"Oh, heavens! That quake just broke the bridge again! So many quakes lately, and the bridge breaks every time there's a big one!"
Chapter Fourteen: Temple of the Ocean King
"So, how long are you going to keep me here?" the blue garbed "privateer", Bartolomeo, asked.
He was stuck again in that dreamscape, with nowhere to go and no way out. The brunet was annoyed, more so that usual as he kept having reoccurring dreams, nightmares and visions of that Link boy. The voice that he would hear would call him "Link", but he was not blonde, hated the color green and never been to Snowpeak in his life.
"Seriously, why am I here?" Bart shouted, kicking a snow mound.
He plopped onto the ground and fell onto his back, looking up at the cloudy sky. Groaning, Bart muttered, "I'm not gonna admit that out loud. Tetra and the kid's already looking at me like I'm crazy."
Silence and it only angered the brunet. He sat back up and said, "I had a life before all this, y'know! Sure, being a privateer with amnesia isn't such a good thing. Neither is turning into a wolf every Blood Moon…or whenever I get too angry at something. But that's my life and you don't have the right to interfere, 'Hero'!"
More silence and Bart gave a loud, frustrated scream. He fell back onto his back and began beating the ground. After several moments of his tantrum, he gave up and said, "Fine! Fine! You want me to admit it? Fine! My name is Link, but I'm not calling myself that outside of this place! So, let me out already!"
Sensing a presence, Bart sat up, seeing a knight in golden armor. He scoffed and said, "So, it was you. Why are you keeping me here?"
"You are a rather stubborn lad…" the knight said.
"Then I must've gotten it from you, since I'm a 'Link'," Bart quipped.
He got to his feet and the knight told him, "I need you to go to the Temple of Ocean King. There's something inside that will help you and the others."
"And what's this 'help' we need?" Bart asked, suspect.
"You need to find the Phantom Hourglass. With that, it'll help stall time before…an untimely demise," the knight replied.
Bartolomeo was skeptical, but if it could help him wake up and not see the knight's face again, then he would do it. So, he agreed and everything faded to white.
Rutela 31st, Mercay Island…
Tetra and Makar looked over Bartolomeo as he slept. He passed out after entering the island elder's, Oshus, house. The grey-haired, lime green and sea blue wearing island elder was explaining about the old temple in the northern part of the island that Mazio wanted to explore. Bart had passed out afterwards and the group waited patiently for him to wake up.
Sitting next to the bed, Tetra sighed as Makar asked for the fifth time those few days, "Is he awake yet? C'mon! I'm bored and I wanna leave this island!"
"Haste will get you nowhere, child. You must learn patience," Oshus told him.
"Yeah, yeah! The Papa Deku Tree told me that all the time. But I don't get why, though. Especially if you can get stuff done quickly. And Bart sleeping like this is slowing everyone down! We were supposed to go to the Temple of the Ocean King days ago!" Makar ranted.
A groan and Bart stirred awake. Instead of being happy, Makar said, "Finally! What's the deal with you sleeping all the time now?!"
"Sorry that my passing out was such an inconvenience…" Bart said, grumbling.
That was the Bartolomeo Tetra knew. A grumpy guy who was easily annoyed by the ever-impatient Makar. He sat up and Oshus told him, "So, you've reconnected with yourself…"
"If that's what you call 'passing out', then yeah," Bart said.
Oshus was pleased and said, "Well, Mazio wanted you to go into the Temple of the Ocean King and I concur with him. And I can sense that the 'other you' wants you to go as well."
"Wow, way to chart out my course for me. Greatly appreciate it, guy," Bart said, very sarcastically.
"C'mon. Don't be such a killjoy! There's probably a whole bunch of treasure inside!" Makar told him.
