Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Zelda Franchise... I wish I did.
Chapter 14 - A Dark Glimpse
Glowing red and fuming grey are the pallet of color in this area.
A hard scent of ashes is hovering above in the clouds of hot air. The sound of bubbling lava is loud and predominant, almost dwarfing any other sound in this place.
Slightly overwhelmed by the sudden change in scenery, Link had to blink his eyes quite a few times and glance at least once at each direction surrounding him. One step forward and he heard a strange metallic echo. A quick look down and he noticed the large platform in the shape of a hexagon, very familiar to his eyes.
As the warping stupor began to fade, he saw a stream of orbs made of red lights circle around him. The little spirits spinning from his boots to his waist and then dispersing to all sides until they disappeared into nothingness.
Raising his Ocarina to his eyes' level, Link realized what happened to him.
Instead of complaining or panicking for the rather harsh way he departed from the Goron City, the young Hero found in this strange event a unique opportunity.
Feeling grateful for his paranoia about always wearing his equipment, Link put the mystical instrument back within his pouch and adjusted the weight of the Master Sword and the Hylian Shield at his back.
"Sorry Sheik, but this is a mission only I can finish." He gave a saddened look behind him, where he can see the entrance to the Goron City. "There is this feeling in my chest… something is waiting for me down there. I won't put you or Vahn at risk… Sorry…"
Releasing any hesitation with a long and heavy sigh, Link turned his gaze to the oddly intact wooden bridge standing above the lava river. After the hard first step, the now red-clad warrior continued to walk without a drop of trepidation in his steps.
Whatever waits for him down these red marble steps, better prepare itself.
"What you mean he disappeared?!" Anyone still inside the silent Goron City could hear the ear-piercing shout coming from the lowest level.
Pacing back and forward inside their rented room, Sheik is doing his best to remain calm and collected while letting his mind work without rest; a task not so easy considering the very loud red-haired standing in front of him.
"Exactly as I said before. One moment he was sitting in that bed right there." Sheik pointed to the one bed standing at the back corner of the room. "Then he disappeared."
"And you do see why this makes no sense to me right?" Vahn jumped in front of Sheik, his jade eyes almost popping out of their sockets. "No one vanishes like dust in the air. There has to be an explanation for this!"
Breathing out very slowly, Sheik turned and glared at Vahn. "Please refrain from pointing the obvious. It goes without saying that Link didn't simply disappear out of existence."
"THEN?!"
"IF you stop yelling and put on your clothes, then we maybe can leave this place and go after him." As the blond Sheikah pointed out, Vahn has been running back and forward in their room while wearing nothing but a towel. "I may know where Link can be right now."
Breathing a sigh of relief, Vahn turned around and disposed himself of his towel; for the second time in one day exposing his full body to Sheik, who shook his head and turned away from him.
Ignoring the odd Chronicler, Sheik shifted his ruby gaze to the spot Link was last seen before disappearing. 'Link… you better don't do anything reckless…' Instantly the blond felt his shoulders deflate and a sense of worry creeping up in his chest.
At this point, he knows reckless and Link goes hand in hand. Asking for him to be calm and not rush into things is the same as someone marching to Hyrule Castle and asking Ganondorf to leave.
Both things wound only happen in fairy tales.
Reaching the bottom step of the seamless endless stairs, Link felt a shift in pressure as if the world around him changed to one different from the Hyrule he knows. A pressure he only felt once before.
When he stepped inside the Forest Temple.
'So, this is why my chest has been hurting all this time.' Link thought, rubbing one hand on that spot, feeling this phantom pain once again.
Taking the Master Sword in his right hand, he marched forward inside the massive room brimming with pyres and primal-ancient statues, divided into two levels by a very wide set of stairs right in the middle.
As Link walked close enough to the center of the room, he heard a stream of squeaks coming from the cracked ceiling above. Four pairs of wings soared in the air, an early ambush of Keeses welcomed the Hero inside the temple.
Circling him, the flying creatures flew in a separated but coordinated way. Two always standing behind Link, away from his eyesight and the other two swooping by his sides, taunting and robbing his attention entirely to themselves.
Swirling around their prey for at least two full circles, two of the winged menaces came flying down onto Link, one from each side.
Pressing his right foot back, Link slashed the Keese on the right and met the second one on his left side with a powerful bash of his shield.
