So, things got a little weird right around this point. I got a bow, and an audience with the Great Deku Tree, but... I still had questions that needed answering. Like, why me? I was just the girl with no fairy, but at least Saria was with me, having been roped into helping cure the curse. But as it is... this is my tale.
Dost thou sense it?
A climate of evil is descending upon this realm...
Malevolent forces even now are mustering to attack our land...
Of Hyrule...
I have to say, the inside of the Great Deku Tree is creepy. Vines everywhere, a giant pit leading to nowhere covered in... "Oh goddesses, those aren't spider webs, are they?" I asked, investigating the pit closely.
"I really hope not," Saria winced.
Our fairies hovered over our shoulders, laughing at us. We glared at her.
"Come on, you two, we have to break the curse on the Great Deku Tree," they said, pulling on our tunics. They wanted us to move away from the pit and start looking for clues. Well, I thought that the spider webs might be a big clue. I continued glaring at the fairy and pulled my tunic out of her grip. "Do you mind? Goddesses take you," I swore, stalking over to the nearest patch of vines growing out of the wall. Starting to climb, I began to notice the underlying sounds of chattering all around me. And it was getting louder the higher up I went. "Navi, what do -you- suppose put that webbing there?" I questioned as I climbed with Saria following behind me. "Spider's don't get big enough for webs that size, do they?"
"Not sure," she replied, setting down on my shoulder. "It could be a part of the curse on the Great Deku Tree, or it could be something else entirely." I do say now that I didn't like her answer all that much. Groaning, I continued my climb into the upper limbs of the tree. I wasn't looking much higher than where my hands were going, which means that I didn't see anything above me. Like the giant spider web surrounding the canopy of the Tree. When I put my hand in the webs the chattering stopped. I pulled back, hooking my feet and other hand into the vines to secure myself, and looked at my hand. Strands of spider silk trailed from my hand, threads floating to the ground far below me.
"Ew..." I muttered in disgust as I tried and failed to wipe the sticky silk from my hand. But no matter what I tried, it just wouldn't come off. "Navi! How the heck do I get this off?!" I yelled while trying to wave my hand around in an attempt to dislodge the sticky webbing.
Navi pulled on my ear. "Linkette, don't stop now, keep climbing! We can't let the Great Deku Tree die!" she cried, then pulling on my hair. I shrugged my shoulder, knocking the bothersome fae away from my hair. "Stop that, Navi, my hair is not something you can play with," I said. "It hurts when you pull on it." She replied to me, but I stopped caring as I wiped my hand clear of webbing and ignored her in favor of looking for somewhere to stand. I needed a better look around. The eerie silence all around me was starting to frighten me, and I would rather not find out what had been making the sounds. My luck was never that good, though. Setting my feet down on the nearest branch that could hold us, I helped Saria on the branch and turned towards the center of the tree.
Only to come face to face with the largest black and yellow spider I had ever seen. It was hanging by a thread from a branch above, and all eight of its beady black eyes were staring at me. There was a dark plate on its back that made the entire thing looking like a screaming face. Taking half a step back, my hands went for my bow "Navi," I said, my voice shaky, "what is that?"
My fairy flew closer, examining the spider. She hovered around, looking closely at it. I was almost afraid it would eat her, but all its focus was on me. "Oh! I know what this is!" she said. "This is a Skulltula!"
"Oh joy! Yay, a huge spider. Great. What fun!" Saria said with sarcasm lacing her tone. Spiders gave us the creeps.
"Is it what's causing the curse?" I asked, standing my ground, though I was trembling. This thing was terrifying. Navi's high voice came out from behind it. "They, the underbelly is soft, you can probably kill it by striking it there with an arrow!" she still didn't answer my question. Stupid fairy. I swear, I would get a defective fairy. I rolled my eyes. "Sure thing, Navi, let me just slip past the giant claws waiting to slice me to bits," I said, sarcasm dripping from my words. I stepped towards the Skulltula, and it turned around on its thread, reaching for me with all eight of its legs. "Linkette, shoot now, it's showing its weak point!" Navi shouted at me, flying out from behind the giant spider. I hesitated, just a moment too long and the Skulltula spun quickly, slashing its claws across the magical shield Saria put up between us. I was pushed back between the wall and Saria, the wind knocked out of me, pinned in place by Saria. I gasped to regain my breath before the monstrous arachnid ate us. "Linkette, it spins around when you approach it, avoid the claws when it spins back around," Navi told me, being unhelpful as usual.
Pushing off the wall, I readied my bow again and stepped forward. The spider turned its soft underside to me, I took then shot, piercing its soft flesh. With a bone-chilling scream that didn't sound natural, the Skulltula fell into the darkness below. I knew where the bottom was, but with the sunlight blocked out by silk-wrapped leaves above, the ground was shrouded in shadows. "Well," I panted putting my bow away on my back. "That was interesting. Thanks for the save Saria."
