Chapter Eleven: A Companion, Found

"This would be my greatest challenge yet. Without a doubt."

Dark.

As the King of Red Lions and I floated softly into the Tower of the Gods, it was one of the only words to come my mind. Dark. Just like the other dungeons.

My eyes adjusted quickly. The room we entered was as large as an isle itself, and water flooded the level, deep enough to make me think for a minute that there was no floor. Tan-gray stone lined the walls, and tree-like arches webbed all around the room, holding up the "roof" as best they could. I could see no actual roof, however; only a black void. Several square stone pillars sat around the room, the tops too high to see what lied on top. A grand golden-brass pillar stood attached to the middle of the back wall, taking up at least a quarter of the room. A gigantic face stared out on each side, flooding gallons of water from their mouths every second, making enough noise to nearly deafen me. I laughed a little bit to myself as I imagined the tower as not even a challenge; simply a monsterous bath house.

Suddenly, the water level shot up violently with a deafening rush. The boat swung to and fro, taking on water, my body being sucked down to the floor of the boat with all of my muscles tensing and my stomach churning. It lasted only a second, but it felt as if it lasted minutes.

As soon as it had stopped, I peered cautiously over the tip of the boat, taking in deep and heavy breaths, and tasting salt-mist in the air. We were level with the tops of the stone pillars, and there were steel platforms on top, with doors leading wherever they might on the walls behind them.

"Come on," I shouted to the King of Red Lions over the sound of rushing water, "over there!"

We gradually floated to the platform closest to us, and I jumped out of the boat. My feet grinded against the coarse dust and grime that had collected on the metal, and I could see remnants of something cut into the floor. I bent down to wipe bits of grime away, and revealed an intricate emblem of sorts. In the middle of it sat a boy holding a stick. I looked at it for a minute, trying to figure out what it meant, but, puzzled, I gave up and walked to the door in the wall.

The door seemed almost as if it were engraved right into the wall, but regardless, I placed my hand up against it, and it shot open instantly. The room behind it was full of water, almost as if a block of blue gel sat there still and frozen. I looked back at the King of Red Lions, confused.

"Go!" he yelled at me, when another loud rush filled the room, and the King, as well as the water that flooded all around, dropped out of sight. I hesitantly turned back to the door, still open. The water had disappeared, and so I stepped in, slowly and unsure. The door crashed to a close behind me. Before me stood a short hall, just as tall as the last room. There were a few torches by the door, several moist, wooden boxes spread around, and above me I could see alcoves in the wall, but unreachable by any standard. I could guess how I would have to get up there.

I walked forward for a few steps before I heard a threatening vibrato, not like anything a human would make. With several splats, electric-yellow gel monsters, the same kind of parasites that fed off of the Great Deku Tree, dropped from the black void of a ceiling. They started to slip and slide towards me, oozing with a poisonous goo. My heart began beating faster. I backed into a nearby corner slowly, quietly, and the monsters crouched down, preparing to jump on me. I took a heavy breath, and one of the creatures leapt out fast, preemptive. I grabbed for my sword, swinging it out in front and slashing the monster in two. I began freaking out, slashing all of his friends behind him, cutting through, cleanly, sweetly.

I began to feel an odd sensation biting through me across every nerve and bone. It was almost like being on fire. It felt like heat swelling over, then a cool breeze, and then nothing. I lost my sight for a second, and fell onto my back disoriented.

The monsters evaporated into the air like dust on the plains, and a gust of wind blew out the torches that sat by the door. I found myself on the same dark plain as at Dragon Roost Isle: a darkness covering me, stretching into forever. Only a single soft, white light shone down on me.

"Hello?" I yelled out in fear, my throat feeling raw and red, "HELLO? ANYBODY?"

Then the same shooting pain I knew from before, when I tried to think about my past, rocketed through the back of my neck, running all down my spine and through every bit of my body, worse, much worse than before. I yelled out in pain, before mustering out a simple, "Damn it... not again..."