Tetra knew about the legends of the ancient temple. It was a place of worship that was cursed by a squid-like demon that consumed the life force from all those who entered. A Hero had entered the area a few hundred years after the destruction of the Cobble Kingdom and defeated the demon with a sword similar to the fabled Master Sword, the Phantom Sword. The temple's curse was dispelled and monks loyal to the Ocean King repopulated the temple, clearing it out and making it a challenge dungeon for adventurers. Recently, the Great Sea Alliance had used the temple for training for their navy.
"And they've put the treasure of the temple, the Phantom Hourglass, deep into the temple. The challenge is to find the treasure and bring it back without getting caught by the temple's guards, the Phantoms," Oshus told the trio.
Bart sighed and said, "And I'm supposed to go look for it…I really didn't sign up for this."
"Well, poor you. That's your lot in life," Tetra said, not too sympathetic.
Getting off the bed and checking his attire, Bart fixed the blue coat that covered the black and gold Sheikah garb he had underneath. He checked the boots and Makar asked, "Are you done yet? Can we go now?"
Bart ignored him and Oshus said, "Before you three attempt to go into the temple, you must know that you'll need the elder's permission before going in. Also…"
"Don't we have it already by speaking with you?" Tetra asked.
Oshus nodded, handing the young woman a scroll and Bart asked, "Also what?"
"The temple will test the very limits of your powers. Bartolomeo, I sense you have a great affinity for Earth Magic. Makar, Wind Magic…That would explain your annoyance of the boy. The two elements constantly opposed to each other. And Tetra, you've Shadow and Spirit. The dungeon layout changes for every challenger and the monks are not willing to give up the secrets of the place so easily," Oshus explained.
"So ready our weapons and be prepared to use our brains. Got it," Makar said, leaving.
Before anyone could stop him, the Korok had practically sprinted out of the home. Oshus shook his head, muttering, "Young people…"
"You really think he's changed that much?" Tetra asked.
Master Mazio nodded, replying with, "Yes. He seems to want to stick with his old personality, the one that practically is irritated at Makar, sarcastic and reluctant to do anything. Almost like he's trying too hard. Sheik…I mean, Tetra, keep an eye on him while you're exploring Mercay Island. I'm sure old man Oshus already sensed the Hero within awakening in him."
"So, keep him on the path of Hero, even if he hates it?" Tetra asked.
"Yes. He doesn't know this, but…the longer he and the others are separated like this…" Master Mazio started.
Tetra had a bad feeling, but she got what the older Sheikah was saying. She bowed, telling him, "I'll make sure to reunited them. But how can that Phantom Hourglass help?"
"It'll slow the progression of the Malice that's…erasing them…They can't tell, but it's slowly eradicating them. But with that, it'll delay the Malice inside of them until the eight are together again. And after that," Master Mazio said.
"We go to my sister and see if they've found the Master Sword…But, will the Malice be erased out of them and…?" Tetra asked.
Master Mazio shrugged, saying, "I hope so. If not, then all of this would be for naught. But, one step at a time. Protect Bartolomeo and make sure to teach Makar the virtues of patience."
"The first will be easier than the second. But, I'll do as you say, Master," Tetra told him.
Temple of the Ocean King, entrance…
The stone hall was filled with blue pots, praying monks and an empty altar. Something told Tetra that the Phantom Hourglass was placed there long ago and she saw Makar running towards the door, guarded by an armed monk. The bald man in grey glowered and stopped Makar from entering.
"Who are you? What are you doing in this hallowed domain, child?" he asked.
Makar glared and said, "I'm not a kid. My name is Makar of the Koroks and I'm sure I'm older than you!"
"Yeah, but you don't act like it," Bart quipped.
The boy turned his glare to him and Tetra approached, telling the monk, "We've received permission from Elder Oshus to enter the temple. Here's his letter."
She gave him the scroll and he looked it over. After a few moments, he refused the letter and said, "Tell Elder Oshus that we haven't been able to reopen since the last incident. Sailors from the Alliance entered, but many of them succumbed to hallucinations within moments of entering. We had to go in, stop the challenge and drag many of them out. Most of them now still are under the affects. I don't know what happened to cause all that, but we cannot allow anyone inside the temple complex until we find the source of the illusions."