"Of course I would save you," Saria said as we looked over the edge of the branch at the bottom for the corpse of the spider.
When something slammed into our backs, knocking us off balance and sending us falling into the darkness below.
"Saria, Linkette, aim for the pit, the webs should cushion your fall!" Ember shouted, her and Navi flying as fast as they could to keep up with our plummeting forms. There was little time, so I grabbed Saria and flipped my body around to land on the webbing with my back with Saria on top. We stopped for a moment, the spider web stretching around us before it broke and were sent flailing into the pit below.
We splashed down into an underground lake under the Great Deku Tree. Surfacing, we spluttered and tore at the sticky strands covering our eyes and face. "Get them off, get them off!" I shrieked. A blue light suddenly appeared in my field of vision, as Navi started helping me out. I started treading water and looked around. "Are you two alright?" Navi and Ember asked, examining every inch of our heads for any injuries. I swear, those fairies... "We are under the Great Deku Tree. This lake is where he gathers the water to purify it before sending it to the forest."
That... actually made perfect sense to me. I looked up, floating on my back, and saw the hole I had fallen down through, which was actually an open point between several of the Deku Tree's roots. There was a patch of vines on the wall leading back up to the surface there. The chattering, which had to be from the Skulltula's, was returning. "That is going to be very disconcerting," I said to Saria, swimming for shore. Or rather, the ledge that counted as shore down here. I pulled myself up onto the ledge and collapsed onto my back, breathing heavy as Saria joined me. This was turning out to be a horrible day.
When our breathing had finally settled again, I sat up. "Navi, do you have any idea at all where we are supposed to be going?" I asked the flitting forest fae. Navi floated in front of me, then dropped towards the floor to land on my knee, pouting. "No," she said begrudgingly. She perked up again after a moment. "But I do feel an aura of evil in the air! It feels stronger closer to that door!" she pointed across the lake at a vine- and web-covered door. It was a little ways up the wall from where I sat, just barely visible in the wane light. I stared at the door for a moment, then I turned my gaze on her. "Really? And you expect us to sprout wings and fly over there?" I asked. The ledge over to that side was out, washed or broken away.
"Don't worry," Saria said. "I can use my magic to make a path."
She then caused vines to grow out of the wall to make it possible to climb out.
We took off our soft boots and tied them to our belts. The leather, soaked as it was, would be useless until it dried, but we weren't going to leave them down here. They were OUR boots! We dove into the water and started across. All the swimming we had done in the pool in the forest was a boon here, for sure. The other Kokiri had been teasing us about our time spent in the forest, but hah! Now we win! I kicked strongly, wondering why I let Saria convince me to wear one of her skirts. The range of motion from my shorts was great, and there was no worry that anyone would see anything... well you know what I mean...oh yeah, because when we play it let's her do that, while I do the same to her.
Ahead of me, I saw Saria climbing up the vines and saw exactly that before I followed, hauling myself up out of the cold water. "Okay, I hope there's a better way out, I don't want to do that again," I said, as we stripped, wringing out our tunic and skirts, while enjoying the view. We shook the water out of our boots and tugged them on, grimacing at the squish of water between our toes. "Gross," I muttered. Navi had flown off and examined the door, and I wondered, while looking over at the door, why there was even a door down here in the first place. It wasn't like someone had planted the Great Deku Tree on purpose. He just... was.
"Come on, you two, through here! I think we're almost there!" Navi said, flying back and forth between us and the door. It was starting to get annoying how chipper she was all the time. I almost felt sorry for being sassy with her... oh well.
I sighed and pushed on the door, making it swing open into a large open room. There, in the middle of the room was a large chest, vines drooping over it. There seemed to be some sort of light coming from up above, but I couldn't tell where it had been coming from. The ceiling might have been made of just the roots of the Deku Tree, and the sunlight was streaming through that, or there was magic in the air causing it. Either way, we stepped into the room, closing the door behind us, and skirted around the edge of the room just to get a good look. Our fairies fluttered into the room, flying closer to the chest to get a better look.
"Hey, Linkette, this is unlocked! I wonder what could be inside." Navi said, trying to lift the lid off. The sounds of the Skulltula's was slightly muted here, so we could hear a different sound... rustling leaves, a soft giggle, and whispering. I pulled out my bow while Saria prepared her magic, holding them before us as we cautiously approached the chest. Navi was shining her blue light everywhere when a shelled nut came flying out of nowhere and broke into a million pieces against Saria's shield spell.
"Brother, you missed!" a voice called out from the blue-black shadows on the other side of the room. "Shut your trap, you! You'll give away our secret!" another called out. My sky blue eyes scanned the other side of the room just as a walnut shell shot out at me. I ducked down just in time to dodge the nut. "Hey! What do you think you're doing?" I called out, watching the nut hit Saria's spell again and go flying back into the edge of the room. I heard the distinct thud-knock of the nut hitting wood.
