This idea seemed so simple and genius at the time it was proposed, thought Gwilin as Link finally stumbled back through the torn webbing and around the corner. Lucky for Aryll, they had managed to make it past the spider without killing it. The good news: they could keep moving forward.
The bad news: they had been so close to retrieving the Claw and completing their mission, and they had let it slip through their fingers. We should have just cut the webs around him and dragged him back to Riverwood, all spun up and ready to deliver to the guard, he thought. Though that probably wouldn't have gone well if they ran into the same bandits outside that they had worked so hard to sneak past.
Aryll broke the silence with the one thought he was sure they were all having:
"I am completely done with this place. Can we just leave? I don't even care about the stupid Claw at this point."
"All of your spiders are that big?" Link was still stammering. Zelda kept glancing between the room they had just left and the corridor in front of them.
"I thought it couldn't get worse after the first room," she said, then added, "then the one after that." It's nice to know we're all on the same page, at least, Gwilin thought, grateful that Aryll wasn't scowling or arguing with the others, for once.
"Okay," he said, "but now we really can't go back the way we came. So, while I agree that this was a horrible idea in hindsight – no offense, Link…"
"None taken. I also hate my idea now," the boy said.
"Sadly, we need to figuratively and literally keep moving forward." This received a well-deserved groan. "Well, what else can we do? The door's shut behind us, and there's no way we can get past the spider a second time. Not without killing it; and without a way to reactivate the door, what would be the point?"
"On the bright side," Zelda said, "if we can't get out the way we came, neither can he." She nodded towards the empty corridor in the direction the man had run. "We might be able to catch up with him if there are more puzzles or obstacles ahead."
"And then what?" asked Aryll. "He might have left us to die, but we're not like that."
"I guess we cross that bridge when we get there?" Gwilin shrugged.
It didn't take long for them to get to that bridge. Just a few minutes later, they came across their third corpse of the day: there had apparently been a trap rigged with a pressure plate that the bandit had activated. From the looks of things, the plate had triggered a pressurized gate that had swatted him back hard, for he lay several feet towards the back wall, next to a crypt, the shape of the gate imprinted into his armor. Link knelt next to the body and began searching. Gwilin waited for Aryll to say something, but when he looked back at her, he could see her eyes were shut tight. "Come on," Zelda was saying, whilst gently taking her hand. "Let's investigate the trap." The princess didn't look any better off, but something told Gwilin that distraction was one of her many coping mechanisms.
Link had not only taken supplies this time, but also the bandit's tote bag.
"I never expected to collect so many supplies along the way," he grimaced, taking the potions from the puzzle room out of his pockets and sticking them into the bag. When he pulled his hand out, he was holding a gnarled, golden statuette. "I guess this is the Claw then."
"It certainly doesn't look worth all this trouble," Gwilin said.
"Yeah." The Champion examined its engravings before shoving it back in his bag. "I'm sorry I suggested this."
"Hey, you had no way of knowing."
"Perhaps; but if I had known, there would be no way we'd have come here, no matter what the reward was." They walked over to meet the girls, who were staring at the pressure plate.
"We should be alright if we just walk around it," Zelda said. "But, let's try to be as quiet as possible from now on."
"Zelda keeps having this weird feeling that someone else is here," Aryll said.
"I thought I heard someone coughing. If there are any other bandits up ahead, I'd rather we avoided any more conflict."
"Did he have it?" Aryll asked Link, her face filled with weariness and unease. Link nodded.
"It's in here." He patted the bag.
"Great. So, let's sneak like our lives depend on it and get out of here."
Gwilin wanted to think that the next half hour spent walking through the tombs was uneventful. Nothing had attacked after all. Still, he could feel the stiffness in the air as they turned each corner, like something was waiting for them. They didn't see any more bandits, but they certainly saw plenty of catacombs. It appeared they had reached the part of the tomb where, thankfully, everything was dead.
As they quietly passed a large, mummified figure lying with a sword and shield, Gwilin could remember what his father had told him so many years ago.
"A long time ago, years before you, and me, and even my father," his father had said, whilst tucking him into bed, "there were men who worshipped the dragons."
"Dragon priests," Gwilin had smiled. This was one of his favorite scary stories to be told – mainly because he doubted any of it was real.
