Part II – Evil Sands
Chapter XI - Pathfinder
"Well, it certainly is abandoned." Stated Devika once the group was well into the ruins.
"If I had a gold piece for every obvious thing you've pointed out I could melt down the riches and make myself new armor!" Manju yelled from the rear as Devika rolled her eyes.
The cool night air was still trapped in the ruin, making it easier and more pleasant to venture through at midday. The entrance had a small hallway that quickly turned to steps that led down. Then, after descending the steps for forever, they finally let off to a landing that opened to a huge prayer chamber. Everything was made from polished sandstone and marble, but the lack of light made the groups individual lanterns insufficient to make out specific details. What they could see were pots and urns of varying sizes and shapes running along the edge of the floor and congregating in corners. Ganondorf raised his lantern and found letters covering the entirety of the ceiling. Some of the letters were the same Gerudo-like letters he made out on the effigy outside, but the majority of markings were some strange lettering that was completely foreign in both structure and use. Ganondorf could've taken the time to examine them if the stale tomb air wasn't making his eyes water.
"Goddess, why is it so hard to breath down here?" echoed Ganondorf's complaint.
"Isn't that bad to me. It's your first time, you're just not used to it." Devika scoffed at him.
But it wasn't just the air affecting Ganondorf. The entire space around him seemed to cave in and there was an overwhelming sense of urgency in the walls of the room. The entire space felt wrong and there was something watching them from everywhere. He needed to get out and it had to be now.
"Listen guys," Ganondorf casually said, trying to play off the sudden sense of urgent anxiety, "I think we need someone outside to make sure we have a way out. Sound good? I nominate myself. No objecions? Good. Bye!"
"Hold it right there!" Nabooru grabbed the boy's shoulder and spun him around, "Where do you think you're going?"
"I was just gonna-"
"We need to stick together. As a team. Got it?"
"Don't worry. Just drink some water. It'll be ok." Devika offhandedly remarked.
Ganondorf couldn't really come up with a better excuse to leave so he did as he was instructed and took a swig from his half-full canteen. The water did help a little but his head still felt fuzzy and the space still felt very uninviting.
"This place just feels wrong. Like we're not supposed to be here."
"We're not!" Kanta's hiss pierced Ganondorf's ears as she whispered directly next to his head.
"Goddess, Kanta! Don't do that!"
"Quiet. This is a forsaken place. We don't want to wake those who slumber here."
"And who exactly am I waking in a damn tomb!" Ganondorf shouted as he rubbed his ear.
This time the entire party collectively hushed him, all with stern looks in their eyes. They waited a moment, all staring at Kanta, who looked like she was searching for something. She must've found what she was looking for as she started walking through a doorway with the others tailing behind. After a moment of confusion, Ganondorf felt a large hand on his shoulder.
"Take it from us," Gita said before moving past him, "when Kanta says creepy shit like that, you listen."
Ganondorf's brow furrowed, "Why?"
"Because she's saved our skins more than once. She's got good instincts."
"Alright then." Ganondorf shrugged it off, "But why'd she have to get right in my ear?"
Gita sniffed in amusement, "That just means she likes you."
"Well it's a weird way of showing it." He grumbled to himself.
As they trekked deeper into the ruins, Ganondorf couldn't shake the feeling that Kanta knew more than she led on. There was also the ever-present feeling of danger that nibbled at the corners of his brain, but he was getting used to that. Kanta seemed withdrawn— or more withdrawn than usual. She walked uncomfortably far from the group yet nobody dared to get close and she kept a regular pace despite weaving irregularly from left to right. It became apparent that she may be avoiding some kind of invisible obstacle and the group, despite not seeing exactly what she was avoiding, weaved around the corridors and stairs just in case there were some kind of invisible trap outside of Kanta's path. They entered rooms with multiple paths and Kanta just seemed to know exactly where to go. Sometimes she would lead them back into a room but on a different level or even into areas behind ancient obstacles that would have caused them to turn around.
While the others were preoccupied with following Kanta's footsteps, Ganondorf decided to secretly work his way to the front next to Nabooru. Closer proximity to their pathfinder revealed that she was following something with her eyes. The boy tried to reach out with his magic to see if she was being led by some kind of supernatural force, but his senses were being suppressed. The magic wouldn't respond to his manipulation and even seemed to be actively defying his will through some other source. It was the same sensation that permeated the walls and gave him a headache.
"Hey," Ganondorf whispered to Manju as they followed, "how long has Kanta been able to do this?"
"First of all, you need to shut up. If she loses focus, we're lost." Manju snapped back. "And secondly, sometime around our second ruin it just happened. Been like this ever since."
"Well, what is she doing then? How does she know where to go?"
"She says it's an energy she's following. Honestly, I don't know and I don't really care. It gets the mission done so I'm for it."
Ganondorf was still puzzled by Kanta's ability and Manju's "explanation" did nothing to sate his curiosity. He weaved his way back to the front of the group just behind Kanta and looked ahead of her. He wanted to find out if she was just following some kind of pattern on the floor, or was actually tapping into some form of magic without realizing it. But before Ganondorf could investigate further, his eye was caught by the light of his lantern reflecting off of something in the darkness that loomed ahead of them. When his eyes adjusted, he could see a small piece of metal sticking out of the wall that didn't look as ancient at the rest of the surrounding ruins. The insignificant detail on the wall could've been any number of things, but first and foremost in his mind was a trap, and Kanta was heading straight for it.
"Kanta." Ganondorf whispered, despite the glower he received from the others, "Kanta, wait."