Tetra, remembering Master Mazio's request, said, "If we go inside, find and shut off the source, could we keep the temple's keepsake: the Phantom Hourglass?"
"No! You mustn't!" a monk shouted.
Another said, "That hourglass is a relic from the Hero of Spirits! We can't just hand it to you three."
"Yeah, you no-named-sea-urchins!" a third added.
"What if we said that we got him standing right here?" Makar asked.
Bart mouthed for him to shut up, but the monks didn't notice and thought Makar was talking about himself. They looked him over and said, "Nah, seems far too short for a Hero."
"Yep. Look at his stubby little legs," another monk laughed.
"And scrawny little arms," the last one said.
The group of ten laughed and Makar glowered, looking ready to blast them into the walls with wind. Bart sighed and said, "Hey! He's not talking about himself. He's…talking about me."
The monks ceased their mockery and scanned Bartolomeo. The blue garbed Hero's fragment was uncomfortable and one asked, "So, if you're him, then what was the name of the demon the Hero sealed away."
"Not…sealed…Destroyed. His name was Bellum," Bart answered, looking uneasy.
He glanced over to Tetra, who gave him a reassuring look. He seemed to relax a bit when another monk asked, "Then what was the vessel the monster used to terrorize this place?"
"The Ghost Ship?" Bart answered in a questioning manner.
The monks huddled, talking to themselves as it seemed that they couldn't stump him. After a few moments, they broke huddle and one asked, "What were the names of the spirits that guided the Hero to the Ghost Ship and save his love?"
Bart answered with, "The Spirit of Power: Leif, the Spirit of Wisdom: Neri and the Spirit of Courage: Ciela…and it was to save…"
He held his head as Tetra could sense a memory waking up. She could see what he saw, a raven-haired island woman that was the love of "Hasan Salamand's" life, Cereza. Bart shook his head and said, "That…Never mind. Can we go in now?"
The monk guarding the door agreed to and commanded for the other monks to resume praying. They did and the guard told them, "Just be careful. Phantoms stalk the corridors."
Bart pushed Tetra and Makar through the doorway before either could ask and they wound up in a large room where many glowing tiles were. A central chamber had many tiles in it and various pottery. Makar rushed forward, saying, "Let's go!"
"Hey, wait! Don't step…!" Bart shouted.
Makar was suddenly locked in the central chamber as spikes came up. It came up to half his height and he yelled, "What? What's this? Hey! That's cheating!"
Tetra and Bartolomeo were about to exit the glowing tiles when fog surrounded them, making it hard to see anything. Using her "eyes of truth", Tetra's eyes began glowing a vibrant red and she tried to locate Makar and Bart. But the two were nowhere to be seen.
Taking another step, the fog disappeared and she found herself in another temple, instead of the Temple of the Ocean King. Light poured through the windows and the chamber she was in was an entrance hall. Large, marble pillars depicting the images of a Hero, a Princess and a large man that seemed to be a Guardian appeared in various locations such as Snowpeak, Death Mountain and a castle. The image of the Holy Relic was in the middle of the floor and it pointed towards a door in the back.
Tetra took a few steps, only for more mist to appear and disappear. A fully armored woman in gold with a white cape blocked her progression and she was armed with a rapier in her right hand. She pointed it at Tetra and the young woman summoned a kodachi from the shadows. Her sailor's clothes changed as well, turning back into the black Sheikah jumpsuit, turban and mask.
The armored one channeled light into her weapon and swung, releasing a wave of energy that Sheik barely jumped over in time. She landed, blocking quickly as the woman rushed forward to slash her. The two were locked in a struggle and both were trying to overpower the other.
As they did, Sheik could see someone else underneath the helmet. She gasped at the realization, pushing her opponent back and asking, "Who…? Who are you?"
"You are not to go any farther," a voice said in her mind.
