CW we are shredding apart monsters. Graphic descriptions of violence ahead.
Hello, my friends! A new chapter one day early, because I have little self-control and the Lakebed Temple has been an arc I've been excited to get to for a long while now. This is the arc that killed my motivation for the original story, and also the arc that broke my writer's block when I returned for this rewrite. I have come to really love it, and I hope you do too!
Chapter 21 - A Temple Now Tarnished
The sun was just beginning to brush the peaks of Zora Palace when Isha emerged from the stone fortress, weapons and a new waterproof supply pack strapped to her back. She once more donned the outfit that Lanayru had given her, with its fancy supposed protection stitched into the collar and gloves. The longer she had to stew on everything the Light Spirits had said, the less she believed in them. With any luck, she would not need to rely on Lanayru to see her through this mess… but the clothing itself was durable and well-suited for travel. She hoped it would wear well under the armor.
Since they were going to be at the bottom of Lake Hylia all day, Isha opted to dive into the river and take the Zora's way down to the central pool. It would be quicker than walking down the cliff paths, anyways.
Though was a cool morning, the water held its warmth. Isha embraced it with a smile. As eager as she was to get a move on, she'd miss the Zora and their marvel of a domain. Maybe she could have a painting commissioned of the place when she was settled in her future home, wherever that would be.
The large waterfall emptying into the center of town was quite easy to navigate heading down - just close her eyes and let gravity do the rest. Free-falling was hardly graceful, but there were few out this early, so Isha shoved aside her self-conscious concerns and let the falls carry her down.
The landing could have been smoother. Isha surfaced and made for the walkways that would cut back up into the cliffsides. Unlike at the top of the village, the sun hadn't even considered gracing this part of the domain yet with its warmth. She was guided only by the luminescent moss that inhabited the nooks and crannies of stone and the blue-hued lamps that hung outside shops and on street corners.
The Hammerhead was just up a few levels up from here. Her heart beat faster with every step she took.
It wasn't Isha's intention to be so early, nor so quick to get moving - the Zora joining her would likely not be around for at least another hour or so. But she couldn't help it, couldn't slow down her quickening pace as every footfall on stone took Isha closer and closer to a little taste of her dreams come true.
Magic armor, magic item, magic fetch quest, a team of fighters, and an army of bad guys. Without a doubt, this was the kind of adventure Isha had prayed for. Circumstances be dammed, she was excited!
To Isha's surprise, the door to Dento's workshop was already open, and a fiery glow could already be seen emanating from within. Of course a master of his trade would not allow the sun to beat him to the day.
She stepped over the threshold to find not one but two Zora standing tall at the far end of the room. Dento was reading over a note in his hands while Mikas leaned against a nearby worktable, steel-plated arms crossed over his broad chest. Mikas straightened up when he met Isha's eyes, his decorative armor catching the light of the forge.
"Well, at least I'm not embarrassingly early," she smiled.
"Never too early to get junk out of my shop. Two fitted suits takes up quite a lot of workspace, you know!" Dento huffed, setting aside the note. He turned around and pulled two bundles from the counter behind him. "I suppose you didn't make me wait too long..."
"Is this the girl?" A feminine voice rang from behind Isha before she could cross the door. Isha turned with a start to find a very large Zora filling the alleyway behind her. She was adorned in beautiful chain armor, but Isha's eyes were drawn immediately to the hulking weapon that she bore across her back. It was a huge longbow, its spine a beautiful tapestry of designs and patterns that Isha desperately wanted to get a closer look at. Even in the darkness of pre-dawn, the bow gleamed with the shine of a silver rupee.
"Isha, right?" The Zora extended a webbed hand. Her scales were the color of a raging storm. "Aphura. Beautiful, strong, and talented sister of everyone's favorite brute. I'm sure he and my father have gone on and on about how great I am already."
Isha smiled and accepted the handshake. "Looking at your weapons, I assume you… what, carry water for the soldiers?"
Aphura's jagged teeth gleamed in the lamplight. "Oh, I'm gonna enjoy you."
Mikas had crossed the maze of a workshop by now. He gently grabbed Isha's arm and shoved himself into his sister.
Oh man, she's even taller than him… Isha could easily see the resemblance between the two.
Mikas guided both back out into the alley. "Please be normal," he growled to Aphura.
Isha looked pointedly at the scaled hand still on her arm. "Hello to you, too."
She hadn't seen Mikas since their argument two days ago. If they were walking into danger together, Isha wanted to make sure they'd resolved whatever tension still lingered.
Mikas didn't seem to know where to look. "Hey," he croaked, pulling back sheepishly.
"The woman finally gives you the sense to talk again, and all you can say is 'hey'?" Aphura threw her arm around her brother. "Is it because I'm here? Think you gotta be all cool for your big sister? I can break the ice with some embarrassing childhood stories if I need to!"
"Stop," Mikas ducked her arm. His nervous eyes darted to Isha, who was doing quite a great job of keeping her face straight. They reminded Isha of a pair of siblings that she once taught, who found ways to get under each other's skin even from opposite corners of the room. How she missed those two…
"..But seriously, thank you. I've been prayin' to hear his voice again for years." Aphura pulled Isha into a tight hug and out of her memories. Oops. Had she always been so quick to get lost in her own mind?
"Oh, uh, yeah." Isha awkwardly returned the hug. Her eyes immediately fixed onto the Zora's bow. It was covered in glyphs much like the rest of the domain. What kind of stories did Aphura carve into the spine of such a weapon? There were numerous chips in the silver finish where it had been nicked in combat, but it did little to hinder the bow's striking looks.
Gods, it's gorgeous.
"Can't wait to see what you're capable of down there," Aphura said as she pulled away. "I hear you can actually hit your targets sometimes. That'll be a great change from the help I usually have." She jerked her thumb at her brother.
"Help yourself next time!" Mikas threw his hands up and returned to the workshop, much to Aphura's clear delight.
