Chapter 5: Learning Wisdom
"Oh, Goddesses… another wanted sign?" The young man walking towards Death Mountain groaned, seeing the wooden board on the post. "No wait, this is different. 'Danger! No climbing Death Mountain without the King's permission!' Ha." Link started to chuck the board away, then paused. "Wait, what's this scrawled at the bottom? 'Especially you, Link!' …Very funny, Agahnim." He chuckled darkly as he set fire to the sign with his lantern, then looked up… and up… and up. Easily the largest landmark in Hyrule, Death Mountain had been part of Hyrule even longer than any of the kingdom's fixtures, and doubtless would remain when each and every one of the others had vanished with time. Once, long ago, there had been a narrow path winding up its length from the bottom, but the lowest portion had collapsed and there was no to climb up the sheer, nearly vertical slopes… unless one had an Uncle who had known about such things, and liked to tell stories of expeditions to a young nephew. Looking past the burning sign, Link saw the narrow crevice he was searching for. The cavern tunnel, he knew would lead him not even a fifth of the way up, but the path it would emerge on would take him the rest of the way. "No going back now… but I'll have to watch out once I'm up there. Judging by that sign, there'll be Knights waiting… Agahnim must know what I'm doing. Still, as long as he's not there himself, I'll be fine." Looking around one last time, Link entered the cavern, holding his lantern out in front of him. The cavern was pitch-black, of course, but with his handy light he was at least able to see a few feet ahead of him. This was fortunate, as he had to avoid deep pitfalls that his uncle hadn't warned him about. "I wonder… were those always there, and did Uncle Al just not tell me… or did the Knights dig them… huh?" There was a clatter of stone in front of him, beyond the lantern's light. Link drew his sword. "Who's there? Show yourself!" There was a moment of silence, and then a reply.
"Uh… that's what I… mm… wish to know, young man. It's been a while since I've seen anybody else up here." The voice's occupant walked forward into the lantern light, and Link relaxed. It was an ancient man, even older than Sahasrala and Aginah; his body was almost bent double, and he walked with a wooden cane. His head was almost completely bald, with only a thin fringe of snow-white hair, and he had a short mustache of the same color, although no beard. "Hm… are you… climbing up Death Mountain, young man? If so… would you mind helping me up as well? I lost my lantern…"
"No problem, sir." Link decided. The old man seemed harmless enough. "Just stay close to me… you live up here?"
"Yes… I prefer a solitary life…" The old man confirmed. "Although recently… other people have been disturbing the peace and quiet of this mountain. Hrmph… I don't like that. Not at all…" Link frowned.
"These people… were they wearing armor? Of different colors… Green, purple, red and the like?"
"You've heard of them, I see." The old man didn't seem surprised. "Yes, those are the ones… they dug nasty pitfalls in here, so you should watch your step. And they've been tampering with the geography of the cliff faces up above… landslides were always a danger here on Death Mountain, but now there are boulders tumbling down outside my home all day and all night. It's quite a disturbance… turn right here, please."
"I'll bet… things are bad in Hyrule right now." Link followed the old man's directions. "Those guys in armor, and the one who controls them, have been making things miserable for everybody."
"They are a pain… although they're not my real trouble." The old man sighed. "Months ago, the King of these lands asked for my daughter to visit him… to talk of me. The silly girl went… and I have not seen her since. I miss her greatly…" He glanced blearily at Link. "She was about your age, young man… perhaps a little older. I can't help but fear the worst for her… that she may have fallen victim to the evil sorcerer at the King's side…" Several things clicked in Link's mind at that point.
"You… know of Agahnim, then." Link inquired cautiously. "He's the one who controls the Knights now."
"Yes… he is plotting something wicked. Something to do with my daughter... and others her age. Another right here, please, young man…" He turned, and Link did as well. "…Are you here to look for the Golden Power, young man? For a gateway into the Sacred Realm? Before the Knights, those were the only people I saw up here. If you are… I beg you to turn back. Death Mountain contains such portals, yes… but they will only lead you to misery and strife. Many have gone through them, and none have returned… trapped forever in a land of nightmares. Do not follow them in their mad quest…"
"I won't." Link said firmly. Up ahead, he saw a glimmer of light from the tunnel's exit. "I don't want the golden power… or any portal leading closer to it. I'm here for something else… an artifact in the Tower of Hera, called the Pendant of Wisdom. And not for my own sake… I need it to rid Hyrule of Agahnim's curse."
"I see…" The old man murmured as they walked out of the tunnel. The sun was shining brightly on Death Mountain; they were more than fifty feet above Hyrule's ground level now, emerging onto the beginning of the pathway that would take Link up to the top. As the old man had warned, large boulders were tumbling down constantly only a short way ahead, beyond another cavern mouth, this one with a thatched overhang. The old man walked over to that, then turned to face Link. "Young man… I think your quest is in the right. I know… that my daughter is still alive, somewhere. I can feel it. As are the other girls. Some day… some one… will rescue them. This, I believe."
