As the pirate ship neared the Forsaken Fortess, Link noticed something very weird happen.
Before the startled eyes of the pirates, the entire fortress seemed to grow in size. More of the stone black surface appeared, the fortress becoming even taller. But that wasn't it, Link realized. The fortress wasn't growing.
The sea was receding.
The fortress was draining the Great Sea.
"Get us in there, NOW!" cried Link. "And let's skip the catapult this time."
As Link, Tetra, Gonzo, Nudge, Senza, Zuko, Mako and Niko stepped on foot the cursed stone ground, they noticed immediately the size change in the fortress. The area where Link had started out on his first visit was now several meters above their heads. Link now realized that the Forsaken Fortress was much, much larger and taller than it had first appeared. Who knew how much deeper into the sea it went?
As the group of eight climbed the stairs up to Link's original starting point, four arrows thudded into the steps behind them. Mako glanced up to see five ugly monsters with bows positioned up on the wall above them. They slightly resembled Bokoblins, except their noses were more piglike and they were fatter and tougher.
"Archiblins!" cried Mako. "I read about them in a book once. They're like Bokoblins except their a whole lot smarter and tougher.
The crew ducked as a half dozen more arrows whizzed by them.
"And they're wicked with a bow and arrow." Mako added.
Link sommersaulted into the main area, whipping out the Master Sword. An arrow zoomed toward his face. Link swung the sword and chopped the arrow in half, swatting it out of the air.
The rest of the pirates, meanwhile, ducked, rolled and dodged arrows and tried to get to cover. Gonzo and Senza were searching for things to lob: Pebbles, spare jewelry, anything. Most objects bounced harmlessly off the Archiblins' foreheads.
Link began firing his own arrows at the new monstrous adversaries, but they had too much cover. The arrows clacked against the stone wall.
Gonzo grunted as an arrow pierced his shoulder.
"Take him to the ship!" yelled Tetra. Niko and Zuko began helping the big pirate back to the pirate ship.
Link fired the Hookshot at a support beam, sending a part of the wall tumbling into the water. Three of the Archiblins tumbled down with it. Link shot down the other two while they were distracted.
"Lets get moving." he said immediately. "We can't waste any time. We need to stop them before the fortress sucks up any more of the sea."
As if on cue, the water level lowered again, exposing more of the Forsaken Fortress.
As they traveled through the halls, Link said, "I've never seen Archiblins before."
"Nor I." replied Mako. "In fact, I read they haven't been sighted for three hundred years."
"But that's before the Great Flood, even!" Link said in wonder.
"That's right." Mako nodded. "And how do you think they found their way here?"
Link's eyes widened. "You don't mean..."
Mako nodded again. "Ganondorf is draining the Great Sea somehow in order to dig up prehistoric monsters... the most powerful beasts the world has ever known."
Tetra shuddered. "Do we have a plan?" she asked.
Link nodded. "We just have to find the energy source the monsters are using to drain the sea, and then we go on and destroy Ganondorf once and for all!"
"We just have to get to the top of an ever-growing fortress full of prehistoric monsters." Nudge muttered.
"Nudge has a point." Mako said. "If my hunch is correct, some monsters may be found from before even Hyrule was founded. As far as I know, those Archiblins may be the weakest thing we'll see yet!"
All conversation stopped when a roar sounded behind them. Link, Tetra, Mako, Nudge and Senza spun around to see a giant muscular creature roll a huge boulder into the hallway behind them, sealing them into the fortress. It roared again and charged at them.
"What is it this time, Mako?" asked Senza.
"Ogreblins." Mako said. "About fifty years ago!"
Link thrust the Master Sword at the beast. But the Ogreblin was too fast. It grabbed Link's wrist and yanked him five feet forward, the Master Sword clattering to the floor.
Next, the Ogreblin lunged for Senza. The two locked their palms in a struggle of pure strength.
"Arm wrestle, eh?" Senza grunted. He twisted and sent the Ogreblin flipping into the air. Link stabbed toward it with the Master Sword, cutting it deep in its arm. It knocked Link away and stood up.
"Hyeah!" Tetra charged and kicked off the Ogreblin's head, but it was like kicking the stone wall. Nudge and Senza charged the monster one last time, knocking it to the side. Link finished it off with a last slash.
"Phew!" he said. "That was a little tough."
Just then, their progress was interrupted by a sharp THUNK.
There, stuck in the ground before them and wrapped in seaweed, was a very familiar Moblin staff.