She dangled an arm off Isha's shoulder. "I'll live to be a thousand years old now that I can get a proper reaction out of him."
"He seems pretty moody today," Isha tried not to let her disappointment show. Is he…mad at me?
"Kid's just worried," Aphura shrugged. "It's all he knows to do. Don't take it too personally, he's worried about me comin' on this trip. Me. Like he doesn't know who I am."
Isha decided not to mention that she also did not know who Aphura was. She certainly struck an intimidating figure and had the right attitude to be some sort of local so-and-so. The glimpses of muscle that showed through her intricate armor hinted at what strength lay underneath.
The tall Zora was already motioning for Isha to follow her back inside and shouting for the blacksmith. "Denny, toss me her armor. The sooner we get her dressed, the sooner you can get to your knitting!"
Dento scowled but did as she commanded with little complaint. Metal chinked as the bundle flew across the shop and into the expectant arms of Aphura. Her flashy grin reflected the glow from the forge. "C'mon, minnow. Time to get your big-girl fins."
By the time the full team had assembled at The Hammerhead, Isha was feeling quite comfortable in her armor. The full-body suit was heavy when she first worked it on over her clothes, and the flippers were a struggle to walk with. Aphura walked up and down the road outside Dento's alongside her, showing Isha how to roll from heel to toe, how to twist and turn her feet so that she wouldn't drag or trip over her own toes.
When her steps evened out, an eager Aphura lifted the girl high above her head and chucked Isha into the central pool.
"Sink or swim!" she cackled.
As soon as Isha's body hit the water, the armor's weight lifted. It felt as though the suit moved for her, guiding her muscles to push aside the resistant water as if it was light as air.
Her helm was similar in fashion to the other Zoras', complete with a "tail" that kept her long hair secured and out of the way. Unlike the Zora, though, this helm had an added lower mask that turned water to air using some unknown-to-her enchantment. Isha took a few tentative breaths through her facemask and found sweet, beautiful air.
The pool around her slowly revealed its secrets. Amongst vibrant beds of colorful kelp and forests of freshwater coral were tunnels delving into the mountains. Strange glowing crystals lit the way down these tunnels. Each tunnel was surrounded by different patterns at the entrance.
Aphura joined Isha at the bottom. "How's it feel?" she asked the young Hylian, her voice muffled by the water.
"Amazing! Where do those lead?" Isha spoke each word with caution, her common sense telling her she would be choking on river water any second now. Still, only fresh air reached her nose and lips.
"Homes, shrines, stuff we don't want any old Hylian stickin' their nose into," the Zora winked and withdrew a halberd from her back that had gone entirely unnoticed by Isha. The steel handle alone was nearly as tall as the Zora herself. The broad, sweeping head of the axe was painted in streaks of pink and orange, like a sky just before the dawn. A jagged hook at the back took a curve almost half the length of the head, and was sharpened to a fine point.
It would have been an entirely impractical weapon to wield underwater with its great size, yet Aphura swung it effortlessly, with one hand. "No more gawking!" she barked. "I'm gonna have you swimmin' and fightin' like a proper Zora before we leave. Is that broken spear your only melee?"
Isha released her staff from its holster and held it diagonally across her chest. "It's just like that, I don't know. The stones are pretty sharp though. It held back shadow beasts, so I feel it's the best weapon I'm going to find."
Aphura placed one finger at the tip of the stone and wiggled the weapon back and forth in Isha's grasp. The Hylian's attempts to hold still while hovering in the water made Aphura laugh. "I can work with this," She said after a moment, pushing Isha back. "Let's dance."
Initially, it took Isha several minutes just to get used to swimming the way Aphura commanded her to. The movements felt strange, for the Zora used far more of their core to move about the water than Hylians did. Aphura came at her with her weapon brandished, smacking Isha with the broadside or the handle when she was too slow to protect herself. The Zora assured Isha that her armor would withstand the abuse.
The awkward dance continued, and Isha's movements became smoother with the passing minutes. The water stopped half-fighting her at every change in direction. She dipped under the sweeping halberd, and the water carried her around to Aphura's unguarded side. She tapped the Zora with her staff and laughed in her victory.
Aphura brought her axe upwards to swing again, but Isha shot up and away with the same movement. She weaved about the coral and aquatic plant life. Multicolored fish zipped from their hiding spots in the shadows and wove about her legs, as if to chastise her for the disturbance.
They fled when Aphura zipped past, in hot pursuit of the Hylian.
A fist sailed just past Isha's ears. She threw herself downwards, kicking out a leg and hitching a ride on the currents that wrapped around Aphura. Isha grabbed for the Zora's weapon and threw her whole body into the warrior.
Aphura, of course, did not even budge from the contact, but stopped their scrap and held up an approving thumb all the same. "You're getting the hang of it!"
Isha beamed at the praise.
Peras, Zepin, Mikas, and Valan joined them at the bottom of the pool a short while later, bringing an end to their spar. Isha gave her thanks once more to Aphura for her time - it had done wonders to ease her nerves.
"Let's get a move on!" Peras urged them downriver. He and Zepin would lead the way.
Mikas and Isha took up the rear of the group. "Hey," Isha called to him over the current slipping past. Mikas turned to face her, an invitation to continue. "Are we good?"
He glanced away sheepishly.
"Peras told me about the state of the temple. I get it and I'm not upset with you for worrying about my safety, if that's what's bothering you. I wish we could have talked things out."
Mikas looked ahead to his sister, who was swimming circles around Valan. The soldier dove in close to Isha, who slowed in surprise. He brought his face close to hers and pulled her along with one arm wrapped about her torso. "Sorry for overreacting." She could hardly hear him over the roar of the water rushing past.
"I won't hold it over your head. I've never overreacted in my life, I imagine it's a very unnerving feeling," Isha replied with an unseen smirk.
