The Legend of Zelda: The Magician

7: Volvagia

With yet another ear-piercing roar, Volvagia reveals her head at a nearby hole. I'm about to run over when Ghirahim grabs my arm and teleports us there with a snap. She tries to raise her head to attack, but I think fast and bash my shield into her nose with a loud clang, stunning her. I begin stabbing into the cracks of her armoured face, a sickening squish echoing with every jab. Biting back the urge to wince, I continue to attack. After some successful hits, Volvagia breaks from her stun, and she whips her flaming tendrils atop her head around in a circle.

Ghirahim teleports us away in time to avoid them and we wait for her next attack. She glides above us in the air and tries to hit us with her claws from her short legs, but Ghirahim creates a barrier around us with his magic. Amber diamonds dance above us, transparency between them all that easily allows us to see. It blocks her attacks with a song of clangs as she growls deeply from her throat, plunging into another hole and disappearing from our sight.

It continues like this for two more rotations. On our third, which I hope is our last, I continue with the routine we've established. My body aches, shrieking at me to rest as some sweat breaks on my brow, trailing down my face. It feels like I'm back in training to become an Imperial Guard, where I had no break until I got the lesson correct, no matter the weather or my aching body. I smell the salt of my sweat and taste it bitterly on my tongue after some beads roll into my mouth. I prepare to stab into another of Volvagia's armour cracks, only for her to break free from her stun early and she swings her flaming tendrils around her violently in desperation.

Ghirahim hisses and teleports us away. When I look to my side, I see his right arm is burnt and bleeding, his glove sliced through and a charred brown on the edges of the slash. A bolt of worry jolts in my chest, and I reach out to him.

"Link, watch it!" Ghirahim warns, fear engulfing his voice.

I look up and see Volvagia heading in our direction, plunging toward us from the sky. I pull Ghirahim behind me and lift my shield, barely deflecting her claws that clang against my shield as she flies past. A deep sting and rough tearing of flesh blooms in my right shoulder. I look to find a deep gash from her claws that have torn my skin, tunic and undershirt, ruddy blood soaking the fabric.

Lowering my arm as Volvagia dives into yet another hole on the far side of the platform, I step away from Ghirahim, who backs away from me at the same time. His foot slips when he's becomes too close to the edge of the platform, the ground letting out at loud crack under his boot, and he falls off the side. Fear explodes inside of me, my body smoldering, and my stomach plummeting. I drop my sword and shield, both clanking to the craggy ground. I rush to the side of the platform to see Ghirahim hanging onto the edge with his uninjured hand. His eyes are bleeding terror and exhaustion. Teleporting us back and forth, along with using a magical barrier to protect us, has taken its toll. I wonder if he has the energy to even teleport himself back up.

I grab Ghirahim's uninjured arm with my own, gripping him tightly. Pulling him back up, he kneels on the ground, and I stay sitting on my knees, both of us panting. My body pulses with leftover adrenaline and dread, my chest heaving and my head throbbing. Ghirahim looks at me, about to speak when something catches his eye behind me. I look around and see Volvagia has risen from a hole directly behind us, her eyes fierce with bloodlust and rage.

She screeches and my ears begin to ring. She hurtles her head down to bite us, but I quickly rush to grab my shield with my right hand, ignoring the clawing pain in my shoulder and leave my sword due to limited time. I turn around, bashing her nose with all the force I have left in my injured arm. She roars and her head falls limply to the ground with a loud thud, but her form is still moving as she breathes.