Tya met the ground again in a less than graceful manner, though this time she caught herself before falling completely on her hands and knees.
Link however, seemed to know what he was doing when he landed, swinging his feet out first and kind of running a bit to keep himself up.
When seeing this, an aggravated sigh left the woman before she stood. She didn't think it could be so simple to land easily, but he certainly made it look that way. She moved to his side, eyes catching a glimpse of the sailcloth in his hands.
"It's Zelda's." She pointed out, nodding her head toward it. She'd remembered giving critiques as Zelda made it, and remembered seeing it wrapped around her shoulders the day of the ceremony.
"Y-Yeah, I won i-it. She d-did a good j-job making it, d-didn't she?" He held the half folded cloth up to show Tya, and she nodded after a second. He finished folding it up and put it away just as a light began to pour from his sword, and take form of the spirit again.
"Master Link," Fi began as her form fully became visible to the two. "I have detected Zelda's aura from deep within this temple. I recommend opening the large door." One of her 'arms' drew back and extended toward the temple's door.
"So she's still here? We aren't too late- we should hurry." With no hesitation, Tya hurried forward and up the stairs where she set a hand against a beautifully designed door. Link followed, as did Fi.
"However, I have also detected the presence of numerous monsters. Are you sure you want to proceed?"
"Of course!" Tya shot back toward the spirit before Link could even respond.
"It would be very unwise to display overconfidence here. Within the walls of this place, no one will come to your aid."
"We will help each other..." Tya quieted a bit, eyes flickering from Fi to Link before going back to the door.
"We g-got some s-supplies too, i-in Skyloft this m-morning. Stuff th-that's s-supposed to help if we get hur-hurt. S-So we will have that too." Link reached over to lightly pat the oversized pack Tya carried. In response to this, Fi gave a nod then returned to the sheathed blade. Link looked at Tya and offered a closed smile, one which was surprisingly comforting, despite knowing she was about to walk into a dark temple full of monsters...
She gave a smile in return before looking to the door again. As she looked it up and down, a small glimpse of a bright red color caught her eye, and she looked directly above her head. She stepped back, tilted her head, then nudged Link.
"That might be the way to open it. Or just a decoration we are about to break for no real reason." Her hands went to ignite, but Link stopped her and pointed to the slingshot.
"Th-the fire might d-destroy it." He said simply, pulling the little tool off it's new spot on his belt, and then a seed from the pouch. As Link prepared to shoot, she stopped him and pulled him back a few steps.
"Just in case it shatters or something-" Was all she offered as her excuse, and Link nodded before releasing a shot at the diamond like piece. When the shot landed, it seemed to release into a bunch of smaller diamonds. Not in an unorganized, shattered fashion. It lost its color, and the diamonds froze in the air. For a second all was still and quiet, and then a loud crack echoed from the door. Dust blew upward, and as it started to pull open, a gust of cold wind drenched the two.
There they stood, at the top of a flight of stairs that seemed never ending as they disappeared into darkness. It was Link's turn then, to show discomfort. It was brief, barely noticeable, but the way his steps shifted and he swallowed was enough to signal it to those paying attention.
But his expression twisted to one of determination, and without a word he started inward. It wasn't long before the light of day disappeared behind them, leaving only the gentle luminescence of some strange fungi. When the brighter light faded though, Tya held a hand out and let the fire engulf it to light the way.
The farther down they got, the more their eyes were allowed to adjust to the dim lighting, and they were mostly able to see the ruined temple that surrounded them.
"Its kind of pretty." Tya said quietly, looking at the vines and roots that poured over the walls, then the mushrooms that illuminated small areas.
"I-In a creepy kind of w-way. I bet it l-looked a lot better w-when it was new." He kept moving forward, slower though when he realized Tya had stopped. It was like silent urging, when he kept walking, and Tya caught on quick to keep following. She went to reply, but refrained when a soft squeaking sound met her. Link seemed to hear it too, and he moved to draw his blade.
"You know that sound? Is it something dangerous?" Her voice dropped just above a whisper, and the fire she was using to light the area flickered a bit more.
"Not too bad, but still. Wouldn't want to get attacked at all. Just keese." He kept moving, the squeaking becoming louder before the culprit revealed itself. Of course, the poor thing was cut down quickly. Simple enemies, but Tya couldn't help but think there was going to be a lot worse... A few more steps forward and they were both very nearly caught up in a web that Tya just accepted as confirmation toward her thoughts. There was no way something small could make a web like that, no matter how long those ruins had been abandoned...
Whatever it was though, seemed to have long since moved, and Link cut the web down so they could pass without any problems. The sounds attracted the attention of more Keese, which Tya got the chance to handle before they came too close.