"Perhaps… it shall be so." Link smiled at him. "My name's Link… it was nice to meet you. And your name… it wouldn't, by any chance, be Morris, would it?" The old man was silent for a moment, and then he chuckled.
"Heh… heh heh. I talked too much… it seems. These are dangerous times, after all… there are people who would still like to see me dead. But you… I sense something different."
"I've got a couple Pendants you might be interested in-" Link started to say, but Morris waved him down.
"No, no… I am different from Sahasrala and Aginah. I look at what a man is, not what he possesses… and I see a great light in you, Link. A great strength… one that I think I can trust. I left the others, many years ago… perhaps it is time I returned to them. I have not many years in life left, after all, even if by natural causes I… well, that is of no moment. But my years in solitude have not been in vain, Link. I labored mightily, with all of my skill… and I created this. Follow me." He walked into the cave, and Link came along, curious. The old man's home was crude and simple; a few bits of wooden furniture and a couple of cots. Touching a bit of the wall, Morris pulled away a sheet of paper; it had been covered with some adhesive followed by grime and rocks to make it look like part of the cave wall. Behind it, hanging, was a beautiful crystalline mirror, reflecting back everything that was even dimly visible. Not a single scratch or scuff marred its surface, set in a blue-painted metal frame. As Link stared at it, he realized there was something else about the mirror. Nothing visible, but he felt… knew, somehow… that what he was seeing held great magical power.
"What… is it?"
"The Magic Mirror… an artifact that can penetrate the seal of the Sages." Morris smiled as Link jumped. "Worry not… I took care when creating it. It is one-way… if the holder of the mirror becomes trapped in the Dark World, gazing into the mirror will return them to the world of light… to Hyrule. But it can only be used by the pure of heart… by somebody who belongs in Hyrule. If the black hearted, the corrupt, attempt it… monsters who belong locked away in the world of nightmares… the mirror's light will only bring unimaginable pain to them. Link… it is yours. Take it… you shall need it." Link stared at him, then at the mirror.
"You'd trust this to me… even though I haven't yet…"
"I told you… I care not for Pendants." The old man's eyes twinkled. "That is not to say that I will not watch your progress… but this is yours now. Link… I went into my solitude to create this mirror because I felt it would be needed. I felt that a new Hero of Time would arise… you are him, Link, and I made this mirror for you, before I ever met you. Take it, I say, and then go onward." He looked outside. "The Knights are watching the trail carefully near here… however, they cease to do so beyond a certain point." He walked to the back of the cave and pulled back a tarpaulin that had been applied with the same treatment as the paper the covered the mirror, revealing another tunnel. "This passage will take you beyond that point. However… they have also blocked the path, near the top. It now ends at Spectacle Rock… beyond there, a landslide of rock and rubble impede the way to the Tower of Hera." Link slapped his face.
"So… there's no way up?"
"I didn't say that." Morris took the mirror off of the wall and handed it to him. "Remember what I did say… and don't be afraid to take risks to accomplish what you need. I may see you again… good luck until then." Link nodded.
"Thank you… good luck to you as well." Bowing, he walked into the tunnel. Unlike the other, there were no pitfalls, and so it was fairly easy though uphill going until he emerged on Death Mountain's surface again, near a sheer cliff with a rope and wood ladder that looked recently repaired. "Looks like the Knights wrecked this, and Morris repaired it… that's another one I owe him for." As he began climbing the cliff, the young warrior chuckled. "Really, I owe all three of those old men a lot… even that grump Aginah. And the others…" He fell silent. "One still missing… and the others dead. Quincy… I never knew him, and now I never will. But King Lucas… I haven't forgotten my promise. Before I kill Agahnim… I will use the Master Sword to lay you to rest. And Uncle Al… after the King sleeps, I'll fulfill my promise to you. Agahnim shall die. And Hyrule will be safe again…" He thought upon Morris' words. "But… as long as the six girls are in the Dark World… will it be? Even if Zelda isn't sent… others who serve the Evil King would come… before now, I never would have considered this, but… now that I have the Magic Mirror, and soon will have the Master Sword as well… think of such things later. Right now, I still have a job to do." Reaching the top of his climb, he whistled. "I'm even above the clouds now…" Below, Hyrule was barely visible in brief gaps through the puffy white forms. Link shuddered briefly.
