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[Husse]

Maybe next week....I'd like more people to read Chapter 4 first...

Aw, heck, if you're that interested: This is the dream sequence, I hope I didn't overdo it. And for those of you who always skip to the bottom of the page, you missed chapter 4, one of the longest, and, just IMO, best. This is five...

5
Link?s Dream
Link

 
?Great Deku Tree?? Navi called, ?I?m back, and I?ve brought our friend.?
 
He, and I think we all know what I mean by he, was immense. The biggest Tree I had ever seen. Not that it was the first time I?d seen him. The Tree raises all Kokiri until they are six years after birth. But still, he was a stunning sight.
 
I made a little bow and the Tree smiled. ?Navi,? he moaned, ?Thou hast returned.?
 
Navi sighed, ?Yes, I?m here. Are you all right??
 
?I?m alive,? he rumbled in a deep voice, ?That is the most important thing.?
 
His gaze turned in my direction again. He blinked and stared at me with a mournful look in his eyes.
 
?Link,? he whispered, ?Welcome. Listen carefully to what I, the Deku Tree, am about to tell thee.?
 
?I listen, and heed thy words,? I responded respectfully in the normal custom.
 
?Thy slumber these past moons must have been restless and full of nightmares,? he groaned, ?Is this true??
 
?The words you speak are true,? I answered. This kind of talk made me nervous, and I began to wonder if there was a connection to my dream and the Tree.
 
??Tis because,? he explained, ?Of a recent uprising of villainy. As servants of evil gain strength, a vile climate pervades the land, and causes nightmares to those sensitive to it.?
 
?What evil?? I asked, ?What servants? The forest is peaceful.? Indeed, besides my dreams, and the dulling of the plants in the forest, there seemed to be no danger, no evil in the forest. Unless?what my dreams had suggested?there was evil elsewhere.
 
?This peace is a dangerous deception,? he replied, ?There are troubles. Verily, thou hast sensed it. This I know, from the fairies? reports.?
 
Suddenly, the tree seemed to buckle from some sort of pain. He moaned, and straightened again.

?I have had an encounter with a man,? he said, ?An aura of greed emanated from him, and he made our meeting most unpleasant, even lethal.?

?Who is this man?? I asked, ?Was it a foreigner? Was he in our forest? I will find him, if that is your wish, Great Tree.?

?No,? his roots pulsed as he spoke, ?Thou shall tell me one thing. Thou must describe the dream that has tortured you these recent nights. That is my wish.?

So, while the Tree waited patiently, I told him my dream?






The first sound that I can remember, as dreams come suddenly and are hard to recall, involved a clanging. A loud clinking and clanging noise was pervading my sleep. Chains, I realized. Then a rumble I knew to be the sound of thunder. Then I could see.

There were no trees. That was the oddest part. Well, perhaps there were a few trees?but they didn?t matter, for they were few and far-between. There was only a wide plain with short, scrubby grass all around. It was raining. Pouring down rain all around me, with lightning and thunder lighting the odd scene. The sound of chains came again, and I turned around to see something most astonishing.

It was a large stone wall I believe to be a castle, surrounded by a river that I think was called a moat, and it was then that I realized where I was. I was out of the forest. Out into the broad land, as they call it, the field, and I was looking at the castle of Hyrule. I was instantly thrilled, for I had only heard about the wide world in stories and had never been allowed to leave the forest, like any Kokiri. It worried me, too, because if a Kokiri leaves the forest, they will be released from the ever-present protection of the Deku Tree, and may die. I shuddered.  

Then the rattling of chains became clear. It was a drawbridge, I believe, a large wooden door built into the castle frame, and it was lowering in front of me.  

?Someone is coming out,? I whispered to no one, ?But who??

A faint whinny rang out, and then there was a clatter of hooves. A large, white, beautiful animal I do not know the name of ran out quickly, with two beings on it?s back.  

?Hylians,? I deduced, and sneered. Hylians, or humans, were the ruling beings of the broad land. Their ruler dominated all other rulers, though I cannot understand why. They are simple beings with no real outstanding characteristics to speak of. King Hyrule and his people do not often visit the forest, so we Kokiri really only serve the Deku Tree.

Perhaps I was a little harsh on the subject of humans. They have some very odd sorts of gifts that it is hard for other races to possess. Determination, Willpower, Unpredictability, and Loyalty, are a few of their qualities. And, I have heard, an unusual capacity for depth, although I do not know what that means.

Ah yes, the dream. The large white creature carried two Hylians on its back, and I turned to get a good look. There was a tall one, an adult, I think they?re called, and a small one, the size of a Kokiri. Both were female and seemed to be in a hurry. The adult was white-haired, lean and strong looking with a tight-fitting uniform, and was focused on steering the beast, so as it ran, I could not get a good look at her.

But I saw the young one.

Oh, did I see the young one!

She was fair and blue-eyed, with a pink and white dress, and blonde hair all but concealed in a veiled turban. She looked back at me with a look of pure anguish, and I felt heartbroken just looking at her. Something terrible was happening, I realized.  

The mournful look in her eyes was replaced suddenly with a look of discovery. She reached into her sash-like purse and?I cannot remember what she did?but my next recollection occurred after the white animal had disappeared.

As the creature galloped away, I heard a deep snorting and pawing on the ground. I turned, startled, to face a similar creature approaching me from the drawbridge. But this animal was not beautiful.

It looked deadly.

The hoofed creature was black, with a reddish mane, and was coated in shiny armor from head to toe. I gasped, and it panicked, whinnying and rearing up into the air. It was then that I noticed the rider.

He looked much more dangerous.

I at first assumed he was a Hylian, because of his size. But no, I realized, something was different about him. He was clad in blackish-gray and was very large and powerful. He had sparse blood-red hair with sideburns, and his skin was dark and calloused. He had the look of a devil in his eye, and he calmed the horse with milky-smooth words and scanned the horizon, possibly for the other rider. His voice, as he murmured, was deep and soft with a confident tone. He seemed?untouchable.

And it was then that the dream became a nightmare. The man turned his gaze and looked straight at me. His eyes gleamed madly, he sneered evilly, and he made a terrible sound as he growled at me, his hand at my throat, while his palm pulsated with electricity.

This is no Hylian, I realized.

This is something much worse?






?And so the dream ends,? I concluded, shuddering at the thought of that man grabbing hold of me.

?Link,? the Tree boomed, ?My suspicions have been verified. The time has come to test thy courage. It is time for you to achieve what you were born to achieve.?

I didn?t answer. He seemed so confident that I could solve his problem that I didn?t want to tell him he was wrong. If I was to fight, Mido could have bettered me. If I was to use my brainpower, Saria should be in my stead. I had no real attributes that could heal him?whatever he had. I also found it unusual that he could draw such a rash conclusion through a dream.

?You see,? he continued, ?I have been cursed. I need you to break the curse with your wisdom and courage. You are worth more to this forest than you think, dear Link. Do not let differences dominate your thinking.?

?I don?t know anything of magic or curses,? I pleaded, ?How would I stop an invisible force??

The Tree frowned, ?By curse, I did not mean an ethereal hazard. Curses can be physical, as this one is. Within me, something eats away at my roots and breaks my stability. That is a curse. Dost thou, then, have courage enough to undertake this task of destroying the cause of my sickness??

If I had known, at that moment, what was to come of this decision, of all that I would go through, I would have said no immediately. But some things that appear unfortunate have a greater purpose behind them, and so I do not regret that moment when I replied?

?Yes, sir. I will try.?

Suddenly there was a creak, and a large portion of the Tree?s bark, under his face, slid away to reveal an opening, a hollow into the bowels of the Tree.          
   
?Then enter, Brave Link,? he rumbled, ?and thou too, Navi; and Link, when Navi speaks, listen well to her words of wisdom. She is your authority, now.?
 
And so we walked, slowly, into the hollow, not knowing what to expect once inside

[Husse]

HA HA! I am a strong believer in the Link and Zelda are NOT an item theory. NO WORRIES! But you can't deny she's pretty. I didn't want to make him sound stupid.

[Husse]

Yes, but what would you think if there were several UNSPECIFIC slurs towards a future romance with Malon? As in a "could be..." sort of thing? Because, well, there are...

