Fan Fiction ❯ Harry Potter and the Hero of Time ❯ The Challenges Heat Up ( Chapter 12 )

Chapter 12-The Challenges Heat Up

Past a short hallway, Link found himself inside a vast diamond-shaped room. Four pillars of equal height rose into the air, one on each side of a huge, square-shaped platform. Link climbed one of the corners of the central platform and stood on a tapestry marked with runes of evil. Suddenly, a toneless voice, neither male nor female, but somehow obviously evil, spoke:

"Look at that stupid kid! He came on his own to offer himself as a sacrifice to the great Ganondorf..." Suddenly, a woman materialized on one of the four platforms. She was tall, with a revealing black gown over purple skin. Her green hair was done up in the same style favored by merged Twinrova. She smiled at Link seductively, apparently seeing something in the Hylian that he did not know was there.

"Who are you?"

"Link, it's a succubus! She's trying to tempt you to leave me! Get out of there before you fall under her dark spells!" Zelda's shouts roused Link to action, an action that was most commendable. He pulled out his magic Light Arrow and fired it straight at the evil creature. She took it in the Adam's apple and pulled it out with a fountain of sickly cyan blood.

"How dare you," the foul creature shouted. "I am Tenjira, Drakan's own mistress! You will pay for spiting me! Koume, Kotake, get him!"

"With pleasure, mistress," said Evil Twinrova, materializing on platforms at right angles to their queen. Tenjira dematerialized, and the evil witches began to attack. Kotake acted first with a blast of her ice magic. The Mirror Shield bounced it off, unfortunately not into Koume. Link eventually forced the witches' magic to hit the opposite witch four times, breaking their resolve.

"Oh, let's get serious now, Kotake!"

"Oh, okay, Koume." The evil sisters flew above the center of the platform and hit each other as they flew. The magic merged them into one being, with gray hair bound tightly above her head and the same green skin that Koume, Kotake, and Ganondorf had. Twinrova bore two magical staves, one of elemental fire, one of elemental ice. Link knew that the Mirror Shield could store magical energy of one type and one type only before reflecting it. Any attempt to absorb the opposite type of magic when one type was in storage would fizzle the stored energy and deal a lot of damage.

Twinrova flew to one of the small platforms and fired an ice blast at Link. He absorbed it into the Mirror Shield and rolled away from a fire blast moments later. Link absorbed the next two ice blasts and hit Twinrova with the reflected ice blast, dropping her to the platform, stunned. The Master Sword dealt her four swift slashes before she could recover for the next round. The next three blasts were all fire, and Link reflected that too onto Twinrova. After four more slashes, Twinrova revealed a new attack.

The new attack was to conjure bats made of magical fire and sic them on Link. He hit them with Ice Arrows and they shattered into dust. Twinrova then conjured two magical balls of spiky ice that Link had to dodge as they bounced off the walls, floor, and ceiling of the chamber. The Hylian kept batting them away from him and used the Mirror Shield to absorb the magic whenever he could. Link dealt the final four slashes to Twinrova, and she dissolved into a ball of ice magic and a sphere of fire magic.

When Koume and Kotake rematerialized, they shrieked as they acquired halos and fell through the ground into the Evil Realm, right where Link sent them the last time. A door opened on the wall opposite the door he originally entered. The stairs past the door led him into a convincing mockup of the Temple of Time. The only difference was that instead of the altar with the Spiritual Stones, there was Ganondorf playing his organ before the Door of Time.

"Your organ doesn't add much to the décor," Link observed. "The altar in the real Temple of Time is much more appropriate."

"Who asked you, kid," Ganondorf snarled. "You may be older than me, but I am stronger than you will ever be. Why, you can't even channel your Triforce power into energy blasts yet!"

"Why should I want to do that," Link asked. "I mean, the Master Sword is good enough for me right now. You're the one who is so fond of your wimpy little energy blasts."

