Chapter 37

Algae Stained Walls

Rain fell down in a continuous shower upon the broken palace. It stirred the dirt into soft mud piles and left the air smelling like soil. Judging from the forming puddles, it's been raining for quite a while, though it would be impossible to judge just how long it's been going on.

The palace had made quite a ruckus when it fell, and it worried me to think that it may have caught the attention of the lizalfos and whizzrobes. Best to leave before they show up. I needed to scope my map and figure out where the Ocean Palace is, but now wasn't the time. I'll write a mental note to do it later in a safer place.


My trip out of the maze was uneventful, and I was unbothered by Ganon's minions, thankfully. And once I was in the safety of the woods outside the maze, I could think up my next strategy. The Ocean Palace was right where you would think it would be; in the middle of the ocean just east of Nabooru. No wonder it would be hard to reach. But I had the boots needed to reach it, surely it wouldn't be too difficult?

The rain stopped the very next morning, and I glanced back at the dreaded maze before I packed my things back up. I was thankful I was finally done with that place. Now, I could leave it behind me forever and never look back, although I'm sure it'll still haunt my sleep for a long time to come.

After the long trip, I was already missing the company of my friends. I use to travel this way all the time, but for some reason, the silence was now bothering me. I needed someone to talk to and share my adventure. I was trapped within my own thoughts.

Days passed, and I finally reached the ocean. It was at this time when I stopped here. I wasn't sure what I needed to do next. I couldn't see the palace from here, and the boots have not done anything this far. The blue waves felt so close and it spread for miles and miles around me. The blue sky with a few fluffy white clouds was dotted with flying seagulls sailing on the sea breeze. Here, the ocean was at peace as normal, but my mind was racing. All I wanted to do was move on to my next fight.

I looked down at the important boots and kicked at the sand. "Come on, you're supposed to help me reach the palace." I said to them as the bits of sand flew up and covered the brown shoes with light tan.

Nothing happened…

I let out a sigh and looked back up to the surface of the water. There was just one more idea I thought of, but it seemed unlikely. But then again, I had no clue as to what magic they had or how to use it. I took a step forward and lifted my left foot above the water line and slowly placed it in the water, but the boot rested down on the top of the sea like it was solid ground. My breath caught in my throat and I almost fell backwards.

Once I regained my footing again, I brought my other foot up. I was now standing on the ocean! But that wasn't the end of surprises, as a path was lit up in a glowing blue in front of me. It stretched towards the location of the temple like a dirt road on the plains until I couldn't see the rest of it. The boots enabled me to walk on water for it, and I didn't have to check to know they would only work on this revealed road.


It was rather odd to simply walk over to the temple's location in the ocean. Rather than being surrounded by grass, trees, insects, and dirt roads, I was surrounded by salt water on every side of me as well as fish large and small and seagulls overhead. I had followed the path for several hours until it came to sunset, but I was delighted when I saw a finally saw a building ahead of me.

The walls were worn from constant sea spray and algae and I couldn't tell what color it used to be. Whatever the case, it now showed its age and was colored in tints of red, gray, brown, and green. It looked like it was once mighty sturdy, but now, while it was still quite strong, the pillars were leaning in awkward directions. It didn't look like a mystical palace at all, but a bunch of sea rubble.

I walked on the ocean waves to the worn patio with the elevator. Here we go, from the horrors of the Maze Palace straight to the next one. But there was no reason to stop now, I was as ready as I would ever be.

And so the askew magical platform sank down inside the Ocean Palace. I nearly stumbled off of it when it landed with a bit of a crash onto the floor. Out of all the palaces I have been to, this one showed its age the most; water slowly streamed into the cracks in the walls and was collecting on the floor in front of me. I could see the cracks and even holes up near the ceiling, and because of this, weather had a strong affect over the years on the interior of the building. The place was really falling apart… Even the inside walls were colored from stains like the outside. I was surprised there was even a temple to come to!

The elevator landed in a large room where there was a small salt water pond in the middle of the curved floor, and there were a few platforms just above this "pond" and a single door rested on each of these platforms, but the one that caught my attention was the door higher than the rest of them. It didn't look like there was a way up there. Even with any of my spells, it seemed like there was a glass like sheen on the top, like an invisible floor.