They set their first steps on solid ground again only to be met with a dead end. A barred door lay before them, and after some mediocre investigation they took a step back.
"How did she even get through the temple without disturbing half of this stuff?" Tya asked absently with aggravation as she moved to the stairs again. She didn't stray far, just up a few to look around the corner and see if they'd missed anything.
"W-who knows, nothing makes any s-sense right now... I think there's a-another one of th-those s-switches here, but these s-stupid trees are in the way." Link looked past a bunch of thin trees and put his hands on some conveniently placed vines. It was like a trigger, to touch the vines, because when he did an all too familiar sound resonated through the area.
On the ledge where the switch sat, just over the top of the small trees, Tya could see one of those dreaded plants.
Link quickly retracted his hand and stumbled back as he was unable to see where the enemy lay. He calmed though, when he realized it wasn't anywhere that it could attack him.
The fire in Tya's hands took shape of a sphere, and she prepared to fling it forward at the practically rabid plant, but Link stopped her again.
"I-It m-might catch the trees." He said, drawing his sword.
"Well you can't try to climb up there. The trees are in the way, and that thing will get you. They are thin though, cut them down?"
"Why do you th-think I drew the s-sword?" He replied, somehow managing to exaggerate a matter-of-fact tone. One which Tya mocked playfully as she watched him move forward and take a good swing at the trees. It was an effective swing, and once the cut was made he hurried to step back so they didn't fall on him. They were small, small enough that he'd be able to catch them and toss them aside if they fell on him. But that didn't mean he was going to let that happen. With the trees out of the way, he lightly tapped Tya, who once again readied the fire and released it, effectively slaying the enemy.
"I-It's useful to have s-some good ranged fighting." He nudged her before sheathing the blade and leaping up onto the vines.
Whether it was meant as one or not, she took it as a compliment, and it brought a smile to her face, but she didn't know how to respond. As he went to climb up, Tya arched a brow at him and asked "why don't you just shoot the switch again?"
"B-because th-there might be something i-interesting up here!" He pulled himself up after the short climb and looked around.
"Well is there?" Her arms crossed over her chest.
"...No," he laughed. "But we know that now, because I looked." With that, he hit the switch, and it dispersed in the same manner as the one before. He slid off the edge, landing on his feet when he fell, and the bars that kept them from the other side lifted.
He went to the door, feeling over it to find out which way it opened from. It took a second for him to figure it out, but when he did he bent and lifted it from the bottom. The little budge he gave it allowed whatever mechanisms behind it to take over, and it lifted the rest on its own.
They stepped into a new room, and the door fell closed behind them. The roughness in which it fell caused them both to flinch, but regardless they carried on up the stairs before them. A creepy sight unfolded from there.
They stared at the door in front of them, and it stared back- not something a door should ever be capable of doing. But after a moment of the two just watching it, and it just watching them, they decided they should actually do something.
"Uh..." Tya took her eyes off it only to look around for another of the red switches. One wasn't found, and so she of course resorted to the fire. A hand held out, and before she lit it she looked at Link. He just shrugged in response, obviously not knowing how to deal with that either. A ball of fire was cast at it, but before it hit the eye slammed closed, and reopened when the fire died. She huffed, allowing her hand to drop back to her side. The eye watched the motion of her hand, and Link seemed to get an idea from that. His sword was drawn quick, and the eye flickered to the blade. He waved it a bit to see if it still followed, and it did, so he continued to move it. After a second, the eye turned red and though his blade stopped, it continued to move in a circle. It then rolled back, closed, fell to the ground, and the barred door below it opened.
"...How did you know that would happen?" Tya turned to start down the stairs to go around. Link just jumped over the edge and went to pull the door up as she met him.
"I d-didn't, I just kn-know my eyes get t-tired when I do s-something like that, so I figured it was worth a t-try."
A small hall was what the door opened to, and with little thought the two hurried into it. But that sound again caused her to come to an immediate stop, and grab Link. She did so just in time too, because one of those plants descended from the ceiling and snapped at the male. She just instinctively pulled him back and out of its reach. Before she could light it, Link shoved his sword into its mouth and through it.
When it fell, he pointed to a base on the ceiling right after the first that looked similar. They both thought it safe to assume there was another one awaiting the fool that stepped without being wary.
Stepping forward alerted the enemy they were there, and when it came down, it got a mouth full of fire.
Walking out into the open area, a skittering sound caused Tya to turn back and she noticed the vines around the entry way. Again, conveniently placed, was another ledge just above them. On the vines, though, were a few spiders. They were much too large for her comfort, and the look of disgust on her face made that clear. She tugged at Link's sleeve though, getting him to turn so he could see the vines.