Mikas rolled his eyes and released her, but stayed close. The river's natural current spurred them along, and Isha relished in the experience of gliding through crystal waters at such speed. Her scaled armor caught sunbeams that penetrated the depths of the river, glinting a beautiful, deep violet and indigo spectrum with every movement. In the excitement of the morning, Isha hadn't taken the chance to truly appreciate the work of art she now wore.
Real scales were woven into the leather outer layers, which channeled the water around her as if it were the breeze dancing through blades of grass. It allowed for movement at speeds Isha had never once imagined of reaching on land, and felt an awful lot like what she imagined flying would feel like. I bet I'm even faster than Epona!
Perhaps she'd convince Link to agree to a land-versus-sea race before she left the kingdom.
The trip down Zora's River that might have taken half the day by foot flew by in a mere half-hour. Isha's confidence grew with each bend in the river and white-water rapid they had to navigate. Even as the water grew more shallow and she was forced to use her hands and legs to kick off the riverbed to change direction at times, she kept her eyes on the Zora ahead and felt little more than pure joy.
Debris from the flood could still be found lodged in submerged rocks and floating in huge masses at the surface, creating quite the obstacle course for the party that was trying to travel in a tight group. Zepin, Peras, and Aphura opted to leap out of the water and over any snags they came across. The three goaded each other on, claiming each jump was higher or more graceful than the other.
Isha dared not try emulate them, certain she'd only make a fool of herself. She followed Mikas through the rougher waters, counting on his instincts to be her guide when the river cut through mountain tunnels and a lack of sunlight greatly limited their visibility. He looked back occasionally to make sure she still followed.
Finally, they left the shadow of the final mountain tunnel. The landscape ahead opened up to the beautiful basin of Lake Hylia, aglow in the morning light. The swells of the great Hylia Waterfall churned ahead. Mikas looked to Isha as they reached the crest, his eyes twinkling from under his helm. Before Isha could challenge whatever he was thinking, he dipped under her and pulled her arms around his shoulders. He picked up speed as soon as she got a tight grip and dipped well below the surface.
Isha went to protest, but they were going so fast. She clung to Mikas like a child on the back of a runaway stallion. In a breath, they broke the surface of the water and left it far behind.
The rest of the Zora took to the air alongside them, a rainbow of scales shimmering in the morning light. River spray was sent flying from their leap, catching sunbeams and further adding to the magical feeling that poured over Isha. Time seemed to slow. Nothing but air rushed past them - it was as if they'd all grown wings. With the way their arm-fins all fanned out in the wind, the analogy felt especially fitting.
Aphura laughed from close beside her, but Isha didn't care how stupid she looked, with her hands thrown out wide and her legs wrapped about Mikas' waist. She'd never felt so free in her life.
All too soon, their flight turned into a dive. Six bodies sliced the surface of the lake. Isha released her grip on Mikas, treading water and trying to catch her breath. It was a strange feeling while several feet underwater, but sweet air filled her lungs all the same. Her heart was pounding in her ears.
Wherever in the world Isha went, this armor was coming with her. She would learn how to leap from the water just like them.
"Makes ya wish you were one of us, doesn't it?" Aphura practically read her mind. She looped her arm through Isha's. "Call me biased, but Zora are the best evidence we have of the Divine."
The Hylian rolled her eyes - like she needed any more proof of that. Aphura's confidence was endearing, though. "Yes, because seeing Zora swim with skill is so unheard of, it would make anyone believe in the Gods."
"Well, I've never known Hylians to be all that bright. They might need a sign so obvious," Aphura winked, then pulled Isha ahead. The party made their way to Lanayru's spring, where the Zora would offer prayer to Lanayru before they entered her defiled temple to spill the blood of monsters.
Isha was last to step onto the stairs of the shrine. Lanayru's cave yawned open before them, feeling even more daunting than the last time she'd been here. The twin snake statues guarding the entrance gazed downward, as if debating whether or not to come alive and turn them all into a light breakfast.
The Zora disappeared into the cavern, and Isha remained on the steps. Lanayru did not need her prayers, and likely didn't want them.
Isha scanned the horizon, half-expecting Link to pop over the nearest hill at any moment. Somehow, things were going her way. There was no sign of anyone for miles, no sounds of footfalls in the grass. Maybe Telma got to him, and he finally stopped worrying about me so much, she thought with a twinge of disappointment. Perhaps she'd been a bit too quick to reject his help.
Not much I can do about it now though. Isha turned her thoughts to lighter, more mundane things, like the calm majesty of Lake Hylia in the morning light.
Once everyone returned from their moment of spirituality at the spring, Peras led all but Valan into the lake. The aged Zora gave Isha one final hug before they parted.
"Thank you for helping my son find his voice again," he whispered while they were close.
Isha pulled back with a smile. "He always had it. I think he just needed a fresh perspective."
She turned to leave, but then stopped. She toed the dirt with a flippered foot. "Um. If Link…" her teeth dug into her bottom lip.
"Bah. Never mind." She could apologize in person, when all this was over.
Isha turned before Valan could question her and raced to the water, where everyone else had already slipped under the surface. She pulled her breathing mask into place just before she dove. Her eyes adjusted to the underwater light in quick order thanks to the eye-guards of her helm. The rest of the party was just beneath her, swimming towards the shadow-laden bottom.
The deeper they dove, the colder the water grew. Light struggled to reach this far down, even through Lake Hylia's clear waves. The underwater shelves and bluffs became more visible as the vegetation grew more sparse.
Isha instinctively moved closer to the nearest Zora, who happened to be Zepin. "Quite the ghost town down here, huh?"
Isha nodded. "Cold, too."
"Don't worry, the temple stays comfortable year-round. You can always snuggle up Mikas if you get too cold, though. I'm sure it'd make him happy," he said with a grin.
"Jealousy isn't a good look, Zepin. I wouldn't dream of stealing him from you." She winked and charged forward without waiting for a response. She was far more interested in the pillars that were looming out of the darkness below than she was Zepin's nonsense.