The armored woman sheathed her sword and Sheik knew it was her. The figure's form changed to a blonde woman in white. She looked much like her sister, Zelda, but…
"You must find your sisters…Together, you will be able to find the Blade of Evil's Bane. The only weapon that will break the curse on the Hero and restore his form. As the elder said, his fragments are slowly dying and they do not know it. The Phantom Hourglass will slow the progression of their dissolution. But he must find it himself," the glowing figure of Zelda's look-a-like told her.
Sheik relaxed and the woman continued with, "You know what will happen if the balance of Power, Wisdom and Courage is broken."
"Yeah, but I thought it already was. The imbalance of everything happened after the Hero Chosen by the Gods died 1,000 years ago," Sheik told her.
The figure shook her head and said, "No. That was only a glimpse of what could happen. It will get worse if the Hero is erased. That is what the Malice inside of him is trying to do. With the many transformations, splitting of his body and mind and the loss of control over his powers, it seeks to destroy him."
"So, if the balance is forever lost…?" Sheik asked.
The woman suddenly appeared in front of her, placing a hand on her forehead. Sheik then gasped as she saw the entire world covered in shadows and flame. Monsters roamed everywhere and whatever remaining humans were left created a tiny resistance that was losing horribly. A man with flaming red hair stood as leader of the monsters and his eyes were glowing gold, but its shine didn't give Sheik hope. He raised his right fist in the air and cackled madly.
She backed away and the vision ended. The woman was sad and told Sheik, "I cannot permit for the Hero to disappear. Our lineage will not stand a chance."
"But won't he get reborn…? Even if he dies again?" Sheik asked.
The woman shook her head and said, "No. The Malice will turn his mind, body and soul into a monster and he'll be permanently drafted in the Great Demon King's army…"
"So, Bart has to find the Phantom Hourglass and reunite with his other selves…But how will they all know to reunite?" Sheik asked.
The woman disappeared in a shower of light, telling her, "Like your sisters…telepathy…And a hive mentality."
"Wait, the three of us don't have…" Sheik said, only for the fog to cover her.
With Makar…
"Whew…How many floors is in this place?" Makar asked.
He looked to Bartolomeo, who rescued him after Tetra was suddenly taken from them via mist. The man in blue was laying on the floor, ready to pass out as the pair had ran from various armored enemies that couldn't be defeated by the sword or stunned. He called them "Phantoms" and they met three varieties so far, the "Original Recipe Phantoms", the "Swift Phantoms" and the "Boulder Phantoms". One such Boulder Phantom attempted to run them over several times on the 7th floor and they managed to make it to a safe spot.
"Seriously…why did you think it was a good idea to bribe them?!" Bartolomeo yelled.
"Hey, I thought they were human underneath!" Makar told him.
"But why bribe them?" Bart asked.
Makar grumbled and he looked around the area. It was definitely a safe place as there wasn't any Phantoms in the area and he couldn't sense anything. Golden tiles led to a section of glowing tiles and a door that had the Sigil of Farore on it. Luckily, it was open, but Makar didn't want to continue. Instead, he wanted to go to the glowing pillar of golden light coming from the right side of the room as he could sense it would lead back up. It appeared once Bart stepped into the room, almost as if it could sense his presence.
"When will this end?" Makar asked, pouting.
"Until we get that hourglass. When we get it, we're outta here," Bart replied.
He jumped to his feet, checked his dual weapons and attire and headed for the door. Makar whined, saying, "C'mon. Can't we rest a little more?"
The brunet didn't answer and they entered the next area. Makar took a few steps, only for Bart to grab him arm, yelling, "Whoa!"
The glowing tiles led to an abyss and the Korok trembled. Bart then pointed to moving platforms and Makar wasn't too keen on jumping on them. Especially since his magic seemed to have weakened due to being so far underground.
The pair jumped on it and then to another, dodging arrow traps that were embedded in the walls. Once on solid ground, a loud "ding" and Makar asked, "What was that?"