"Link, you underestimate me. I know that I have a clone running about in your world somewhere, exiled from Hyrule for trying to take over the castle. He has the Triforce of Power, too, and when he and I join forces, we will take what is ours by right!"

"What is yours by right is an eternity spent in the Evil Realm! Oh, and before you ask, I am not giving you the Triforce of Courage!"

"Hah! I'll have the Triforce of Power for all eternity and when you die, I'll find a way to steal the other two Triforces from the Sacred Realm."

"Hate to break it to you, Ganondorf, but you will not have the Triforce of Power for all eternity. In fifty-seven years, a new Dragmire will be born to the Gerudo. That means that any other Dragmire who still lives loses all Triforces they may have obtained to give the new Dragmire a chance. You may keep your Triforce-related powers, but you will not keep the Triforce."

"You're bluffing!"

"I'm not. The truth can be harsh sometimes, Ganondorf, but that is life. You are deluding yourself and you refuse to see anything but your own twisted version of the truth."

"I do have the Ring, though," retorted the Gerudo, pulling it into the light. "And when I master it, then not even you will be able to stop me!"

"Don't you get it, Ganondorf? The Ring knows that you want to master it; it knows. It seeks out those it can use for its own purposes and subverts them to an evil you have yet to achieve. If you want to remain in control of the power, you should chuck that thing into the nearest volcano and be done with it."

"A volcano, you say, kid? Well then a volcano shall be our battleground. Vozoros akothan volkanicom nothian arenumite transfigura!" The chamber, which was the Temple of Time in appearance, suddenly altered until Link and Ganondorf were standing on a ring of solid ground around a volcanic crater. The organ turned into a rocky wall and to their left, the lava bubbled and roiled, seeking an escape. Link knew to watch his step and slipped on the Goron Tunic over the Zora Tunic, protecting him from sweat and heat.

Ganondorf suddenly pulled out a huge sword that anyone else would have had to use two-handed. It was black iron glowing with red fire that threatened to consume whoever it struck. Link pulled out the Master Sword, since Ganondorf seemed not to like it, and prepared to fight to the best of his abilities. He would be at a disadvantage, since the Gerudo, six feet nine inches tall, had a far longer reach. Link waited for Ganondorf to make the first blow, a thrust that he parried easily. He tried a jumping uppercut to the neck, but the Gerudo parried that and Link flew back.

"Link," said Navi. "That sword is the key. Find a way to make Ganondorf drop it and he will be weakened-he is dependent on the magic it has."

"I hear you, Navi." Link figured that the best way to remove the sword was to cut off the arm wielding it. Ganondorf knew he was in trouble when Link went for his right shoulder, and he just barely managed to block it. Link pulled out Biggoron's Sword and began to fight off the evil blade the Gerudo Dragmire bore. Ganondorf suddenly began to generate a firebolt attack in his left hand, his off hand, and aimed it at the Hylian. Link dodged just in time and hit the firebolt back with an empty bottle.

Ganondorf was a lot stronger than he was at the Battle of Ganon's Castle, a lot stronger. Somehow, the Gerudo had managed to gain a lot more power from the Triforce than Link had ever imagined possible. Link suddenly saw the Triforce of Courage in his left hand glow brightly and the Biggoron's Sword began to glow silver and white. Ganondorf fired a disc of energy from the blade's tip, and the Goron-made blade reflected it back and shifted it to a form of positive energy. Link rushed forward to whack Ganondorf with the powered-up blade and cut the cape from his shoulders. The Ring dropped out of a sack then, and the Hylian picked it up to throw it into the volcano.

"No," said Ganondorf. "You will not win!" Link smiles and chucked the Ring into the volcano, but Ganondorf dove in after it, sweeping his arms behind him as he flew down to grab the piece of evil jewelry. Link fired a Light Arrow at the Gerudo and dove in to whack the Ring away with the Master Sword. Ganondorf fell toward the lava and managed to grab the Ring in his left hand just in time. Link hovered in front of the Gerudo, amazed that he was not melting in the lava below.