Almost mindless in their approach, the remaining Keeses ignored the demise of the other two and swooped right in, trying to reach the Hero from his blind spot.
Taking hold of the Master Sword with both hands, Link spun in place; slashing both enemies with one quick motion.
Barely affected by the brief ambush, Link poised his sword forward and proceed up the stairs.
When he reached the last row, he came face to face with three giant statues. Hardstone faces carved in the wall, holding blazing pyres inside their agape mouths.
Staring at such an unsettling piece of stone-work took Link out of focus for a moment. Glancing upwards onto those hollow eyes, it felt as if the temple itself is staring down at him.
It was only when a soft barely audible noise came from the left that Link pulled back from the three giants.
To his left, where the sound came from, is a doorway laying with its door forced open; signs of explosion showing on the edges and the tiled floor. To his right, there is an identical doorframe, and while it also lays open, there is no sign of explosions or anything of the sort. Showing that most likely it was open properly.
Shifting his gaze from door to door, his intuition prompted the Hero to turn and choose the path to the left.
Marching forward in vigilance and care, Link pressed his right foot in front of the door and right then he heard a shifting sound coming from up ahead.
Halting his steps at the same moment, he glanced to both sides of this bursted door. His blue eyes then shifting down to the rocky ground of the next room.
Waiting for a full long minute, Link stayed in place, looking down to that same spot. Just as he was ready to dismiss his caution as paranoia, he saw the gush of dust flying forward.
Instantly he raised his right arm and readied his sword.
Slicing the air in a wild curve, a dark-painted blade came flying in from behind the door frame. A towering Dark Knight jumping from the left side after his failed ambush.
"Tch. Could've sworn I would hit your neck with that one." Snarled the giant of a man. "Just means I've to work a little harder to cut you down."
Taking a charge forward, the knight jumped at Link with a full swing of his ridiculously large sword.
Stepping backward and to the right, Link ducked under the sweeping sword. The black blade exploding against the left side of the door, taking a huge chunk of rock after getting impaled there.
Growling yet again, the knight tensed his arm and pulled the sword from where it got stuck; tearing another chunk out from the wall.
"A fast one, huh?" The man clicked his tongue, only a glimpse of his eyes visible past the cover of his heavy helmet. "Never liked to fight you lot. It's like a fart on the wind, almost impossible to catch."
After snorting a laugh at his own comment, the knight pressed on, swinging his sword from left to right; taking huge steps forward to try eating up as much space as possible.
Link dodged, ducked, and even blocked one of his strikes. However, as successful as he is being in evading any type of damage; he is also losing a lot of ground in their exchange. To the point that he is finding himself little more than four steps away from the door at the right side of this central room.
Doing a long jump, the knight threw his arm into a downcast cleave. His sword making a giant cut on the floor as it missed yet again, but with this last attack, he has achieved his objective of pushing the blond warrior completely against the wall.
"No more room to dodge, huh blondie?"
As he tried to step backward, Link pressed his back against a hard surface; a frown curling his facial expression. Trying to find a way to circle around the knight, Link looked to both sides around the man, but he is so freaking large that with one step he could cover any flank.
Realizing this, his frown deepened and his grip on the Master Sword tightened.
"Come on… this is pathetic…"
A very high-pitched ringing sound stormed Link's head, a needling pain prickling at his chest as the whispering voice began to manifest itself back.
"Look at his size, he can barely move… Look at that dent on his armor, right there under his chest plate…"
Almost unconsciously, Link's eyes shifted to the dented area of the knight's armor. One very quick glance at it and an idea popped into his mind. One that made him swallow dry in discomfort.
"See… You know what to do… One blow and his heart will beat no more…"
His right hand began to tremble at his side, almost answering the call of those whispers. Biting down his lower lip with enough strength to draw blood, Link reigned over the reflexes of his body.
One very ugly laugh caught him in surprise, forcing his attention back to the man in front of him. "Oww, did I scare you enough to make your arms shake?" Gloated the knight, unaware of how close to death he is at the moment. "Too late for the shakes now, kid! Go look for mercy in the blazing hells." Winding his sword-wielding arm upwards, the knight snarled once more; ready to strike down his foe.
Glaring down to that dented spot again, Link felt compelled to ignore his own morals and thrust his sword upwards into that arrogant idiot's chest cavity.
But before either of them could act on their intentions, the tile next to Link jumped from the floor as a heavy foot came running from the door.