"Ow! That hurt!" I heard from one of the two voices. "Hey, you hurt our brother! You're going to pay for that! Get them!" a third voice said, then two nuts came flying out at me. The nuts bounced harmlessly off Saria's shield spell, and we started watching where they were coming from. "Come out here where we can see you and no one else has to get hurt."
The nuts stopped flying at us, and the two voices started whispering again. I heard snippets of their conversation, mostly the third one saying that I should be beaten to a pulp for their mistress.. whoever that was. I started inching towards them, motioning to Navi to fly over and see if she could light up the shadows just enough for me to see clearly. With her light, thankfully, I could see the three shapes, one slumped over slightly. They were covered in leaves, with large round faces, large noses... Deku Scrubs! Bullies of the forest, no one wanted to be friends with them.
I groaned, bringing their attention back to me. "Really? Why would you be down here, instead of up in the sunlight?" I asked, putting my arms out. There was no reason they should shoot their Deku nuts at me, right? Oh boy was I wrong.
"Butt out, shorty!" the bigger one on my right said, spitting a nut at me. Saria brought her shield spell up in front of me ust in time to have it bounce back, but the Scrub ducked down into its hidey-hole just as the projectile would have hit its face. Instead, the nut broke against the wall, giving off a little flash. The first one giggled a little, and I looked over at it. It had called the other two brother... and it had a pink flower in its leaves, holding them out of its face on one side. Oh great, a female scrub, and her brothers.. "You tell them what-for, brother!" she said, spitting another nut at me.
This one I dodged away from, jumping backwards and a little sideways. The bigger scrub popped up again and launched another one, this one faster than the ones before it. I brought my bow up, and swung forward with it like a bat, giving the already fast nut a speedier exit towards its launchers face. The Scrub didn't expect that maneuver, and when the nut hit him in the face, he slumped over his home and the female shrieked at me, "Why would you do something like that!"
I could tell that I had pissed off the little female Deku Scrub, and now she was firing nuts at me with reckless abandon. Which was a little ridiculous, but what can I say? I have a nutty personality? Not really, of course, but a the time I think I did. I bounced the shelled projectiles back at the Scrub, hoping to hit her like I had her brothers, and not wanting to kill her. I had to have some sort of luck today, right?
"I got it," Saria said, hitting her with a magic blast that put her to sleep.
Looking up, I slipped my bow on my back again, as Saria dusted her hands off "Now, lets look at that chest..." I said, turning back for the treasure. Navi flew around my head, looking for a good place to look as I started lifting the lid. This thing was bigger than I was by a good half foot. I almost fell in reaching for the bottom of the chest, which was occupied by a single item: a slingshot. I picked i up and dropped back to the floor, frowning. "What in the name of the goddesses is this?"
Navi looked at it as I turned it over in my hands. "Oh! The Fairy Slingshot! This was given to the Kokiri as a gift from one of the Great Fairy's!" she said, landing on my arm and putting her hand on one of the arms. "At least, I think it is.. It looks like it."
"Here Saria. I already have the bow for a ranged weapon." I said giving her the slingshot, we'd used a slingshot before, the Know-it-all brothers had one that they let us use for catching squirrels. Not that we had actually ever hurt the squirrels. We mostly just scared them away from our tree house. You try sleeping while a small fuzzy forest creature is chewing on a nut above your head and crumbs keep falling onto your face and into your eyes. It's not pleasant. So first I learned how to use a slingshot and scared them out of my tree before I went to sleep. And a few hundred years ago when Saria moved in with me she learned as well. Did I mention that as Kokori as long as we do not leave the forest we will not die or age. Of course after awhile we decided to learn magic to use that instead, Saria having forest magic like most Kokori that learn magic, while I did not so I practice alone. Only Saria and the fairies that teach magic to those kokori willing to learn know. As Saria tested it out and got rid of any rust(there wasn't any they were also good at launching warerballoons at Mido, which we both enjoy even if we have to buy the water balloons from the skull kids who we have no idea how they get them)I looked into the chest and found a pouch of... "Oh, Deku seeds!" I exclaimed, shaking a few out into my hand. These made perfect shot if you could find them.
Navi nodded in the air, flying up and down. "This is good! Now you both have a ranged weapon!" she said, setting down on the top of my hat. I gave them to Saria who tied the seeds to her belt, and tucked the slingshot in next to it, then we looked around the room again. "...Now how do we get out? There's only the way we came in, Navi," I said, motioning to the one and only door in the entire room. She flew over to it, and examined the door. "Linkette, the evil is stronger over here, I think the room might have changed!" she said, turning back to me. I frowned again, and followed her, pulling open the door. She was right, this time. The underground lake was gone, replaced by a short hall walled in stone. I could see a faint light at the other end, flickering firelight, and what looked like a small pillar in the next room.