"Now they both can fly," Alzeroth said. "That's a good thing, Zelda, and it means that Link is beginning to tap into the power of the Triforce of Courage. At the rate Link's picking up the Triforce-related powers, he should be able to metamorphose into a stronger form at any time."

"A stronger form," said Mikau. "What sort of stronger form?"

"A form still recognizable as Link, as opposed to the monster Ganon that Ganondorf can change into. If my suspicions are correct, Link will achieve the metamorphosis ability by the time Drakan is defeated."

Link, meanwhile, had managed to stay away from Ganondorf, who still clutched the Ring in his left hand. The trouble with flying for the first time was that you were a little ungainly in midair combat, especially in a rather odd environment like a volcano. Link, though, was adapting rapidly and kept Ganondorf from hitting him with a negative-energy firebolt. Ganondorf suddenly dove into the lava, and Link flew up, anticipating a powerful sneak attack from below. The Hylian was surprised by a chokehold from Ganondorf, who teleported up to attack his rival.

"Yield," the Gerudo demanded in a low rasp. "Yield, curse you, boy! You may be older than me, but I am stronger than you!"

"You forget, Ganondorf," said Link, "Farore is the goddess of the air in addition to being the goddess of courage. There's a spell I know called Farore's Wind, and it is a teleportation spell of sorts. I also have Din's Fire and Nayru's Love backing me up. Let's see how well you can hold onto me when I have a force field around me."

"You won't be able to use your Light Arrows then, boy."

"Oh yes I will, Ganondorf. I drank some Chateau Romani before I came here, so I can use multiple magic attacks at once without draining a bit of magic power." Link took out the magic crystal of Nayru's Love and opened it, creating a blue diamond of invulnerability around him. Ganondorf knew that the kid was powerful, but the Gerudo never imagined that he had courage enough to try this. Link pegged Ganondorf with a Light Arrow and then sliced off his left hand, toppling the Ring into the volcano.

"My Precious," Gollum shrieked, shucking the brown robes and diving into the lava. "We will not lose you again, not this way!" Gollum dove into the volley of magical blasts Ganondorf was firing, and somehow managed to grab the left hand of the Gerudo. Ganondorf levitated the deranged hobbit above the volcano and seized the hand. The ring fell, and Gollum dove into the lava and melted with it.

"That is precisely how he died the first time," said Gandalf. "History does tend to repeat itself when it is ignored by the people involved and their descendants." Ganondorf stuck his hand back on, and the Triforce glowed as the hand reattached itself. Link then fired a Light Arrow at the Gerudo before he could respond and began slicing the Gerudo.

"What does it take to kill you," Link shouted.

"The end of the world," Ganondorf replied in a matter-of-fact manner. "I will not die until the end of the world, even if the Triforce is ever shorn from me." Link kept hacking at Ganondorf until the sword fell into the lava, making the Gerudo extremely mad.

"You'll pay for humiliating me," said Ganondorf, bringing them to the ruins of Ganon's Castle with his magic. "Hraaaagggghhh!" Ganondorf concentrated his will on the Triforce of Power and transformed into Ganon, complete with two gigantic blades charges with negative energy. Link flew away from the blades and managed to keep his hands firmly grasping the Master Sword. He snuck behind Ganon as Nayru's Love started to fade and whacked the tail firmly.*

Ganon whirled around with every slash, never keeping up with Link long enough to slash him and knock the Master Sword away. The Hylian hit the tail ten times, and then the monster collapsed onto the floor of the arena. Link paused for a moment to ready his Light Arrows and then awoke the comatose Ganon with a good whack to the head. He knew that Ganon would be faster this time, so the Light Arrows were needed to keep it stunned. If Link ran low on the projectiles, he could wait until Ganon busted apart some of the rubble strewn about the arena.

