Hey all! I'm back again! And the peasants rejoice. I say that a lot don't I? Oh well. Guess what?
As of when I started this chapter, I have 99 reviews for this story! One more makes a hundred! Of
course, by the time this chapter is actually published, the one hundredth review may already be in!
Anyway, I will announce next update who sent in the one hundredth review. I am really glad to
actually get the many. Please be sure to continue sending in reviews. Side note! Many of you have
said that my recent chapters have some weird spacing. Blame FF.net for that! They changed the
way they publish the stories on me. at that, when I view them on my computer, I cannot see the
problem. Also, I won't be updating again this week. Why? My family is going to Ohio. Why?
My dad is getting his PhD. We have to go to Cincinnati for his graduation. Hopefully we will go to
a Reds game while we're there. Go Reds! I know they aren't doing too well, but hey, I don't really
care for baseball much either. I just like the Reds! (FYI: I was born in Cincinnati, so they used to
be my home team. I live in Misery now . . . I mean Missouri). So now, on with the story!
Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Legend of Zelda.
The Legend of Zelda
The Golden Land
Chapter Fifteen
Faces of Evil
LAST TIME:
The two heroes exchanged glances. Everyone was tensed and ready. LinkW nodded his
head. "Do it."
LinkT nodded in agreement and stepped up to the stone figure. He reached out and grasped
the hilt of the Master Sword with one hand, then with both. He placed a foot against the stone for
leverage and began to pull out the sword.
NOW:
The master Sword gave an initial click, then, with a soft grinding sound, slid out from its
stone home. LinkT grunted as he dislodged the sword and pulled the last of it out. The keen blade
shone with a faint glow as the Hero of Time once again held the Sword of Evil's Bane.
LinkT quickly backed away from the stone figure, holding the Master Sword in one hand
and raising his Mirror shield up in the other. LinkW also raised his shield, gripping the Gilded
Sword tightly.
After several silent moments, a crack appeared on the stone with a snapping sound. Several
more cracks quickly followed. With a final, loud crashing sound, the stone shattered, raising a cloud
of dust and debris.
Ganondorf Dragmire collapsed onto his hands and knees among the stone debris now
littering the tower. He was panting hard, or maybe that was the sound of his heart beating. Slowly,
the King of Evil raised his head. Red eyes burned with hatred as they came to rest on the two
Heroes before them.
Ganondorf slowly rose to his feet, towering above both Links. He let out a low, deep
throated growl. Both Heroes braced.
If he found the sight of both the Hero of Time and the Hero of Winds even the least bit odd,
the King of Evil made no sign of it. The madman's mind most likely did not either comprehend
such things any more, or he just didn't care.
Ganondorf slowly began to raise into the air. As he did so, he began to tuck his body into a
ball, almost like a fetal position. Then his body began to glow with an eerie blue light.
The Links backed up even further. "What's he doing?" LinkW asked nervously.
"He is going to transform," LinkT responded. He glanced at his counterpart to find his
expression confused. "When you fought him, did he only use the form you see now?" The Wind
Waker nodded. "Then you have fought Ganondorf. This is the true form of Ganon, given to him by
the Triforce of Power."
Before LinkW could ask what that meant, Ganondorf let out a scream that may have
actually been closer to a roar. The Evil King's body began to grow larger and mutate. The scream
became more and more like a roar, so much that it could obviously not have come from a human.
The Gerudo King's body landed on the ground with a crash that shook both Links.
The King of Evil stood before them, no longer on feet, but on hooves. Short hair, or actually
fur, covered his entire body. The disproportionally massive arms were covered with bulging
muscles and ended in clawed hands, which now gripped a giant trident-like spear. The face was not
remotely human. The forehead had slanted forward, going down to a boar-like snout and mouth. A
mop of red hair was the only thing that looked somewhat human. The monster's eyes glowed with a
red fire.
"This," the Hero of Time stated, "is Ganon." The beast again roared and raised its spear.
Both Links dodged to either side as the weapon came crashing down, leaving a large crack in the
stone floor. The Heroes both rolled to the side and were quickly back on their feet.
"Oh boy," LinkW muttered to himself. "How do we stop THIS?" he called to his
counterpart.
"His tail is very sensitive," LinkT responded. "And you two," he called back over his
shoulder to Tetra and Saria, "Aim for his head. See if you can stun him!" The girls nodded,
drawing back arrows into their bows.
"I'll distract him," LinkT called to the Wind Waker. "You go for his tail!"
