Sol- Master, you don't look so good…

RCM- I'm still adjusting back into high school life, my child… it's a tiring process…

Anri- How bad is it?

RCM- Well, a few classes are easy enough to handle, but a couple are just plain harsh… The one good thing is that I have found a way to keep writing.

Sol- How's that?

RCM- It just so happens I have about 20 minutes of free time before homeroom each day, so I can use that to work on the story. Then, when the weekend rolls around, I can type up what I wrote over the course of the week. However, there's no guarantee I can finish a chapter per week.

Sol- Today's not a weekend day.

RCM- I know, but the chapter is ready now, so…

Anri- That sounds good… You look like you could really use a rest. Leave the update up to Sol and me today.

RCM- Very well… I shall be in the other room if you need me. (retires)

Anri- Good. Well, since he's going to rest, I'll take over for now. We don't own Zelda, or any other video game or television concepts.

Sol- In this chapter, the party saves Tikal and takes on the heavily armored…

Anri- Sol, let them read and find out for themselves. Enjoy!

Chapter 21

Shell Shocked

Since the water was almost completely drained, the boys could all see the ornate blue door at the base of the small marble tower. None of them had any doubt that the inner shrine, and probably Tikal, was beyond the door. The final puzzle room was different than the rest, the trigger sealed behind tight iron grating. "Okay, how do we hit that?"

Link froze as he heard a familiar sound, turning on his heel to look behind them. "Watch out!" Pushing the others to the floor, he barely evaded the spread of fireballs sent by the Wizzrobe vanishing from above the entrance. "Stay alert. Those things can pop up anywhere. Listen for them." The others nodded, prepping their weapons. Upon the telltale sound, Elric sent off a volley of five Swift Arrows at the avian mage. The smirk on the toucan's beak was replaced with a grimace of pain, as all five struck cleanly. Screaming, it faded out, a puff of smoke erupting where it fell. "Nice shot, Elric."

As the grate opened, they saw the kidnapper sitting in front of the switch. Fury mounting, they charged forward with various fire attacks. Before finishing it off, Hugh demanded "Where's Tikal?!" Struggling, the creature weakly pointed towards the door. "The tower?" A weak thumbs-up verified his guess. Satisfied, the boy shredded the beast with a Fire Spin.

Quickly rushing out again, they leapt down to the now dry floor. The blue door before them opened quietly, granting them access to the inner shrine. The first thing they saw was the steel cage on the ceiling, and young girl trapped inside. "Tikal! Are you okay?"

Opening her eyes, the elf looked around, confused. "What…? Where am I?" As her memories flooded back, a strange chirping noise rang from the other end of the room.

The creature stood on two legs, its four other sharp limbs waving at its side. The body resembled that of a tortoise, but the armored shell and large red pinchers on its forearms also lent the appearance of a crab. Sitting atop a short, armored neck was a single lidless eye. "Okay… I'm guessing that thing has the shard already…"

The creature gave what passed off as a nod, its chirp sounding much more like words. "Yes… Crabturtle… has…You… intruders… now… die…" Rushing forward, the creature calling itself the Crabturtle thrust its claws at Lance, who was barely able to block with his sword.

"Hugh! Elric! Get Tikal out of that cage! Link and Shadow, give me a hand!" A white tornado wrapped around the blonde and the monster, but his blows bounced off the hard shell. The Crabturtle struck back with a powerful swipe, sending Lance crashing to the floor.

Meanwhile, Hugh and Elric were trying to figure out how to get up to the cage. "This isn't going to be easy…" Then a seemingly obvious idea hit the archer like a ton of bricks. 'Of course!' Surprised he hadn't thought of it sooner, he yelled "Tikal! Egress out of the cage!"

"I can't see the floor, it won't work!"

"Just warp right outside of the bars!"

"What?! Elric, I'll fall!"

"We'll catch you! Just do it!" A bit apprehensive, she cast the spell. As predicted, she reappeared just outside of the bars and began falling. The pair below used their arms as a net to catch her easily and set her down. "See? Piece o' cake."

Moments later, both Link and Shadow skidded across the floor next to them. "We could use a little help here." Quickly getting back to his feet, Shadow released a Twin Dream, followed closely by a slash with his scythe. Sensing the oncoming attacks, the creature withdrew its neck to protect itself. "I think the eye is a weak spot, but its moving too fast for us to nail it!"

"Say no more, I'll fix that." Tikal wrapped the Crabturtle in the binding magic of her Hinder spell, greatly slowing its movement. Though it was too strong for the ring to completely immobilize the creature, it was enough of a distraction to prevent it from detecting attacks like before. "Alright, guys. He's all yours!"

There was nothing the beast could do to protect itself. Flare Blades, Wind Cutters, Twin Dreams and Swift Arrows barraged the vulnerable eye, eliciting several cries of pain. However, the Crabturtle broke free of its confines before the final Din's Fire blast could connect. "Alright, Tikal, give him another… what?" The monster fell forward, withdrawing all of its limbs into its shell, leaving only the sharp ends protruding from the impenetrable carapace. "Uh oh…" The shell began to spin, using the friction against the floor to build a hefty charge of static electricity. "Everyone, move it!"

Though the sparking creature was spiraling directly toward Shadow, he didn't move an inch. Instead, his weapon morphed itself into a sword. "Your mistake for using a power that your element is weak against… Absorb!" Sidestepping the attack, he ran his blade across the charged shell. His spell quickly took effect, capturing the energy within the weapon for a single retaliatory attack. "Now, you die." Quickly casting Agility, the Darkman dashed around the shell to where the eye had withdrawn and shoved the blade inside. Though the resulting thrash tossed him aside, the Berserker remained lodged in the writhing Crabturtle's weak point.