"These men were once mediators between the realms of beast and man; for you see, there was once a time when mortals and dragons lived in near-perfect harmony. Now, these priests were not simply servants. Because the two parties relied on them to keep the peace, these men were granted a gift from the dragons – a fragment of their language. For centuries, Tamriel was maintained in this manner. But power has a tendency to corrupt even the most ordered of mortals, and over time, the dragons and their priests became more and more controlling. This started the Great Dragon War. Now, the exact details of this battle have faded over time, lost to centuries of forgetfulness and ignorance. But, there were three things that remained when it ended." His father's eyes sparkled. "You remember?"
"Man," Gwilin said, ticking off his fingers, "the dragon priests, and their followers."
"That's right. When mankind won the battle against the corrupt priests and leaders, a majority of the dragons were slaughtered. That's why you don't see any swooping through Skyrim," he grinned. "But, the priests and their followers remained, determined to continue their worship of their masters in secret. They created large monuments and temples to house the dragons' remains, and devoted their very lives to protecting what was left of the old ways. Eventually, these priests passed on, much like any other mortal; but unlike their predecessors, these did not sleep in peace." This was the part that always spooked Gwilin, but it was always a fun spook – the kind that could only cause shivers, because he knew he was in a safe place. "For their devotion, it is said that in the afterlife, the dragons rewarded them and their followers with the ability to wake from death itself and defend the sanctuaries, should any intruder dare to desecrate them. Moreover, the priests were granted continual use of the dragon language. From our perspective, this seems like a dream come true. But, it was as much a curse as it was a gift. For you see, even these worshippers had families – brothers, sisters, parents, children, uncles, cousins, and the whole lot – who loved them despite their beliefs and practices. When each priest passed, these family members were visited by a member of the sanctuary, who would inform them of one of the brothers' passing and warn them never to enter their final resting place. But, grief can cause even the most reasonable to do the most reckless things."
"Like with Ofris," Gwilin pressed.
"Exactly. The beautiful Ofris had met and fallen in love with the dedicated priest Eurus when they were very young. Though he had pledged his life to his dragon masters, he claimed that his true love and devotion would only belong to her. When he died before she did, Ofris disregarded the priests' warnings and ventured up to the sanctuary he was said to be buried in. Now, Eurus had been the first of the followers in this sanctuary to die, so his was the only corpse in the chamber. When she found his coffin, still open at the base of the dragon burial mound, she fell to her knees. 'Darling,' she cried softly, 'they warned me to stay away from this place, but I had to see you. I would give anything for you to open your eyes and look at me one last time, the way we saw each other so many years ago. I would give the world to hear your voice. Please – just for a moment – if you can hear me from wherever you are, speak to me.'" His father paused. "At first, the chamber remained silent if not for Ofris' sobbing. When she realized that her wish would not come true, she turned to exit the chamber. As she stepped through the doorway, she froze at the sound of a footstep. Turning around, she saw her dear Eurus, standing outside of his crypt, still wrapped in bandages, but otherwise looking very much alive. He had only died a few days ago, after all – time had not yet withered him in his grave. Ecstatic, Ofris ran back to her husband and embraced him; but she would realize too late that he was no longer himself. 'Look at me,' she cried. He did not respond. 'Eurus, please, say something.' And he finally looked, and she saw that all of the love had been extinguished from his glowing eyes. And when he opened his mouth, the last thing she heard was a dragon's shout. She died in the chamber, nearly without a soul knowing what had happened to her."
"But, someone did know."
"A young follower of the cult had been nearing the chamber just in time to hear Ofris scream. When he looked in, he saw a risen Eurus stiffly standing in front of his crypt, his wife laying lifeless on the floor. This boy immediately ran from the chamber and back to the village, informing the woman's family of what had happened before disappearing into the night."
"What happened to him?" Gwilin asked. "Go on!"
"You ask this every time I tell the story," his father chuckled, "and the answer is always the same: no one knows. When he left the sanctuary, he must have abandoned his entire way of life, for there were no reports of the lone follower ever again. But, there are plenty of reports of his former brothers, who – some say – still guard the dragon sanctuaries and old tombs to this day. These are the cursed unliving, the walking dead… the Draugr."
"You're going to give our boy anxiety one of these days," interrupted his mother as she entered his room. "All of this talk of death and curses."
"He asked to hear the story," Gwilin's father said. "And, you know it's our tradition. Every full moon: right, Gwil?"
"Right!" the boy grinned. "I think it's interesting. I wonder if anyone alive has seen a Draugr."
"As far as we know, the only person to live and tell the tale was the Deserter," said his father, "and that was hundreds of years ago."
