[o] The Legend of Zelda: Sons of Time [o]

[Kallori]

Act 21: Trust
Scene 2

After some walking, they heard a soft drumbeat, and followed it as it got louder. They spotted Foris sitting on a lopped-off trunk, and he admitted he was found and leapt back into the trees.
“Since you found me, I’ll tell you a secret.” Foris’ voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, but never sounded like more than one voice. “In the Deep Blackwood are fearsome monsters, who will attack anything that they spot.” After that, he bid farewell, and they continued searching.
Some minutes later, they heard a flute, and figured Boganar was close by. However, the melody he played seemed to jump around the trees, as if he was taunting them. Rioan tried a different tactic and dug out his bow. At first the others said it was a simple game, but Rioan ignored them and fired an arrow in the direction he heard the music. A firm “Ow!” was heard, followed by some laughter, as if the Skull Kid wasn’t even upset he was shot. He bounded into sight and gave a bow. “Looks like you found me, but the others are tougher.” He chuckled. “Here’s a secret. In the Deep Blackwood, you’ll find something both I and Hurin know about. It doesn’t look like it belongs here.” And with their second clue to the curse, Boganar said goodbye for now and jumped back into the trees. Two down, three to go.
Of course Hurin was next, heard playing her harp in the canopies. Like Boganar, she too jumped around, but while she still played her harp, her laugh was coming from a totally opposite direction! Confused, Evina tried hunting down Hurin’s location, finding that the harp was playing itself. They jumped to a new location, and Hurin laughed again, giving Evina directions on the Skull Kid. After a few more bouncing around, Evina tagged the Skull Kid, who gave up and dropped in front of the group. “For finding me, I’ll let you in on a secret; somewhere in the Deep Blackwood is a strange bag hanging off a tree. We have no use for its contents, but maybe you will.” Hurin then bid “Adieu!” and jumped off. “The other two are the hardest to find! Good luck!” her laugh was heard as she seemed to go away at that moment.
With three Skull Kids found and three clues earned to this puzzle, finding the last two was something of a challenge. The two remaining Skull Kids, Rorra and Pipps, had no instruments the four could get directions from. Fortunately to compensate, they heard one of the two singing, and such a beautiful voice for someone so...strange! As they followed, the singing grew louder, until they found a cluster of spider webs, both between the trees and in the canopies, which was where the singing seemed the loudest. They didn’t want to burn the webs, should a forest fire occur, so Rioan let loose an arrow. The Skull Kid stuttered a small word out of pain before falling , bouncing off one of the canopy webs but oddly, never sticking to it. She dismounted, revealing it to be Rorra. “Since you spotted me, here’s a secret that only I know; someone was spotted in this forest before you. I did not know their intentions, but they were headed towards the Deep Blackwood.” Before she parted, she cocked her head, a toothy grin present on her face. “Friend of yours?” And with that, Rorra jumped back into the shrubbery, giving a light-hearted chuckle before she presumably left for parts unknown at the moment.
The last one was Pipps, who was insanely hard to find. Not because she had no instrument and that she wasn’t as light-hearted as the rest of them, it was because she was so quiet. The four seemed to take forever, still without a trace of the girl. Martel told them to be perfectly silent, but their feet still made noise as they walked through the dense grass. They kept checking behind themselves in case the girl was stalking them. Rioan tried picking her off with his bow whenever he thought he heard something other than their footsteps, but nothing came up. Hesitantly, they continued on. After about an hour they were starting to get tired of this. As Martel and Sheik flopped in the grass, sitting back-to-back, Rioan thought he heard something from above. Martel went to speak as he readied an arrow, but the boy hushed his brother in the only way he knew how; clamping a hand over Martel’s mouth. Except, since he was currently armed, it was the backside of his hand, rather than the palm. He made a few motions in the grass to act as if he was moving, and slowly but surely, found the noise he thought he kept hearing. He launched another arrow, and it struck home, as a moan was heard before something fell in front of them-Pipps! She lay face-down, the arrow sticking out at an angle, and not move for a good while. Martel went to touch her when she sprang up, closing her eyes in a joyous manner and giving a laugh. She pulled the arrow out of her. “I didn’t know you guys would be so violent.”
“Blame him.” Martel pointed at his brother. “That’s how he found Boganar and Rorra.”
“Hey, Hurin didn’t lay down any rules, so I’m free to use whatever means I want to.”
Pipps bowed, the long leaves in what was assumed her light-colored hair flowing as she did so. “Regardless, you found me, so I suppose I should deliver the final secret. I spotted two strange boys that look much like yourselves wander into this forest. I do not know what they’re up to, but I sense it is nothing good.”
“Shadows!” Rioan immediately reacted.
“Will they ever quit?” Martel rested his head in a hand. He was getting tired of their antics, and he was sure his brother felt the same, despite how eager he seemed about taking them down.
“You could call them that. They were as nimble as some of us, and were dressed in dark clothing.” She then left, disappearing back into the canopies. “Speak with Hurin before you leave for Deep Blackwood!”

It was a while before they found the village again. Thankfully, Hurin’s harp led them half of the way, still playing the somber tune she always did.
“I see we can trust you now with dispelling the curse from our woods.” For being only a child, she seemed rather mature. She leapt over to them, tucking her harp under her arm. She then pointed towards the village’s left, heading north. “The Deep Blackwood is in that direction. If you have a lantern, I can only hope you have enough fuel.”
“Thanks Hurin. It was nice meeting you.” Martel said before the four left, the Skull Kids signing them off.
“Do you think four kids will be okay with what’s been going on recently?” Rorra asked, slightly concerned.
Hurin’s usual smile faded. “If it all goes well, let’s pray they can get the job done.” With that, the Skull Kid took off into the trees.

---

A single bat flew through the woods, ready to carry out its message. Hopefully it could catch the recipient in time. “Gotta find her and let her know.” Farras seemed to mumble to himself. He dodged countless swats from tree branches, and ignored their numerous warnings. “Sadly she’s still part of the team, but fortunately, Majar has a back-up plan, albeit a poor one. I highly doubt those two clones can deal the final blow to the brats, considering how easily they took down Majar.”
The bat finally reached his destination, Black Grotto. The one person he despised was in there, but both still had a job to do. His, fortunately, was just relaying a message. He eventually found the woman. “Alright, it’s time.”
“Already?”
“Yes, the brats are here in these very woods. Do your best to crush them.” As the bat flew out, he gave one last message, one not ordered from a higher-up. “Just remember who’s side you’re on.”
Aislin had a moment to think. Technically she wasn’t defeated at the Forest Temple, the Poe sisters prevented that, and the kids eventually wound up with the Forest Spirit. She wasn’t sure what she was guarding in the grotto, but it had to be important of some value if Majar trusted her enough with helping to impede the runts’ path. She was also beginning to wonder if her trust in Majar was worth it, or if he’d kill her like a dog. Most likely. The woman knew what kind of person Majar was, and he was one not to be trifled with. He had unflinching remorse for everything, spite burning in his brain for all living things, and a thirst for power that was rivalled only by one other being she heard rumors about. In any case, she had to be prepared for the kids’ arrival.

---

“Okay, let’s go over the clues again.” Sheik started as they continued walking. Though Hurin pointed in a general direction that they followed as best they could, the shrubbery didn’t agree with them, often forced to take minor detours.
“Well,” Martel started, “Foris mentioned something about fearsome monsters. Not sure what he means, but I’m sure we’ll find out.”
“Boganar said there’s something in here that doesn’t fit.” Evina added. “I assume he’s talking about the natural scenery.” She paused. “Hurin also mentioned there was a bag of something in here, so let’s keep our eyes peeled for that.”
“Rorra and Pipps both mention they saw some people here before us.” Rioan chimed in. “Pipps’ description relates to the Shadows, and I’m pretty sure that’s what she means. As for the other, I don’t have a clue. Maybe if we got a description of what they look like, we could figure out who they are.”
Sheik pieced it all together, “So the possible Shadows, a bag of something the Skull Kids have no use for, something in the forest that doesn’t seem right, odd monsters that we’ll most likely run into, and an anonymous benefactor...”
“That’s one heck of a puzzle.” Rioan commented. “I’d probably get dizzy trying to solve it.”
“I’m sure you would.” Martel sarcastically joked. “You’re not exactly one to take time and think.”
“I think on the fly, not plotted out like someone I could mention.”
Suddenly a new voice came from somewhere, proclaiming “Halt!”
The group was stunned. Was someone else here? It wasn’t the Shadows, or anyone else they knew for that matter. “Who’s there?” Martel asked.
In response, three fairies came down. One was purple, another was white or black, or a shade in between, and the last was red. “This here is our turf! Walk on it too much, and you’re bound to wind up something awful!” the purple one responded. The voice was female, but sassy.
“That’s right!” the red one flew right in front of Martel’s face before returning to the group. Again, the fairy was female. She seemed slightly less sassy than the purple one and more of a peppy kind of fairy. Of course, she could also simply be some kind of ally or accomplice.
“Who are you?” Rioan blurted.
“Who are we?” The purple fairy flew up close to his face. “Boy, we’re none of your business! Now get out of here!”
“That’s the thing, we’re not sure the way out.” The sentence was only half true, but Rioan hoped they bought the whole deception package.
“If you made it this far, you obviously know about the Village of the Skull Kids.” Nope, the purple one only bought the pay-as-you-go plan. “Now move it before I have to whack you one!”
Around this time, Holo emerged from under Martel’s cap. “What’s going on here?” he then spotted the three and flew up to them, as if trying to recognize the fairies. Now the group could really spot the differences! Where Holo was brightly colored, these other fairies were black as night, save for their tinted colors already established. “Wilt? Is that you?”
The purple fairy backhanded Holo across the face, making the fairy reel sideways. Evina stifled a gasp, putting her hands over her mouth. The twins grew wary of these...anti-fairies. “Begone, traitor!”
“Traitor? What’d I do?” Holo rubbed the sore side of his face as he flew back to Wilt, the purple one, and almost receiving another slap to the face. “Aren’t you three the traitors of...whatever you’re traitoring for?”
“Silence!” The black or white anti-fairy shouted. “It’s punks like you that deprave our upstanding society!”
“Society?” Martel began to laugh, but didn’t want to anger them any more than they were. “What society?”
Rage was slowly building up in Wilt’s veins as she shook her arms by her sides out of fury, fists clenched. “It’s the society we’re going to build once our dark master, Ganon, returns!”
That tipped the crew off. “And just how do you expect to be treated in said society should he wake?” Martel asked rather inquisitively and as some kind of realization. “What is Ganon going to do with a small group of fairies? Use you as servants to cater to his every whim?”
“Shut up!” Wilt fumed. “Shut your mouth this instant, brat!”
Rioan was thinking-for once!-about the repercussions a tribe of anti-fairies was going to have and do should Ganon rise to power again. Only what Martel said came to mind, among a few other medial chores. The boy imagined Ganon would have a vast army of willing subjects to do everything for him. There was really no need for some fairies in the picture.
“Sorry, but could we speed this along? We’ve got bigger things to worry about.” Sheik started strutting past them, and when one of the anti-fairies would intervene, he just batted it aside. The other three, deciding to do the same, completely bypassed the three miniscule roadblocks.
“You’ll be sorry! All of you! Mark my words!” Wilt shouted behind their backs.  

[Kallori]