"Good thing I don't have a fear of heights. I've got to be near the Tower now…" He turned and stared. "Whoa." He had been more correct than he'd thought; the mountain rose twenty feet more and then stopped, finally at its peak, although it stretched farther to the east; Link knew he had only covered the west side of the great landmark. Vertically, though, only two things rose above the top of the mountain. One was a relatively small rise, although still large enough for Link to stand on; it was shaped like a pair of spheres connected side by side. The other, north of that… was a monolith beyond Link's imagining. It was not as ancient as the Eastern Palace, nor the Desert Palace, but it still spoke of times long, long ago. Constructed of some odd green stone, a straight shaft rising hundreds of feet, defying the skies even further in addition to Death Mountain's own height… "The Tower of Hera. And that must be Spectacle Rock… Morris mentioned that." He thought back. "So did Sahasrala too, come to think of it… he said the first portal to the Dark World was here…" Walking a little ways further down the path, he saw something leaning against the rock. It was the ruined remains of what had once been a small house; five hundred years later, it had not stood the test of time as well as the Tower. "A family who fell in before the descendants at the time could save them…" He lowered his head, then blinked as something caught his eye. Crystals littered the ground; small, thin, transparent ones, circular in shape. Some were larger than others, but they were all basically of the same nature.
"Huh… so it's called Spectacle Rock for more than just the shape. This family was probably in the business of using these to make glasses… I have to wonder what kind of phenomena causes this…" Journeying further on, he found to his dismay that Morris had been right. Just beyond Spectacle Rock, the path turned north… and stopped at a huge blockade of rubble as tall as the cliffs on either side of it. "There's no way I can get through that… not even the bombs the guys at Kakariko gave me would be of any use. But… Morris gave me this mirror. Said I'd need it… to not be afraid of taking risks… did he mean…" His eyes widened. "The Dark World! There's a portal nearby… and the blockade wouldn't be there! But… to go to the Dark World…" Even after everything he had been through, Link's mind balked at that concept. "To the realm of the Forger of Power…" He straightened up. "…It'll be nasty, but if this mirror works… then I've no choice. I need that third Pendant… I'll go anywhere, even the Dark World if I have to, to get it." Looking around, he found a pile of heavy rocks like the ones blocking the back entrance of the Desert Palace. Hefting them with his gauntlets, he uncovered what he had been looking for; a square in the ground of shimmering blue energy. "This is it, then… there's no turning back. Here I go." He jumped onto the square, and the entire world went white… blindingly white, with no form or detail. And yet it moved… bended, shook, twisted unnaturally all around him, through him.
"Whoa…" Link gasped as he felt his own body shift and shimmer and warp… and then he was lying on his back, gasping, and staring up at a sky that was NOT above the clouds, but below them. The clouds were dark, as black as night, with torrents of rain falling from them, along with the occasional lightning bolt and peal of thunder. Looking around, Link shuddered; the mountain was grimmer as well, gray and rocky, all jagged edges. Even he himself felt different… strange… he reached a hand out to steady himself on the cliff, then stared at it in horror. It was NOT a hand. It was a paw… pink and furry, protruding from his tunic sleeve. "GAH!" Instinctively, Link scrambled for the Magic Mirror, then stopped himself. "No… it'll just take me back. Use my sword instead…" This proved easier said than done, with no thumbs to his name. Finally, he was able to grasp it between both paws. "Ugh… if an enemy comes along now, I'm SO dead. No way I'll be able to use this… oh, no…" His head was a sight beyond his worst fears; a pink bunny rabbit, with red eyes. "What the hell IS this… did the Dark World do this to me? Will it stick when I go back? If it does, when I get my hands on Morris… eh?" He glanced up at a noise, and saw… other things coming. Two of them. One was humanoid, even wearing clothes similar to his, but its skin was rough orange scales, and its head was that of a hideous troll, with a permanent ugly grin and a horn on the forehead. The other… was a round pink ball with feet and friendly-looking eyes. As Link stared, the troll kicked the ball, sending it flying through the air over his head.
"What you staring at, gal?" The troll demanded. "Something wrong?"
"Uh… no." Link shook his head. "Nothing's wrong… and I'm not… a lady." This only seemed to anger the troll further.
"Whaddaya want then, rabbit? Sheesh, if you're a guy than you've gotta be one heck of a wuss to end up looking like that!"
"You're one to talk, Brutus." The ball-creature was standing behind Link. "You're not exactly pleasant to look at yourself."
"That's it! Come here, you!" The troll yelled, chasing the ball around. Link only watched, silent, as he kicked the sphere again. "Ha! Got you that time!" He turned to Link again. "Lemme guess, you came here to get the golden power? Me too, but I got turned into a freak, and now I can't go back! What a gyp!" He grumbled, then snickered. "Still, better a freak than a bunny! Whoo, man! Wait'll the guys get a load of this!" He ran off, still cackling. Link turned to the pink ball, who was getting back on his feet again.
"Uh… you okay?"
"Oh, sure. He does this all the time." The ball seemed to shrug. "Doesn't hurt… I'm made of rubber or something now, I think. I'm Ballio… and you?" Link shrugged.
"The name's-"
"Hold it!" Ballio yelped. "Not your REAL name… don't EVER say that here. Most of the guys here… are bad. REAL bad… and they work for… HIM. The Forger." Link slowly nodded. "If THEY hear your real name… well, that's not a good idea. Magic and all that. So all us guys who don't side with them give ourselves new names for our forms."
