Tiana- Oooh, Apollo, Aria's gonna let you have it when we get home!

Apollo- But it really was Sol's idea! It's right here on the card!

RCM- We know, Apollo. Calm down. I told Aria that, and I don't hold you accountable. Still, if she's mad about your disregarding her instructions… well, it's out of my hands.

Apollo- Thanks, but that doesn't help much…

Anri- Oh, cheer up. At least you get to stay with us a little longer.

Tiana- She's right, we can have a little more fun here before you get busted.

Anri- Tiana!

RCM- Stop teasing the boy, child. Now I need one of you to check on Solaris's progress.

Tiana- What did have him do again?

RCM- He was to recreate all of the potions that were destroyed during your little episode. (both guest fairies blush slightly)

Anri- I'm the only one here that knows the way to the mixing room, so I'll go. See you after the update. (flies away)

RCM- Alright, that will work. Now, if you two would be so kind as to disclaim for us?

Tiana and Apollo- Red Chaos Mage does not own any of the material recognized from Zelda or any other video games, TV shows or other stuff.

RCM- Good. In this episode, as the title implies, one of our heroes gets pulled into the temple in a less-than-comfortable manner.

Chapter 20

Kidnapped

The Island Shrine didn't look very big from the outside, though Link knew from experience that looks could be deceiving. As the others secured the boat to the shore, he and Tikal took a closer look at the ancient structure. "I was expecting something more…"

"I'll bet you anything that a majority of this place will be under the ground. The two temples at home were built like that, and it's really not that surprising an idea. If it appears small, it shouldn't attract much attention." He looked back to see the others approaching, ready to go. "Let's see if I'm right."

The first chamber seemed to be devoid of anything special, containing only the stairwell in the back as the Hylian predicted. However, the room wasn't empty. Creeping out from the corners of the room behind them, two dark blue creatures silently approached the group. Partially hidden by small watery vortexes around them, their presence was made known by Tikal's scream as one of them grabbed her. Turning back in alarm, they watched helplessly as the girl vanished into the blue vortex, the kidnapper escaping through a grate in the floor leading deeper into the temple. "Goddamn bastards!" Shadow charged forward, sending a Twin Dream slicing through the remaining creature.

"That looks like a Floormaster! But I thought they were always black…" Noticing a problem, Link drew his sword. The difference was of little importance at the moment. "Either way, it's not dead yet!"

"What are you talking about? I cut it in…" The Darkman's words were cut short as the creature's hand wrapped itself around his waist. "The hell?!" A swish of his scythe freed him, but the dismembered monster merely reformed itself. "What the hell is that thing?!"

"Link said it looked like something called a Floormaster, so why not call it a Watermaster?" Elric's suggestion went unanswered as he shot an arrow at the incoming blue palm.

On a hunch, Lance looked about the room for a clue on how to slay the beast. All he found was a single rune with the word 'Thunder.' "Damn, we don't have the element this thing's weak against yet!"

"Well, if physical attacks don't do anything…" A burst of Din's Fire brought Link the familiar whining cry of an injured portal dweller. "Let's torch it!" Furious at the demons for taking their ally, Hugh obliged with a ferocious Pyro Dance. The devastating move left only a blinding cloud of smoke in its wake. Coughing, Link saw there were no traces of any monsters left. "I guess that works…"

"What about Tikal?!"

"Calm down. If those are anything like the Floormasters, they probably took her to another room in the temple. It's what these things do. My friends Medli and Makar were both taken the same way, and I found them in the same dungeon they got caught in. I'm sure she'll be okay until we find her." Relaxing slightly at his words, the others nodded. "Still, it wouldn't hurt to book it anyway." With that, he sprinted down the stairs with the others close behind.

At the bottom was a large room filled almost completely with water. As the water lapped against the foot of the steps they stood on, they peered below the surface to see what appeared to be a small tower and entrances to a number of side rooms. "Looks like we'll have to lower the water level to get anywhere." Leaping to a small platform in front of a nearby door, Elric readied his bow. "You four coming?" Within the room was a trio of Stalfos Knights, each one armed with a different melee weapon. "Okay, who wants who?"

Activating his Magic Armor and lighting a bomb, Link charged toward the one with a sword. Nodding to each other, Lance and Hugh chose to take on the axe-wielding skeleton. "Leftovers are fine by me…" Shadow growled with an almost sadistic glee. Black axe in hand, he dove upon the remaining beast, the fury of the Quake Blaze dislodging the chain mace from the target's grip. The power also dislocated most of the creature's bones, leaving the skull vulnerable. Stepping back, he let Elric finish the job with a single wind-charged arrow.

After detonating his own opponent, Link turned to the two humans. Lance was standing straight, his sword held upright in front of him as a cyclone of white energy raged around him. The Stalfos was pinned against the ceiling by the winds, helpless. Opening his eyes, the boy leapt into the air, using the wind's power to lift his spinning form up to the skeleton. As his slashes connected, Hugh performed a Fire Spin right next to the base of the cyclone, letting the flames get sucked into the updraft. Completing his attack, the blonde dropped outside of the vortex as the fire engulfed the pieces of skeleton he had left behind. The roasted bones vanished like the rest. "Tag team takedown!"

"You said it, partner!" Exchanging a high five, the two rejoined the others. Moments later, a loud click followed by the sound of rushing water was heard. "Please let that mean what I hope it means…" Rushing back out the door, Hugh gave a cry of joy. The water had receded, opening a new set of rooms. "Come on, let's move it!"