Act 21: Trust
Scene 3

“Was that the new enemy Foris described?”
“Couldn’t be, Sheik.” Martel replied. “They’re too small, and possibly corrupted.”
“Martel’s right, something seemed to possess them.” Holo sat on the boy’s head. “I could feel it.”
“So then...what is this new foe?”
Sheik’s question was answered as a gargantuan pig-like beast vaulted itself off of a large rock, landing near their location. It was decked out in some simple armor, the shoulder pauldrons studded with a single, enormous spike. The pig beast hefted its massive club and gave a grunt, ready to use it on these pests.
The four were scattered from the sudden attack. “Holo, what is this thing?”
The fairy flew close to it as if to study it. “It’s a Moblin. Not sure it’s allegiance yet.”
“Well that’s helpful.” Rioan’s sarcastic comment only attracted his brother’s glare. “But, might as well kill it.”
“This must be the new enemy the Skull Kids warned us about.” Evina shouted from her location as she quickly summoned her broom and zipped over. Sheik joined as well.
The Moblin raised its club over its head, giving another grunt, before slamming it on the ground hard, creating a massive shockwave that seemed to only be in a line and was headed straight for the group. All took notice and dodged to different sides. The Moblin kept this up as it targeted the next kid, sending another shockwave in their direction. They all ran around like cuccos with their heads cut off, trying to avoid its attack.
“How are we supposed to beat this thing?” Rioan shouted, though his voice attracted the unwanted attention of the foe.
“It seems to be stationary,” Holo started, “so whoever it’s not targeting can rush in to attack!”
“Got it!” Martel dashed at the creature, swiping at its feet, because, well, they were basically the only thing he could reach. Evina switched between fire and earth magic, shooting streams at it to ignite the beast and deal damage continually as she pounded her rock fists into its head, shoulders, back and chest. She just had to watch out for its continual swings. Unfortunately, the Moblin kept trying to attack her because she was constantly in its face or personal space. Fortunately, she was small enough to fit between its arms whenever it attacked forward. However, it threw her for a loop when it suddenly swung horizontally, taking out a couple of trees in the process. She darted upwards on her broom, barely missing the attack and almost costing her another broom. Fear swept over her face as her eyes widened.
“I don’t want to be its target anymore!” she started to fly away to make distance, but the Moblin started to chase after her, catching Martel and Rioan, who was hacking at the other foot, and tripping them up. They were forced to chase after it, Sheik also in pursuit.
“Stop moving Evina, so we can hit it!” Rioan yelled. “I know hitting a moving target builds up accuracy, but this is ridiculous!”
“That phrase is used for projectiles, idiot.” Martel said. “Why don’t you dig out your bow and shoot it?”
Rioan, thinking that Martel’s plan would work, decided to employ it. He skidded, whipping out the ranged weapon and launching a Fire Arrow. The Moblin stopped, taking notice, and whipped around, bringing its club down. The boy dodged, shooting another Fire Arrow. It got closer, slamming its club in the ground again, but Rioan dodged the shockwave again. As the two kept cutting distance, Rioan was finally close enough to leap onto the club, and hung on for dear life as the Moblin raised it. Once he was at an optimum height, the boy dismounted, gripping onto one of the pig-beast’s tusks and at this point, dug out his hammer. “Let’s see how easily you can get a concussion.” As the Moblin furiously tried to remove the nuisance, to which its free hand was preoccupied with being assaulted by fire magic, Rioan was able to get a few attacks with the hammer, first blacking an eye, then the other, crushing a tusk, crushing the helmet, then pounding the head, causing it to get a serious migraine and stumble around. As it did this, Rioan was either brave, stupid, or had the balls to leap off the beast, only to come back down when it stumbled backward, thus pounding his hammer into the chest, and not letting up until the monster had crashed into the ground. It fell with a booming thud, the hammer’s signature shockwave warping the immediate area as the Moblin tried to recuperate. Everybody pitched in, Martel hacking at the side of its head, Sheik on the other, and Evina scalding its face with fire magic as Rioan readied for another go-round. Raising the hammer over his head, he bounded off the chest of the Moblin, and as he came down, Evina ceased her spells, Martel and Sheik doing the same with their weapons. When the Moblin had enough time to see, it met the face of the Magic Hammer, another shockwave distorting the area until the beast blew up in flame and smoke.
“I’d like to say ‘none of that again’,” Martel huffed, slumping to the ground. “But the Skull Kids implied there was more than one.”
“Yeah.” Sheik slumped as well, back-to-back again with Martel. “I just hope that was just that one, and that they won’t be so beefy and massive.”
“We can’t say for sure.” Evina hopped off her broom, apparently too exhausted to keep it afloat.
Rioan simply rested on his hammer. “Well, if any more do show up, I’ve got something I’d like to share with them.”
“Oh, Evina, why don’t you have some of your Gran’s potion?” Martel rooted in his satchel for the bottle of Blue Potion and weakly offered it to her. “Since our strength relies on a blade and yours on magic, I thought they might do you more good than us.” He paused. “Especially after a fight like that.”
Evina was a little shocked by the offer. “Oh, I um...er, I don’t know...” she rubbed the back of her head.
“You don’t know what?” Rioan prodded.
“I don’t know if I can.”
“Are you saying you don’t trust your own grandmother?”
“No, nothing like that! It’s just...”
“Just what?”
Evina leaned in close to the boys, and whispered, “They kinda taste terrible...”
“What?” Rioan was baffled she could say something like that to something her grandmother made. “Here, let me try.” Martel handed his brother the bottle, who took a swig. It went down fine, and he felt better, but suddenly his face twisted and he stuck his tongue out, as if gagging. “Oh man, that IS horrible! It’s like rotten milk poured in an old sock of Grumps, then carried around by an old hobo before tossing it in swamp water!” Martel looked at the rest of the potion in the bottle before silently slipping the cork back in and stuffing it in the satchel.
Rather than be angry, Evina remained slightly bright. “I warned you. But it does replenish your strength and magic to its fullest, so you can’t really complain.
Martel got to his feet. “Well the only magic we’re going to use is for my Lens of Truth and Rioan’s Fire Arrows, until he comes across another element. Not to mention that whole blade charge thing from the Great Fairy from Death Mountain.”
“Which we don’t use much of anyway.” Rioan dusted his pants off. He thought he spotted a bug. “Since we’re not really in a situation that gives us that opportunity.”
The four continued after everyone felt good enough to fight again, trying to find the answers to the remaining clues, until they stumbled across something that looked out of place for a forest; A large, stone entrance that looked like it could be part of some mine rose out of the ground, its light gray surface providing a bit of light to the otherwise bleak scenery.
“This must be what Boganar meant about something out of place.” Evina concluded. Martel looked down into the entrance and saw a long set of steps. It didn’t seem too deep, but for some reason, things always seemed bigger when you were inside them.
“That solves clue number two.” Sheik noted. “Did anyone remember passing or seeing a bag?”
“Not that I know of.” Rioan replied, hammer over his shoulder. “Then again, we were fighting an insanely large Moblin, so my eyes weren’t on the scenery.” He turned to Martel. “What about you bro?” No answer. “Martel?”
Martel just continued to stare down into the entrance. A strange smell met his nose, and lots of skittering could be heard, so he presumed there was going to be a lot of bug monsters. Without notice, he started descending the stairs, the smell getting stronger as he went. The other three looked at each other, Rioan and Sheik following.
Evina, meanwhile, spotted a sing off to the left of the entrance. “The Black Grotto” Was all it read. “Hm.” Was all she said before following after the boys.  

[Kallori]

Act 22: Awake
Scene 1

The four entered what looked like a sort of cave, but with an odd sophistication about it, which seemed to creep the boys out. A small moat of some green bubbling liquid made up the perimeter of the room, while a large stone wall stood in front of them. Martel said they should pair up and take a side, but realized as both parties moved past the wall, there was no need. Four odd statues they had never seen before sat along the wall, and as Martel tried to move closer, the nearest one started spitting iron balls from its mouth. There were no doors on the left side, so they’d have to reform on the other.
Two doors greeted them. The farthest one, closer to the eastern wall, looked familiar, while the other was brand new. A small semicircle sat on the ground, and Rioan was curious to see what it did. When he stepped within the semicircle, the entire door rotated, taking Rioan with it to the other side. The other three were shocked at first.
“I’m alright!” they heard his voice from the other side of the wall. “It’s some kind of trick door.”
“What do you see?” Martel asked.
Rioan didn’t answer for a moment. “A large pit. Two of you take the right door.”
Following the boy’s suggestion, Martel took Sheik while Evina joined up with Rioan. There seemed to be the same sort of sophistication throughout, rooms that were perfectly-or for the most part-square, which really bugged Martel. On Rioan and Evina’s side, there was a perplexing puzzle that was also new to them-blue tiles, one by the edge and red, along with some strange statues planted here and there. Martel and Sheik, on the other hand, were greeted by a different kind of puzzle; several floor switches of varying colors were lined up before them.
“So what’s the secret to this?” Rioan wondered. He looked across the pit at the rest of their party. “Any chance they’re connected?”
“I don’t know yet.” Martel studied his end as he looked over to Rioan and Evina’s. “Just tackle it.”
Rioan looked at the floor. The bright colors were starting to hurt his eyes. Stepping onto the red tile, he heard a strange noise, and again when he went to step on a blue one. He looked down and saw that this tile was now red. Looking up, he saw that a statue impeded his immediate progress.
Evina noticed what Rioan was onto, and hovered over to see the rest of it. “Rioan, try making all of the tiles red. Maybe something will happen.” She gently hovered overhead. “I’ll try to guide you.”
“Alright.” Rioan then took several directional commands from the witch, stepping where she told him to. They were making progress, and managed to clear it in one shot. The door on Martel and Sheik’s half opened.
Sheik looked at the switches. “Maybe if we solve ours, they can move forward.”
It seemed logical. Martel took a step onto a yellow switch and cringed, expecting his move was wrong. Nothing happened, so he stepped on another yellow one. Again, nothing happened. But the yellow switches weren’t always connected, and sometimes the boys had to leap over other colored switches to reach them. Martel wasn’t one to get curious here, so he dared not step on the others just to see what they would do. Once all the yellow switches were pressed, the door on Rioan and Evina’s side opened. Both teams headed through only to find they were separated by a wall. Rioan and Evina were presented with another puzzle, while Sheik and Martel had to exterminate some Sluggulas, as described by Holo.
The puzzle this time was a strange arrangement of statues, while some odd enemies mocked Rioan and Evina’s movements. Rioan took care of them before stepping in the middle of the eight statues.
“Okay, nothing wrong here so far.”
“Try touching them.” Evina suggested.
Rioan put a hand on each one, and only one came alive, swiftly moving towards the boy. Rioan acted swiftly in return by smacking his hammer on the stone creature. It let out a wail before glowing red and trying to chase him down before exploding. The door on the west end opened up, allowing them to press on.

“Well, that was a piece of cake.” Martel said, putting his sword away for the moment.
“Pretty nice of them to drop a key too.” Sheik held up the item as he spoke. But it seemed they spoke too soon, as the door to the Sluggula room closed behind them, and neither could open it. “Locked in?”
“For the moment.” Martel glanced around the room, seeing a small set of steps on the left side, where a locked door sat. A small puddle of that same green liquid was in the top-right corner. Two Keese that tried to attack met their doom on Martel’s blade as the boys went to open the door.

Two doors met the duo, one to the north and another to the south. The north door was closed, and no matter how much Rioan tried, it wouldn’t budge. The south door, on the other hand, was already open, so they proceeded into that room. A large catwalk with several twists and turns sprawled out over a pool of the same green liquid that was present in the first room. Several blocks were in Rioan’s way as he pushed them, one by one, into the presumed acid pool. A few Skulltulas were also in his way, but Evina torched them for him.
The next room, which was on the western side of the acid pool room, Seemed to be a bottomless pit. Two thin pathways branched off across half of the southern and eastern walls, while another two paths posed the same problem, only in the northwestern corner. Evina decided to go ahead and scout the room up ahead, which was very small and contained a rather large chest. She found the map inside, and went to study it with Rioan.
“The maps we’ve seen were weird, but this tops them all.” Rioan looked at the map, and tons of squares in an odd pattern littered the piece of parchment. The ones he and Evina visited, as well as Sheik and Martel, were lit up and the others remained gray. Since nothing else was over here, they backtracked to the room with the unopened door.

Martel and Sheik laid waste to countless Keese and Skulltulas, as well as the odd Sluggula here and there. The north door finally opened, along with the western one. They debated about which road to take and if they should split up further. Eventually they both decided to take the western door, and were greeted by a different kind of Beamos, after being caught in its line of sight. Martel managed to disable it by bombing it, and it didn’t come back to life again, so it was classified as dead. Several blocks that neither of them could move in any direction littered the room, and a single switch was visible. Martel hopped on it, which opened the door on the south wall, just nearby. When he removed his foot, it closed. He saw Rioan and Evina’s faces when he opened it again, and the four were united for the moment. Evina briefly showed Martel and Sheik the map, who studied it before deciding unanimously to explore the western leg.
The next room was literally crawling with creatures. Floormasters, Skulltulas, Walltulas, Sluggulas, and even some new creatures, such as Boes, Nurunuru, and Moldorms, infesting nearly every crevice. Holo explained that the Boes were simple black spherical creatures with glowing eyes, Nurunuru were a type of slug that left behind bombs, and Moldorms were some kind of insect or arthropod that mindlessly bounced around the room or when it ran into obstacles. Evina pulled out her Fire Rod, preparing to deal with the onslaught. The group charged, laying waste to whatever came near, and when the Floormasters split up, they simply hunted down the smaller hands and exterminated the pests. For some reason, Evina’s fire was ineffective to the Moldorms, possibly due to their hard shell. Rioan kicked one in the face, which surprisingly did minimal damage. With that clue to guide them, they all attacked the faces of the creatures until every last enemy was slain, opening up the western door.
Fortunately the next room was a puzzle, requiring four switches to be pressed at the same time. An acid pool lined the perimeter again, and the door to the north opened once they solved it. The next room was a simple catwalk over an acid pool. Except instead of blocks and Skulltulas, Moldorms and Nurunuru infested the path. Martel and Rioan got to work on the Moldorms while Evina cleared out the Nurunuru. They continued heading north to find a familiar room. Floor Tiles rose out of the ground and assaulted the kids. They hid behind the twins’ shields until it was all over, avoiding the acid pool that took up the entire right side of the room. A small platform in the middle of the pool played host to a small chest, which after Sheik jumped over to it, yielded a small key. The door on the left side opened once all the tiles were gone, allowing them to continue.
The door shut behind them, with two others to the north and south. Evina checked the south route to find only one room, so they chose that, sacrificing Sheik’s key in the process. Loads of blocks littered the room, creating something of a maze. Evina flew up to see the layout, and many blocks created walls. Four switches also needed to be pressed down, so she instructed the boys which blocks to push. When all four switches were pressed and a pathway was present, a chest appeared in a northwestern patch, which was free of blocks aside from some blocking off a shortcut they could have potentially used. The chest yielded another key. Meandering back through the path they made, they headed back to the previous room. Two switches, one yellow and the other red, sat next to a mine cart. Martel stepped on the yellow one, and they heard something on the other side of the wall. After all four jumped in, the cart took off with blinding speed, and Evina had to hold onto her hat as the cart sharply veered to the right before dumping them out in another room. Another cart, along with the same two switches, sat at the northern end. Martel stepped on the red this time, just to see what it would do, and they heard the same noise in response as last time. After climbing in the cart, the four rocketed through the doorway and across an acid pool, the cart dumping them out like last time. More blocks and Nurunuru caught their eyes, along with eight switches that they presumed needed to be pressed all at once. After defeating the slug-like enemies, the four kids pushed the four blocks onto some switches before stepping on the rest. They didn’t realize the switches made a square around a chest that had appeared, giving them some arrows. Rioan gladly took them before they hopped in the cart again.
Once they shot back across the pool, Martel stepped on the yellow switch this time, and they heard the odd noise like the two times before. Sheik wondered if they were switching the rails or something. They found out as the cart sharply veered to the right, taking them into the northern room this time. More catwalks, more enemies. No chest. Sheik and Evina took the western route while the twins headed north. Sheik and Evina were faced by some more Skulltulas and a similar block puzzle. They pushed the three blocks onto three switches, but one was left over. Evina whipped out the Cane of Somaria to finish the job, which opened up the northern door. And into a small room with a chest, yielding a key.
Martel and Rioan killed some more Sluggulas and Boes, along with two larger variations of Moldorms. However, the door ahead was locked.
“Darn, and I don’t have a key.” Rioan mumbled.
“Me neither.” Martel looked back to see Evina and Sheik come racing in.
“Hey, we found another key!” Evina yelled from across the room. Martel simply gestured to the door, and the witch quickly unlocked it, allowing passage. Evina quickly checked the map, and there were only three rooms left, including the one they were in, on this side.
The room they were in had several Beamos, and Martel tossed some bombs their way to shut them up. A strange conveyor moved along the outer walls, turning clockwise. Stray rupees lay on it, and the kids quickly snatched them up. Two blocks did their job by fencing off a small set of steps on the western side. Evina also spotted a strange handle they could presumably pull. Rioan practically hopped over there and pulled on it with all his might, which slowly separated the two blocks until he couldn’t pull any farther. He quickly rushed between them before they moved back into position.
The next room was more enemies, all of which Evina wasted with her Fire Rod. Four statues sat in random points of the room, and a strange spot on the floor was colored differently. Martel wondered if pushing the statues onto this part of the floor would do anything. They tried it anyway and succeeded, opening the door to the north. Another small room with another chest, containing the compass!
Evina dug out the map and now the four kids were spotted, their faces over the current room and rotating between them. A fifth was spotted in the eastern wing of this section of the map, and the kids wondered who it was.
“Anonymous benefactor?” Sheik asked, pertaining to the clue from the Skull Kids.
“Could be.” Rioan figured, standing near the door.
Martel, on the other hand, practically yanked the map out of Evina’s hand to get a better look. The face icon that continually flashed was surprisingly familiar. But where...
And then it struck him. “Come on guys!” he said, not bothering to tell them and tore out of the room.  

