Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction ❯ To Forge the Master ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 8 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

The three hippocampi rushed through the underwater cave – which was lit by the same glowing moss as the Zoran Domain. The cave was wide enough for them all to ride abreast of each other, but Kaimana rode in front to keep them on track. Many caves split off the one they traveled, and the Zoran prince would say where the off shoots lead as the group passed each. It marveled Link that the Zora could literally get to almost any place in Hyrule so long as it had water.

He was also very grateful they did not have to swim. Their mounts were as swift in water as any horse over a smooth track, but still they had been riding for over an hour with no sign of stopping. The water was surprisingly refreshing as it rushed around his body. The cave forked and Kaimana led them to the right, calling over his shoulder that they were almost there.

Slowly, the dull blue light faded in the wake of the bright green morning glow filtering down through the surface of Lake Hylia. Link looked up, seeing the underside of the surface shift and waver in a breeze. Very few fish swam in the lake, and those that did were keeping to the shallow waters.

In the very center of the lake, nestled on the bottom, was a familiar pyramid. This one had a top of shimmering blue that made the water around it seem to glow. At the base of the pyramid was a span of sand that was not as flat as the rest of the lake bottom, but bumpy and void of plant life. A great number of pillars, that once stood guard around the pyramid, now lay in ruins thanks to the steady march of time.

Kaimana pulled his hippocampus up a good distance from the start of the lumpy lake bottom and Link and Sheik stopped beside him. “There it is,” he said. “The Temple of Water.”

“The Forest Temple was infested with spiders,” Sheik said calmly. “What waits for us in this one, I wonder?”

“We won’t find out sitting here,” Link replied and urged his mount forward. Kaimana grabbed the reins and pulled him back.

“We cannot take the hippocampi any farther. From here we must go on fin.” He slid from the back of his own mount and shooed it back towards the cave. Link and Sheik followed suit. “The entrance is at the base of the pyramid; after that, the altar is at the top. We will have to work our way up.”
“Sounds like fun.” Sheik grinned. “Let’s go, Hero.” Both young men plunged forward, swimming horizontal to the bottom of the lake. Kaimana quickly joined them, but slowed his pace so the other two could keep up. They quickly passed over the smooth bottom and across the lumpy sand around the temple.

On closer inspection, Link noticed the ground was not rippled up by a current as he had first suspected. Instead, it was more like someone had come along and made mounds of sand varying in size from only a few inches across to two feet. They were spaced almost randomly, sometimes with several meters of space between them.

The sand shifted a fraction, no more than a few grains of sand sliding from the top of the pile, but it was enough. The sword on his back gave a sharp pulse, and Link’s head shot up. At the same moment, the pile of sand he had been studying exploded upwards, and something twice the size of Link’s head snapped shut only an inch from his nose, before dropping back to the lake floor.

Link drew his sword, but quickly found that it made him too unbalanced to swim. The thing – Link could now see that it looked like a giant clam – snapped its shell. The creature launched itself at him again. He tried to bring his sword up to defend himself, but the blade was awkward underwater.

Something grabbed the back of his tunic and a streak of silvery light flashed down through his field of vision. A red cloud blossomed in the water and the clam dropped back to the sand with its shell hanging limply open. The tug on the collar of his tunic guided Link up out of the spreading cloud and into the line of Sheik’s half-lidded stare.

“Have you ever heard that curiosity killed the cat?” Sheik asked flatly. Link grinned sheepishly. “And you’re going to save the world?” Kaimana snickered as he hung in the water above them. Sheik rolled his eyes and released Link’s collar.

“So, what were those?” Link asked.

Sheik glanced down at the piles of sand then back at Link. “I don’t know.”

“Then how...?”

“If you have to choose between a hard shell and soft tissue, always choose the tissue,” Sheik said patiently.

“They are called Shell Blades,” Kaimana provided. “Usually there are two or three in the lake at most, but I have never seen or heard of anything like this.” He gestured to the mounds of sand, each hiding a Shell Blade.

“The forest was infested, as well...” Link repeated Sheik’s earlier statement.

“The best thing to do is to keep moving,” Sheik urged. “Once we are inside we can plan our next move.”

