I don't remember if I've mentioned this before, so I'll go ahead an say it (again?). There are going to be fifteen chapters in this story, including a short epilogue. That means there are two more chapters of solid plot, and one of wrap up. I just felt like letting you know that (again?). Anyway, enjoy. Make sure to leave me a review. Those usually help me get around to writing more quicklyer (ha).
The moment his eyes fell upon the archaic structure, Link recognized the temple for what it was. There could be no mistaking that this was the object of their search. Its simple sandstone structure could be nothing else. There was one great door opening from the nearest side, which they headed straight toward. There was no speech among them as they approached. It seemed that, despite the silence this place had surely endured for many years, they were not to make a sound. Link felt half afraid of this place. There was something ominous about the gothic construction, as if it were alien.
Surely it was, for at least one reason. This was a mark of man in a place no man had set foot in what could have easily been centuries. And with that the realization came. They were silent, not out of respect for the streak's duration, but out of fear. Link had never come here before, but neither had any of the others. Supposedly, this was the closest they had come to the full realization of their goal. None of them had ever come here, had ever stepped within the temple. They knew of it only from rumor and myth, passed on by the ones who had taught them. Even those people had never come here, Link knew this somehow. The air here had not been breathed for lifetimes.
"What do we do?" Link asked. He noted that everyone in attendance flinched, though to individual degrees.
"There should be a room…" Shad said quietly, still wary of the place, "Near the center, which holds what we need."
"And what is that?" Link asked. They were all moving through the wide main room. The ceiling hung far overhead. There were no windows, only distant slits which let in a minimal amount of light. The whole place seemed grey and coarse, indistinct. Somehow, it could only be dead. This thought seemed particularly disturbing to Link, but no less true for the associated feeling.
"Five artifacts, hidden away centuries ago," the man replied, gazing around, unsettled, "None of us know what they are, but they are essential in the sealing."
"Sealing the dark god…" Link murmured to himself, turning the idea over slowly.
More silence.
They'd left the packs and horses outside. This left the six of them to go on foot. It was slow, fearful going. Though nobody ever admitted, they all recognized the fear in each other. They each recognized the fear in themselves, and tried to focus their eyes elsewhere. Link wanted to find the artifacts, whatever they were, and get out of this place. There seemed to be something wrong here. Link couldn't put his finger on it, but this stretched beyond the uncertainty he'd known before.
Pulling a match from his pocket, Mason lit a torch from the wall and began to lead them down a stairwell. The walls crept close around them, as did the darkness. Soon enough, Link could see ahead just as well as behind. There was a small area of semi-light, to which they all clung. Mason descended with a heavy, methodical march, moving unstoppably into the darkness below.
Who knew what lay down there?
The march went on, through a seemingly endless array of minutes. Time seemed to stretch on forever as they headed infinitely downward. Each step brought a mismatched pattern of footsteps, all tapping out of turn in the pressingly claustrophobic night. The walls stood around, solid and impenetrable. However, as much as they were stagnate, brick faced barriers, Link thought they could possibly be paper thin. At any moment, the shallow façade would tear away to reveal a dozen reaching arms.
Down they went, step by step.
Link wondered how far above the temple was, how distant the sun. How long had they been in this descent? It could have been minutes, or hours. There was no way to gauge it. Link tried to count his steps but lost track quickly. It went on too long, or it was too repetitive for him to understand. All Link knew was that the stairwell was eating away at his life, step by step. Maybe there was no end to it.
And nearly as soon as he thought this, they all stepped out into a densely dark, low ceilinged room.
Somehow this was worse.
It had the subtle effect of a tomb. Link could not see beyond the thin ring of light which they all crowded into. He could see heads swiveling around, staring fearfully into the darkness. All except Mason, who moved forward steadily. He looked around, but purposefully and without any noticeable apprehension. The man raised his arm high overhead, widening the ring of light slightly.
Before them lay a small chest. It was only a few inches deep, and about a foot from edge to edge. There was a lock, but Mason's hand opened it without resistance. Maybe it was broken from such a long hibernation, or maybe it was a dummy, they wouldn't know.
The darkness was eaten away by fiery light and Mason snapped his hand back down, shutting the chest. They all looked around for the source of this luminance, eventually taking notice of the large man who stood halfway to the stairs.
He said nothing, only raised a hand toward Link and grinned.
Before Link could do anything, or even think do anything, Auru was leaping in front of him. Fire flared again with a roar, but was mostly deflected by a sudden, strong burst of wind. However, not all of it was simply swept away. Link felt the heat briefly, terribly, but knew Auru had taken the brunt of it. Once the immediate fire was gone, the man dropped down to a knee. This lasted only a moment before he leapt back up.
