Here's where things start to get interesting. Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Legend of Zelda.

Chapter 8: Tower and Tests

"Here's the last of the islands," Link said, "I hope this is worth it." He and L had already placed the other two pearls at Southern Triangle Island and Northern Triangle Island. Now they were at Eastern Triangle Island, the of the islands they needed to get to. "I'd love to see the look on Kira and Ganondorf's faces when the Tower of the Gods raises," L said as Link placed the last pearl on the statue. Suddenly a deep rumbling occurred and the statue began to shine brightly. "Uh oh...," Link said, "Duck and cover!" Link and L ducked down, but nothing happened. The two boys raised their heads a little, just in time for the statue to explode revealing a goddess statue underneath. The shockwave sent the boys flying across the sea.

The King of Red Lions watched as a beam from the statue traveled to the two other statues, transforming them. As the talking boat went to retrieve Link and L. The waves between the three triangular islands glowed a bright golden glow in the shape of three equilateral triangles with an empty space in the middle of them. In that space, a grand tower rose up from beneath the waves. As it continued to rise, Link and L humorously smacked into the outer wall just as it came up. The two boys fell into the sea just as the King of Red Lions arrived. "I hope I won't have to make a habit of this," he said to the boys, "This is the third time you've been flung across the ocean so far." "And it never gets any easier," L said as he got on the boat."


Mellow gazed in amazement at the tower that had risen from the depths of the ocean. 'I always thought there was nothing in the part of the Great Sea. Whoever was able to hide a tower that huge must have been extremely powerful.' He then noticed Aryll next to him. "What was that rumbling?," she asked. Mellow stepped down from his perch. "See for yourself." Aryll looked out the window. "I don't believe it!," she said in amazement, "It's the Tower of the Gods! My Grandma would always tell me stories about it." She turned to Mellow. "Do you think my brother and Ryuzaki are there?" Mellow shrugged. "Maybe. I can't say for sure. But considering all that's happened so far, I'd say it's a good possibility."


The King of Red Lions pulled up to the entrance to the tower. "Within this tower, Link, you will find a test of your courage. Pass that test, and the gods will find you worthy of the power to repel evil. And Ryuzaki, while you will be able to accompany Link through the tower itself, you will not be permitted to join Link once he reaches the test chamber until he has passed the test." The boys nodded as they sailed into the tower. Inside, the main lobby was completely flooded. L noticed a statue head in the very back that periodically poured water in the tower. "The water level is going to be a factor for the first few floors Link." Link nodded.

Finding their way into a room that could only be accessed at low tide, the boys saw a Yellow Chuchu in the middle of the room. "Be careful, Link," L said, "The yellow ones periodically discharge a bio-electric field. Hit it at the wrong time and you'll suffer a big shock." Link took out his boomerang. "Let's see if this can't solve the problem." He threw the boomerang at the Yellow Chuchu, stunning it. He then took out the stunned blob in one swing. After that, L found a Dungeon Map behind a cracked wall at high tide. "From the look of this map, it seems we start by heading north." Back in the main lobby, the door to the north was sealed off.

Link looked around and saw a glowing spot on the ground. Testing it, he saw that it unsealed the door. Unfortunately, the door resealed the second Link stepped off it. "There must something nearby to keep that switch pressed." He looked around again and saw a knight-like statue. "I don't know Link," L said, "It's bigger than we are." Link tried it anyway and found to his surprise that he was able to lift it easily. "It must be hollow or something," he said as he set the statue on the switch. As they headed through the door, L looked back at the statue. "I know I've seen a picture of that somewhere." He shrugged and followed Link. In the next room was a shallow pit that periodically filled with water. L spotted another glowing floor switch at the bottom.

Link looked around and saw several crates floating on the water. He waited until the water level dropped, then jumped into the pit and dragged one of the crates onto the floor switch. This created a glowing bridge across the pit. "Link," L said as Link got out of the pit, "If the crates float on the water, that means the bridge will disappear when the water level rises." "I figured as much," Link replied, "We just have to wait until the water lowers again." Once they could cross the pit, Link rushed across and grabbed a glowing statue that was on the other side. "There's nothing in this room to use this statue on, so I'm guessing it's something back in the lobby."

