===== November 10, 2022 - Floor 1: Maz Koshia Shrine =====
Link and Zelda inserted the Sheikah Slate into the pedestal once again. This time the mouth of the shrine opened, and they took the platform down into the earth. The shaft ended in a small room filled with a soft blue light, and the walls were ringed with torches that burned with a curious blue flame. Link took note of the layout of the room; it was octagonal with four doors, one in each cardinal direction and each with a different symbol carved into it. The northern door had a magnet design on it; the east, a bomb; the south, a lock; and the west, a snowflake. In the center was an altar with five spherical recesses. "Five holes, four doors...?" The inconsistency was not lost on Zelda.
"Yeah, but look at the one in the middle: it's got crossed swords on it. I'd bet there's a major fight tied to that."
"That seems like a safe bet. Meanwhile, let's start with the four doors."
"Sounds like a plan, and north is always a good place to start."
The pair approached the northern door and slid it open. It slid shut behind them, and a voice began to speak.
To you who sets foot in this shrine, I am Oman Au.
In the name of the Goddess Hylia, I offer this trial.
===== Magnesis Trial =====
In front of Link and Zelda were two giant slabs of metal on the floor, and a stone pedestal with a giant stone obelisk hanging over it off to the left. Embedded in the wall to the front were iron bars.
Seeing no other way forward, the only prudent course of action seemed to be to investigate the pedestal. Naturally, there was a place for the Sheikah Slate, similar to the one outside. Link inserted the Slate into the pedestal, and a message spoke from it:
Sheikah Slate authenticated. Distilling rune...
The stone above the pedestal was suddenly covered in shifting runes. After a few moments, a single 'drop' of light formed at the bottom of the stone and fell neatly into the center of the Slate. Link peered into the screen, and saw the grid of eight blank squares he had noticed earlier. The only difference was, one of the squares was no longer blank. Rather, there was a pink magnet, and some notes:
Magnesis
Manipulate metallic objects using magnetism.
Grab on to metallic objects using the magnetic energy that pours forth from the Magnesis rune. Objects held in the magnetic snare can be lifted up and moved freely.
"Lifted up and moved freely..." Link repeated, taking the Sheikah Slate from the pedestal.
"Link, check it out!" Zelda drew his attention back to the metal panels on the floor.
"All right... let's see what this thing can really do." Link tapped the Magnesis icon, and the screen cast a pink light over everything in its field of vision. As the metal panels came into view, they glowed a bright pink, and turned yellow when Link aimed the lens on the back of the Sheikah Slate directly at them. He tapped the magnet icon in the upper left corner of the screen, and a beam of light shot out of the lens and attached to the metal panel. Link toyed with the Slate and found that rotating it moved the panel around, and that he could bring objects closer or push them farther away by keeping the Slate parallel and moving it forward or backward. With a basic understanding of how Magnesis worked, he tossed both panels aside, revealing a ladder leading to a lower passage.
The passage turned left, then split off to the left and right. They checked the left passage first, and happened to find a treasure chest. Inside was a Royal Skirt.
"Ugh, 'Royal?' Don't tell me they're gonna try to make me look like some dainty, fragile princess or something..."
"That would almost be worth the price of admission."
Zelda slugged Link in the chest. "Not funny!"
They then took the right path and found a wall of stone blocks with a single metal block built in. The Magnesis rune handled that chore easily, grasping the metal block and using it to push the stone blocks out of the way. Before Link could clear all the blocks, Zelda happened to notice a robot on the other side. Link put down the block and hunkered down behind the wall so that he and Zelda could scout it from behind cover.
"What is it?" Zelda asked.
"I don't know... it's got an HP bar and a red cursor, though."
"Then it's gotta have a name." She looked hard and sure enough, the name 'Guardian Scout I' was displayed over its single eye.
"So, we know what it's called... that's good. Now, how do we get past it?"
"Like this..." Link grabbed the metal block once again, lifting it as high as he could. "It's made of metal, and looks fairly fragile..." He aimed the positioning reticle right on top of the robot, and then turned the rune off. The block fell some thirty, forty feet through the air, crushing the automaton in a shower of sparks and scraps. Some of the scraps even had tooltips of their own, and could be collected as items.