&&&

Farore peered anxiously at the pool of water, watching as the trio swam towards the Temple of Water. From time to time, a Shell Blade would spring up and take a snap at them, but they were too high in the water and the effort was wasted. “Oh, I hope he’ll be okay.”

“Doubting your choice already, sister?” Din asked calmly

“No,” Farore answered without looking away from the pool. “But he’s still so fragile...”

“You aren’t going to help the situation by worrying over it,” Nayru admonished. “Trust yourself, and all will work out in the end.”

“You’re probably right...” Farore conceded with a sigh and moved away from the water. Still, she peeked over her shoulder as the view changed to inside the temple.

“You worry too much,” Din laughed as she touched the water’s surface. Instantly it changed, rising into a complicated maze of twisting columns and open air spaces. At the top, three lights – one blue, one red, and one green – appeared. “A game of Cross Tides will get your mind off of things.”

Farore looked up at the fluid as it flowed around, crashing into itself at random, then suddenly shifting to form a new and equally complicated pattern. “Okay, but Nayru is going to win. Nayru always wins.”

&&&

Link pulled himself out of the water and looked around the temple. Unlike the forest temple, this one had no rooms or hallways leading into it; just a sunken door that led up into an air-filled room. The room spread across the entire bottom of the pyramid, but the ceiling was only 10 feet high. A single three-foot by three-foot hole was the only opening.

The floor was flat sand – that stuck to their wet clothes – with several sharp spikes of rock. Smaller rocks, each almost perfectly round and about the size of a large melon were scattered around haphazardly. On the far side of the room was a single wooden chest with an iron lock.

“That’s weird,” Kaimana said as he climbed out of the water behind Link. “Usually the temple is full of water. And where did all these rocks come from?”

“That’s very reassuring, Kaimana,” Sheik said dryly. “I guess we are going up the hard way.” He reached into his pouch and produced a length of rope with a three-pronged claw at one end. Picking his way through the rocks, he made his way over to the hole in the ceiling and peered up. Link and Kaimana followed. Sheik moved around, trying to see what was beyond the opening as best as he could. “Crap, I don’t see anything to hook onto.”

While Sheik and Kaimana worked on how to get the grappling hook to catch in the stone, Link wandered over to the chest. A heavy iron lock hung from the latch. The wood was smooth and well crafted and iron bands held it together. Link knocked on it, listening to the hollow echo.

“Hey Kaimana, what’s– ” Link cut himself off as he turned around. Unnoticed by the other two, the sand near the doorway began to shift. It rose up in a great swell as if something was sucking it upwards. Then, just as suddenly, the huge pile collapsed, leaving behind three massive figures. Each was covered in bronze armor, with a helmet and a heavy round shield. The one in front was armed with a large battleaxe, to his right was one armed with an enormous sword, and to the left flank was one with a heavy spiked mace. Red eyes glowed menacingly in the all-consuming shadow of their helmets. “Sheik! Behind you!”

Surprised, Sheik and Kaimana turned around. As if by some silent command, the three armored beings began to lumber forward. Each step sent tremors through the earth. Sheik grabbed Kaimana’s arm and they made a dash for the cover of the spiky rocks. Link followed suit by ducking behind the nearest cover. The armored-things continued their slow charge in the direction their opponents had disappeared.

Link drew his sword and readied his shield. With Sheik and Kaimana across the room, he was mostly on his own. He peeked around the side of his rock, careful to remain hidden. The armored giants had stopped and crouched down, their eyes had stopped glowing.

He shifted his gaze to Sheik and Kaimana, who were still crouched behind another outcrop of rocks. Seeing he had Link’s attention, Sheik motioned for him to join them. With another quick glance at the silent armored giants, Link darted out of hiding.

It only took a second to realize his mistake.

As soon as he broke cover the giants were on their feet again and charging his way. They moved faster than seemed possible with all that armor and, in a moment, were bearing down on him. He brought his shield up just as the battleaxe came down. The sand underfoot provided little traction and he slid back several feet. The blow left his arm numb and his teeth rattling. The giant teetered, trying to regain its own balance. Link moved to attack, but the mace came swinging past his head and forced him to retreat again.

