RCM- I know you are probably anxious to see what happens to Shadow, so I'll get right to the point. I don't own Zelda or any other recognizable concepts. I think the Chapter Title gives a good enough summary.

Chapter 18

Reaping the Rewards

Suddenly, a black hook flew up and lodged itself in the floor. Looking over the side at where the hook came from, Lance couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. "So you gonna help me up or what?" Hanging from the Berserker was Shadow, unharmed with Wind Shard in hand.

"You crafty son of a bitch… Guys, give me a hand here." Reaching down, Lance, Elric and Hugh pulled the Darkman back onto the new roof of the tower, as the Hurricane Eagle's rampage had completely destroyed the top floor.

In the corner, Anri fluttered weakly to the floor, her glow pale. "We… we did it… It's gone… it's finally gone…"

Tikal watched the young fairy curiously, unsure why she was reacting that way. Detecting the confusion in her eyes, Sol flew next to her ear and whispered "About a year ago, the Hurricane Eagle nearly ate her alive. It's the only monster that's ever come remotely close to killing her so easily, and because of that it's the only one she's ever feared." Nodding in understanding, the elf let the young fairy comfort his sister, watching the pair shimmer away. Turning back towards the others, she shielded her eyes as a lightning bolt struck the center of the room.

The arcing electric energies took the form of a hooded Mage, his cloak white and grey like the clouds above. "Well done, Protectors. You have successfully destroyed the Bane of the Winds and have also saved the Wind Element in the process. Now if you would each come here, I shall bestow upon you the Powers of the Northern Breeze."

Link fidgeted uncomfortably. Noticing, Lance spoke up. "What about Link? He can't use Chaos magic."

The Mage turned to the Hylian, a smile slowly pulling at his features. "Ah yes… the Triforce Bearer… Though you may not be able to use the magic, you may still absorb the powers in the Crests…" Taking Lance's pendant, the Mage drew a magical replica of the crest of Fire out of the shard within. The crest of Wind rising from the gem in his other hand, the Mage then waved both insignias toward the boy. Spiraling around him, the symbols collided into the ruby in his ring. The resulting flash of light blinded everyone.

As his eyes finally adjusted, Link realized he was no longer on the Ice Tower roof. Clouds billowed around him, a serene calm lingering in the air. Looking down at his hand, he watched as the red stone in his ring began to glow. "Young Hero of Winds…" The voice of a Goddess called out to him, though it was not Farore's, like before. The strength he sensed in the voice told him that it was likely the Goddess of Power. "Yes, young one, you are correct. I am Din. We are pleased that you have collected your second Element of Chaos so quickly. As promised, I shall now bestow the first of your three spells on your Ring."

The boy felt a presence take control of his arms, motioning them in a circle. His hands converged in front of him, and a red small orb of fire energy formed between them. "Whoa, cool."

"Your abilities allow you to control the magic known as Din's Fire in two ways. The first is the same as when the original Hero of Time held its power. If you aim that orb downward, pushing it to the floor, a barrier of fire will erupt around you and incinerate all evil powers in its range." Testing it, the boy couldn't help but be impressed as the orb expanded around him upon contact with whatever he was standing on. Forming another fireball, he listened to Din's second explanation. "The second method is performed by willing the ball at a distant target. The orb will travel in the direction of your throw, exploding in the same bubble of flame once its kinetic energy runs out. This will occur after about fifty feet, so I advise you make sure your target is no more than 55 feet away. If it is, not even the expansion will strike."

With a flick of his wrist, Link sent the energy ball forward, watching it explode into a blazing sphere. "Thank you, this will prove very useful."

"Be wary of your magic supply while you use this, young one. Should you become weary, find more decanters to replenish your powers. This is all I can do for you now, so I bid thee good luck. The magic of Din's Fire may prove essential to your quest. Use it well." With those final words, Din allowed another flash to illuminate the area. Blinking away the bright light, Link found himself back with the others.