LinkW shook his head in bewilderment. "Your call," he muttered.
"Hey pig face! Over here!" the Hero of Time shouted. He darted in close to the monster
and quickly retreated, before Ganon could attack. LinkT baited him like this several times before
the monster began to slowly chase after him. LinkW quietly snuck behind the Evil King and
charged toward his tail. Just then, Ganon swung his spear horizontally, bringing it around behind
him. "Look out!" LinkT yelled.
LinkW's eyes bulged when he saw the spear headed towards him. With trained reflexes, the
Wind Waker dropped to the ground so the spear sailed by over him. He then quickly rolled away
from Ganon, narrowly avoiding the vertical follow through which smashed into the ground.
"DO YOU THINK I CANNOT HEAR YOU?" came a deep and menacing voice.
LinkT blinked in surprise. *Dang. He's not as far gone as I thought.* He raised his shield
and dropped into a ready stance. "Sorry. I didn't realize you could still comprehend human
speech."
"FOOL!" Ganon bellowed, raising one hand into the air. "I HAVE NOT LOST MY MIND
AS I DID WHEN WE FOUGHT PREVIOUSLY!" A ball of energy crackled into existence in the
monstrous hand. "NOW DIE, HERO OF TIME!" Ganon threw the magic ball at LinkT, who
jumped out of the way, ducked, and rolled to avoid the ball, which exploded against the ground
several feet away.
Ganon raised his hand again, but the twang of two bowstrings rent the air. Ganon managed
to raise an arm for shielding and turn away before the golden light missiles struck, but he was still
jolted by their detonation against his hide.
The Evil King turned to glare at Tetra and Saria, who were stringing new arrows.
"BOTHERSOME INTERLOPERS!" he growled, raising his spear above his head in both hands.
Ganon brought the spear crashing down to the ground and flames erupted from the impact. A deep,
fire ridden crack formed in the ground and headed straight at the two girls. Tetra and Saria both
leapt aside in opposite directions as the flaming crack passed where they had stood. It went on to the
edge of the tower, where fire and dust erupted from the side, filling the air.
The pirate princess and the Sage quickly climbed back to their feet and picked up the bows
they had dropped. Ganon prepared to attack again, but before he could, the Links charged in at him.
LinkT held the Master Sword back behind him and his shield out front as he charged in.
The Master Sword began to glow brightly as magical energy gathered to it. The Hero of Time leapt
at his old foe and sent himself into a rapid spin, sword first. Ganon stepped backwards and dodged
the wave of read and blue flames that came from LinkT's sword. Before the Evil King could
counterattack, however, a cry from behind him drew his attention to the Hero of Winds. LinkW had
also charged magic energy to his sword and now released it in a hurricane spin move that turned him
into a yellow disk of destruction. While spinning, the Wind Waker skimmed along the ground
towards Ganon, who had to sidestep and block with his spear to avoid being hit.
Before Ganon could attack the Wind Waker, two more light missiles were shot at him. The
Evil King swung his spear around in a wide arc, detonating both Light Arrows before they could
reach him. Seeing the two Heroes prepare to strike again, Ganon raised his free hand and pounded it
into the ground in a fist. A shockwave erupted from the impact, carrying an expanding ring of dust
out away from the monster.
Both Links were sent flying by the shockwave. They crashed into the ground several feet
away from where they had been standing. Tetra and Saria, who were further back, managed to
remain on their feet.
Ganon raised a hand above his head. A large ball of absolute blackness formed above his
hand, sucking in magic energy from the surrounding area. With a cry, the Evil King hurled the ball
at the girls. They both dodged, but the magic spell was much more powerful than the previous ones.
It hit the stone floor and blossomed into a giant explosion of darkness. A large section of the tower
top was completely obliterated. Massive cracks formed over the stone floor all around, and large
stone outcroppings jutted out from the ground all over.
Tetra was hurled into an outcropping, where she hit and sunk to the floor unconscious. Saria
was thrown to the ground and pinned their by a pile of debris, unable to move or reach her bow.
Further back, Medli was thrown into a stone outcropping much like Tetra, rendering her
unconscious as well. Makar was also thrown into a wall of stone and incapacitated. Aryll, however,
was thrown completely off the top of the tower.
The young girl screamed as she saw herself go over the edge, and desperately tried to grab
on to something, anything. She could feel the wind whip around her face and hair. After catching a
glimpse of the distant ground, Aryll squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to see it. She cringed in
anticipation as she plummeted down the side of the tower.
