Chapter 4: The Temple of The Ocean King
Link stepped down onto the floor. The ground that Link stood on was purple colored and shifting subtly.
"Hello?"
Ciela shifted her attention to Link, "Did you just hear something?" Link looked around and saw a few blue pots. The boy walked forward a little.
"Hey!"
Ciela looked nervous, "Ok, I definitely heard something that time," Link nodded and advanced into a corridor just in front of him. He now noticed that about ten feet in front of him was an activated spike trap. Behind the two-foot spikes was a rather tall man, dressed in a blue coat. His hair grew in an unruly way and his face was unshaven. He waved his arms at the boy, bouncing slightly.
"Hey you! Yeah, you! Kid! I need some help. Looks like you came at the right time, too!" He yelled from behind the sharp spikes.
The boy looked skeptical. The tall man could've easily jumped over the spikes. "Why can't you do it yourself?" Link asked. The man looked worried.
"Well, you see, I would. But I twisted my ankle getting over here!" Link sighed and put his hand over his face. "C'mon kid! I'll bet there is a switch just over there!" He pointed to an area behind the spikes.
"Fine," Link said and he started running towards where the man pointed. The man shouted for Link to stop.
"Hey, wait! You have to be careful here. This temple can suck the life energy from your body!" Seeing Link's face, he quickly added, "Don't worry, it doesn't always suck away your life! You seem to be safe while standing on these weird, purple floors," Looking down, Link could now tell that the purple floor ended when the corridor started, the floor changing into a dirty brown color.
"So how do I not die?" Link asked.
The man responded, "If you move fast between these purple safe-zones, It won't kill you! Also, I would highly suggest breaking the blue pots you see, to heal yourself," Link looked around and saw little spots of purple dotted around the area. The walls were low so Link was able to see passed them. He ran out of his zone. Immediately, the effect of the temple wore on him. Link was barely able to bare the invisible weight that was placed on him. All over his body, it scratched and ached, and Link stumbled into the other safe zone, falling on his face. He still breathed heavily, although the weight was lifted off his shoulders.
He huffed. His body slightly itched and he shook. Spotting the next safe area, Link once again ran out of safety. He was prepared for the sensation but it still overtook him with ease. His lungs felt like they were being compressed and Link struggled for oxygen. He again stumbled into safety, the feeling leaving him once again.
This zone was larger, containing a large dark orb on a pedestal. Also, to the right of the orb was a locked door. The man yelled from his trap.
"I think that's the switch!"
Link looked at the orb, uncertainly, "Well, what am I supposed to do about it?!"
The man responded, "I don't know, hit it with your sword!"
Link sighed and struck the orb swiftly and oddly enough, it began to glow with a bright green color. Link heard the spikes retract into the floor. He turned to see the man sprint out of his trap toward the stairs going up. "FREEDOM!" he shouted.
Link again sighed and ran back toward the entrance, following the way he came. The feelings crashed down on him but Link was determined to talk to the man. Link had a sneaking suspicion that he was Linebeck. Link finally reached the initial "safe-zone" and saw the man breathing heavily.
"I think we're good now. Time to take a breather," He gasped out. Link cleared his throat and the man turned his attention to him. "Thanks kid, you arrived at a great time. Lucky for me, but luckier for you," Link didn't understand. "So, what's your name, kid?" The boy answered with his own name. "So, Link is your name. Kind of an odd name. Anyway, I am Linebeck, captain of the S.S. Linebeck. I'm sure you've heard of me," Linebeck's arrogance astounded Link, considering that about four minutes ago, he was screaming for help.
"So, why are you down here, kid?" Linebeck asked.
"I was looking for you," Link answered.
"Why were you looking for moi?" Linebeck said in a funny accent, indicating himself.
Link approached the captain, "I'm looking for the Ghost Ship,"
The captain threw his hands in the air, "WHAT?" He grabbed Link and lifted him slightly. "So, you wanna get your mitts on the treasure, huh?"
Ciela interrupted, "Treasure? Link is looking for his friend! She was taken by the Ghost Ship!"
"Ah. It's that annoying, chatty fairy from Oshus' place, huh," Linebeck stopped shaking Link around and dropped him to the floor. The boy got on his knees and retched in a corner. "Well, kid, I don't know where to find that mysterious ship, but rumor has it that the secreat to finding it is in this temple. I'd explore it myself, but I did sprain my ankle-"
Ciela once again interrupted, "Sprained your ankle? We just saw you running like a rabbit out of of there!" She indicated the trap.
Linebeck answered quickly, "Uh, no you didn't. That was an illusion. It still hurts," He began moaning and favoring his right foot. He continued talking to Link, "Anyway, I found this key. Maybe there's a door around here that it fits in," he stood Link up and gave him the key. Link, who had not completely recovered, held it up, like a triumphant drunk, and stumbled around a bit.
Once Link had recovered, he retraced his steps to the safe area that had a door. He tried the key and the lock slid off, the door opened. Link stepped into anther section of this temple floor. He spotted another two safe-zones, both blocked off by a set of rhythmically retracting spikes. The boy ran to the one closest to him, pausing at the spikes, waiting for his moment. The spikes fell into the floor and Link sprinted into the first safe-zone. He cracked a pot and felt instantly better, remembering the feeling from his time fighting the Evil King.
Another orb sat on a pedestal here and Link whacked at it, using his sword. The orb turned green. A different thing happened this time. Almost subtly, a chime sounded from withing the temple. The spikes blocking his way once again retracted, but didn't come up again. Link ran to the other side, passing the spikes and entering the other safe-zone. he quickly hit the other orb, and the chime stopped. A large stone slab in between the safe areas fell into the ground, revealing another, smaller room. Link entered and discovered a large chest, adorned with a gold lining and a pearly, white surface. Opening the chest revealed a map, similar to the sea chart that the King of Red Lions gave him. On it, written in script writing, was "Southwestern Sea". On the map itself was a collection of grey rocks, green spots, and a single patch of brown.
Link retraced steps out of the room and into the entrance hall of the temple. He then ran outside, following the pathway back to Mercay town.