[Husse]

Also, might I add, that though Link is naiive, he also seems to be pretty mature. NEXT CHAPTER!

This will determine whether you love or hate the direction the story is taking thus far. I'm not real proud of the next three chapters, it switches from brief and confusing to long and boring, IMO, much like the real dungeon. But one thing I like, which I'm not sure you all will, is th addition of a character near and dear to my heart. I added him. That's right. I marred Zelda. This IS fanfic, after all. Remember the little Scrubs in the tree? In my story, he becomes a full-fledged guide.

I'm not removing him no matter what, (sorry,) but if you want me to change him in some way, feel free to tell me! As he is, he may remind you of another shady guide in a famous story. This was, believe it or not, fully unintentional, but as I look back on it...must have been my subconscious speaking...

6
A Crooked Guide
Link

It was damp in there.  
 
There's no other word to explain it. As soon as I walked in, I felt the squishing of decayed wood and moss under my moccasin boots. Stale air filled my nostrils and I realized the entrance had not been used in quite a long time. I looked around. There were levels and levels of earthen floor balconies winding up and around the inside of the tall Tree. There were even ladders leading from one floor to another. The area was covered in webbing, like the kind spiders use, only on a much larger scale. The Tree was a literal city inside.
 
"Navi," I asked, "Why is there so much construction in here? Is this the cause of the Tree's pain? Who did this?"
 
Navi sighed, ?No, this city is perfectly normal. Wait, you didn?t know, Link??
 
?Know what?? I replied sarcastically, ?You mean I had no idea his Highness? insides had been turned into a village. I?m sorry, you know what, I should?ve known.?
 
Navi tolerated my sarcasm. ?Think about it, now. Deku Scrubs reproduce quickly, yet they are rarely seen in Kokiri Village. Why??
 
It dawned on me. ?Oh,? I whispered, ?The Scrubs live in the Deku Tree. I understand. They must have made all this.?
 
Scrubs were only slightly higher on the social ladder than Babas, because of their intelligence, mobility, and personal language. (Though it was little more than a series of squeaks and growls lashed together in a mess of indistinguishable words. I myself had learned the language and still had trouble with it.)  
 
?Are they even grateful for the Tree?s service? Why does he let them live here?? I inquired.
 
?Scrubs prefer to live in dark, damp places, using only enough light to see by. The Tree takes care of all beings?no matter how vile and primitive.?
 
I glanced around at the torches here and there. Only enough light to see by, I thought. Of course, being engrossed in my upper surroundings, I wasn?t careful enough to watch my step below. The ground sagged beneath me, and I found it very hard to walk all of a sudden.  
 
?Oh, gross!? I exclaimed. The ?floor? in the center of the trees bottom level was coated in spider webbing. Wait, I thought, is there any floor beneath me? I kneeled and parted some of the sticky strands. No, as a matter of fact, there wasn?t. The webbing was covering a large hole in the ground, and I realized if it had not been there when I was looking around aimlessly?I shuddered.
 
As I slowly backed off the safety net of silk, Navi mumbled, ?This, however, is not natural.?
 
?What isn?t?? I asked.
 
?The webs,? she replied, ?There shouldn?t be such massive webs in here, and yet they?re all over the place. Skulltulas don?t make webs of this caliber, so??
 
?Skulltulas!? I cried, ?There are skulltulas in here?? I hated Skulltulas, and they were only found in the darkest places of the Lost Woods. They were big spiders, half my size, and noted for the skull mimicry on their backs.
 
?Of course!? Navi giggled, ?They clean the Tree of insects and provide him comfort, you know.?
 
I groaned. This ?mission? I had been assigned was going to make me very queasy.
 
?Let?s not speak of the skulltulas right now,? I murmured, ?Where should we search first?? (As if I knew what I was searching for.)  
 
We decided to take the ladder to the first level balcony. There were several gaps in the balcony flooring that we had to jump over, and Navi said that, once finished with a project, Scrubs were usually too lazy to change anything about it?even if it was decaying.
 
?I don?t see anything here, Navi,? I whispered. All I could find on the first floor was a wooden door with no handle and steel bars covering its surface, I suppose as a measure of locking it.
 
?Why not try the next floor?? Navi suggested, ?You can?t get there by ladder, but there?s a sticky looking vine wall over here. The Scrubs probably use this instead of ladders. They don?t have any arms, you know. It?s not a wonder the ladders were slanted so far out.?
 
I walked over and gripped the vine-covered wall. ?Very creative,? I noted, ?Why do you suppose it?s so sticky??
 
At that moment, two things were called to my attention. Number one, the ?stickiness? of the wall was due to lots of small, white, nearly invisible strands of silk weaved into the vines. Number two; I was being eyed very carefully by about three hungry-looking skulltulas perching on the wall. I released the vines and backed away hastily. I was not going to make it to the top in this situation.
 
?Sorry, Link,? Navi chuckled, ?I guess I didn?t notice them. Well, we can?t use the wall, but?have you tried the door??
 
I sighed, ?Yes, it?s locked and I can?t find a handle even if there weren?t bars over the door.?
 
?Perhaps there are Scrubs in there.? she replied, ?Try knocking.?
 
I snuck up to the door and rapped through the bars loudly. When I did, I heard a scuffling noise, like something burrowing. There were Scrubs in there, all right.
 
?If you please,? I asked politely, ?we are lost in the Tree here, and we?d like some assistance. Would you open the door??
 
The bars slowly raised, and I heard a shrill squeak cry out, ?Lift the door from the bottom, stranger, we have no use for handles!?
 
Scrub language, of course, not at all polite or civilized. I lifted the door from the bottom and casually walked into a circular room with piles of dirt and rubbish lying here and there. It was very plain and small; and it had a small burrowing hole in its center. Sleeping quarters for a Scrub, I suppose. Speaking of which, where was the filthy little??
 
?Ow!? I yelled.
 
I had been hit from behind. I turned around to see a head pop out of the burrowing hole and grin in a little scrubby manner. Scrubs were little creatures, only up to my waist, and were not at all attractive. Their flesh had a greenish tinge, and they had large, two-toed flat feet. They had no arms, only large heads atop their feet, and the heads were the most grotesque. Two red, squinty eyes peered out from beneath a bushy, orange-leafed top, and the only vocalizations a Scrub could make were squeals and growls, due to their lack of mouth. In place of lips, they had a stubby, fat proboscis, through which they spit nuts or other items in self-defense.
 
And that was exactly what this particular Scrub was doing. He had only let me in so he could knock me senseless with heavy nuts. Unfortunately, he was a very good aim. I got out my shield and tried to ward off the repetitive hail of nuts while the Scrub laughed between spits at his little joke.
 
Navi cleared her throat and mumbled, ?May I suggest a little backlash? Hurl those fallen nuts at him. Or maybe you can try to angle your shield up a little and try to knock some nuts back at him as well.?
 
?Eat nuts, little Scrub!? I yelled, and began to barrage him with his own arsenal.  
 
After a few blows to his face, he began to look disoriented, and hopped out of his hole, shaking his head a couple times to clear the migraine I?m sure he was having. I leaped at this opportunity and rushed him, my blade just under his proboscis.
 
?Now tell me,? I commanded in my most professional voice, ?What?s the idea of spitting nuts at me, you ungrateful little Scrub? Speak quickly, or I?ll slice you open!?
 
I had no intention of harming him, of course, but Scrubs are wily and conniving, and I wasn?t going to take any chances at him calling for backup.
 
He squeaked in an annoying tone at me, ?Ow! Ow! No, please! I beg you, forest boy! No, no, you strong forest boy. You master, yes! Forgive me, then, master! Let me go, and I leave you be, yes? Good promise??
 
I suppose I was being harsh with him, but I could see the devilish look in his eye, and knew better than to trust his so-called pact.
 
?No good promise,? I tried to squeak back, ?You do something else for me. Better pact for your ?Master,? all right??
 
He shook a little bit as he spoke, ?Quite right, smart boy, yes, quite right! If I aid you, will you let me go? An aid, you understand, a guide! I will be a guide, this is good, indeed? I show you many things, things to help you, things to use for spiders, yes, forest children don?t like spiders! No! No spiders! No!?
 
