FIGHT! SKIRMISH! BATTLE IN THE DUNGEON!!

Link rolled to one side as a stream of fire seared through the space he had occupied mere seconds before. A close call. The heat singed his hair and overwhelmed him with its fury. The source, a crawling eight-legged clicking dripping laughing horror, skittered back to the other side of the dungeon wall and fired another insane gout of flame directly at him. He was ready this time. Positioning his mirror shield in front of him, he flung the mass of fireballs back to WHENCE THEY CAME. They struck the beast's body and the Zelda theme sounded triumphantly in his ears. He liked it when it did that. Made him feel like he was winning.

Because he was winning. With a charge, he charged the charged charge charged charging the charged charge charging charggggggeregererefege and ripped the Master Sword in a brutal cutting arc that sliced deep into the beast's skin. It howled in fury and scorn!! "Reminds me of," Link panted in between subsequent cuts, "that trailer I saw... on Youtube the other other day.... when Anakin did the ..... same thing to....... his ..... former..... TEACHERS!!" A final slice and it was over. All over. The heart container sat glittering in the dim light of the chamber.

He grabbed that heart container and started laughing with glee. It was over. He had done it. He had grabbed the thing and won and fought and was so fucking exhausted writing this shit. He would need to take a break and finish the rest later.

He emerged from the Church Temple weary but victorious. Life was going okay for him at the moment. Not everything was going well. He had some mounting anxieties about what would happen after the new year, when his contract was over and he had no plan in place. He was trying to get ahead of that now, trying to get on top of things and be proactive. Even if his contract were extended (entirely possible) it would end in May and then what? Then he would genuinely need to figure something out. So his time was running out to square something away before the contract ended. He had a phone call next week with someone he knew definitely wanted him, but there's no telling what their needs would be in four months so it would be unwise to count on that possibility. He would just need to take it one day at a time and enjoy the current comforts of a rather stable life. Things go in cycles and phases and he was not the sort of person who would let himself just be suddenly fucked, unless some massive unexpected expense hit him, like a car accident or health or family emergency. If worse came to worst he could dip into his 401(k). 41.4% of this year's income went to paying off student loans so far.