[Kallori]

Act 22: Awake
Scene 2

“Okay, what’s so important about this person that you had to tear off like that?” Rioan asked his brother as they ran through the rooms.
“It just...bothers me.” Martel skid when he reached the room where they could enter the eastern section, forcing the others to stop. He looked at the map again. It was hard to study the details of the icon because it kept flashing in and out of sight. “I can’t tell, but I just feel...” he shook his head, ending the sentence there, as he handed the map back to Evina. “It might be just me though.”
As they passed through the door, they came into another large room, except it was just wide with several different puzzles and clusters of enemies. The end on the left had a door, so they figured someone should scout it out. Sheik was the one to oblige, his Pegasus Boots carrying him over there in a flash. Two wide conveyor belts moved into a pit, that much was noticeable. Four statues also sat in the room, along with some blocks he couldn’t push. A strange spot on the floor like the one they encountered previously beckoned for something to sit on it. “Right!” But as he went to push one, all of them moved in that direction. Figuring he was seeing things, he pushed it back in the place it originally was, and they all moved back. Scratching his head, he tried to figure out the secret. Then his eyes lay on the blocks, no, the blocks’ positions, and he knew how this worked. Pushing the blocks methodically, he used the blocks to his advantage, slowly making all four come together. To someone watching, it looked like he was just running around pushing a statue for varying periods of time before moving to the next. Pretty soon, all four were together, but not quite on the spot he was aiming for. Giving one last push, they all slid into place and a chest on the other side of the conveyor belts appeared.
The others were stumped with the puzzle at hand. Evina checked the map and saw a chest in their location once all their face icons went away, so there was something to be found in all of this. Sheik came racing back just then. He just found a bunch of rupees.
“So what’s all this?” the boy wondered.
“Another block puzzle.” Evina replied. “The boys have been at it a long time now.”
“Any progress?”
“Nope.”
The four decided to leave, and as Martel looked behind him, the blocks magically reset. He was stricken with a strange feeling of awe at the sight. The four then moved back into the perimeter to try again.
“Alright boys, see if you can push them onto the switches this time.” The two switches Evina was talking about were slightly off of the path the blocks were. Rioan pushed one block in between the others for as long as he could, before coming back for the second one. After moving it down, he was able to access a secret route he thought of just now in the shorter blocks. After pushing a select few a certain way, he was able to pull the block onto one of the switches.
“Okay, then what about the other one?” Martel just sat back and watched his brother tackle this, even though it was Martel who was better at puzzles.
“Working on it.” Rioan said as he opened up another secret route to push the second block into. It took some doing, but he managed to set it on the other switch, as a chest materialized right next to him. Inside was a key.
The next section was taken up by Moldorms and acid paths, winding around in a zigzag pattern. They started at the bottom left and went along the southern wall, up the east one, killed a Moldorm, through the path that cut directly across the center on a diagonal, then up the western wall to cut across a higher catwalk over the center of the room before heading through the north door. The four were out on a ledge, rising above a river of acid. Another blue tile puzzle greeted them, but was bigger than the last, and with more statues. Rioan hopped down for round two, trying to figure it out on his own while also taking directions from Evina. Once he was finished, the door to the north opened. While the others ventured on through, Martel’s gaze was fixated on a slightly busted part of the western wall. He told the others he’d catch up and promptly hopped over, bomb in hand.
He knew his idea worked when he saw a small opening just big enough to walk through. The room was filled with rupees-it was like a gold mine! He collected every last one, counting them up to a whopping sixty-five! But suddenly he was ambushed by about six Skulltulas. “Hmph.” Was all he said before unleashing a charged spin attack, striking all of them down in one go from the powerful energy surge he unleashed. Since nothing else jumped out at him, he left to find the others.

Another catwalk. Some blocks to push along the way. A few Moldorms and Boes. This is what opened up to Rioan, Evina, and Sheik in the next room. A revolving door, just like at the start, was on the western side and their only way forward.
“Man, this dungeon is starting to get boring.” Rioan kicked a Moldorm in the face-hard-and watched it run away, only to run into the boy’s boot five seconds later. He was getting irritated, so he brought his hammer down on its head, instantly killing the creature.
“I know, these rooms are so repetitive.” Sheik moaned. It wasn’t like him to do so.
“Come on guys, we’re getting closer to this mystery person, so think about that.” Evina tried reminding them of their goal in order to boost their morale, but it backfired instead, and even she felt mopier. “Martel had better have something good when he gets back.”
After passing through the door, they dropped to the ground, since the catwalk was raised above ground level. This dungeon was becoming more of a chore than anything.
“Foes. Puzzle. Door. Repeat.” Rioan blurted. “That’s how it’s feeling throughout this whole stinkin’ place.”
“That’s how it is with all the places we’ve been.” Evina retorted.
“Yes, but at least something exiting happened in between and it wasn’t so...square.” Rioan looked around the room, seeing acid pour in from heads mounted on the wall, the river running the perimeter of the room. “See, even that’s boring now.” He gestured to his find.
Martel crashed on top of them just then. “Hey guys.”
Sheik let out a breath. “Hey Martel.”
“Anything?” Evina inquired about the room he decided to scour on his own.
“Just a bunch of rupees, nothing big.” He got up. “I think my wallet’s full though.”
“Seriously, how many did you find?”Rioan shook his brother.
“Sixty-five, I think. A bunch of blue ones.”
“Can we worry about that later and focus?” Evina asked.
Prodded by her small speech, the group looked around and spotted two doors. One to the north, which was locked, and one to the west, which had a switch beside it. They decided to split up again, deciding that it was only fair for Martel and Evina to pair up, which left Rioan and Sheik. Now the question was, who went which way? Seeing as how Sheik and Rioan both had a key, they took the north route while Martel and Evina explored the west, the young witch placing a block on the switch from the Cane of Somaria.

“So...what do you make of this one?” Rioan looked out over the pit of acid. There was barely anything in the center of the pool, a small nook to the north with a chest, and three pathways leading to three different doors. A strange block of some sort seemed to be alive as it bounced there.
“I really have no idea, other than to push that.” Sheik pointed at the block before his attention was drawn to a sign when he looked around the room. “’Whoever pushes this can direct its movements’...How?” Rioan was already seen grabbing the contents of the chest, which turned out to be some bombs Martel could use. He didn’t have a proper bomb bag, so he wasn’t entirely sure he could store them. In the end, he gave some to Sheik, and they exited, which reset the odd block, making another attempt...

Wave after wave of monsters they had already seen greeted the two in the next room, and once all had been exterminated, the door to the south opened. This room had little wiggle room and lots of acid. Evina, being curious, tried to make a block in the acid with the Cane of Somaria, only to have it eaten. A lever was seen, and Martel instinctively pulled it. The room rumbled for a bit, only to find the acid was draining! Digging out a Pegasus Seed and sprinkling the dust over himself, Martel zipped past the blocks and into the next room, Evina high on his tail. The pool filled up again, and the boy barely made it. Lots of Keese greeted him, along with two Moldorms, all of which he killed with his sword. The door to the north was open, so they ventured through.

Sheik was on a lone pathway which wound itself to a door to the north. Rioan wasn’t so lucky and had to find an alternate route. Short blocks impeded his ability to simply leap, and the gap was too wide without them anyway. He then saw another block that bounced, just like in the previous room. “How’d the sign say to use this again?”
“It just said you could control it.” Sheik looked to the boy, then the bouncing block. “Remember, focus!”
“Focus, right.” Rioan pushed the block, which went forward a bit before turning right at a ninety-degree angle. It turned again to meet up with Sheik’s path, and Rioan jogged over. “That wasn’t too hard.”
The next room had another statue puzzle. Sheik immediately went to push one, and all of them moved. “I know how this goes.” With the help of Rioan, the two pushed the statues onto indicated sections of the floor, which opened doors in the east and west. They split up to see which led where. Rioan simply found a small room with nine chests, all containing varying amounts of rupees. His wallet was so stuffed, he would have to give the purple rupee to Sheik.

After the two backtracked, they met up with Rioan who said Sheik had gone on ahead. They eventually found the boy on the other side of a catwalk, and just about to kill off some Sluggulas. He had used up his two bombs on some previous ones, and Rioan gave the boy his share, finishing off the rest. The catwalk was in another zigzag pattern, going from southwest to northeast, along the eastern wall, rising over from southeast to northwest, where the stairs led down a long ways to the door at the north end. After passing through, it shut behind them. A large room like the first opened up, revealing a wide array of all the monsters they faced so far in the grotto. The twins took care of the Moldorms, Keese, and Boes, while Evina torched what she could. Sheik pitched in to finish off any stragglers. He found out that his charge attack from the Great Fairy lets loose a wave of fire in the direction he slashes, which surprised all.
“Ha, can’t say I don’t have a fire-based attack anymore!” he said proudly.
The door in the northwestern corner still didn’t open, even though all the foes were gone. They scouted the room for anything, a switch or statue, but there seemed to be nothing. When the others had given up, Martel found a switch in a small inlet in the floor at the base of the wall in the center of the room.
The boy looked up, seeing a statue head, with nothing coming out of it. “Hey guys, is there that weird acid stuff coming out of some other heads on this wall.?” All confirmed. “Evina, set a block down there.”
“But acid eats at the blocks I make!”
“I don’t see any blocks we could use in here.” Rioan did a quick search, and the room was empty of them.
The witch sighed. “Fine.” She planted a red block on the switch and the four made a dash for the door, Sheik only escaping through. They tried again, Evina planting a block and quickly zooming on her broom to catch up as the twins already made their way through. She barely escaped, the door taking off some bits of straw from her broom.
Only four rooms until they met up with this mysterious person. Evina made a little side-trip by herself on the left side, passing through a room filled with Sluggulas and Nurunuru, killing all to find another small room with some rupees in it. She met back up with the others, and they passed through a new room. The statues from the front door were back, and situated on either side, spitting iron balls in rhythm. They simply passed through only to find some more in the next leg of the hall. The following room was a complicated series of blade traps that moved at random times throughout the room. Once they all made it to the safe spot by the door, Evina used the last key they had on the door, and passing through, greeted a familiar face who was eager to see them.
Martel was the first to lash out. “Aislin!”  

[Kallori]

Act 22: Awake
Scene 3

“So, you finally made it.” The woman paused, a smile creeping onto her lips. “I have to say though, I’ve been eagerly awaiting your arrival.”
“Cow poop!” Rioan shouted, drawing his sword. The others readied their weapons as well.
Clue number four... Sheik thought to himself. “Who else is here?” he asked her, wanting to get answers to Pipps’ clue.
The woman blinked a couple of times. “Someone else? I don’t know who would follow me, but I would wager that nobody I work with trusts me, so it’s possible someone might have.”
“How about a couple of kids like us, only in darker clothes?” Martel prodded.
Aislin looked at Martel, then to Rioan. “Nope, can’t say I have.”
“Cow poop!” Rioan repeated, leaping in to strike. But Aislin raised one of her arms, letting the tough, purple armor absorb the blow. Flinging her arm, Rioan was also tossed a few feet away. “Oh, I do love this suit. You’re pathetic sword strikes are nothing on me!”
“Then we’ll just have to take a different route!” Rioan sheathed his sword and took out his hammer. “I’ve been just dying to get a piece of you again!”
Aislin gave a coy smirk. “Ah, the Magic Hammer. You wouldn’t happen to know that wasn’t the hammer you were supposed to use on Volvagia...” She paused, seeing the kids’ confused expressions. “Thought not. You see, I replaced the legendary hammer with that one.”
“Show us.” Evina pointed a blazing finger at the woman.
“Gladly.” Aislin reached behind her, drawing out a rather large hammer, even bigger than Rioan’s, to which she swung, accidentally striking the floor and causing the room to shake as if an earthquake hit it. “This is the Megaton Hammer, twice as powerful as your pitiful little toy you call a weapon.”
“Well then, shall we dance?” Rioan asked, holding his hammer with both hands.
“Let’s.”
The two clashed their weapons for a long while, the room either shaking from Aislin’s hammer or distorting itself from Rioan’s, and the three had to try to keep themselves stabilized.
“Holo, specs.” Martel lifted up the top of his cap to let the fairy out.
“I didn’t realize it could get so stuffy in there.” The fairy dusted himself off before coughing a little. Remembering what Martel asked of him, he flew up to Aislin, though minded his distance whenever she took a swing with the hammer. “Sorry, I don’t see anything odd right now.”
“Well, keep your eyes peeled.”
As Rioan and Aislin continued their tango, they exchanged putdowns to each other.
“Give up, kid! I’ve clearly got the upper hand here!”
“Oh yeah?” Rioan whacked the floor and rushed in before the room had a chance to return to normal, whacking her in the side, which flung her into a wall. “How’d I manage to do that, or even last this long?”
Aislin got up, her headpiece partially cracked from hitting the wall. “Luck.” She leapt at him, hammer raised and intending to flatten the boy. Rioan sidestepped at the last moment before landing a hit of his own, jumping a bit to smack the hammer into her headpiece, which cracked even further. “Aaaugh!” Aislin tried to hold the shattering half-helmet together, but couldn’t, and soon all of it fell to the floor. However, that didn’t stop her, and as she went to whack Rioan in the side, he met the attack, and the shock of both hammers coming together created a new sort of ripple. The room around them started crumbling in on itself from the collision, possibly due to Aislin’s hammer causing quakes, while the room warped in a different way, dislodging more chunks. The more they used their hammers’ powers, the more dangerous the room was getting. Evina, Martel and Sheik had to keep dodging chunks while also watching out for the two’s weapons.
“Now this dungeon is getting interesting!” Rioan commented, ducking from a swipe of Aislin’s hammer. He followed up by smacking her stomach, which winded the woman, causing her to fall to one knee. “Give up?”
Aislin looked up at the boy, and it seemed she admitted defeat. However, her head suddenly jerked to one side, her face twisting like something loud entered her right ear, and soon she was up and fighting again.
“Holo, did you see that?” Martel looked at the fairy.
“I saw alright.” He flew in for another peek, and saw a small device of some sort lodged in her right ear. What is this? A mind-control device? “That’s it!” he mumbled to himself before flying back over to Martel. “Guys, she’s being brainwashed! There’s a small gem or something in her right ear that’s the cause of it!”
“So that’s why she was holding onto the broken helmet thing.” Evina looked out at the battlefield before another shock came and they had to dodge some more rubble.
“Hey Rioan, she’s got some kind of device in her ear!” Martel shouted. It didn’t even seem Aislin heard him. “See if you can remove it!”
Rioan jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding a blow as the Megaton Hammer came crashing down on a chunk of rock from the ceiling. “Gonna be kind of hard,” he gripped his own hammer, “but I’ll try!”
Aislin was in all out fury mode, relentlessly coming at the boy and leaving minimal openings. When he did see one, he either acted too late, sometimes having to defend himself from the blows, or too early, resulting in a quick alteration in Aislin’s follow up. If he did manage to successfully take a shot, it was quickly thwarted by the opponent, forcing him to defend.
“Rrgh! She’s not leaving too many openings!” Rioan grumbled, dodging another attack.
That’s when Evina decided to take some action. Launching a fireball at the woman, deliberately striking the armor, it had no effect but did manage to catch the woman’s attention. “How’s that?”
“Perfect!” he said softly, whacking her in the side. He followed to where she landed, scouring her head for that elusive brainwashing device, but was cut short as she raised her hammer, rolling over and striking the ground, dislodging more chunks. Rioan looked up and saw that she was trying to make some kind of last-ditch effort or a simple mistake, as the large stone objects were falling right on top of them!
“Geez!” Was all Rioan said as he quickly whacked all of them aside. He needed Aislin alive for this, and trying to remove a brainwashing technique on a corpse was utterly futile.
Aislin stood up, coming at the boy again, who, rather than block the attack with the heads of their hammers, possibly causing another small cave-in, held her off by interlocking handles. The two struggled to overpower the other.
“Give up now kid, while you still live!”
“Me?!” Rioan shifted his weight so he had a better chance of pushing her off. “You almost killed yourself just a minute ago!” He swung his hammer, causing Aislin to go with it, and spotted the small device in her ear. Gotcha. Now was just a matter of retrieving it. Instead of colliding hammers like before, he dodged a swing, slamming his own hammer into her stomach, though not an end, but rather, the section connected to the handle.
“Aigh!” Aislin let out as she fell backward, landing on some rubble. She immediately lashed out, and the two collided again, interlocking handles.
“Need some help over here!” Rioan pinned Aislin to the stone as best he could when Sheik zipped over, precariously trying to remove the device. Aislin kept trying to elbow Sheik while still holding off Rioan. “Listen lady, this is for your own good!”
“Yes, listen to the doctor.” Sheik added, moving in again.
“Never! I’ll die if I must to stop you brats from advancing!” Aislin said through clenched teeth.
Rioan looked at Sheik, who gave the same look at him, before letting up on his hold to softly conk Aislin on the head. The woman held her now slightly bruised head as Sheik removed the device, and after studying it, crushed it with his boot. “That wasn’t too hard. Save for the crumbling room.”
The two backed up as Aislin seemed to relinquish her struggle against Rioan. She slowly got to her feet, grunting and stumbling as she held both hands to her head. A soft ringing pierced her eardrums and she let out a scream of agony. She stumbled some more before tripping on a slab of stone, flopping onto it and rolling over so she was on her back. The kids watched the sight with slight humor as Aislin went to stand up again, letting out another cry before crumpling to her knees, huffing and puffing as if she had just ran a marathon.
When Aislin stopped and all was quiet, she opened her eyes and looked up. The four saw that they didn’t have that same lust or evil about them. In fact, Aislin seemed rather timid. “What happened?” she sat back, putting a hand on her throbbing head as if the pain would magically go away. When she opened her eyes again and looked around, she didn’t seem to recognize the scenery. “Where am I?” a slab of stone caught her eye.
“What’s going on?” Martel asked, instantly drawing Aislin’s attention. “Don’t you remember anything?”
Aislin tried to focus, not worrying who the kids were at this point. Truly, somehow she had lost her memory. “There was an odd person.” She tried to remember more, putting her hands on her head. “They wanted me to do something...but they didn’t tell me what.”
“Well I’m sure whoever did this to you, we’ll get them back.”
Aislin looked up, smiled and nodded. It seemed weird to the kids for her to be so...friendly. She then looked down at herself and saw a strange set of armor she didn’t recognize, which scared her. “Ah! Is this mine?” She stood up in a flash, turning and twisting to try and see all the pieces of armor. “What happened to my clothes?”
“Your clothes?” Martel cocked his head. Then their fight at the Forest Temple came to mind, in which she was in some regular clothes and not this obscene armor. “Uh, yeah, we don’t know.”
He looked to the group, and asked unanimously, “Who are you?” this weirded out the four further, but they figured to introduce themselves anyway. Aislin just looked away for a moment. “Can you tell me this?” she put her hands on Martel’s shoulders, leaning in close. “What’s my name?” Apparently her amnesia extended that far.
“You’re Aislin.” Martel simply stated. He didn’t want to remind the woman of her nefarious deeds or evil life, so he left it at that.
Before Aislin was able to ask anything more, the room started to crumble. Rioan, who was trying to remind her that she was forgetting the Megaton Hammer, and though everyone said to forget it at first, eventually Aislin did come back, taking the weapon out of the boy’s hands and fleeing to the door. After they got through, a staircase greeted them, and they fled outside.  