I eased up a bit. I relaxed my sword. He smiled a little, and I realized I had scared him.
 
?I apologize for scaring you,? I told him, ?Will you tell me your name, little guide friend??
 
?I go by name, yes! I lucky Scrub to be given name! My name, it be Collywobbles! Good name, yes? It mean stomachache, methinks! Named for annoyance, methinks!?
 
I smiled, ?Lead the way, Collywobbles.?
 
?No!? he shouted, ?I must give you gift first!?
 
He ducked back into his hole for a minute and came out bearing?
 
?Deku nuts?? I asked.
 
?Oh no!? he yelled, ?No edible Deku nuts! These are the unripe nuts! Not for eating! Throw one on ground, I show you!?
 
He held one in his proboscis, and aimed at the ground. He made a loud huffing noise and the nut was thrown at the ground. Now why would he?
 
?Ah!? I yelled. The flash of light and sparks emanating from the explosion blinded me for a second. I shook my head to clear the view, and I saw Collywobbles laughing.
 
"Deku nut go bang!" he laughed, "Blind little creatures...and little boys, ho ho. Nut stun them so Boy can take sword and dispatch little monster. Most helpful, yes? Oh! I just remember something! I know not your name."
 
"It's Link," I mumbled, rubbing my eyes, "And don't ever do that again."
 
"Yes yes," he replied, "Naughty trick, but fun! You take nuts, now. Let us move on to greater helping things, yes?"
 
After the spots cleared completely from my vision, we went on through some back passageways to a large room. We had emerged onto a ledge, and it was a long way down to the room's floor. Sort of like a basement, I guess, and we were expected to descend without stairs. A Scrub might be light and bouncy enough to fall that far, but I wasn't.
 
I looked across. There was another ledge on the other side of the room. It was at our level, and adjacent to us, but there was no door beyond it, it was only a ledge. Collywobbles smiled and gestured toward it, but I had no idea how to get across the vast canyon without hurting myself.
 
"Look down a bit, Link! It's a pillar!" Navi shouted.
 
I looked down. Yes, that was a pillar, and it would be a long jump, but if I landed on it, perhaps I could get from it to the opposite ledge easier. I bit my lip and took a running start for the jump.
 
Collywobbles cried out to me just a little too late, "No, Master Link! Don't land on that!"
 
Of course, I was halfway through the air by the time he said it, so it didn't do any good. I landed with a thump on the cracked dirt pillar, and it shuddered. I suddenly understood why he had protested. The poor pillar had little or no foundation and could not hope to support my weight. It collapsed quickly in a billow of dust.
 
I hacked and coughed while Collywobbles, light as a leaf, floated down through the air towards me shouting, screaming, and scolding. I shook it off and got up shakily to my feet. I was on the so-called "basement" now, and the ledge was high above me. What were we trying to get that was so important, anyway? What was this "helping thing?"
 
"What now, Navi?" I wheezed.
 
"Don't worry," she chirped confidently, "The ledge has that same vine wall structure as that other wall we saw?only without the spiders. I think we can climb from all the way down here."
 
It was laborious work, climbing that thing. Navi was humming the whole way, of course, and I had my hands and knees gripped into the slimy vine gaining an inch a minute. I say knees because Collywobbles had his mouth attached to my feet. After all, it?s difficult to climb when you have no arms.
 
When we finally reached the top, I heaved and huffed and asked our odd little guide what special thing he had hidden up here. He hopped jauntily over to a large mound in the dirt and hopped next to it, as if wanting me to dig. I brushed away the loose dirt and uncovered an unusual object. It was a small twig, carefully crafted so it forked halfway up. Strung between the forks was a strip of leather with a springy constitution, and I couldn't for the life of me figure out what to do with it.
 
Collywobbles chuckled, "I made it. I call it a slingshot."
 
He explained to me how to use it, and I agreed it was very useful. You could hit an enemy from far off, like a bow and arrow, only smaller. Buried with it was a small leather drawstring purse filled with small golden-colored rock hard seeds. I smiled. The little Scrub had thought of ammunition. I shouldn't have doubted him for a minute.
 
But now there was the dilemma of getting back. The only exit to the room was where we had come from, and there weren't any vines covering that ledge. We were stuck in the room, with no way out. Collywobbles shrugged a bit and explained that there had been a ladder to that ledge before, but it had been put away long ago when the room was out of use.
 
I looked at him suspiciously, "Where was it put?"
 
Navi beamed at me, "I know the answer to that one. Look up above the ledge, nearest the ceiling."
 
Sure enough there was a ladder stowed away high on the wall on a hook. Now we had yet another dilemma. We could not hope to reach the ladder.  
 
"Wait!" Collywobbles shrieked, "I remember now! I hide slingshot here for special reasons, oh yes! Slingshot be used to get ladder down! Is Master Link good aim?"
 
I looked up at the ladder far from us, "Are you serious? I must shoot it all the way up there? I don't think I can aim that well."
 
"Pull back on slingshot hard!" Collywobbles replied.
 
It took quite a few tries to get it right, but at least I was learning how to use the slingshot. Most seeds didn't even make it all the way up, some were off target, and many just didn?t hit the ladder hard enough. But, after about thirty shots, one lucky seed hit the ladder askew, and it tipped and fell a long way to the ground, making a wooden clattering sound when it landed. After that it was simply a matter of climbing the ladder and returning to the main entrance hall of the Tree.  
 
Collywobbles had been a great help, with the slingshot and even the nuts, of which I was unsure of just how helpful the little explosives would be. But he could only get us so far, and there was no more going forward. The only place left to go was up, and those nasty little skulltulas were barring the way. We stared at them, and they gnashed their little mouthparts excitedly.
 
I rested my hand on my slingshot as I thought, and then it came to me suddenly. There was a way to get rid of those spiders, and it all depended on my aim...

[Lord Jabu-Jabu]

Collywobbles: "Master Link.... My slingshot. I wantsss it back... my preciousss..."

[Husse]

Well, not much special here, but I have to rap it out! Sorry for the excruciatingly long wait, I haven't been on the net period in forever!

(Wow, hope you folks haven't lost interest...)

7
Up in the Boughs
Link

 
From there it was chaos.
 
?Link, there?s one behind you!?
 
?Hold on, I have to reload. Clumsy...!?
 
?You got one! You got one! Ah, watch out! He?s falling!?
 
?I see him! Watch yourself, there?s one at your feet!?
 
?This is so exciting!?
 
That last one was Collywobbles, of course.
 
We had started a tirade of arachnid confusion in a matter of seconds. Navi started off by flittering around like a fly in front of the skulltulas, trying to get them to chase her down into my general area. Once they were close enough, I loaded my slingshot with, not seeds, but little explosive Deku nuts, and began pelting them like mad. It didn?t take too many shots for them to get disoriented, and loosen their grip on the vine wall. They would fall all the way down to my level, and Collywobbles would pelt them out of commission. We didn?t want to kill them, because they were a valuable resource for the Tree, parasite removal, and all that.
 
After a few minutes it was all over, and seventeen little dazed skulltulas were lying at our ankles. Another wall climb, and we were on the second balcony; and the highest balcony, much to our chagrin. If the ?curse? wasn?t up here, it wasn?t anywhere. The entire second balcony was surrounded by the Tree?s inner boughs, and vast networks of spider webbing, once again, too vast to have been made by the skulltulas.
 
Collywobbles pointed out that this was where most all the Scrubs lived, and no curse would be found in their private dwellings. Furthermore, if we intruded, or if they heard us walking about, they would attack Navi and I. While one Scrub was not problematic, twenty may be very hazardous  
 
?Only place,? he squeaked, ?That is not Deku home up here is crusher room. Is used for grinding nuts and other foods, as well as rock into gravel. Very helpful, and very big room! Me show you??
 
?Lead the way,? I replied, though the words ?crusher room? did not sound very inviting.
   
He led us to a small door, and entered skipping and squeaking. He didn?t seem too worried about being crushed, so I obviously had no reason to worry, right?
 
Wrong.
 