"Good idea." Link nodded. "I'll come up with something, then."
"Cool." Ballio looked around. "I'm afraid you're stuck here… there's no way back. The portals are too weak for anybody but mindless beasts to go through the other way… that's good, of course, but it doesn't make things any easier for us. You get used to it, though."
"So… everybody here had their form changed in some way?" Link realized. Ballio nodded.
"You got it! It's the Golden Power… that effect was one of the things the Forger used it for. Your shape reflects what's in your heart and mind… I'm always changing my mind, opinions and outlook, so I turned into something that always bounces around. A rubber ball. There are worse forms." His eyes seemed to look like they were smiling; Link wondered how he talked without a mouth. "A rabbit, huh… I don't know. Brutus can say what he wants, but I figure it just means you're a nice guy underneath. If you want… I'll introduce you to some… friends of mine. They can probably help you out." Link thought about that.
"Maybe… and there's no way to change back?"
"Nope!" Ballio replied cheerfully. "This is you from now on! Oh, there's some old stories about an artifact back in Hyrule that protects you from the effect, but nobody pays any attention to that. It's not like any of us will ever get the… what did they call it… oh yeah, the Moon Pearl. So we might as well look to the future, ah? Brutus is a bit cranky, but he's really not so bad… come on, I'll introduce you to the other guys I know."
"All right." Link agreed. "Go on ahead… I'll follow you down. Just want to look around a bit more…"
"Sure! I'll wait for you at the bottom with Brutus!" Ballio waddled off. Link glanced at Spectacle Rock; neither the ruins of the house nor the crystals in the earth were there, but the rock itself was unchanged. And the Link saw the Tower, and his mind was overridden by a horrendously strong memory. Where a castle had once stood… now was a mile-wide pit of lava. And floating over it, on a chunk of levitating landmass that defied gravity… was a spire of terrifying proportions. A vertical fortress of black basalt, spikes and balconies and looming evil… a tower of darkness, a monument to one man whose colossal greed for power had conquered Hyrule. The Tower of Ganon, as his ancestor had seen it… and Link's vision faded back to the present, and he looked upon the structure that had caused the nightmarish recollection. It was fully as tall as the Tower of Hera, but barely any details could be seen about it, for it glowed with a radiant, prismatic energy barrier that covered it like a sheet. Even through that, however, Link sensed the darkness inside it… and the horrible strength. "Ganon's Tower… this is where the Evil King lurks…" Link shook off his stupor. "Then I need to get out of here NOW before he spots me!" The landslide was clear; the path led up to the tower. But Link did not go near it; he simply ran up to just beyond the narrow, blocked passage before taking out the Magic Mirror. "I hope this works…" He looked into the reflection, and saw not the Dark World, but the clear skies of Hyrule… and his own, normal, untransformed face. The world shimmered and grew bright like before, and he felt himself return back… and then he was gone, and nothing remained in the Dark World to tell that he had been there. Nothing… but the watching eyes of two denizens.
"Holy…" Brutus spat on the ground. "Did you just SEE that!"
"Yeah…" Ballio nodded slowly. "See, I was right… there WAS something up about that guy. Although to be honest, I never expected he could do THAT."
"You're telling me!" Brutus shook his head. "He went back to Hyrule, I bet… just like that! Man oh man!"
"Yeah…" Ballio wandered over and inspected the ground where Link had stood. "Nothing left… not a trace. What do we do?"
"Whattaya THINK, moron?" The troll yelled. "I'll stay here and watch the Tower, like we're supposed to… you get down offa this mountain and tell Handy and Neosquid about this."
"Right." Ballio turned away. "You're right… they've got to know. I'll see you later." He wandered off, and Brutus turned his gaze back upon the tower.
"Wonder if he's there… if he saw that too. Hope not… but can't tell. You can never tell with him… damn Ganon…"
"Well." Link grunted, looking around him at the familiar world of Hyrule. "That was certainly… interesting. Good thing I seem to have ditched the fur suit… although I still have this strange desire to eat a carrot." He shook his head. "So that's what the Dark World is like. I don't envy those people stuck there. Maybe I can do something to help them… not sure what, but… I'm getting sidetracked again. There's the Tower… eh?" His gaze shifted, drawn to something west of the tower. Death Mountain ended there, veering sharply downward, but a good ways down the slope a single spire stuck up, almost completely vertical. On top, the narrow piece of rock was only a few flat feet across, but a rope bridge connected the mountain on Link's current level to it, and standing there was a slab of green rock. Link looked back at the Tower, then sighed. "Might be worth checking this out. It'll only be a moment." He crossed the bridge carefully; to his surprise, it was not flimsy or shaky, but solid as rock, barely moving at all under his steps. The slab of green stone turned out to be covered in ancient Hylian writing. "Right, time for the Book of Mudora again… ugh. 'He who turnips over… triumphs over… grr. Holds power over… no, just holds… and up… He who holds up. Right, next part… the… Star Rod? Doubtful. Master Sword, that's better… shall hostile takeover… no. Shall gain the power of… Christmas? Easter? ETHER." He blinked. "Not that THAT makes much sense anyways… hm. But maybe somebody else knows… hey, Sahasrala! Sahasrala, you there?" Silence. "Come on, you old bat… this is important. I KNOW you're still tagging along." Silence for another moment, and then finally, the old man spoke.