Gwilin had made that joke about mummies only being able to groan them to death not only for Zelda's sake, but for his own. Up until this point, he hadn't thought much of these stories. They were something he and his father bonded over before he had left for Ivarstead. Now, as he, Aryll, and his new friends crept through the tombs, he prayed that none of these crypts held dragon worshippers. But at this point, he wouldn't be surprised. I've seen more happen these past two days than I have my entire life, he thought. And, despite the fact that it did fulfill his father's wish for him to go out and see the world, this was not a comforting statement.
If any of the corpses were undead, none of them rose to attack them. So why do I still feel uneasy? he challenged.
They now entered a new chamber, empty but for the multiple carvings on the walls. Zelda immediately stopped to stare at the pictures.
"Fascinating," she said. "Even though this is another world with its own ancient language, I can see both differences and similarities in comparison to some of our own Hylian artifacts. For example, your art style is certainly more intricate. Our ancient tapestries often depicted stories in a plain and unembellished form. However, this style of writing is sharp and jagged, much like the many variations of the Hylian language. I don't suppose either of you would know how to interpret this?"
"Not necessarily," Gwilin offered, "but I can tell you about some of the pictures if you like. I recognize at least one of the figures."
"You do?" Aryll asked. "I'm not familiar with any of these people."
"When I'm not working, I like to stay out of Temba's way. Thankfully, Wilhelm has plenty of books in stock that he's allowed me to hole up with on several occasions. That's Potema, the Wolf Queen."
"Figured as much with the getup," Link commented, staring at the figure in the center of the glyph. "Is she some kind of goddess? These people are carrying the dead to her."
"She was a member of Skyrim's royal family, known for her scheming and malice. And, she was a necromancer." That brought everyone to a stammering halt. We're in a tomb, Gwilin thought, with hundreds of dead, and there's an ancient carving of one of the most powerful and evil necromancers of all time summoning the dead…
"She's not buried here, is she?" Zelda asked.
"I doubt it. Even if she was an evil hag, she would have still been buried somewhere close to her family. And, up until a few weeks ago, the High King lived in Solitude. That's days from here."
"What do you mean 'lived'?" Link asked. "I don't suppose he has an autumn palace."
"He died in a challenge of leadership." To his surprise, Aryll let out a short laugh.
"That's what they're saying? I heard something completely different."
"I try not to get into details when Temba's around."
"Yeah, well, Temba's not here. The High King was killed by Ulfric Stormcloak, leader of the Stormcloak rebellion." Gwilin had thought Aryll had been angry before when they had been discussing Link and Zelda, but this was a whole new level. This time, she shook not from weakness, but from pure rage.
"There are debates as to whether or not it was a murder," Gwilin went on.
"Oh, it was murder."
"Technically, Nordic culture says anyone may challenge the High King in hand-to-hand combat."
"Ulfric didn't use his hand – he used the Voice."
"Isn't that what you used to keep the dragon busy?" Zelda asked.
"We aren't supposed to use it in violence. The Voice is a way of life, a piece of lost culture, not some weapon to parade around. I only used it against Alduin, because it was the only way to buy you all time. At least, I thought it was until you all came back for me." Gwilin knew that this was her own gruff way of reluctantly thanking them. You're welcome, he internally smiled. "The Greybeards aren't supposed to use the Voice to hurt living creatures; and students of the Greybeards are certainly not supposed to go around shouting High Kings into oblivion. I don't care if it was a 'traditional challenge': Ulfric used a sacred gift as an unstoppable weapon, giving him an unfair advantage. So, no matter what anyone says about Nordic tradition, it was murder." She took a deep breath and tried to steady herself. "It's people like him that give us Voice-users a bad name. If I could give him an earful without being blasted to bits, I would." Did I hear that wrong, or did she just say Ulfric was a student of the Greybeards? Gwilin wondered.
"Anyways," he said, gently easing the conversation back to Potema and away from Ulfric, "no. She's not buried here."
"Then, why is her image engraved in the tomb?" asked Link. Gwilin tried to think of a reasonable answer, but all he could see was the evil queen smirking as her priests brought her occupied coffins. It certainly doesn't look like whoever was buried here put this up as some kind of ward-off-evil gesture, he thought. It looks more like they worshipped her. He glanced towards the end of the hall.
"Oh, hey! Isn't that a door?" He was highly aware of how forced this sounded as he jogged off towards a large circle in the wall, marked with animal carvings every few inches. He was also aware of how slowly the others followed. "Look at that. Another puzzle."
"You didn't answer the question," Link said.