"Want to see what's up there?" She pointed to it, letting her attention turn to him as she awaited a response. He watched it for a second before narrowing his eyes and nodding. He pulled the sling shot off his belt, and launched a seed at the spiders that made a home on the vine. Tya would have helped, but much like the trees before, vines were flammable.
Link climbed up to the ledge, disappearing from Tya's view. After a second she heard a bit of crashing, then he leaned over the edge and smiled down at her.
"Th-There's a q-quicker way back to the e-entrance h-here, instead of climbi-ing all those stairs, so if we w-want to go back out we can just climb up and go th-this way." He looked back at it, then down to her again. His breathlessness was obvious in his talking, though it didn't seem to phase him much. It worried Tya, but she figured he'd know his own limits better than she would.
"Anything else interesting?" She asked, getting only a shake of his head in response before he started to climb down again. He just crawled over the vines a bit until he was felt he was at a good height to drop down, and then they started again.
Moving out into the main area of the room got the attention of a green skinned creature. It rushed them, wobbling forward and screeching from behind the skull it used as a mask. This time, Link detached his shield, holding it over his head as he charged forward. It was just a precaution, because he thrust his sword through the thing's stomach before it got the chance to attack him. It fell quickly and easily, and he reattached the shield to its place on the strap over his back. He just kept his sword drawn then, which made sense in Tya's head. He seemed to have to draw it every other second anyway.
With the foe slain, they were able to look around at where they stood. In the middle of three new doors. The one to the right seemed the one that would be easiest to open, as the switch was visible right over it. Link's attention had quickly turned to it and Tya's was soon to follow, when she heard the little snap sound made when Link shot the slingshot.
Another switch triggered, and they began into a new room. Another of those webs nearly caught them, but it was cut down. This time though, they got to find just what it was making them. Not that either of them were exactly happy to find out.
A plaque sat at the end of a narrow walkway, and if it weren't for the shadow of a very large spider like creature, Link would have walked right out to it only to be mauled. Tya had grabbed his sleeve as if to stop him, despite him not actually moving forward at that point. He didn't exactly seem to mind, but he did know he needed to get closer to read the weathered stone. A hand rose to rest over Tya's, lightly pulling at it so she'd let go, and when she reluctantly complied he stepped forward silently. His eyes remained locked on that spider. He got close enough to read it, but just as he did the creature descended and dangled on a web between him and the plaque.
He stumbled back, pulling his sword and detaching the shield. Tya moved to the edge, sure not to get behind him so he could come off the walkway if needed, and her hands lit up. A good swing hit the spider, but instead of any damage being done, the spider started to swing, and Link stumbled again as his arm was forced back unwillingly. A slightly pained gasp left him, as he hadn't expected such a response, but he didn't let it stop him. Shield held at his front, he went in close again. As it stopped spinning, Tya and Link both realized it was now facing the wrong way, and thus it made visible a bright purple inside. Neither of them knew what exactly it was, but just figured it was safe to assume that was the weak spot.
Link got in another hit that would have been a good one, and Tya managed to throw a fire ball right past it. With the way it was swinging, it was making it a difficult target, and when Link would hit it, it would only pick up the pace again. He stepped back finally, seemingly aggravated with the thing. Luckily neither of them were close enough to be attacked back. It seemed content on its string, wanting nothing more than to be disgusting and give some warning hisses in their direction.
Link grabbed Tya's wrist and held her hand out, closing one eye to aim her hand, but realized he was in a bad spot. So he moved behind her, watching the way the creature still swung. He aimed her hand where he wanted it.
"Light i-it, but w-wait till I tell you." He said quietly, obviously concentrated on what he was doing.
"Why don't you use the slingshot?" She leaned away from him a bit only so she could look at him and properly convey her confusion toward his actions.
"Because its n-not strong enough and if my s-sword bounces back, I don't know if th-the s-seeds will." He explained, shaking her hand a bit like that would help ignite it. She sighed, lit her hand up as told, and he held her arm in place, waiting until just the right second before saying "now."
The fire balled up and shot, hitting what they'd assumed was the weak spot almost exactly and knocking the spider off its web to the ground beneath the walkway. Link released Tya, moving to the edge to watch as the pest curled up and died.
"I-I've got good f-frickin aim!"He exclaimed as he pointed down to the corpse. His little celebration was not long lasted, though. After that, he moved down the walkway. He looked back to see if Tya was following to read for herself, but when he saw she hadn't he looked to the words and started to read aloud.
"Two d-doors lead to r-rooms left and right, but th-they will only o-open when th-the gemstones are st-struck. One is above, one below." That cued them both to start looking toward the ceiling.
When nothing was found, they started to look over the edge, and as they did, Link moved back to Tya's side. It took a second to spot what appeared to be a crawl space, and Link pointed it out.