"All right, you've got me. But it's not that important. This is… where your ancestor left another of his artifacts… one of the most powerful, aside from the Master Sword. Thus, the Sword itself is necessary to gain the artifact… Ether is its name. And thus, right now you can't do anything here. So get going into the Tower, hm?"
"Smart-mouthed old man…" Link grumbled, walking back around to the tower's entrance and heading inside. "Hm… I'm not going in on the ground floor. Stairs leading up to the second, at least… and this place looks like it's at least six stories high. Seems I'll be doing a lot of climbing today." The entrance floor of the Tower of Hera was one huge room; at the back, on left and right sides of the far wall, two doors sat. The one on the right held stairs leading up, while the one on the left led down. Neither was accessible, however, due to a bizarre barricade; a line of orange blocks five feet square with only inches of space between them, running east to west down the room's center. Similar-colored bases on the floor around each block indicated that they were attached to it, and could not be moved. "Okay, what the hell is this? Hey, something's moving back there…" On the other side of the barricade, two creatures prowled restlessly; brown centipede-like insects Link's size, with huge, spherical heads and similar-shaped body segments that decreased in size down to the tail. Link's eyes widened; he recognized them from a book his Uncle had shown him once.
"Moldorms!" The gigantic, carnivorous insects were supposed to only be found on select islands isolated out in the ocean, far away from Hyrule. "Only young ones… but still…" He shook his head. "How they got here doesn't matter. If I get over that barrier, they'll attack… and I have to get over it to go on. But how…" Scanning his side of the room again, Link saw something he had missed before; a switch attached to the floor, made out of a shining orange crystal. "Worth a shot… but first…" Even young Moldorms were reported to be fierce, and Link had no desire to confirm this first-hand. The spaces between the blocks were nowhere near wide enough to allow him, or them, through… but arrows from his bow fit easily. When both creatures had stopped twitching, he hit the switch and smiled as the barrier dropped. "Nice. Past the first step."
"Yes, but there is much more to come…" Morris said, stepping out of a shadowed corner of the room.
"YAH!" Link jumped what seemed like ten feet in the air. "Where'd you come from?"
"You ask this of a descendant of the Sage of Shadow? One whose bloodline contains the Sheikah, who were once the elite bodyguards of the royal family?" Morris chuckled. "I come and go as I please, young one… I told you I would be watching you. Now then… look carefully. You are not done here yet." Link scanned the room and groaned; in front of the doors leading on, BLUE blocks had now risen.
"Those weren't there before… wait." Link glared back at the crystal switch. As he had suspected, it was now blue as well. "Damn." He flipped it again, and as it turned orange, the blue blocks sank and the orange blocks rose. Growling, he flipped it back. "How do I manage this… if I make the blues go down, I can't get to… wait. I've got it." Walking beyond the sunken orange barrier, he turned and threw his boomerang at the switch. It hit and returned to him, bringing the orange barrier up and dropping the blue. "There. NOW I'm done here."
"Indeed you are… well done. Onward…" Morris backed up and disappeared as quickly as he had come.
"Hey, Sahasrala." Link said on a sudden thought. "You saw that, didn't you? Morris, I mean?"
"Indeed… it is good to know he still lives. And also to know what he has been doing… so he had reason to absent himself from our fellowship after all." Sahasrala replied. "I saw it all… even your journey to the Scared Realm. Most dangerous, Link… but the Magic Mirror truly is a masterwork. It, along with one other artifact, may indeed allow you to survive the Sacred Realm if circumstances dictate that you must go there."
"So you've been considering that too…" Link realized. "This other artifact… is it, by any chance, called the Moon Pearl?"
"Indeed it is… and it is inside this very Tower." Sahasrala explained. "Unlike the Fairy Bow and Silver Gauntlets, it did not belong to your ancestor… MY ancestor, Rauru the Sage of Light, brought it with him when he fled the Temple of Light in the Golden Land. It may not aid you in defeating Agahnim… but seek it out nonetheless, just in case."