Bartolomeo looked down, seeing the floor looked much different than anything they've seen before. He took a few small steps and the ringing was quieter and he looked to Makar, telling him to "shush". Makar tried to take his advice, walking as slow as he could. But it was taking too long.
They stopped at the end of the path, with Bart peeking from behind the wall. He was relieved as there were no Phantoms in sight. So, Makar took that as his cue to run.
He took off, only to slide right in a Swift Phantom's line of sight. It spotted him shouting, "I GOT YOU NOW!"
"WAAH-AAAH-HA-HA!" Makar screamed, running for a safe zone as the monster gave chase.
He jumped onto the glowing tiles near a stairwell, just as the Phantom took a swipe. The Korok cried and Bart asked, "Why did you run that way?"
Makar jolted and saw that he was leaning against a wall, looking ready to laugh. The crying Korok yelled, "I thought he wasn't there!"
"Seriously, you really got to stop rushing everywhere. You're only gonna get yourself killed at this rate," Bart warned.
Makar glowered and Bart took the stairs to the next floor.
An hour later, Basement Floor 9…
Makar was exhausted and he looked to his cohort who seemed to be struggling. They ran from many Phantoms and some Bart tried to fight…mainly attempting to stun them. He even saved Makar from falling into a false safe zone as it was a pit. As they rested in another safe zone, Makar could feel evil in the air and the marks on the walls looked as if they were made from a weapon. But he didn't see any Phantoms nearby.
Bartolomeo sighed, got up and asked, "Seriously, why are you always rushing? I told you it'll only get you killed."
"Well, I'm sorry that everything seems so slow to me. I wanna get outta here as quickly as we can…" Makar replied.
"But getting killed in the process isn't gonna help. So, just slow down a bit," Bart told him.
Makar grumbled, muttering, "Sure, old man…"
"What was that?" Bart said, glaring.
The sound of laughter rang out and the two jumped. Makar hopped up, asking, "W-What was that?"
Bartolomeo unsheathed his twin swords and looked ready to fight, despite nearly dying to a Phantom earlier. The two explored the floor, surprised that there really were no Phantoms and a voice said, "I can't believe that someone like you is a Hero! I'll end you and your little friend!"
"Hey, we're not…!" Makar started.
Bats appeared, fluttering about and coalescing in the middle of the room. A scythe appeared and the its owner. The creature, a hooded one that wore a skull mask, roared and lunged for Makar. Bart jumped in the way, clashing weapons with the creature. He was locked in a stalemate and he shouted, "Makar, look for the exit!"
"No, you don't!" the monster, a Gomess, said.
It summoned a legion of bats and they chased after Makar. The Korok ran, ducking as the bats flew at his head. With a swing of his hand, he sent a small gust of air, pushing the monsters back. The legion backed up but resumed chasing him with a renewed vigor.
Before he could reach the safe point with three altars and a locked door, Makar was ambushed and the bats fluttered around him. They rammed into him, bit and clawed him repeatedly, injuring him greatly. He cowered, trying to protect himself, but the bats continued their attack.
"Leave me…ALONE!" Makar screamed.
A gust of wind came from him, launching the bats from him. Weakened, Makar tried to get to the safe zone, but the bats respawned and swarmed him. He collapsed, barely flinching or wincing as the bats kept ramming, biting and clawing him.
"MAKAR!"
Bartolomeo had parried an attack from the Gomess' scythe and rushed towards the boy. He swung the sword in his left hand and an arc of energy struck several of the bats. He then slashed and cut down much of the remaining monsters and scooped up the boy when he finally had an opening.
But the Gomess swiftly appeared behind him and slashed him in the back. He dropped Makar and the boy landed in the safe zone, near the triangle pedestal. The Korok could see the man struggle to get up and the Gomess looming over him. It lifted its scythe to give a final strike when several kunai were tossed its direction.
It blocked, twirling its scythe to deflect the attack, and the kunai's owner was none other than Sheik. Sheik tossed crystal blocks at the boy, each in the shape of a triangle, circle and square. The masked Sheikah looked to him and said, "Put the blocks on the pedestals, hurry!"
