Chapter
17
Lava. Rivers of it pore through the
living rock, flooding the chambers with heat. Wearing the Goron Mask, I walk
deep into the bowels of the Canyon Giant. Columns of stone, weave like roots,
the embers pulsating akin to organs. At the very core I find a cavern filled
with magma. I follow the narrow trails through the fire to a plateau. Imbedded
in the wall is my prize: The Fierce Deity Mask. The igneous rock fills it like
a face, bleeding black tears through the eye wholes.
"I'm detecting a great amount of
hatred coming from this mask. It's power is immense." Fi warns. I reach
out to free it from its resting place, when the eyes blaze white as if having
opened. I jump back. Cracks spread from the mask all through the wall. Lava
trickles out in places. The mask juts out, supported by a stone neck. Shoulders
break free, then arms. Fiirce steps out of the crumbling wall, his body formed
of rock, his white eyes scorching me with wrath. He draws a sword with two, twisted
blades, both gleaming red-hot. He is nine feet tall.
I draw the Master Sword and I am
terrified. With a crackle my Goron muscles tighten, readying for the worst.
Suddenly Fiirce lashes out at me. I howl in pain from the slice in my shoulder.
Were I human, I would have been severed in half.
Angered with pain I charge. Our blades
clash and our bodies twist around one another. I am losing, so I jump to a
floating platform to catch my breath. Fiirce follows me. A dangerous game of
tag ensues as we leap over the rivers of lava and dash down steaming coves. I
turn suddenly and lash as he did, shattering one of his arms.
He looks at me coolly, cocking his head
calculatingly, before he kicks me into the lava. Searing pain rips across my skin as I
struggle to free myself from the viscous magma. I climb a stalagmite and cling
there, shaking. Fiirce paces like a tiger, watching me closely. My Goron hide
slowly cools and I continue to climb to the top.
I leap off and swing at Fiirce. He
dodges, but I spin, spin like a hurricane with a cry just as loud. His leg
breaks. Miraculously, he keeps his balance like a puppet on strings.
His blade comes down on me. I am crushed
into the cavern floor. Cracks are spreading on my mask. If it breaks I will be
a weak human again. I strike hard and fast shattering his other leg bringing
him to his knees. I get to by feet and duck his next swing. With the same
action stab him in the heart. Crack spider-web all through him and he falls to
pieces.
The Mask lies at my feet, empty and
waiting.
"Mortal." Speaks an ethereal
voice, clear and ringing as starlight. "I lend you my power but for one
purpose. Majora must die lest I take your soul for myself." Fiirce says.
"Misuse my power, attack anyone else with it and you are mine."
I feel a chill roll down my spine.
Fi flips out of the blade.
"Oh Fierce Deity, forgive my
inquiry, but where do you and Majora come from? Why is your power so
great?" she asks.
"We are moon spirits. Majora is of
the shadow clan of wane and I am that of wax. Our love was forbidden so we were
banished to this earth. But our affections grew sour and we fought. Our powers
were used to manage the tide and more importantly, give the people dreams. We
plant ideas into mortals brains in their sleep, thus the world is in our hands.
We used humans as pawns against each other. But Majora consumed me by some
trick and swallowed my power as her own. She was too great to be destroyed so
the sages had her imprisoned in a tribal mask. I was freed, but trapped also,
for none trusted me. Here I festered, here I have grown wrathful. Complete my
revenge and I will reward you. Get in my way and your eternal soul is mine."
I swallow.
"Agreed." I say.
***
I ride the shoulder of the Canyon giant,
wading through the ocean. The other three follow, each as different as the four
seasons. One is made up of the swamp land, covered in foliage, flowers and mud.
Another is the snow peak mountain itself, frostbitten and white capped. The
last is made up of the coral reef of the Great Bay,
crowned with all colours and sopping with sea weed. The moon is dipping low. We
don't have much time beneath the flames.
"There!" I point at the isle
with the black cloud. The Four giants surround it growling deeply. In the crater
at the center I see the black army, scuttling around like roaches. At the foot
of the purple stone Arski, is a girl with golden hair. "There she is! Set
me down."
The Canyon giant reaches down slowly and
scoops up Zelda into his palm, as carefully as if she were made of frost. I run
down the arm to her.
"LINK!" She gasps. I run and
grab her toppling us both in my haste. I kiss her all over, laughing with
relief and joy. "How did you-?" I silence her with a passionate kiss.
