Chapter VI: Into the Fire

Chapter VI: Into the Fire

Link headed for the village just after breakfast. Zelda bade him farewell by saying,
'Be careful out there Link. I know you can save Hyrule.'
He left the Sanctuary which sat in the Shadow of Death Mountain. The road was still a little bit raw from that fateful evening. This time, however, the roads were occupied for Soldiers patroled every stech of avenue. He knew that travling on the paths would now be suicide.
He headed into a glade that he knew well, for he spent many hours hunting there. IT took him a bit longer, but he reached Kakariko. When he emergered, he found that THe streets there were no longer empty. A soldier was stationed at each corner.
'This is not good.'
Link walked on the balls of his feet, keeping his steps light. He ducked behind a fence, on the other side of the grass was tall so it enabled himself to be concealed. He looked at the house, and recognized it. 'I know these people, perhaps they can help me.'
Without knocking, he entered in. The man was surprised to see him, and nearly jumped out of his skin.
'Link?!'
'Yes. Sorry I did not mean to intrude but, I need help.'
'They say that you kidnapped the Princess. IS this true Link?'
'Well in a way I suppose. I didn't kidnap her, More like rescued.'
'O I see.'
'It's a bit complex' Link explained everything.
'So that is why there are soldiers everywhere.'
'So can you help me?'
'Yes Link I will.'
'Thank you. I need to get to the House of Books.'

'Alright, how do you propose we get there?'
Link pondered for a moment. 'I could hide in your wagon.'
The man nodded his head. 'Sounds good.'
The House of Books sat on the edge of the village. Link laid low and silent in hte back of the wagon, praying he would not get cought 'Thank you. Aall of Hyrule is in your debt.'
The man thought nothing of it. 'I'm just glad I could help. Please, sae this land.'
He entered into the house. The book keeper sat in a rocking chair by a fire reading. He was a upper middle aged man, hair was begining to thin and grey, and he had a few more pounds more than he did a year or two back. Link called out, and he turned around. 'Oh Link, what brings you here?'
'I need the Book of Mudora.'
His brow arched. 'That his a treasure. For what do you need it?'
'I am seeking the Master Sword.'
His brow arched even higher. 'I know that these are trying times Link, but honestly,'
'I don't have the time to explain, simply look at this.' He pulled out the Pendant of Courage.
THe bookeeper's eyes grew wide. 'I see. So the Legends are true. Here Link come with me.' He brought Link to the back. In a vault, lay the book. It was as heavy as a stone slab, and smelt of must. Looking at it, LInk realized it was older than anything he had ever seen. 'Please be careful Link'

'Thank you. I will return this to you after I have finished.'
As soon as he stepped out he was spotted.
'It is him!' cried a soldier. 'Stop where you are! You are under arrest under order of the King!'
Seven gaurds were converging upon him. Link took to flight.
'Get him!'
A gaurd stepped before him. Link put his shield in front of him, and kamakazied straight into his obstacle. He bowled the soldier over like a fullback trying to reach the endzone. He returned to his feet and kept running. He saw an arrow buzz by his ear. Link scanned his eyes ahead looking for a way to escape. Finding none, he turned to face his pursuers. Fifteen soldiers, weapons drawn were facing him.
'Lay down your sword boy, and there won't be any trouble.'
'I shall not be doing that! For your own sake, I advise you'd leave me on my way.'
'It's your grave.'
Link spied an opening. He leapt at one soldier, kicking him in the chest, and knocked another over, and ran. Link ducked into a grove within it was a stream. He could hear the footfalls of the soldiers. He climbed a tree and moved out to where it hung over the stream. With out giving a consideration to the depth, he leapt off into the water.
Link clung to the banks of stream so as not to be seen. When he felt as though he had lost his persuers, he climbed out of the stream. As he neared the desert, the grass grew less and less green and more and more sparce and The ground itself faded from green to tan. Likewise, the heat of the sun beat harder upon his frame. A natual wall of stone paritioned the desert away from the rest of Hyrule. It stood there like a line of sentinels. Link looked across the barrier and found there was an opening by which he entered.

He looked around, As far as his eyes could see, he could see nothing but sand. He took out at his map and looked down at it. For all he knew the Desert Palace had been buried centuries ago. He wandered around untill about dusk. The heat began to take its toll on Link. His throat became dry and His clothes were soaked with perspiration. Just when he was about to give up, he saw a single stone pillar jutting out of the sands. Link ran over to it. An unchipherable scritp was etched on it. He took out the Book of Mudora, and browesed through the pages. He was unsure of what he was looking for, but kept looking for something in the book that matched what he saw. When he was able to discern what the pillar said, he read it aloud.
'"Hold here the Pendant of Courage, and thy way wilt be revealed."' He tried it. When he did, the sands began to shift, and the ground began to quake. Link clung to the pillar, as his feet began to sink into the desert. A crop of stone arose from the sands. ON it was a giant head, also made of stone. In it's mouth was an open door; tounge prodruding out as though to welcome him in.