The other Zora gathered near a large boulder embedded in the wall. The deepest part of Lake Hylia took the shape of a massive crater. There were six smooth pillars at the center, five standing tall and pristine. A sixth one was little more than a pathetic imitation of the others, having been worn down by the elements. It was hardly half the height of the others, and there was no sign of the rubble that should have been its missing top.
Isha slowly circled one of the intact columns, brushing her gloved hand over its surface. The slightest ridges and bumps told her that these were once just as ornate and decorated as the rest of the Zora architecture, but had likely been worn away over the centuries. What stories did its artwork hold that were now lost to the whims of nature?
"Isha!" Peras' voice reminded her that she was not alone, nor was she here on a sight-seeing trip. She rejoined her companions and apologized meekly.
Aphura took Isha in a headlock and rubbed her fist on the girl's helm. "Stick close, ya damn tourist."
Zepin and Peras stood on either side of the rock in the wall and placed their hands upon it. Both were glowing.
"Crumble."
With a flash, the boulder faded to less than dust, mixing and disappearing into the water. In its place stood the mouth of a small cave. Peras unlatched the trident he carried on his back and turned to face everyone. "From here on out, we'll need to stay on our toes. This tunnel is pretty narrow and dark. Isha and Aphura, I want you both to guard our rear. Mikas, take the lead."
The ever-silent soldier nodded and disappeared into the tunnel. Isha clutched her staff tightly and looked at the strange stones embedded in its head. You'd better be worth something, she thought. She'd taken great effort and expense to waterproof the damn thing. She was tired of all her weapons breaking or getting lost.
Isha remained focused on Zepin ahead, who she could barely see once they left the lakebed behind. The tunnel went straight for a while, as dark and suffocating as Peras had indicated. Her foot brushed something hard and Isha nearly jumped out of her skin. Aphura laughed and assured her that it was only a rock.
Ahead, Zepin suddenly jerked upwards, and Isha could just barely make out a wall looming ahead of her. She twisted her torso to follow him, kicking off the wall when her turn wasn't as quick as she'd hoped it would be. Far above, she could just barely make out the promising sign of a golden light.
She glanced back to find Aphura absent. Isha stopped suddenly, her heart jumping into her throat. Where-
"Shell blade! Move your ass!" An indigo-scaled body slammed into Isha from out of the darkness, propelling her upwards and knocking the wind from her lungs. Her ears popped at the swift change in pressure, but she barely had time to focus on that. From over Aphura's shoulder Isha witnessed a gaping maw snapping out from the shadows. Its teeth were jagged and as long as one of Isha's arms. The mouth itself nearly took up the entire span of the tunnel.
Isha's back slammed into Zepin just before the three of them broke the surface and went flying through the air. Aphura landed on her feet, still half-carrying, half-dragging her human charge. Zepin landed less gracefully on his back next to them.
The maw followed, and Isha finally got a good luck at the shell blade. It looked like two seashells hinged together, if seashells had jagged, blood-stained ridges that acted as teeth for a ravenous mouth. In between the shells writhed and pulsed a strange red mussel. The creature's mouth clamped down on the rim of the tunnel they'd all just come from, and stuck hard in the floor. Cracks split the tile aggressively, but the shell blade appeared to be stuck fast.
Out of the water and in the light, it was a less intimidating creature than Isha had first thought. Peras approached carefully and jammed his trident between the two shells, skewering the mussel inside. With a few brutal jabs, the monster ceased its struggling and the lower shell dropped away. Peras kicked the rest of the body back into the water, where it sunk with little fanfare. Isha could only stare at the cracks in tile that were left behind by the beast's bite.
"Thanks for the boost, but could you be a little more gentle next time, Aph?" Zepin groaned, rubbing his backside as he wobbled to his feet. "Great Lanayru, that could have gone poorly."
Isha finally pulled herself away from the Zora who'd nearly crushed her ribs. "What was that?"
"Shell blade. They're fast, in short bursts and straight lines. Faster than most of us," Peras explained. "They use the element of surprise to get an edge over their prey. In wider spaces, they're little more trouble than a snapping turtle of the same size. But in a small tunnel like this?" He whistled. "They're a surprisingly difficult foe. Are you okay, Aphura?"
"Yeah," she was checking her right foot, and hardly sounded concerned. "Bastard scraped my flipper but only took a few scales."
Once they recovered from the event, the party approached the only door in this empty domed room. It was far less decorated than anything Isha had seen in the village. The Zora Sapphire carving at the center was its only ornamentation.
Mikas tapped the symbol, and the spheres filled with a deep sapphire light. His hand flicked upwards and the door began to rise.
"Isha, welcome to our sacred temple," Peras said grandly, gesturing beyond the door.
A bridge framed in lattice stonework stretched over a rushing river that seemed to run the length of the room. It was too dark to see much detail, but she could see that the bridge floor was laid with shells and worn more in the center than at its edges. The echoes of roaring water off the walls told her that the room was much larger than this small little stretch showed.
At the far end was another door, but this one was in a state of miserable disrepair. Parts of the door had crumbled away, revealing a glimpse of the brighter room beyond.
Or, it would, if there wasn't a mass of bipedal lizards carrying curved swords staring back at her from the other side. Their tongues flicked the air, and their yellow eyes seemed to pierce the dim light of the ruined temple. They'd formed makeshift barriers out of various junk and debris, piled on both sides of the door.
It was as if they were waiting for the Zora to come clean them out.
Isha ducked back behind the doorframe. "Guess we're really jumping right into it, aren't we?"
"You and Aphura provide us covering fire until we can break into that room," Peras instructed. "We'll do our best to stay out of your line. Be prepared to join us as soon as you're through."
Isha nodded, switching to her bow and trying not to be distracted by the absolute beast of a woman next to her and her absolute beast of a bow. When Aphura knelt at the other side of the door frame and drew back the string, Isha wasn't sure which was more beautiful: weapon or wielder.
That's going to be me someday.
