Chapter 20 Pop go the bubbles…..

Chapter 20

 

Pop go the bubbles…..

 

 

Dahrin hacked at the monster in front of him as he made his way toward the guards along with G-Link, Calhan, and Aerica. Meko flew next to Aerica hovering out of harms immediate way as she shot any monster she could see, her only problem was there were more monsters than she had arrows.

The group made it to the fortification the guards had occupied and defended. Ferloth greeted them as they helped the bystanders they had found along the way into the camp. They entered after them and saw that the fortification surrounded the entrance to Zora’s Domain and the citizens fleeing out into the pass that led to Hyrule Fields. A guard was standing near the entrance with a scroll and pen watching people go.

“What is he doing?” Aerica asked Ferloth.

“He’s marking off the names of those that are leaving so we have an accurate count of how many are missing.” Ferloth answered her.

“How does he know who is who?” Calhan asked.

“I don’t know, I’m just a city guard ok, I don’t keep track of how the Mystics do things.” Ferloth answered turning back to help defend.

“What are the Mystics, Calhan?” Aerica asked.

“The magic users of the Zoras. We have to help defend this spot so the citizens can escape.” Calhan said.

G-Link gathered the fire from the camp fires and started using it to attack the monsters. Soon the air reeked with the smell of burnt flesh. Dahrin shrugged and went to help the guards on the opposite side of the camp.

“Wait Dahrin!” Aerica called after him. He either didn’t hear her or ignored her as he raced off.

“Gah! I need more arrows.” Aerica sighed, she sighted some arrows against the wall in the back of the camp and ran towards them. She grabbed an armful and ran back to the wall.

She set the arrows along the wall in a position so she could easily grab and fire from each bundle till they were gone. Meko hovered next to her shoulder.

“Ready for this, love?” Meko asked her as he landed on her shoulder and placed his hand on her ear. Aerica smiled in ironic humor, “Aren’t I always?”

Meko chuckled and took off to be her target. He flew around one of the monsters avoiding its claws and teeth looking for a weak spot. He found what looked to be one and hovered near it all the while making the monster get into a position that Aerica could hit it at.

Meko felt the wind of her arrow pass him and embed in the monster’s soft belly. The monster howled in pain and grabbed at the arrow that stuck out of it and toppled over dead. More monsters just poured over the one that had fallen and Meko went from one to the next, guiding Aerica’s aim.

Aerica shot so fast her bow was humming from the constant vibration of the string. She never stopped shooting as she moved from one bundle to the next when she ran out of arrows. The monsters fell one right after another, falling to her calm slaughter. Aerica shut out the emotions and distractions of her thoughts and just focused on what she needed to do, and that was to kill those that tried to kill her.

She was vaguely aware of the fact that Calhan was near her on the right defending that side and G-Link was on the left but she kept her focus on what was coming at her from the front and where Meko was.

Aerica reached down for another arrow and didn’t feel one. Looking down she saw she was out.

“Crap.” Aerica hissed to herself, she whistled and Meko flew back to her as fast as he could. Aerica unsheathed the blades on the ends of her bow and made ready to fight close quarter combat.

“Love, you haven’t fought this way in awhile.” Meko said landing on her shoulder.

“Your point, Meko?” Aerica asked him calmly.

“Just the fact that it’s been awhile.” Meko answered her calmly.

Aerica smirked, “Yeah, I know. Let’s try to get a better ending this time.”

Meko nodded as the first of the monster reached the wall and scaled over it easily, Aerica sliced off the arm that was holding it up and it toppled back onto its fellows. More monsters poured over the wall and Aerica fought on.

 

Calhan fought on as well, the seemingly endless waves of monsters slowly took their toll on his stamina. His chest started to hurt as his heart pumped harder and harder.

“Don’t give on me yet.” Calhan whispered to it as he fell to his knees under the weight of one of the monster’s blows. Calhan watched in calm horror as the monster’s other hand came at him from the left and smacked him twenty feet sideways against the wall. Ferloth came to his rescue and killed the monster before it could finish him off.

“Are you alright?” Ferloth asked him as he helped Calhan to stand up.

Other Zoras defended them as Calhan faltered and fell to his knees gasping. Ferloth put his arm under his shoulder and helped Calhan back into the fortification where Kelith was treating injuries as fast as she could.

“Kelith! I don’t know what’s wrong with him.” Ferloth called to her. Kelith came over and supported Calhan’s other side and they both got him onto a stretcher.

Ferloth kissed his wife and left. Kelith smiled sadly then composed herself and tended to Calhan. His breath was short and shallow.

“Calhan, can you hear me?” Kelith asked him using different instruments taking different measurements and readings.

“Yes.” Calhan answered as he tried to sit up.

“Oh no you don’t. You’re no good if you’re dead on your feet.” Kelith said pushing him back down.

“We’ll all be dead if I don’t fight.” Calhan retorted as he gently pushed her aside and sat up again. This time he made it to getting his feet off the stretcher when Kelith shocked him.

“Gah!” Calhan screamed as he fell sideways back onto the stretcher.

“I have to treat you before your heart burst.” Kelith said calmly as she rolled him onto his back and put her hands over his heart. Her hands glowed blue and pulsed at the beat of his heart, which was at a terrifying pace.

Calhan waited as she healed his heart back to a regular pace. It became easier and easier to breath. Kelith stopped and Calhan sat up. She looked into his eyes with sympathy.

“How long?” Calhan asked calmly.

Kelith shrugged, “A good while if you don’t stress it and go back to the chamber. But the way things are going to happen, a few years at best, possibly less.”

Calhan smirked, “Thanks old friend.”

Kelith nodded as Calhan stood up and went back out to fight. She shook her head and moved to the next patient, the baby kicked a few times and she rubbed her hand over it.