[Kallori]

Act 23: Reason
Scene 1

“Will someone please explain to me what’s going on?” Aislin looked back as she rested her hands on her knees, trying to regain her breath. Last she checked, she wasn’t in top-notch condition, but that might have changed while she was...
The boys looked at each other. Neither didn’t want to explain that she was evil, in case it might bring back awful memories for the woman. However, she seemed sincere so far. But they didn’t want to lie either and make her believe she was something she wasn’t. Eventually they ran out of decisions and as Rioan shrugged, Martel turned to Aislin. “Look, I know there’s a lot of explaining to do, but we don’t exactly have enough info right now that might help.” He paused as Aislin lifted her head to look at him. “Why don’t we just finish this dungeon and then worry about it?”
Aislin thought about it for a moment. She wasn’t getting answers anytime soon, so it seemed logical to just buck up and press on. “I suppose you know what you’re doing.”
“Trust us, we do.” Rioan added as they looked for the entrance to the next section. “Hey Evina, where did that map say the rest of the dungeon was?”
“Due west from this one.” She looked out in the direction she stated, “Should be just a few yards.”
Turned out it was more than a “few” yards, but they spotted the stone structure. An odd stone slab a few meters away caught their eye, and it was long and narrow, with four sides tapering to a point. The base looked like it had broken off at one point, and as they got a closer look at the entrance, it too, showed signs that it was destroyed.
“Was this thing part of the entrance?” Evina wondered.
“Could have been.” Sheik studied the obelisk as it lay on its side. “I don’t remember seeing one at the other points of entry.”
“They could’ve been broken further,” Martel guessed, “just acting as large rocks."
Sheik looked around. They still had to find the strange bag, which he didn’t spot immediately, or in any area before. He climbed on the large slab, spotting it some yards away. “Back in a sec!” he said before taking off with blinding speed. He grabbed the bag viciously from the branch it hung from, finding a rather large batch of Deku Seeds in it. Which reminded the boy, he had completely forgotten about his own slingshot! And another item, he guessed. Rooting through his satchel, he found a sort of mask thing that looked like the face of an eagle or hawk. “So that’s where it was.” He put it on, testing to see if it still worked. The basic function of this peculiar item was to zoom in on distant targets. He vaguely remembered the name of it, although often used it back in the castle when things were much quieter. It would be a big help to them now that he remembered it.
When their little find was over, and Sheik joined back up with them, the five headed back in, though Aislin was a little afraid. She could hear skittering, which meant bugs. She stopped at the first step, the others forced to turn around.
“What?” Rioan asked.
Aislin didn’t answer right away. “I hear bugs.”
“Yeah, so?”
“I don’t like them.”
Rioan groaned, putting a hand on his head. Here was a grown woman who he saw shot down a Skulltula in the Forest Temple with a bow and arrow, but then again, that was Evil Aislin. He didn’t know if the woman had the bow with her, just the hammer. Maybe she could shake them to death. “Whatever, we’ll get rid of the bugs.” Turning back to the others, the boy shook his head in disbelief and disappointment.
At the bottom of the steps sat a small fenced-in platform over a deep pit, presumably bottomless. It didn’t seem they were getting across, judging by how wide it was.
“Great, what now?” Martel grumbled, leaning over the rail.
“Just when we were making progress...” Rioan impatiently tapped a foot, looking out at the pit as they tried to figure out a solution. There wasn’t anything he could see. Martel even tried using the Lens of Truth, but saw nothing.
Evina gazed over the pit, and somehow saw something she presumed the others couldn’t; an ethereal path of sorts, with a strange marking that followed it. I wonder... the girl dug out the Cane of Somaria, and when the marking came back around, flung the cane’s magic at it, creating a moving platform, big enough for all five.
The boys looked on with wide eyes. “How did you do that?” Martel asked.
“There’s a weird pathway or something that the platform follows.”
“I see nothing.” Rioan said. “It’s just an empty pit.”
The five got on, the boys dismissing what Evina could see, and hopped off when it reached the other side. A switch sat next to the door, and Martel quickly stepped on it.
The next room was a catwalk over a pit. Four switches stood at random points on it, and all required to be pressed simultaneously. Aislin freaked when she spotted a Moldorm on the path, which met Rioan’s hammer and instantly died.
The boy looked back to the woman. “You’ve got one, if I can kill it in a single blow, so can you.”
Aislin was stunned the boy was able to take care of it so easily. “R-right...” the woman slowly dug out her hammer, arms trembling as she proceeded forward. The kids would have to take some getting used to with this new side of Aislin.
When all four switches were activated, doors on the south and east opened. Evina took Aislin to explore the southern route while the boys headed out the east door. Evina and Aislin were greeted by a horde of Moldorms and statues. A chest was visible on the far side, across a vast pit. The chest itself was large, and that indicated great treasure.
“Alright, remember what Rioan said,” Evina tried to encourage the woman. “Use that hammer to defeat these foes. Who knows, maybe you’ll get over your fear the more you do it.”
Aislin stared at the girl for a while before letting a smile loose. When one came close to her, she reacted violently and instinctively, crushing the worm’s head and watching it die. She repeated the strategy, slowly getting over her fear for the sake of getting out alive.
Evina spotted a switch nearby, so she stepped on it. A bridge magically appeared over the pit, and a strange sound echoed throughout the room. It was rhythmic, and they didn’t know what it was until it got faster. “Crud, it’s a timer! Hurry!” she instructed Aislin, who ran as fast as she could in her armor, leaping at the chest as soon as the bridge disappeared. Exasperated that such a trick was here, both females let out a sigh of relief.
Aislin turned to the chest, lifting the lid. A bright light blinded her, and she had to shield her eyes. “What is this?”
“Treasure, get used to it!” Evina called from her position.
Taking the girl’s word, Aislin flung open the lid all the way, peering in to find a rather odd pair of gloves. Digging them out, she saw that three claw-like metal fingers were on the end of each, a metal chain strung around the outside and feeding through a hole in the outer shell, while a sort of handle or lever was attached to the bottom, cleverly hidden inside as the outer layer came down one end on each. Testing them out after slipping them on, she saw that by pulling the lever, one of the clawed hands opened up, and as she let go, it fired, the chain spinning violently around the outside, which seemed attached to the claw. When it hit the wall, the chain retracted, and the claws reset to their closed position.
She looked inside and found a note, describing them to be the Clawshots, and listing their function, though the last part seemed torn off and the inking faded, so she couldn’t tell who wrote it. Looking up, she saw an odd mark just above Evina’s head and another over the door. Testing to see if her new item would work, she fired a metal claw at the one over Evina. It latched, pulling her along with it.
“Woah, cool!”Evina looked on in awe as Aislin shot over to the other mark before dropping in front of the door. “I bet those would come in handy!”
“Yeah, me too!” Aislin looked at them with a smile.

Another pit met the three boys’ eyes, but there was enough platform along the outer wall to reach the door. What they didn’t know was that it started to crumble behind them at a certain point, so they sped up, not wanting to fall to their doom.
The southern door yielded another pit, though some acid was seen dripping into it from a rather large mouth on the western wall. A fence surrounded the plot of land they could traverse, thankfully, as two Nurunuru moved about, dropping bombs here and there.
“Where do you think they get them?” Martel’s question seemed to invoke some sort of dirty image, but the other two were also curious, since it seemed the creatures could lay an indefinite amount. In any case, both died at the hands of the twins as they headed through the east door. The southern one was off-limits for now.
A broken catwalk met them, and it seemed they would be encountering a lot of rooms with pits instead of acid. It zigzagged in a different pattern than others they found, winding back and forth like some kind of folded towel or set of them. Fences prevented them from taking shortcuts. Each boy hopped from one section to the next, eventually making their way to the northern room, which was a simple corridor, no gimmicks, only a set of statues on a higher ledge that they couldn’t climb. The room beyond that was a switch puzzle, just like they encountered in the second room of this madness. Rusty switches now joined the fray, and the boys wondered which ones to step on.
Martel walked around them, spotting a sign. “’Of the switches before you, only four are true. One of each must be pressed to move forward’.”
“One of each?” Rioan looked at the layout. There were yellow, red, green, and blue switches, along with the now rusty ones. “There’re five types here.”
“But remember, we’ve encountered some that had to have something weighing them down.” Martel remembered. “We don’t have anything, but I bet Evina’s cane could help there.”
“You mean that Somaria cane?”
“Yeah.”
Sheik looked at the puzzle and randomly stepped on a yellow switch. Nothing immediately happened, but four bombs larger than regular dropped down, and the boys fled for safety as each blew. “Okay, now we know the consequences...”

Evina and Aislin continued their trek together. It unnerved Evina to no end, since she had partnered up with the woman in the Forest Temple in trying to rescue the Kokiri, but she had to keep reminding herself that that was Evil Aislin. The one she was with now was completely different. Aislin spotted another mark over the southern door, and fired off one of her Clawshots. It didn’t latch on, so she stepped closer and tried again. It latched this time, and she zipped over there with blinding speed. Evina caught up by simply hovering over the pit on her broom. The two entered the southern door to find a wide statue dripping acid from its equally wide mouth, along with a platform that was fenced off.
“There’s one.” Aislin spotted a mark on the southern wall, and immediately shot at it, falling short again. She tried again to get the same result. “Am I missing something?”
Suddenly to their surprise, a section of the floor suddenly appeared, reaching out to the southern side. The boys were seen coming from the west door a moment later after Aislin shot across.
“Hey, did we do it?” Rioan asked, seeing Aislin on the other side. That answered his question.
“She found herself a new toy.” Evina explained. “Something called the Clawshots that allows her to jump great distances, so long as she can latch onto something.”
“Okay, but what about us?” Martel asked. “How are we going to get over there?”
Their attention was turned to Aislin as she stepped on a switch, which made a tower of some sort appear, a similar marking to the one over the door. She jumped across with her Clawshots. “Anyone up for a ride?” The boys were a little uneasy, but eventually agreed. Martel was first, and Aislin held onto him tightly as they jumped the gap. She repeated the process with the others, until all of them were safe on the southern side. Evina stepped on a different switch, opening the door to let them proceed.  

