The Legend of Zelda: Goddess of Secrecy

Mini Boss 7 - Zeal

...throwing them into combat. Sword met sword, a hiss of metal before Link shoved Zeal back. He twisted his sword in his hand like he had been using it all his life. How natural it felt to hold, he might as well have been. Zeal slid back for a moment, before returning to her upright position.

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

"Silence!" Zeal commanded as she raised a hand. A bolt of white lightening streaked out, striking Endeavor in the chest. Link turned as Endeavor was sent back, crashing into the nearby building.

Zelda raced over to Endeavor's side as Zeal taunted, "Better hurry up, Hero. They haven't got much time left."

It was bait, but it worked. Link rushed Zeal. The Drex easily vanished and reappeared behind Link. He turned, clashing his sword into Zeal's. She grinned as she leaned in over their striking blades. "Oh, doesn't that make you livid?" She pushed Link off, and teased, "What are they to you? You're the mighty Hero, born again. You don't need them. You don't need any of them. Now that you have that sword, you're neigh unstoppable, right?"

He didn't respond. He waited for Zeal. He didn't know what she was planning, but the one bait was enough. He wouldn't fall for the rest. Zeal turned her head slightly. "Oh, yes. How could I forget, you oh so noble, little Hero. You would never fall for a trick from me. Nothing could sway the Hero. You're too high and mighty."

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?"

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."

"Don't listen to her, Link!" Zelda shouted as her hands were bright with light, held over Endeavor as they writhed on the ground.

Zeal sighed, tutting as she drew attention back on their fight. "Of all the obvious things to say, Princess, of course, you would choose that. 'Oh, don't listen to her.' Pathetic!"

An arrow buried itself into stone behind Zeal, tearing her white dress. Zeal put a finger to her thigh, red when she pulled it back. The Drex's eyes blazed as she turned to Zelda, whose bowstring was still shaking from the shot. Zeal dropped her hand as her eyes narrowed first on Link, and then on Zelda as she rose. "Very well then."

Zelda joined Link by his side as Zeal stalked back towards them. "Link, Endeavor doesn't have much time. If Zeal wasn't here, we might be able to revive a medic, but as long as they are, there's no chance. We have to take her out, or this is the end for Endeavor."

Link nodded and turned back to Zeal. The Drex grinned at the assessment, an expression of smug calm. She would draw them out and make them wait until it was too late. Zeal's smile widened as the two remained, holding their ground. "You're not a foolish as I thought."

Zeal rushed Link again. Link let the blade run down and 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 chased him in quick succession. Sand rose as they were hit, scattering debris in all directions. Link rolled out of the way, trying to keep his eyes on Zeal through the sand. Or Zelda. He had to think of a way to break Zeal's concentration or the Drex was going to drag this fight out longer than they had.

Link raised his shield, and turned to face Zeal again. The Drex was about to fire another bolt of lightning at him. Link waited for the attack, a quickly assembled plan as he watched Zeal grow closer over the top of his shield. Something felt familiar, something from the sword. It would have to work.

The bolt came. Link swung his blade. Instead of a sheering jolt, there was a slight bounce, like something had bounced off his sword. He looked back at Zeal, who was blocking the rounding streak of lightning. With even more force, she returned the lightning back at Link. Link swung, sending the attack back at Zeal again. Out of instinct, she returned the attack. Link easily batted it back and forth, the lightning 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. Link wasn't going to get near her. Again, she began throwing lightning at Link to scatter him off. Link started the back and forth with Zeal again, watching the orb round until the Drex couldn't hold it anymore.

At the next burst, Zeal got smarter. The fury that had driven the first two faded back into haunting calm. And then the burst shot off to Link's side. Zelda's eyes got wide as she tried to summon the light to block it, but it would not be fast enough. As that became apparently, Link rushed the distance, a badly glanced deflection sending the lightning off in another direction.

There was no time to rest. By the time the first attack settled, another was charged. Link hardly had time to recover, deflecting again off to the side instead of back to Zeal. And Zeal, having recovered her footing, was not going to let Link regain ground.

But he wasn't alone. As Link retreated another step, he almost crashed into Zelda's drawn bow. But she expected this, sidestepping him as he staggered and letting her arrow fly.

This one did not find its mark. Zeal caught it, before flicking it away as her fervor returned. Wide eyed, she raised both hands to send the lightning at the duo. Not before Link had recovered and batted in return. Zeal drew back her hand to deflect, deciding poorly on the orb and not the arrow that leapt from the bowstring after. One hit first, the effects following of the second.

Zeal dropped to the ground. 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 glow.

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 gaping hole.

With a careless bow, Zeal said, "Behold, the Dark World. I could care less about your mewling little friend. I wanted you to see this, and you've given me more than I could have ever asked for. So young, so brave. It won't be enough, I can tell now." 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 let out a breath as she looked over to Link. "I have to say, I was expecting more of a fight from her."

Link was about to agree, 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 try to stabilize them. Hurry!"

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