I approached the pond; it didn't look very deep, but deep enough where I would have to swim, and the platforms holding the doors would be too far up to reach then. The thought of the boots I used to get here crossed my mind. If I used them across the ocean, then surely I can use it here. I stepped lightly on the water surface, and like before, it held my weight and the path glowed on the pond. I'm glad I stayed in the Maze Palace long enough to find these, or I might be able to reach the guardian at all here.

The path led to only one of the doors at the far right however. I walked over to the ledge where the road ended and I could reach the door, but how would I reach the others? There should be a different way, but for now, I'll check this one first. I stepped up to the old stone ledge and went through the door.

It was quiet, too quiet… It was a narrow passageway, and it continued to my left and the stone ended where the path was swallowed by more water and went on until I couldn't see beyond the left turn further down. I knew right away that here, too, would have a path for the magical boots as well. And sure enough, as I stepped down, a narrower path showed straight down the hallway, and I walked forward, but I grew nervous as I walked on, for the water began to stir, trickle, and bubble underneath.

Then suddenly, bago-bagos started to leap out of the water and were flying towards straight for me! I quickly moved out of the way and drew my sword and shield, but I was in a bad position for fighting monsters while on a very narrow path of water. After the first few skeletal fish flew out, it seemed as if the crowd thickened and they all attacked! I swung my blade at them and held my shield up, but they were flying in all directions now, and I was slammed by them and bitten repeatedly from those sharp teeth. I knew in the entire blur, that my only chance was to keep going forward. I took a few steps and tried to stay on the path, but I was moving slowly and I had to defend myself all the while.

It was so full of confusion, that I couldn't even process what happened next. I felt something collide with my feet and I was thrown back from stumbling and landed in the water. The bago-bagos could attack me more freely now that I was in their territory. They surrounded me and began to bite once more. The sharp teeth seeped through my skin and let the blood leak into the water. My vision was clouded, the only thing I could see was blurry forms of monstrous fish and something like a door on the wall next to me. That was my only hope!

I swung the sword around me and tried to scare the monsters away as I tugged at the door. With some difficulty and needed air, I pulled the door open and swam in. I quickly jumped up above the surface and pulled myself to the small ledge with a lone treasure chest. Blood dripped from my torn skin, and the teeth marks were shown on my tunic as well. I casted "life", letting the pain ease before checking the chest behind me. Nothing but rupees sat in the bottom. I was hoping for something more useful, but I would just have to accept what was there and look elsewhere for a way to the guardian.

I would have been really angry if I had to return back the way I came in with the bago-bagos after finding nothing but money, but there was more to this room than a lone treasure chest. This room, like the others, was falling apart, but that wasn't the only thing I noticed. The place was like an algae swamp! The colored algae stank and clung to the walls, and floated on the water that was coming in through a large crack in the wall. It didn't take me long to realize too, that the water was quickly filling the room!

If I stayed here too long, the water would trap me here, and I would drown without a way of escaping. But I was drawn to check this room for anything important as well. I darted to and fro around the room, looking for anything suspicious. I saw, for the water was still quite low, a large box next to the hole that sprayed a continuing stream of water and algae in.

I ran for the box, but then stopped myself, as I then noticed a high ledge that I could reach if the water was at a higher level. I decided to risk my chances and reach that ledge and return back down for the box. It didn't take long for the strong smelling water to rise, and I swam up with the water's surface and pulled myself up on the platform. Here was another treasure chest, and as I opened it, I prayed that it was more than money.

But it was! I took up the small key and placed it safely in my pouch, and, without hesitation, I jump down from the ledge and swam for the giant box still lying on the floor now under the water surface. I swam down and pushed it until it blocked off the hole. I came back up for air, but I was surprised when I noticed the water began to drain completely through a vent I didn't see before. I didn't know where the water was going through this vent, but before long, the only sign of sea water ever being in the room was the wet floor and algae that clung hopelessly on the solid ground.

But just then, a mace came out of nowhere from above me, missing me by a few feet. This mace was followed by a red figure that dropped down, and I knew, once it landed, that it was a mace thrower. Where did he come from? Why was he here?

It responded with what looked like a grin, but that may have been its usual expression, and began tossing more maces. I quickly jumped back and took out my sword and shield. The maces quickly littered the floor and made it hard to walk, let alone dodging the ones still in the air!

Like the last one I encountered, the mace thrower didn't seem to run out on maces, and I found myself wondering once more where they all came from. I held my shield in front of me and moved to the side. The mace thrower turned to my direction as well, and I jumped again to where I was before, and was careful to not trip on the maces, and then I ran forward and stabbed.