LinkW let out a scream when he was his little sister fly off the edge of the tower. He tried to
run to the side of the she had fallen from, but Ganon was in his way. Seeing only red, the Wind
Waker hurled himself at his larger adversary, followed closely by the Hero of Time.
* * * * * * * *
The Fierce Deity folded his arms in front of him and chuckled softly. He began to walk past
the limp form of a giant red dragon that was now unconscious on the ground. Or maybe it was dead.
The Oni really didn't care. He strode past the fallen dragon and climbed up a series of stone stairs
that led to a platform marked with the Triforce.
Daoshin stood in the center of the platform. His eyes began to glow more brightly than
normal and a column of blue light rose around him. The demigod soon found himself in a chamber
made mostly of infinite space. He stood on a platform identical to the one he had previously been
on. The demon's image flickered, then disappeared.
He reappeared in a grassy field. Within a few minutes, the Oni was climbing the last of a
series of gold lines stairs. He stood on the top of a silver ziggurat and grinned widely.
"Oh sisters. How ironic is it that your own power would make me invincible?"
With that, Daoshin stretched out his hand towards the sacred golden triangle.
* * * * * *
Aryll clenched her jaw and kept her eyes squeezed shut as she prepared for the end. Her
eyes snapped back open, however, as all the wind was blown from her. She gasped to catch her
breath and realized that their was now an arm wrapped around her waist.
The young girl didn't have time to consider this, though, as the arm pulled her back, until
she could feel the form of another person carrying her. The other figure was currently suspended in
midair, its free arm grasping a rope which was wrapped around its forearm. After hanging in the air
for an instant, gravity and centripetal force caught up with them, and the two swung from the rope
back towards the tower. They landed roughly on a circular staircase that wrapped around the tower,
leading up to the top.
Aryll gasped, catching her breath. "What are you doing here?" Aryll turned to look at her
rescuer for the first time. It appeared to be a boy, about her brother's age. Before Aryll could say
anything, the boy shook his head. "Never mind. You won't be able to get off this staircase by
yourself, so follow me. Just stay back out of the way." Not waiting for a reply, the young man
quickly turned and took off headed up the stairs. Aryll climbed to her feet and ran after him as best
she could.
* * * * * * *
Sewing was a very boring hobby, the figure that had emerged from the crystal decided. Still,
it was useful. The figure stood in the ruins that had once been Kakariko Village. It carefully
inspected its new outfit. The clothing would provide excellent mobility and durability in battle.
Having finally recovered from being sealed away in the crystal, the figure had decided it was
time to get moving. It headed out from the ruined town on foot. The only logical place to go would
be to the Castle. Fortunately, Kakariko had been a little less than a days travel from Hyrule City, so
the trip there was not too long. Eventually, someone would come to the castle. Perhaps Ganon
would be there. The figure would soon find out.
Once the figure had reached Hyrule Castle, it quickly headed for Ganon's Tower, an
addition which the Evil King had made when he took over Hyrule before the flood. When the figure
reached the tower, it searched around and found a spiral staircase that wrapped around the exterior
of the tower, leading upwards.
The figure used a grappling hook it had found in Kakariko to pull itself up to the raised
ledge at the base of the stairs. The figure wrapped the grappling hook and rope over its shoulder
again. The hook and a large dagger had both been useful items the figure had found in Kakariko,
along with the sewing kit. The dagger was fastened to the figures back. A pendant hung around the
figures neck the only item it had carried with it from the crystal. These three items were all the
equipment that the figure carried with it.
Shortly after the figure started up the stairs, a plume of fire erupted from the top of the tower.
The figure narrowed its eyes and began to take the stairs at a run. Along the way, the figure could
feel various explosions coming from the top of the tower. It moved faster.
After one particularly violent explosion, the figure heard a scream from above and looked up
to see a young girl falling down the side of the tower.
*What the heck?!*
Before the figure could contemplate why a little girl was up there, it was already in action.
It quickly readied the grappling hook and threw it to a higher level of the stairs. As the girl
approached the figures position, the figure took a deep breath and ran of the end of the stairs,
jumping out into the air. The figure swung around, timing it just right so that it reached the girl as
she passed. The figure caught the girl by the waist and pulled her close before they were both pulled
back to the stairs by the rope.
"What are you doing here?" the figure demanded once they had landed safely on the
stairway. It shook its head. It really didn't matter right now. "Never mind. You won't be able to
get off this staircase by yourself, so follow me. Just stay back out of the way," the figure said. With
that, it took off again, headed up to the top of the tower.