"Got it." Link walked up to the two doors, then noticed a chest between them. It was not locked; inside it was a familiar-looking scrap of parchment. "A map. Hm… looks like I was dead-on. One floor below me, and four more above. Go down first… see what's there before heading skyward." The first room below held nothing, but the doors slammed shut as he entered. "Aw, no, not this again…" Backing into a corner, he raised both sword and shield, and was ready when the flying floor tiles started blasting his way. "Boy, am I glad Bronze Roger showed me how to deal with these…" When the barrage was finished, the door onward opened, and Link walked into a room with four unlit braziers in the corner. He sighed. "Same thing again as the Desert Palace…" Lighting them with his lantern caused a chest to appear in the room's center in a puff of smoke. Inside, as he expected, was a key. "I'll probably need this a few floors up… made a good move coming down here first." Turning around, he went back up to the second story and then on to the third. More monsters awaited him, but not Moldorms; instead, they were some type of land squid, with a main body consisting of a rubbery-looking blue sphere. One charged, and Link slashed at it… and the sword only made a slight cut in the body before bouncing off with such force as to launch Link back several feet as well.
"WHOA!" As he halted himself, the young warrior felt something behind him and turned. It was nothing… no floor, at least. He had stopped on the edge of a hole that would have dropped him back to the second floor. Shuddering, Link started to run forward, then stopped as an idea came to him. The squid charged again, and Link held his ground… but instead of slicing at it, he jumped aside at the last moment and watched the stupid creature tumble down the pit. "All right… best to do that with the rest of them, too. It'd take me all day to carve through whatever they're made of." Fortunately, the rest of the third floor was littered with similar pits, and Link was easily able to trick all of the squids into falling to their deaths. When he was done, he discovered that the next staircase up was indeed locked. "Time to use this key… and up we go."
"Indeed we do." Morris stepped out of another shadow. "You've done well so far, young one. Interesting trick with the pitfalls, by the way." He jumped into one, and Link resisted the urge to run over and look in after him.
"Show-off…" Muttering, he went up another floor. Immediately, more Moldorm larvae turned to face him. This time, there was nothing separating them; the insects charged, or at least tried to. Their actual movement was in loose, bending curves; something to do with their legs and the shapes of their bodies prevented them from traveling in straight lines, it seemed; but nevertheless, they were undoubtedly attacking. Drawing his sword, Link waited until all three were near, then unleashed the spinning blade strike that had defeated the last of the Armos Knights and Lanmolas. All three Moldorms were slain. "Seems I've got that down… good." The room was c-shaped; the northern part had been separated from the rest in a circular room. Walking around to the only break in the walls on the south side, Link saw that in there was a huge treasure chest. But between him and it was another gap in the floor, far too wide for him to even consider hurdling.
"The Moon Pearl… but I can't get to it, unless…" Dreading what he would see, he looked above the chest, and spotted the hole in the ceiling. "A pitfall on the fifth floor… oh, man." He sighed and walked up to said floor. More squids waited, including a red one that was even tougher than the blues, although no more cunning when it came to the trick Link used to dispose of them, making sure not to use the hole that he would have to drop down. "Might as well get this over with…" He carefully jumped down, feet first, and landed in front of the chest with a pained grunt. "Ugh… not as bad as I thought it'd be, but still no picnic. But at least I've got it." He opened the chest and carefully lifted out a perfect sphere of transparent, shimmering crystal as large as his fist. "The Moon Pearl… no more bunny time."
"Indeed not." Morris nodded from his position lounging against a wall. "That leaves only one, final trial… the last guardian of the Pendant of Wisdom. And you know what it is, don't you?" Link nodded grimly; he had seen the skull hanging on the wall above the stairs to the top floor before jumping down. A skull of a familiar beast from the tower.
"It's a Moldorm, isn't it… a fully grown one."
"Indeed." Morris nodded gravely. "It is fortunate that the females of the species do not grow to monstrous size, and that an adult male will kill any competitors, even its own children… else we would be overrun by the beasts."
"And now I have to kill said adult male. Well, I'm up for it." Link carefully dropped down to the third floor as well, then scaled the fourth and fifth again. As he was about to ascend to the final floor, he paused. "And one more thing. You, in there… ancestor. Hero of Time. If you can hear me… stay OUT of this one. I've got it covered… I can do it." There was, unsurprisingly, no response. "Guess that's the best I'm getting…" Walking up the stairs, Link looked upon the top floor of the Tower of Hera. The huge, circular room had a huge indentation in the center of the floor, dropping down to a lower level. An arena. The outer wall of most of this held a missing floor, dropping back down to the fifth floor; the only portion that was not was the south side, which led up to the center. And roaming there was the third guardian; a twenty-foot long centipede of spherical olive-green body parts, covered with tiny, endlessly moving legs. The head was eight feet across, with two madly rolling red eyes attached to it; the smallest segment at the end of the tail, still as large as Link's head. The Moldorm buzzed angrily as it saw Link, but was unable to scale the walls to get to him.
