…this was just so similar to what he had done before that it struck him hard. Here he was, sneaking through the base of a group of Gerudo thieves as he tried to rescue something they stole away. He even relied on his fairy companion to aid him.
In his mind's eye, he kept seeing the Gerudo fortress from back home, and he was practically able to feel the hot air and dryness of the desert around him. As he stared at the Gerudo mere feet from him, the boy had to stop himself from breathing too deeply, but it just felt like he wasn't getting enough air! Without even thinking, he slowly moved his hand on his sword and gripped the hilt tight, prepared in case he was forced to use it.
Thankfully, Link didn't need to use his blade as the Gerudo eventually walked off back to her route. After she was out of earshot, the two started to breathe normally as Tatl checked out the area to help her companion progress.
Nothing as stressful happened again as the two carefully progressed through the area. Despite that, Link was feeling himself grow increasingly stressed the entire time, paranoid that a Gerudo would look over at the wrong time and spot them. Yet, that didn't happen, and after some sneaking, the pair arrived at the next area of the fortress.
This area wasn't quite so guarded, the pirates probably assuming few would get this far. Despite the large area, there were only three guards patrolling it. Like the part of the fortress before it, it was made mostly of ugly grey metal that made Link uneasy. The major exception was a tower in the middle of the area made of wood. It had a bridge attached to it, leading to a platform with a door.
"Where do you think we should go next?" Link asked quietly as he ducked behind a nearby crate. The pressure was getting to him, and he wanted to be guided by his fairy companion like he used to be back in Hyrule! Things seemed somehow easier when Navi was guiding him along and telling him what she thought the best path was. Tatl didn't do that as often, usually just giving him a direction to go to and trying to stop him from helping people…
Tatl had no idea why Link was suddenly asking for her advice, but she didn't question it. "Mmm…I mean that tower looks important. The room its attached to could be important!" Really, she was just throwing out an idea and had no idea how accurate it was.
In any case, getting there wasn't too hard because of how few guards there were. Tatl spent a few minutes getting their route down before sending Link forward at the right time. Soon, he had climbed the ladder to the central tower and crossed the bridge as he and Tatl entered the unguarded metal door.
To little shock, the interior of the base was also made of the plain, cold metal. The two found themselves in a hallway where at one point was a small area with a barred window. Slowly, they made their way forward, there being no guards in sight nor ones that could be heard. Yet as they passed by the barred window, a woman's voice yelled out that nearly made the intruders jump out of their skin!
"I've been waiting for you!" The women yelled, the voice coming from beyond the iron bars. Her voice sounded like it came from someone of authority!
Slowly and carefully, Link and Tatl looked through the bars to see what was going on. The two were able to peer into a room below them where numerous things of note could be seen. One was that there were several Gerudos in the room, and none were looking at the intruders. The shout was pure coincidence! Another thing of note was a large water tank that wasn't as large as the scientist's but was still massive. In it was a single large egg, surely one of the Zora Eggs! The third thing was there was a throne in the room, signifying this room was where the Gerudo pirate's boss spent her time. Finally, there was a precious looking treasure chest up against a far wall.
The Gerudo who yelled, one in red clothing, was glaring at another pirate in white. This latter woman had her shoulder hunched as if in shame and gulped audibly before speaking. "I'm sorry, I came here as fast as I-"
"Just tell me if you have the rest of the eggs, Kohmi!" The pirate leader hissed, crossing her arms in an annoyed way as she spoke to her subordinate.
Shaking her head, the Gerudo in white, Kohmi seemed like she was afraid of her leader. "No, Buliara, b-but you see, it wasn't our fault! The water is so odd and murky…and we were attacked by giant sea snakes!"
"Silence!" The leader, Buliara, sneered, causing the other Gerudo to flinch as if fearing being struck. "The Zoras will be looking all over for their precious eggs. If we don't hurry, they'll find them before we do! We only have four here now, but we have to get the other three before those snakes eat them!"
"Yes. Understood…" Murmured Kohmi, sulking as she walked off to the room's exit.