As of when I started this chapter, I have 99 reviews for this story! One more makes a hundred! Of
course, by the time this chapter is actually published, the one hundredth review may already be in!
Anyway, I will announce next update who sent in the one hundredth review. I am really glad to
actually get the many. Please be sure to continue sending in reviews. Side note! Many of you have
said that my recent chapters have some weird spacing. Blame FF.net for that! They changed the
way they publish the stories on me. at that, when I view them on my computer, I cannot see the
problem. Also, I won't be updating again this week. Why? My family is going to Ohio. Why?
My dad is getting his PhD. We have to go to Cincinnati for his graduation. Hopefully we will go to
a Reds game while we're there. Go Reds! I know they aren't doing too well, but hey, I don't really
care for baseball much either. I just like the Reds! (FYI: I was born in Cincinnati, so they used to
be my home team. I live in Misery now . . . I mean Missouri). So now, on with the story!
Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Legend of Zelda.
The Legend of Zelda
The Golden Land
Chapter Fifteen
Faces of Evil
LAST TIME:
The two heroes exchanged glances. Everyone was tensed and ready. LinkW nodded his
head. "Do it."
LinkT nodded in agreement and stepped up to the stone figure. He reached out and grasped
the hilt of the Master Sword with one hand, then with both. He placed a foot against the stone for
leverage and began to pull out the sword.
NOW:
The master Sword gave an initial click, then, with a soft grinding sound, slid out from its
stone home. LinkT grunted as he dislodged the sword and pulled the last of it out. The keen blade
shone with a faint glow as the Hero of Time once again held the Sword of Evil's Bane.
LinkT quickly backed away from the stone figure, holding the Master Sword in one hand
and raising his Mirror shield up in the other. LinkW also raised his shield, gripping the Gilded
Sword tightly.
After several silent moments, a crack appeared on the stone with a snapping sound. Several
more cracks quickly followed. With a final, loud crashing sound, the stone shattered, raising a cloud
of dust and debris.
Ganondorf Dragmire collapsed onto his hands and knees among the stone debris now
littering the tower. He was panting hard, or maybe that was the sound of his heart beating. Slowly,
the King of Evil raised his head. Red eyes burned with hatred as they came to rest on the two
Heroes before them.
Ganondorf slowly rose to his feet, towering above both Links. He let out a low, deep
throated growl. Both Heroes braced.
If he found the sight of both the Hero of Time and the Hero of Winds even the least bit odd,
the King of Evil made no sign of it. The madman's mind most likely did not either comprehend
such things any more, or he just didn't care.
Ganondorf slowly began to raise into the air. As he did so, he began to tuck his body into a
ball, almost like a fetal position. Then his body began to glow with an eerie blue light.
The Links backed up even further. "What's he doing?" LinkW asked nervously.
"He is going to transform," LinkT responded. He glanced at his counterpart to find his
expression confused. "When you fought him, did he only use the form you see now?" The Wind
Waker nodded. "Then you have fought Ganondorf. This is the true form of Ganon, given to him by
the Triforce of Power."
Before LinkW could ask what that meant, Ganondorf let out a scream that may have
actually been closer to a roar. The Evil King's body began to grow larger and mutate. The scream
became more and more like a roar, so much that it could obviously not have come from a human.
The Gerudo King's body landed on the ground with a crash that shook both Links.
The King of Evil stood before them, no longer on feet, but on hooves. Short hair, or actually
fur, covered his entire body. The disproportionally massive arms were covered with bulging
muscles and ended in clawed hands, which now gripped a giant trident-like spear. The face was not
remotely human. The forehead had slanted forward, going down to a boar-like snout and mouth. A
mop of red hair was the only thing that looked somewhat human. The monster's eyes glowed with a
red fire.
"This," the Hero of Time stated, "is Ganon." The beast again roared and raised its spear.
Both Links dodged to either side as the weapon came crashing down, leaving a large crack in the
stone floor. The Heroes both rolled to the side and were quickly back on their feet.
"Oh boy," LinkW muttered to himself. "How do we stop THIS?" he called to his
counterpart.
"His tail is very sensitive," LinkT responded. "And you two," he called back over his
shoulder to Tetra and Saria, "Aim for his head. See if you can stun him!" The girls nodded,
drawing back arrows into their bows.
"I'll distract him," LinkT called to the Wind Waker. "You go for his tail!"
LinkW shook his head in bewilderment. "Your call," he muttered.