Sure enough, the boys spotted a switch back in the lobby that the statue could be placed on. This opened a grate opposite them. Getting back on the King of Red Lions, they headed through it. Once the water level was at its peak, Link and L climbed onto a ledge leading to another sealed door. This time, it took two statues placed on different switches to open the door. Inside the room was another shallow pit that filled with water periodically. At the bottom were several crates. Seeing nothing else, Link hit on an idea. Jumping into the pit, he quickly arranged the crates so that they could be used to leap across the pit without getting wet. "That should do the trick," he said as he climbed out of the pit.

L surveyed Link's work. "Yes, I think that arrangement will suffice. And judging from the fact that we have two unlit torches here, I have a feeling they need to be lit somehow." Link hopped across to the other side of the pit and saw a pot with several Boko Sticks. Seeing a nearby lit torch, he grabbed one of the sticks and lit it on the torch. He then jumped back across the pit and lit the two torches, revealing a chest containing a small key. Back in the lobby, Link spotted several cracked walls. "Get the cannon ready Ryuzaki. I got a feeling something important may be behind those walls."

Once the walls were down, the boys headed through the rooms on the other side until they a chest in a room at the top of some stairs. Floating nearby was a skull covered in red smoke. "Careful Link," L said, "That's a Red Bubble. Very weak defensive-wise, but if it hits you it will set you on fire. Also, once the smoke around it is dissipated, it will hop around at a surprisingly fast speed." "Okay then," Link said, "I'll hit it first, then chase it to you so you finish it before the smoke reappears." L nodded, and he drew his scimitar. Link took out his own sword and crept up behind the Bubble. He struck the skull, catching it off-guard. As it tried to flee, L plunged his blade into the skull's crown.

Once the Bubble was dust, Link opened the chest to find a compass. "Okay," he said to L, "Let's get back to the lobby." Back in the lobby, Link used two more torches to reveal a chest with a Joy Pendant, then he and L proceeded through a locked door using their key. Inside the next room, Link and L found themselves having to quickly deal with four Yellow Chuchus. Once the last one was defeated, a rainbow bridge appeared leading up to another statue. Link grabbed it and headed out with L back to the lobby. Once Link placed it on the switch, the main fountain closed its mouth and revealed a tunnel behind it, while two more fountains started up.

Guiding the King of Red Lions through the now open tunnel, the boys entered the next room to find a circular room that extended several floors up. Along with the Rats scurrying around the room, there was a statuesque enemy with a rotating orb on top. "What is that?," Link asked. L took a quick look through his bestiary. "It's a Beamos. Harmless from a distance, it will fire a deadly laser if something gets within its line of sight. Fortunately it's very near-sighted. We should be safe at this distance." Link took a look around the room. "Maybe, but I got a feeling we'll to get past it to get through here." He picked up a nearby statue and quickly ran across the room opposite the Beamos' vision, setting the statue down on another floor switch.

"You get the next one Ryuzaki," he called over. L nodded and grabbed the statue. He waited until the Beamos' gaze passed, then rushed over and placed the statue on a second floor switch. "Now there's the matter of the third floor switch," L said, "We're out of statues, and whatever these switches activate only works so long as they are pressed down." Link scratched his chin. "Maybe not. Maybe all we need is for all three to be pressed simultaneously, without needing to stay that way." L frowned. "Link, the odds of that being the case are a mere ten percent." Link ignored his friend and stepped on the switch. Several platforms just ahead of them started moving. When Link stepped off the switch, they kept moving.