[Kallori]

Act 23: Reason
Scene 2

Evina quickly dug out the map. The room branched off into two separate sections, but as they looked at the doors, the one to the east was locked. Fresh out of keys, the western route was their only option. The first room was a narrow corridor filled with Skulltulas, Walltulas, and Sluggulas. Rioan dug out his hammer, prompting Aislin to do the same. They took turns in using their hammers’ powers to eliminate the pests at a steady pace, until all were gone and a chest with five rupees appeared. The door on the other end opened up, allowing them to continue. A pit and acid waterfall were next, the latter on the north wall, the mouth of the statue wide like before. They crossed the catwalks to the door at the south side.
The next room was cakewalk, as no enemies were strewn, but the floor started crumbling wherever they stepped, forcing them to flee to the door on the west side. The same thing was apparent in this room. Surely something somewhere wanted them to die.
A crossroads opened up in the room after. One catwalk was higher up, connecting the east and west doors, while the north and south were connected on a lower one. Evina obliged to scout out the higher catwalk, and Aislin pitched in after spotting a mark she could use her Clawshots on overhead. They took opposite rooms, leaving the boys yet again to explore on their own.

Evina’s room was a complicated maze, some marks seen throughout that Aislin could use if she were here. There was no ground at all, and she wondered how deep it went, but was not curious to find out. Navigating the maze, and having to make several backtracks, the witch eventually came across a chest with a small key. “Good, now we can open that other door.”

Aislin had problems of her own to deal with. She could hear the telltale scratching of Walltulas and Skulltulas. Her room was one huge pit with walls that seemed to stretch down into the vast darkness. They were also positioned oddly, almost like a maze. She spotted marks she could use, and jumped between them, though hesitated when she saw a Walltula over one. Firing anyway, the claw struck the monster, which seemed to stun it as it fell into the pit. “Okay then...” Shrugging that it worked, she continued, eventually reaching a chest that had a small key inside. Four Skulltulas dropped down, surrounding her, and she shot one with her Clawshots, only to regret her action as it simply dropped from its web. It lunged, and she gave a frightful kick, hearing the beast wail as it fell in the pit. She looked at her Clawshots. I wonder... She attacked another with her weapons, making it drop from its web and close in. She timidly held out a Clawshot, firing it at the spider foe, which pulled it in closer. Taking a second-which was all she had-to realize her plan had worked, she fiercely jabbed her knee into the foe, the strange tip of her leg armor at the knee piercing the hard shell of the monster. She picked it off and tossed it into the pit. Now to finish up her business.

The boys navigated the maze, playing Marco Polo to see where they all were, since the stone walls rose up to the ceiling. There were a multitude of paths to choose from, with three at the start of the room.
“Find anything?” Martel called. He found himself in a dead end.
“Not yet.” Rioan was torn at which direction to take, left or right...
“I think I’m getting close.” Sheik replied, following a fancy part of the floor. “Bingo!” he shouted a moment later, making a beeline for a familiarly-decaled chest. It was the big blue-and-yellow chest, always containing the notorious Boss Key. “Guys, I found the Boss Key!” he shouted. But as soon as he claimed his prize, the room started to rumble.
“That’s not good...” Rioan said, moreover to himself than the others.
It took them a moment to realize what was about to happen, when Martel shouted “Move it! The door!”
All three ran as fast as they could through the maze, the floor crumbling behind them. Martel was about to take a wrong turn before he noticed the floor was already gone, skidding before taking off in the opposite direction. Sheik simply blasted through, courtesy of his Pegasus Boots, while Rioan also made it to home base.
“Martel?!” Rioan shouted. “Martel!”
Martel didn’t respond, and the two heard a scream. Shocked, they went to go after him, but saw that he was encased in some kind of bubble, the Spirits surrounding it, presumably holding it together with their power.
When the bubble dispersed, he landed safely on the ground, or what was left of it. Looking at the other two, he simply said “Let’s not do that ever again.” The three laughed lightly as they left to catch up with the girls, Rioan giving his brother a noogie.

The five met back up at the crossroads room, and all proceeded to check out the other half they couldn’t get into before. Oddly, the floor was back in the two rooms where it broke, only it did the same thing from the other side this time. Each told their findings, and how Martel nearly died as they went on. Evina looked at her map and was curious that some of the rooms on the western side went untouched. Perhaps they’d explore them somehow from this side.
Aislin used the key she had found, opening the door and allowing the five to enter. He room was one big stink pit of acid, and after waiting around, noticed it filled and drained on intervals. A worn catwalk was hiding underneath, leading to the eastern door, but no platforms were at the southern one to access. Evina took that route as the four others hurriedly made their way across the catwalk in the acid.

Evina found a small, rather simple-looking room. A small chest sat at the far end, and Evina went to grab it, only to watch it fall, along with the floor, as soon as she moved. Trying again by leaving and re-entering, she speedily zipped over, just catching the chest and its contents of twenty rupees. Sighing, she left to catch up with the rest.

The room was one long hallway of a pit, sections of walls that looked more like towers, as they just sprang up from the abyss to connect to the roof, were dotted with Clawshot marks. Somewhere down the west wall, Sheik spotted a door, and Aislin was sure to check it out. Jumping from pillar to pillar, she made her way across the pit, having to find a mark on the ceiling in order to get to the west door. Inside was a rather small room and a large switch. She wasn’t sure she could push it down herself, but spotted a statue across the way, and decided to use that to help. It worked, and a loud noise came from outside the room. Exiting the dinky chamber, she spotted the boys running across a now present pathway, waving at her. She joined up with them, along with Evina.
“So what do we have left?” Rioan asked as they walked, glad to be on safe ground.
Evina dug out the map. “The rest of the western section still, along with the east.” She looked up, seeing a turnoff to the left. “Perhaps we’ll find out in this room.”
Indeed, they found something. A ladder descended into the depths, and each climbed down one by one into what could be described as some kind of sewer.
“Oh, rank!” Rioan plugged his nose. “This is worse than Dodongo’s Cavern!”
Martel looked around. It seemed it was just a straight line to the other end, only save for the fact that some large stone steps impeded their progress.
“Piggyback?” Rioan asked his brother.
“Looks like it.”
The two then proceeded to ascend the steps, when Aislin spoke up. “Why don’t I help you up? It’s the least I can do, after all.”
The boys looked at her. She was tall, and probably a bit stronger than they were. After a moment, they agreed, and Aislin helped them up, one by one, climbing onto the first step all by herself, thanks to her height over the kids.
“Why weren’t you with us at the Fire Temple?” Rioan asked. “We could’ve used your height there.”
“No, the Fire Temple had it easy in that department.” Martel said. “It was the Forest Temple, and the weird block maze, remember?” Rioan didn’t seem to get the clue right away. “We had Voal with us, pushing those red and green blocks.”
“Oh, right, that nightmare.” Rioan turned to Aislin again. “Why weren’t you with us there?” In truth though, she was, just under a brainwashing spell.
Aislin didn’t know what to say. “Why don’t we just move on?” she jumped down the other side, turning to hold her arms out. “Don’t worry, I’ll catch you!” One by one, the boys dropped, Aislin true to her word, caught them, and they moved on. Evina, as usual, zipped by all the obstacles on her broom. However, something unnerving about a certain block in the ceiling caught her attention, and she saw the four others walking underneath, oblivious.
“Guys, LOOK OUT!!” she shouted at the top of her lungs.
The four looked up just in time to see a large stone fall straight for them. Acting on reflex, Aislin shoved the boys out of the way, safely dodging it. Aislin, however, wasn’t so lucky, and had become buried underneath. Shock rang throughout the room, the look on the kids’ faces making it apparent.  

[Kallori]

Act 23: Reason
Scene 3

“What?” Rioan slumped to his knees. “What?” he repeated. “What just happened?”
Evina knew the answer, but was too stricken by the aftermath. “I...I saw it was going to fall...” she then started to cry, tears forming in her eyes as she slowly came to the ground on the other side of the block from the boys. “It’s all my fault! I wasn’t fast enough to warn you guys!”
The boys heard Evina weeping and sniffling. “It’s not entirely your fault...” Rioan started. Martel nudged him slightly, meaning he should have picked some different words.
But even the boy was starting to cry, softly at first. He fell to his knees, resting his head on the block and pounding it with his fists. “She had just been freed from evil’s hand...and now she’s...” he pounded the block again before letting his arms fall to his sides limply.
Sheik just stood in his place, head lowered. He didn’t feel as sad as the twins or Evina, but it truly was a shame to lose a new ally so quickly. “Should we keep going then?” The boys looked at him and Evina seemed to calm down a bit. It was probably for the best they continue. But they would have a difficult time coping with this loss, even if she was on the wrong side of things beforehand.
As they started to move to the other end, a small noise caught their ears, and they turned around. The block crushed itself to dust by an unknown force, and for a second, they swore they saw the ghostly image of Loke overhead. Rushing back to the scene of the crime, Aislin was facedown, half-buried in the stone thanks to her armor. However, she was badly scarred and mangled. No sign of life remained. But then why did the block go away?
The three Spirits appeared, taking their human forms and each a respective spot around Aislin’s body. Nodding to each other, a small ring of light with funky symbols appeared under each, taking their respective color. Aislin’s body then glowed white as the Spirits worked their magic. Slowly, the woman’s body started to stand, and the four kids began to smile. Were they reviving her?
Once it was all done, the light around Aislin’s body flew off, turning to dust particles, as Aislin herself was in her garb from which they saw her with in the Forest Temple, the short-sleeved magenta tee, blue pants with a sort of tear at the bottom to allow for free movement of feet, and brown, somewhat-adventurous boots. Her bow and quiver were strapped to her back, along with her hammer and other items.
Aislin collapsed to one knee as the Spirits turned back into fairies. “Ow...another headache...”
“Aislin!” the kids cried as they rushed in to hug her.
“Huh?” she opened her eyes and was suddenly tackled by everyone. “I’m...I’m alive?”
“We thought you were dead for sure!” Martel began.”
“I...the rock!” she suddenly stood up, looking around, but all that was left was her empty suit of armor and the indent in the floor with which it was made. Realizing she was out of that smelly armor, she looked at herself, glad to be back in her clothes. “What happened?”
“The Spirits!” Evina replied. “They brought you back to life and gave you your stuff!”
Martel turned to the three Spirits, who fluttered near his head. “Thanks guys!”
“Like I said, we love helping the heroes!” Melauen started.
“Only we can’t do this every time.” Fima added. “It takes a lot of our strength, even combined.”
“However,” Lavurna begun, “scattered around Hyrule are Fairy Fountains. Not Great Fairy Fountains though.” The Lake Spirit paused. “Inside each fountain are some friendly fairies who live to help out adventurers like yourselves. You would be wise to seek them out should anything like this happen again.”
“Alright, thanks for the tip!” Rioan said with a smirk. “How do we persuade them though?”
“All it takes is an empty bottle. One should suffice for your trip.” Lavurna then swirled around Aislin, followed by Fima and Melauen. “Just be careful from now on.”
When the Spirits subsided into the heroes, like they usually did, the five continued. Aislin was practically ecstatic to have her things back. They reached the other end and started to climb the ladder.
“I just can’t say enough to those Spirits how eternally grateful I am!” Aislin began as she sat down with the others, taking a quick rest.
“Me either.” Martel looked at the woman from across the small room. “I thought you were a goner!”
“Now we just need to find one of those Fairy Fountains they mentioned.” Sheik added. “They said the fountains were scattered, so there’s obviously more than one.”
“But finding them is going to be the trick, since none of us know where they are.” Rioan sighed, resting his head against the wall. “Anything new on the map?”
“Well, we are back in the western section.” Evina started. “I presume we’ll find another sewer somewhere in here to take us back over and finish up.”

As the five left the room via the south door, meanwhile in the sewer, two ominous figures were seen in the shadows of the dislodged piece of ceiling.
“Drat...” one said, dropping below. “Looks like we need to work harder.”
The second joined, picking up a piece of the armor left behind. “Certainly, if we’re to finish up our orders.”
“How much longer must we serve under him? He’s driving me insane.”
The second turned, revealing a patch of blue hair in the ambient light. “Patience. We’ll have our chance. For now, let’s tie up this loose end.”