Taking a deep breath, we stepped through and pulled the door closed behind us. This had to be it, we were deep under the Deku Tree, at the furthest point he could pull nutrients from, we were going to save the Great Deku Tree. "Come on, Saria, Ember, Navi, lets beat this curse." Saria and Ember cheered and followed me down the tunnel into the darkness, while Navi just pouted.
"Why did you name them before me?" Navi whined. "I'm your guardian fairy."
"Saria is my girlfriend," I explained with a shrug.
"And we've spent the last few centuries living together," Saria added. "As my guardian fairy Ember lives with us as well."
"And since I was the only Guardian Fairy there, I often acted as guardian fairy to both of them, while you just got assigned today." Ember said as Navi sighed in acceptance before following us.
The dark didn't last very long, the firelight we saw earlier was actually torches, and there were dozens set up along the edge of the cavern. There were also some set on the four pillars in the center of the room. In general, the room was fairly well lit for being underground. Navi landed on my shoulder and sat there, trembling. "Linkette, it's so... there's so much evil here," she whispered into my ear. "I can barely breathe.."
I realized then that I couldn't hear the Skulltula's, but something scraping along the ceiling... I looked up, and saw the ugliest spider I had ever seen! She was at least seven feet long, her legs twice that, and the single biggest eye in the middle of where eight normally would be. There were plates along her back, forming a hard exoskeleton that looked like the Skulltula faces, except not screaming. It looked like this face was actually eating the head of the spider. Maybe that was why she had only the one eye.
That eye was scanning the ground below it, rolling all around grossly as it ate the magic of the Great DekuTree. "Ew.. that is a really big spider..." I said out loud.
"I think after this I will feel like you do about spiders," Saria said as the eye suddenly turned towards us, and the spider let out an ear-piercing scream. I didn't know that spiders could do that! We covered our ears and crouched down as the giant spider dropped down to the floor of the cavern. The ground shuddered with her sudden weight, and I felt stones from the roof clatter on the floor near me. Seeing the same happen to Saria to the side. I couldn't move, I was so scared! This monster was the thing of nightmares, of my nightmares! I thought I was afraid of spiders up until this point, but now I can say that I was terrified of them. Crouched on the floor near the entrance to the cavern, I trembled and couldn't move. All I could hear was the blood rushing in my ears, all I could see was that eye, bloody and red, staring at me as I looked at the floor.
Navi pulled on my hair, yanking a strand free from my scalp. The sharp pain pulled me out of my fear, and I cried out. Navi flew into my face. "Linkette, look at me," she said, her glowing expression melting the fear away. "Linkette, you can do this, you can save the Deku Tree from this monster, but you have to get up and fight!" she landed on my hand, putting her small fingers against the back of my hand. A faint glow started there, and I slowly stood, drawing my bow. The absolute terror this giant spider had instilled in me was now pushed to the back of my mind as I faced down the arachnid, looking to Saria I could see Ember doing the same for her as she stood up and prepared the slingshot, deciding not to use magic against something that had been eating the magic of the Great Deku Tree himself.
She towered above me, her baleful red eye still turned towards me as I sized her up. "You're not so big," I said, pulling out the bow and a single arrow. I took careful aim, waiting until it looked at me again before loosing the arrow. It hit the monster square in the eye, causing it to let out another scream. I winced, my terror spiking for a moment. The roar echoed around the small cavern, nearly covering up the sound of... shells cracking? I swiftly looked back down towards the floor, ignoring the giant spider above to the smaller spiders rushing at me only to die as Saria killed them with a slingshot, and I started helping. Their shrieks as they died grated on my nerves, though I felt nothing but a cool passive desire to live.
With all the hatchlings dead, their broken lifeless husks surrounding me, I picked up my slingshot again. While I had been dispatching the unholy spawn, the spider had descended from the ceiling again. I... won't tell you how it ended, but I can tell you that me and Saria desperately needed a bath when we finished her off. Navi lit the way ahead of us, leading us to a door on the far side of the cavern. A cool breeze touched my face when I pushed it open, and I relaxed a little. It was over. "Come on everyone, we have an old tree to talk to," I said to the others, leading my way out of the dark. I didn't expect what waited for us when we came into the fading light of day.
Mido stood before the tree, the rest of the Kokiri spread out behind him, some of the girls crying and holding each other. The boys all looked angry, carrying Deku sticks and rocks as they crowded around the entrance. "Mido, what's going on?" We asked, stepping towards him, looking around at the others. "What happened?"
The expression on Mido's face should have told us everything. "Link, Saria, you two killed the Great Deku Tree."