The sword slammed into his shield and he tumbled over backwards, hitting the ground hard. Sand flew everywhere, getting into his eyes and ears. A swooshing sound was his only warning, but he managed to raise his shield in time. The clang of metal on metal was deafening, and the force of the blow slammed him into the ground again.

“Hey!” Sheik’s voice called, followed by a bang of stone on metal. “Over here!” There was a pause, then the steady clatter of the giants moving away from him.

“I’ve got you,” Kaimana said, grabbing his arm and pulling him away.

“Sand in my eye,” Link replied, “I can’t see. Help Sheik.”

“Sheik can take care of himself. Here.”

Link felt cool water splash on his face. He reached out and felt the source, then quickly washed his face until he could see again. The next moment he was on his feet and looking for Sheik. Kaimana had dragged him behind a particularly large crop of spiked rocks where a tiny pool of water was leaking in between the stones. Peering around the edge of a spike, he caught sight of Sheik facing down the three giants.

Though Sheik’s back was to him, he seemed almost smug as the three larger enemies lumbered towards him. The one with the mace lashed out, and in the blink of an eye, Sheik slipped behind a rock. The mace struck the sand, sending a shower into the air, and the wielder stumbled forward a step.

In a flash, the grappling hook shot out from behind a different rock and snagged the edge of the mace-giant’s helmet. With a sharp yank, the helmet popped off and tumbled across the sand. The giant did not seem to notice the loss.

Link winced at the sight. The creature the helm hid was a ghastly thing. Its skin was black and purple, as if it had been bruised all over, and pinhead eyes glittered blood red behind darkly furrowed brows. The features were almost canine, with a short muzzle full of sharp teeth. The muscles of the neck rippled and strained with every movement, as if the skin could just barely contain them.

“This is where we come in,” Kaimana whispered. “Once Sheik has their helmets off we go for the head.” Link nodded his understanding and gripped his sword. The now helmetless creature and its companions looked about dumbly, but could not find its lost prey.

The creatures had just begun to settle down to wait, when Kaimana moved. The giants were on their feet in an instant. Kaimana crossed his arms, then snapped them out. Twin blades flew from the fins on his forearms and spun across the room. One of the blades found its mark, lodging itself in the helmetless creature’s exposed throat. Wine-colored blood began oozing forth immediately, but the creature did not seem to notice the wound. The other blade boomeranged around and reattached itself to Kaimana’s fin.

The one with the axe reached Kiamana first. The prince stood his ground, ready to fire his fin-blades again.

“Move!” Sheik’s voice rose clearly over the clanging of the armor. The axe wielder raised his weapon and the other two creatures turned around. Kaimana startled and paused for just a moment. Link lunged, knocking Kaimana out of the way and sending them both tumbling across the sand. The grappling hook wrapped around the axe wielder’s leg and tightened. The heavy creature stumbled and came crashing down with a great clatter that shook the ground.
Link pulled Kaimana to his feet and Sheik abandoned his grappling hook as they all ran for cover amongst the rock spires. They met in a shadowy corner to catch their breath.

“Now what?” Kaimana asked as he peered around the rock at the three creatures. They were settling in again to wait. The grappling hook lay forgotten on the ground.

Link joined him for a moment, then looked back as Sheik. “Brain, heart, or liver, right?”

“Yeah,” Sheik answered slowly, studying Link’s face. “What are you thinking, Hero?”

“Ever been cow tipping?”

“No,” Sheik answered flatly, followed by Kaimana’s confused “What’s that?”

“Just be ready to back me up,” Link replied as he sheathed his sword and pulled the dagger from his boot. He paused, then added, “And don’t tell Papa Lon about where I learned this.” Sheik gave an amused chuckle as he drew his twin swords.

Link peered carefully around a rock spire. The three creatures had settled with their backs to him. Just as he suspected the back of their armor was held in place with cords that crisscrossed their exposed backs. He ran a finger across the blade of his dagger to make sure it was sharp, then carefully stepped out from behind the rocks. The room seemed to hold its breath; when the creatures did not move, the moment passed.