"Don't worry, big guy… I'M coming to YOU." Link promised, jumping down into the arena. The Moldorm immediately charged, and Link struck… uselessly, as his blade scraped off of the green carapace without so much as scratching it. "Armored! Damn!" He swiped at the eyes, but the tiny targets were impossible to hit with how erratically the thing moved. Link found himself on the defensive, scrambling around to avoid its charges. Even a glancing blow, when blocked by his shield, sent him flying. "Oof…" The boomerang proved equally ineffective, as did his arrows. Even the Ice Rod's magic failed to phase the tank-like beast. "What else do I have… magic powder, that's no good… bombs!" He pulled one of the explosive spheres the Kakariko Villagers had given him out of the pouch on his belt and lit the fuse. "Maybe I can hurt the underside…" Seconds before it exploded, he tossed the bomb in the Moldorm's path. Ignoring it, the beast ran it down and continued on… and the buzzing rose to a shriek a moment later, when the fiery explosion rocked it from underneath. "YES! I hurt it… huh?" But the Moldorm was not trailing blood from its underside. The wound was in the last segment of the beast's tail, which Link now noticed was pink, not green… and not armored.
"Ha! NOW I remember… the only weak point of an adult male Moldorm is the last segment of its tail!" The Moldorm did not seem to care unduly about its injury; it simply charged him as before, twisting and turning. As it was about to hit him, Link turned in the opposite direction from its curving path. The entire body shot past him, and as he passed the weak point, Link's sword slashed out. Again the tail spouted blood, and again the Moldorm continued regardless. "It's too stupid to realize what's happening to it… ha! I can win this!" The next time the massive insect charged, Link repeated his previous maneuver; but as the tail flashed by he gave chase, stabbing and slashing. Once, twice, three times he hit… and then the buzzing became a roar, and the Moldorm whirled around, eyes flashing. "Oops… or maybe it just figured it out!" Bellowing, the monster began thrashing around wildly, insanely, not even aiming for him any more… but at double the speed. It was a rampaging, blind engine of destruction, smashing anything in its path… and the only thing available was Link. And yet… he was not afraid.
I've got this. The young warrior thought as the Moldorm raged around him. I'm not in danger. I don't need help. This thing is MINE… I can deal with it by myself! I'm not just a young punk any more… I've passed two trials with your aid, and the third… I WILL prove myself by! I can't just be a shadow of you… Agahnim is my duty, and I have to wield the Master Sword with my own ability to destroy him! You were the Hero of Time… and I WILL show myself to be worthy of your legacy! Link charged the Moldorm, head-on, running down the length of its body, ignoring the blows as it twisted and turned into him, slamming him repeatedly. He kept going, reaching the tail… and as he brought his sword down at its base, an image hit his brain… but not like before. There was no absence of control, no overriding feeling of another in his body… simply remembering Gohma, a massive insect like this, whose weak point had been her single eye. That eye had been the core of her entire body… on most creatures, it was not a vital point, but Gohma's entire body had crumbled and died with the loss of the orb. And as Link's blade severed the tail orb from the Moldorm's body, he knew the same held true here. The tail orb flew off, into the chasm surrounding them, but the rest of the centipede's body froze, motionless… and then, one at a time, the other segments flew off as well, blasted apart by a series of explosions that rocked the creature's body until only the head remained… and then that too exploded in a spray of disgusting slime. Link simply stood, watching this, untouched by the gore. And when it was done, he turned and caught the Pendant of Wisdom in his hand as it dropped from the ceiling. Ruby red, it sparkled in his hand, identical to the other two.
"I did it… all three Pendants are mine."
"So they are…" Morris agreed, unfolding himself from the wall he had been leaning against. "Very impressive, young man… hm."
"And I did it without my ancestor chipping in… I managed it myself." Link grinned. Morris raised an eyebrow, then nodded.
"Well… yes, I suppose so, hm… so. I take it you would like to ask me for the hospitality of my cave tonight?" Link's grin turned slightly sheepish.
"If you don't mind."
"Not at all." Morris smiled as well. "And then?"
"Tomorrow, I'll make a quick stop at the Sanctuary… and then I'm off to get the Master Sword." Link decided. "Tomorrow evening… I kill Agahnim. And after that… well… we'll see what happens after that."
"Indeed we will." Morris agreed. "Now let's get out of here, young man, and get back to my humble home… you've got a big day tomorrow." Link nodded.
"Understatement of the century, my friend."
A single Knight of Hyrule entered the room at the top of Hyrule Castle Tower, faint traces of light glittering off his golden armor. His steps were not hesitant like his predecessor, Sir Remos; the magic controlling his mind had grown to the point that all traces of fear and uncertainty were erased, even though the news he brought was not good. His master, the wizard Agahnim, stood at the back of the last room, gazing out through the glass wall at Death Mountain.
"Report, Sir Kolak." Agahnim spoke without turning. The new Commander of the Knights saluted.
"Sir… no luck so far, sir. We have been unable to locate either the Princess Zelda nor the youth Link, or any of the remaining elders. However, our men on Death Mountain report that they have not seen hide nor hair of Link."