"Hey pig face! Over here!" the Hero of Time shouted. He darted in close to the monster
and quickly retreated, before Ganon could attack. LinkT baited him like this several times before
the monster began to slowly chase after him. LinkW quietly snuck behind the Evil King and
charged toward his tail. Just then, Ganon swung his spear horizontally, bringing it around behind
him. "Look out!" LinkT yelled.
LinkW's eyes bulged when he saw the spear headed towards him. With trained reflexes, the
Wind Waker dropped to the ground so the spear sailed by over him. He then quickly rolled away
from Ganon, narrowly avoiding the vertical follow through which smashed into the ground.
"DO YOU THINK I CANNOT HEAR YOU?" came a deep and menacing voice.
LinkT blinked in surprise. *Dang. He's not as far gone as I thought.* He raised his shield
and dropped into a ready stance. "Sorry. I didn't realize you could still comprehend human
speech."
"FOOL!" Ganon bellowed, raising one hand into the air. "I HAVE NOT LOST MY MIND
AS I DID WHEN WE FOUGHT PREVIOUSLY!" A ball of energy crackled into existence in the
monstrous hand. "NOW DIE, HERO OF TIME!" Ganon threw the magic ball at LinkT, who
jumped out of the way, ducked, and rolled to avoid the ball, which exploded against the ground
several feet away.
Ganon raised his hand again, but the twang of two bowstrings rent the air. Ganon managed
to raise an arm for shielding and turn away before the golden light missiles struck, but he was still
jolted by their detonation against his hide.
The Evil King turned to glare at Tetra and Saria, who were stringing new arrows.
"BOTHERSOME INTERLOPERS!" he growled, raising his spear above his head in both hands.
Ganon brought the spear crashing down to the ground and flames erupted from the impact. A deep,
fire ridden crack formed in the ground and headed straight at the two girls. Tetra and Saria both
leapt aside in opposite directions as the flaming crack passed where they had stood. It went on to the
edge of the tower, where fire and dust erupted from the side, filling the air.
The pirate princess and the Sage quickly climbed back to their feet and picked up the bows
they had dropped. Ganon prepared to attack again, but before he could, the Links charged in at him.
LinkT held the Master Sword back behind him and his shield out front as he charged in.
The Master Sword began to glow brightly as magical energy gathered to it. The Hero of Time leapt
at his old foe and sent himself into a rapid spin, sword first. Ganon stepped backwards and dodged
the wave of read and blue flames that came from LinkT's sword. Before the Evil King could
counterattack, however, a cry from behind him drew his attention to the Hero of Winds. LinkW had
also charged magic energy to his sword and now released it in a hurricane spin move that turned him
into a yellow disk of destruction. While spinning, the Wind Waker skimmed along the ground
towards Ganon, who had to sidestep and block with his spear to avoid being hit.
Before Ganon could attack the Wind Waker, two more light missiles were shot at him. The
Evil King swung his spear around in a wide arc, detonating both Light Arrows before they could
reach him. Seeing the two Heroes prepare to strike again, Ganon raised his free hand and pounded it
into the ground in a fist. A shockwave erupted from the impact, carrying an expanding ring of dust
out away from the monster.
Both Links were sent flying by the shockwave. They crashed into the ground several feet
away from where they had been standing. Tetra and Saria, who were further back, managed to
remain on their feet.
Ganon raised a hand above his head. A large ball of absolute blackness formed above his
hand, sucking in magic energy from the surrounding area. With a cry, the Evil King hurled the ball
at the girls. They both dodged, but the magic spell was much more powerful than the previous ones.
It hit the stone floor and blossomed into a giant explosion of darkness. A large section of the tower
top was completely obliterated. Massive cracks formed over the stone floor all around, and large
stone outcroppings jutted out from the ground all over.
Tetra was hurled into an outcropping, where she hit and sunk to the floor unconscious. Saria
was thrown to the ground and pinned their by a pile of debris, unable to move or reach her bow.
Further back, Medli was thrown into a stone outcropping much like Tetra, rendering her
unconscious as well. Makar was also thrown into a wall of stone and incapacitated. Aryll, however,
was thrown completely off the top of the tower.
The young girl screamed as she saw herself go over the edge, and desperately tried to grab
on to something, anything. She could feel the wind whip around her face and hair. After catching a
glimpse of the distant ground, Aryll squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to see it. She cringed in
anticipation as she plummeted down the side of the tower.
