Chapter 6

Once Link reached the top of the staircase, he was greeted with the sight of a double door looming over him. A padlock was there to prevent anyone from getting in. Or perhaps, to prevent anything from getting out…

He took a deep breath and steeled his nerves, before sliding the Tail key into the lock, which opened with a click. The doors parted with a harsh creek, as they scraped the tiled floor.

Once the hero stepped inside the chamber, a voice intruded his mind. It was coarse and raspy, yet it also had a wet property to it.

"Outsssider…" is what it said.

The floor rumbled, as a large creature emerged from the shadows. It uncoiled its long, bulbous body, and Link's eyes widened. An old fear emerged from the darkest recess of his mind.

A fully grown Moldorm, a worm about two times taller than the hero himself, opened its bulging eyes and met his gaze. Link just barely had enough time to leap out of the way, as it lunged at him. The slimy, wriggly noises its moist body made bore through his ears.

Link ran ahead so as to avoid the worm's attempt to constrict him. He remembered from his experience in the Tower of Hera that its heart was on the tip of its tail. All he had to do was get close enough to land a precise hit.

Of course, that was easier said than done. Moldorm continued to slither away, determined to keep its weak point out of reach. On top of that, it seemed that each time he got close enough to get an attack off, he'd get pushed back by an incoming tackle.

The two kept trying to outmaneuver each other, exchanging blows, and weaving out of the way. In due time, Link managed to deliver a successful hit, but it wasn't enough to pierce the red flesh.

Moldorm rammed itself against him, sending him flying against the wall. Having the wind knocked out of him, Link collapsed on the floor, as the enemy was preparing a follow up attack.

Using his sword for support, the young hero tried to get up, his legs shaking. He reached the unnerving realization that he had gotten rusty. Moldorm came charging in. His reflexes sharp, Link rolled out of the way, while his foe scurried back.

He quickly came up with a plan. He wasn't gonna go after it. On the contrary, he was going to wait until it would return. Link stood in place, his sword at the ready. One way or another, this battle was going to end after this move.

Moldorm homed in on him, while Link merely narrowed his eyes and took half a step to the right. Naturally expecting him to dodge, Moldorm changed course preemptively.

By the time it realized that he hadn't moved, it was already too late. With a grunt, Link unleashed the technique that had been passed down to him by his ancestors. The Whirling Blade!

Like a spinning top, he pivoted his entire body around. His sword cut through the air, and with a nasty squelch, the Moldorm's heart split open. The worm immediately stopped moving, before dissolving into nothingness. Link stood to catch his breath, as the weight of victory sunk in.

He had done it, despite how it was a much closer call than he would have liked. He could only hope that he'd regain his prior dexterity and skills during the course of this adventure.

Link went to investigate his now empty surroundings. Surely, the instrument had to be somewhere nearby. On the opposite end of the room, he found another door, which was locked much like the previous one. With the same key, he opened it, and stepped inside a smaller chamber compared to the last one.

There, just up a short flight of stairs, was the Full Moon Cello. Link held it up gently so as to not damage it. It was strange. Its appearance hardly conveyed that the instrument was mystical, yet he could still feel a powerful aura emanating from it. Right then, a series of phantom notes rang in his ears, despite him not even having laid a finger on the strings.

Once the mildly familiar melody dissipated, Link stored the instrument in his magic pouch, which caused it to shrink to the size of a gem. Having gotten what he'd been after, he left the dungeon, eager to breathe some fresh air again.

After taking so much as a single step outside, he heard the signature hoot of the owl. It was staring down at him from atop the gate.

"The Full Moon Cello… I must admit; at first, I did not think you were real," it said cryptically. "For your effort, I bestow upon you a gift."

Link raised an eyebrow, as the owl buried its beak into its feathering and plucked out a single brown plume. The wind carried it to Link's open hand. The moment he caught it, he inexplicably felt two times lighter.

"Lad! I was instructed to give you directions… The next instrument lies deep in the swamp of Goponga. You must go north! Hoot!"

Without even being given time to ask any questions, Link watched as the owl took flight. It was then that he understood the gravity of this new quest. Although time wasn't pressuring him, he still had to conquer seven more dungeons if he ever wanted to go back home.

Maybe it was the pessimist in him talking, but he truly couldn't imagine the next trials being any easier…

He lodged the feather in his cap, and made his way to Mabe. Marin and Tarin would probably have some questions to ask him.

He stared back into those dull blue eyes of his. Since when did they look this tired? Truly, Link couldn't recall.

A day had passed since he cleared Tail Cave. Despite the owl's words, he couldn't bring himself to explore the swamp quite yet. There was this need for rest that completely shut his adventurous spirit down. He didn't know what to make of that. During his quest in Hyrule he would never take days off, save for that one instance where he needed time to recover from a particularly nasty injury. The idea of pausing his mission midway had never crossed his mind otherwise.

And now, there he was, in a fishing pond, waiting for a bite. For a measly ten rupees, he had the chance to land the big one. Perhaps more importantly, though, was the opportunity to reflect upon himself, both literally and figuratively.

...

Had he lost his drive for exploration? He hardly wanted to think about the possibility. He remembered how much he loved exploring when he was a kid. Forests, caves, fields; they were like a playground to him. The idea of that sense of wonder fading away saddened him greatly.

...

Could it be the lack of external pressure that was making him feel this way? This time around, he didn't have the fate of the world on his shoulders. Perhaps without something grand serving as a motivator, there was no need for him to push himself.

...

Maybe he was just losing his touch…

...

A sudden tug pulled him out of his depressing thoughts. A bite! He stood up and began reeling in. He was met with surprising resistance. It must have been a hefty one! He dug his boots into the ground for additional support and turned the reel handle as fast as he could. The white-hot battle raged on, with neither side willing to back down. It took a lot of perseverance, but Link eventually managed to come out on top.

"Woah, that's a lunker! Nicely done!" said the fishing pond owner.

"Thanks!"

Just when the feeling of accomplishment sunk in, Link heard someone call his name. Two of Papahl's boys came running to him with a desperate look in their eyes.

"Link, it's serious!"

"Yeah, very serious!"

"Moblins came to-!"

"And there was a whole gang and they-!"

"They went to the village and then-!"

"Bow Wow, then-!"

"And then-"

"It was really bad!"

"It was terrible!"

Link blinked in confusion, having managed to understand roughly half of what he'd been told. This only served to further agitate the two kids.

"Just come with us!"

No matter. It was clear that Mabe was in trouble. As a guest, he felt obligated to help in any way he could. That in mind, he picked up his pace and headed over to the center of the village.