---

Now that Aislin had her bow, though a little unsure of how it came in her possession, she felt a little more secure from the spiders and other crawlies that populated this next room. They seemed to come in waves, Nurunuru mindlessly roaming about. The boys picked them off one by one, avoiding the bombs, and then tackled a horde of Moldorms that dropped from the ceiling. Skulltulas and Walltulas made their appearance in droves, and Aislin managed to strike three down with one arrow. Unsure how, but the five took it anyway. Once all the spiders were gone, Sluggulas and Boes made their appearance, and Rioan and Aislin slammed their hammers down, which cleared out all in the immediate vicinity. Sheik and Martel had to keep their footing as they did so.
Once all the foes had been exterminated, the southern door opened up. The room that lay beyond was a continual hall that kept twisting left and right. Candles were lit along the walls, some spitting balls of fire at the group, so they had to be mindful about them. There didn’t seem to be anything too menacing other than that, but with all the collapsing floors, the five had to be wary of what sprang out at them. It wasn’t until they walked past the first turn did something happen. A large rumble for only a split second rang throughout the room, and looking back, the floor started to cave, but only in certain areas. A pathway of sorts was left behind, and while the group was a little relieved that not all of it had gone at once, the individual tiles sprang up before hunting them down.
“Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse.” Rioan thought aloud as the five began running, though the corner didn’t help at all, forcing them to make a U-turn on the other side of the wall. More tiles rose up and flung at the group, who blocked a few before continuing.
“Look, there’s the door!” Sheik pointed down the way in front of them as the floor crumbled on either side. They had caught up with the initial attempt of burying them, all they had to do was outrun it or try their best to stay on the path, which sometimes veered off in crazy directions.
Upon finally reaching said door, the five were out of breath-and road-though the tiles kept coming.
Martel whipped out his shield, blocking the tiles as they bombarded it. “Hurry, get it open!”
“It’s locked!” Rioan pounded on it. He didn’t have a key.
Evina fidgeted around in her pocket. “I know it’s here somewhere...”
“Hurry up!”
“We’re trying!” Evina snapped. “Found it!”
“Alright, get it open!” Rioan was starting to panic, as were they all. He glanced out to see how much of the path was left.
“There!” The door opened and Aislin grabbed Martel as they all rushed through. The door shut behind them as they piled in, the tiles heard banging against the door. The group was huffing and puffing, trying to catch their breath from the chaos just outside.
“So...” Rioan started, “think...the...dungeon...has any...more tricks?”
Martel sat there for a minute, staring at the ceiling. “Yeah. I’m...fairly certain...”
“I don’t know...how you...kids can...do this...” Aislin said, looking them over. “You’ve...already mentioned...Fire and...Forest Temples...”
“Don’t forget...the Well...” Evina chimed in, “in Kakariko, Dodongo’s...Cavern...”
“And the...Ice Cavern and...Water Temple...” Martel finished.
Aislin was left wide-eyed. “That many?”
Rioan nodded, “Yup...” he stood up, his strength and breath returning. Everyone joined him at their own pace as they looked down into the hole.
“Another sewer?” Aislin asked.
Evina dug out the map. “Last one, this side’s all finished.”
“Let’s hope...” Sheik coughed. Without his Pegasus Boots, he had never run so fast in his life.
“Well there’s eight rooms left, so there’s not much to complain about.” Evina paused. “Although more could be like that last one, comprised of several rooms.”
In any case, they entered the sewer and while the boys and Aislin hit the lowest floor, Evina saw a small nook with a big chest. Cracking her knuckles, she walked up to it and opened the lid. That fact alone made her know whatever was inside was meant for her, remembering how she earned the Cane of Somaria. Closing her eyes to keep from being blinded, she hefted the lid all the way before reaching in and claiming another cane. “Pacci...” she read, as was inscribed on the handle. She then flew down to meet up with the others.
What all saw was a spiked wheel moving back and forth along a curved surface. It didn’t seem to stop either.
“So...what now?” Rioan glanced at the others, who, from their solid gazes, had no clue either.
“I wonder if this works...” Evina waved her new wand at the wheel, a yellow orb trailing towards it. When it struck, the orb exploded in a small burst of light and the wheel jumped! The other four were shocked at the sight as the wheel landed back in place, continuing its course. “Maybe if I time it...” Evina waited until the wheel was moving back before she swung again. Another orb formed, trailing for the wheel. It struck, making another small burst of light and causing the wheel to jump unexplainably. It leapt right over the hole, landing on the side they were on, and not stopping! Panicked, everyone fled up the ladder. Everyone except Rioan.
“What are you doing?!” Martel shouted.
Just then his brother whipped out the hammer. When a spike had passed, he rushed in and gave a hardy whack to the wheel, warping the sewers and causing the wheel to move away, eventually falling down the hole and disappearing. “Come on, we’ve got some unfinished business in here, and I am not gonna let some dumb obstacle like that stop us.”
The gap was too wide for them to jump, and Evina didn’t spot any sort of switch, just a bunch of clay pots filled with various items, mostly rupees though. Aislin saw another Clawshot mark on the ceiling, so she followed the prompt. However, that left her with only half the gap covered.
“Hm. Thought I had more...” the woman replied.
“Can you try swinging?” Martel asked her.
Aislin looked at the Clawshot stuck in the roof. Then she saw something she had overlooked; the other half of the note was cleverly hidden inside! “Hang on...” she put her other Clawshot away to fetch it, and began reading. ‘...only...have...power to...move up and down...slowly pulling or pushing the lever!’ “Alright then...” she mumbled, tossing the note into the hole. Now that she fully understood their function, she did as the note said and slowly tugged downwards on the lever, which in turn, slowly made her descend. She pushed it up and the chain slowly retracted. Smirking, she descended before trying to move around. Hopefully the chain wouldn’t break or tangle. Swinging her feet back, she started to gain momentum. When she moved forward, she shifted her body weight to match, increasing her speed and movement. “Alright, who’s first?” she asked as she flew beside them before moving back over to the other side. Rioan offered himself, and Aislin grabbed him around the waist, swinging to the other side where he met Evina. Martel came next, and finally Sheik before Aislin tugged hard on the lever to dismount, the chain retracting at high velocity and almost gave her whiplash.
Once they exited, the next rooms were cakewalk. The first three were all one, bending around the corner with another horde of mismatched foes. When all had been subdued, the door to the south opened. The room was wide, with blade traps moving vertically between blocks. Blocks they had to maneuver through in order to reach a small pit, where Evina found another invisible rail that the others couldn’t see, and promptly used the Cane of Somaria, creating another wide platform, though it didn’t move.
Sheik dug out the boss key and opened the door to the last foe of the dungeon.
Holo whipped out to aid the crew as they saw a giant moth-like beast with a single eye. “Don’t take it lightly, guys, that’s the queen of the insect world, Mothula!”  

[Kallori]

Act 24: Torn
Scene 1

“Do you think they’ll be able to get out of that one?”
“Don’t worry, we’ve learned from our mistakes. Or at least, I have.”
“Just...shut up for once.”
“I’ll speak as much as I damn well please!”
Blue hair was seen in the dim light of the forest as the person turned to their companion. “I hope you’re right about that pet of yours.”
The second faced their companion, revealing shady red hair. “We’ve both seen their abilities, both directly and indirectly, what new trick can they pull to possibly get them out?”
Shadow Rioan gave his partner a stern, yet nervous, glance. “Have you forgotten how much we underestimated these two when we first met them? And any and all subsequent events afterwards?”
“Okay, now it’s your turn to shut up.” Shadow Martel pointed a finger.
Shadow Rioan sighed before continuing. “Do you know how much Ganon will hate us right now?” That shut Shadow Martel up. “Seeing us bicker like an old married couple.”
“Oh, we bicker all the time.” Shadow Martel rested his elbows on his knees, head in hands. “You just don’t see it.”
Shadow Rioan shook his head. “I can’t believe how ballsy you are.”
“More than you.”

---

Mothula was certainly a fright. Not so much that it caused the crew to fear it, but just the way it looked; a single eye situated on the front of its long, black body, colorful wings emitting a weird dust that could be compared to pollen. It had a long piece of armor on its back that prevented any attack from injuring the creature. Since it always flew, and in spastic patterns, they had a tough time actually landing a hit. Arrows did nothing, as Rioan found out, and the armor protected it from Evina’s fire magic.
Mothula suddenly swooped down, spewing fire or some other hazardous chemical compound from its rear before it flew spastically on the other wall. Blade traps littered the outside of the arena, preventing them from getting close as some, if not all the traps, flung out at random times, forcing the five to have light feet.
“How are we supposed to beat it?” Rioan complained, hammer in hand as he jumped back from an oncoming blade trap.
“Shut up, I‘m thinking!” Martel yelled, sword and shield out. He continually blocked the blade traps as he thought.
“Well, hurry it up!”
“Don’t yell at him like that!” Evina said from her position, hovering in the center of the room. Sometimes Mothula would come for her instead of sweeping the ground, so she had to keep an eye on the beast.
“Usually we got something that helped us in the dungeon, and beat the boss, like my bombs in Dodongo’s Cavern.” Martel refreshed Rioan and Evina’s memory. “What did we find here?”
“Cane of Pacci.” Evina held up the yellow cane.
“Clawshots.” Aislin dug out her twin contraptions. “Do you think they’ll work?”
Martel thought for a moment as they all dodged another fly by. “Try grabbing it on the wall.”
Aislin did as was suggested, and waited for a break in its movement, which was both rare and slim. “Come on, you overgrown bug...” she let fire a Clawshot, striking the armor, but doing nothing except making a loud clank.
Evina was up next, and waited for her opportunity. Unfortunately, the orb travelled just slow enough to miss. “Okay, gotta think ahead here...” she waved it again, right as Mothula came into position. The armor popped off and it was now susceptible to attack, detaching from the wall and flying around the room.
“Great!” Martel’s mind worked at a rapid pace as he plotted out what they should do. “Aislin, grab the beast now!”
“Got it.” Aislin fired off a Clawshot, striking the beast and pulling it close. Rioan went to help in damaging the creature, but Martel pulled on his collar.
“See if your hammer can get rid of that.” Mumbling, the boy followed his order as Martel joined in hacking at the beast. Evina was blasting it with fire from her Fire Rod, and Aislin dared not let go, simply kneeing the creature or pounding on it with the other Clawshot. Sheik did a fair amount of damage just by striking with his Twin Claw. Eventually it broke free and spit a bunch of smaller creatures at them, spiked and single-eyed. Many were dealt with just by the blade traps, making the extermination process much easier.
“Watch out, the larvae like to cling to its host.” Holo warned, “They’ll jump at any sudden movement!”
Rioan eventually managed to bash the armor to pieces, and proceeded to cut up some larvae, not really hearing Holo’s words. He smacked a few, but more leapt at him, sticking to his clothes and slowing him down. “Agh, help me!” The larvae seemed to crawl, as if finding a good resting place.
“Kinda busy!” Evina said, waiting for Aislin to bring down the beast again. Sheik and Martel helped the boy out, though some stuck to them as well, migrating off of Rioan.
Sheik pulled a larva off, his clothes tearing as he did so. “Great, we’ll be naked by the time this battle is over.” He eliminated the pest by clapping his hands, the larva disappearing in a puff of purple smoke.
Mothula made another sweep, but Aislin grabbed it before it reached the boys, and the two ladies whaled on it. “That’s not too bad, we have other tunics.” Martel said.
“Yeah, but what about Aislin?” Sheik whispered. “She doesn’t have her armor anymore, and I don’t think she has another wardrobe on her.”
“Oh yeah, you’re right...” Martel thought. “Maybe a spin attack might wipe out the next horde.” He got his chance to test that theory as Mothula flew overhead, dropping tons of larvae over the arena. Slowly moving his arm behind him, he charged up his blade, magical energy swirling around it, and turning from blue to orange. He did his best to move to the center, guarding against what blade traps he could before unleashing. The move sent out a large wave of energy, the sudden movement noticeable by the many larval eyes, which mindlessly jumped into the attack. The entire arena was wiped out within seconds.
“Well, now we know what to do for the next wave.” Rioan said, rushing for the center, followed by the others.
“How much more do you think this insect will take?” Martel asked the girls.
“I’d say this round will do, unless it tries to pull something else.” Aislin replied as she grabbed Mothula from the air, quickly followed by a knee jab and punch to the eye with her other Clawshot. The five assaulted it all at once, until it finally lost its wings. It fell, spewing the entire room with larvae, some taken out by the blade traps, others at the hands of the boys and the twins’ spin attacks. But the ones on the wall hopped off, though some stayed. They were easy targets for Evina, as she let loose Din’s Fire, frying them all and severely damaging Mothula itself. Martel made a brave move where he stood right behind it as it spewed larvae, initiating another spin attack to get rid of them at the source. This worked for the most part, but a few stuck. Aislin accidentally fired a Clawshot at the boy, killing one of the larvas, which surprised all, and didn’t tear his shirt in the process.
The process continued, each with their own responsibility in the battle, until Mothula finally fell, dying in a grand puff of purple smoke that the boys swore they saw before. The blade traps didn’t lash out at them, and a few stray larvae on the walls needed to be taken care of. When all were dead and the smoke cleared, a flash of green light blinded the five, forming a strange object. It was green in color and looked kind of like a bud from a sprout. It came down gently, green dust trailing as it did so, and hovered a few feet off the ground. Nobody knew who should take it, but eventually Rioan claimed it.
“What do you think it is?”
“Could be one of the things Loke mentioned.” Martel answered his brother’s question as best he could. “He did say there was six, spread in various places. So...”
“I know it’s one of those,” Rioan retorted, “It should be obvious by now.” He looked at the odd gem. It gave a sort of glisten when held the right way. “What I meant was, does anyone know what it is, a rock or stone or something?”
Evina studied it. “The way it shines, it can’t be a stone. It could be something more valuable, like a crystal.”
“A crystal sounds good.” Sheik said. “But what type of crystal is it?”
“Since we found it in a forest, it’s-“
“It’s the Sprout Crystal!” Rioan interrupted his brother, “because it’s shaped like a bud!”
“No, that doesn’t sound right.” Martel glared at his brother. “It’s the Forest Crystal. How ‘bout that?” the others agreed, except for Rioan. He hated unanimous votes, although he had to admit it sounded a lot better than what he came up with, though not to everyone else.
A blue ring of light appeared after their debate, and all stepped inside, rising to the ceiling and being taken away in a flash of light. Somehow, this brought back memories inside Aislin...  

[Kallori]

Act 24: Torn
Scene 2

“Alright, another dungeon conquered!” Rioan said excitedly as they came down in a column of blue light, somewhere between the grotto and the Skull Kids’ Village.
“Yeah, maybe the curse is broken now!” Martel then looked up once he touched base with the ground. “Hey trees, got anything to say?” no answer. However, the smile on his face remained.
As the four kids celebrated the victory some more, the twins dancing about while Evina flew around in funky loops, Sheik standing still and giving input where he felt as always, Aislin, however, had detached herself from the group to sort some personal matters out. Why? Why do I see these...? The woman tried to find the right words, but wound up short. For the time she had been with them so far, small pieces of thoughts and feelings she felt weren’t hers kept invading her mind. But, they’re...just kids...
“Aislin?”
The woman snapped out of her train of thought to see Evina staring at her, a small smile on the witch’s face. But then another one of these violent thoughts entered her mind, and she swore the area changed to a forested building of sorts. The woman took a step back, nearly stumbling over a root. “Don’t-!”
Evina’s kind face turned to that of confusion as the witch cocked her head to one side. “You okay?” but the woman just stared at her. “Look, the guys have found out we need to head to a fiery place next to find the next crystal. Are you up for joining us?”
At the mention of ‘fire’, Aislin blinked, another vision flashing across her eyes. She managed to catch a glimpse of an empty chest, but that was it. She groaned as she stood, wobbling a bit and Evina had to catch her.
“Look, we don’t have to go right now; we can take a break if you need it.”
How? How can a girl be worried over her state of being? It should be the adult taking care of the kids. But looking to the three boys, it was clear to Aislin they certainly had a lot of experience in this adventuring business. “I suppose I do need to rest.” The woman was reluctant, but in the end, if they had to continue, it wouldn’t do any good if a teammate was exhausted.

---

The five headed back to the Village of the Skull Kids, seeing the residents still playing the Song of Woes. They set up a small bonfire with permission from Hurin for tradition’s sake, mentioning various deeds inside the Black Grotto to each other and sharing some stories with Aislin. However, the woman didn’t seem to have anything to share with them. The boys wondered why, but Aislin simply shook her head.
“I just...I can’t remember. Right now.”
Sheik patted her on the shoulder. “All in due time, I suppose.”

When the fire had died down, the five decided to spend the night, sleeping on or under large leaves as makeshift blankets and beds. Even the Skull Kids had turned in, retreating to their homes.
“You know, when all of this is over,” Martel thought aloud, “what do you think we’ll do next?”
“Take a break.” Rioan blurted. “A long break.”
“A vacation.” Evina said dreamily.
“Yeah.” Martel nestled under his leaf. “Maybe we can go with Frand and Janto to Labrynna, check it out, visit Crescent Island like they do...”
“But didn’t they say they go there on business?” Evina turned to him.
“I’m sure a few tag-alongs like us wouldn’t be minded.” Rioan casually replied.
Martel turned to their recent member, “Aislin, where would you like to go?”
The question seemed to snap her out of a trance. “Hm? Oh, I’m not sure...” It had been so long since Aislin went anywhere to relax, that she had a hard time choosing. “I haven’t been to many places, so I wouldn’t know.”
Martel nodded before yawning. Before long, all five of them were asleep.