"It looks like you turn sections here to reach a specific combination, just like that other room."
"Why won't you answer the question?"
"Because I personally don't know, and I would rather not find out," he said. "Anyways, if this is the final room, there may be an exit."
"I just realized," Zelda said, "what if there isn't one?"
"You all have permission to eat me first?" he smiled uneasily. No one laughed. "Yeah, I didn't find it that funny either."
"I'm not seeing any pictures on the walls," Aryll said. "And the animals are different for this one. Look: a butterfly, a bear, and an owl."
"Hold on," said Link. He opened the bag and pulled out the Golden Claw. "Those are the same animals Camilla mentioned were on this. But, on here, it's a different order – the butterfly and bear are switched."
"What about those other holes?" asked Zelda, pointing to the middle of the circle. Link thought for a moment, then began turning the rims.
"I think that's where the claw fits," he said. "But, I would rather we turned to the most likely combination before we find out. Who knows how touchy the mechanism is? And although I haven't seen any traps thus far, that doesn't mean there aren't any." Now that the emblems on the door matched that of claw, Link re-centered himself and held the Claw against his palm. "I hope I'm right." He pressed the talons into the holes, and – sure enough – there was a soft click. The door began to slide away, and Link managed to pull the Claw out before it could get stuck in the mechanism.
The final room looked different compared to the last – while the others had obviously been tunnels and remnants of shafts, they had been fully paved and constructed. This room was actually a cavern, with stalactites and stalagmites jutting out of the ceiling and floor respectively. The only characteristics that confirmed it was a tomb was the altar to the side, and the large, staired platform at the end with a coffin and table.
And then, there was the back wall itself. Gwilin could not read the inscription from this distance, but there was something about it that made him feel uneasy.
"How big do you think this place is?" Aryll whispered.
"No idea," Gwilin said, "but listen." That rushing sound was unmistakable. "Water. It has to be coming from somewhere. Maybe that's our way out."
"I suppose we should split up," Zelda said. "We'll cover more ground that way."
"I agree. But, let's keep quiet about it. I've got a weird feeling about this place." He glanced around to make sure no one was watching, but the only living things in their vicinity appeared to be the bats. "Be careful. And… mind the coffin."
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
They had spread out with two on each sides of the platform – two to examine each side of the back wall, and one on each side of the room to spot for any hidden structures or doorways.
Link's wall was empty.
He had spent the last twenty minutes walking back and forth, looking for any unnatural ridges or breaks in the rock. Nothing. He glanced back at Gwilin and Zelda, the former checking the source of the water, and Zelda examining the back-left corner.
Well, he thought, since my search was unsuccessful… He made his way towards Gwilin so he could ask questions without waking anything. Not that there was anything to wake. I hope. He glanced back at the coffin.
"How are we looking?" he asked.
"The good news is that the water does come from somewhere," Gwilin said, "and it's freshwater; so if anything does happen to us, we won't die immediately."
"I take it we can't get out the way of the source?"
"It's too small, even for one person. But, I'll keep looking. You didn't see anything on your side?"
"Uh-uh."
"Well, this area is pretty much covered. You should see if Ary needs any help."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"Absolutely. Don't worry," Gwilin said, "she's not always like this. I mean, she's kind of always been fresh when it comes to her attitude, but it's a lot more bark than bite. Besides—" he lowered his voice even more, "there's no better time to try than now. She's been so focused on getting out of here that she's starting to forget how she feels about your situation."
"I could make it worse."
"Not if you don't talk to her before we find an exit. Go. Hurry." Before Link could argue, Gwilin walked off to examine other parts of his wall, away from the in-cave river. The Hylian sighed, turned, and almost started at the sight in front of him.
She must have climbed that platform while he and Gwilin were distracted, for she now stood staring intently at the carved inscription. She was clearly deep in thought, for she did not notice him approach. There was something distant in her expression, as if there was something about the words that captivated her. Her hand reached out as if on instinct.
"It's a different language than the carving in the hall," he said. Aryll jumped and gasped for breath, scowling in his direction.
"What are you doing here?"
"I finished my side. What is that?"
"A word wall." She traced her fingers along the runes. "This is the word for fus, first word of the Unrelenting Force shout. It's the first word Arngeir taught me."
"Arngeir? Who's that?"
"My master and one of the Brothers. He and the Grandmaster have been teaching me since I first came to Skyrim. Unrelenting Force is one of the easiest shouts to learn. He told me I'd been quick to pick it up." She took a shaky breath. "I hope I'll get to see him again."