"Wait." The leader quietly commanded, stopping her subordinate. "You have to keep in mind how important this is! Those eggs are the only clue about the Dragon Cloud out at sea! If that imp in the mask was telling the truth…the Temple beyond the Dragon Cloud will have untold riches! We'll be set for life! Now, go find those eggs!"
At the mention of the riches, Kohmi was in much higher spirits, saluting her leader. "Yes, ma'am! Understood!" She loudly declared as she left the room.
Link and Tatl moved away from the window at this point. The boy remembered Buliara back from Hyrule…she was the Gerudo he fought to free the carpenters! Suppressing those thoughts, the two learned so much just then! "Now we know why they want the eggs so bad." Link said, speaking quietly in case the Gerudo below could hear. "There's even one in that room with them."
"And there are seven in all, three of them with some giant sea snakes! This is bad…" Tatl murmured but was more focused on something else. "The Skull Kid had to be the masked imp. I doubt there's any treasure in that Temple. It's probably a prank! That weird structure off at sea with the clouds must be what they were talking about…" So that was the Great Bay Temple the entire time!
"I think we should go for the other eggs first." Link insisted. "The ones here have to be safe, but not the ones with the snakes." Were there really snakes in the ocean? The thought alone was pretty terrifying to him! He recalled that massive shape he thought he saw in the water earlier…was that one of those snakes?
Tatl shook her head. "We don't know where those snakes are, though. We should keep looking here for clues." She paused as she heard a noise from beyond the bars. It was a buzzing sound! As she looked, she saw a nest on the ceiling, one home to Giant Bees! "As for getting to that egg, try shooting down that nest. The bees inside will scare them of!"
Link understood Tatl's logic about where the sea snakes were. The ocean was just so massive, he felt like he could search for days and not find the snakes. At her mention of a hive, he nearly reached for his bow, but stopped himself. "We don't know where this hallway goes. It could be the only way down to that room. If we scare them out, they might run right towards us."
"Good point…we'll scout ahead and come back to use the nest if we need to. Now come on!" Tatl insisted as the two went onward. Thankfully, no guards were in their path as the entered the room further down the hall. This room seemed to be a storage area with nothing but boxes, barrels, and sacks of foodstuff. There was one exception though in the form of a second water tank with a Zora Egg in it! "Hey! We found another one already, and it's unguarded!" The fairy exclaimed. "How many bottles do you have, by the way?" The eggs seemed just small enough to fit inside of one…
Making sure he had a few empty ones for just this occasion, Link shook his head. "I only have three. Maybe there's another one in here somewhere we can use."
"I won't give you the chance!" A woman's voice called. The two turned to see a Gerudo had somehow appeared without their knowledge. She wore orange clothing, and in each hand she wielded a scimitar. "You thought no one would notice you trespassing?"
Link's eyes widened as he instantly recognized the Gerudo as Aveil, the jailer from Hyrule that had been nice to him. Breathing heavily, he got his sword and shield prepared for a fight he desperately didn't want. "Let us have the eggs. They aren't yours and the Skull Kid is tricking you." Of all the Gerudo, why did it have to be Aveil?! Knowing how much Termina loved to torment him, he was assured her name actually was Aveil!
"You expect me to believe someone that snuck into our hideout and trying to rob us?!" Aveil demanded, brandishing her blades. "If you surrender, I won't hurt you. We'll just take all your things and throw in the brig for a few days!" Her tone was so harsh, so much unlike the Aveil from Hyrule…
He had no idea if he could trust her at all. It was possible he'd never get this things back, or the Moon would fall before they even considered releasing him! "I can't let you do that. And I don't want to fight you. There has to be some other way." Link flatly insisted, keeping free of emotion even in this situation.
Aveil gave Link a confused look, staring right into his dull blue eyes. From her expression, it seemed she was a bit unnerved regarding the boy's appearance and mannerisms. "No way, you little freak!" She growled, wasting no more time as she started to close the gap between the two.
"H-Hey, you're really going to fight a kid?! What's wrong with you?!" Tatl demanded, flying up higher to avoid getting mixed up in the battle.
The fairy's words fell on deaf ears as Aveil simply ignored her and swung at Link. Desperately, the boy blocked the attack with his shield, his arm shaking from the strength Aveil possessed. He let out a grunt of effort and managed to push her back, however, but stepped away from her rather than counterattacking.