Link's cerulean eyes widened in shock as a very muscular long arm came flying in, crashing a powerful punch from a giant fist onto the knight's face.
Forced down on the pressure of that hammering blow, the knight buckled down; one very nasty crack sounding off from his neck.
"So… so… pathetic…"
"That will shut your trap!" Yelled the large Goron that came rushing in. After giving one last glare to the hateful man twitching on the floor, the tall Chief of the rock-eating people turned to Link and smiled. "When we fell prey to Ganondorf's minions, I knew you would come to help us. You are truly worthy of being my sworn-brother, Link."
"Darunia—Arghh!" Almost instantly Link found himself stuck into a rock-smashing hug from his sworn-brother.
"Haha! Link. It's good to see you here." Boasted the large Goron, grinning friendly as he dropped Link to his feet again. "I would've liked to share a more appropriate moment with you… but there is little time to waste. Ganondorf has sent his lackeys to commit an abominable crime against the Gorons. WE CANNOT LET THEM!"
"You know what they want here?" Link asked. "Little Link said they brought the Gorons here, but he couldn't tell more than that."
Darunia smiled at the mention of his son. "Ah, so my brave son is safe and unscathed. I imagine that's thanks to you." He took a long breath and regained his serious look. "Back to your question. Yes, I know why they have invaded our city. Ganondorf has awakened the accursed Dragon Volvagia. That blasted monster was sealed away by our ancestors a long time ago."
Giving a strong tap on Link's back, Darunia escorted him to the room where the knight came from.
As they entered, Link saw a giant river of lava standing between them and the massive door on the other side. Said door that was pried open in some way, with a Hylian-sized gap right in the middle.
"The creature is probably weak after being sealed away for so long," Darunia explained. "They want to revitalize Volvagia's strength, by giving our people as food for the Dragon."
"We have to go after them!" Link proclaimed, taking brave steps to the edge of their platform.
Watching his Hylian brother walk, Darunia smiled proudly but shook his head ever so slightly. "Our brothers are not inside its lair yet. I can't tell what those people are doing, but their leader made his underlings capture and imprison all the Gorons away. He alone went inside the monster's sanctum."
Looking back at Darunia, Link felt a hidden meaning behind the large Goron's words; something that deeply troubled him. "What you-"
"I'll go into Volvagia's lair and stop it from breaking free," Darunia said before Link could ask anything. "But I can't seal the beast as it is. We will need the ancient weapon used by the ancestors to seal it. The Megaton Hammer. Link, I want you to find the hammer and help save our brothers from their captors."
"I can't let you go in there alone. This is way too dangerous." Protested the hero, turning to face Darunia properly.
"Hah, it will take more than an angry man and an overgrown lizard to take down the great Darunia." Boasted the proud chief of the Gorons. "I'll keep them occupied until you arrive with our ancient weapon."
Looking at Darunia's stern but gentle round eyes, Link frowned and sighed. "You better stay in one piece until I return."
Thunderous laughter echoed from the muscled Goron, his right fist bashing against his chest as he nodded. "Hah, I wouldn't let my sworn-brother down, would I? Now, go. Our brothers need you."
Link hesitated for a moment, staring at Darunia for a few seconds. Then he nodded and shifted his gaze past the Goron, to the open door on the other side of the main room.
Even if he doesn't like this plan even for a moment, Link did as Darunia asked and sprinted away in search of this fabled hammer and the Gorons were taken prisoners.
Watching as his blond brother disappears past the second room far in the back, the smile on Darunia's lips faded away. A grim look appearing on his face. "I trust you, brother. Save the Gorons… Save Hyrule."
"Hah… Hah…. Can we take a little… moment to rest?" Almost passing out from fatigue, Vahn is gasping for air with both hands on his knees.
"We ran for less than five minutes. How can you be this tired?" Sheik threw him a curious glance, genuinely confused about Vahn's state.
"We ran really, really fast! Not everyone is built with an athletic body like you."
Deciding that arguing with him out lead nowhere, Sheik just rolled his eyes and leaned his back on the warm brick wall at the entrance of the Fire Temple. As he allowed Vahn to regain his breath, the Sheikah took this moment to study the giant room in front of him.
Just as Link and Sheik's clothes, Vahn's also had a new outlook to his outfit. His baggy pants turned red; his once dark blue shirt changed to a lighter tone of purple.