"Remember when you said that relying on percentages would come back to bite me?," L said, "Well, it looks like I should have listened." They made there way across the platforms, Link stopping briefly to obtain another of the Tingle Statues. The next room was vast in size and had a giant pedestal in the center of the room. Link and L looked around. "It looks that door over there is the only open one," L said, pointing to the eastern door. Inside was a moving platform over a deep pit. "Yeah," Link said, "Definitely don't want to drop into that." They took the moving platform over to the other side of the room and headed through the door. The next room had a long, winding path to the other side with a wider platform above it.

Carefully the two boys walked over to the other side of the room where a statue sat on a pedestal. As Link approached, the Pirate's Charm started vibrating. "Link," came the King of Red Lions voice, "The statue before you can follow your commands. Merely stand in front of it and place your hand of the tablet at its base." L dug his ears a little. "Call me crazy, but I could have sworn that was the talking boat instead of Tetra. I knew he could see through it, but I wasn't aware he knew how to talk through it. I hope he realizes he owes an explanation of this." Link turned to his friend. "I'm sure he will. He's given us no reason not to trust him so far."

He turned towards the pedestal and placed his hand on the tablet. The pedestal sank into the ground allowing the statue to hop off onto the ground. L turned back toward the platform above the winding path. "With the platform so low, we can't carry the statue across. We'll have to guide it with our actions." It was a little tricky, but they succeeded in guiding the statue to the other side of the room. Link then picked up the statue and carried back to the main room. Once there, the statue hopped onto a pedestal, which promptly rose up. As it did, a tablet appeared in front of the central pedestal. When Link examined it, his eyes lit up. "It's directions for the Wind Waker."

He took out the baton and copied the directions, learning the Command Melody. The tablet disappeared, and the door to the west opened. "I get the feeling we need to get statue from the other two doors to move on," L said, "And that song is the key to getting them here." The boys headed through the door. Inside was a bottomless with no platforms to help them across, and two Red Bubbles floating over it. "Let's take them out first," L said as he got out his Deku Leaf and swung it. The gust blew out the Bubbles' smoke and caused them to plummet into the pit. Link looked and saw a post that looked like it could be grappled. "That's our way across." He and L got their Grappling Hooks ready and swung across the pit.

The next room had a similar situation, which presented a problem. "How are we going to get the statue across the pit?," L asked. Link placed his hand on the tablet to get the statue down. He then looked around and saw a floor switch. "I got and idea." He stepped on the switch and made some light platforms appear. He then play the Command Melody and walked the statue over to the other side of the room. Back in the previous room, Link found that stepping on the next floor switch only unsealed a nearby door to the south. "We've got no choice but to leave the statue here for now and investigate that door," he said to L. He then placed the statue on the switch, and he and L swung over to the door to a new room.

As the boys entered the center of the room, they were greeted by a giant armored knight. "Oh boy...," L muttered, "That's a Darknut. According to the bestiary, they're Ganondorf's elite warriors." "Great," Link said almost sarcastically, "Did the book give any tips on beating them." L nodded. "While their armor is impenetrable from the front, it's vulnerable from behind. Of course, they move in such a way as to never to expose their rears to the enemy, but a good parry should rectify that quite well." Just then the Darknut swung his sword to smash the boys. However, they dodged out of the way. Link rolled around the massive knight and aimed his next sword swing at the straps holding the Darknut's armor in place.

As the Darknut stumbled from having his armor removed, L quickly gave an underhand swing with own blade to remove to remove the helmet. Now completely vulnerable, the Darknut made a desperate charge to attack the boys, who simply held their swords point-first in front of them. The Darknut became impaled and vanished into dust, leaving behind a glowing orb containing a Knight's Crest. Two chests appeared afterwards, one of them quite ornate. When Link opened it, his eyes widened. "It's a Hero's Bow," he said. He took out the ornate bow and tested the string. He then took out the quiver that came with it, already filled with a good supply of arrows.