As soon as we came in, I could sense something very unusual about the place. Again, there were two ledges, the one we were on, and the one across from us, but the difference between them was only a long ditch, and not a long canyon, like before. I hopped down into the ditch and walked across to the ledge. As shallow as this ditch was, I still couldn?t reach the ledge lip. Of course, that meant I couldn?t go back, either. Stuck in a ditch, already. Some hero I was.
 
Collywobbles grinned at me, ?You go into grinding ditch, already? You eager for show, eh? You see grinders, grinders three? Shall I show you their grinding??
 
?You mean these?? I asked. There were three round, dirty circles in the ditch grass, but I couldn?t see how they ground anything on them. It looked like a three-ring show to me.
 
Collywobbles didn?t reply. He just hopped over to a small symbol on the ledge ground, a crescent moon, I believe. He stood on it, and put his heels together, and his toes apart, imitating the shape with his feet and stomped with a squeak.
 
At first nothing happened. Then there was a low rumbling noise, followed by the hiss of sifting dirt, and the circles rose rapidly out of the ground as cylinders, going up and down quickly. Whatever was at the base would be crushed, I realized. So that?s how they did it.  
 
?Collywobbles,? I yelled over the noise, ?This is very interesting, I?ll admit, but I would really like to get out of the ditch now. Will you help me out??
 
Collywobbles laughed, ?I don?t know how! Isn?t watching crushers fun??
 
Our little guide?s servitude had just run out. All I could do now was continue to beg him for help while the crushers threatened to smash me if I moved too much to one side.
 
Finally, the crushers stopped, and I cleared my throat, ?Collywobbles,? I asked, ?What do you mean by ?I don?t know how?? I really need to get out of this pit.?
 
The little Scrub looked at me awkwardly for a second, then smiled.
 
?Stand on circle,? he commanded.
 
?Should I listen to him?? I asked Navi.
 
?He?s gotten us this far,? she replied, ?I don?t think he?s trying to smash you.?
 
I played dumb and stood on the circle. Of course, he stepped on the switch again, and we were tossed up and down with the cylinder. I had to keep my balance, lest I tumble off and be crushed, maimed, or otherwise.
 
?Alright,? I yelled shakily, ?What?s the plan, Scrub??
 
?Jump from one crusher to next, and you should be able to reach opposite ledge! I see something on it, so you might as well investigate!? he yelled back.
 
?That?s a brilliant plan!? I screamed at him, ?I?ve always wanted to cheat death!?
 
?I know,? he giggled, ?Isn?t Collywobbles clever??
 
Scrubs did not understand sarcasm, I deduced.
 
I ran shakily to the end of the crusher, holding on for dear life, and jumped just as the next one was going down. I landed with a thud and skidded on my stomach. It was hard to determine distance when I was that dizzy. I shook my head. There was only one more grinder. I could make it! I leaped.
 
My jump fell short, and I felt myself hanging off the edge, holding onto the sides with my hands, just as the crusher was going down. My toes were too low down. They would be smashed!  
Navi zipped around behind me and gave my feet a nudge. I hauled myself onto the crusher just as it made contact with the ground. Scared stiff, I hopped feebly to the opposite ledge.
 
I would never take my feet for granted again.
 
Collywobbles cheered and hopped nimbly from crusher to crusher like it was nothing over to my side.
 
?Some fun, eh, Master??
 
I simply shrugged and started to look around the ledge. It was small, and there didn?t seem to be anything there. I was all ready to go back, when I stumbled upon something.
 
It was a Scrub, but he wouldn?t be giving us any trouble. He had been squashed flat, and left for dead long ago. I could see his fleshy skull lying there, crushed and lifeless, with his proboscis turned sadly down.
 
?Rest his poor soul,? Collywobbles squeaked, ?Shouldn?t play around grinders, no no.?
 
?Wait,? I whispered, ?What?s that in his proboscis??
 
I delicately grabbed it and twisted. A small blue object came loose with a pop, and I examined it. It was a little compass. The poor Scrub must have clutched his toy awful tight in those last moments. But it wouldn?t do him any good, now. I put it in my pocket.
 
?Well,? I sighed, ?That?s it then. There?s nothing more in here than a covey, a corpse, and a compass; no evidence of a curse at all.?
 
?But, Link!? Collywobbles cried, ?You haven?t searched everywhere yet!?
 
?I haven?t?? I asked. What more could there possibly be?
 
?Basement,? he answered, ?Roots of tree. No homes down there! Many hidden chambers!?
 
At that we left the room and returned to the balcony. The Scrub said that the entrance to the basement was on the floor of the Tree. I crawled out on a limb and looked down at the floor through a crack in the ever-present webbing.
 
?I think I know the entrance you mean, Collywobbles. I saw it when I first came in. But it?s covered over with webbing, now, and it?s too thick to cut.?
 
Yes, the entrance to the basement was through the large hole in the floor that I had seen earlier. That web had saved my life the first time, but now it needed to be cleared, and?
 
?There?s just no safe way of doing that,? I concluded, ?Is there an alternate passageway??
 
?No, that only way,? Collywobbles sighed. He had joined me on the limb, and was swinging his legs over the side, seemingly unworried by the height of our ascent. Myself I was clutching the branch for dear life. We scooted out farther, away from the webs, to get a better view. I felt a slight tremor go through the limb, and a pounding noise. What was that I heard? Squeaking?
 
?So,? Navi moaned, ?I guess it all stops here? There is no way down to the roots??
 
Collywobbles made a little wheezing sound, like he?d just discovered something, and hummed softly, ?I think I know a way.?

I should have seen it coming. I should?ve known the little Scrub would pull a fast one. But he had caught me off guard. Before I could react, he stomped hard on the branch, and I was twisted awkwardly to the side. He ran up and rammed me in the side, and I tumbled end over end to the tip of the branch. He shoved me once more and I was holding on with one hand! Navi cried out, but she was helpless to save me. I was dangling almost 3 stories up, from the top of a gigantic tree to the bottom. I wouldn?t survive a fall like that, not in a million years!

?Ah, Collywobbles!? I cried, ?What are you doing? Don?t kill me! Are you insane?? I reached out for a firmer grip. There was a clamor in the distance. More thumping and squeaking, like before. Scrubs, a mob of them.  

Collywobbles gave me a twisted frown, ?No, please! Don?t move, Master! Move not an inch!?

?An inch is all I need to get my sword,? I snarled.

?Please,? he squealed, ?Trust me! Trust Collywobbles one more time! The other Scrubs! They?ve seen you! They?re coming to close in on you! You have to stay still for a minute! Trust me!?

?Trust you!? I spat, ?You?re a Scrub! What the other Scrubs may do can?t be much worse than this! Let me up, if you?re so trustworthy, and maybe I won?t throttle you!?
 
He looked at me, shocked and sad, as my knuckles turned white from the strain of my weight. I heard the thumping louder behind us, my fingers screaming, straining, to hold the now shaking branch, and I knew he was right. They were here, coming for me, and I was going one way or the other. But the traitor! I would splatter below!
 
?Forgive me, please,? he chattered.  
 
And with that, he stomped on my hand, sending me plummeting down to the ground below...

Again, I'm surprised at how proper the language is here, wrote it a while back, and how much Link's character (as I think of it,) is distorted. He's pretty true to the whole strong-willed, sense of duty, hold on, never-give-up thing, but dang! Is he supposed to be that violent? Tell me if this one needs a few more rewrites.

[Husse]

I thought about him leaping, but it didn't seem as cool and it didn't move the plot much.

As for me being crazy, WHAT!?!? I'm not crazy! I'm the only one who's NOT crazy!

But seriously, I've seen this done twice before. OoT by a published "official" author that was little more than a kid's book, and not counting about a million people who tried and gave up cause they got bored, (that's what creative liberties are for), there is one ambitious author on fanfiction.net whose story is, shall we say, graphic, and over-the-top. His mission is probably to tell a whole new story out of OoT, but the characters are so different and the actual events so twisted, that it's kind of sad to read as a Zelda fan. At least it's expertly written...

Can you believe he painted an elaborate romance with SARIA and Link?! Ickish...

But nevertheless, new installment soon!