"Below" he stated with a sense of accomplishment in his tone.
"There's water though– if my hands get wet I can't light the fire."
"Its sh-shallow, y-you'd be able to d-dry them o-off on your sh-shirt. If you want to s-stay here, I c-can go alone. I th-think the door i-it was talking about was o-out th-there, so I-I will n-need to come back to th-this room. I-If not, I'll t-tell you."
She shifted uncomfortably, not entirely sure what to say. If he went alone, there was the possibility of something on the other side waiting to harm him. He could handle himself, but she worried.
"I'll go too. I don't want anything to happen to you. We will have to come back for this, I don't think it'll fit through the space." She decided finally, starting to unstrap the pack from her shoulders. Link nodded, looking over the edge again as he waited for her. When she was done, he stepped over like it was nothing, landing in shallow water with a splash. He turned back, looking up at her as if to silently coax her over the edge. After a bit of hesitation she jumped too. It was simply precaution, the way Link held his hands out to catch her in case she stumbled.
She got her balance before the gesture was needed, and she wrinkled her nose at the water that splashed up on her clothing. It had done the same to Link, but he didn't seem to mind it in the least- she couldn't imagine why he'd be okay with it. He'd be walking around in drenched boots for the duration of their adventure.
With no uncertainty, the male knelt into the water and started to crawl through the open space. Tya, however, she hesitated. She needed a second to prepare for feeling completely defenseless in a place full of monsters. She followed though, eventually.
Luckily the tunnel was short, and when she stood again she dried her hands on the parts of her shirt that weren't damp. The switch was propped up on a pedestal, and easy to find. The room was small, and really Tya felt she could have easily stayed back and waited for his return. A grumpy little huff escaped the mage, but beyond that she kept quiet. She'd rather have wasted energy than let him get hurt.
Link used his slingshot once again to trigger the switch, and after he slipped it back into its place on his belt he turned to Tya and smiled. "N-Not hard. I expected a ch-challenge. N-Not complaining though." He motioned toward the crawlspace again, but the two paused before making any move to go toward it.
The sound of falling water got their attention, and a moment after hearing it, water began to flood through the space. Tya stepped back, watching the water as it quickly began to fill the room. While she just stood there, Link actually tried to do something. The slingshot was drawn and another shot fired at the switch, to try and stop it- turn the flow off, but no response from the gemstone.
The sound of the seed cracking brought Tya back, and she pushed her panic aside to start looking around.
"Tya-" Link moved to her, grabbing her arm and motioning with his free hand to some more conveniently placed vines. They hurried to it, and with little thought and effort, Link lifted Tya so she could better reach them. A little squeak was stifled as she latched on and pulled herself up a bit.
Difficult to hang on with the lack of strength panic over drowning- or even just drenched, but she still paused and looked back to make sure Link was following. He did, immediately after, and even with her having a head start, he beat her to the top. By the time they both settled in the opening the vines led to, the water had stopped which, needless to say, eased their panic a lot.
Neither had any idea how high the water was going to go or if it was going to stop at all. Tya only assumed they'd done it wrong- this was some sort of trap. But it appeared she was wrong- the water stopped and seemed to have no intention of harming them. Perhaps that meant it was supposed to help...
Another small crawlspace led them back out to the room they killed the spider in. Tya collected the pack again, and after a brief look around they decided that room had nothing else left for them.
"I'm s-sorry you ended up g-getting wet. Does th-the th-thing still work?" He motioned to her hands as they stepped out into the main room.
"It's alright. It wasn't your fault, you've no need to apologize." She held her hands up, trying to light them, but getting only a few sparks and a weak flame. "It'll dry quickly, I'm sure. My sleeves are wet, but I don't think they are soaked enough to drip into the fire."
"Th-That'll put it out?" He looked to the chained door, and then to the other, still barred one across from them.
"And hurt a little." It was still barred so evidently they still needed another switch. Not a surprise, the plaque had told them there were two. One above and one under.
"The f-fire hurts?" Link's eyes searched the ceiling, but nothing was found. "Th-that one was h-high up, right? That one must h-have been above."
"When its not put out at my will it hurts a little. Aches." That one was above, meaning the second had to be below. She moved to the edge of the walkway they stood on and looked over the floor visible to her. "There are gaps beneath the bridges."
"S-So maybe u-under one of th-them?" Link nodded, looking around to see if there was a good spot he could use to get down. None was found, so he detached the strap that held his sword and shield and held it out to Tya. "H-hold these, d-don't want them to get we-wet."
The switch was found beneath the door they intended to go into next. How he triggered it without his blade, Tya didn't know nor did she ask. Judging by the sounds, he just kicked it until it worked, but it was irrelevant. It worked, and they began into the next room.
