It felt strange being on her own. She had a feeling she'd likely get stuck much quicker than she would while with Link. She was good at solving problems, but when it came to 'thinking outside the box', she was lacking. Link, however, seemed to do it too often. Accidentally making things more difficult for himself because he overlooked the obvious. Together, they had a good balance, she thought.
Up one of the blue paths she was met with her first obstacle. A large chunk of ceiling fell on the edge of a broken path. She could jump across if that piece wasn't in the way. She pulled back, returning to Link to get the bag of bombs.
"He s-said if you come across a bomb flower you c-can refill it."
"They don't explode in the bag?" She undid the drawstring to peek inside at the calm explosives.
"N-no. They just go o-out when you p-put them in."
"I wonder why."
"Dunno. Magic pr-probably." Something about the way he said it made Tya giggle. So casual, like it was just the explanation for all the weird happenings. He was getting used to it. But in this situation, who wouldn't be?
She took it and started back up. The obstruction was dealt with quickly and easily then. She tied the drawstrings of the bag to one of her belt loops, then moved to jump across, but paused. She very nearly stumbled over the edge to try and catch herself.
Across the way was one of those lizard creatures, staring her down. It hadn't charged yet, though the path was clear.
She stepped back and away from the edge, letting the fire engulf her hands. Across, she watched the lizard take a step forward, moving its armored arm to its front to protect from any flames she may cast out.
A ball formed and charged, and the lizard prepared to block it. When she fired though, it didn't matter whether it was dodged or not. The force was enough to knock its arm back and out of the way, and in that short second a weak flame was cast at it. It did little damage against the tough, armored scales, but enough to confuse it. It hurried to block again, but the progression of weak flames continuously hitting it finally took it down. The charred corpse went still, and after a second more of hesitation, Tya made her way across.
There was a door there, awaiting her, and she pulled it open after one last look back to Link. He'd propped the pack up a bit and leaned against it. From the distance, she couldn't tell if he was sleeping, but she really hoped he'd try. He needed it.
She started into the new room, which was a pool of magma with a circle of those slabs formed in it. On a couple of them, were some of those red creeps. It didn't seem to be anything overly difficult, and therefore she felt no reason to turn back.
None of the creeps seemed to notice her presence yet...
Those silent steps of hers didn't come in handy when jumping. She couldn't make that quiet, and in order to get onto the slabs, she had little choice. Luckily for her, though, she only got the attention of one, and when it charged at her from two slabs away, she was able to charge up a ball of fire. Not too much, but enough to knock it off balance, and it stumbled back and into the magma.
A horrible way to die... It had to be, and despite knowing who they worked for and what they did- knowing they were the reason for Zelda being drug away, she was a little guilty. But she quieted the thought the best she could and proceeded. Another red creep had it's back turned on a stone slab not too far from her.
Before going any further, she let a ball charge up well, and shot it. That one was one she was proud of- one she figured killed the creep before it even hit the lava. For some reason, an instantaneous death was more comforting. She knew she shouldn't feel guilty over these things. They were torturing anyone and everyone in their way, barging in on territory that wasn't theirs, and really just being a nuisance to anyone and anything. But all lives were valuable, were they not?
Again, the thoughts were pushed aside, at least for the moment. On the far end of the room, opposite the door she'd entered, was a stone atop another of those bubbling spots. The ones that shot up in columns of magma.
Built around it, was a metal structure. She could see some of the creeps on top of it, but at a distance couldn't accurately count just how many.
When it lowered, she jumped onto it, and when it shot up she lowered herself down and close to the stone. Somehow, she managed to remain undetected, and the first trip up counted how many of the red creeps were on the structure.
Three from what she could tell. Lowered down again, she stood and started to charge the fire. No room for doubt. She took a breath and held it, holding both hands out in the general direction she'd seen the nearest foes. Her steps took her back to the edge of the rock just as it started to lift again. Full height in the air, she had only seconds to correct her aim, and she cast her separate fire balls at two enemies- two that had stood on either side of a pedestal where the third stood.
One hit directly, but the other was only singed. She now had their attention, which she was admittedly not pleased about. But she couldn't take it back, obviously.
This time she put both hands just inches apart, using the joined fire to make a stronger ball in only seconds while her foes charged her. The nearest one- the one she'd just barely burned, took the hit from this charge, and the third continued to rush her. It went to jump, but as it did the stone where she stood started to descend once again. It stumbled, trying to keep itself from toppling over the edge, but failed and ungracefully fell over. Would it have jumped, it may have managed to survive and land on the rock with Tya, however the sudden halt in it's actions meant it didn't have enough momentum to propel itself to a good spot. Instead, it wound up falling, hitting itself on the edge of her rock, and before it could even scramble to try and catch itself, it was devoured by the pool of magma.