It struck, and he clutched at the new gash. But now it was throwing with its good arm. I moved back and was far enough from the attack to cast "fire". I pointed my sword at the creature and lit him on fire.

It panicked and I approached. The creature screamed and shoved its mace into me, but I jumped back. The fire sizzled out and left him burned and bloodied. It responded to its condition by giving the same grin, except it looked more narrowed and angry this time, and continued with its hail of maces. I held my shield up to them, but felt one hit my leg and I staggered downwards.

The maces must have struck the already weak walls, because the wall to my left was cracking. The mace thrower noticed this and stopped throwing the weapons entirely. The red face of the monster turned to a light pink, must have been how it paled, and looked to me regretfully before water sprayed from the wall and opened the cracks further. The water was rushing in at an incredible speed and I fell over, blinded and torn from air.

The loud roaring of the water deafened me and was even thunderous under the surface. I was pushed, pulled, and carried along with the sea. I tried desperately to get my head above it.

I didn't know how long that lasted, but it felt like I was struggling for hours. But it didn't last forever, for the flow calmed and I slid onto the floor next to maces and some remaining algae. Sweet air filled my lungs again. I was still in the same room, And there the mace thrower was grounded some distance away from me. I didn't know if it was passed out or dead, but I couldn't worry about that. The water coming in through the wall did calm down a bit, but still quick enough that the room was filling up again.

I slowly stood up. My leg was bleeding and the water was cold, but I had to leave before it was too late. Looks like I now had no choice but to return back to the bago-bagos. And so I reluctantly limped back and dove under the water to the door that would bring me back to the passage where I was attacked by bago-bagos. I opened the frame with caution, but nothing happened. The bago-bagos must have returned to where ever they were before they attacked me.

I came up and swam to the beginning of the hallway as quickly as possible. I pulled myself up on the old stone floor where I sat quietly for a moment and tried to recover from the scene with the mace thrower. If that wall is ruined and water filled that room, what does it mean for my journey here at the palace? Was it going to collapse? Were there rooms down there that I could now no longer reach? I hoped not. The times I've worried about those kind of things, I was still able to reach every guardian. This time is probably going to be no different. I healed my leg, then stood up and tried to cross the path again.

This time, I wasn't swarmed with the skeletal fish, instead, only a few attacked me. I made a dash anyway to the end in case there might have been more coming. There was a door at the end of the watery hallway, and by stepping through it; I was back in the room with the pond. But this time I was on a different ledge more to the middle. I could see the stained, tilting elevator from here and the door I first came in on the ledge now to my left, and there were two doors to my right. I looked down off of the ledge and stepped down on the water with my boots, but rather than it seeming like solid ground, I almost fell into the water! The weight of my foot plunging down in the water made me stumble and I would have fell down entirely if I didn't grab onto the platform in time.

There was no path here! How could I reach the other two doors? I pulled myself back up to the platform and casted "jump". I didn't have a lot of space to back off, so I stood at the far edge and jumped for the nearest door. I flew through the air, soaring for the door.

But something pushed me back from the platform and I fell with strong force into the water below. I came back up in confusion and floated on the surface coughing up accidentally swallowed water. The platform was protected by some sort of invisible force field.

I had to swim back to where the elevator was and follow the path on the water back to the first door on the far right where the bago-bago hallway was.

I went quickly and tried to avoid the monstrous fish and came back to where I was before I jumped. Now that I know the spell won't work here, I had to think of something else. I looked around me, but there was nothing to help me reach the next door. If I couldn't walk on the water over there and couldn't jump, then what was I supposed to do? I had to find a way to remove the barrier around the ledge then. I turned around to the door behind me and stopped. All of my ideas were taken away when I saw, just above the door, a crystal hidden in a hollow covered by algae. Was it really that simple? After tugging on it didn't work, I poked it with my sword instead.

The gem became a dark blue and dimmed. I turned around, and saw the path on the pond flash like it does when I step on it, and it then vanished only to reappear a second later, but this time the path was different. It began in front of me and led to the door I failed to jump to.

So the gem was a switch! I'll have to be watching for more of those. I stepped down on the watery path and walked over to the door, but before walking up on the platform, I reached up to touch it. There was no sign of the barrier that tossed me in the pond. Curiosity grew the second I came to the door. Who knows what I will stumble past next?