Chapter 17: The Tower on the Mountain

Grasping the ledge with his left arm, Link frantically tried to get his right arm up to the ledge to try to pull himself up before the Moblins could lower their swords upon his fragile upper body. Link was not quick enough, the Moblins were lowering their swords and Link had only just grasped the ledge with his right hand. Link watched as the blades moved closer to his skull with each increasing beat of his heart. At the very last moment, Link let go of the ledge with his left hand, and with every bit of strength he could muster, swung over towards his right side to that now his back was against the cliff face. Link gripped the cliff with his left hand, and swung over again, now with enough distance between himself and the moblins to climb up on top of the mountain. Link now unsheathed his Master Sword and readied himself to face the two charging moblins. Link glanced around quickly, seeing that he was backed up against the edge of the cliff. Contemplating what he could do as the moblins closed the gap between themselves and Link, Link finally thought of something. Grabbing his boomerang, he threw it at the left moblin, who was promptly knocked to the ground. The other moblin still charged, and Link tripped him at the last second, watching as he fell to his death from the height. The other moblin now charged at Link, with a bump on his head from the boomerang. Link took off his shield, and braced himself for the impact. Link blocked the blow, and beheaded the moblin with ease. Wasting no time, Link ran to the entrance of the tower. Looking up, he awed in how tall it was. Link then took a deep breath, and entered the tower, ready for anything.

Link looked around a large circular room lined with stone window frames to allowing the sun to light the area. Seeing nothing of significance, save a pair of dusty gauntlets along the edge of the room. Link pressed on, looking for a way to ascend the mammoth structure. Finding nothing, Link exited the Tower and looked up at its side. Link saw more stone window frames above the previous ones, and decided that the best way up would be to scale the side of the tower. Throwing his grappling hook at the frame, Link landed it inside the second story, and began to climb the structure. Being careful wish his footing, Link climbed the tower at a slow pace. Finally reaching the second story, he fell into the room ungracefully, and wound up his grappling hook. Looking around, he saw that this room was smaller than the others, and appeared to be cut in half the previous room below him. Link saw a door blocking his way onto the other side, and failed to open it, as it was locked. Link tried busting it down with his shoulder, but in vain. Link looked around, and saw a pot at the edge of the room. Picking it up, he smashed it in between his hands, and found a key in the debris. Link fit the key in the keyhole and opened the door. Immediately as he entered the room, a moblin tackled Link and pinned him against the ground in a spread-eagle position as another moblin closed in. Link forced his right arm free from the grip of the moblin, and used it to punch the moblin holding him down across the head, knocking him unconscious. Now free, Link rolled to his left, and cut down the Moblin approaching him. Link looked around the room, and found a ladder leading up to the next level.

Link climbed the ladder, and looked around the room in which he now stood. Link found a ladder with a trapdoor above it that remained shut. Link crossed the room to the ladder and climbed it. The trap door would not budge. Link tried and tried, but the trapdoor would not move at all. Frustrated, Link descended the ladder and looked around the room, hoping. Link moved to the window, and looked outside. Looking up, he saw that the next floor contained no windows, so scaling would be impossible. Dejected but not giving up, Link scrutinizingly searched the room for a method of advancing to the next floor. Looking in the center of the room, Link spied a slightly raised tile. Link stepped on it, and the trapdoor slid open. Link moved towards the latter, and the door closed. Stepping on the tile again, the door slid open, and as Link stepped off, it closed. Angry, Link jumped up and down on the tile as the door slid open and shut. Link looked around for something to put on the tile. Finding a loose stone in the window, Link lifted it with all his might. Struggling to move it, Link stumbled towards the tile. Link dropped the stone on the tile with a sigh of relief, in the process breaking the stone. Enough of the stone remained on the tile to keep the door open, and Link climbed the ladder to advance.

Standing in the windowless and consequently dark room, Link groped along the wall to find a means of advancing. Link heard footsteps, and as a reflex armed himself for combat. After waiting a minute and hearing nothing, Link sheathed his sword and slung his shield over his back. Link felt around and found a statue in the room. Feeling the statue, Link moved the statue's right arm down in the process. Immediately, a trap door from the ceiling opened, and light from the story above him poured into the room. Link looked around, and found no way to access the room. Link pushed the statue towards the trap door, reasoning that it was his only way to access the room. Now with the statue positioned correctly, Link clumsily climbed it. With his feet on the shoulders of the statue, Link jumped up, and caused the statue to fall over and shatter. Climbing into the room as he hung on the edge of the trap door, Link saw someone he had encountered before.

"You still haven't gotten the hang of the acrobatic aspect of your job description," chuckled Denpolent.

"It's not as easy as it looks," replied Link, dusting himself off as he stood up. "Not that I'm complaining, but what are you doing here?"

"I," began Denpolent, in an over-the-top haughty voice, which made Link hold back laughter, "Am the Sage of the Tower".

"But, but, I thought..."

"Exactly! You thought. But you thought wrong. You, like everyone else, thought," said Denpolent with extra emphasis on thought, "that I was merely a witchdoctor. I enjoy helping people, Link, that's why I am a witch doctor. However, I am also a sage. Few know of it"

"How'd you get up here before me?"

"You took the long way. There's a shorter way, and a less dangerous way. I've never trusted that bridge. But enough of the formalities. As you can see, we have a bit of a problem. The giant vulture has been let out, and he, rather, it, it is circling the tower as we speak".