Link crept forward on tiptoes, his boots silent on the soft sand. Sheik followed closely while Kaimana hung back behind the rocks. Link swallowed hard as he stepped within a few feet of the giants. He could see the slight rise and fall of their ribs as they breathed, and smell the rancidness of their breath. Still they did not notice him standing just behind them.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Link edged up just behind the giant with the sword. In a flash, he brought the dagger in a downward arc. The cords snapped easily, and the dagger left a bloody gash in the giant’s flesh. The creature screamed and jumped to its feet, its armor crashing to the ground. The other two creatures, aroused by the commotion, followed suit. Link dodged as the huge sword came swinging at his head.

Sheik leapt over Link’s head, and landed on the flat of the sword. The giant stared dumbly for only a second, but it was all the time Sheik needed. He lunged, plunging both swords into the exposed flesh of the monster’s torso – one sinking into its heart and the other into its gut. Sheik flipped around, planted his feet against the huge chest and pushed off, twisting and pulling his swords out as he did.

The giant swayed dangerously as Link and Sheik made a dash for cover. The sword wielder staggered, windmilling its arms in an attempt to stay upright. Gravity had other plans, and the monster toppled over backward. On the way down, the shield on his arm slammed into the fin-blade still protruding from the mace creature’s neck.

The blade made two equally horrible sounds, an ear-splitting screech as it scratched across the metal shield, and the sickening grind and snap of bone as it was forced out the back of the monster’s neck. The mace wielder went limp instantly and crumpled like a rag doll.

“Nice.” Kaimana grinned as the two ducked back behind the rocks.

Link looked back at the two fallen monsters with a half smile, “Yeah... I meant to do that.”

“You know, every time you lie, a fairy loses its wings,” Sheik said with cool amusement. His arms were crossed loosely over his chest, the sword in each hand dripping blood from the tip.

“Even my little sister doesn’t–” Link’s retort was cut off by the rocks exploding. The axe wielding monster swung its weapon again, shattering the rest of the stone pillars in its path. Its eyes were blazing red as it charged at them.

“Scatter!” Sheik shouted. They each took off in a different direction. Link dashed left, ducking behind a single rock spire. He peeked back around the corner to see if he was being followed. The monster stood where they had left it, its head swiveling on its massive shoulders as it tried to decide whom to follow.

Its choice was made when Kaimana tried to make a dash for a better hiding place. His foot caught on one of the smaller stones scattered about the room and he hit the sand face first. The giant charged. For a moment all Link could see were the monster’s glowing red eyes as it barreled headlong at the Zoran prince and, unknowingly, at Link as well.

The blade on Link’s back pulsed, and he drew it at the unspoken command. He could feel the steady throb in his fingers and palm as it radiated from the hilt. The giant’s axe rose, and Link moved.

He could see everything unfold before his eyes as if in slow motion. He closed the space between himself and Kaimana at a dead run. The axe began its deadly downward arc as Link leapt over the shocked prince. Metal scraped against metal and sparks showered down as Link used his shield to force the axe off course. The sword shot forward, slipping between the helmet and the top of the chest plate; the blade scraped against the armor with an awful screech as it disappeared from sight.

The monster made a rasping, gurgling sound, and ink-black blood began to drip from under the helmet around where the blade vanished from sight. Link drove the sword as far as it would go, then planted his feet and pushed off the creature’s body. The giant crashed to the ground, its axe flipping through the air to land harmlessly in the sand. Blood bubbled up from the wound, staining the ground as the monster continued to gurgle weakly.

Link landed on his butt with a thud next to Kaimana. The prince continued to stare at him, mouth agape. Link, in turn, stared at the dying monster several feet away.
“I don’t know which one of you is the bigger idiot!” Sheik yelled as he stormed across the room. “What were you thinking?!” Link opened his mouth to answer, but no sound came out. Sheik threw his hands up in the air. “Forget it. I probably don’t want to know.”

There was a muffled explosion and they all turned to see the three bodies go up in a cloud of smoke. Link and Kaimana both stared, but Sheik simply raised an eyebrow. As the smoke cleared, all that was left were splatters of dark blood on the sand, and discarded weapons. From the body of the axe wielder something small and shiny fell to the sand. Curious, Link stood and retrieved it.