Leaping into the water below, the group swam over to the entrance of the next room. Like before, a small group of monsters lay in wait. "Tektites. Easy pickings…" Sending a Twin Dream through the center of the hoard, Shadow then performed the same spinning attack he had used to distract Hurricane Eagle. This time, the results were much better. As the last one blew apart, another click sounded. "Especially for me."

"Shut up, showoff. The next level just opened." Leaving the room, they found that the water hadn't receded a bit. "What? But there was a click…" A roar from beneath the surface answered all questions as to what the switch did. "Oh…"

With an impressive splash, a huge squid rose from the depths. Its green skin was translucent enough to allow the team to see the reddish brain within. "Ugh… gross…" Though it had no eyes, the beast had no problem isolating the source of the voice, lashing a tentacle toward the boy. Too surprised by the swift move to evade, he took the blow straight to the chest. Almost instantly, he felt the tentacle latch onto him and begin draining his life energy. "Argh! Get this leech off me!"

With a hard chop, Lance severed the parasitic appendage. In retaliation, the squid sent two more his way. "Oh no you don't, you're not getting me like that!" The fire from the Flare Blade seemed to flow through the tissue of the parasite directly into the beast's inner core, resulting in a roar of fury and pain. "Bingo!"

With a smirk, Shadow shifted to an axe. "Let's give this thing some heartburn!" As Link and Elric provided cover fire with their arrows, the Darkman launched himself above the writhing monster. With a feral roar, he brought his blade down hard on the beast, directly above its internals. As the fire eradicated the squid's life support, it exploded into dust. However, that left Shadow with nothing to stand on, sending the ebon warrior hurtling into the receding water below. He scoffed at the snicker above him, tossing his upturned cape off of his head back where it belonged. "Yeah, yeah, very funny. Get your asses down here, we have work to do!"

As Link and Hugh pulled down the grappling hooks off of their previous perch, Shadow handed Lance the contents of the chest on top of the small tower nearby. Recognizing the item, he cursed himself silently for his forgetfulness. Hugh looked over his shoulder and saw why. "That's the same kind of metal we found in Ice Tower, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I can't believe I forgot to ask Aria about it…"

"Yeah, you just HAD to forget, didn't you?" Hugh somehow resisted the urge to whack Lance over the head like usual. "You're impossible, Aran."

Annoyed, Elric intervened before a fight could break out. "Can you two discuss this later? Like after we rescue Tikal? We have two more floors to clear before all the water's drained." Agreeing, they followed the elf through the next door. Instead of monsters, they found a narrow bridge over a large hole in the floor. Looking over, Elric saw that the bottom of the small abyss was filled with water, and a ladder led up to the platform they were currently on. "Hmm… what could this mean?"

Lance took a step onto the bridge, trying to get a better look at the other side. "Hey, I think I see a switch… whoa!" To his surprise, the piece of the bridge he was standing on had disappeared from beneath him. Losing his balance, he fell into the water below, watching the piece reappear as he surfaced. "Now that's a cheap trick…"

Examining the platform, Shadow realized what had happened. "This bridge is made of nightstone. When something steps on a nightstone block, the magic within the stone causes it to vanish for a moment, then reappear a few moments later, when the trigger would have fallen through. It works great with traps."

Climbing up the ladder, Lance shook some of the water off of his arms. "Yeah, I can see why. How can we get over to the switch?"

"If one is fast enough, he can cross nightstone before the spell drops him. As it so happens, I have the means for us to do just that." Closing his eyes, the Darkman seemed to meditate for a moment. Without warning, his eyes snapped open again and he thrust his arm out with a cry. "Agility!"

A small ring of yellow energy erupted from his palm, engulfing all of them. They each felt a surge of power, reminded instantly of Tikal's shield spell. Confused, Lance looked at Shadow, who was glowing in the yellow aura. "What'd you just do?!"

Taking advantage of the effects of his spell, Shadow sped across the bridge and stepped on the switch. After the nightstone reformed, he dashed back. "All Darkmen are trained in some of the darker magical arts. Though my spells likely differ from those Tikal knows, they may prove just as useful for our purposes."

With an agitated huff, Lance turned to leave the room. "That's great. If you aren't hiding any other potentially useful tricks up your sleeves, let's get going." Smiling to himself, the Darkman quietly followed.

End Chapter 20

Sol- That's all of them… every one has been restocked and placed where they belong.

RCM- Excellent work, Sol. Consider your punishment served.

Sol- Whew… thanks, that was a workout.

Tiana- I think we're ready to go.

Apollo- Thanks for having us.

RCM- It was my pleasure. Tell Aria that I look forward to hearing from her again, and also thank her for the names she offered. Two of them were perfect for our purposes.

Tiana- Really? Which ones?

Anri- Come on, Tiana. You know that'd be telling… You'll see them with the rest of the readers.

Tiana- Oh well, didn't hurt to ask.

Sol- You're sure you don't want to hang around a little longer?

Apollo- No, we really should head home. Besides, after seeing the ghosts downstairs play, I'm not that scared anymore.

RCM- Wait, how'd you manage that?

Tiana- I told him not to, but he looked down the stairwell while you were checking something in the dungeons.

Apollo- They were right there, at the bottom.

RCM- Oh… well, I guess… that's alright… as long as you didn't actually go into the dungeons.

Apollo and Tiana- Nope, not without supervision.

RCM- Well, tell Aria to send word when her email is up. You know where to.

Apollo- You got it.

Tiana- Bye, everyone!

(both vanish)

RCM- Now I must also bid you farewell. Since school starts tomorrow, I likely won't be able to update as frequently as I'd like. However, I'll keep working in my spare time and get the story up as soon as I can.

Anri- For now, we'll bid you farewell.

Sol- Thanks for reading and for your reviews, we'll see you soon!

(all three vanish)