The floor of the Desert Palace was completly carpeted in sand and The edifice absorbed heat like an oven. Link nearly fell to his knees upon his entry. Through The roof he could see patches of night. The first chamber he entered in was as large as a barn. At the of it was a corrirdor which he fallowed. At the end of it was large boulder, the size of a car. LInk tried to move it, but it was far too heavy. He turned around, and returned to the main chamber.

He decided to go to his left where He found a door. When he entered the door shut behind him. The sands beneath his feet began to shift and swirl. It pulled together, and From out of the flat surface of the floor, a mound of sand arose. It flowed into a form of a juggernaut from the waist up. The creature was as large as a boulder, and shifted at Link like an on coming wave. It's gelded arms reached out at Link, He dove out of the way. Link ran swiftly, and delivered a short but potent strike. His sword passed through doing no damage. He slashed again, still doing nothing.
'How do I beat this?'
He swung like a berzerker. Link soon found out that he was waisting his energy. The geld charged at him, enveloping him. Link found escape to be very difficult as Any direction that he'd move, he'd only find more sand. He managed to poke his head out to get a breath, but soon was covered again. He thrashed his limbs about madly, but was only waisting more energy, which was swiftly fleeting. Link ran about in all directions. Back and fourt, side to side, east and west north and south. He started to go one way as hard as a bull. He took four steps, and turned around. Like a firecracker, Link burst free. Link noticed that his foe was now smaller. He positioned himself in front of a wall. When in came charging at him, LInk took three hard steps foreward, and rolled. He punched a hole through it. It continued it's freight train charge and collided with the wall full force. It impacted and scattered like water being released from a balloon.

Two doors opened. He went into the one he had not been in. There he found a large treasure chest, which Link could not open He returned from where he came. He found a door that he had not yet entered. There he came to a small room with nothing. He looked around. He felt the walls for anything out of the ordinary. still nothing. OUt of frustration, he struck it with his sword. The tone that the collision made caught his attention. Link stuck another section, just to the left. It's pitch was lower. He struck a section to the right. It's pitch was lower as well.
Link backed up to the enterance. He started a dead sprint lowering his shoulder, raising his shield, and leaving his feet. His teeth clenched together right before impact as He sailed through like a bowling ball.
He spied a platform just beyond limits of his reach, On it lie a chest. Link swore he could hear it mocking him. He first tried to get a running leap at it, but fell a bit short. Link paused and looked at it. There was nothing in the room, that could extend his reach. He leaned against the wall to think. Again, he saw all of the sand in the room begin to pull together.
'Not again'
An idea then came to him. Link sheathed his sword. The geldman, charged at Link. He rolled to the side, and it slammed against the wall. It reformed, and saw Link standing by an other wall. It charged him again. Link repeted his stratedgy. Like before, it slammed it self into the wall. 'These things are mindless!' Link did this untill it was no more than a pile of sand. He climbed it's remains upto the platform. IN the chest, he found a key. After acquiring THe key, Link took it to the chest that he could not open. In it he found a set of metal gauntlets. His eyes went wide when he put them on.

A massive amount of sand broke part of his fall. Link spat the sand from out of his mouth and looked around. 'Well now what?'
He saw what looked like a crease froming in the sand and coming at him. A giant segemented worm leapt out of the sand and struck Link suqare in the chest. The impact had the force of a comet. It took the breath from his lungs. The creature drove him back into the wall. Link cringed as he felt a rib or two crack.

Link watched for signs of their coming. Just as it came up, he luged foreward and delivered a savage stroke. He sensed aother coming, and turned, and slashed. His sword became lodged in it's head. Link pulled and pulled. Even with the strength of his gaunlets, he was unble to make any head way. It dove under the sand, sword jutting in it's skull.
Link took out his bow. When one came it him, He sank an arrow into it's head. Another struck him form behind, driving it's head against his kidney. Link winced on teh ground.
The one with his sword came out of the sand. Link regained enough of himself to stand. When it was surging at him, he took a hold of it. Link turned his sword and jostled it about, left and right, in and out, shaking violently like an aircraft in windshear. The lanmola drove him against the wall. Neither would yeild. Eventually, the worm fell to the ground.

Link pulled free his sword just as another was rocketing towards him. He brought his sword down with the force of a falling bomb, and cleaved it down the front side.
The final one rushed at Link with the fury of an enraged bull. Link held his ground, and held forth his sword. They collided ith the force of two automobiles.

Link lay in the ground spent. His chest felt as though it was full of fire. With every breath, the fire grew in heat. He felt what seemed like a dozen spear heads in his side. He felt and found nothing. His yelids felt as though they had weights tied to them. Link lay in the sand.
He mounted enough energy to stand. He looked around. something lay in the sand, glowing like a star. Link forgot his pain and weariness, and ran to claim his trophy. He raised the pentand into the air. Claiming the Master Sword was now in his grasp.

End Chapter