One little difference in their appearance as well lies with Sheik. Knowing a little more about the place where they would venture, the young Sheikah was forced to leave his turban and mask behind; instead, wearing his long hair in a pony-tail braid cascading down his back.
Said long-haired Sheikah, after observing the slashed corpses of some Keeses, noticed an even more intriguing figure just up ahead above the raising stairs in the middle of the room.
"S-Sheik?" Vahn called out to him, as the blond calmly stepped up to the upper level of the same room.
Kneeling next to the hulking body lying on the floor, Sheik rolled the man to the side. One look at the unsightly drool leaking from his twisted lips, and he knew that this soldier is dead. Taking the metal helmet from the man's head, he noticed a nasty bruise on the skin below the jaw. Signs that some heavy brunt or fall managed to break this person's neck.
"You think Link did this?" Said Vahn after he finally got enough of his energy back to walk up the steps.
Moving the knight's head from one side to the other, Sheik shook his head in response. "Link is strong, very strong. But whatever killed this one, had enough brute force to crush these statues in front of us."
"A Goron then?" Vahn conjectured.
"Possible, a very strong one." Looking to the left at the open door bubbling with the sound of lava, Sheik stood up and trailed over there. Kneeling again, this time past the door, he pressed his hand on the ash-dusted floor. "That knight came from here." He pointed to the footprints right beside the doorframe. "But there are two other trails after his."
"You can tell what footprint is newer or older than the others?" Vahn eyed Sheik with interest.
The blond nodded and moved to the other trail next to him. "If you know how to tell the difference, it's not that hard. Look closely here. These are the knight's footprints; they have a thin coat of dust gathering around and inside the mark of his boot." Then Sheik pointed to the set of barefoot prints. "These ones here have little to no dust on them, meaning that the person that left them passed by after the knight rushed out."
"Barefoot… Maybe the monster Goron that nailed the knight?" Vahn said.
"Yes… and the smaller boots." Sheik moved past the Goron's footprints, brushing his hand on the boot marks at the edge of the platform, the glow of the lava river shining at the corner of his sight. "Link came in here with this Goron. But he went back to that main room… probably to that open door we saw on the opposite side."
"Sheesh, look at that giant door over there." Vahn pointed to the barely open entrance across the massive gap filled with bubbling lava. "Could it be eerier than that?"
Glancing over the giant monolith of a door, Sheik could recognize a few of the inscriptions carved there. Some of the signs are in fact in the ancient language used by his people. Even this far away he could still piece together the warning inscribed in the stone-work.
'Sealed within the heart of the mountain. The Infernal Terror lays in wait. Keep the ruby star away or the Dragon shall burn the sky forevermore.'
"Let's leave that door for another time." Sheik declared as he stood up. "We go after Link; I got a bad feeling concerning his whereabouts."
Nodding his head with a little too much energy, Vahn couldn't agree more about leaving that door for later, or maybe for never. He really doesn't like to look at or the feeling that place gives him.
And so, with Sheik following after Link's trail, the pair left this eerie place in search of their blond hero.
With enough luck, they will find him before Link finds himself into too much trouble.
Traversing inside the volatile temple felt like a monumental task for Sheik and Vahn. Rooms filled with lava and traps, each step felt like a life-risking bet; and most of the time they barely dodged a wild explosion or the splash of the burning lake below the platforms.
One fairly big blessing they found inside this place is the lack of almost any enemy to hinder their path.
As with each room they entered, the pair found the ruined corpse of lizard beasts and monsters; all felled by the hero's sword.
However, there were still quite a few straggling groups of Lizalfos waiting in the darkness for an ambush. At these moments, Sheik found himself depending on Vahn's assistance more than he ever imagined he would.
Different from fighting men and women in battles or, in his 'secretive Sheikah duties', these creatures are almost mindless with their lack of self-preservation. Paired together with their unnatural strength and agility; Sheik had to exert his body to its fullest.
Even then, there were small glimpses of weakness in his graceful moves that could end very badly for the blond ninja. In these small moments, Vahn's magical Chakram repelled the blind spot attacks coming from the beast-men, saving his new friend from some dangerous wounds.
This little dynamic between them grew from encounter to encounter. By the time they had found the fifth group of Lizalfos skulking in the darkness; their duo worked together in flawless coordination; dispatching any hindrances with no more close calls.
Still, as efficient as those two had started working together, facing so many powerful foes in such a rapid sequence has taken a very heavy toll on them both.