With the Guardian disposed of, Zelda focused her attention on their next obstacle: a trio of platforms, but only one metal panel to use as a bridge between them. This was a fairly easy puzzle to solve; they simply crossed the bridge over the first gap, then used Magnesis to bridge the second. Before crossing, Link used Magnesis to bring a treasure chest to him, which contained the Champion's Leggings. Beyond that was a pair of giant metal doors, which Link swung open easily enough to reveal the end of this wing of the shrine. Before them was what looked like a magical cage with a strange looking... body, inside it. The only thing that made the sight any sort of reassuring was the marking on the cage; it was the same design that was found on the back of the Sheikah Slate. Link tapped the marking, and the magical barriers surrounding the dais broke (although thankfully, the body itself remained still). The voice that had welcomed them to the trial spoke once again:
You have proven to possess the resolve of true heroes.
I am Oman Au, the creator of this trial.
I am a humble monk, blessed with the sight of the Goddess Hylia and dedicated to helping those who seek to defeat the Calamity.
With your arrival, my duty is now fulfilled.
In the name of the Goddess Hylia, allow me to bestow this gift upon you.
Please accept this Spirit Orb.
A purple ball flew out of the monk's chest and into Link's, being absorbed into his body. A dialogue box popped up:
Spirit Orb
A symbol of courage given to those who have overcome the challenges of a shrine.
The monk spoke one final time:
May the Triforce light the way of the Hero.
It then disappeared in a shower of green sparks. Link and Zelda were then warped back to the center of the shrine where they had first entered.
"Okay, thoughts?" Zelda asked, taking the time to go over all they had learned before moving forward.
"So, here's this tablet that has the power of all these different runes. But, the runes have to be unlocked first - which is why we're in here. And we need to use these runes to advance through the game and defeat the 'Calamity,' which I presume is the final boss on floor 100. Along the way, we're probably going to find more of these Shrines with more of these trials where we gather up these 'Spirit Orbs,' although what exactly we're supposed to do with them isn't entirely clear yet. It seems logical that we need five of them to activate this altar, the fifth one is tied to a major battle, which may or may not be in this shrine. Anything else?"
"We only saw that one Guardian Scout in the Magnesis wing, and I think it was just to demonstrate how metal on metal works in this world. It's probably safe to say there aren't a whole lot of enemies in the other three wings. They're more tutorials for the runes themselves than actual combat trials. Also, we should definitely keep an eye out for treasure chests. I think that about covers the right here and right now."
Link nodded. "Right. Then let's move on to the next door."
Past the east door Link and Zelda saw another pedestal, and stone blocks at the foot of a ramp. Again a voice spoke to them from out of nowhere, identical to the first monk:
To you who sets foot in this shrine, I am Ja Baij.
In the name of the Goddess Hylia, I offer this trial.
===== Bomb Trial =====
Link placed the Shiekah Slate into the pedestal, and this time got two runes instead of just one.
Remote Bomb
A bomb that can be detonated remotely.
The force of the blast can be used to damage monsters or destroy objects. There are both round and cube bombs, so use whichever best fits the situation.
Link tapped the round bomb icon, and a sphere of energy appeared at his feet. He picked it up and it felt firm, yet almost weightless. It felt like it had just enough mass to stay where it was placed, while still being light enough to throw. He tapped the cube bomb icon, and instantly the sphere became a cube. "Looks like we can only have one bomb out at a time. I'd hardly call that convenient. But, I guess we'll make it work."
Zelda tossed the cube down the ramp, near the wall of stone blocks. Link tapped the icon again and it detonated, destroying the blocks. As they proceeded down the ramp, they made note of the blast radius for safety considerations. Following the passageway to the left, they came upon a ladder. Climbing it revealed a pit, a wall of stone blocks, and a platform floating back and forth over the pit.
"So, we have to figure out how to get a bomb close enough to the wall to blow it up, without blowing ourselves up in the process," Link noted.