"You've saved me many times," I whisper. "Now it's my
turn." I roll and leap down at the foot of Arski, before a very unhappy
Ghirahim.
"Why are you still alive?" he
groans. "Don't you ever give up!? You just keep coming and coming! You
pestilential brat!"
"Oh I'm sorry. Is your heart no
longer filled with rainbows?" I sneer, remembering his entirely gay comment
long ago when we met in the Fire Sanctuary.
"Feh, no matter!" He dismisses
me drawing his black blades. I whistle hard, through my fingers.
"Hey!" I beckon to the giants.
"Destroy this army!" Like meteors four pairs of fist come crashing
down, pulverizing the masses.
"You little-" Ghirahim charges.
I catch all his furious blows. I've gotten better. He's a breeze compared to
Fiirce. I kick him hard into Arski. Zelda lands beside me.
"Did you tell them where the Ether
blade is?" I ask.
"No!" She says over the
pounding and screaming.
"Take your harp and go find
me!" I say.
"Uh- what?" She asks. I show
her we are holding the same identical harp.
"I time traveled. My past self must
get your harp and play the song of time backwards before he sees me. If these giants
are going to be here he- or rather I, must go back three days to go get them.
Do you understand?" she nods though she looks perplexed, "Fi
will!" I reassure her, "I will be appearing over that ridge in a few
minutes! Go! NOW!" She runs into the fray. I yelp as I am yanked back by
the hair. An arm as hard and cold as iron hooks across my throat. I'm lifted off my feet and crushed to
someone's body. I kick, unable to breathe. Fi flashes into being and kicks my
oppressor hard in the face. I'm dropped. I turn and ready myself, though I'm
coughing. It's Ghirahim, though he's...naked, and brown all over with white
designs. He is more muscular and much taller, his eyes completely white like
his hair that has been swept out of his face. A red gem glows malevolently in
his chest.
"You will pay for this,
mortal." He growls in a metallic voice.
"Then come at me!" I jut my
chin at him. He charges. And the dance begins. He spins and kicks powerfully,
throwing me to the ground. Purple lightening gleam in his hands and he grabs my
sides and lifts me, shaking me as the shocks spasm through me. He throws me
down and lifts me by the hair and slams me into Arski. My feet are far from the
ground as a struggle in the grip on the back of my neck. His body presses up
against me.
"You know, Link." he whispers
in my ear. "I've been looking forward to penetrating you." I kick
wildly, squirming. He chuckles. I feel teeth on the tip of my ear. I turn away.
I scream when they pierce my neck. He crushes me hard to him as he works his
teeth deeper in me. My breath catches in my throat. This is strangely erotic. I
feel sick, sick with rage. I kick off of
Arski making him stagger. I flip the Master sword into ice pick and trust it
back into his side. I'm dropped. I turn quickly to see Ghirahim on his knees,
smiling, blood on his teeth.
"Finally!" he breathes.
"That taste. I've been hungering for all these centuries!"
"Stay back!" I point my blade
at him, holding my bleeding neck.
"No need." he chuckles.
"You're dead now anyways."
Hands and red tentacles suddenly squirm
around me. I try to turn but I am trapped.
"OOOOH! WHAT'S THIS? WHAT'S THIS, I
SAY? SOMEONE CAME BACK TO PLAY TODAY?"
A chill shakes me and I thrash in
Majora's arms. He laughs as he throwing me down at Ghirahim.
"What's the matter, little
one?" Ghirahim yanks my hair forcing me to kneel in front of him.
"Too much for you to handle?" he licks the blood off my neck
sensually. I push him away and whip out the Fierce Deity Mask. I see the horror
on Ghirahim's face before I put the cold wood on my skin. I stagger as a shock
runs down my spine. Power builds up in me until it forces out a scream of
agony. My body catches fire, and my form changes. I grow several feet taller
and my clothes turn to white armour. The red and blue markings paint my face
and my eyes blaze with white fury. The Master Sword too has transformed into a
double bladed weapon, twisted yet magnificent. I turn on Majora, who is
grinning at me excitedly. I'm taller than him, by quite a bit.
"Master." Fi flips out. Her
form has changed as well. She is all white with the red and blue markings of
the moon tribe of wax. "Aim for Majora's face, that is the only way to
kill Majora without harming Maltzar."
I nod. The army has now been smashed to smithereens.
I whistle again.
"STOP THAT MOON!" My voice is
amplified like Majora's. The Giants lift up their hands and catch the moon
stopping it dead in its destructive track. I advance on Majora.