"Oh good, you're awake." Elric said as he fired an arrow at what was left of the wall. Link immediately noticed it was flying much faster than usual, a whitish glow trailing behind it. "While you were out, the Mage has been giving us our new Control Techniques. He just gave me mine. This Swift Arrow spell will really help target faster monsters, like that Blue Dragon we beat coming here."

Smiling, Link turned to watch the Mage place his hands on Hugh. As the transfer was completed, the Mage staggered back as if he had been struck. "What in the…?!"

Hugh hesitated in testing his new ability. "Is something wrong? What happened?"

The Mage looked at the boy in complete amazement, examining him carefully. "Could it be…? Could this boy… yes… yes, I do believe so…"

"What are you talking about?"

The Mage smiled broadly, the symbol of Wind again rising from the crystal shard he held. Lance watched in confusion as the crest wrapped itself around Hugh. "That's weird, he didn't do that with us…"

To the surprise of all of them, the crest of Fire rose from within Hugh to meet the Wind. As they converged, the Chaos Mage raised his arms to the boy. Red and sky blue energies gathered in his hands as he chanted a short spell. "Let Gods allow this boy a chance… To let the winds make fire dance!" The energies leapt forward and encased the young warrior's body in a brilliant glow. As the light subsided, Hugh raised his sword in front of him. Lance noticed the symbol of Fire glowing on the back of his friend's hand.

The next move startled everyone except the Mage. With a cry, Hugh lunged forward as if executing a Fire Spin, but the angle of the slice was far different. As he moved about the room, his sword arced and twirled in quick, complicated patterns. The flames following it drew intricate designs in the air, lingering for a moment before fading away. Returning to where he started, the boy ended his performance of swords with a spinning upward thrust, the motion almost perfectly combining Flare Blade with Fire Spin. Upon landing, he immediately fell to one knee. "Whoa! What… the hell… was that?!"

The Chaos Mage of Weather laughed, placing a hand on the tired warrior's shoulder. "You, my friend, have been gifted with the ultimate power of Flame. As the Chosen One of the Fire God, my power has unlocked from within you the Master Control Technique of Flame… the Pyro Dance!"

"Pyro Dance?"

"Whoa, wait a minute." Lance cried, holding his head with one hand. "You're the Chaos Mage of Weather. If that's a Fire power, why didn't the Red Mage teach it?"

"The Master Techniques can only be learned when two elements are combined in the particular Chosen One. Each of you are destined to be the Master or Mistress of a single Chaos Element, and upon collecting the two specific powers to unlock them, will gain the Master Control move. Young Hugh was destined to be the Master of Fire, the magic of Wind unlocking the speed required to perform the dance."

Lance nodded slowly, trying to absorb everything. "So basically, we can each learn a single Master Technique by combining two specific elements?"

"Precisely. The only destined hero who cannot is the Chosen One of Wind." The White Mage turned to Link. "You. The Hylian Hero of Winds." The boy absorbed the words silently, amazed at how his exploits at home had carried over into this place. "My brother has given you an orb containing his element's power, hasn't he?"

Hugh reached into his pocket and handed over the sphere, the red smoke inside glowing slightly. "It used to be much brighter."

The Mage looked at it closely. "Yes, its purpose is almost served… You need to find one more ally and grant him the powers contained here. Once he has been given them, this orb will shatter. I will add my magic to it for when that time arrives." With a wave of his hand, a sky blue mist arose within the orb, floating alongside the red. "I have done all I can for you here. The Chaos Mage of Water is awaiting you in the Island Shrine of Gohdan. I shall meet you again in Makai, when you come for the Shard of Thunder. For now, I shall take you back down to Aria Zephyr's court. Farewell, and good luck." Small cyclones whisked each of the heroes off of the building and down to the gates of the Snow Nymph castle.

The servant called Tiana opened the doors, having heard their rough landing. "Oh! Welcome back, warriors. Please, come this way. Lady Aria is expecting you." Following her inside, the party tried to overcome the weariness that was creeping up on them as a result of the intense battle.