“Aislin! Aislin, wake up!” a gruff voice said.
The girl opened her eyes to see the stout face of her father in his knight armor. “Daddy?” she said sleepily. A faint red glow seemed to be all around them, and Aislin could faintly hear people yelling.
“Come on, get up! The village is on fire!” her father took her hand and raised her up to his shoulder, as she clung on tightly. His shoulder-length auburn hair billowed in the slight breeze, as did his cape as he rushed them to safety.
“Captain Avarius, we’ve nearly evacuated everyone!” A soldier wearing a pointy helmet said as he rushed alongside Aislin’s father.
“Good, make sure no one is harmed!”
“Daddy, what’s going on?”
Avarius turned to his daughter, gently setting her down but never letting go. “The village has been invaded by the Draenich legion. They’ve burned everything. Now all that matters is your safety, and I will do everything in my power to make sure that happens.”
“But Daddy...”
Avarius knew that look in his daughter’s eye. He solemnly closed his own for a brief moment before rubbing a hand through her pale lavender hair, eventually brushing his palm through it to hold the small ringlet she had her mother do. “I’ll make sure you’re safe. Personally.”
A few moments later, Avarius and Aislin had mounted a white stallion, using the steed to race out of the town. “Evacuate all!” Came the orders of Avarius. “We must run while we can!” he knew his troops would be in protest, but given the state of the town and how strong the Draenich legion was, there was little hope to defend it.
“You heard the captain, evacuate all!” shouted a soldier. “Save who you can and get the hell out of here!”

The two looked at the ruined village from a bluff about half a mile away. Everything lay in ruins; smoke billowed from several buildings, walls were destroyed, and some crumbling still, and it pained Avarius to see his town in this state, he wished for it not to happen, for his daughter’s sake. The two turned around and headed off, hopefully to a new place. There was nothing left for them here.

A few soldiers dressed in black armor roamed through the wastes of the village. Some kicked up some small pieces of debris as others looked on at their accomplishment.
“Ah, I love the smell of sulfur in the morning!” one said, standing rather proudly.
“Did we get what we came for?” another wondered. The soldiers looked around.
“It would seem our package isn’t here anymore.” A third soldier turned to someone new.
This person was wearing a hooded cape, pitch black with no discernible markings or designs. Their face was shrouded in shadow. “It would. Contact the rest of your group and send out several search parties. It is important that I get what I want.”
“What’s so special about this kid anyway?” one of the soldiers asked, but was quickly and forcefully grabbed by the collar from the person in the hood.
“That child is my only ticket to completing this small mission of mine! If I do not get my hands on her, she will continue to roam free under the protection of her worthless father! Either secure her for me, or have your head staked on a pike outside my castle! Do I make myself clear?”
The soldier gulped, giving a pitiful salute. “Clear as mud.”
The soldier was thrown away with extreme force, crashing into a wall. “Incompetent fool.”

“Aislin! Aislin, wake up!”
“Daddy?” she grunted.
“What? No, it’s Rioan, we’re under attack!”
Aislin opened her eyes to see a faint red glow as Rioan rushed off. Heat washed over her like a wave, and as she sat up, came face to face with some fire! Startled, she backed up, only to burn her left hand. “Ow!” she said softly, waving her hand in a futile attempt to make the pain stop. Getting to her feet, she saw she was cut off from the others. She took a step towards the ring and the flames sprouted into a column until she backed away, the fires reverting to their normal enclosure. Then how did Rioan wake her? Did he yell? No, she felt some shaking. Maybe this was some kind of magic fire, or else they couldn’t have sprung up like that.
She looked out to find the others battling hordes of foes. Martel, as usual, was giving orders. “What happened?”
“I said, we’re under attack!” Rioan repeated.
“It must’ve been our Shadows!” Martel coughed from the smoke. “They probably came while we were sleeping.” He whipped around to slice some Fire Keese.
There was too much going on to make sense of anything. The four kids were slaying monsters here and there, flames were all around, causing a massive forest fire, and she was stuck in a circle of fire that wouldn’t let her take a step out. It seemed a simple concept, but it was very hectic. Nevertheless, she felt like doing something about it. I won’t allow a repeat performance! As she went to nock an arrow, the flames suddenly spurted, catching her off guard, as if they forbade her to do anything to help.
“We’ve been at this for a while now, and they’re not letting up!” Martel shouted.
“And we’ve got nothing to kill this fire!” Rioan grunted, smashing his hammer onto the head of a Moblin.
Yes, the situation was dire and seemed hopeless. But what was there to do?
“Show yourselves already, enough of this crap!” Rioan shouted at nothing in particular.
There was no immediate response, though one was expected. This was often how they ran into the Shadow Heroes. Aislin pivoted in her fiery prison, trying to spot any movement.
“My my, so rash! Learn to calm yourselves once in a while.” It came from the trees near where the four kids were positioned. Shadow Martel soon dropped from the canopies, sitting on air as he addressed them.
“Where’s your buddy?” Rioan asked.
“What’s it to you?” Shadow Martel snapped back. “Whether he’s here or not, I can finish you off myself. I’ve already sapped most of your strength from my minions, which makes it easier on me to pick you off.” He waved his hand, as if calling upon some kind of creature. “Why, even now, I can feel your fear, your anger.”
“Enough talking!” Martel barked. “We’ve heard too much out of you!”
From the shadows of the canopies, a second figure fell silently, making no noise at all. A couple steps forward and two flames quietly doused themselves behind Aislin, allowing the figure to creep in, and covered her in a strong coat of ice. The action was so swift, that she had little time to shout, much less acknowledge the attack.
“Oh you have, have you?” Shadow Martel then hopped over to meet Shadow Rioan, who peeked his head around one of Aislin’s legs. The four cringed, the twins ready to advance. “One step and he’ll turn her into an ice sculpture!” He then raised a hand, black magic swirling around the palm. “Now, if you’ll kindly...” but he didn’t finish, firing off the blast into four balls, each one enveloping the heroes before disappearing with them.
“I have to admit, you’re pretty clever sometimes.”
“Course I am. But even I didn’t think it would go so smoothly.”
“Doubts?”
Shadow Martel hesitated. “A few. But now that it’s over, we can finally tie up this loose end.” The two then disappeared themselves, taking a frozen Aislin with them.  

[Kallori]

Act 24: Torn
Scene 3

It was a long time before Martel stopped falling through a seemingly bottomless pit when a bright light flared and he found himself in a very awkward position; apparently, to his surprise, and by looking around the room, he wound up in Queen Zelda’s lap!
“Martel?” Zelda asked with both shock and wonderment.
“How-how did you just do that?” a voice close by spoke up. Martel turned to the advisor, who was pointing a rather accusing finger at the boy.
It took Martel only a moment before he remembered. “It’s the Shadows! They’ve split us up somehow!”
“The what?”
Queen Zelda lowered her head for a brief second before standing up from her throne. “What of my son?”
“Eugh, I don’t know, we were all fine after conquering the Black Grotto in the Dark World before they came!” Martel then turned to the queen. “Your Highness, would you happen to know of any portals to the Dark World?”
Queen Zelda turned her head to the side. “Sorry Martel. I do not.”
Martel, although respecting her answer, turned away himself, grumbling a little out of both frustration and spite for the Shadow Heroes.
“So let me get this straight...” the advisor started, trying to wrap his head around the matter, “your ‘Shadow’ sent you from the Dark World to here?”
But the advisor didn’t get a reply, as Martel remembered something he had, something that he couldn’t believe he forgot; the Moon Pearl! Dashing to a nearby window, he looked outside, only to find it just past morning. “Drat.” He sighed.
“What is it now?” Zelda asked.
Martel turned back to the queen. “Well, if it was still night, I was gonna use the Moon Pearl to warp back...” he returned to gazing out the window. “But it seems I’m going to need a portal after all.”
This posed quite the problem. Zelda lowered her head to think it over as Martel seemed to pace, thinking of his own solutions. “What portals do you know of, Martel?” Zelda looked up at the boy.
“The only one I remember is in a shoddy, rundown house down a back alley in town.” He looked towards Her Majesty, “But that leads to some lonely mountaintop.”
Zelda rubbed her chin. Suddenly, her eyes flickered for a moment before her gaze returned to Martel. “I believe there may just be one in the castle.”
“Really?” A portal in the castle? Why so close, the enemy could easily infiltrate, but the boy didn’t question further.
“Ask some of the guards. I heard they have knowledge of its whereabouts.”
“On it! Thanks Your Highness!” Martel then waved before running out of the throne room.
As he wandered around the castle, asking soldiers of this portal, many said they had no clue, but should keep looking. Eventually, he ran into Liam, who did indeed know where it was.
“I was there to witness a young man suddenly pop into our castle near one of the great statues down in the main hall. After a little piecing together, the statue and the boy looked exactly the same!”
“Can you show me?” Martel asked.
“Sure, kid.”
The two then set off, wandering down many corridors and past other guards, until they came to a large room with about six statues of a man bearing strong resemblance to Martel’s father. This had to be it! Now the question was, which one was the portal under?
“To be frank, I forget which statue covers it, though I suppose I could rally some men and move them all.” Liam scratched his beard, stubbly as it was.
“Hold on.” Martel dug out the Lens of Truth, remembering he used the item to uncover the portal in the rundown apartment way back when. Peering through it, he spotted nothing under the three statues on the right, though found what he was looking for under the middle one on the left. “That one.” Martel pointed to the statue.
“How do you know that?”
Martel showed Liam the Lens of Truth. “This.”
“Very well.”

After gathering a few other knights, they pushed the middle statue far enough to reveal the portal, all being wary of not stepping into it should they not come back. Liam came over, wiping some sweat from his brow. “There you go kid, all yours.”
Before Martel was about to step into it, he heard “Martel, wait!” come from behind. Turning, it was Queen Zelda. “Before you go, I would like you to have this.” Holding out her hand, she revealed a glowing blue stone with string wrapped around it to form some kind of necklace or pendant. “It is a special stone that allows you to keep in touch with its partner.” She then held up her other hand, revealing a second stone. “The two that use them are able to communicate with each other. Know that if you are ever stuck, just ask for help”
Martel took the one given to him, slipping it over his head before tucking it in his tunic. “Thanks Your Majesty.”
“May the goddesses give you fortune.” Zelda then waved as Martel hopped over to the portal, quickly being sucked in.

The boy forgot how bad the ride was from his first trip with Rioan and Evina. He wondered just how they were faring so far, or where they were even. Once everything slowed down and the world around him became still, he stumbled off of the portal, running into a wall. Looking to it, he saw the portal was still open. “Um, Your Highness, could you move the statue back?”
It didn’t take very long to get a reply. “Pardon?”
“The portal’s still open on this end.”
“I see.” A second later, the portal slowly began to vanish, but something else caught the boy’s eye; the shadow of a large object moving across the wall. Perhaps this is what Holo was referring to about the two worlds’ traits. Nevertheless, it didn’t take him long to recognize the interior decorating of the corridor, and quickly bolted out of there, only to end up in a large room that seemed brightly lit. Candles and torches were everywhere on the walls, along with some purple carpeting. What room was this?
As he took a few steps, a malicious laugh was heard from the walls. “So, you come alone.” Martel recognized that voice; Majar certainly didn’t take long to notice his presence. “Fortunately for you, all of my underlings are preoccupied at the moment. However,” some black lightning started to strike, all converging onto one spot, as the Dark Mage appeared from it. “I’ve got my hands completely free.” Martel sheathed his sword and shield, giving a low growl. Farras soon entered the room and perched on the Dark Mage’s shoulder.
“Ha! One runt? Easy pickings!” the bat mocked.
Martel went in to strike Majar, only to find the Dark Mage grab the sword with his hand. “Touchy, touchy. Just like your father.” After some tugging from both of them, Majar studied the sword. “Hm, I distinctly remember you carrying a different sword last time we fought.”
“I...don’t have to answer that.” Martel countered.
“Really?” The Dark Mage went to snap the sword in half, but found he couldn’t, no matter how hard he tried. “What is wrong with this? Why won’t it break?!”
Martel sneaked in and swiftly grabbed the hilt before making a quick slice to free it. “I got a little upgrade.”
The Dark Mage grunted, a familiar pain in his hand, though very faint. “So, you carry the Master Sword, do you? No matter.” Majar then readied some black magic, “See if you can deflect this!”
As if his opponent was trying to make him win, Martel swiftly batted the oncoming projectile of dark energy with his sword, which struck Majar, and also Farras from a repercussion, as the two were damaged by their own power. “How?!” Majar panted and wheezed.
“Y’know, I have no idea either.” Martel held the sword out in front of him. “I just thought I’d see if I could do what you said. Apparently it worked.”
Majar’s eyes widened as he realized his blunder, gritting his teeth. “Farras, keep him busy.”
“Aye.” The bat then started to fly around Martel’s head, trying to get the boy’s attention. He had to bite him in order to do it. Once Martel was distracted from it, Majar shot some lightning at the boy, paralyzing him. “Now, you’re going to come with me.” He then lifted the boy up with magic before carrying him off, Martel still paralyzed, and possibly until Majar was done with whatever he had planned.  

[Kallori]

Act 25: Problems
Scene 1

Rioan screamed for a long time before the world opened up to him, and a moment later, had his head stuck in some sand. He struggled for a bit before pulling it out. “Pth-ptoo!” Spitting out some sand, the boy looked around, only to find himself in a massive desert. In the distance, he could see a flagpole with a very tattered flag. The second thing the boy noticed was that the flag’s remnants were moving, and saw he was in the middle of a sandstorm, his face pelted by thousands of grains of sand. “Hello?” but he had made a mistake in saying that, as some sand found his way into his mouth, and he spit again.
Turning around, he could faintly see something, but was unsure what. It was hard to discern, but the silhouette revealed it to be some kind of building. Okay, I’ll bite. Rioan trudged through the sand, some of it trying to pull him in further, but he wouldn’t let that happen. He was too fierce to let something like a desert swallow him.
Slowly, the silhouette of the building came into focus, and he spotted a gate, quickly dashing for it. As he got closer, the winds seemed to die down and he eventually reached his destination. Huffing and puffing, he rested against the stone wall on his side of the large gate. Looking at it, saw it was closed. Figures, but from what? Upon further examination, found the wooden bars were far enough apart for him to slip through. As soon as he did though, a shrill whistle met his ears, and three people rushed over, pointing their scimitars or spears at him.
“You know the drill!” the one who gave the whistle ordered. One of the people, who he found were all women with tanned skin, put a hand on his shoulder with a firm grip.
“Ow!” he said, “What’s going on?”
“You’ll find out kid.”