She backflipped, narrowly avoiding the Gomess's scythe swing. As she jumped and dodged out of the way, successfully distracting the monster and its surrounding bat horde, Makar slowly got to his feet and limped towards Bartolomeo.
The man was trying to get up, but the wound on his back prevented that. As Makar tried to help, he shouted, "Put the crystals on the pedestals! I'm fine!"
"But…!" Makar started.
"Just do it!" Bart yelled.
The Korok did as he was told, returning to the safe zone and struggled to carry the crystals. He was covered in cuts and bruises and it felt as if he would pass out any minute. Once he placed the final crystal, the circle, the door opened and he heard Sheik cry out.
She had underestimated the speed of her foe and was hit hard and sent flying into a wall, near a pit with an eye switch. Makar ran out of the safe zone, adrenaline fueling him, and was surprised to see Bart moving much faster than he. He rushed at the unmoving Sheik, seeing the Gomess attempting a killing blow. The monster saw him, teleported as the blue-clad privateer slashed as its waist and reappeared behind him.
He turned, only for the Gomess to slash his face and knocking him into the pit. Makar's eyes widened as he screamed, "NO! BART!"
The boy, arms and legs glowing light green, sprinted towards the Gomess and released a powerful gale. The monster was pushed back and Makar jumped for the pit. He careened downward, trying to gain enough speed to find Bart. As he continued down the seemingly endless pit, the Korok could see a yellow light. The light sped pass him, going up and Makar started screaming as he was still going down.
"Just launch yourself upward!"
"I don't know how!" Makar screamed at the voice, which oddly sounded like a Hylian-fluent version of Bartolomeo.
"You're a Sage, aren't you? Use your powers."
"Uh, uh, uh…!" Makar stammered.
He thought of the winds scooping him up and they did, surrounding him and stopping his fall. The boy sighed in relief and another thought to fly upward came to him. He looked up and launched himself with the wind. As he came closer to the entrance, rocks and pieces of tile fell and the boy dodged, performing aerial spins. A horrendous shriek and the sight of monster remains falling made Makar perform one final maneuver, exiting the pit and flipping over Gomess' remains.
The boy landed on his feet, nearly tumbling over as he was utterly exhausted. But he had to fight it as a boulder came his direction. He jumped backwards and Sheik said, "There's no reasoning with him right now. We have to leave."
She jumped, grabbing Makar and ran, carrying him. Makar saw a being, covered in stone and yellow glowing markings. Malice swirled around it and the boy screamed, "What is that?"
"That Gomess was after him, but why? The monster shouldn't have known…WHOA!" Sheik said, screaming as the earthen figure appeared in front of them.
It blocked the exit and swung a fist. Makar and Sheik backed away with a flip and jump, the strike missing. The Sheikah, attempting to draw its attention, yelled, "Over here! Don't pay attention to him! Look at me!"
The figure tilted its head and went after Sheik with an eerie growl. Makar heard a voice telling him to go into the next room. He didn't want to leave Sheik behind, but he couldn't do much of anything as he was still battered and bleeding.
So, he did, entering a room with an altar with a large sun crest over it. On the altar was a small hourglass, empty and seemingly useless. Makar, holding his right arm, limped towards it and was suddenly pushed to the floor. He had been knocked over by Sheik, who was effortlessly tossed by a Goron-like figure.
With a roar, the "Goron" punched the floor, producing massive cracks in the floor that gave way. Makar rushed for the hourglass, snatching it just as floor caved in. Sheik fell in, as well as Makar. As the two tumbled, a voice screamed their names.
"Makar! Tetra! NO!"
Before Makar could process who said that, Sheik and he hit the bottom and everything went dark.
Ow…well, that's not good. Hopefully that's not the pair's end. They are important to the story, right? Right?! And why did that Gomess appear and attacked? And what happened to Bartolomeo? Did he get captured? Stay tuned!
-miano53