Chapter 52: Bird Ringer Cestral and Wind Wizard Shikrah
Inside the large door with the golden lock, Link and Proxi found an empty cave with Raoole lying on the ground next to a stone tablet. The Oboe in Link's hand vibrated, and then it moved dragging Link toward Raoole. But once Link got close, a trapdoor opened beneath him and he found himself in a dark room with pipes along the sides. Then water started flowing from the pipes, prompting Link to use the Talon Clasp but when he tried to latch onto the edge of the trapdoor above him it was knocked away by a gust of wind. Peering into the darkness, Link saw Shikrah standing nearby with his arms folded.
"This was a trap created by the Zoras a long time ago," Shikrah explained. "Once the water fills this place, you'll be dead in a matter of moments."
"But you're trapped in here with me," Link said unsheathing the Master Sword. "So we'll both die in here."
"Not exactly," Shikrah said casually. "I can conjure a wind that'll keep me high and dry while you drown like a fish without gills."
"We'll see about that." Link looked around and said. "Where is your friend?"
"Right behind you."
A flock of birds flew out of the darkness toward Link who immediately blocked them with the Hylian Shield. Then Cestral stepped out and laughed.
"I'm impressed you were able to withstand my birds," Cestral said mockingly. "But can you survive this?"
Raising his hand above him, Cestral redirected the birds to dive-bomb on Link who activated Nayru's Love thus causing the birds to splinter off. They came at Link from all sides, causing him to use the Blast Attack to knock the birds out of the sky. They dissipated into a pile of black feathers upon being hit by the magic blasts, forcing Cestral to conjure more birds. Like before, Link blasted them out of the air but then when Cestral summoned a third wave the Master Sword fired nothing.
"Seems you've run out of magic, kid," Shikrah said as he raised his hand. "Let's see how well you do without it."
A spinning blade of wind appeared in Shikrah's hand which he then fired at Link. Dodging them, Link found several pots scattered around the room and broke them open. He discovered several vials of green liquid which replenished his magic upon drinking them. Feeling renewed, Link used Nayru's Love to protect him from a bombardment of birds and wind coming from both Watchmen and then when they stopped he rushed at them.
Once again, Cestral sent a flock of birds in Link's direction. But Link was prepared from them and turned on the Zora Steam Propeller. This generated a blast of steamy air that knocked the birds out of the air and caused them to dissipate into feathers. Angered, Cestral concentrated hard and a pair of black wings emerged from his back. He flew right at Link but the Zora Steam Propeller knocked him against one of the pipes and cracked his bird helmet.
"That does it!" Cestral said, throwing off his helmet revealing a face that was covered in skin-like feathers that were blue-black. "You're a dead man!"
"Wait, Cestral," Shikrah said raising his hand. Then he looked at Link. "If you hand over the Oboe of the East, we'll let you walk away. But if not, then my friend and I shall be forced to kill you."
"You guys are bad liars," Link said as he held up the Oboe. "I'd rather die than hand this over."
Then in one swift motion, Link tossed the Oboe into the air and used the Zora Steam Propeller to launch it up through the trapdoor. He heard the sound of something wet catching the Oboe, followed by a tune that sounded smooth but energetic. The Watchmen heard it too, and they immediately covered their ears and groaned in pain.
"The Merengue of the Eastern Torrent," Shikrah said wearily. "I heard the Medley of Winds was a powerful song…
"But one fragment is enough to make me go deaf!" cried Cestral. "We need to silence the one who's playing it."
So Shikrah conjured a platform made of wind and levitated up toward the trapdoor.
"Oh, no, you're not going anywhere!" Link shouted and used his Talon Clasp to wrap around Shikrah's leg and drag him down till he fell on top of Cestral who was still lying below the pipe.
The water had now risen past Link's ankles as he watched Shikrah try to wake Cestral up but he was out cold. Angered, Shikrah also removed his bird helmet which revealed no head underneath except for the glowing purple eyes. He raised his hands and a gust of wind blew all the water up into a swirling torrent that zigzagged across the room. Link managed to dodge it and used his Blast Attack to hit Shikrah directly. After several hits, Shikrah went down and a bright light surrounded him and Cestral.
As the water continued to rise, Link waded over to Shikrah and Cestral and found that their faces had changed to resemble Stitch and Crow only they were slightly older than before. Slinging them both over his shoulders, Link used the Talon Clasp one more time to grab the edge of the trapdoor and reeled himself up. However, the extra weight made it difficult for Link to get up when a pair of fish-like hands reached down and picked up Stitch and Crow's bodies.
"Raoole," Link exclaimed, recognizing the Zora who stood on the edge of the trapdoor. "Were you the one playing the Medley Fragment?"
"Indeed, Link," Raoole said, placing the two former Watchmen down. "I regained consciousness when I heard you fall into the trapdoor. Then when you threw the Oboe up I caught it and instinctively played the Merengue of the Eastern Torrent. As a result, I now know I'm the reincarnated Sage of the East Wind."
"That's good to hear," Link said and looked over at Stitch and Crow.
"Are those the same Watchmen who kidnapped me?" Raoole said glancing over at the two young men in confusion. "They look more human underneath those helmets than I imagined."
"They weren't like this when they removed their helmets earlier," Link responded as he turned them onto their stomachs and looked underneath the collars of their uniforms. "Their faces were more monstrous, then after you played the Medley Fragment they freaked out and transformed into these guys. Plus, I saw the same thing happen to the Watchman I fought before coming here. It has something to do with the Shadow Crystals on their backs."
"Really?" Raoole looked at Stitch and Crow's backs and flinched in disgust. "How horrible! Zelda's an even bigger fiend than I imagined."
"So what do these Shadow Crystals imply and how are they related to the transformations that seem to occur to the Watchmen every time a Medley Fragment is played?"
"Like the Fused Shadow, Shadow Crystals are corruptive but they curse a thing to stay in one form whereas the Fused Shadow transforms one thing into another. So Zelda must have kidnapped these men, exposed them to the Fused Shadow long enough to change them into monsters, and then embedded the Shadow Crystals into them so that they'd remain in their monstrous forms. This is the reason the Watchmen wear helmets and clothing that covers up most of their bodies. Then why they changed back into their human forms is because the Medley Fragment was played by a Sage who is considered to be an instrument of the Goddesses."
"Is there some way to remove the Shadow Crystals?"
"Not that I know of, but there's an old professor who lives around here. Maybe he might be able to help us."
But then a circle of light surrounded Raoole causing him to fade away.
"It's all right, Link," Raoole said calmly. "I'm being taken to the Sacred Realm to wait for the other Sages to reawaken. Head down the coast and look for the Marine Research Laboratory. Professor Nautilus lives there, and he'll point you in the right direction."
Then after Raoole vanished, another circle of light appeared which Link stepped into while dragging Crow and Stitch's bodies into it.
To be continued…