"Not going to win like that!" Aveil barked, jumping at Link with an astonishing feat of acrobatics as she swung her swords in circles as she spun in the air.
Rather than even try to block the attack, Link ran from it and rolled out of the way before quickly getting to his feet. "Come on Link, you have to attack back!" Tatl exclaimed. "You don't have to kill her, just cut her!"
Even that was tough for Link to do. He remembered when he fought the Buliara of his world and how he never actually cut her. This time, there was no promise that he could get away if he managed to beat his opponent, so he wasn't sure if that would work! Maybe if he became a Goron, he could subdue her…but with the immense strength of that form, he could very well kill her by accident…
It looks like he had no choice.
Link charged Aveil, swinging his sword at her, but she easily blocked it and parried, nearly wrenching his weapon from his hand! Last time he had to do this, he was an adult wielding the Master Sword…but now he was smaller than his opponent and wielding a far less impressive blade!
The boy backed away as Aveil sliced at his side in a wide horizontal swing, but he wasn't cut! Just like last time, he was saved by a blessed tunic. While the attack still hurt and would surely leave a bruise, it didn't actually cut him as he was sent stumbling a bit.
Thankfully, Aveil was startled by this enough for him to get his footing. "A magical tunic, eh? I've never seen one before!" She admitted, growing more amused.
In a desperate display, Link dashed forward and sliced at her arm, the attack swift and shallow while actually managing to hit! The wound wasn't remotely severe, though blood started to ooze out of the wound, much to Aveil's fury as she kicked Link in the chest, sending him sprawling. As he tried to get up, her swords came down in an 'X' slice, which he blocked with his shield.
Once more, his arm shook as he blocked Aveil's attack, and he let out a grunt as he slammed his foot into her leg, causing it to buckle a bit and the attack to stop enough for Link to roll out of the way. Once more, he attacked desperately, not wanting to hurt Aveil, but having no choice.
He swung in a horizontal arc as Aveil started to get up, his eyes widening as the blade neared her throat! But it was too late to stop the attack as his sword grew closer and closer to the exposed flesh. Link's heart practically stopped bleeding as a flash of light reflecting from a weapon temporarily blinded him and he felt blood running down his face.
Scampering back, he looked to Aveil in horror, expecting to her throat slit open and her lifeless corpse on the floor…but that's not what he saw. He saw his opponent standing mere feet from him, panting but very much on her two feet, her throat entirely untouched. In fact, there wasn't a second wound on her.
So why was blood running down his face?
His entire body felt numb, and he reached up and dabbed his finger onto his cheek, pulling it back to see the familiar red of blood. Not Aveil's? There was something else sliding down his face, but he didn't reach up to see it. Link started to feel dizzy, so out of sorts that he barely noticed Tatl screaming something at the top of her lungs. He didn't even comprehend what she said. The boy was just so confused. Whose blood was on his face? What happened? Why was his body so numb?
Why couldn't he see out of his right eye?
A/N: It's kind of weird how tiny and relatively calm the Great Bay area is compared to the swamps or mountains. Just a beach, the Zora Hall, the Pirates' Fortress, and then the Temple itself. Not so much ground to cover as before, and getting around is way easier, especially with the Zora Mask. Not much other stuff to see, though I did not forget about the Oceanside Spider House. I'm not entirely sure if I'll cover it, since unlike with the other Spider House, the prize isn't a mask or anything like that, just a wallet upgrade that Link doesn't need. Seems like it'd just be a waste of time to write out even half a chapter covering it. I might just do something where it's very briefly covered in a paragraph or two, we'll see. Zora Hall will be visited again before the Great Bay Temple is gone through, by the way. I know none of the other band members have appeared, but they will. Sadly I can't think of any convenient way for the Beaver Bros. to appear as unusual as they are. Maybe I'll work out some way to squeeze them in, we'll see.
As for the Pirates' Fortress, it is quite a big repeat of how things went in Hyrule with Link having to dodge around Gerudo guards with the aid of a fairy. So I don't want to focus too much on the sneaking, as it'd get redundant pretty quickly if I described every little detail. I'm sure not many people will mind...