"You will. We may not have found anything, but Gwilin and Zelda are still looking. There's still a chance."
"I wonder if they know what happened," she said. "I wonder if Klimmek told them. I wonder if he even made it home."
"You said Klimmek was your guardian?"
"He is," she corrected, "until I see evidence proving otherwise."
"So, what's so special about a word wall that has you fixated?"
"The text that accompanies the word actually. It's a bit morbid."
"Hold on: you can read it? But, I thought you couldn't. Why didn't you read the inscriptions in the hall?"
"That was ancient Nord," she explained. "I've always struggled with translating that. But dragon language – that I can interpret."
"Dragon language?" She smirked at his bewilderment. "Dragons talk?"
"All things talk if you are willing to listen," she said.
"Well, if you can read it, what does it say?"
"Are you sure you want to know?" she asked. Link nodded. "Okay. Well, here's a rough translation: 'A guardian lies here / He keeps the Dragonstone / A force of eternal / Anger and darkness.' I may have gotten that last part wrong. It might be 'Fury and darkness'."
"Is there a difference?"
"Well, an angry spirit might just act petty. Fury would imply something more violent and malevolent."
"Fantastic."
"Right?" In that one moment, it looked like Aryll was actually willing to connect with him, to open herself up even more. But, he watched her clench her jaw and swallow hard. "I'm not a huge fan of that last line," she said simply.
"What's a dragonstone?" I'm not giving up just yet, Link thought.
"I don't know," she said in a passive tone.
"But, from the sound of things, you're pretty much an expert on dragons."
"Just because we barely survived one doesn't mean I'm an expert. I know the language. I've studied their history from books. But, I don't know much about artifacts. At any rate, that's what it appears to be describing."
"Don't you want to see what it is?"
"I don't need to. It wouldn't be worth it."
"You could bring the knowledge back to Arngeir, see if he knows more about it."
"The inscription says the guardian keeps the stone, as in present tense, and that he protects it with fury and darkness. I can live without it."
"He's dead," Link pointed out, although he wasn't quite sure of this. He felt like someone was close by, listening to their conversation, someone other than Gwilin and Zelda.
"All I care about is getting out of here," she said. "Besides, looting dead bandits is one thing. I'm not about to raid a legitimate tomb." And, that was that. Link was about to try again when Aryll stopped him. "If you don't mind, I would rather not be making small talk right now."
"What is it going to take for us to be okay again?"
"If you have some kind of gateway to the past and about eleven years to spare, that should cover it."
"So… what you're saying is it's impossible. I don't understand – I thought you were starting to trust me. Back there with the spider…"
"The only reason I turned to you is because we're stuck together as a group until we get out of here. After this, I plan to find a stable, get a horse, and make my way back home to Ivarstead."
"That's not your home."
"Well, it's had more effect in my upbringing than Hyrule." Or you, her tone implied. Link swallowed and tried not to let his frustration show. I'm trying here, he wanted to scream.
He had never felt so relieved to hear Zelda's voice interrupt.
"There's some kind of door up here," she called from the top of a natural ramp. "There's some kind of chain that controls it. I'm looking for traps, but I don't see any."
"Did either of you see anything?" Gwilin asked, as he approached the siblings.
"No," said Aryll. The elf raised an eyebrow at Link, who grimaced and stepped towards the edge of the platform.
"Guess that's it then," he said. "I think we're clear, Zel. Go ahead and pull it."
"Are you sure?" The princess sounded cautious.
"If we're not seeing any defenses, it must be safe." Zelda disappeared behind a rock, and light clinking could be heard.
In that moment, many things happened in very close succession:
First, there was a soft and distant grinding, followed by Zelda's ecstatic cry of "It opened!"
Second, Link was aware of Aryll backing towards the Word Wall while a loud "CRACK" broke the stillness.
Third, Zelda was calling down that while the door was open, the way was blocked by some kind of magical barrier.
And fourth, Gwilin was staring at him and screaming, which was also right about the time Link could both smell and feel a hot and unearthly breath on his neck. On instinct, he notched an arrow in his bow, whirled, and shot at the mysterious terror.
His arrow had pierced the shoulder of the most horrifying creature he had ever seen. It wasn't dead, but it wasn't exactly alive either, despite the pulsing grey organs that thrummed under thin sheets of linen and rotting patches of skin. The head was all but a skull now, and where its eyes should have been were two balls of glowing blue flame. If Link had the time to compare it to anything from his past experiences, he would have likened the creature to one of the monks that inhabited Hyrule's shrines.