Combat fatigue paired together with the barely tolerable heat of this place has slowed down Vahn's and Sheik's pace very considerably.
"Wow… this room is enormous!" Vahn exhaled loudly, his arms shooting up with a little bit of exasperation.
As the red-haired pointed out. After climbing the spiral stairs from the last room, they've arrived at a room that feels like the entire middle core of the temple. Where most rooms and halls from before felt like little sections of the lowest level, this one single room feels like the entirety of the second level on its own.
Sheik, who also cringed slightly at the vast expansion of the floor in front of his eyes, even after walking that much; glanced to the side in a fixated gaze to nothing in particular. "Can you hear that?" Asked the blond, taking a few steps to the right towards the weird ruined shrine.
Walking around the weird construction, Sheik stepped onto the elevated tiled floor, leaving the dusty brown ground behind. Moving closer to the massive pillar in the center of the shrine, he brushed his hand on the hard texture. With just a little pressure of his hand, the entire pillar shook violently, threatening to collapse the ground under it.
"How weird…" Sheik commented. "The structure feels sturdy enough. But this single pillar is barely holding itself in place. Almost as if it was designed to fall under the right pressure."
A soft whistle came from behind, taking Sheik's attention away from his musings. Looking back, he saw Vahn crouching next to the skeletal remains of a Stalfos.
Jumping down from the tiled floor and walking closer to his red-haired companion. Sheik not only understood his friend's awe but also felt himself getting shock-struck by the sight in front of him.
"Looking at this from a different perspective... it truly forces reality down your throat, huh?" Vahn said a little quiet, his tone almost sounds a little sad. "If I didn't know how goofy and gentle Link is, I would be terrified of him."
A small frown took over the Sheikah's expression. Deny as much as he wants, the same thought crossed his mind.
Before the remains of the Stalfos laying in front of Vahn, there is a grim garden of bones littering the ground. In a small conjecture by the number of bony limbs and rusted bits of armor scattered around; there are at least twenty of those undead creatures vanquished in front of them.
"Even knowing his strength, still feels hard to imagine how he handled so many of them by himself." Sheik said.
"RIGHT?!" Vahn chirped in loudly. "We almost dipped in the lagoon with just some Lizalfos." Taking one skeletal arm in his hands, he whined and shivered. "Can't see myself facing against these things."
"Me neither…" Sheik concurred not only because of some unreasonable fear of these evil creatures but by his own experience. Even before his encounter with the Hero inside the Temple of Time, the young Sheikah had one run against a stray Stalfos, and he barely managed to overcome that thing.
To face so many…
'Which begs the question. What would happen should Link lose his anxiety of raising his weapon against living people.' Sheik thought to himself.
Normally Sheik would find himself smirking or even cheering for any weapon they could be unleashed against Ganondorf's dark army. But thinking of using Link in such a way or worse, if somehow this war tainted Link's innocence enough to destroy this hesitation of his…
Sheik's whole body shuddered just imagining it.
"O-Oh! Sheik, is that?!" Startling Sheik's out from thoughts again, Vahn shouted very loudly as he jumped to his feet, wide eyes and mouth open.
Following those startled jade eyes' gaze, Sheik found what took the breath away from his small friend.
Surrounding by the sound of metal clashing against each other far on the other side of this massive room, the familiar form of Link is locked in a fierce battle against a gigantic enemy. A skeletal creature similar to the Stalfos, but too deformed and gargantuan to resemble a normal skeleton.
"Liiink!" Vahn shouted from the top of his lungs. But his voice was untimely overshadowed by the distance between them and the loud sounds coming from Link's side. "Dammit, he can't hear us!" Clicking his tongue in annoyance, the energetic red-haired jolted forward in a dash; the sight of his tall blond friend giving him a boost in energy.
Almost following suit after Vahn, Sheik hesitated just for a moment out of instinct. His ruby eyes instantly traveled to the path Vahn was taking, when he noticed the weird cracks on the floor.
Leaping in front of Vahn, Sheik pressed one hand onto the boy's chest to hold him in place. "Don't be reckless!"
Vahn glared at him, trying to push Sheik's hand away. "He's right there."
Shaking his head, Sheik glared back at Vahn. "I know, but we can't run in without thinking." Taking a small loose stone from the ground, the blond turned to look at the crack on the ground, following that line to the tall metal post standing so seamless unimportant out in the open.