"Hey, I have an idea! Why don't you put one of those cube bombs on the far edge of that platform, then detonate it when it gets to the other side?"
Link appraised the situation, then gave Zelda a kiss on the forehead. "That is an absolutely phenomenal idea."
He turned to put her plan into action, not noticing the idiotic grin that had surfaced on Zelda's face once again.
Link hopped on the platform when it reached their side, and dropped a cube bomb at the very edge. He rode it back to the side of the pit where Zelda was waiting (without said idiotic grin) and hopped off, letting the bomb ride back across the pit. Once it reached the far side again he detonated the bomb, which destroyed the entire wall exactly as Zelda had planned. They traversed the pit and found themselves in a wide open room with a pair of piston-like platforms that were each fed by a funnel. On the other side of each platform was a set of stone blocks. Link figured the puzzle out fairly quickly, but decided to hear Zelda's analysis before taking action.
"Hmm... I think we drop a round bomb into the funnel, the platform launches it across the room, and you detonate it in midair."
"Sounds like a good idea to me." Another good idea earned another forehead kiss. This time Zelda couldn't wait until Link turned his back before that grin came back. Not that he was bothered in the slightest; he knew what she was going to say on the island, which is why he was being so liberal with his physical affections now. The problem was... he didn't have the words to respond. Actions would have to do for now.
What was understood need not be explained.
Again Zelda's idea worked flawlessly. The blocks on the left hid a treasure chest, which Zelda went to retrieve and found both the Champion's Gauntlets and Royal Gloves inside. The blocks on the right hid another Guardian Scout, which scuttled about on the platform oblivious to their presence despite its eye pointing in their direction.
"I don't think it sees us... maybe we're too far from it," Link said.
"You're right. We could climb up to that platform and take it out easily enough."
"Yeah, let's do-"
"No, wait! I have a better idea!" Zelda said excitedly.
"O..kay... what is it?"
"Give me a bomb. A round one."
"Sure thing." He produced a round bomb and tossed it to her, curious as to exactly what she had in mind.
"Okay, now get ready to blow it."
"Now?"
"Of course not, dummy."
"Then when?"
Zelda grinned. "Trust me, you'll know when."
Link shrugged and kept his finger ready over the detonation icon, wondering what the hell this woman had in mind.
Zelda sized up the Guardian. Distance, elevation, blast radius... got it. She placed the bomb on the ground, took a couple of small steps back, and gave Link a thumbs-up. At that point, her plan became crystal clear. "Ready!" he shouted.
"Here goes!" She took an exaggerated step forward, and kicked the bomb across the pit. It flew in a beautiful arc right at the Guardian Scout, and Link detonated it at just the right moment, destroying the robot. Zelda jumped for joy at the fact that her plan had worked, and because Link had trusted her with it without a full explanation. He gave her yet another forehead kiss, and this time she didn't bother trying to hide her glee. Apparently, she loved forehead kisses - or did she love him, and the forehead kisses just came with the territory?
Honestly, who gives a damn?
The monk Ja Baij sat in another cage, and granted another Spirit Orb for completing the Bomb Trial. Link and Zelda were warped back to the central room, and Zelda paused to ask Link's thoughts on the Goddess Hylia that both monks had spoken of.
"I don't know, and it seems really weird," he said. "This game doesn't really seem to focus on any particular mythology, so the idea of gods and goddesses just seems weird. Up until now, this MMO has been focused purely on physical, sword-based combat. The idea of gods, shrines, legendary heroes of the past... it just doesn't seem to fit with what we know of SAO so far."
"You're right... you know what else doesn't fit?"
"What?"
"Why you and I were chosen to beta this game to begin with. We've never played VRMMOs before, we didn't own the thousands of dollars of hardware required to play this game, the company we've never heard of, bought products from or interacted with gives it to us for free... nothing about us being here in Aincrad makes any sense whatsoever."
"Definitely not gonna argue that point."
"And why are we the ones with all these 'Unique Quests?' Why are we the ones with these unique items nobody else knows anything about? Certainly some of the other beta testers have VRMMO experience... why not them? Why us?"