"I didn't know you used magic…" Tikal said, "What did your spell do?"

"That particular spell absorbs an energy-based attack, like lightning or fire, into the weapon and refocuses it for use in a single attack. It doesn't work for extremely powerful blasts though."

"Doesn't matter…" Lance said as he watched the monster fry from its own attack. "That was a nice shot. Now let's finish this." He and Hugh severed the neck with a scissor-like motion, Shadow's weapon clattering to the floor through the resulting blue smoke. Landing next to it was the deep blue Elemental Shard.

"Impressive, children." A pillar of water rose from underneath the gem, forming the Guardian Mage. "I expected no less of the Chosen Ones."

"The Blue Chaos Mage, I presume."

"Yes, Lance. I am the Mage of Water. Now, as you have secured this place, I will begin by bestowing the Crest on the Triforce-bearer." Just like the Weather Mage had previously, the blue wizard caused the symbol of water, a raindrop, to rise from the crystal and come to rest in Link's ring. He then gestured for the others to approach. "Now for the rest of you."

The first powers bestowed were on Lance and Shadow. Since they were similar in nature, the Mage felt it best to teach them simultaneously. The water energies encased their blades in a layer of magical ice, but that appeared to be it. "That's all?"

"Crystal Sword and Frozen Sickle are more open to creativity than your other Chaos attacks. In your case, Lance, contact with an opponent will cause the ice to shatter into sharp fragments. These fragments will traverse a short distance before redirecting themselves to impact another target. This will bring additional damage. Your weapon, Shadow, allows you to launch the frozen blade forward as an arcing projectile. Both have the potential to freeze your foes solid." Lance thrust his sword straight down to test the spray of the attack as Shadow gave his scythe a hard slash. The black weapon's blade broke off and spiraled forward while the coating on Lance's sword shattered and spread in a shining arc for about ten feet.

"Not bad…"

"Now for the other swordsman." Hugh's ability enveloped his sword in a shimmering layer of blue energy, but required a specific motion to unleash. With a vertical slash, he sent the magic to the floor, where it raced forward like a wave toward the coast. "Aqua Sword sends energy into a surface and forms a wave along that surface. Most often, you will be using the ground you stand on." With a nod, the boy put away his weapon.

Elric's Ice Arrow was virtually identical to Link's, though it had a much more explosive range after impact. After bestowing the straight-flying Bubblebeam spell on Tikal, the Mage tilted his head in interest as the girl tested it. "What? Did I do it wrong?"

Chuckling softly at her innocence, he lifted his hand. The crystal shard hovered in his palm, the insignia of water rising from the gem. "In this girl the strength resides… to control the flow of tides…" At his words, the swirls of the Wind crest rose from within her, both symbols converging on her heart. Moments later, blue energies swirled around the tip of her staff, which she thrust forward. The Crest of Water glowing bright blue on the back of her hand, a flurry of powerful winds and snow erupted from the wand. Then, with a twirl of her wrist, the magic shifted into an intense blast of water. Lastly, she raised the rod over her head and released a white mist that seemed to flow into her and each of her allies.

"Whoa… nice!" All of the injuries sustained in the battle were healing fast, every warrior feeling stronger than when they started. After placing the shard in Lance's pendant, the Mage turned to Tikal.

"Congratulations, Mistress of Water. You now possess the powers of the Aqua Triad. Not one, but three high-powered water spells are at your disposal. The first, Blizzard, combines your elemental specialty with the northern winds to form a frigid blast that is almost guaranteed to freeze the foe solid, if not just deal incredible damage. Tidal Surge releases a blast of water at extremely high pressure, enough to break through weak stone walls. It also grants you control over various waterways. Finally, Shielding Mist will heal your entire party, as well as increasing your attack and defensive abilities temporarily. I hold no doubts that you will use the Triad well." He held out his hand, creating whirlpools beneath each Protector. "You must now hurry to the Temple of Mines. I sense a great evil approaching its hiding place beneath the Quarry Mountains. I will bring you back to your ship. There is no time to waste!"

"Wait, hold on!" The Mage withdrew his hand slightly, his palm closing. The vortexes beneath them stopped. "We found these in the Ice Tower and here. What are they?" Lance asked, handing over the metal pieces they had collected.

The Mage took a quick look before returning the material. "That is purified mithril. Ask the dwarves of Gohdan to use it to increase the power and durability of your tools. As gifted metalworkers, they can forge the ones you hold into nearly indestructible weapons. However, your blade, Lance, seems to already be made of mithril."

"I know… my teacher got it from a Gohdan dwarf…"

"I see… well, if there is nothing else…" With the boy's satisfied nod, the Blue Chaos Mage reformed the portals and returned the party to the ship.

End Chapter 21

Sol- Master's really out of it today.

Anri- It's because he has so much left to do.

Sol- Well, I guess we should let him rest and wrap up without him…

RCM- Thank you for your concern, but that will not be necessary.

Anri and Sol- Master!

RCM- Though my schedule has altered, I will continue to forge ahead, albeit slowly. With two Master Controls unlocked, four remain… and the final Destined shall arrive shortly, upon landing on Gohdan's shores.

Sol- Yes… the dwarf…

Anri- We have all three names for the Dark Mages, so we're all set for their debut outside of the Temple of Mines.

RCM- As I have much homework left, I must go now. I will try to have another chapter ready by Monday, but I can't make any promises…

Sol- We'll see you all later.

Anri- Bye.