And then I collapsed.

When I finally opened my eyes again, I was lying amongst the same darkness as when I collapsed.

"HELLO?" I screamed as loud as I could, but it hurt my throat. Damn it, I thought to myself, where the hell am I now?

As I looked around slowly, I noticed a soft light, far off into the darkness. It looked like a candle, burning so meekly, but giving off a cool, purple glow. I pushed myself up from the ground, aching a bit, and walked towards the light. I walked for several minutes before I finally stood above the source.

It was a little orb of purple light, almost fuzzy-looking. Two thin, insect-like flaps stuck out the side, and I assumed that they were wings. I bent down into a squat to examine it closer, and as I brought my ear close, I could hear light breaths, marking a slow beat.

"What...?" I questioned to myself. Just as I said the word, the orb twitched a bit. It flapped its wings, once, twice, and was in the air, not without effort. I backed a few feet away quickly, scared of whatever it might've been.

It noticed my fear, and so fluttered slowly towards me. The little voice, one of a maturing girl, murmured from the orb, "Heehee! Don't be afraid of me! What's your name?"

I gulped, and whispered to her, "L-Link... My name is Link."

She giggled, and fluttered around a bit, like a little dance in mid-air, "Link! That's a nice name! I'll always remember it!"

I gained a bit of my confidence back, and so asked, "What's... your name? What are you?"

She stopped where she was in the air, "Well, I'm a fairy, of course, and... why, it's silly! I don't think I've ever been given a name! Why don't YOU name me, Link?"

"Navi," I said after some thought, "I... I just think the name suits you... I guess..."

She tittered with a high squeak, and said back, "Navi! I like that name! Navi, Navi, Navi! It's so... me!"

Navi did her little dance in the air again, and I laughed, "You're really happy, aren't you?"

"Yep," she said with a smile in her voice, "I've always happy!"

At that moment, I sat silent. It was strange, but I felt some sort of connection to this fairy. Like I had felt her presence before, or seen her, although I've never met her in my life... it was almost like deja vu.

As silence filled the air, I looked around us. The darkness seemed more empty and lifeless, somehow, and as if it were closing in. I wanted to ask where we were, if she had any idea what was happening...

Just then, Navi was ripped away from me. She screamed out to me as I could see her pulled back, away, at least three times faster than the King of Red Lions had ever sailed on the sea. I ran forward, and yelled out, "NAVI!"

My legs pulled me from where I stood fast, so, so, fast. I ran after Navi with all my strength, but almost before I had even started moving, she was gone into the darkness.

"Navi...!" I said, mostly to myself. I wondered why she suddenly mattered so much, but I didn't know. Maybe I was to find out in due time, but for now...

The room I was in before, the short hall, began to fade back in from the darkness. I looked around, quickly. Nothing had changed at all.

"I'm getting out of this room..." I whispered to myself, and backed up to the door, which shot open like it did before. The King of Red Lions sat in the water by the platform.

"Was there nothing to be found?" he asked, urgently. I waited for just a moment, before shaking my head. I walked through the door, and stepped lightly into the boat once again.

"Are you sure there was nothing of importance there?" he asked again, unsure of me.

I gulped. "I'm sure," I said to him in a low voice. My mind still flashed back to Navi's voice, as she screamed for help.

As if it were an emergency.

As if she had something to tell me.

Kansou no Satsuka

OR: GET ON WITH IT.

That's right, people. It's been about 8 months since the last chapter.

This might be a short one, but better short than nothing at all. I've decided to finally sit down and finish this story once and for all. I'm tired of complaining about having to do this story, and how I have to do so much work. So you know what? I'm just gonna do it.

Anyways, like I said, I'm sorry this chapter is so short, but if I didn't get anything out to you, seriously, I might as well have been on a hiatus.

But I refuse to resort to that. Because I can do this, I just need to stop procrastinating.

All right.

I can do this.

-S.