“Well, Hero?” Sheik asked. Link turned the object over several times in his hand, then held it up. It was a small, silvery, unremarkable, key. Sheik looked at him with dull amusement, “Congrats on your first spoils of war. Don’t spend it all in one place.”

Link gave him a half-lidded look. “I bet it goes to that chest.”

“What chest?” Sheik asked, looking around. Link pointed across the room, where the plain wooden chest still stood quietly against the wall, half hidden behind a crop of spiky rocks. “Huh, I didn’t notice that earlier.” He shrugged. “You’ve got the key, so the treasure is yours.”

“Unless, of course, it turns out to be an important Zoran artifact,” Kaimana added. “Then my people will want to keep it.”

Link nodded vaguely as he walked over to the chest. He could feel a strange knot in his stomach, much like he felt on Christmas morning or the day before his birthday when he was younger. By the time he reached the chest, he had a death grip on the key and his palms were starting to sweat. His mind was swamped with images of great piles of rupees, long lost treasure maps, and items of great and ancient power. He knelt down next to the chest and inserted the key into the lock. With a loud scrap of metal on metal, the lock snapped open, falling to the sand with a metallic thunk.

He lifted the lid and looked inside. His heart sank a little. The chest was mostly empty; only a single item lay on the bottom. Link picked it up and turned it over in his hands. It was made of smooth wood and polished to a high shine. Colorful designs of wind had been etched and painted on it. In truth, it was a beautiful boomerang, but not what he had hoped for.

“Nice find, Hero,” Sheik said, leaning over his shoulder. The older man was carefully coiling his length of rope and grappling hook back into a manageable bundle. “It could come in handy.”

Link shrugged and put the weapon away in his pouch. Together they joined Kaimana, who was refitting his lost fin-blade, under the hole in the ceiling. Not being able to see far beyond the edge of the hole, it took Sheik several throws for the hook to catch something and hold his weight. He shimmied up the rope with little effort. Next went Kaimana, whose aquatic biology made the feat very difficult – Link had to give him a leg, and shoulder, up, while Sheik pulled him the rest of the way. Link brought up the rear, but despite his clumsy climbing skills, he did not feel any wearier for the effort.

The floor of this room was hard stone, with only a dusting of sand so it crunched underfoot. Several gooey-looking brown puddles spread out across the floor. The room was smaller than the last, showing how they had moved higher up the pyramid. Kaimana pointed out the hole in the ceiling of this room in the far right corner, on the far side of the puddles.

The three stood looking around the room carefully, but it remained as empty and quiet as when they had entered. Nothing moved and there were no stone pillars to hide any enemies. Sheik took a cautious step forward, followed closely by Link. Kaimana brought up the rear.

“I think it’s empty,” Link offered after several minutes of silence, his voice echoing strangely in the vast empty room.

“Yeah...” Sheik agreed idly, his eyes still narrowed in suspicion. Link stepped around him and moved farther into the room. His boot made a dull sucking noise as he stepped into one of the puddles. The sword gave a sharp trill of vibration and he heard Sheik’s surprised yell, then everything went dark and cold.

Sheik let out a shout of surprise as the puddle swelled up like rising bread to engulf Link. Only Link’s hand, which had been reaching for his sword, was visible above the gelatin-like mass. Sheik grabbed his hand and pulled. Kaimana let one of his fin-blades fly, slicing through the blob’s side like an arrow into water.

“Stop that!” Sheik shouted angrily. “You could hit Link!” Suddenly, as if the blob had grown bored with the game, it spit Link out – causing Sheik to fall backward and Link to tumble through the air. Kaimana wasted no time, sending his blades to slice the blob in half, so the entire thing melted like water and splashed back to the floor, and watched as it seeped through the cracks in the stone. “Shit!” Sheik hissed, “Link, are you–” He stared for a whole half a minute, before he dissolved into a fit of laughter.