L opened the treasure chest to find another Knight's Crest. "Let's test this weapon out," Link said as he headed back to the previous room. Seeing an eye crest just across from him, Link took careful aim and fired. The arrow struck the eye dead center and triggered two moving platforms. Using these, Link was able to get the statue into the central room. "Not bad archery for your first time," L said, "Almost as if you knew how to use it by instinct." "I know," Link replied, "It's like I know how to use the item I obtain the second I pick it up, like my own mind is giving me instructions." He and L quickly headed back to the room where he gotten the compass.

Here Link had seen another of the eye switches. Hitting it with an arrow opened a wall panel that revealed a chest containing a treasure chart. The boys then headed back to the central hub. Link had seen another eye switch in the eastern room, so they headed there next. Inside, they encountered a Wizzrobe. Link was able to defeat this robed bird with greater ease thanks to his new archery skills. Once it was dealt with, Link hopped on the moving platform and took careful aim at the eye switch. Once he nailed it, another moving platform was triggered. He and L rode this new platform into another room.

Inside, there were two large statue at the far end of the room. "Careful Link," L said, "I recognize those. They are Armos Knights. Inert normally, they will trigger when something approaches them, stopping briefly to emit a load roar. When they do, you can destroy them by placing a bomb in their mouths." "Okay then," Link said, "They're spaced out enough that I can probably take them out one at a time." Once both of the Armos Knights had been destroyed, a chest with a Joy Pendant appeared. The boys returned to the central room and took the north door. Inside here was a giant scale over a pit filled with water. "Link," L said, "Since you now have that bow, may I use your boomerang instead?" "Sure, Link replied, and he handed L the Boomerang.

L aimed at the Keese that were flying about the room and threw the Boomerang to nail each and every one of them. Looking around the room, the boys spotted a cracked wall to the west. Link prepared a bomb and threw it to destroy the wall. In the room behind it were two more Armos Knights and a Wind Crest. "I think the idea is to play the Wind's Requiem on this," L said, "But I have a feeling doing so will trigger both Armos Knights at once." Link smiled. "That's okay. We can just take one each." He played the Wind's Requiem, then he and L made quick work of the hopping statue. Once they were defeated, a chest appeared containing another treasure chart.

Heading back into the scale room, Link and L entered the opposite room to the east. Right in front of them was a deep pit that seemed to have no bottom. Fortunately, there was a bunch of floating platforms that could take them up. Carefully making their way up, occasionally hitting an eye switch to move higher, they soon reached two chests with a small key and a Joy Pendant. After making their way back to the scale room, L gave the scale itself a careful look-over. "I think it's pretty clear that simply jumping across these scales is impossible." Link looked at the four statues that were close by. "Hey Ryuzaki, do you think these statues might the same as us."

L took a quick look. "Well, there's one way to find out." He picked up the statue and threw onto the side of the scale closest to them. Link then threw a second one onto the scale for good measure. "Just to be safe," he said to L, "I'll go first, then you follow." Once both of them were on the opposite platform, Link unlocked the door leading to the next room. Inside they saw the final statue, blocked of by deadly lasers. Link looked around and saw a block in the center of the room. "I'm gonna try something." He climbed the block and used the Deku Leaf to easily glide over the lasers. He got the statue down of the pedestal and used the Command Melody to guide the statue over to a floor switch, disabling the lasers.

"Nice job Link," L said as he picked up the statue. They headed back into the scale, only to be greeted by a Wizzrobe. Link quickly dispatched it with his bow, then hopped across the scales to the other side. "I'll toss another statue onto to account for the added weight," he called over to L. "Make it fast," L replied, "My arms feel tired." Link threw another statue onto the scale, allowing L to hop across with the statue. Back in the central room, the final statue moved into placed, causing a bright light to emerge from the central pedestal. "Something tells me this will take all the way to the top," Link said. L smirked. "Well, better than taking the long way."

They stepped into the beam and found themselves in a room higher up in the tower. In this octagonal room there were Beamos on either side, as fell as three floor switches with two more statues. Once again Link placed two of the statues on two switches, careful to avoid the Beamos, then stepped on the third switch himself. This lower a laser barrier protecting a nearby chest. When L opened it, he found the Big Key for the tower. Just then, the statue began to quiver. "Oh now I remember," L said, "Those are Armos, weaker versions of the Armos Knights we saw earlier. Funny how they choose now to activate."