The queen smiled as she saw them, rising to her feet. "You have returned! Most splendid! You truly are the Chosen Ones of Legend… With your second shard, you have completed your mission here in the Continent of Telonia. The nearest shards are located east of here on…"

"The Island Shrine in Gohdan. The Mage told us." Lance shot Hugh a short glare, but Aria didn't seem to mind the interruption.

"Yes, sir knight. I am glad you have spoken with him. The Shrine lies in the seas directly between Aurora and Quarry, so it would seem luck smiles upon you with that aspect of your search."

"Yes, perhaps, but there is still one very pressing issue." Shadow's tone was very even, almost to an unsettling degree. "To cross the seas, one requires a boat. We do not possess one, nor do I believe any of us have the funds necessary for purchase."

The queen let a small laugh of relief escape her. "Oh, do not worry about that, good warrior. That is why I requested you all return here before you left. I have arranged for a boat to be made ready for you as thanks for saving Aurora from the Wolfos attack. It is waiting on the shore for whenever you are prepared to depart."

Lance bowed, very thankful for the unexpected hospitality. "Thank you, your majesty."

Queen Aria bowed her head in return. "It was my pleasure, sir knight. Now I must ask that you rest well before you go. I imagine that you must be exhausted."

Hugh tried to stifle a yawn. "Yeah, just a little."

"I shall have someone prepare each of you a room here for the night. Should you need anything, feel free to ask. I'm sure Tiana or one of the others will be able to help. Rest well, my friends." With a smile from each of them, even Shadow, the queen sat back down on her throne to take care of some local business.

As the afternoon sun drew closer to the horizon, Lance lay in his room thinking. 'Tomorrow we head off to Gohdan… I can't believe we're already leaving Telonia, already holding two of the seven shards… And this new Element Master twist ought to make things even more interesting…' A knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts. "Yeah?"

Hugh came in, a chessboard under his arm. "You thinking about tomorrow too?" The look he got confirmed the assumption. "Yeah, it's intimidating for me too… but think about it. We're that much closer to finishing this mission and returning home to the lives we left behind."

Lance laughed weakly. "Yeah, as the ultimate graduates of Graham Baldwin's Self-Defense course." Hugh also laughed lightly at the quip. "I just can't shake the feeling that something terrible's going to happen before this is over… I don't know what… or why…"

The two sat there a moment, reflecting on the unspoken questions surrounding the future. With a shrug, Hugh dropped the game board on the bed. "This should take our minds off the trip for a while. Up for a game?"

The blonde smiled. "When have I ever backed down from a challenge?"

End Chapter 18

RCM- Are you feeling better Anri?

Anri- Yes, my nerves are settling down… I'll be fine… but why didn't you tell me?

RCM- I knew if I told you Hurricane was there that you would be too frightened to go. I did what needed to be done. (smiles) As did you.

Sol - (flies in with a videocassette) Anri, I found the movie you wanted.

Anri- Really? You got me The Princess Bride?

RCM- Solaris? I thought you hated that movie.

Sol- I can stand it if it'll make Anri feel better. She's been through a lot, so I figure I can survive it. Besides, some parts are pretty funny.

Anri- (tears welling up) Thank you Solaris…

RCM- They're getting along so well today… Now that's a rare treat…

Sol- Master, where's the popcorn?

Anri- Wasn't it by the microwave?

Sol- Oh yeah.

RCM- Well, as the time for… ugh… school… draws closer, the time I have available for crafting this grows ever smaller. Even now, the summer math homework I put off is waiting to be done, so I must leave you all for now. As much as I hate to say it, I don't know when I'll have the next update ready… I promise to get it to you all A.S.A.P. though, so bear with me. I hope to see you all again very soon. Farewell!

Anri- Master, hurry. It's starting.

RCM- Were you two listening? I have work to do. Enjoy yourselves, I'll be in the study.

Anri and Sol- Alright, Master. Bye everyone!