A sack bumping at her hip reminded Isha of her little experiments with Barnes. The idea came to her in an instant. She withdrew a few small pouches filled with coarse explosive powder and held them up for the others to see. "Before you go charging in, mind if I take care of that little barricade they've set up?"
"I got every bed but room four, boss," a pile of sheets called to Telma as it shuffled into her breakroom. The barkeep looked up, a bemused smile upon her lips.
"Think that fellow is dead to the world," the sentient laundry continued. A spindly pair of legs protruded from underneath, carrying itself to the washtub in the corner.
Kili dropped the laundry into the tub and brushed her palms together. "Phew! All in one trip!" She flicked her lavender hair over her shoulders and looked to Telma for approval.
"You know there's no reward for overburdening yourself, honey," Telma said, rising from her seat at the small wooden table where she'd been going over her books for the month. "I'd rather you make two trips than fall and hurt yourself because you can't see where you're going!"
"But I like doing it!" she giggled. "Besides, the sooner I get this done, the sooner I can go watch Purlo's acrobatics!"
Telma shook her head and smiled, leaving the girl to the washing. When Telma had closed the bar down for a few days, her employees were forced to find new ways to kill time. Kili had taken to catching local acts and street shows, and now she could hardly breathe without mentioning her latest favorite so-and-so at this or that street corner. Kili was as bad as any city tourist, and Telma had little interest in her vapid stories. Hardly any substance with that child.
However, Kili had a bubbly personality, a lovely face, and workhorse attitude. Telma kept her around and paid her well. Maybe a bit too well, judging by the recent dip in her books…
Well, never mind that. The girl had her uses, and deserved her wages.
Telma tutted to herself as she approached the door of room four, where a swordsman slept half his morning away. She'd told the man last night that she didn't know the first thing about how a Hero knows when to be where he is needed most, but Telma did know he'd never figure that out for himself if he slept through the end of the world.
She rapped lightly on the door. "Wake-up call!"
There was no response, so she tried again. Her knock stronger, her voice a bit louder. "Link! Wake-up call!"
Something soft and dense thunked against the door. "Didn't order any."
"Tch." Telma reached for her master key. "Don't you go throwing my nice pillows, young man!"
She swung open the door, starting the swordsman awake. He scrambled to pull the covers over his torso, as though she hadn't seen a man in his underwear before. "Sorry, Telma! Gods, you don't have to yell!"
"Mhmm." Telma bucked her hip against the frame and held the door aside with her foot. She looked pointedly to the decorative pillow that lay just beyond, then back at Link. He followed her gaze, and his face fell.
"Sorry," he grumbled and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Wasn't thinking."
"You're lucky they're old and cheap," Telma snatched up the pillow and threw it back to him. Link caught it, of course. Damn warriors and their reflexes.
"Now, I'm here because I need to know if you're going to be occupying this room another night. My housekeeper is in, and if you're not stayin', she needs those sheets washed and ready for the next visitor."
"Right." Suddenly, he was unconcerned about modesty. Link shoved the bountiful sheets away and jumped to his feet. "I'm leaving. I'll be out in ten."
"When was the last time you bathed?"
The man winced. "Be out in thirty."
Telma smirked and let the door close behind her. At least Isha couldn't say that Telma didn't do exactly as she asked. She only hoped the girl had enough time away to get over whatever she'd been going through. With the way the world was headed, there were few better friends to keep close than one who bore the mark of the Triforce.
Link allowed Telma to delay him for one last fresh meal before he hit the road. He thanked her for her hospitality and promised to return to join her Resistance officially. When he finally took his first steps out into the midday sun, Link's heart felt troubled, though he believed he should be feeling quite light.
Every step towards the edge of town was another step closer to the end of this leg of his journey. Would Midna bother to stick around long enough to introduce herself to Isha and finally answer some of Link's burning questions, or would she disappear as soon as the last Fused Shadow was in her magical hand without so much as a goodbye? Though he desperately wished for the former, he feared the latter was more likely.
Midna hadn't seemed all that angry that he'd stopped at Telma's for the night, though she did take issue with the idea of him staying any longer. Aside from a brief appearance to take his extra carry-ons into her endless pocket-voids, the imp had barely interacted with Link at all once he confirmed his intent to stop delaying. He felt that such things shouldn't bother him, but they did. Greatly.
As he trudged passed the stables, Link's thoughts turned to his chestnut mare. He'd made the difficult decision to leave Epona behind for now. Telma had promised to come around every day when she visited her own steed, but he knew his horse would be quite upset that she was left in an unfamiliar place for so long without his company. Epona would require many treats before she forgave Link for such a horrible crime.
Once he'd made it well outside of the city, Link removed his green cap, waking Ooccoo from her nap. "Thanks again for your patience, Ooccoo. I'm ready to call upon that favor."
She trilled, stretching and stepping to perch on his arm. "You've been most kind to bring me so far, adventurer! I've quite enjoyed seeing this part of Hyrule!" She looked about and clucked. "Hm. Yes. I can get you to the large Lake to the east. That's your destination, yes?"
Link nodded. "As close to Lanayru's spring as you can get me. Will you be alright on your own?"
"Don't worry about me! I'll be sending myself somewhere else when we part! I think I know where my next adventure awaits. I do hope we'll see each other again!"
The hero smiled. The strange creature had been so nice. Maybe she wouldn't haunt his nightmares too terribly. "Take care then, Ooccoo."
Ooccoo hopped from his arm and to the ground. She waved a wing in the air. "Now, be off!"
In a blink the world around him blurred. Link's feet went from solid ground to uneven rock, and his balance shifted. He pitched forward and had just taken in enough of his new surroundings to see that he was at the edge of a rocky bluff when the sensation of falling struck cold fear into his heart.
Flaming orange hair constricted his middle, halting his momentum. Link released an undignified squeak, and Midna struggled to control her laughter as she righted him back upon the bluff. As soon as his boots touched solid ground, Link scrambled away from the edge.
