Legend of Zelda: Divine Vessel

- V: The Sapphire of Nayru - Part II -

A rush of adrenaline began to course through Nova's veins as she skipped back into the wintery wooded town, searching for the other two adventurers.

Her new clothing was light and easy to move in, and her leather boots were nearly silent on the stone road, and it wasn't long before she found the blonde boy, leaning over a counter and peering into a large stash of warm bread.

With a surprisingly joyful smile, Nova climbed the wooden steps, emphasizing her new boots when she reached the top, earning the attention of the green clad boy.  

His blue eyes widened as he opened his mouth to speak, and Nova waited gleefully for his reaction to her new clothing.  She even twirled, more giddy than any girl around.  "You look... different..." Link managed to mutter.  Nova chuckled, satisfied with his response.  Then, she remembered her true ambition for searching through the town.

"Oh! I think I found the Sapphire!" She blurted, drawing Link's attention from her clothing.  Midna emerged from the boy's shadow, interested in the potential adventure.  "But Halo warned me that it would be dangerous..." Her voice trailed as she looked away expectantly with her golden eyes.

A chuckle emerged from both of their mouths and the brunette flicked her eyes towards them, wearing an eager smile.

"Let's go, then." Link wore a white smile as he strode past Nova, though he was unsure where he was supposed to go in particular.  Nova laughed and led them to the eerie cave.

*****

The intimidation was obvious in all three traveler's eyes as they observed the dark cavern.  Soon, excitement replaced the nervousness, and Link took Nova's thin wrist in his hand and dragged her into the cave.

After traveling down a few steps, their surroundings transformed.  Eerie darkness and humid air consumed them as they waited for their eyes to adjust.  Just after they began to get used to the dim surroundings, a mangled growl could be heard, putting the trio on edge.

Nova's hand drifted to her waist, where her Divine Blade was waiting to be drawn.  She gripped the silver and gold handle and lifted it slightly, letting the blade glow just above the sheath.  She crouched in a fighting stance, ready to strike at the first sign of any enemy.

A disgusting, bloated creature emerged from the shadows, allowing its familiar form becoming visible in the dull light.  The girl nearly grimaced at its disgruntled appearance before completely unsheathing her blade.  She shifted a single foot then launched towards the blue monster.  Within an instant, its demonic eyes lost their glow and its head rolled from its lumped shoulders.  Black liquid oozed from the neck until the decapitated creature turned to dust and disappeared.

She then straightened her back with satisfaction and used the thick fabric of her glove to wipe the dark goo from her luminescent sword before putting it back in its sheath.  With a 'well done' high-five from Link, they pursued deeper into the cavern.

The pathway was straightforward, but the floor was uneven and damp, causing Nova to slip every once in a while and Midna would burst into cackling laughter.  However, they tried to remain quiet as every footstep echoed in the seemingly silent cave.

The silence made it easier to hear the minor monsters lurking within the massive cave.  The screeching of bat-like creatures were heard often, constantly keeping Link and Nova on their guard.  The monsters were not difficult do defeat, nor were they large or surrounded them in large masses, so the travelers progressed through the cavern rather quickly.

However, the deeper they were, the louder that particular strange noises were.  A deep grumbling seemed to be coming from deep within the cave, making the atmosphere even more eerie.  Both Link and Nova had drawn their swords and were ready to attack.  The two had a few scratches and bruises on their body from the relatively lengthy journey.  Overall, Link and Nova were tired from walking for so long and keeping their guards continuously raised.

Finally, the three exhaustedly reached the end of the cavern, more or less Midna who remained in Link's shadow.  The damp floor was obstructed by a massive stone object, but it was smooth and seemed to be created, not natural.  Nova pushed on it, but to no avail.  By pressing their ears against it, they could hear the eerie grumbling from inside, knowing that they had to get through this obstacle.

Link put his hand in front of the girl, signaling for her to 'step back' and to let him take over.  She pouted as she did not like being underestimated, but allowed him to do so anyway.  He leaned on the stone and grunted as he pushed it to the side.  Slowly, it began to spin counter-clockwise, and eventually, it moved out of their way.

The Divine Blade began to glow before Halo made herself visible before the three.  Midna's sigh was audible from Link's shadow, clearly not happy with the dragon's presence.

"Vessel, I can sense a strong dark force inside.  However, I also sense the Sapphire, and there is no other way to reach it.  Make sure you are ready to face anything when you enter."  Her voice echoed throughout the chamber.

"Got it." Nova replied with her golden eyes focused.  Link nodded, his eyebrows furrowed with determination.  Halo returned to the brunette's sword as she drew it from the sheath.  Her companion did the same with his blade.  They turned to each other, examining their wounds to make sure nothing was serious enough to hinder them.  The two nodded yet again and peered into the hazy tunnel before them.

Simultaneously, they entered, carefully placing their feet on the wet stone beneath them.  The rumbles, sounding more like the snoring of a large creature now that they were nearby, grew almost unbearably loud.  With every breath that the unknown creature consumed, pieces of stone and ashy dirt would fall from the walls.

They cautiously followed the pathway, careful not to slip through various ledges and fall to a torturous death.  Minutes later, they could feel the humid atmosphere transform into a venomous and evil aura, causing goose bumps to cover their skin.

It wasn't until they reached the bottom of the center area of the cave that they were able to see the deadly creature that was snoring so deafeningly loud.  Even so, the two adventurers tried their best not to awaken the creature.  However, every being knows they weren't going to retrieve the Sapphire of Nayru that easily.

Like the clumsy person her body determines her to be, Nova slipped on a damp step, only to be gratefully caught by Link.  When she was raised to her feet, she noticed the pebble that chipped from the stone, and it was skipping towards the sleeping mass in the center.  They watched the rock with eyes pried open with nervousness.

Just now, they dared to lay their eyes upon the creature lying there.  It was a dragon, yet it was about one hundred times larger than the one dwelling within Nova's Divine Blade.  Also, it was covered in scales, while the color of the monster was still a mystery in the dim light.  Its nostrils flared with every breath as it's back rose and fell.

And the pebble was still rolling.

It finally came to a stop right before the monstrous dragon's large nostril.  Both Link and Nova released a breath they didn't know that they were keeping.  However, it was too soon to feel relieved.

The dragon breathed in, and the immediate surroundings, including the pesky pebble, were also consumed.  When it was going to release the breath, it snorted unpleasantly, noticing the stone that was now wedged within its nose.

It continued to snort as the two adventurers remained paralyzed with fear.  The dragon grew increasingly irritated as it shook its head in attempt to remove the pebble, but to no avail.

Then, its gnarly crimson eyes opened, and it saw the Link and Nova, frozen with complete insecurity.

The dragon snarled and bared its yellowed fangs, allowing the prominent ribcage of the beast to be exposed.  It clearly hadn't eaten for days, maybe months.

And it clearly intended to have the three of them as its meal.