That breath the mage held was released seconds after the creature melted away into the heat. She watched the spot a moment longer, but her gaze was drawn away from the magma when the stone started to rise again. Full height once again, she jumped to the platform where the foes stood, and looked around to be sure she was alone. When she was sure, she started up the flight of stairs before the pedestal, and stopped before a treasure chest. The lock it had on it had been bashed, she assumed by the red creeps she'd just slain. However they didn't seem to have had the chance to open it before she attacked. She took up where they left off, lifting the lid to find a map stored inside.
"Useful," she uttered to herself, a small smirk tugging at the corner of her lips as she unfolded it. She briefly glanced at it, but didn't linger long because she figured she needed to return to Link.
A few seconds of mental preparation were needed to leap back onto an unstable stone held up only by a column of magma, but she managed and fortunately didn't suffer a fate similar to that of her previous foe.
Returning to the main room, she found Link had dozed off while leaning against the pack. She was glad to see it, honestly.
She didn't want to wake him, so she quietly took a seat next to him and unfolded the map once again. Looking it over, she noticed the layout was similar to that of the one they'd found at the previous temple. She looked back to the other blue path that branched off the platform they were on. The door they needed to go through was too high to jump up to, and the platform seemed to drop off into the magma. Was it broken? It seemed cleanly separated from the other side.
She got up again, setting the map down and climbing the stairs to check it out. There was a thing on the sides of these stages that were all but completely submerged in the molten rock. They looked like they needed to be pushed in with something. The sphere maybe? That looked like it was heavy enough to do the job, if she got enough momentum behind it.
She looked back to it, then around to see how she could get it to the spot it needed to be in. Two pillars stood in her way. Whether that was on purpose or not, she didn't know, all she knew was that it was annoying. There had to be a way around. Maybe if she blew those pillars up and get them out of the way. She'd try after a little bit. Link resting peacefully came first... Or as peacefully as one could standing in the middle of a volcano surrounded by magma... He couldn't have been comfortable.
The mage dropped down onto the lowered platforms, and stepped to the edge where the door they needed to enter was. It was too high for her to jump, but maybe if Link could lift her high enough she could get up there and pull him up. Whatever way around they needed to find, may just be obsolete since there were two of them.
She returned to her sleeping companion, and lightly fanned him like that would help. All she was doing was gusting hot air at him, but maybe a flow of air would feel better than having thick heat just sitting on top of him.
He was just drenched in sweat, which was understandable really.
While one hand fanned him, the other went to gently pull at his arm, so she could get it and take a look at his injury. It still needed time, but it was healing up well enough.
Apparently her tugging was enough to stir him from his light sleep though, and he shifted a bit before opening one eye and glancing first at the hand that waved in front of his face, and then at her.
"What're y-you doing?" He asked sleepily, furrowing his brow and smiling a bit.
"Trying to cool you off. I'm going to assume it isn't working, though?"
"Not really, no." He chuckled softly, pulling himself to sit up straight, and drawing his arm away from her. He looked at the wound and the split cloth, then at the map she'd set down on the floor in front of them. He motioned to it lightly, and she nodded a bit.
"Found a map." Was all she said, and she grabbed it to hold out to him. He took it, and looked it over, but didn't get the chance to do so long before she spoke up again. "Do you think you can pick me up?"
"I-I have before."
She got to her feet, looking back at their intended direction before returning her attention to him. "You haven't done so while you were injured."
He seemed like he was going to start to speak, but his words were caught up deep yawn, which seemed pretty satisfying given the way he had to stop folding up the map just to carry it on. When he was finished, he took a second before continuing. "It doesn't h-hurt s-so bad anymore. Th-that healing potion helped, I-I think I can handle it."
Those damned infectious things- she started to speak, but it became mixed with a yawn of her own "try to pick me up and get me up there, then." She pointed to the ledge, and he shifted to look back at it. He studied the distance he'd need to lift her before nodding his head a little.
"Gimme t-two seconds." He got to his feet and nudged the pack over to her. She picked it up and slid it onto one shoulder, then started on her way. "Don't come back over here, I'll meet you over there."
She didn't know why he felt the need to say such a thing, but she complied either way. A few seconds later he hurried to her, adjusting his belt and tunic a bit, and she sighed.
"You just peed in the lava, didn't you."
"Yes, y-yes I did." He was much too proud of this accomplishment.
She shook her head, trying her best to stifle a laugh as she slipped the pack down and onto the floor again. "You're weird." She spoke absently, her attention set more on the ledge.
He shook his arm a bit like that would better prepare it for the weight he was about to lift, and then he moved a bit closer to her, awaiting her command. She nodded her head, and he bent slightly, clasping his hands together tight but flattening them so she could step up. She did, and he lifted her, until she was able to latch onto the edge. When she got a hold of it, he helped her lift herself onto it, and after she settled she leaned over the edge. He passed the pack up, and then came the real challenge. It took two tries before she was able to get a good hold of him and pull him up properly, but they did get it.
They situated themselves then started through the new door.