"Well, it's not quite the spring," Midna commented, her shadowy silhouette barely visible in the bright daylight. "But you're no stranger to a good walk anymore, are you?"
She pointed across the calm lake that stretched below to the distant spring cave. Link could almost make out the faces of the serpent statues that stood at the mouth of the cave.
He sighed and pulled himself from the rock wall he'd backed against. "I'm guessing I can't count on your company to help pass the time?"
Midna stuck her tongue at him, then melted back into his shadow. Of course. He was doing as she ordered, so why would she bother wasting any more words on him?
Link had failed to form any sort of friendship with Midna, yet strangely, he believed he might miss the imp. If only a little. The thought that she wouldn't feel the same hurt more than he felt it should.
Link could only hope Midna would at least take with her an improved impression of the helpless wolf she broke out of the castle dungeons a season ago. If she wouldn't recall him as a friend, at least she might consider him a helpful stranger. Hell, even "noble steed in the Twilight" would be acceptable. It was better than nothing.
Aphura burst into the main sanctuary just ahead of Isha. She was gone in a blink, pouncing on the closest lizalfos and drawing several more to engage her. Her halberd spun in her hands at great speed, slicing through any who dared to get near. When they tried to back away, the Zora warrior gave chase with a snarl.
Isha had little time to release her staff from its strap before her legs buckled under her. She looked down to find a small amphibian with a steel carapace protecting most of its body trying to break her balance. Her shriek was barely heard over the chaos of the battle raging around her. Isha was forced to step sideways in a desperate attempt to stay upright while the little monster continued to bash against her shin like a battering ram.
Mind racing through her options, Isha pulled an arrow from her quiver and drove it through the gaps in the carapace. Once it stuck fast in soft flesh, she readjusted her grip on the arrow and pushed it in further. Blood sprayed from the wound. Isha gave the arrow a few shakes for good measure and tried not to think about the iron tang of blood that struck her like a fist. The creature squealed and fell away, giving her the chance to right herself.
Her leg throbbed, but nothing felt broken. Isha grabbed her fallen staff from the ground and drove the rock-clad tip into the belly of the beast at her feet. The shelled monster barely uttered a pathetic squeak with its final breath. Flesh burned away from the wound, leaving nothing behind but ash and bone.
Isha had no time to ponder on that strange occurrence. Another armored body crashed into her side, and a third was ramming its horned nose into her other leg. She staggered and grabbed at the doorframe for balance.
She screamed again, more in rage than pain - the armor was doing its job well. But how was she supposed to deal with the lizalfos warriors and their fatal swords just ahead when these pests were overwhelming her with sheer numbers at the door?
A well-aimed arrow felled the monster on her side, freeing Isha to turn and stab the one by her feet. She called a quick thanks over to Aphura and tried to assess the battlefield in a moment of calm.
Many reptilian bodies already decorated the floor, their violet blood staining the prismatic tiles. That haunting, familiar stink of rot and blood filled the air and tugged at still-painful memories. To her left, Mikas and Aphura were engaging one side of the incoming lizalfos swarm. Zepin and Peras were fighting back-to-back on the right against the rest.
They had entered onto a balcony in the upper level of the sanctuary, which was a circular room of strange design. There was a staircase between floors in the middle of the room, with its top at the opposite end of the room. A stream of Lizalfos warriors streaked up these stairs, parting at the top to attack the advancing team of Zora and Hylian from both sides. An enormous, magnificent chandelier hung low in the center of the room.
Isha engaged a lizalfos who thought her an unaware target, catching his blade in the wood of her staff. She gripped her weapon in both her hands and yanked backwards, pulling the lizard-monster closer. While he teetered, she curled back her right hand and slammed her fist into its jaw. Jagged scales at the back of her glove raked leathery skin, and she'd developed quite a strong right-hook ever since Link had taught her how to throw a proper punch.
Isha pulled the staff back again, ripping the sword from the monster's weakened grip and sending him tumbling to the floor in a daze. The butt of her weapon stuck fast in the ground beside her and provided balance while she brought her knee to her chest. The lizalfos was just pulling itself back up off the floor when her heel collided with the side of its skull and crushed it against the balcony railing.
The sickening crunch that followed made her stomach turn, but that final memory of her mother's broken body wouldn't let the woman dwell on it. There was no mercy for Kakariko.
There would be no mercy from its sole surviving fighter, either.
Isha eyed the curved sword still embedded in her staff, and had just enough time to rip it free when another pair of Lizalfos closed in. These two had the intelligence to carry shields. They also wore the shreds of stolen armor, stitched together poorly by frayed ropes.
Isha grimaced at them both, rolling her staff over her hand and searching for a comfortable grip on the sword in her other. She wasn't great with her left hand, but there was no better tutor than experience, right?
The lizalfos kept leaping just beyond her reach. "Come on, cowards!" Isha roared.
Both lizards pounced, one coming at her with its shield raised and the other with its sword. Isha swept her staff downward and feinted to the side, jabbing her left-hand forward. She'd bring the staff up to strike the one with the shield, and swipe the other-
Shit! Her sword rattled off the edge of a shield at the same time that a tail wrapped in scrap metal swung around to meet her torso. She fell back on her rear, winded. The metal had cut through her scales, but the chainmail seemed unharmed. Not that her opponents gave her much time to assess the damage properly.
Two swords were sailing for her chest. She dropped the one she'd picked up - it was a foolish idea anyways. Isha held her staff horizontally and thrust upwards, knocking one blade away entirely and redirecting the other to stab the wall just beyond her head. She launched between the stunned lizalfos, slamming her staff into their legs and knocking both onto the floor.
Back on her feet behind the monsters, Isha felt a fresh wave of confidence sweep over her. Her enemies looked worse than she did, and she was just getting started. The labors of hundreds of childhood lessons, and tens of news lessons at the side of the latest Hero, were finally bearing fruit.
Both hands clutched the lacquered wood of her staff. Isha did not wait for her attackers to recover. She violently stabbed at their exposed backs, tails, arms, necks - anything she could pierce with the jagged stones and burn away. Their thrashing and crying ceased.
