[EDITING] The Legend of Zelda: Goddess of Secrecy

Mini Boss 7 - Zeal

            …throwing them into combat. Link shoved Zeal back. He twisted his sword in his hand like he had been using it all his life, the sword fitting right into his hand. Zeal slid back for a moment, before returning to her upright position. She was confident in her own fighting as well, and Link knew it. She was going to show her confidence in every stride.

            Endeavor took a step towards Link. “Link, this is not a fight you are ready for.”

            “Silence, Drex,” Zeal commanded. She raised her hand, and a shot of white lightening went out and struck Endeavor in the chest. Link turned as Endeavor was sent back, crashing into a nearby building.

            Zelda raced over to Endeavor’s side as Zeal taunted, “Better hurry up, Hero. She hasn’t got much time left.”

            Link rushed Zeal. The Drex easily vanished and reappeared behind Link. He turned, clashing his sword into Zeal’s. She grinned. “Oh, doesn’t that make you livid?” She pushed Link off, and teased, “What is she to you? You’re the mighty Hero of Legend. You don’t need her. You don’t need any of them, you know.”

            He didn’t respond. He waited for Zeal to make a move, a move he could counter. He didn’t know what she was planning, but he didn’t want to test her. Zeal turned her head slightly. “Oh, yes. You know what I'd offer you, but you oh so noble, little Hero. You would never accept it. Nothing could sway the Hero. You’re too high and mighty. You'll give your live countless times for the country who didn't even know you exsisted until you became their only solution.”

            Keeping his guard up, Link waited for an attack he could return. Zeal shouted, “Look where you came from. You lived in a tree, no family, no friends. Yet you chose to help the very people you held you back. You could have been so much more, you could be so much more. They betrayed you Link. Haven’t you ever realized that? They never cared about you until they knew what you were, and what you would do. Then you got respect, then they paid attention. But not before. Never before. You were nothing before then.”

            Zeal started pacing around him. “They always have. In all your lives, where have you always been? At the bottom. Besides the fact that you’ve got the most legendary symbol on your hand, there’s the fact that you can master a sword in ten minutes. Someone with that skill should be trained, should have been paid attention to. But when has anyone ever done that for the poor little orphan boy, who ever cared enough to find out who he was.”

            “Don’t listen to her, Link!”  Zelda shouted.

            The Drex sighed. “Of all the obvious things to say, Princess, of course, you would chose that. ‘Oh, don’t listen to her. She's going to lead you astray!’ Pathetic! You're not better than the rest of them.”

            An arrow buried itself into stone behind Zeal, tearing her thin white dress. Zeal put a finger to her thigh, and pulled back a red finger. The Drex’s eyes blazed as she turned to Zelda, who’s bowstring was still shaking from the shot. Zeal dropped her hand. “Very well then.”

            Zelda joined Link by his side. “Link, Endeavor doesn’t have much time. If Zeal wasn’t here, we might be able to revive a medic, but as long as she is, I’m not risking anything. We have to take her out, or this is the end for Endeavor.”

            Link nodded and turned back to Zeal. The Drex grinned. She already knew all that. She would draw them out and make them wait until it was too late. Zeal’s smile widened. “You’re not a foolish as I thought. Shame you won't listen to me.”

            Zeal rushed Link again. Link locked their hilts together. His, being the larger one, easily pulled Zeal’s sword out of her hand. The sword went flying, burying itself into the black stone. The rock began to hiss and sparks started flying off of it. The runes blazed, and Link realized he had just opened a portal.

            Unarmed, Zeal took a step back. Lightening cracked off her fingers, and she raised her hands to strike. Link kept his sword close, not wanting to catch the electricity on his blade.

            Massive white bolts began to fly. Sand rose in huge shots as they were hit by the lightening. Link rolled out of the way, trying to keep his eyes on Zeal through the sand. Link had to think of a way to break Zeal’s concentration or the Drex was going to drag this fight out.

            Link raised his shield, and turned to face Zeal again. The Drex was about to fire another bolt of lightening at him. Link waited for the attack. He had a crazy idea as he stared down at Zeal from over his shield.

            The bolt came. Link swung his blade. Instead of a sheering jolt he was expecting, there was a slight bounce, like something had bounced off his sword. Link looked back at Zeal, who was blocking the rounding streak of lightening. With even more force, she returned the lightening back at Link. Link swung, sending the attack back at Zeal.

            Without even thinking, Zeal returned the attack. Link easily batted it back and forth, the lightening rounding and rounding until it was an orb. When it returned to Zeal, it slid across her palm, and hit the Drex in the chest.

            Zeal heaved, before standing back up straight. Link wasn’t going to get near her, he didn't trust her. Again, she began throwing lightening at Link. Link started the back and forth with Zeal again, watching the orb round until the Drex couldn’t hold it anymore.

            Despite the fact that Link had figured out the attack, Zeal continued with the same thing at least five times. Link just dodged when he couldn’t hit it fast enough, and sent it back when he could. He returned the sixth orb to Zeal, waiting for some change in Zeal’s attack.

            Zeal dropped to the ground as the orb hit her. Her body shuttered. Link stayed back, not trusting the Drex, even while she was down. Zeal slowly pushed herself up. The stone behind her quivered, and she turned over her shoulder to watch. Link turned his attention to the rock as well. The stone split down its middle. Light burst through the newly formed crack. Link had to raise his shield to block the light.

            When Link lowered his shield, the rock that had once stood there was empty. All that remained of the stone was a frame of black rock. Inside of it, dark magic hissed and consumed the gapping hole. The silhouette of a man stood in it, and even without being able to see the features of the man, Link knew who it was.

            With a careless bow, Zeal said, “Behold, the Dark World. I couldn’t care less about your mewling little friend. I wanted you to see this, and behold what you’ve wrought. I wanted you open it, to see exactly where you're going to have to go sooner or later. Sooner or later, you will come here, you will have to visit him. No point hiding from it, little Hero.”

            Taking a step back into the frame, Zeal went on, “Come and fight me when you know how to use that pretty little blade of yours.” With that, she vanished into the portal.

            Zelda walked over to Link. “I have to say, I was expecting more of a fight from her.”

            Link paused, before the thought dawned on him. “Endeavor!”

            The two rushed over to where Endeavor was, still passed out on the side of the road. Zelda said, “We need to find a medic. There has to be one around here somewhere. Link, you need to try to find one. I’ll see what I can do around here. Hurry.”

            Link nodded, before turning and racing off into the fort…