Link picked himself up off the stone ground. His body glistened with slime, so thick that it even dripped in globs from his hair. The sword was firmly grasped in the hand Sheik had not grabbed, though the grip was awkward as if he had seized it quickly. But, aside from the sword and the look of supreme embarrassment and fury, he was completely naked.

“Shut up!” Link snapped, trying to recover as much of his dignity as the situation allowed. He tried covering himself with his sword, but that only made Sheik laugh harder. Kaimana turned around, a pile of slimy clothes in his hand and a look of confusion on his face. One look at the situation and he joined Sheik. Link huffed and snatched the clothes from the Zoran Prince, turning his back so he could put his clothes back on. “It’s not funny!” he snapped again as he wiped as much slime from his body as possible and jammed his hat onto his head.

By the time Sheik and Kaimana got themselves back under control, Link was fully dressed again – though he was still slimy. He snatched his shield from where it had been left by the blob and attempted to wipe as much slime off of it as possible. Still flushed with embarrassment, he marched over to the nearest puddle and kicked a loose stone at it. Immediately the blob rose with a great sucking noise, like a boot being pulled from thick mud. With a single swing of his sword, Link sliced the thing in two and watched with satisfaction as it melted and seeped away through the cracks in the floor.

“If you two are quite done,” Link huffed as he kicked his rock into another puddle, “would you care to tell me what these blobs are.”

“I think they are likelikes,” Sheik answered between chuckles as he flipped a rupee into a puddle and made it rise up. “I’ve never seen one before, but I’ve read about them.” He cross chopped the blob. “Normally, they consume the skin and blubber of their victims – fish and other water bound critters. Then they leave the leftover bits to attract more prey. But land creatures have more tendons connecting the skin to the muscle, so the best they can do is suck off your clothes.”

Despite Sheik and Kaimana’s amusement, they managed to clear the room of likelikes in short order. Sheik tossed his grappling hook through the hole, taking only two tries to hook something that would hold his weight, and they shimmied up to the next level.

“Dear Din!” Kaimana yelped as he got his head over the edge of the hole.

“What is it?” Link asked as he began to climb. Sheik had not sounded alarmed when he disappeared from sight, and even Kaimana sounded more annoyed than alarmed. When he poked his own head over the edge of the hole, he could only raise a curious eyebrow.

The room was smaller than the last, but similarly built – with only a dusting of sand on a stone floor, inwardly slanting walls, and no rocky outcrops. Unlike the other rooms, the hole in the ceiling of this room was covered by a door. But what really caught Link’s attention were the dozens of huge translucent bubbles and giant jellyfish floating in midair. The things idly bounced off the walls and each other as if nothing else was happening in the world worth their notice.

“They are Electric Jellyfish and Shalom respectively,” Kaimana answered Link’s earlier question. “I’ll let you figure out which is which.”

“They will both still hurt if we get close” Sheik frowned, rubbing his arm idly. “I know. Any ideas?” The three stared blankly as a Shalom bounced off the floor only a meter in front of them and floated off in its new direction. Two jellyfish bumped into each other, each admitting angry sparks before drifting apart again.

“Got any rocks?” Kaimana asked. They all looked down, but there were not enough small stones to do them any good.

“How about this?” Link asked as he pulled the boomerang out of his pouch.

Sheik looked at it dubiously. “Can you actually make that thing come back?”

“Raylon has a toy one I was pretty good with, so I think so.”

“The worst that can happen is we have to pick it up afterwords,” Kaimana offered. Sheik shrugged in agreement. Link nodded and took aim at several jellyfish in an almost perfect line, pulled back and let the weapon fly. The jellyfish made an electric squishing sound as they were ripped apart. A Shalom that had drifted into the return path made a soft popping noise. Link missed the catch, but that was easily corrected. In only a few throws the room was mostly clear, with scattered piles of electrified jelly-goo on the floor.

Sheik used the limited number of rocks to pop a few passing Shalom, but found it only annoyed the jellyfish. A few of the critters drifted in the corners, but they were out of the way and not bothering anyone, so they let them be.