[Husse]

Why, look! It's another out-of-game reference! Actually, there will probably be a lot of Majora's Mask references in this book to account for the sequel, should I ever write that. But that's thinking ahead, and I'd MUCH rather write The Wind Waker, or even, no, maybe not a Link to the Past, but I'm not real excited about Majoras Mask. That would be SO confusing.

But as you can see, there is an MM reference here and a LOT of creative libertizing, but it always helps to explain these things in written stories.

Link's too durn formal again...sounds queer for a 10-year old but I'm a little broke on a good way to change it.

8
Real Traitor
Link

 
Downward I fell, the foliage surrounding me whipping by at an alarming rate. How could I survive? Would his Highness be saved? Why did Collywobbles do this? All those questions that come in the last moments of life, unanswered.
 
Navi cried as we fell, ?Link, what do we do??
 
I didn?t have time to answer. The breath was knocked out of me as I hit, not hard ground, but sticky web, the blocked entrance to the roots. I slowed a little, but to my surprise I kept falling! I could see the shattered web above me now, and most of it was wrapped around my body. I fell further and further, a sticky, bruised, mess to the depths of the Tree.
 
I finally landed with a splash in a small body of water. Submerged, I fought to free my arms from the gigantic web, and pried my boots loose with my sword. Navi had followed me all the way down, even into the water, and we swam to the surface together.
 
I treaded water, gasping for breath, ?Navi, are you alright??
 
?I?m fine,? she sighed, ?Just a bit winded. I had to fly pretty fast to keep up with you. Are you OK??
 
I spat some web out as I spoke, ?Of course, I?m alive! I can?t believe it!?
 
Navi muttered, ?Collywobbles knew what he was doing all along, didn?t he? We?re safe.?
 
?Collywobbles!? I yelled. I had forgotten about him. I must have hurt his feelings, yelling at the little Scrub like that.
 
?It looks like we?re traveling blind from now on,? Navi said, ?I?ve never been to the roots. It?s Scrub territory.?  
 
?Oh,? I groaned, ?What have I done? Poor Collywobbles!?
 
?Never mind that now!? Navi snapped, ?I know, we made a mistake, but we can?t get to him now, so we?d best move on before something even more disastrous happens!?
 
I sighed and crawled up on an embankment. We were far below, in the ?basement,? as Collywobbles had called it. A creek ran between the embankment I was on, and the one across from us, which was high and unreachable. My own strip of land was split into two large halves, probably from erosion. The creek ran from one end of the basement to the other, leaving and entering grates that I knew flowed out into the forest. And once more, webs were everywhere.
 
The only light in the dark gloom was a floor-mounted, gold-plated torch where moths gathered in swells. It was hard enough to tell where to go, and bad lighting didn?t help. I squinted. There was a door on the opposite, severed end of the creek bed. I swam across and walked over to it. I got a face full of web when I got too close, and I realized I couldn?t cut through this, either.  
 
?Burn it!? Navi said simply, ?You still have that Deku stick from the meadow, so why not use it??
 
I groped and felt around for it on my back. Miraculously, it was still there. I went over to the standing torch and took some flame. Navi was right; it was an excellent torch, for the stick did not burn very fast at all. But I didn?t need it to light my way. I hurled it at the web and the strands disintegrated in seconds. Navi assured me that there were lots of sticks lying around, and that retrieving the smoldering rod would not be necessary. We opened the door and found ourselves in a familiar room.  
 
?Deku quarters?? Navi inquired, ?But Collywobbles said Scrubs didn?t live down here.?
 
?This ?Collywobbles?,? a strange voice grunted, ?Has never been down here. ?Tis not wise to take advice from a fool child. Not even my child. I should scold the rat for assisting strangers.?
 
A scrubby head emerged from the burrow in the center of the room. The Scrub opened his proboscis, and I leapt at him.  
 
?If you so much as spit one nut, I?ll take it and shove it back down your gullet. Some father you are to attack the dignity of your son like that. He?s a good boy, and you should be proud! Now why are you down here? I?ll believe him before I?ll believe you.? I snarled. I was taking no chances with this goon.
 
?Please forgive me, dear boy! I?ll never threaten you again! If you spare me, why I?ll?I?ll tell you a secret! Yes, a valuable secret, even!? he sniveled.
 
?Promises, promises, I?ve heard too many promises,? I mocked, ?I would prefer it if you would lead me through these chambers yourself. Answer my question, as well, and no stalling!?
 
?The answer you seek is part of my secret,? he snapped back, confident, ?And my secret is much more valuable than your request of a guide.?
 
I reluctantly consented. I wasn?t sure I liked the idea of this snake-in-the-grass leading me through dangerous territory, anyway.
 
?Tell me, then,? I replied, ?Give me every little detail about this secret.?
 
He relaxed and began to divulge his ?valuable information.?
 
?A long time ago, The King and Queen, or Royal Family of the Scrubs, lived here, in the Deku Tree. They sat in the Royal Chamber Room, where you have not yet been, and had no other Scrub inhabit the root area with them except the butler, or the right-hand man, who had his separate chambers near the Royal creek where we stand now. That explains your question you want so badly answered, but it is of little use, so I?ll continue.
 
?One day, the Royal Family grew tired of the dark loneliness of the Deku Tree, and pursued excitement in the stead of security. They left the Tree, and went into the colorful swamps of an alternate land not so far from Hyrule. That, however, is to be left unexplained, for you would not understand what I mean by ?alternate land.? It was far from Hyrule, and that is all you need know.
 
?But within this happy swamp there were desires. They were desires to do mischievous and evil things that were previously impossible in the safe dark of the Deku Tree. Stealing, lying, and eating Baba buds to name a few. When repeat offenders became too numerous for the King?s short temper to handle, he banished them back to the Deku Tree, and stripped them of their important features as a further penalty. That?s right. The Scrubs you see are descendants of the lawbreakers. Since we are plants, and different from other organisms, our genes were affected by this injury, and our descendants have always been armless, short, and mustache-less. The normal Scrubs live elsewhere.
 
?But that is also useless information. Years passed, and the convicts that the Tree took shelter for were hungry for a ruler. We longed for order, right, wrong, justice, and a King once more. The Deku Tree could not watch over us from within himself, so there was no real law. We had a King?s chamber, we had a Butler?s Chamber, we had a glorious creek, but no one to uphold them. No one would stand as King but the greedy, and none of us allowed them to rule.
 
?Years passed, and we continued to live without order, reaping the reward and paying the price of our ancestors want for free, unmonitored conduct. And then something happened. A leader came to us. It was I who heard rustling in the empty Royal Chambers that day. I ran into the room and beheld it. It was our leader, a being greater than us to lead us. We named her our Queen, and we pay tribute to her often, letting her feast on the Tree as much as she??
 
I interrupted him in a rage, ?The curse, the cause of the sickness, you're celebrating its presence? What about your other ruler? What about the Tree who welcomed you back when you were weary and rejected? Don?t you realize that this so-called Queen is destroying him??
 
?What does it matter?? he grunted, ?This ruler is strong and watches our every motion with a watchful eye. Why should we care about a Tree who takes care of other creepy things like Babas and Kokiri? Before you get all mad, little boy, let me give you one more piece of advice. My wretched brothers, who were lucky enough to be chosen by our Queen to guard her chamber, are invincible to their own arsenal. Remember that. You must dispatch them some other way, if you even get that far. See now, have I not helped you? Do you think me a traitor??
 
?Yes,? I growled, ?I do. You?re a greedy traitor to your provider and your own brethren. You don?t want to help me; you just want what your brothers have. Now get out of here, you monster!?
 
He hopped away quickly and I relaxed, trying to understand all that I had heard. How could they be like this? How could they do this? Even Scrubs...
 
Navi sighed, ?Scrubs are vile, Link, keep that in mind. Little Collywobbles was an exception.?
 
So we moved on, now wondering about this Queen, and where she was. We continued down a hallway with a locked door. We didn?t have to look around far before we heard a voice.  
 
?I apologize for the inconvenience,? an automatic sounding voice said, ?But no organism other than a Scrub can pass into the reservoir. You are not a Scrub. Thus, you may not pass. By order of Queen Gohma, the Greater Eye.?
 