Link hopped out of the way as the Armos attempted to run into him. "Ryuzaki, how I defeat these things." "Easy," L said, "You can stun them by hitting their eyes with arrows, but you need to destroy the red gem on their backs to defeat them." Link carefully took each Armos one at a time. Once both were destroyed, the door leading out unlocked. Heading through it, the boys found themselves on a staircase outside the tower. "Amazing view," Link said, "Too bad we have no time to stay and enjoy it." The two boys made their way up the spiraling stairs, carefully avoiding or destroying the Beamos, a task made easier thanks to Link's new bow. At the top, the found the entrance to the final test chamber. "Guess this is it Link," L said, "Until you've completed your test I cannot enter this room. Well, I probably could but it might disqualify you. Anyway, good luck."

Link opened the door and entered the test chamber. "YOU HAVE DONE WELL TO MAKE IT THIS FAR," came a booming voice, "NOW COMES THE FINAL TEST. YOU HAVE ALREADY SHOWN COURAGE IN UNDERTAKING THIS QUEST, WISDOM IN REACHING THIS CHAMBER. NOW YOU MUST PROVE YOUR POWER BUT DEFEATING A MACHINE CREATED BY THE GODS THEMSELVES. BEHOLD, GOHDAN!" From the wall on the far side, an ornate head and a pair of hands emerged and dropped down to Link's level. Link noticed each hand had a gen on its palm. Quickly dodging the hands attacks, Link took out his bow and started firing arrows at them. Once the hands were disabled, Gohdan's head started trying to crush link by stomping on him.

Link quickly rolled out of the way. He pulled out his bow again, this time aiming for Gohdan's eyes. Once the eyes were disabled, Gohdan's head fell to the ground with its mouth open. Link took the hint and quickly ran up to the mouth and shoved a lit bomb into it. Once the bomb went off, Gohdan rose again. Link repeated the process two more times. After the third time, Gohdan stopped moving. "YOU HAVE DONE WELL," came the voice from before, "AND HAVE PROVEN YOUR WORTH. YOUR FRIEND MAY NOW JOIN YOU." The door behind Link opened letting L inside. As soon he entered, a panel on Gohdan's head opened up.

L's eyes widened when he saw who was inside. "Naomi? Raye?" Sure enough, it was indeed Raye Penber and his fiancee Naomi Misora, two former FBI agents that had met with L before. Both of them had been killed by Kira due to them simply investigating the case. "I'm surprised to see you here L," Naomi said, "Does mean that...?" "I'm afraid so," L said, "Though from what I've seen, Kira is here as well, so my successors appear to have succeeded where I failed, though not without sacrifice." Link had his hand on his chin. "Oh I get it. These two are from the world you were in before, but are actually friends." "Well," L said, "I wouldn't go so far as to say 'friends', but I have worked with them in past. By the way, Naomi, do you remember anything from just before you died?"

Naomi shook her head. "The last I remember before blacking out was Light Yagami admitting he was Kira. Judging from the fact that I felt no pain afterward, I can only assume he used some method other than a heart attack to kill me." "Actually," L said, "I think it very likely that Kira had you kill yourself, in such a way that no one would find your body. In fact I'm almost positive." Raye closed his eyes. "So it was Light. I saw him on that train just before I died. And from what Naomi told me, the other FBI agents died as well. I can only assume Kira tricked somehow tricked me into killing them for him." He turned to Link. "But now's not the time for such talk. Link, at the top of the tower you will find a giant bell. Once you ring it, it will open the way to a land far below the sea. And there, you will find the power to repel all evil." Link nodded as he took the Heart container dropped by Gohdan. "I'm ready for it."

Next chapter: Heroes and Hyrule

Things are picking up now. Read and review, please.