Finally, the three stood below the door leading into the next level. It looked to be made of driftwood and held together with swirling silver and bright sapphires. The image created gave mind to turbulent waters before a storm or a river rushing over rocks. Link blinked as the image began to move before his eyes, but it only made the swirling move faster. He heard Sheik say something as if he were far away, then the door exploded. Shards of wood, twisted metal, and precious stone rained down around him, but he did not flinch.

He felt Sheik grab his arm and shake him, but did not respond as his feet began to lift off the ground. When he sensed himself coming back into the present, Sheik was still holding onto his arm, his eyes wide in wonder. “I ask again, Hero, how do you do that?”

The room was the smallest yet, with sharply slanted walls and a stone floor. Large planks of what appeared to be the wrecks of an old ship were scattered haphazardly across the floor. Overhead, Link could see cerulean light peeping through the cracks in the exceptionally high ceiling.

“Hey!” Kaimana called up from below,.“Are you two all right?”

“Yeah,” Sheik called back as he peered around the room. “I’ll lower the rope and pull you up. Just a minute.”

“Don’t bother,” Kaimana replied. “The water is finally coming in; I’ll just swim up with it.”

“Why don’t I like the sound of that?” Link asked with a frown as he pulled the cloth more firmly over his nose and mouth.

“Because it is probably bringing whatever beastie is causing all the problems,” Sheik replied. With a great blub the water came through the hole in the floor and spilled out across the room. Sheik climbed onto a piece of wreckage large enough to hold a carriage, while Link found a piece the size of a horse. Kaimana poked his head above the water, which was already waist deep and still rising. Silently, they bobbed on the water as the ceiling grew lower and lower. Then, when it looked like Link and Sheik would be forced into the water, the rising stopped.

For a long moment, there was quiet. The water lapped gently at the walls and the wood clunked softly when pieces ran into each other. A ripple ran across the surface of the water and Kaimana jumped, scrambling onto the Sheik’s piece of wood. “There is something in the water, and it is big!” His voice shook with uncertainly as he spoke. Link and Sheik drew their swords.

Link’s stomach did a somersault when a dark shape the size of a barn passed under his floating platform, causing it to rock and bob unsteadily in the wake.

Suddenly the water on the far side of the room swelled up in a great dome. The pieces of wood around the dome rose with it before beginning to slide away. Then the dome exploded and the monster roared. Link felt faint.

Eight snake-like arms lashed the water, breaking any piece of wood they struck into splinters. Suction cups the size of saucers lined the underside of each arm. The creature used two of these arms to anchor itself in place by suctioning onto the walls. Its skin flashed quickly between blood red and a fierce orange. Two eyes the size of dinner plates gleamed with intelligence as they stared unblinkingly at the three intruders.

“What in the name of Nayru is a Kraken doing here?!” Kaimana yelped.

“Does that really matter right now?” Sheik snapped. He turned his palm perpendicular to the water and thrust it out. “Wind!” The air rushed forward at his command, slamming into the monster. The Kraken’s soft body absorbed the impact easily. With a hiss, the creature lifted its primary weapons – a pair of extra long arms, each thin and suckerless, but tipped with a wide fleshy pad covered in spikes. It brought the arms down on the piece of wood and its inhabitants with crushing force.

Link watched helplessly as the wood shattered and both men went flying into the water. Kaimana’s water-adapted body slipped easily under the surface and he bobbed back up unhurt only a moment later. Sheik, however, was caught by the spikes on the edge of the pad. They sliced through his leather armor and tunic as if they were not even there and ripped flesh from bone. His body was knocked aside like a rag doll and hit the water with a splash. Blood instantly began to cloud the water around him.

Kaimana quickly grabbed Sheik’s limp body and dragged him to another piece of wood. It did little good, and the blood kept spilling, covering the wood in a slick red coat in a few moments. Kaimana looked about helplessly. The creature raised its deadly weapon again.

The sword in Link’s hand gave a violent throb that resonated through his body. He jammed the point into the wood and grabbed his bow and an arrow. With practiced ease, he nocked the shaft and took aim. A sharp twang cut the air and the arrow took flight. There was a roar of pain and a splash of blood as the shaft pierced the thin tentacle.

“Kaimana, take Sheik and go. I’ll handle this.” Link called across the room, his voice sounding more confident than he felt as he nocked another arrow.