"I wish I knew..."
Zelda sighed. "Me too... in any event, let's clear this place and get out of here."
She started to walk toward the southern door, but Link placed a firm hand on her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. She turned back to face him, only to see him staring off at the floor. "Link? What's wrong?"
At the sound of his name, he looked up at her like he was fighting for words. Every time he opened his mouth to speak, nothing came out. Finally, he just gave up with a frustrated grunt. She was about to ask him what his deal was, but she never got the chance.
He pulled her close by the shoulders and kissed her again.
She was taken completely by surprise. This was new...
Wait... no, it wasn't.
It felt like the first time he had kissed her.
She closed her eyes and drifted back to that moment. It wasn't the touch of his lips that she remembered most, or the strength of his arms. It was the fire in his eyes and the resolve in his voice when they made a promise to each other.
"Get as strong as we can, and stay alive."
When they broke apart, she saw it again. The fire in his eyes that said what his mouth could not, so she said it for him.
"Get as strong as we can..."
He finished the vow for her. "...And stay alive."
Their covenant renewed, they proceeded through the southern door where they were greeted by a now familiar voice:
To you who sets foot in this shrine, I am Owa Daim.
In the name of the Goddess Hylia, I offer this trial.
===== Stasis Trial =====
By now, the routine was familiar. Link attached the Sheikah Slate to the rune pedestal to the right of the door, making note of a platform attached to a rotating wheel. Remembering the lock engraved on the door, he had some idea of what to expect, and was delighted when his suspicions were confirmed.
Stasis Rune
Stop the flow of time for an object.
Stops an object in time while storing its kinetic energy. The stored energy will act upon the object when the flow of time resumes. Making good use of the stored energy can move even the largest of objects.
Link tapped the Stasis icon on the Sheikah Slate, and the field of vision turned yellow this time instead of pink. Items that could be targeted glowed bright yellow when aimed at, including the rotating wheel that was attached to the platform that they would presumably need to use to cross the first pit. He simply waited until the platform was level to freeze the wheel, hurrying himself and Zelda across it before the effect wore off.
Next the pair faced a narrow ramp, which seemed harmless enough... until giant stone balls began falling from a chute in the ceiling and rolling down said ramp before falling into the abyss behind them.
"We can't take the ramp, we'll get crushed!" Zelda panicked.
"It's okay, we just gotta use very careful timing... there!" Link looked up the ramp and noticed a platform about three quarters of the way up. "That's where we need to move to. Now to observe the timing..."
They watched a few balls roll down and deduced some things. One, only one ball ever appeared at any one time. Two, there was about 20 seconds from spawn to spawn. The stasis effect lasted for about that long, meaning they would need about 15 seconds to climb the ramp and get to the safety of the platform. Three, stopping a ball before it rolled off the edge was near impossible due to their speed, meaning the only way to move forward would be to stop it at the very top of the ramp, before it reached the platform.
"Okay, here's what we'll do: I'll stop the first ball, and when I do you run like hell up the ramp. Once you get to the platform, wait for me and I'll come up behind you."
"All right." Zelda was still nervous, but she trusted Link's plan. After all, he had trusted hers without hesitation; it was only fair she do the same.
They took up positions off to the side of the bottom of the ramp, and waited for a stone ball to roll past. Link stepped in front of the ramp and activated Stasis, aiming for the top of the ramp where the ball would spawn.
"Keep in mind: this thing has a 30-second cooldown. Meaning if you don't make it up in time, I won't be able to keep the ball from crushing you."
Zelda gulped, but tried her best to remain calm. "Don't worry. I can make it."
When the next ball dropped from the chute, Link froze it in place. That was all the cue Zelda needed. She sprinted up the ramp like her life depended on it.
You can do it...
The Slate began to ping slowly, then faster as the effect started to wear off.
Come on...
Finally, Zelda reached the platform and threw herself to the side just as the ball started rolling again. Unfortunately, she threw herself too far and slid off the edge!
"ZELDA!"
