Shadow yelled over the blowing wind and sand, “We have to find shelter until the wind dies down! It's too dangerous to stay in the open!!!” Link yelled back, “You don't say! I see a tree over there! Maybe it'll block some of the wind! That's probably our best option!” Looking at the almost dead tree, he yelled, “I think that might be a good idea! Let's Go!!!” The four adventurers forced their way to the tree that was on it's last days. Taking refuge behind it's trunk, the group huddled close together.
Link shouted, “Awfully cold for a desert!” The ground shook violently as a booming voice demanded, “Who disturbs my slumber? I wish to Sleep, for I am so, very tired. Yes, sleep, for the rest of time, I wish nothing more than to sleep.” Link yelled, “Great Deku Tree!” The tree boomed in reply, “Great? Great?!? You humor me. It has been so very long since I was last called great. How I've longed to hear those words said to me one more time. Just once more...”
Saria turned to the others and said, “The Deku Tree is sick! We need to help him!” Laughing, the tree said, “How sweet to have someone worry about me again. Yes, I am sick, and my time is close at hand. This does not bother me, however, for I know I will be with my beloved shrubs again soon... so very soon...” Shadow whispered to Sheik, “This is bad. The Great Tree is so sick, he's borderline delirious. How are we supposed to help him?”
The Dying Deku Tree said, “Have you seen any of my children around? My beloved Kokiri?” Standing there oddly, Sheik finally said, “We're here, Great Deku Tree.” The tree let out a comforted sigh. “At last. My children have returned. Why have you been away for so long, my children? I've been so lonely.” Shadow said quietly, “Kokiri forest has been a wasteland for over five hundred years. He must think it's been less. As much as I'm against this, I think it might be a good idea to let the tree's last moments be one of ease.”
Link said, “We've been trying to stop a great evil from destroying this world, Great Deku Tree.” The tree let out a sound of contemplation. “Hm.” it mused. “Hyrule Terminus has fallen upon the lands, then and therefore my time is short.” The group stood there stunned. How did it know about the name of the threat ravaging the land? “That means that you are my children from the other world, am I correct?” after a pause, Saria said, “Yes, that's right.”
Letting out a comforting chuckle, the tree said, “Then I would suspect you are lost and in need of guidance.” The group stood there stunned. How did it know? They all thought. As if to answer the unasked question, the dying tree said, “In the crevice above you are the items you seek to continue your quest. A mighty warrior from the Golden Land left them there a great many years ago, saying that my children would return and be in need of them. Take them with my blessing. They are yours.”
Reaching into the hole in the mighty trunk, Shadow pulled several items from inside the the crevice. Tempered blades, iron shields, a soldier's spear and Iron boots as well as fists that had lay dormant in the hiding place. As well, there was a map and a compass to guide them through the treacherous lands that they were in. The tree continued, “I have grown weak with age and the loss of my beloved forest and precious children. I do not have the power to stop this eternal storm, but I can ease it's fury for a little time. Use this to make your way through the graveyard that was once this forest. But be careful.”
Confused, Shadow said, “Careful? Of what?” With a weary tone, the once mighty tree said, “There are monsters in this desert that are far more dangerous than even the mightiest of storms, and one guards the exit to this land. You will have to slay it if you are to leave. And worse yet, the creature is not Like any this land or the next have ever seen. The best word for this creature would be...”
Link finished, saying, “Demon. We guessed. We've already encountered him twice.” Laughing, the Tree said in his tired voice, “No, you didn't fight him twice. You defeated two separate entities. The Demon you speak of are masks that possess the enemy, or take on an entirely new form. Demon masks that were at one time, a tool used by the mighty Hero of Time. But they have been possessed and are now tools of a Mighty darkness unlike any this world has ever seen. The creature known as Anaroch, Destroyer of Worlds. Even the sinister Vatii has feared this creature so much that he sealed away the keys that could release it over a thousand years ago.”
Shadow said, “The keys of annihilation? I've heard of those. They were supposed to have been destroyed.” The tree let out a chuckle. “Even a wizard as powerful as Vatii could not destroy the keys. Instead, he separated them between the two world, where they could never be found by mortal hands. However, he did not plan on the Fierce Deities who wanted this power. They released the Destroyer and in turn were turned into puppet masks, forever bound to him to do his accursed bidding. These masks are plenty and strong in number. Young Shadow, you know the danger these masks hold painfully well.”
Averting his gaze, the dark elf replied, “Let's just say I'd like to give this Anaroch guy a personal 'Thank You' that it will not live long enough to forget.” Link turned to him with a puzzled look. Saria and Sheik, remembering the nightmare that roused him from slumber not long after their encounter, took a more somber look. The Dark Elf seemed to be remembering as well. And the look of blind rage on his face told Link that a far too fresh would had been aggravated. Turning to the dying Deku Tree, he said, “Great Deku Tree, We promise that we will put an end to the destruction and stop this demon Anaroch. We thank you for your help.”
The once mighty tree said, “Then go forth, armed with the mighty blades of heroes past. You must get the blessings of the Deities of both worlds and then find the mighty weapons that belonged to heroes past. Finally, find the Holy relics of both lands and then, spirits willing, you may have the power to fend off the Destroyer that has it's accursed eyes on these lands. I shall use the last of my powers to allow you to travel this cursed desert. I wish you four the best of luck.”
The adventurers received a seed that protected them from the wind and blowing sands. As the last of the Deku Tree's life force left it's body, he said, “You four are the only hope left for both the worlds, as well as countless others throughout the stars. I pray that you are successful... And now, it is time for me to finally sleep...”