“But–” the Zoran Prince protested.

“Just GO!” Link yelled as he fired his second arrow. It found its mark on the Kraken’s body, looking very much like a tiny pin on a huge pincushion.

“May the Goddesses be with you,” Kaimana said, and dove into the water. Link watched as the wispy trail of blood followed them down and finally disappeared through the hole in the floor.

Link turned back towards the Kraken, putting his bow away and yanking his sword out of the wood. His mind raced, trying to form a suitable plan. The monster did not give him time. He leapt aside, just into time to avoid being crushed by one of the massive arms.

Link blinked rapidly, trying to clear the sudden blurriness of his underwater vision. Around him shattered piece of wood began to float back to the surface. Above, Link could see the dark shape of the Kraken, its many long arms, dipping into the water as it searched for him. In spite of himself, he grinned.

Sheathing his sword, he swam to the very bottom of the room. Carefully picking his way along and keeping his body as flat as he could, he made his way through the forest of living arms, and passing through the creature’s massive shadow. On the other side, he surfaced as silently as possible.
As quietly as he could, Link pulled himself out of the water and onto a piece of wood only a few feet wide. He drew his sword, holding it like a very long dagger. With all his might he leapt, bringing the blade down into the soft flesh of the monster’s body.
Dark blood oozed up around the sword as the room filled with the worst noise Link had ever heard. It sounded like a twisted, wailing gurgle -- Link would later describe it as the sound a drowning poe might make. The Kraken waved its arms wildly, the two long spike-tipped arms lashing at its own flash in attempt to swat its assailant away. Link twisted the sword and yanked it free, dodged around one of the spike arms, and jammed the sword down directly between the creature’s eyes. The wail echoed again, this time louder and more piercing than the last.
One of the spike pads caught him in the back, tearing his tunic, cutting into his flesh, and threw him from his feet. He rolled several times down the monster’s back before he stopped and pushed himself to his hands and knees. Blood, sweat, and water were rolling down his arms and staining his tunic. Blowing hard, he rose to his feet and sprinted back to his sword – which was still impaled in the Kraken’s head – and pulled it free.
He slammed the sword down again, wrenched it around, and pulled it free. One of the many arms grabbed for him -- Link swung blindly at it, severing the end so that it flopped around like the end of a lizard’s severed tail. The rest of the arm waved through the air, splashing blood in all directions.
One of the spiked arms came at him again from the left. Link dodged, but one of the sharp weapons tore a long gash from his shoulder to elbow. Link swung his sword, batting the spiked pad away, and feeling the cool blood as the blade sliced effortlessly into soft flesh.
Link panted in exhaustion, his body aching from the strain of his exertions and the open wounds. Sweat dripped from his face and seeped painfully into the torn flesh of his back and arm. Vaguely he wondered when he had lost his shield. Below him, the Kraken continued to sway and thrash wildly as it tried to throw him off.
Gripping his sword in both hands, Link could feel it beginning to hum – a steady high buzz like an angry bee trapped in an empty jelly jar. He caught sight of his own reflection in the blade as he raised it over his head. It was glowing a soft green, not unlike a mild version of the glow it had had at the forest temple, and it seemed brighter, more mirror-like than before. Then he slammed the blade down with all his strength.
The Kraken wailed and thrashed harder than ever. The buzzing grew stronger until it felt like Link’s arms would vibrate apart. Without thinking, Link squeezed the hilt of the sword and forced the buzzing out of the blade. There was a tearing sound, like ripping paper, and the Kraken fell abruptly silent.
The next moment, Link fell into the water with a splash. He kicked to the surface, ready for anything, but found himself bobbing amongst globs of squishy flesh and limp tentacles. Breathing hard, Link climbed onto a piece of wood that had been spared the Kraken’s wrath.
He was not sure how long he lay there just trying to catch his breath when he felt the piece of wood stop swaying. Cracking his eyes open, he saw the water had drained from the room. He caught sight of his shield lying among the mounds of flesh, but did not have the energy to retrieve it. His boomerang was nowhere to be seen. Too tired and hurt to care, Link’s eyes drifted closed again and his world went black.