As it was, he had hesitated so long that he didn't even have time to notch an arrow before being thrown off the platform. Link rolled to avoid bashing his head on rock, but he could still feel the impact in his already injured muscles. Gwilin was pulling him up while shouting up to Zelda. Link barely heard what they were saying as the thing roared and marched toward them, rusting armor holding its joints together as two mummified hands wrapped tightly around the hilt of a greatsword.
"I don't see a way to deactivate it!" she shouted.
"Keep looking! We'll hold it off." Gwilin answered, unsheathing his dagger. Before he had a chance to slash at it, the creature shouted again, wrenching the weapon from his hand and throwing it against the cavern wall.
"I'll hold it off," Link corrected with a nod towards Gwilin. "Get the dagger."
"I'll be back," Gwilin huffed, and legged it towards the fallen weapon. Link was already notching whatever arrows he had left from their encounter with the spider and now ran in a zig-zag pattern back towards the room's entrance. He tried to take a path with the most divots and banks, but nothing deterred the monster, much less unbalanced it. And, it was running now, gaining speed. At least stal never ran, he complained.
He was nearing a corner now, and was all out of arrows, so Link did the next best thing: he took his shield in one hand and grabbed onto the Golden Claw with the other. Might as well. It might not be a weapon, but it's still pointy. When the creature shouted again, Link braced himself against his shield, barely withstanding the blow. Realizing his shield was still attached to his arm – and that his arm was still attached to his body – he began advancing on his pursuer, dodging more shouts and slashing with the Claw. The skin and cloth were easily shredded with the hits he made, but the living corpse continued attacking.
"GWILIN," he called, "I NEED HELP!"
"Coming!" His voice was still too far away for comfort. "Zelda, how's it going with the door?"
"There's no way past the barrier! I've tried using my powers, but nothing is happening!" she said.
"There must be some way!"
"If there is, it's not here. I can't find the magic's source anywhere!"
Link felt his brain working on overtime as he deflected blow after blow from the creature. He wasn't about to admit it, but he was tiring out. True, Ganon had been a harder opponent than this, but at least he had visible weak points. Link had shot at the monster's knees and it had hardly staggered.
At one point, Link lost his footing and had been thrown to the floor, breathless, both the Claw and the shield falling just out of reach. The undead walked toward him and raised its sword to slash through his neck. Before it could, two humanoid legs had wrapped around the creature's torso. Gwilin had jumped onto its back and was now wrestling the sword from the bony fingers. Link rolled away just in time for the opponents to tumble to the floor, the sword dashing the place in the floor his head had occupied only moments ago.
"TAKE THE SWORD!" Gwilin grunted, whilst pinning the mummy's head on its side, away from Link, while it continued to roar and thrash. The Hylian wrenched with all his might and was finally rewarded with a sickening pop. Thankfully, that noise had not come from his own muscles; on the other hand… well, he was now holding a disembodied, still-wriggling hand along with the greatsword.
Why is it still moving?! he screamed internally as he dropped the sword and repeatedly stomped on the hilt, trying to get the fingers to unclench themselves. Get off, get off, get off, get off, get off.
Eventually, they did. And then, the hand flew at his face.
I'VE MADE A MISTAKE! Link caught the surprisingly strong limb before it had a chance to claw out his eyes. He didn't need anyone to tell him this fight was not going well. Gwilin had failed to pin the creature, and he was now fending off his own clawing from the corpse's remaining hand.
That was when a ball of white light burst against the creature's skull. Link recognized that move from his most recent training sessions.
Zelda had left her place by the door, and was now conjuring and casting white fireballs at the monster, which was not pleased in the slightest. With the first hit, it simply roared and became agitated. After being hit a second and third time, it left Gwilin on the floor and was making its way towards the princess. Gwilin slowly sat up and looked over at Link.
"She can do that?" he huffed.
"Sometimes. It's complicated. Help me." As Gwilin rushed to Link's side to pry the hand from his face, Link couldn't help but wonder where the Calamity Aryll was in all of this. It had made sense for Zelda not to appear until now, since she had been trying to open the door; but Aryll had just been standing on the platform doing nothing. When he glanced up through the fingers, she was nowhere to be seen.
The boys finally managed to remove the hand, and now Link was shoving it into his bag, tying the ends so it wouldn't escape. Once that was done, Gwilin chucked the bag in the direction of the stalagmites, where it landed somewhere in the middle of all the spikes. "That'll have to do," Gwilin said. "Let's help Zelda."