"HELP ME!" She had managed to grab onto the edge, but had a tenuous grip at best. "I can't hold on!"
"I'm coming!"
There was no time to waste. As soon as the ball rolled past him, Link began his own ascent. He heard the ball fall into the abyss behind him and knew both his and Zelda's moments were numbered, for if the ball didn't kill him from the impact or push him over the edge, he still wouldn't make it to Zelda's defense and she would surely fall, and then he would have no reason for living himself.
Failure was simply not an option.
The next ball dropped at the top of the ramp. Both Link and the ball were about the same distance from the platform, which meant survival would come down to who or what made it there first.
One of Zelda's hands slipped off the ledge, leaving four fingertips all that stood between her and certain death. "I'm slipping!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.
...Stay alive.
Their shared promise rang out in his head like a rallying cry. Link roared as he willed himself to the top of the ramp, reaching the gap and diving out of the way of the rolling sphere with a split second to spare. He found Zelda, and with one hand pulled her up onto the platform with him.
Zelda was a shaking, crying mess, but she was alive.
He held onto her as she cried her fear out, relieved that she was shaken up but otherwise unhurt. Suddenly, he noticed a message at the top of his HUD:
New Skill Unlocked!
He opened his Skill menu and made his way to the section labeled 'Unique Skills,' where a new entry had been uncovered:
Adrenaline Rush
Hearing your party members in danger spurs you to action.
STR/AGI/DEF increased
Effectiveness: 150% plus 10% per 5 caster levels
Cast time: Instant
Duration: 30 seconds
Limitations: Automatic. 15 minute cooldown. STR/AGI/DEF decreased by 50% minus 1% per caster level for 2 minutes. Can only be triggered by party members.
Link looked up at his HP bar and saw the debuff timers ticking away. Oh well... right here and right now, he didn't give a damn. Zelda was safe, unharmed and unhurt. That was all he could focus on right here and now.
After taking a moment to gather themselves, they saw a treasure chest right behind them. Link opened it to find a pair of Royal Greaves inside. Zelda cheered up somewhat after hearing that, since 'Greaves' sounded a lot more like piece of armor than a piece of a frilly princess gown. They crossed to the other side of the platform where the shrine proper continued and came across a giant sledgehammer leaning against the wall, and another stone ball on the pathway leading to the exit. There was no way around the ball, which meant only one thing: they would have to figure out how to move it. Zelda wordlessly picked up the sledgehammer and walked up to the ball. Link froze it with Stasis, and Zelda wailed away at it with the hammer. The timer ticked down and the ball flew off the catwalk and into the abyss, allowing her to reach another treasure chest - this one contained the Champion's Boots - and the exit platform. One more monk freed, one more Spirit Orb collected, and they were back in the main chamber yet again. Link saw that Zelda was still shaken up, so he suggested that she wait for him there while he cleared the last wing of the shrine.
"No, I can go on. I'm okay, I promise."
Link hugged her gently, yet firmly. "No, you're not okay. I've always been able to tell when you weren't okay, remember?"
This was true. There had been plenty of moments during their friendship when he would ask if she was okay, she would say 'yes,' he would say 'no you're not,' and he'd be right.
"Are you sure you can handle it without me?"
"That's really not the point. You need to rest, and you're no good to either of us if you're shaking like a leaf." He sat her down next to the altar, albeit after some resistance, until finally she relented. "There's a good girl," he whispered, punctuating it with another forehead kiss. "Wait for me here, and when I'm done we can go back to the inn. I'll make you dinner and we can get a good night's sleep."
Good... girl? The world seemed to swim, but those two words rang out crystal clear in her mind. He called me a good girl...
Zelda smiled weakly. "Okay. I'll be a good girl, and wait for you here..." With that, the last of her strength left her and she fell asleep. Link cringed slightly at the idea of leaving her alone and asleep, but he really had no other choice.
Besides, she should be safe enough. No one else even knows about this place, much less how to get down here.
Convinced as he could make himself of his partner's safety, Link entered the western wing through the door with the snowflake on it. The disembodied voice greeted him once again:
To you who sets foot in this shrine, I am Keh Namut.