"That's not very good".

"Thank you for stating the obvious," smiled Denpolent. "Now, I assume you found the Gauntlets of Damiani."

"The what?"

"The Gauntlets which the Legendary Warrior used to defeat the vulture before. They were in this Tower. At the bottom!"

"Oh. Ummm, yea, about that, I um, I thought"

"Again with the thinking. Thinking will cost you your life one day. Haven't you noticed that at every single Wonder you go to, that you get something to help you defeat the enemy that has been left behind to face you? Do you think it's all one big coincidence?"

"So basically I have to go back down and get them?"

"If we weren't on a timetable, you would. I'LL go get them. You move onward. I'll meet you at the top. Good luck to you, Link"

With those words, Denpolent went through the trap door and went to retrieve the Gauntlets of Damiani. Link looked around the room, and found a small staircase which led to the next floor. Link entered the next floor and found himself with a throng of moblins. Wasting no time, Link took the Bow of Reldeif off of his back and began firing at each moblin, piercing their skin in various places. Several fell to the floor never again to get up, and more charged at Link. Too close to fire arrows, Link slung the Bow of Reldeif over his back and took out the Master Sword. Link slashed the stomach of three moblins approaching him, and three more moblins slipped in the blood pouring from their brothers' stomachs. Link jumped over the fallen moblins, and attacked the two remaining moblins while he flew threw the air. With the room clear of enemies, Link found jutted out stones along a wall, and a trapdoor above them. He climbed up, and found himself in a room containing no visible ceiling, only a winding staircase. Link looked at the base of the stair case and read to himself the worlds scrawled across a stone.

"If you are reading this, then the vulture has been resurrected and Hyrule is in danger. Let it be known to the reader that I was able to defeat it with the aid of my gauntlets, which gave me strength in battle. The monster's weakness is its legs. Signed, Damiani".

Link ran his hand across these words, and looked up at the winding staircase. Taking a deep breath, Link climbed the first step of the staircase. Using his right hand to balance himself along the wall, he climbed the many stairs. After ten minutes, Link reached a small landing. There, he stopped to catch his breath. Looking up, he saw he still had a long way to go. Link continued climbing the stairs for what seemed like ages. Finally, Link reached the last step, breathless. After taking a moment to gather himself, Link opened the trapdoor above him. Poking his head through, he looked around and saw that he was on top of the Tower. Surrounding the top, there was a small stone wall to prevent anyone from falling to their death. Link then put his arms through, and pulled himself up. The sun was still out, and Link could see shadows passing along the top of this tower. Looking up, Link saw a small black shadow of a bird against the sun. Link took out the Bow of Reldeif, and readied himself for when the bird would descend, figuring he could do some damage to it quite handily with arrows. As the bird descended, it grew larger and larger, and Link realized that he underestimated the size of the vulture. As it swooped down, Link ducked, just barely missing being picked up by it.

Link got to his feet, and took a deep breath. This time ready, he pulled the bow back, and held the arrow in place. As the vulture made its way around, Link watched it. Now coming straight at Link, Link let the arrow fly, and to his shock, it had no effect. Link jumped out of the path of the vulture. Link then remembered what he read earlier, about the beast's legs. Link took out the Master Sword, and hoped to cut the vultures lets. As the vulture made a swoop at Link, Link raised the Master Sword, ready to slice the legs. Link swung the blade, but it missed the legs, and Link caught a face full of talons in the process. Link was thrown backwards against the wall, his face now dripping with blood from three cuts caused by talons: one above each eye, and one just below his mouth. Link flipped over the wall, and was hanging on for dear life with his right hand, his left hand holding the Master Sword. As the vulture moved towards Link, the trap door swung open and Denpolent appeared wearing the Gauntlets of Damiani. Denpolent ran towards Link and pulled him up, just as the vulture was about to crash against Link. With a moment to breathe, Denpolent took of the gauntlets and gave them to Link as the vulture made his way back to encircling the Tower in flight. Now with a renewed strength, Link got up and got the Master Sword off of the Tower Top. Link was ready this time. He was going to slice the legs of the beast. As the vulture swooped down, Link raised the blade. Unfortunately, he was not quick enough. The vulture caught him in his talons, and was now forcing him across the top of the Tower, dragging his feet along the stone.

"Link, use the Gauntlets!" instructed Denpolent.

"How?"

"You're stronger. Try using your arms".

Link wasted not one more second to use this tip. With all his might, he moved his arms down, and in the process, brought the vulture down to the stone with him. Link now held one leg in his right arm. Link used this opportunity to slice off the leg of the beast. The vulture let out a cry of pain, and immediately kicked his other leg at the body of Link, tearing his tunic, but causing him no harm thanks to the Chain mail of Kamarrian. Link looked as the vulture flew awkwardly in the sky. It moved in, trying to finish Link off. Link, now knew what he had to do, readied himself. At the last second, he leapt to one side, and grabbed the remaining leg of the vulture. Pulling the beast down, and causing a few stones of atop the small wall encompassing the top of the Tower to fall to the ground below. Link took his the Master Sword, and cut off the remaining leg as he held it down. Now unable to move effectively, the vulture squirmed around. Link grabbed the tail feathers of the bird, and pulled it closer to him. Link took the Master Sword, and stabbed the vulture in the heart, causing it to yell out in pain, and die. Link let out a sigh of relief, having defeated the beast. Link fell to one knee, and held his right fist against the stone to help support his body.