"Gwilin," came a voice. They looked back to find Aryll approaching with an armful of linen wraps.
"You're alright," Gwilin said. "What's all this?"
"I know what we need to do to break the barrier. We need to destroy the guardian."
"Please tell me you've decided to break your pacifist policy and breathe fire or ice or something at it," Link pleaded.
"I'm not shouting at it, and you won't be able to change my mind."
"Unbelievable."
"But, I can help you slow it down. You take these." Before Link could react, Aryll was shoving a majority of the linen wraps into his arms. "I've got one end of this one," she said, unwrapping one. "Gwilin, grab the other end and get ready to unroll."
"What's the plan?" Gwilin asked. Before she could answer, Zelda let out a panicked yelp.
"Immobilize it until we can find a proper means to end it," Aryll said quickly. "Hurry – she needs us."
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Considering the fact that Zelda still couldn't summon Hylia's Light completely on command, she thought she was doing great – that is, until the light faded and she was left defenseless against the one-armed corpse.
Really?! She internally whined with exasperation. Now?! She wasn't surprised. Despite all of the time she spent focusing her own magic reserves to summon the power of the goddess in her combat training sessions, the light always seemed to disappear when she needed them most. Normally, when this happened any other time, she would take a break. But, the mummified being in front of her did not seem so lenient as to grant her one.
Thankfully, someone had come up with a backup plan. She wasn't sure who the actual conspirator was, but the next thing she knew, Aryll was standing on one side of the raging creature holding the end of a linen wrap, whilst Gwilin ran around it, wrapping it in layer upon layer of cloth. When the pair finished the first roll, Gwilin snatched another from Link, who had been delegated to hold the rest of the wraps, and they repeated the procedure. As soon as Zelda realized what they were doing, she began following Gwilin's circle, both to keep the creature's attention and to speed up the wrapping process. The creature whirled and shook its head back and forth, shouting in rapid succession, but she and Gwilin were fast enough to avoid its effects. On top of this, once the mummy had been cocooned enough, Gwilin retackled it to the ground and wrapped gauze around its mouth.
"Someone find a way to kill this thing before it breaks free," he said, whilst struggling to remain sitting on it.
"The dagger," Link said, dropping the unused linens and crouching down next to the monster. He located where the heart was and stabbed the blade through the monster's back. To their dismay, the creature was unaffected. "That didn't work," Link stated the obvious. "Now what?"
"The text said the guardian was a force of anger and darkness," Aryll said. "We're going to need a light. Zelda, that thing you were doing just now…?"
"I'm sorry," Zelda apologized. "I can't."
"You did it before," Gwilin said. The princess could feel her face fall in defeat.
"I can't," she repeated. "I just can't." Surprisingly, Aryll didn't get angry at this.
"Give it to me," Aryll instead said to Link, motioning to the dagger. Link wrenched the weapon back out and handed it to Aryll, who then shoved the remaining wraps against the rock wall and began scraping the iron against the rock the way she would a flint. More and more sparks fell onto the cloth, and with a few breaths, those sparks became tiny flames. "Fire creates light, ergo burning it should do the trick," she said. "Move." The boys scrambled off the monster and Aryll kicked a flaming linen at it. The wrappings around it immediately ignited, and the creature roared louder, thrashing even more and more against its bonds.
"It's not burning fast enough," Zelda said. "The cloth is, but the fire's not hot enough to destroy it. If we can't make a hot enough fire fast, it will break free and start attacking again."
"Shout at it already," Link begged Aryll.
"I'm not breaking my oath," she said.
"Technically, that thing isn't alive," he argued. "You wouldn't be hurting a living thing."
"I would still be using the Voice to fight."
"This is completely out of self-defense! Are you really so stubborn that you will keep us trapped in here with this thing until it either kills us or we starve death?"
"Guys?" Gwilin said, staring at the monster. Zelda had been so busy watching Aryll and Link arguing that she had not realized their worst fear was being confirmed – the flames were dying around the corpse, and it was breaking free from the remnants of its bonds. Through the little bit of fire left, she could see it had been scorched, but remained unaffected.
"DO SOMETHING!" Link screamed at Aryll. She was about to scream back at him, when Gwilin grabbed her shoulder.
"Ary, please," he begged. The creature had turned back to Zelda, and she was trying in vain to summon Hylia's Light. For once, come when I call you! she thought as the creature swept a flaming arm towards her.