In the name of the Goddess Hylia, I offer this trial.
===== Cryonis Trial =====
Link raced straight to the pedestal and acquired the fourth and final rune he would find in this shrine:
Cryonis
Create a pillar of ice from a water surface.
Builds ice pillars that are very stable. These pillars can be used as stepping stones or as obstacles. Use Cryonis on an ice pillar to break it.
Directly in front of the door was a shallow pool of water in front of a ledge. Link created an ice pillar and climbed it to get to the ledge. "Easy enough," he thought out loud. Beyond the ledge, the entire area was covered in water. Not very deep at all, maybe just a few centimeters, but enough to allow him to use Cryonis whenever necessary. His next obstacle was a set of iron bars hanging down. An ice pillar lifted them up, allowing him to walk under the bars to the next area. He climbed a set of stairs to a raised platform, but before he moved on he spied a pair of treasure chests on a shelf. Unfortunately they were made of wood, so using Magnesis wasn't an option... but hopping across a Cryonis pillar to fetch the Champion's Cap and Royal Crown was simplicity itself. Returning to where he came led Link to a teeter-totter with stairs above each end, so he propped one end up with an ice pillar, climbed up to the exit platform, and returned to the main area with the fourth Spirit Orb in hand. He found Zelda exactly where he had left her, leaning against the altar and sleeping peacefully. Before he could decide what to do with her, another voice came from out of nowhere, jolting her awake.
Children of the sword, you have done well.
But there are yet other powers that lie sleeping in this temple.
Return here once the way forward has been cleared.
"Return here?" Zelda moaned. "I don't wanna come back here, all I wanna do is go to bed." She was clearly still traumatized from her near-death experience earlier, so Link helped her to the elevator they had used to enter the shrine and made their way back to the surface. They stepped out into the cool night air and made their way back to Lakeside Village, sticking close to the river to avoid monsters. They found a room, and Zelda unequipped her armor in the hallway and crashed out immediately upon hitting the bed. So much for dinner, Link thought to himself, but he was still hungry so he set off into town to find something to eat. While he was out, he overheard some interesting rumors, but nothing of any major consequence. Link digested every bit of information he could before heading back to the inn, where he found Zelda unmoved and undisturbed. It wasn't until now that it dawned on him that he had almost lost her earlier.
Almost, said a little voice in his head. But you didn't. You were there for her the way you always have been. When she needed you most, you threw yourself into danger to rescue her.
Despite her inability to hear them, he finally allowed himself to say out loud the words he had been holding back for lord knows how long.
"Because I love her."
A/N: TwistedViper20XX here!
So, this chapter ended up being a little bit long - I typically aim for about 3,000 words - but to separate the temple in half would have left two uneven length chapters. Plus if you can't tell, the next chapter will delve into SAO canon a little bit, so it made more sense to make the Lakebed Shrine all one chapter before proceeding on.
Speaking of the Maz Koshia Shrine, each wing is one of the four Great Plateau shrines in "Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild." If you haven't played that game, first of all, what's wrong with you? Second, there are plenty of YouTube videos with playthroughs that you can watch to get an idea of how each shrine progresses. I will be faithful to any shrines and dungeons in this story, so if you ever want to visualize what's going on as you read, YouTube is the place to go.
Now, I'm sure you've noticed the 'Unique Skills' and how they might seem a little... unfair. The reason I'm including them is actually more for the romance part of the story than the gameplay. They're meant to mimic and quantify the human brain's reactions to love and affection. For instance, "Well-Rested" is meant to reflect that extra pep in our step and overall positive attitude and mood improvement when we get a good night's sleep with someone we love. And yes, there will be one for lovemaking introduced at some point, although the story itself will be kept lemon-free. Not that I have anything against them, it's just that this story doesn't really need them to progress.
Before I wrap this up, I want to give a *HUGE* shoutout and 'thank you' to all my favorites and followers! I hope you're enjoying reading this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it!
Until Chapter 7, this is TwistedViper20XX, signing off.