“Don’t worry, you, me and your daddy, will be fine.” Kelith whispered, “But I’m not sure about the Lore Sage.”

 

G-Link smashed another monster in the face with his hammer and backhanded one behind him with his fire fist. G-Link knew the monsters couldn’t hurt him if he went defensive, but he would be useless to his friends in that form. So he fought on, like the rest of his friends, getting the mess beat out of him, but fighting on despite it. He glanced at Lara who watched them struggle with a smile on her face. She caught sight of something of interest to her and shrunk to a smaller size, disappearing from his view. He sighed as another monster attacked followed by ten more, making him have to not worry about what it was that had her attention.

“Don’t die on me Lucius.” G-Link whispered.

 

Dahrin fought ferociously as the monsters relentlessly attacked him. One jumped at him from the right and latched its teeth onto his forearm biting through the flesh. He screamed in pain and hacked off the monster’s head. Another attacked from the left at the same time two attacked from the front. Dahrin dove between the three causing them to miss and slam into each other. He stood up and continued to slice and hack anything that came within reach.

A monster bigger than the ones he had previously fought attacked him. Dahrin brought his axe up to block the monster’s maw. The monster chomped down on his axe and shattered it. Dahrin punched the monster across the face and stunned it long enough for him to roll away.

“Great.” Dahrin grunted to himself, holding the shaft of his axe.

Glancing around quickly, he saw two swords lying off to the side. The monster had recovered and attacked again. Dahrin took off towards the swords, diving over a swipe of another monster he landed rolling; he picked up the swords and turned. The monster ran itself through the face on his outstretched sword. Dahrin pulled the sword out and fought the next monsters that attacked.

He continued to fight till the monsters seemed to be thinning. Dahrin found himself surrounded by too many monsters to count, waiting for one to attack. Either they were afraid to be the first to die like their fellows or they were waiting on someone’s orders.

Above the sound of his heart beating in his ears he heard sarcastic applause.

“Bravo, young sand king.” Lara said as she slithered into the circle.

“And you are?” Dahrin asked her, “Oh, wait. I know. You’re the big fish lady that sent the monsters to eat us.” Dahrin said sarcastically as he turned to face her.

“Oh, tsk tsk. How harsh of the son of Ganondorf.” Lara said pouting.

“He’s not my father. I don’t care how similar we look, there is no way a monster like him could be anyone’s father.” Dahrin said through clenched teeth.

Lara laughed, “Oh it’s quite possible. The only surprise I have is the fact that he only has one offspring.”

“What do you know of Ganondorf anyway?” Dahrin asked her as he started to circle.

“Well, when you’re stuck in a chunk of crystal for a century you tend to pay attention to things that others might miss.” Lara said watching his movements.

“Doesn’t matter anyway. Where’s Lucius?” Dahrin asked her.

Lara laughed, “He’s soon to be, in all sense except actual, dead.”

Dahrin charged her bringing his swords down in a diagonal slash. Zara blocked with just her forearm, not even flinching. She pushed him away and the strength of it sent him flying. He miraculously landed on his feet and charged again.

Lara laughed and got into what looked to Dahrin like a fighting position. He attacked and Lara defended. Dahrin jumped and dodged her attacks as best he could. Dahrin back peddled away from her swipes and came up against a pillar. Lara had a sadistic smile of delight on her face as she slashed. Dahrin ducked and rolled away causing her to hit the pillar, which was about three feet in diameter of pure stone. She hit right through it taking out most of it in the process.

Dahrin stared in horror at her. She laughed and attacked again. Dahrin gathered his energy and thought of a shield. His energy left his body and gathered in front of him in the shape of a shield. Lara hit the shield and it held. She stepped back confused.

Dahrin smiled and attacked. Lara defended and attacked back, but every time she would no matter where she would strike the shield would block. Dahrin seemed to have the advantage and it was making Lara nervous.

Unfortunately Dahrin was growing weary fast. He had just learned the technique from the book under Calhan’s instructions two days ago and hadn’t been able to practice. He was going to die if he didn’t finish this fast.

Dahrin slashed and missed Lara who had grown agitated. She back handed towards Dahrin and his shield blocked it, but the force of her hit was too much for the shield and it shattered. Her hit continued to connect with Dahrin’s right shoulder.

The force of the hit made him spin, he landed and continued to roll across the ground. Monsters jumped out of his way as he finally stopped. A curious monster walked in front of Lara and she hit it aside making it splatter from the impact.

Dahrin tried to get up but his muscles and bones just screamed at him. He collapsed back onto the ground. Lara slithered up next to him and leaned over. Dahrin glared at her, he brought his left arm up swinging the blade towards her smirking face. She blocked it grabbing his wrist. She then grabbed him by the throat and hauled him up to her eyelevel.

Dahrin tried to use the sword in his right hand to run her through but it just deflected, like her body was made out of steel. She laughed as she twisted his left arm painfully, making him drop the sword. He cried in pain and tried to kick her. She just smiled as she heard the sound of his foot break. She squeezed slightly on his throat and he dropped the sword in his right hand and grabbed her wrist.

Dahrin started to see stars, “Stop. Please.”

Lara laughed at him, “Why should I? You’re just the illegitimate son of Ganondorf.” She squeezed more, “Why should I not kill you?”

Dahrin’s eyes widened and pleaded with her not to kill him. He had no breath left to spare for words. Lara squeezed the life out of him till she felt him go slack. His hand on her wrist lost its strength and fell slack next to his body.

Lara smirked as she let go of his throat and held him up by his left arm. She looked at her monsters and smiled.

“Here, enjoy his flesh.” Lara said as she tossed Dahrin’s body away from herself. He fell straight towards their open, teeth filled mouths.