"All that means is that he's managed to slip past without them even seeing him, dolt." Agahnim's fist clenched. Kolak did not respond. "Hmph… very well. Call back the troops… all of them. And tell them to be ready to go tomorrow… tomorrow, I shall lead you out. Dismissed."
"Sir." Kolak saluted again, turned and departed. Agahnim did not speak again for several minutes; he simply extended his will and his mind, reaching out to the north, to the mountain he gazed upon. To the green tower atop it, the tower in such a familiar location to him. Inside, he felt the savage, bestial life form that had been there before missing… gone. No trace of it was left… nor was there a trace of the accursed stone that had ejected his searching mind from the tower the last time he had done this.
"So, he does have it…" Agahnim hissed. "Then I can no longer afford to wait. I was foolish to give these dolts even one chance to act on their own… overconfidence on my part. After collecting the other six so quickly, I assumed this latest development would be only a momentary setback, and let them handle it without me… and it looks Hyrule's Knights haven't increased the standards on their intelligence requirements at all in all these years. At least my REAL lieutenants know how to keep enemies on the run…" The glass wall darkened again, and once more showed the deep, damp watery underworld.
"Master?" Arrghus stirred. "Is that you again?"
"It is." Agahnim confirmed. "Things aren't going too well here, Arrghus… but never mind that. How are YOU doing?"
"Me? Well, I'm just keeping things running…" Arrghus thought for a moment. "But the others are doing good, boss!"
"Oh?" Agahnim raised an eyebrow. "Continue."
"Mothula's work has been going great!" Arrghus bubbled. "Her latest attempt actually lived for more than a day! She says she should be able to complete the final project in less than a month!"
"Well, now." Agahnim's eyes lit up. "THAT's music to my ears… we'll need that one soon. Tell Mothula she has my congratulations… and the others?"
"Vitreous completed his renovations…" Arrghus continued. "Misery Mire is now completely sealed off from the rest of the Golden Land… except for yourself, of course, boss! Even Kholdstare's been behaving; I managed to talk him into accepting the sixth girl! Everything's good here, boss; don't worry about us! We'll all be ready when you're done! Well, I'll see you-"
"Not so fast." Agahnim cut her off. "There's still one more you haven't mentioned… and your manner leads me to believe that it was deliberate. What's going on with Blind?" In the darkness, Arrghus squirmed.
"Well… uh… you know the Palace of Darkness, boss? In the east? You know how the King Helmasaur's in there with one of the girls?"
"I do." Agahnim nodded calmly.
"Well, then… you know how it used to be the Temple of Light before you took it over? How it used to be where the… you know… met?" Agahnim nodded again.
"I do."
"Yeah, okay…" Arrghus' voice grew shrill. "You… you know how…it has some ultra-secret mechanism that completely seals the front door? So securely that none of us can break in? And how you, in your infinite wisdom, have to know how to open it again of course? And just didn't tell us about it? Right?"
"…" This time, Agahnim was silent. He didn't speak, but his eyes said everything… eyes that were burning with rage.
"I… guess you don't." Arrghus whimpered. "Sorry, boss… the King and the girl are still in there, but nobody can get in or out."
"Let me guess." Agahnim covered his face with one hand. "It was our little troublemakers, correct? Blind wasn't watching them when they got near the Palace of Darkness, and somehow they figured that out before he could stop them."
"Yeah… pretty much." Arrghus admitted. "He's, uh… he's really sorry, boss. REALLY sorry."
"You've got that right." Agahnim sighed. "Tell Blind he will be maimed for this. His head, I think." In the darkness, some unidentifiable feature winced.
"He's not gonna like that, boss… he's real proud of his latest one."
"Then he shouldn't have messed up then, should he?" Agahnim sneered. "He's lucky the Palace is otherwise undisturbed, or I'd be taking more than one. Ah, well. Continue your current business, Arrghus… with luck, I shall be retuning shortly. Be ready. Dismissed."
"Yes, sir!" Arrghus saluted as the glass wall faded away, back to showing Death Mountain. Agahnim sighed.
"Back to the matter at hand, then… I must do what my Knights could not, and successfully calculate where the Princess would be hiding. Enough overconfidence. I've been thinking incorrectly… getting too far into my role. Thinking like Agahnim, instead of like myself. Now… now, I think like the REAL me." His eyes darkened as he thought about the problem. "Where would a Princess… no. Wrong. That's the kind of thinking the Knights would do… and that's why they failed. Think of her as… HER." Agahnim's lips curled upward in a smile. "Where would the last descendant of the Sage of Time hide…" The smile widened. "Why… she would hide in the same place… that the Sage of Time herself hid. The Temple of Time." His eyes brightened. "Tomorrow, then… the day of destiny shall be tomorrow. The day I've waited so, so long for… the day those two, both of them… the day they PAY, for what they did to me. Link, Zelda… you think you are so different now… but I recognize you. I see you… I know YOU. And you shall regret having crossed me…"