Link could see he was unsteady on his feet now, though.
Before anything else could be said or done, Auru was rushing toward the man, growling with raised hands.
Link began to ready his energies as a second form appeared from the stairwell, and a third dropped out of the sandstone wall.
Upon seeing this, Mason pressed the torch and chest toward Shad and said, "Get them out! Take the horses and head east!"
"But…" the scholar began, stepping back under the weight of the words.
"There's no time! If they get you four here, there won't be enough of us left, then everything is over. Done, dead! Meet Ashei there and finish this!"
Mason had expanded his blades, several more than the ones Link had seen previously. He was rushing toward the two newcomers while Auru struggled against the flaming man.
"Alright…" Shad muttered, his words weak.
Turning toward Link and the others he said quickly, "Let's go, follow me."
Shad ran from the ensuing fight, followed by Link, Zelda, and the child. He led them deeper into the room. Soon the roar of fighting fire had faded, leaving only the torch's flicker. They reached a second stairwell and began to run up it. He had Link go first while he took the rear. Zelda and the child stayed in the center, moving as quickly as they could.
Again they moved into the endless staircase. The tide of steps came faster this time, thunderously. They were running upward as fast as possible, constantly wary of the dangers of tripping. None of them did, that is, until a man fazed through the wall just ahead and above them.
It was the man who Link had fought over and over again, and the man who had captured him before. Link had his strength prepared now, and began to unleash it. However, as the roaring blast of dark energy left Link's hand, the man slipped back into the sandstone and was gone.
"Dammit!" Link growled, staring momentarily at the ruined section of stairs.
They all began to look around in the narrow, sloping corridor. There was laughter which seemed to come from everywhere at once.
"I'm here…" the man's ethereal voice moaned ominously, "Here I am… I am right here… I am right… here!"
With a screech, he leapt out from above. Link felt away from the approaching man, and managed to throw a hand toward him. It came in just enough time to knock him aside with a strengthened strike. The sandman's body was deflected and disappeared into the wall as if it were water.
"We have to keep moving," Shad said slowly, quietly, "If we stay too long, the others will catch up and then there's no chance."
Link climbed up the destroyed section, having to lever himself over the ruined gap. Turning as quickly as he could, Link pulled Zelda up first, then the child. Shad was running up, was mid leap, when the sandman half materialized behind him.
Shad was suddenly restrained with arms wrapped all around him. One around his neck, another around his waist, and a third restraining the torch bearing arm. The sandman had only three limbs and a head sticking from the wall, apparently having left the rest just within its sanctum.
Link saw a look of shock appear across Shad's face, only to be replaced by something different.
With uncharacteristic coolness, Shad extended his free arm as far as it would go and tossed the chest to Link, who caught it carefully in both hands.
"Go!" Shad called out, "Hurry!"
He was struggling against the sandman, who took every movement as a chance to more completely engulf the Shad's body.
"You think they can outrun me?" the man said, "This is sandstone. This is the desert. This is my domain!"
Without saying anything, Shad clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, drawing his eyes into twisted figures of pained concentration.
As if a hidden spring had been unplugged, water poured out of the air. It flew toward Shad, drenching him and the sandman alike. It soaked through them both, darkening the sandman's textures and loosening his frame considerably. This was all Link could see before the torch sizzled out.
"What have you…!?" the sandman roared. There was a scream, a roar of the purest fury. Link could feel the sandstone shaking, undulating. A shout of frustration.
"Run!" Shad screamed. Something cut his word off halfway through, leaving the air to hang with a half spoken syllable.
They obeyed, and took off up the stairs. As fast as they moved, the sounds of struggle would not fade away. The three of them were stumbling up the stairs, moving as quickly as they could in the dead darkness. Eternity passed, a hundred years in which Link could constantly feel the sandman's hand on his shoulder. He once came too close to Zelda, causing her to let out a shriek of terror. The child made no sound, but Link knew he was there from the frantic breathing.
The darkness broke, leaving them to stumble out into the anteroom's grey light. Even that was a great relief to them. There was no time to stop, no time to enjoy that relief. They kept running, straight out of the temple. Off to the horses. Link nearly threw Zelda atop the nearest one and watched it run off for a moment while he lifted the child. They followed but a moment later. Air rushed past while the hot desert sun hung overhead. The horses galloping hooves made patting sounds against the golden sand.
The whole while, all Link could think of was the fact that there were only three of them. Even if they met Ashei there, it wouldn't be enough.
Everything was ruined.