Tossing the stone close to the very hidden line on the dusty floor, a roaring wall of fire exploded upwards. Covering from one metal pole to the other, creating a living wall from thin air.
Staring at the sprung trap with a hanging jaw, Vahn glanced back to Sheik with his green eyes almost popping out from their sockets. "T-Thanks… I almost turned into a roasted kebab."
Giving a gentle tap on Vahn's shoulder, Sheik turned his attention to the open ground in front of him. Which he quickly realized was not so open anymore.
From this point forward toward the side where Link is fighting, the whole place is dotted by those metal poles. A literal maze of fire standing between them and the hero.
Studying the lines and their course, the young Sheikah began to see the little pathways forward.
"Maybe I can navigate this trap." He said calmly, prompting Vahn to glance back at him. "Just walk closely behind me."
Vahn replied with a bit of exaggerated nodding. "Think of me as your second shadow. I won't even take a breath more than you."
Proceeding forward with the utmost care, Sheik led them through half of the fire maze without much problem. It was then that both he and Vahn grow nervous in their slow-paced walk.
After a long-fought battle, Link has managed to destroy the giant monster, by piercing the creature's face with a thrust of the Master Sword. With his foe vanquished, the blond hero turned away and was ready to walk inside the open door far back into the other wall.
Realizing that if they lost Link here it could take another whole hour to find him again, Sheik grew impatient and tried to cross this blasted maze as fast as he could.
Leading him to take a wrong turn in his steps and almost burn himself onto the raising fire.
As vexing as this felt, this little mistake worked for his favor. With no more sounds of fighting echoing in the room, the loud sparkle of fire was enough to catch Link's hearing and made the hero turn to look at its source.
It was then, that he found Sheik and Vahn surrounded by three of those activated traps.
"Did he see us?" Vahn asked, trying to take a look at Link in the gaps he could find past Sheik's arms.
Sheik watched as Link stared at them for a few seconds and then the hero sighed. That sigh made the Sheikah frown, almost feeling insulted by that reaction.
Jumping down from the tiled floor onto the dirty ground, Link calmly made his way towards the other two, stopping only when he was close enough to activate a set of traps on his side, but getting close enough to talk with them.
"You came…" Link stated a little frustrated.
"Expected anything else?" Sheik replied firmly but grinned when Link shook his head and smiled softly at him. "You crossed past this annoying place already. Just point the way and we will get to you."
"Actually, you don't have to." Link said, much to Sheik's slight confusion. "It's good you came. I'll need your help saving the Gorons. Ganondorf's men brought them here, but scattered them in two points."
"How did you learn about that?" Sheik asked.
"Him." Link replied, pointing to one of the Tyrant's Dark Knight; the man is curled into a corner shaking like a green leaf. "I found that one running away from a giant Stalfos. He confessed everything to me, begging that in exchange I would save his life… so I did."
A quiet snort escaped the blond Sheikah, his ruby eyes staring firmly at the cowering knight. "Why would one of Ganondorf's minions be scared of another servant of his master?"
Link shrugged. "Apparently they are not best buddies. He said that only the warlocks can control the monsters."
"How funny would be to see them go at each other," Vahn added in, a cheeky little smirk playing on his lips. "In my opinion, they are just as bad as those monsters."
"Whole-heartedly agree." Sheik said with a surly nod.
"I dunno… but can't stay here talking with you two about it." Brushing the back of his hair, Link continued. "Look, he said that the Gorons are being kept in two separated parts. One room is being watched by the remaining soldiers that came here; from what he said there are a lot of them left."
"The second one?" Asked the Sheikah, feeling a little worried.
"Monsters. This warlock guy made them stick to this room. To keep both groups from killing each other, the monster one is guarding the room at the top of the Temple, ah…. That way." Link pointed to the door he was about to enter before.
"I see…" Sheik nodded quietly, reading the hard look on Link's face quite easily. "How do we reach the room guarded by the soldiers?" He asked firmly, making the hero flint even if a little. "It's okay Link. You don't have to go around it. We can take care of a few tin-heads."
A resounding laugh escaped Vahn after Sheik used his favorite term to address the dark knights. "I'm with Sheik. What is a few tin-heads compared to the things you'll have to fight? Leave it to us, it will be done in no time."
"Sorry… for pushing this on you." Link said quietly.