The girl was so entranced by her invisible guide that she seemed unable to acknowledge the group's presence. Her pace had hastened slightly, and the supposed trap was coming up quick.
"Kanta. Kanta! Wait!" he tried fruitlessly to warn the unresponsive girl. The women behind him tried to hush him again but it only strengthened his resolve. He rushed up behind Kanta and wrapped his arms around her waist, hoisting her up.
"Everyone, stop!" he shouted as the others surged forward to control Ganondorf. Kanta gasped as if jerked from a dream and the rest of the team stood back. Kanta looked around and then back at Ganondorf.
"Uhh, what's going on?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest.
Ganondorf nodded his head towards the piece of metal he'd seen currently a breath from his foot, "A trap… I think."
"Huh," the girl cocked an eyebrow, "guess I missed that one. Good catch."
"Thanks." Ganondorf chuckled.
"Yeah. You can… put me down now."
"Huh? Oh! Oh right, yeah. Sorry." Ganondorf sheepishly stumbled and placed Kanta behind him, away from the supposed trap.
"Devika, go check that." Nabooru ordered. In response, Devika nodded and bound to the front of the group to take a closer look at the protruding metal. The rest of the group absent-mindedly knelt with her to look for themselves. She ran her hand from the piece of metal to the other end of the wall, stepped over the invisible tripwire, and traced down the wall without her lantern. After fiddling with something and cutting another thing with her knife, she stood and walked back to the group, grabbing the metal piece off the wall as well.
"Yep, definitely a trap." Devika said, handing the metal piece to Ganondorf, "And, by the looks of it, not as ancient as the rest of the place." She produced a glass bottle filled with an amber fluid.
"Let me see that." Nabooru took the container from her and sniffed the contents.
"Lantern oil. And potent at that, I can smell it from here." Gita said from behind the group.
"Yeah, lot stronger than the stuff we use in our lanterns, that's for sure. Someone wanted to cause some damage. What was the trigger?"
Devika reached into her pocket and produced two small stones, "Just a flint and coarse stone. Enough to make a spark."
"Sloppy." Manju commented behind Ganondorf, "There's no guarantee of a spark. Trap could've been a dud if we hadn't found it."
"Well," Ganondorf dropped the small piece of metal on the floor, "either we're close behind and they rushed the trap, or we're far behind and this was just meant to delay us as much as possible."
"Either way, we're not alone in here. Keep moving." Nabooru immediately took charge and forged ahead down the fall. The rest followed suit with Gita staying slightly behind to pat Ganondorf's shoulder as if to silently say "Good job".
After the trap, the hallway led on for a long while before letting out into another large room. This room had two more doorways, as well as a ladder that went through an opening in the ceiling.
"I'm sensing a pattern with this tomb." Devika snarkily pointed out.
"Ancient civilizations weren't that imaginative I guess." Gita answered.
"I actually diverted us from many inventive and gruesome death traps the ancient people left for hunters such as us. We can go back if you're bored." Kanta smiled slightly.
"You think you can work that pathfinding again?" Nabooru cut in.
Kanta closed her eyes and seemed to try and tap back into the source of her power again, but gave up after a short while and shook her head solemnly, "It's gone lieutenant. I can't get back into it again, sorry."
"Don't worry Kanta. Looks like it gets interesting from here girls. Line up."
The members of the squad, who had been investigating the passages leading out of the room, met in the middle with Nabooru and Kanta to await her instruction.
"So, I take it you've all noticed the doorways that lead out of here and that we're up against old and new traps. So, we're going to have to split into teams. Two for each hallway should be enough to cover our possible paths."
Ganondorf became very excited at that prospect, but tried his hardest not to show it. Some alone one-on-one time with Nabooru is exactly what he needed to take his mind off the danger they were in as well as be the perfect distraction from the oppressive dark magic continuously suffocating the tombs they traversed.
"First team is Gita and Ganondorf. You two will take the far-right passage. Next is-"
"What?" Ganondorf half-mindedly blurted as he was ripped from his Nabooru-filled fantasy. All eyes snapped to him and Nabooru's eyebrows furrowed.
"Is there a problem, Ganondorf?"
"Well, I just thought that since Naberna told you to keep an eye on me that you and I would go-"
"Gita will report back to me."
"I think the General would want-"
"Would want me to make the best judgement call in this situation."
"Her orders were-"
"Are you questioning my authority here, Ganondorf?" Nabooru's brow furrowed further and she took a step closer to him.
"What? No… no I just think that-"
"What is my rank Ganondorf?"
The question took him by surprise, "… I don't see how that's-"
"What is my rank, private!?" Nabooru said with more force. She stood directly in front of him, staring daggers into his eyes. Ganondorf had seen this side of Nabooru, but never aimed at him. It reminded him of her mother.
"…Lieutenant." He begrudgingly conceded.
"That's right. I am the ranking officer here, so what I say goes. You and Gita, far right. Kanta and Manju, take left. I'll take Devika down center. Got it?"
"Yes ma'am!" The group sounded in unison.
"Yes ma'am." Ganondorf murmured less enthusiastically though being overshadowed by their shout. The other two groups left to examine their assigned exits. Kanta chanced a glance back at Ganondorf before Gita's large hand smacked down onto his shoulder. It was light enough that it didn't hurt, but hard enough that it startled him.
"Come on, your highness," she chuckled, "we have a tomb to explore."
Ganondorf unenthusiastically followed Gita as she led him away from the others down their hallway, her lantern illuminating the way.