We looked up above the door, and oddly enough, there was a diamond shaped silver creature with an eye and a speaker as its only features stamped above the doorpost. It didn?t appear to be living, just an automaton going about business.

Fortunately, overriding this junky guard was not a difficult task. I took a seed from my bag, loaded into my slingshot, and catapulted it into the watchful eye. As its brow furrowed in confusion, I squeaked in a Scrubbish manner to let it know that it had made a mistake.
 
?Further apologies,? it hummed, confused, ?You do appear to be a Scrub. Enter, by the good graces of Queen Gohma, the Greater Eye.?
 
As we walked past, I turned to Navi, ?Queen Gohma??
 
Navi shrugged. She didn?t know what a Gohma was, either.
 
?Wait,? she interjected, ?I know what a Gohm is. Are they related??
 
?I?m not sure,? I replied, ?What is a Gohm??
 
?Actually, they are called Gohm larvae. They?Oh my Goodness, look at that, Link!?
 
So this was how the Scrubs kept their water clean. This reservoir we had come upon housed the most water I had seen in a long time. The large pool gushed and churned beneath our feet, the water level raised and lowered abnormally, and it would have been a wonderful thing to swim in, were it not being further cleansed by large spiky spindles just above the surface of the water. As the water level changed in waves, the spinning spikes went from being above to below the water in a matter of seconds.
 
This was not a good place to go swimming.
 
?Link!? Navi snapped me out of my daze, ?Move! Get off the ground!?
 
I leapt out of the way, just as the piece of earth I had been standing on gave way, splashing down in the water and floating around in the rapids. Erosion and my weight had been too much for it.  
 
It was then, in that awkward moment, that the wheels in my brain started spinning in their harebrained fashion. A crazy idea had come to me.
 
?Navi,? I suggested slyly, ?We have lots of Deku sticks now, don?t we??
 
?We?ve picked up every one I?ve seen. Why?? she answered.
 
I slid four out from under my shield and started to tie them together with webbing, curving one to the side, like a rudder.  
 
?Do you remember the story of Martsel and the Hylian Bannarie? It's one of my favorites.? I asked.
 
Navi looked at me, confused at first, then shook her wings wildly, ?Oh no. No. You?re not Martsel, and that chunk of soil is not the Bannerie!?
 
?How else do you propose we get across that rapid river???
 
She sighed. I now had a first mate, and it was time to set sail!

[Husse]

Yes, I know I haven't updated in forever, but no one ever read the last installment! As you can tell, this is kind of a weird setup. I had to make up a name for this "sailor in an old tale," and this chapter seems really foreign to me, I wrote it so long ago. It's all pretty cheesy and shallow up to a certain point, methinks. I think I wrote the Gohm fight fairly well, though.

But at least we're almost out of this stupid dungeon!

9
Captain Link Explores the Underground
Link

 
After a decent amount of stomping and hacking, we managed to get another lump of hard dirt into the water, this time, fashioned with a makeshift rudder, light enough to be operated by a fairy. As soon as we hit the water, the ?boat? was in turmoil, rocking back and forth unsteadily under the whirlpools of water. I kept my balance, and Navi steadied the ?ship? with our rudder.
 
?Ahoy! We be the crew of the S.S. Rubbish!? I cried. I deserved some fun after all that.
 
?Stop playing Captain and watch where we?re going!? Navi screamed.  
 
There was a spike just up ahead, currently below the water, but ascending rapidly. We would have to beat it to survive. I paddled with my hands, and Navi held the rudder straight. I could hear a scratching as the spike scraped the bottom of our boat, but we were safe, barely.
 
?Alright,? I gasped, ?I?m all business now. How many more spikes, Navi??
 
There were two more. And a large wave blocking my vision wasn?t helping. It crashed on our boat and we sailed past the second spike, which was suspended high in the air. The third spike was farther off. If we could stay afloat, and gauge our distance, it would be fine. This was beginning to look like the crushers all over again.
 
?What do we do about that spike when we reach it?? Navi asked.
 
I thought back to the mistake we made earlier. ?Let?s not try to beat it,? I said, ?It?s too dangerous. Let?s delay as long as we can until the opportune moment.?
 
We back paddled and held off forward movement as best we could, while the spike went up and down in rhythmic motions, the waves it made threatening our balance. When we could delay no longer, we paddled forward. The spike was descending, but too slowly. We could make it!
 
Suddenly, a wave came up in front of us and knocked us back. We were still paddling forward, however, and it was too late to stop now! That wave had given the deadly spike just enough time to come down on our boat. It spun and tore at the ?S.S. Rubbish,? ripping it in two, and capsizing my half. Navi was caught up on the spiked spindle for only a moment before she joined me, swimming for the bank.  
 
I crawled up onto the ground, gasping and sputtering, and Navi quivered, scared. At least we were all right, which was more than I could say for the ship.  
 
?Congratulations, Captain Martsel, you?ve successfully commandeered the Bannerie,? Navi sighed sarcastically.
 
?She was a good raft,? I smiled, ?Long live the Bannerie, er, the S.S. Rubbish!?
 
We had to climb a steep incline to get to the next door, and fortunately there was no eye guarding it this time. My seeds were soaked, and my wooden slingshot was bloated from the onslaught of water. I would have to find some new seeds, soon.
 
There were several lightless torches in the long hall that followed, so we got some flame from the torch near the door and lit them on the way. The hall was illuminated, and we could hear the hissing of skulltulas. We tore out of there quick, and wrenched open the door to a room marked ?Nursery.?
 
?Maybe there are baby Scrubs in here,? I whispered, ?Babies are supposed to be rather friendly.?
 
But this was a nursery of another kind. There was an odd rustling noise that echoed through the room, as we crept along. It stank, and Babas were peering through the gloom everywhere. A skulltula or two eyed us from the ceiling, but they were well fed, and didn?t seem to be interested in a Kokiri lunch. Navi concentrated and grew as bright as she could. We didn?t have a torch, and we didn?t want to be stumbling around in the dark with this company.
 
Navi looked up and gasped, ?Link! Don?t move! Look at the ceiling, I?ll light it for you.?
 
She flew up, ever so slowly, to the roof of the cave-like nursery. As I squinted, I could see a writhing, wriggling, squishy sphere attached to the roof, delicate dirt dropping from its base as it bumped into the ceiling. It was red and tan, and translucent. I could see something moving inside it.
 
?What is it?? I whispered.
 
?It?s what I was talking about earlier, Link,? she murmured, ?It?s a Gohm egg.?
 
Suddenly the egg?s membrane cracked, and it fell to the ground. There was something inside, fighting to get out, and it pierced the squishy eggshell further, and emerged.
 
I was staring at an arachnid horror.
 
It had three legs, two it walked on, and one suspended in the air, like a triangle. The center was an eye, green and large, twitching constantly. It was hairy, hard, and black, the size of myself, and it made a creaky little noise, like a frog, as it stared at me. There were little bitty mouthparts at the base of its eye. They gnashed and slobbered, and the Gohm lunged.
 
Navi yelled out, ?Watch out, Link! It eats like a spider, but it leaps like a flea!?
 
I jumped to the side milliseconds before it would?ve landed on me. It made a frustrated ribbit, and it glared at me, its eye turning from green to blood red. It leaped again, lightning fast, and I whipped out my sword, impaling it in midair. It squealed, its eye faded back to green, and then it slumped, dead.  
 
I pulled my sword out of the nasty creature, and Navi sighed, ?Your movement set it off. The Gohms have to have food immediately after hatching, so movement triggers their awakening. Try to remember that if we see another one.?
 
?Thank you,? I replied, ?I?ll remember.?
 
I walked across the room, taking a close look at all the corners for an escape. I had forgotten that no spider ever lays just one egg.
 
There was a series of plopping noises behind me, and Navi screamed. I turned around. There were at least six Gohms emerging from their shells all around me. I froze. They stopped for a moment, confused.
 
?What do I do, Navi?? I hissed.
 
?On the far wall!? she screamed, ?Quick! There?s an exit! It?s a hole, in a stone niche, probably an escape route for those little monsters. Don?t worry about being subtle, just run! They?ll rip you apart!?
 