LinkW let out a scream when he was his little sister fly off the edge of the tower. He tried to
run to the side of the she had fallen from, but Ganon was in his way. Seeing only red, the Wind
Waker hurled himself at his larger adversary, followed closely by the Hero of Time.
* * * * * * * *
The Fierce Deity folded his arms in front of him and chuckled softly. He began to walk past
the limp form of a giant red dragon that was now unconscious on the ground. Or maybe it was dead.
The Oni really didn't care. He strode past the fallen dragon and climbed up a series of stone stairs
that led to a platform marked with the Triforce.
Daoshin stood in the center of the platform. His eyes began to glow more brightly than
normal and a column of blue light rose around him. The demigod soon found himself in a chamber
made mostly of infinite space. He stood on a platform identical to the one he had previously been
on. The demon's image flickered, then disappeared.
He reappeared in a grassy field. Within a few minutes, the Oni was climbing the last of a
series of gold lines stairs. He stood on the top of a silver ziggurat and grinned widely.
"Oh sisters. How ironic is it that your own power would make me invincible?"
With that, Daoshin stretched out his hand towards the sacred golden triangle.
* * * * * *
Aryll clenched her jaw and kept her eyes squeezed shut as she prepared for the end. Her
eyes snapped back open, however, as all the wind was blown from her. She gasped to catch her
breath and realized that their was now an arm wrapped around her waist.
The young girl didn't have time to consider this, though, as the arm pulled her back, until
she could feel the form of another person carrying her. The other figure was currently suspended in
midair, its free arm grasping a rope which was wrapped around its forearm. After hanging in the air
for an instant, gravity and centripetal force caught up with them, and the two swung from the rope
back towards the tower. They landed roughly on a circular staircase that wrapped around the tower,
leading up to the top.
Aryll gasped, catching her breath. "What are you doing here?" Aryll turned to look at her
rescuer for the first time. It appeared to be a boy, about her brother's age. Before Aryll could say
anything, the boy shook his head. "Never mind. You won't be able to get off this staircase by
yourself, so follow me. Just stay back out of the way." Not waiting for a reply, the young man
quickly turned and took off headed up the stairs. Aryll climbed to her feet and ran after him as best
she could.
* * * * * * *
Sewing was a very boring hobby, the figure that had emerged from the crystal decided. Still,
it was useful. The figure stood in the ruins that had once been Kakariko Village. It carefully
inspected its new outfit. The clothing would provide excellent mobility and durability in battle.
Having finally recovered from being sealed away in the crystal, the figure had decided it was
time to get moving. It headed out from the ruined town on foot. The only logical place to go would
be to the Castle. Fortunately, Kakariko had been a little less than a days travel from Hyrule City, so
the trip there was not too long. Eventually, someone would come to the castle. Perhaps Ganon
would be there. The figure would soon find out.
Once the figure had reached Hyrule Castle, it quickly headed for Ganon's Tower, an
addition which the Evil King had made when he took over Hyrule before the flood. When the figure
reached the tower, it searched around and found a spiral staircase that wrapped around the exterior
of the tower, leading upwards.
The figure used a grappling hook it had found in Kakariko to pull itself up to the raised
ledge at the base of the stairs. The figure wrapped the grappling hook and rope over its shoulder
again. The hook and a large dagger had both been useful items the figure had found in Kakariko,
along with the sewing kit. The dagger was fastened to the figures back. A pendant hung around the
figures neck the only item it had carried with it from the crystal. These three items were all the
equipment that the figure carried with it.
Shortly after the figure started up the stairs, a plume of fire erupted from the top of the tower.
The figure narrowed its eyes and began to take the stairs at a run. Along the way, the figure could
feel various explosions coming from the top of the tower. It moved faster.
After one particularly violent explosion, the figure heard a scream from above and looked up
to see a young girl falling down the side of the tower.
*What the heck?!*
Before the figure could contemplate why a little girl was up there, it was already in action.
It quickly readied the grappling hook and threw it to a higher level of the stairs. As the girl
approached the figures position, the figure took a deep breath and ran of the end of the stairs,
jumping out into the air. The figure swung around, timing it just right so that it reached the girl as
she passed. The figure caught the girl by the waist and pulled her close before they were both pulled
back to the stairs by the rope.
"What are you doing here?" the figure demanded once they had landed safely on the
stairway. It shook its head. It really didn't matter right now. "Never mind. You won't be able to
get off this staircase by yourself, so follow me. Just stay back out of the way," the figure said. With
that, it took off again, headed up to the top of the tower.