"ZELDA!" came Link's voice from what seemed a million years away. Zelda felt her back pressed against the wall as the creature neared her in all of its burning stench.
"May my brothers forgive me," Aryll was muttering, and Zelda knew it was in her own best interest to get out of the way as fast as possible. "YOL!"
Zelda fell to the floor and scrambled to safety, just in time for the skeleton to be completely consumed by a blazing inferno. Its bones began to glow and crack in the heat, and the organs they could see were quickly turning to ash. All four sprinted across the cavern, as far from the monster as possible as it tried to move. With every attempt, however, another bone snapped; and eventually the whole skeleton became unhinged and clattered to the floor.
Within minutes, all that was left of the struggle was a pile of rotten-smelling ash.
The four youth sat in shock.
"That did it," Gwilin finally sighed and wiped at the sweat on his forehead.
"Thank you," Link said to Aryll, who was not having any of it.
"Your welcome," she snapped, "for breaking a strict code that I have been trained since childhood to keep, just to save you from a danger we wouldn't be in if you hadn't suggested this nightmare of a quest to begin with."
"Guys, we just survived a battle with an undead," said Gwilin. "Can we not do this?"
"Can I not have to put my standards on the line, just because of an impulsive and reckless child with grand schemes of adventure and unnecessary violence?"
"IT WAS COMPLETELY NECESSARY!" Link shot back. "WE MIGHT HAVE DIED!"
"You should have considered that before you led us up to this death trap!"
"If I hadn't, we wouldn't have found the Claw!"
"We would have had our lives and significantly less trauma."
"Where is the Claw, by the way?" Zelda tried to cut in.
"I can't believe I wanted to apologize to you," Link said to Aryll. "You're the worst. You know what? Maybe I'm glad Skyrim is your home now. At least that means I don't have to babysit you to make sure you do the right thing in the end."
"Link!"
"Yeah, well, maybe I don't want a cold, insensitive, heartless monster that cares more about survival and personal gain than he does morals as my guardian," Aryll said. "Not that you were ever my guardian to begin with."
"Ary," Gwilin tried to interrupt.
"You look at death and killing like it's an everyday routine for you," she went on. "Like it's some kind of strategy you can't stop using. You treat the dead with disrespect. And don't pretend for a moment that you actually care about me, because we both know that's not true. I know where your loyalties lie, and they have never been with your family. So, I'm nothing to you? Fine. I don't care. I stopped caring ages ago, once I was resigned to the fact that you willingly abandoned me to grow up with a bunch of random strangers. I don't need you to 'babysit' me: I haven't in years." The cavern was silent if not for the rushing of the stream, and the remaining crackling of flames. Zelda chanced a glance at Gwilin, who was casting a rather apologetic look towards her.
Link finally shoved himself to his feet and made his way back to the entrance to retrieve the Claw and his shield, mumbling under his breath the whole way. Aryll shoved herself up and began marching towards the ramp leading to the doorway. Gwilin shook his head and started walking towards the cluster of stalagmites, as if expecting to find something. To Zelda's surprise, he retrieved the bag Link had been using. Adding to the surprise, he reached into it and pulled out a now completely limp, rotting hand. He tossed this back into the stalagmites and sighed. Then, he gestured for Zelda to follow him, and walked a ways until he had found the sword the mummy had been carrying beforehand. As Zelda approached, he held the hilt out to her.
"You should take this," he said. "I don't know how your powers work, but something tells me you're not exactly in control. It can't hurt to have something to defend yourself if you don't have any other means." It's giant, Zelda thought, but she accepted the gesture.
"He didn't mean any of that," she said simply.
"She didn't either. They're just being stubborn."
"I'm sorry we ended up causing so much trouble."
"This isn't your fault, or mine. They're choosing to be like this. Don't blame yourself for something you can't control."
"The barrier's down," Aryll called from the ramp. Gwilin sighed.
"I'll try to at least bring her down a notch. Not sure how, but I'll try."
"Link was a soldier," Zelda justified. "He had to be a survivor."
"I know that based on what you told me, and you know that, but it's going to take a lot to convince her." He shrugged and nodded towards the greatsword in Zelda's hands. "If he's good with a sword as well as a bow, he can teach you how to wield that. Otherwise, we should try to find a trainer for a small fee." With this, he walked off towards the ramp, shaking his head as Aryll continued to call out.
Zelda stayed silent as she waited for Link to catch up. She didn't say a word, even when he removed a strange stone shield from the mummy's coffin. He did everything for a good reason, after all.