Mini Dungeon 5 - The Linebreaker

1.3K 42 12
                                    

            …that was the Linebreaker. Fish swam around them, lights coming from their scales. Huge portraits hung from the sides of the ship, the paint faded away. Only a few retained their original design.

            Lynard was hanging onto the wall, working his way down the down the room. He kept close to the walls, very close. Link started to motion what he was doing when a shadow moved outside the ship. A tail fin could be seen moving beyond the ship’s sides. These weren’t the massive cranioc though. These were nimble creatures, but strong. They were built to move through the deep, thick salt water found in Hylia's Bay.

            Once the shadow passed, Lynard sunk down a bit to the tilted floor of the cabin they were in. He pulled out a few books off the shelf. He handed one to Endeavor, before going through a second book for  himself. He opened the pages up to Link and Zelda. There was a sketch of a creature like the one Link had seen swimming outside. He read the text beneath it: gyorg. It was a narrow beast, with rows of teeth and huge sail fins on its back.

            After a few minutes, Lynard flipped carefully through a few more pages. He opened another page with a sketch of a creature with many limbs. It was an octorock. Link was familiar with that creature. One of the knights was fond of their meat.

            Lynard closed the book and slid it back on the shelf. He eased away from the wall, peering around the edge of a hole for a moment, before quickly passing the hole. He used his cane to help keep him from drifting too far out into the room.

            Behind them, Endeavor slid the book back on the shelf. She swam passed the gap and over to the door. Lynard glanced out the gap, before motioning for Zelda and Link to come towards them. Zelda swam over to the others as Link kept a cautious eye on the opening in the side of the ship. Nothing but small fish went by.

            With the four of them over by the door, Endeavor pulled it open, and swam into the next hall. Lynard held the door for a moment, keeping watch on the openings in the sides of the ship. They didn't want something to surprise them.

            The hall beyond the door led further into the ship. A galley opened to their left, an armory to their right. Tentacles poured out of the doors, huge spheres of stone came sailing after them. The sound of suction echoed even in the deep water, bounding out of the galley towards them.

            Link pulled his sword out, hoping that Faru’s charm was still active on his sword until he remembered that this was a different blade. It was odd, he felt like he had had this sword all his life, even if it had hardly been a month since he had pulled it from its resting place. Though, that was a discussion for another time.

            A purple skinned octorock pulled itself out of the galley and into the hallway. Zelda loosed an arrow into the thick, spiny skull of the monster. Her arrow flew straight, which helped reassure Link that the Master Sword would carry the same weight as it didn’t above the water. He swam in closer, raising his shield. The octorock fired another stone sphere, only to have it reflected at its face.

            With the monster stunned, Link berated the creature. Finally, the creature gave and collapsed, blocking the hallway on. Link kept his shield up as he examined the open galley and the armory on the other side of the hall. The rooms were empty now, or so it appeared.

            A rock came hurdling through the door. An octorock reappeared in the back of the armory. Link watched the stone bounced back, but he didn’t have time to gain on the creature before it shook itself back up.

            There was a sharp sound of someone unsheathing a blade. Lynard passed by Link, a long sailor’s blade in hand, the wooden case of his cane in the other hand. Lynard hit the monster on its hard shell of a head, stunning it, before he swung around and cut at the side of the monster. It shuddered at the pain of Lynard’s blade, before it gave in.

            Lynard slid the blade back into its case. Link glanced at Lynard with a half grin. Nameless couldn’t have swords after all, or at least, sword other people could see. Lynard was extremely crafty to have thought of such an ingenious hiding spot for a weapon.

            The two returned to the hall. Endeavor held her sword out, watching the door behind them and the path ahead. Zelda kept her bow strung. Link looked down the hallway, wondering what awaited them at the other end of the hallway.

            Link began to swim down the passage when another shadow passed outside the ship. Link realized that the whole portion to the left of the ship have been torn out. It was quite the distance until they would reach cover again once they raced out into the open. He figured that those gyrogs would make their entrance here. Though there was only one way to find out.

            Something grabbed his shoulder. Link jumped, turning around to see Lynard. The man was pointing towards the galley, where Endeavor and Zelda were already swimming. Link entered into the room, waiting for Lynard. The man swam around the room until he found a faded map on the wall. Link swam over beside the man. It was a map of the ship. Lynard pointed to a room on the map. They were there. Lynard ran his finger along the map to another point in the ship. It was the hull of the ship. Endeavor leaned in over them, tapping the same point as well. That was where they were headed. Something was hidden there with the rest of the ship’s cargo.

            Zelda shook Link. He turned around. Zelda pointed down. The bubble suit was shrinking. Link turned around to look at Lynard and Endeavor. The edge of their protection was easing up their sides, and water began to cling to their exposed sides. They were running out of time.

            Link quickly left the galley. With his sword out, he swam out into the open path. Immediately, his sword caught the jaw of a creature. The beast snapped at his blade, before Link slammed the creature with his shield. It gave him a moment to attack. Fortunately, the monster didn’t take more of a beating before it died. Unfortunately, there were dozens of them.

            Lynard swam in front Link, his sword coming out again. The narrow blade carved the monsters like a fileting knife did a fish. A dozen gyorg fell before Link managed to fend off his second one. Lynard floated down to the floor, waving Link on down the hall.

            Light shot through the water, and like flashes of lightening, Zelda’s arrows pierced the gyorgs. Still wearing her long sundress, Zelda hurried behind Link down to the other end of the hall. She kept her bow up and pointed out at the gap until she was safely beyond the threshold. Endeavor kept close behind, her weapons out and ready, though Lynard seemed to be quite able to keep up their defense on his own. If Link didn’t know better, he would have thought that the man was part zora by how well the man fought in the water.

            There was a gap in the attack. Lynard raced for the doorway. Link kept his shield up, backing up towards the exit. He heard the old door creak open. Lynard pulled on Link’s arm for a moment, before he was yanked back into the room. Link swung once, before diving into the room and swinging the heavy door shut…

[EDITING] The Legend of Zelda: Goddess of SecrecyWhere stories live. Discover now