The Legend of Zelda- Ocarina of Time

Darkness Within

Chapter 34Darkness Within

Link scrambled to dry land, the mask falling from his face and clattering onto the polished stones. His skin burned where his gills had been, fiery tendrils of pain shooting along his neck. He clenched his teeth, trying to jump, but his legs wouldn't hold him. Instead, he grasped the nearest wall of the dimly lit cave, its detail lost to him as the world tilted and spun.

Gross. I must have swallowed some of the lake water.

The rancid taste in his mouth was almost enough to make him retch.

Catching his breath, Link glanced around at the interior of the dimly lit cave. Two spheres of flickering light hovered on either side of the doorway, casting a blue glow upon the arcane runes and carvings etched into the cavern walls.

He turned to the doorway, which lay beyond an alcove inside the stone jaws of an eel-like creature. Two tiny fins protruded from behind the creature's mouth, and there was a frill around the beast's neck, its small sapphire eyes watching the temple entrance in an endless vigil. On closer inspection, Link realised there were specks of blood trailing towards the eel's mouth, only a small amount, but it was still enough to send a chill through his body that had nothing to do with the icy lake.

Ruto?

Whoever it was, their injuries must have been minor, judging by the small size of the stains.

I better find her quickly, Link thought.

The entire plan to retrieve the medallion from the temple had been a disaster. As far as he knew, the remaining Zora were scattered. They should have been right behind him, or at least close behind, but a persistent voice in his head told him he couldn't wait, even though it would mean traversing the temple without a guide.

I probably have as much chance of finding Ruto as the Zora do, Link concluded, since there was no way to know exactly where Dark Link had taken her. If he found her first, Link was sure he could stop anyone from being harmed.

Alone it is, then. Link pressed forward, unable to ignore the growing unease in the pit of his stomach. He hadn't seen the morpha. Had it beaten him to the temple? Was the source of its strange powers in here, too, just like Volvagia's crystal?

Ruto first, Link reminded himself. He'd deal with the morpha later if he didn't end up running straight into it.

The chamber beyond the cave had once been beautiful, opening into a cavernous hall lit by more of the blue spheres. Now, it was a bloodbath. Zoran soldiers lay scattered about the edges of the room. One lay slumped against the nearest wall, a hand clutching at four deep gouges across its abdomen. Its eyes stared blankly at nothing.

Link swallowed back a surge of nausea. The once-bright mural along one wall that sparkled with a dozen shades of gold and blue was now stained with a splatter of crimson. To Link's right, another Zora had a gaping hole in its side, the edges of the wound ragged and torn.

This wasn't the work of his doppelgänger. This was something else.

A third Zora reached out towards a spear he would never grasp, its tip stained a sickly green. The same viscous liquid splattered the floor nearby. Ruto's warning of creatures in the temple came back to him. What sort of monsters were these creatures if they could do this?

Gulping, Link's gaze darted around the room.

Still alone.

But not for long, he wagered, taking a better look at the room. A pool of water dominated the interior, its basin paved with a dazzling display of coloured stones that formed a mural. Tiered steps led down to the pool, and at one end, water gushed from the mouth of a beast carved from stone.

Four doorways awaited Link—four choices and perhaps even fewer chances. Though he did not know which would lead to Ruto, Link took the first one on the right. Though he knew Ruto would not approve, he used his sword to mark his passage. He was careful not to damage any of the reliefs along the walls, knowing that doing so might upset Zora.