I ran and the Gohms started to struggle in their eggs again. I crawled into the hole, squeezing in as tight as I could, and one of the Gohms tried to follow me as I kicked him back. They all ribbitted furiously as I scrabbled to safety. As I emerged from the hole, I looked around, shocked, at my surroundings.  
 
We were back in the river room, where we had first landed. This time, however, we were up on the high, unreachable ledge, looking down at the separated riverbank. There was nowhere else to go. We were stuck on a ledge inside the Great Deku Tree, and he was dying with no one to save him.

Hm, now I know what this writing style reminds me of...ANIME! Ick.

[Husse]

If you want even more retrospective on that, I'm at the part where he meets Darunia, and I'm 70 pages and 27 chapters in.

[Husse]

It all depends on if you like writing or not. I would just die if I had to illustrate it.

Anyway, we STILL aren't at the Gohma battle, but this is a quick chapter and we're close.

This non-updated speech at the beginning is really cheesy, but I decided to post the old version for posterity, I suppose.

I also changed the way this mini-puzzle works, because it doesn't make a lot of sense any other way.

10
Super Brothers Three
Link

 
?I?m tired, Navi,? I blurted, exasperated, ?We?ve searched the Tree, up, down, and in between. We?ve been bruised, suckered, traitorous to a friend, soaked, torn, and nearly eaten, and we have yet to find this curse, this Queen. And if she?s anything like those Gohms?I can?t defeat her. The Tree should?ve chosen someone else.?
 
?Stop it!? Navi cried, ?Stop bringing yourself down! Do you think, after hundreds of years of guarding this forest, that the Deku Tree himself would make such a trivial mistake? He knew you were destined to help him, and do even more. I knew you were destined for greatness as well! It was obvious, after I heard of the legend??
 
She stopped and heaved a long breath, ?I?m getting ahead of myself. Don?t let your courage be your downfall. It was meant to lead you through. Mido would have given up long ago. He would never have trusted Collywobbles. Those Gohms, or the rapids would?ve killed Saria. She isn?t strong enough for this kind of task. Only you can save the Tree, Link. You are a special creation. You can be a real hero, if you let yourself.?
 
?He never told me the legend,? I said, ?I never heard it. What legend do you mean??
 
Navi shook her head, ?If you want to hear it, you?re going to hear it from the Tree after you destroy the curse. I?ll tell you one thing, though. It is the oldest legend there is. The whole story may or may not be true, no one knows, but there is one thing definitely true about it. The treasure it tells of, and the time when someone will steal it. It is the legend told by the Royal Family of Hylians, and the prophecy within it may now be coming true.?
 
I paused in thought, and then smiled, ?And with a buildup like that, you?re still not going to tell me??
 
She glared at me seriously, ?No.?
 
I decided then that this was a much more serious task than ever. I rose to my feet and hugged Navi gently. We had to go on, even if it was impossible.
 
It was then that I felt something tugging at my boot; something sticky and familiar. I looked down. It was a large hole in the floor, coated by webbing.
 
This time, I didn?t have a high height to fall from, but I had a stick and a torch nearby. I released Navi, pulled out my stick, lit it and threw it at the web. It burned down to nothing, and I jumped down the hole. There was water down below me. This time, I was prepared for it.
 
I splashed down and bobbed up to the surface as Navi slowly descended to meet me.
 
?See now,? she smiled, ?That wasn?t hard at all.?
 
?We must be pretty far down,? I said, ?If we were below the ground before??
 
?We?re as deep as it gets, Link,? she interrupted, ?We?re at the tips of some very deep roots. What do you suppose is down here??
 
?Look over there,? I replied.
 
The whole area was one large pond, with a small border of land at its edge. On this bank there were three serious-looking Scrubs burrowed in the ground up to their eyes, guarding a tremendous door in the wall. The Three Brothers of Collywobbles? father, I remembered. So, beyond that door?was the curse. Just as the Tree had said, something had been eating away at his roots and breaking his stability. We should have come here first. It was the Royal Family?s Chambers, deep below the ground.
 
I had no sooner crept onto the land than the guard Scrubs let loose a squeal and jumped out of their holes, spitting nuts wildly. I ducked down and held my shield above me, but it would not last at this rate. They approached me slowly, and I fingered for my sword. I wasn?t in a very good position for fighting, on my stomach, but just maybe I could get my sword out. It made a loud clang as it slipped from my sheath, and the Scrubs ran up and took it before I could get a good grasp.
 
?Give me back that sword, you?Oof!?
 
I was pelted with nut after nut as I lowered my shield. I grabbed one and hurled it back at my attacker. It seemed to slow in midair as it approached the Scrub, and it exploded a full foot away from him. He laughed and started to pelt me again.
 
Invincible to their own arsenal, I remembered, so how do I dispatch them?
 
?Back, you little monsters!? Navi cried, ?Link! I thought the Tree said there wasn?t any magic involved here!?
 
?He did,? I replied, ?I don?t think he knew about this. Maybe it was that man, that one the Tree told us about, that planted Gohms in here. Maybe he did this, too.?
 
?It does make sense,? Navi yelled back, dodging nuts, ?Gohms are only found in the Lost Woods? trees, and they aren?t usually as aggressive as what we?ve seen in here. But what do we do about these Super Scrubs??
 
All the while I had been talking to Navi; I had been dodging and throwing nuts. They had all exploded before they could hit the creatures, and the Scrubs simply laughed at me, but then something odd happened. I think there was a Scrub on my far left, and I caught a nut he was spitting at me, but, for some odd reason, instead of throwing it back at him, I pivoted and hurled it at the Scrub on my right. It knocked him hard on the side of the head, and he collapsed.
 
I paused, confused, and then exclaimed, ?That?s it! They?re invincible to their own arsenal, but not to that of other Scrubs! Every Scrub?s nut must be slightly different! That?s it!?
 
In no time I had dispatched Scrub number two with number one?s nut, and he fell unconscious, releasing my sword. I held my shield high, and grabbed my sword, rushing toward the first Scrub. He shivered all over, scared to death, and turned to run, too late. I pinned him against the wall, and he growled.
 
?How?? he snarled, ?How did you know our secret? How irritating! You disgust me!?
 
?Your brother told me,? I replied.
 
?Oh, that filthy pig,? he shouted, ?He doesn?t even have a name, unlike me. I am Gullymuller, leader of the Queen?s high guards! Hear my voice and tremble!?
 
I pressed my sword harder to him, ?You?re the one who needs to be trembling, Gullymuller. Stay perfectly still if you value your life.?
 
?Quite right, Young Master, quite right. I find this annoying, to be sure, but?would you perhaps like to know the secret of Queen Gohma??
 
?Tell me,? I commanded.
 
?Right, then,? he mumbled, ?In order to administer the coup de grace, I believe they call it, to Queen Gohma, you must strike with your sword while she?s stunned. Her skin is hard as a rock; you can never breach it in hard combat. You must catch her off guard, understand?? he huffed.
 
?Yes, I understand,? I sighed, ?Thank you. What about this battle, though? How did a common Scrub get to be so strong, and invincible to his own nuts??
 
?Gohma herself,? he grinned, ?She give us gift. When we receive power, we hear voice say, ?Remember the man, when he returns, the man who gave you this fine queen.??
 
?What man?? I asked.
 
?I don?t know. We Scrubs never met him. But we want to. He must be a wonderful man,? Gullymuller growled.
 
?That?s all I need to know,? I replied, pulling back my sword, ?Thank you for the advice on Queen Gohma.?
 
?Oh, Queenie,? he mumbled, like he couldn?t stand to betray her, ?I?m so sorry about all this.? He tottered off and burrowed into the ground faster than any Scrub could possibly dig.

BTW, the title reminds me of a Mario game, but I still think it's cute. Lil' more fanfiction, but it's quite plausible, them getting special powers!

[Husse]

Well, my mother writes nonfiction only, and doesn't understand my style, so there are all kinds.

And where do you host your comics? I'd love to see 'em, I like webcomics!

And now...the moment we've all been waiting for: (sort of) THE BOSS FIGHT!

I think I wrote this fairly well considering my mood that day. I was pretty down, so if it seems a little gothic...actually it was based on an encounter with a friend. She called me on the phone, b/c she was "scared" of the first boss, so for five minutes she squealed and whimpered, and I was shouting like a maniac, giving her tips on how to beat it.