Rioan was thrown in some kind of room with no windows, only an opening near the ceiling. He skidded hard, running into the opposite wall. These women were strong! He heard the door shut before a voice seemed to be directed towards him.
“Try anything funny, kid, and you’ll be hearing from our leader.”
“What am I in here for?” Rioan gritted his teeth before directing his gaze towards the left, spotting a pile of bones tucked in the corner, and cringed. Tons of cobwebs were covering it, and he saw a bone was suspended from the ceiling by one.
The woman gave a chortle. “We only follow orders, and those are to stop all men from trespassing.” Some footsteps and she was gone.
Stop men? What reason did these girls have to be sexist? Better have a darn good one, he thought, looking around. The only opening to provide light seemed three stories off the ground, and he had no way of accessing it. Additionally, searching the bony lump yielded no success, in hopes of spotting some kind of rope or something. He then tugged at the bone in the webs suspended from the ceiling. It seemed incredibly sturdy, given it was silk webbing. Taking a small running start, he bounded over the bones and kicked off the wall, grabbing the webbing and using the bone to support his feet for the time being. If it was strong enough to support him, perhaps he stood a chance of escape.
Shifting his body weight forward, he started the pendulum motion, kicking off the wall whenever he moved backward in order to get more momentum going. He kept falling short so long as he stood on the bone, so perhaps hanging by it would prove better. He tried that, but kept knocking into the other wall. Since that was the case, he’d need guts for this. Fortunately, he had tons of them. Resuming his original plan, he worked up enough momentum to come within a foot of the opening. With one last swing, he launched off of the webbing and gave the small ledge a death grip as he scrambled to get his feet on it and secure his position.
The building sitting off to the east didn’t look so inviting, and the way the women down below patrolled it, suggested to him that it must be some kind of fort, but were they guarding something inside, or just waiting for another man to fall into their hands and end up like that skeleton? Focusing his efforts, he waited until the guards weren’t looking before hopping off, softly rolling and dashing into the nearest opening. The inside had a certain smell in the air, and although he couldn’t describe it, knew it wasn’t pleasant. The closest he could come to was mold, but even that was worse than the odor that was present here. Shaking his head, he cautiously made his way in, turning right at an abrupt corner and emerging into an open room. And yet, he could sense something was off. A large chest was inside a cell to the left with a box and some pots on the other side. Rioan dug out his sword, in case something popped out at him.
As soon as he did, he heard something behind him, and quickly turned to clash swords with another woman, this time dressed in red, whereas the others were purple aside from the guard by the gate where he entered this fortress place. “So, you managed to escape the cell.” The woman mocked, drawing out her other scimitar, “But you won’t be so lucky this time.”
“You sound sure of yourself.” Rioan snapped back, throwing her sword off his. “Just what kind of people lock up guys for no reason?”
The woman chuckled. “Well, defeat me, kid, and I might divulge.”
“Fine by me.”
Swords clashed as Rioan tried countering the woman’s every move, but she was very fast and nimble, often appearing behind him to get a sneak attack in. Rioan had to strategize, something he usually let Martel do, but since his brother wasn’t here...
“Just look at this! I’m not even trying, and I’ve already got you where I want you.”
“I’m not done yet!” Think Rioan, she’s fast... and at that moment, he realized he had some seeds from the ranch! But first, he’d need to buy some time to dig them out. As the woman came in for another strike, Rioan quickly whipped out his hammer and pounded the ground, which threw off the woman, causing her to stumble a bit as the room distorted itself. In that split second, he dug out a Pegasus Seed and sprinkled its dust over his head. His feet suddenly burned with the desire to run, and he tore off making strikes here and there at the woman. She managed to block most of them, but since she was focused on defending, she let the tables turn in Rioan’s favor, and now he had her where he wanted! With a final blow, the woman fell, her scimitars sliding across the ground as she looked at the young kid who had somehow bested her.
Rioan pointed his sword at the woman. “Alright, spill. Remember our deal.”
“Very well.” The woman huffed. “We are the Gerudo, the desert people, consisting of all females.” She paused to catch some air. “It was all fine until Ganondorf came.”
“Ganondorf?” Rioan mused. “Hey, isn’t he a guy?”
The woman nodded. “A man is born every century and is deemed king of our land, as it is law.”
“Sounds like a stupid law to me.”
“However, Ganondorf’s heart was corrupt, and once he went after the Triforce...”
“That’s where it all fell apart?”
The woman nodded again. “Ever since, we could not trust men, despite their loyalty.” She looked down at the floor. “Somehow, we can’t get over it, even though that vile man is gone, last we heard.”
Rioan studied the facts before bringing up his next question. “One of your cronies mentioned you take orders from your leader.”
“Yes, that is true.”
“So who is, er, she?”
“I was getting there.” The woman stood, walking to her fallen weapons. “She is the exalted Nabooru. She often makes trips to the Colossus, just on the western side of the Haunted Wasteland.” Soon, some shouts were heard, along with footsteps. “Hide.” And without further instruction, departed. Rioan had no clue how, but found she dropped a key. His intuition getting the better of him, he unlocked the cell and opened the chest within, revealing its contents to be an empty bottle. But the shouts were getting louder, and if he hid in the chest, that might give it away, since the cell door was open.
About five Gerudo poured in from the entrance on the southern side, while three others came in through the entrance he took. They looked all around, and spotted nothing, though one did notice the cell was open, and immediately checked the chest. “They’ve stolen the item!”
The leader from the south group grumbled. “Keep searching the fortress! I want no stone unturned!” and with that, they all departed.

Once all the footsteps were gone, Rioan carefully peeked from underneath the box, looking around to make sure the coast was clear before climbing out. “Never thought I’d make it through that with my hide intact.” Now that he seemed to be some kind of fugitive, he had to be more careful about going forward. He exited through the south entrance and quickly hid behind a couple of boxes. Fortunately, it was becoming night, so he’d have a better chance of going undetected outside. Peeking over the boxes, he saw the guard had her back turned, so he rushed for the entrance on his left.
After making his way up the ramp, he deftly hid behind some more boxes in case a Gerudo guard was in the area. Peeking around the side, he saw none, so he moved to the next box and hid behind it. Some footsteps came, and his heart started to race. The guard stopped just in the hallway where he sat, but after a while, turned and went back to where she came from. Climbing into another box after finding its lid was unhitched, he waited for her to come again. She did, repeating the same route as before. Once she left, Rioan popped out silently and slid against the wall, peeking around it to see where he was. Great, I’m right in the middle of the kitchen! Although whatever they were boiling smelled nice, making his stomach grumble, he had other things to worry about.  

[Kallori]

Act 25: Problems
Scene 2

Evina found herself in a desert, and quickly looked up. The sky had a deep, sickly green color to it, and turning around, spotted a more reddish sky near a large group of mountains. Wasn’t that where a castle was? Shaking her head and slapping a hand to her ear as if trying to get rid of water, she gave another look around. Oddly, there was no wind, only a large expanse of desert wherever she looked. The mountains to the northeast could be seen, but Evina didn’t feel like going back there. She spotted what looked to be a pyramid off in the far west, so she headed for it. However, when she went to hop on her broom, found it broken again. Aw great. Gran’s gonna be so mad when I get back... In any case, the witch was ground-bound, so walking seemed the only option. But the desert didn’t exactly agree with her, and at random spots, she kept sinking, but spotted no quicksand. Furthermore, a fierce wind suddenly sprung up, blasting her face, and she had to hold onto her hat. But as soon as the wind came, it left. It did this continuously, as if playing with the girl. Then again, if I rode my broom, I wouldn’t make it to...wherever I’m going.
As she continued, and the sand kept wanting to swallow her, and the wind kept wanting to choke her, eventually some odd monsters she hadn’t seen before came out of the sand. They looked like a group of plant-like things, with weird feelers or tentacles lined with dozens of prickly needles. The monsters then came towards her rather quickly, though she wasted them with some fire magic. More sprang up, as if taking the place of the previous wave, meeting the same fate. Wave after wave, the young witch set fire to all the weird plants, until one larger than the others sprung up. It was at least twice her height, though she managed to take it down as well, with a great deal of strength from her magic. Before she knew it, she felt exhausted, and looking up, saw she had barely made headway through the desert, although the tips of two other possible pyramids could be seen. I must continue...I need to get there...I...need...to... though the witch was out of strength to continue, and ultimately fell face first into the sand. Her hat blew along with the wind, lost in the desert as she, too, was soon slowly buried.

It was that time again; time to check on the desert outside the small town. A lone figure, wrapped heavily in a shawl and cloak, trudged out into the ceaseless winds just outside their home. They bore no spite for the task at hand, as it was routine, but to this figure, something felt different. Many Leevers and Moldorms came out of the sand as they continued, but all met the blade they carried. Though the beasts, along with Debirando, creatures that could create quicksand and spit fire, seemed native to the area, their abundance was another matter, as it made the desert an even more dangerous place.
Passing a small group of cacti, in which some Guays perched upon, the person spotted something odd; stuck to one of the cacti was a hat, one they had never seen before. Grabbing it from the stiff plant, the figure examined it. It was certainly different from the kind they knew. Perhaps a traveller was out here? With that thought in mind, they continued on.
After what seemed like ages, the person spotted a flock of Guays circling a certain spot of the desert. Strange, they don’t usually do that unless some food is around. Or something they deem as food. Walking closer, the person spotted striking red hair and a hand sticking out of the sand. Reacting quickly, they rushed in. “Shoo! Go away!” they called, and it was revealed this person was female. She quickly dredged up her find, revealing a little girl, weary and beaten, and laden with Leever bite marks on her legs and sides. The woman glanced from the girl to the hat she was holding. Did it belong to this girl? Nevertheless, she needed urgent care, and the woman headed back to where she came from.

“Evina?”
“Coming!” came a swift reply as the girl ran up to her friend, a young boy with black, messy hair and vibrant green eyes.
“I thought I lost you for a second there.” The boy then looked into the well, still filled with water. Any idea how to drain this?”
“Are you sure we should be doing this?” Evina questioned the boy. “I mean, isn’t it dangerous?”
“What, scared of the well?” the boy teased. “Come on Evina, you know me better than that! If anything happens, know I’ll be there to protect you.”
Evina glanced to the small sword strapped to the boy’s back. Somehow, she had her doubts. She then looked back to the well. “Isn’t this connected to the windmill or something?”
The boy looked at her before slapping his face. “You’re right! I forgot!” he then grabbed her hand and headed up a nearby set of stairs towards the door to the windmill tower. Inside they found a man, gleefully playing his odd instrument and creating a tune that seemed to calm the nerves. He paid them little mind as the two kids made their way over to him.
“Go around and around, go around and around.” He turned his gaze to his small guests. “Hello. I’m trying to think of a tune inspired by this windmill, going around and around.”
The two thought for a moment, listening to what the man composed so far. The boy’s next words seemed blurred as he turned to Evina. She could see his mouth moving, but only when he called her name could she hear him.

Evina coughed, slowly opening her eyes. Though still drowsy, she didn’t recognize the immediate area. “Where, where am I?”
“Oh good, you’re finally up.” Evina turned to this new voice, spotting a woman with tanned skin and red hair. She was dressed in some light, rather exotic-looking clothes, underneath some kind of robe. I was wondering when you’d come around. The woman then turned away for a brief moment. “Hey Anila, that food better be ready.” Her voice was slightly louder this time.
“Yes yes, I’ll be there soon.” Came the voice of another woman, perhaps in the next room.
“Who, who are you?”
Ah, right, questions.” The first woman shifted in her seat before stroking a hand through her red, flowing hair. “I am Padma, a traveller of the Gerudo. I venture into the desert sometimes to see what’s new when I came across you.” Padma paused, letting her information soak in. “You were buried under sand and about to become a snack for Leevers.”
Evina looked down and noticed she was in a mildly lavish bed. Lifting up the covers, she noticed several bandages on her legs. She gasped, throwing the covers off. The bandages ran all the way from her ribs, after she lifted up her shirt, to her feet, in which she saw her stockings and boots were removed. She gulped, not deciding to entertain the thought.
“As for where you are, this is Gerudo Outpost, a small community of the desert. None of us really know how we got here, though many of us suspect Ganondorf may have sent us here.”
Ganondorf? The witch thought, Why do I feel like I know that name? “Who’s Ganondorf?”
“Our ex-king. He wanted to rule Hyrule some time ago, though we haven’t heard anything since.
“So, then, why ex-king?” Evina noticed another Gerudo come into the small room with a large plate bearing tons of food. The woman set the plate close to Evina before departing again.
Padma thanked the woman silently before continuing the conversation. “Ganondorf was king of our people, as it is law that, once every century, when a man is born, he is to become king of our people. But Ganondorf was corrupt in many ways, and once we wound up here, we never trusted him again, eventually disregarding him altogether.”
Evina looked from Padma to the plate she was given, reaching a hand out, but not recognizing any food. “What is this stuff?”
“Don’t worry, it’s safe to eat. All made from the creatures of the desert.” Evina gave Padma a cautious, perhaps slightly frightened, stare before looking back to the plate. Padma simply waved her hand, giving a warm smile. “I see why you might be reluctant. But trust us, even though the monsters may seem dangerous, they make for good eating.”
Evina grabbed a bit of it with her hand. It looked like a really messed-up salad. Tasted like one too. After a moment, the witch let out a gag. “That tastes dry.”
Padma chuckled. “Yes, I suppose it does, considering from where it came. But there should be some sauce there to go with it.” Once Evina found the sauce Padma spoke of, the Gerudo leaned in, ready to ask some questions of her own. “So, how exactly did you come into the desert? I don’t think there’s a normal entrance as opposed to the Light World...”
Light World? That might explain why the sky outside was green. The witch didn’t deny she wound up in the Dark World. “There isn’t?” Padma shook her head as Evina tried to recall more details. “The last thing I remember was I was in the woods.”
“Whoa, let me stop you there; you were where?”
“Blackwood Forest. Me and my friends were fighting off some creatures in the Skull Kids’ village when two people my friends often refer to as ‘Shadows’ attacked, setting the village on fire and creating hordes of enemies.” Evina paused while Padma leaned to one side, bewilderment on her face. “Eventually they kidnapped a recent friend we made, and the next thing I know, I was here.” Padma didn’t respond right away, and Evina tilted her head to one side.
“Blackwood...”Padma paused, “That-that’s on the other side of the wasteland!” She looked at Evina. “And you say you just wound up here?” Evina nodded, and Padma whistled. “That’s some problem.” She then looked Evina in the eye. “Well how about this; when we get you fully healed, and you’re ready to leave, I’ll guide you to the edge of the desert. Where you go from there, I’ll leave in your hands. Deal?”
“You don’t want to come?”
“Sadly, no.” Padma shook her head. “I’m afraid I’m bound to this village until we can find a way back to the Light World.”
Evina thought for a long time before accepting the Gerudo’s deal. She needed to get better and heal her wounds, but she also needed to find Martel, Rioan, Sheik, and Aislin. I just hope they’ve found each other, so they’re all not alone.