Isha turned and found more lizalfos racing for her. She placed her dominant foot forward and lunged, weapon whistling through the air. Her jab was blocked by a shield, so she swung violently to another lizalfos that leapt forward with a crumbling broadsword clutched in its claws. Its head hit the ground with a sickening thunk when she burned away its neck.
Two monsters hopped circles about Isha, trying to disorient and distract, and staying wary of her staff. One circled behind and tried to slice at her back. Isha ducked and jammed the bottom end of her staff into the beast's stomach. The one in front of her beat its shield and took another step back, then chucked its sword at her with a violent hiss and all the strength of a toddler. The blade clattered harmlessly to the ground at her feet.
A snarl came from Isha's left, and she turned just in time to see Mikas charge forward, jagged teeth bared and claws extended. He was covered in blood, and clearly looking to add to it. The first monster's throat was torn out in an eyeblink. The second one was pinned beneath a rampaging predator whose dilated eyes burned with hatred.
Isha hardly watched. She stood at Mikas' back, warding off a third lizalfos who thought it stood any sort of chance against the two of them. It commanded another of those small shelled creatures to charge for her legs. Isha hopped over the stampeding pest and drove the head of her spear into its unprotected hindquarters. She swept its burning body back to the lizalfos. By the time it stopped sliding across the tile, the beast was little more than shell and bones.
The lizalfos swarm formed a defensive line with their shields as if imitating pike wall formations, but their only weapons seemed to be stolen swords and makeshift tail-spikes. Isha hardly paid their threatening hisses any mind. They were terrified of the burning stones embedded in her staff.
I'll have to write Renado about this. Certainly, this was how he'd held off the shadow beasts.
Isha stole a glance over her shoulder to find Mikas back on his feet, the lizalfos he'd attacked now barely more than a twisted mass of unrecognizable gore and jagged bone. Well, at least the blood that covered the Zora wasn't his. She couldn't deny he was quite the sight.
"Impressive," Isha purred. His black eyes met hers, then he blinked. Some of that darkness faded. When Mikas smiled, Isha wondered if he'd always had so many teeth. "Glad it's not you I'm fighting."
The lizalfos defensive line on Isha's other side faltered, and Zepin forced his way through with his silver spear. Three writhing bodies flew over the balcony railing with a single swing.
"Isha, take this!" Zepin threw something into the air. She rushed to catch it, and when monsters tried to turn their attention to her, Mikas was quick to step in their way.
The device clinked in her hands. It was some sort of golden glove, but what she thought should have been the hand part was far too scrawny and missing a few fingers. She turned it over with a confused look.
Zepin was pointing to something hanging above the edge of the balcony in between brutal swings of his spear. "Clawshot! Grab that switch and pull!"
Isha followed his direction to see some sort of coral formation hanging from a bright yellow cylinder in the ceiling. The coral might have once been in the shape of a very long handle, and a small chunk of it still extended nearly within arm's reach of the balcony, but now it was hardly an inspiring target.
She pushed her hand into the glove and fastened the straps that went all the way up her arm. Strange. Stranger still was some sort of double-layer handle on the inside of the glove... Gauntlet?
Further prodding showed that the interior handles had some give. She gripped them tightly, pulling them together and releasing the three-pronged hook with a click. It glanced off her helm, as she was indeed stupid enough to point the thing at her face.
Isha yipped, then blushed violently. Embarrassing.
Thankfully, it seemed everyone else was busy holding off their enemies and hadn't witnessed her foolishness. Releasing the handles retracted the hook once more. When she opened her hand, her thumb brushed what felt like a button. Pressing it made the claws open and close.
Second time's the charm. Isha braced herself and aimed for the broken handle. The clawshot rattled forth, chains clinking and mechanism whirring. Gold talons dug deep into the coral, which crumbled and fell away.
Frustrated, Isha retracted the loose claw and turned to bury it deep in the chest of a monster who had slipped past her Zora defenders. The three prongs were plenty sharp, and opening the talons before ripping the clawshot free ensured a bloody end to the monster's life. Isha spat on its corpse for good measure. She felt only a little bad about bloodying up the tool.
A small part of her understood why Mikas preferred fighting with his own two hands.
Deciding she needed a better angle, Isha leapt forward. Mikas moved with her, but their enemies were reluctant to follow. It was clear their morale was fading fast in the shadow of such vicious fighters.
Once she was at the open edge of the balcony, Isha raised her hand straight up and buried the claw in the stone base that held the brittle handle. The claws stuck and held fast.
With one hand now visibly out of commission, several monsters broke from the pack and lunged for her. Isha decided to trust in the arm fastenings and released her grip on the inner handle completely.
Her shoulder nearly popped from its place when she was lifted from the ground at great speed. Something in the ceiling above her clicked, and the switch she clung to dropped by a few inches. So did her heart, but she was still well out of reach.
The staircase groaned and began to actually move, spinning on a spherical support lodged in a stone base at the center of the sanctuary. A deep pool separated the mechanism from the outer walkways, which Isha could clearly see were still flooded with lizalfos on the lower floor. They were far from done fighting.
As the stairs rotated, Isha caught a glimpse of what she assumed was the cave-in that led to the inner vault. A good portion of the base and sphere were missing, crumbling away into a pit that seemed far darker than it should have, considering its direct placement under the chandelier.
When the staircase had made half rotation, it jolted to a halt and locked into place. The top of the stairs was now beneath her dangling feet.
Peras and Aphura ran beneath Isha, charging down to the bottom floor and throwing aside the few dazed lizalfos who had hitched a ride on the staircase. Mikas stopped and extended his arms towards the dangling Hylian. Gritting her teeth and grunting through the pain of a strained shoulder, Isha managed to swing her legs over her head after a few tries. When her feet connected with the ceiling, Isha braced her shoulder with her free hand and kicked. The clawshot broke free of the stone with a loud pop, dropping her into the soldier's waiting arms.