Then she said, "Oh. It hasn't shown up yet."

-.-'

"Look Up," I says.

THEN she starts screamin'.

This same thing happens to Link here...

11
Queen Gohma
Link

 
I fingered my sword, my palms sweating. All I could think about, all I could concentrate on, was that door. I shook all over. That giant door that lifted from the bottom, that rustle and hum that seemed to come from it, all shook me half to death. Who knew what lay beyond that door? How could I face it? How would I survive? What would happen to the Tree if I died? What would become of Navi?
 
?Please,? Navi whispered, ?Just go in. You can do it. It will all be over in a minute.?
 
?That?s what I was afraid of,? I gulped.
 
I approached the door and tugged hard on the bottom. It was too heavy for me to lift. I took a deep breath and yelled, ?Queen Gohma! Open this door, and bid enter your doom. I am Link of the Kokiri, and I have been sent by the Great Deku Tree to destroy you. Open the door, lest you be a coward!?
 
I had never said anything braver in my entire life. Mido would be giving me no trouble if I lived through this.
 
If.
 
Slowly, oh so slowly, the door opened, with a rumbling hiss. The air from within was cold, damp, and rank. One step at a time, I walked into the chamber. Navi followed me, her wings shaking. I could feel gummy old webs crack beneath my feet, and tiny strands floated through the air around me. This was the largest and darkest room I had ever seen, towering high above me; the only objects in the room were four stone pillars holding up the ceiling. The dirt of the roof was very delicate, and it sifted down in torrents to the floor. Above us, I knew, lay the nursery.
 
The Gohm nursery.
 
Suddenly, the door slammed down with a thud!
 
And all around me the air was alive with hisses and rustles, and crackling, like something eating away at wood. I shook all over, beads of sweat on my forehead, and I could hear Navi talking softly to herself. I walked around the room, my throat was dry, and I breathed heavy. Any second now, I knew, the jaws of death would come lashing out from around the next pillar.
 
?G-Gohma? Are you too afraid to fight? Will you not fight a little Kokiri?? I tried to yell out, but it only came out in whispers.
 
I walked around for almost five minutes, waiting for attack, but nothing came. I sat down, exhausted, and Navi flew beside me.
 
?N-N-N-Nav-Navi?? I stuttered, almost unable to talk anymore, ?Where-where is S-s-she? Please-oh, please tell me. I want-I want to get this o-o-over with.?
 
She rubbed against me and whispered, ?I didn?t want to tell you yet, but?if you?re sure. Link, look up at the ceiling.?
 
I looked up in a daze, and stared at the ceiling.
 
And she stared back at me.
 
A great, green eye stared right through me. The eye blinked, then swiveled, and blinked again, like it couldn?t believe how small and tasty I was. As it moved, I could see the eye connected to the body, which was walking across the roof, slowly. It dropped, the gigantic creature, and hissed. I saw it in full light, now.
 
It wasn?t a pretty sight.
 
She had four legs, two she walked on, and two she held high above her eye like ghostly hands, grasping and looming over me. Each leg was split at the claw, to imitate eight legs. Her exoskeleton was black and green, cracked and hairy. The eye was enormous, as was she. There was an odd white tail-like tube curled up at the back of her body, but I could not guess what it was used for.  
 
All I could focus on was that green, bulbous eye staring me down, and fading to red. Navi cried, and I woke from my daze, just as the eye grew wide, and she leapt, roaring. She landed hard on her two feet and turned, facing me. She stomped toward me, squinting happily. She was going to have meat for the first time in a long time.
 
I quivered all over. What could I do? My slingshot had no seeds, and my sword couldn?t pierce Gohma?s skin! Her mouthparts gnashed and she raised her eye up, ready to strike. I reached, grabbing for my shield. I felt the little pouch filled with soggy seeds and?nuts. In a reflex of fright, I reached into the purse and threw down a nut inches from the monster?s face, closing my eyes, to keep from being blinded.
 
I could hear the monster groaning and squalling in awkward tones, and when I opened my eyes, I saw her collapsed, quivering, her eye now a brilliant green, looking around wildly. I drew forth my sword, but Gohma had already gotten to her feet. I was too late. She growled angrily at me, and backed away, climbing one of the tall pillars in the room, back to the ceiling.
 
Navi gasped, ?Is she retreating? Is she that cowardly??
 
?No,? I replied, ?I think she has something else in mind.?
 
Gohma settled into the roof, upside down, and her eye turned red and widened. The white tube on the back of her uncurled, and she growled. A lump formed at the base of the tube and moved, oh so slowly, as the tube contracted. I had a feeling I knew what these lumps were. Suddenly, eggs emerged from the tube, bouncing down onto the ground. They wriggled, anticipating a meal. But I wasn?t giving them any chances this time.  
 
As each egg dropped, I ran up quickly and slashed them open. I had to destroy them before they had time to hatch! Gohma laid several more eggs and then dropped from the ceiling, nearly on top of me. I ran to the eggs, but she blocked me off, protecting her young. I watched, helpless, as they hatched and glanced around hungrily. The mother dashed off suddenly, leaving me alone with the Gohms. They eyed me hungrily, and all their eyes glowed red, ready to leap. Navi let out a battle cry and rushed them, poking them in the eye.
 
?Run,? she yelled, ?I don?t know how long I can keep this up!?
 
I turned and ran for their rear, trying to run them through. Gohma dropped on top of me and hissed a warning to her children. It was chaos! The brood of Gohms, nine total, turned to face me, ignoring Navi, while I struggled beneath Gohma?s clawed toe. My arms were pinned down, and my sword was now useless. Nine green eyes stared at me, and faded to red. Nine little mouths gnashed in hunger. Gohma hissed in pleasure, and pushed me into the ground one last time.
 
I think that I would?ve died then, had my seed pouch not been crushed under me. Almost twenty nuts went off at once, my whole supply, and let me tell you, that set off quite a show. I heard a bang, and a flash of sparks, and all the Gohms and Gohma blinked in delirium. I had been blinded too, so I couldn?t see what I was doing. But I knew that Gohma had loosened her grip, and I reached for my sword.
 
And it wasn?t hard to miss that big, green, eye blinking inches from my face.
 
I thrust my sword into that large eyeball, and I heard a screech of pain. When my vision cleared, I could see Gohma twitching on the ground, her eye moist and frantic, turning quickly from green to red, red to green, then fading, and closing shut. The Gohms turned from me to face a new kind of food, and they slowly approached the dead Gohma, snapping hungrily.
 
?I think I want to leave,? I stammered, ?Now.?
 
?Look!? Navi cried, flittering to an object corner of the lair.
 
It was a root tip moving slowly to one side, and, oddly enough, beckoning to us. The Great Deku Tree, opening an escape. We hurried to the root tip, hoping it was a way out, and we ran after it as it retracted, slowly, following a long, long tunnel up to freedom.

Pretty short chapter, really. But IMO, to the point.

[Kwicky Koala]

I'm glad you didn't mention the Heart Container at the end there.

[Husse]

Yeah, that would've been pretty weird. And, with the exception of one, there are no treasure Chests in the story, neither.

[Zythe]

Why've you got ?s for "s?

[Husse]

If you read from the top thread, you'd know, but okay. Unless I go back and do a LOT of fixing, the forum regards my "s as ?s. I've tried changing my story's font, layout, no cigar, and nobody really minds, so I just leave it. I already fix the paragraph breaks every time, I don't want to mess with the " and ' every time, too.

[Husse]

Huh? No, it's just dialogue. It's fine.

[Husse]

Cool. I'd like that job....

No new chapter just yet. I'll post the chapter, (which is sort of a love-hate chapter, the story of the goddesses I think is well written, but "Death of a Tree" leaves a lot to be desired. I digress...)

BUT, I'll post as soon as someone comes up with a solution to this problem. You haven't read this part yet, but what what WHAT do I do with Saria's Fairy Ocarina? Link can't just throw it away, but he can't give it back either.

And him "losing it" would be cheesy.

What to do?

[Husse]

True...where does he put it? o_O

No, I have an answer to that. You'll get to see it later on.