Chapter 29: Sacred Spring
At the Graveyard, Zelda found a tombstone with the Triforce symbol on it. Figuring this was the one Skull Kid was talking about, Zelda used all her strength to move it but the tombstone wouldn't budge. It took her and Impa's strength combined to move the tombstone, revealing a deep hole.
"Are you sure the Sacred Spring's down there?" Lana asked nervously.
"Yes, I'm pretty sure," Skull Kid nodded.
"Well, there's only one way to find out," Zelda said and jumped down the hole using her Wind Parasol to lighten the fall.
While Zelda landed lightly at the bottom of the hole, Impa tumbled down while Lana landed on her feet and lost her footing. Once Zelda and Impa steadied her, the three of them headed down the underground passage that was conveniently lit with torches.
"Isn't Skull Kid coming with us?" Zelda asked.
"He volunteered to stand guard by the tombstone. Someone was following us earlier," Impa said bluntly, causing Lana and Zelda to look surprised.
"Why didn't you say so?" Zelda demanded.
"Because I didn't want to trouble you," Impa answered.
"It still would've been good to know," Zelda grumbled. "I'm not the sheltered child you raised, nor am I the same Zelda."
"Well, whatever experiences you may have gone through before coming here have certainly made you more confident," Impa said. "But don't get cocky."
"I won't," Zelda said and noticed several Keese flying toward them.
She used the Kokiri Fan to freeze them which caused them to fall and shatter on the ground. A little ways up they came to a rotating platform on it that was crowded with wolf-like Wolfos. After defeating them, the platform stopped rotating and a wheel appeared in the center.
"I guess this means we can decide which way to go," Zelda said, putting her hands of the wheel. "Any ideas?"
"If memory serves me correctly," Lana said looking at the three available passages. "I think the way to the Sacred Spring is the middle."
So Zelda turned the wheel, and the bridge that was attached to the platform rotated until it connected to the middle passage. After fighting off some more Wolfos and Keese along the way, the three came to a dead-end with a small chest and a large chest. Opening the large chest first, Zelda found an item shaped like a gun but it was slimmer and smaller than the Zora Steam Gun with a black velvet tube attached to the end of the shaft. A red eye symbol was emblazoned on the side of it.
"My Goddesses," Impa exclaimed upon seeing the gun. "It's an antique Sheikah Silencer. I haven't seen one of these in years."
"So it fires silent bullets?" Zelda said, examining it.
"Exactly," Lana said and pointed to the velvet tube. "That tube silences whatever bullets you fire, so your enemies won't be able to hear you."
"Neat," Zelda said and added the Sheikah Silencer to her arsenal.
Then she opened the smaller chest, revealing a small silver key.
"Did any of you see a place for this anywhere?" Zelda wondered.
"I saw keyholes in the stump that the steering-wheel was attached to," Lana said.
Going off of her advice, the three left the room and went back to the platform. Sure enough there were three keyholes. All were silver, then at the center of the steering-wheel there was a fourth keyhole that was gold.
"Great, more puzzles," Zelda murmured.
"You've done these before?" Impa wondered.
"I did about three back in my reality, when searching for the Fused Shadow fragments with Link," Zelda answered.
She placed the key in one of the silver keyholes causing the platform to turn to the left. From there, Zelda and the others went down the left passage and encountered Skulltulas along with black fuzzy shapes with red eyes known as Black Boes. Avoiding them, they came to another room with a small chest and a silver key inside it. Taking it back to the platform, they put the key into another keyhole which caused the platform to swing right.
Down the passage on the right, there were Deku Babas and Bio Deku Babas which hung from the ceiling. Killing these, the three were able to unlock the door to the third room which contained a small chest with a key. After putting the third key in the third lock, the platform rotated to a blank wall. Confused, the girls watched as the blank wall suddenly opened up revealing another passage. Following it, the three came to a large room with a pit in the center. From this pit emerged a giant mole with blue flames coming from from his eyes, a frosty breath, and large metallic claws.
"Coledigger!" Impa said, clenching her fists. "I thought we buried you in the desert!"
The mole-like creature roared and breathed a frosty gale that froze everything it touched. While Lana fired blasts of energy from her hands and Impa punched the mole with brute strength, Zelda took out the Crossbow and fired several Blast Arrows at the mole's head. It screeched in agony with each blow until it sank back into the hole which filled up with dirt. A gold treasure-chest appeared, prompting Zelda to open it, revealing a gold-colored key.
After that, Zelda inserted the golden key into the steering-wheel which caused it to spin rapidly. As a result, the platform spun really fast in a downward spiral until it reached the bottom. Feeling ill, the girls limped forward away from the platform down a steep rocky incline. The air was much cooler and the sound of rippling water could be heard. Zelda and the others looked up and saw a clear spring that was frosted over. Just as Zelda was about to step onto the ice, something emerged from beneath it. To Zelda, the creature resembled an elongated fish, but it had no eyes with a translucent body and sharp teeth.
To be continued…