Ganon was easier to beat with Link's increased power level. After five whacks to the tail, each preceded by a Light Arrow, Ganon fell to the ground, stunned again. Zelda focused the Triforce of Wisdom onto him and pinned him in place, allowing Link to make one final blow. He complied and stabbed the monster through the brain. Ganondorf reappeared as Ganon dissolved and the arena returned to its facsimile of the Temple of Time. The organ crumbled to reveal a staircase upward.

"Nice work, kid," said the Gerudo, using the Triforce power to erase his wounds. "You are getting stronger, indeed. You have thirty-seven Heart Containers now, making you even harder to kill than you already were. I'll be sure to bring that information to Lord Drakan."

Ganondorf dematerialized, and Link gave Zelda a quick kiss on the cheek. She knew that he would give her more later on, if she felt like it, of course. Link was a very good person to have a telepathic link to, especially if you were his wife, and he held nothing back. Zelda teleported back to the party on the balcony and sent Deku Link into the chamber.

"So, do you have anyone special back in the Southern Swamp," Link asked.

"The Deku Princess and I are currently courting," the little Scrub replied, his face turning an amber color, the Deku color for blushing. "She thinks the world of me since I helped you defeat Odolwa in the Woodfall Temple. That guy's up next, so we had best be on our guard." The Deku Scrub led the way up the stairs and ducked into a side alcove as a Dinofols dropped from the ceiling. Dinofols were metallic lizard warriors that could breathe fire, but they were easy to beat with their thin armor.

Link sliced the monster and then leaped to the side as it unleashed a stream of fire breath at him. After a leaping vertical slash, the monster fell apart and a door opened into the next chamber. The large flower carved into the door told Link and Deku Link that Odolwa was lurking within the room ahead. The masked jungle warrior could be quite dangerous, but Link could handle him. Deku Link was planning on a few aerial dive-bombs of Deku Nuts to hurt the monster. Link could kill the locusts and spiders Odolwa summoned, and the flower in the chamber was safe from fire and rock attacks.

As they entered the room, Odolwa dropped from the ceiling. He was tall, and he towered over Ganondorf with ease, being about as tall as Hagrid. Odolwa favored paint and a loincloth the last time Link fought him, but had now traded up for metal armor painted for war. That made the battle a little tougher, but the shock of having a Bomb thrown at you could drop the metal armor in moments.

Deku Link went into the yellow Deku Flower as soon as Odolwa moved away from it to charge Link. The Hylian sidestepped the charge and started to chop the armor off. Odolwa leaped away, though, and began to shout his traditional "Gehahha" cry. A cloud of black locusts appeared and began to swarm around Link, stinging him and causing a few small cuts to appear. Deku Link rose and dive-bombed the bugs, giving Link the time to lob a Bomb Flower at Odolwa.

"You're doing great Link," Mido shouted. "Give him what you gave Ganondorf and that giant will soon be running away in fear, the big bully!"

"I hear you, Mido," Link shouted back. The Hylian pinned a few Arrows to Odolwa through his armor, making the giant roar with pain. Odolwa dismissed the locusts and stomped on the ground repeatedly, dropping a few boulders from the ceiling. Link dodged, and Deku Link waited for the end of the barrage in the Deku Flower, safe from all harm unless a boulder landed on him. Odolwa then removed his armor, making him that much more vulnerable to physical attacks. Link whacked him three times in the waist area, and the giant went berserk.

Odolwa spun in a circle around the center of the arena. A ring of flames appeared after he spun, and the flames began moving in. Deku Link dove into the flower, and Link shot Odolwa with an arrow to the face, blinding the monster temporarily. Link then slashed Odolwa until he cried out in pain and slumped to the ground. The masked jungle warrior burnt up into clouds of blue smoke and his soul flew back into a pair of masks that appeared in the doorway up to the next floor of the tower.

* Ganondorf does fly, or at least hover, in Ocarina of time. When Link battles him in Ganon's Tower, he floats about ten feet over the central tower platform. Ganondorf also leaps about twenty feet in the air from under the rubble when Ganon's castle collapses and hovers in midair long enough to transform into Ganon.