She smiled at him, and his tense expression relaxed. "You're the best," she said, patting him on the cheek before turning to follow the rest down the stairs.
Moving the staircase had completely disoriented the monsters and had temporarily stalled their violence. Most of them were swarmed at the now-opposite sides from the staircase on both levels. The Zora and Isha had a clear shot down. Peras made the command to run to the left, while Zepin and Mikas defended from the pursuing monsters on the second floor.
Isha spun to face a shadow dropping in from above. The lizalfos were jumping down from the balcony, blades and fangs gleaming. Isha ducked the nearest one, slashing at its legs with the clawshot and regretting that she'd tied up her dominant hand.
Foolish mistake. Keeping your weapon-hand free was basic knowledge! Her father would be so disappointed.
Her skill with her left hand was lacking, but it would have to do until Isha could switch the clawshot over. She at least could sweep the staff in a wide arc ahead of her, burning the flesh of monsters who got too close.
The clawshot wasn't a weapon to be ignored either, though. When a particularly spry lizalfos kept leaping just out of her range, Isha aimed her right hand and shot the claw into its shoulder. She stepped back and released the handle, yanking the squealing beast towards her and her burning staff.
A gleaming halberd came crashing down on the beast's neck before she got a chance to swing. Aphura crouched in front of Isha, her eyes just as black and feral as her brother's. "We need to get you a second one of those." Her joyful voice was a gargled snarl. "Duck!"
The halberd swept horizontal through the space Isha's head occupied just a moment before, and a rain of violet peppered her back. Two halves of a lizalfos fell to the ground with a toe-curling squelch.
"Cover me!" Isha shouted, rolling to the edge of the walkway and undoing the clawshot straps.
"What did you think I was doing?" Aphura stood tall between her and the dwindling lizalfos army. Isha kept herself facing the battle, her back to the pool surrounding the stairs.
Getting the clawshot off was hardly difficult, but getting it back on became another issue. The fastening buckle jammed on her first shoulder strap, and Isha's already-racing heart rose to a fever pitch. The longer she sat here and fiddled with this weapon, the longer the Zora fought without her help.
I don't need this shit right now!
She was about to discard the whole thing and return to more familiar weaponry when a splash from the water behind made her jump. She reached for her staff, but her fingers fell just short. A scaled arm nearly crushed her ribs as it dragged her over the edge and into the pool.
Isha threw her left hand behind her while pulling up her facemask on with her right. The constricting grip around her middle lightened when the clawshot found its mark in the side of a lizalfos who thought itself cunning.
Violet blood thickened the water, and Isha kicked off her dead weight. She took this moment of calm beneath the surface to test the fastener on her shoulder strap once more. It slid easily into place, and she growled at the inanimate object for its obstinance. Her ribs were aching, and that damn monster had gotten a good blow to her helm with the hilt of its sword when she'd hit the water.
The hairs on the back of Isha's neck stood on end. She looked around desperately for whatever had given her such a feeling. Two glowing red eyes peered up at her from the murky depths.
Isha bolted for the surface. When had she sunk so deep? Something sharp clamped down on her foot, but onward she swam. She kicked desperately in attempts to shake her attacker free, but its grip only strengthened. Isha dared to glance down to see the fearsome face of a skeletal piranha, its several-inch-long teeth sawing its way through her armor with every jerk of its enormous head.
More were swimming up behind it, their red eyes illuminating the depths. Isha screamed and forced her burning muscles to move faster. Another jaw clamped onto her ankle and slowed her ascent. Though their teeth struggled to break through the chainmail, the force behind the fishes' bite threatened to crush her.
Isha's outstretched hand finally found stone. She pulled herself out of the water and onto the stair base, shouting curses at the pain ringing through her legs. The water churned and bubbled behind her with the frenzying of carnivorous fish searching for their prey, but the young woman was far more concerned with the two who were flailing on her leg. Each fish was nearly the size of a hound, and their translucent skin revealed great muscle underneath. Every thrash pulled her a little closer to the water's edge and made her joints scream.
That see-through skin also gave Isha a clear view of the beast's vital organs. She drove the clawshot-clad hand into the hearts of both, finally freeing her leg of their grip.
Aphura called to Isha from across the pond. The woman waved her clawed hand in the air to acknowledge the Zora while inspecting the damage to her armor. Bony teeth had chinked the chainmail, but nothing seemed to be broken - just sore. Isha sighed in relief, then looked to her side where the pitch black hole in the floor seemed to call to her.
Crossing the water to rejoin the battle still raging on the outer walkways was out of the picture. The skeletal fish were still in a frenzy, snapping air, water, and each other in search of their prey. This, at least, kept monsters from coming after her to this central platform.
A door on the first floor that she'd missed earlier was missing from its frame, and a fresh wave of Lizalfos and their steel-plated pets were pouring through. The Zora were too caught up in their own battles to even throw Isha her staff, which still lay at the other edge of the water.
She pressed the inner button of the clawshot a few times, assessing the timing of the claw's opening. Then, she aimed for her precious weapon.
The claws scraped the wood, which made her wince. How much longer would it last with all these gashes? Still, she'd secured the staff. It sailed back through the air and into her waiting hand.
Isha rose to her feet and peered over the edge of the cave-in. Metal pipes stuck out at odd angles from the edges where they had once held the floor together. She could hear the sound of lapping water beneath, but could hardly see more than a few inches down before details were lost to the shadows.
"Go, Isha! It's down there!" Peras' call from across the room nearly made Isha jump out of her skin, so wound were her nerves. She looked back, and the sight of her friends fighting on strengthened her resolve. Isha saluted, then dove into the foreboding cavern.
This is the first in a string of chapters I've been most nervous about, for reasons I may point out as we come across them. In this chapter's case, it's the action! I've never felt all that confident about writing action, but I spent many hours working on these sequences. I hope that effort paid off!
What do you think is going on with that staff? :)