"Link, it's fine. Just tell us." Sheik reassured him. He almost unconsciously tried to reach with one hand towards the hero, luckily for him his fingers only twitched a bit instead of diving into a very painful experience.
Link sighed but gave in. "From where you came from. Instead of walking right, you move left. There's a door on that side of this tall house-thing, it will take you back to the lowest level; if that guy is right, it will lead you directly to their room."
"We're on the case, boss!" Vahn announced loudly, giving Link a perfect salute. "Those tin-heads won't even know what hit them." Puffing air from his nostrils, the flimsy-looking Chronicler boldly stomped his foot as he turned around and began to march back. Only to then step very close to one of the traps and almost burn himself again.
Rolling his eyes at the boy's antics, Sheik shook his head, giving Link one last reassuring smile. "It's best if I got moving too before someone manages to catch themselves on fire."
"I heard that!" Vahn growled back.
Surprising Link with the sudden closeness, despite their constant bickering, Sheik and Vahn began trailing their way back. With the smaller boy spiting more silliness from his lips and the stern Sheikah doing his best to not roll his eyes at said silliness.
Watching them go with a somber look to his expression, Link felt the weight of the Master Sword in his hand, before turning on his heels to go after his own objective. Still worried about Darunia's fate, the Hero pushed himself forward even faster.
'I'll find that hammer and go back to you, Darunia. Just hang on a little longer.'
"Are you ready?" Sheik asked with a whisper, glancing back to Vahn who is standing right behind him.
Looking from side to side, Vahn tried to nod his head but just hummed. "As much as I can be."
Understanding of his fears, the young Sheikah put a reassuring hand on his friend's arm. "You don't have to do anything dangerous. Just support me where you can, exactly as we've been doing until now."
Pressing his hold on his Chakram, this time Vahn nodded back quite firmly. Despite the trepidation present in his posture, his eyes are as resolute as ever.
Sheik, after clearing his thoughts, pressed one hand against the ancient-looking door. Just by his soft touch the whole thing almost crumbled down to dust. But was this weak trembling of the wooden door that pushed the Sheikah's action forward, like a burning fuse of a bomb.
Kicking the door down, Sheik quickly hurled a Deku nut inside the room and leaped forward, pulling his thin sword with one hand.
Shifting his gaze in an area-wide scan, he searched for the nearest target to commence his sudden advance.
It was then, however, that he found not a single one of them in sight.
"W-Who are you?" Asked one terrified Goron curled up inside an improvised cell.
"Doesn't look like one of them." Pointed out another Goron, this one in a cell at the opposite side.
Straightening himself up from his low fighting position, Sheik looked around him to find at least a dozen Gorons imprison all around him. Visible confusion plastered on his face.
"H-Hey… can you help us?" Pleaded one Goron, this one with enough courage to uncurl from their protective shell form and walk over to the iron bars.
Looking just as baffled as Sheik, Vahn walked inside the room, putting away his Chakram while he moved over to that one Goron.
"Why are you guys alone?" He asked. "There should've been some knights keeping guard here, right?"
All the Gorons shared a silent conversation between themselves with a few glances.
"No knights here…" Replied one.
"They took us from our home, brought us here. But they never stayed." Said a second.
"Y-Yes. They put scary monsters to watch us. So scary… Why are they working with monsters now?" Cried a third Goron, shivering down to his thin legs.
"Monsters…" Sheik frowned. "What monsters did they left here?"
"LIZARDS!" At least four Goron's yelled at the same time.
"Same ones that roamed inside Dodongo's Cavern before the little hero helped us years ago." Commented the Goron right next to Vahn. "But they too left. Can never keep monsters in one place. That's why we don't get why work with monsters."
"Yeah… they're dumb." Added in another Goron. "Can you release us now?"
Sheik and Vahn shared an acknowledging look with one another. The straggling Lizalfos they found in their pursue after Link, they probably came from here.
And if those monsters came from here.
"Link!" The duo cried out in realization at the same time.
"This can't… be serious…" A deflated sigh of defeat escaped Link's curled up lips.
A little worked up after rushing up a very long set of stairs, Link pushed the door to this room open ready to face a group of Stalfos or even some wild Lizalfos like he has been dealing with for this past hour.
It never crossed his mind, that at the moment he pushed that door open, he would come face to face with a small army of dark-armored soldiers.
"Who the hell is that?!" Yelled one of them. This agitated voice prompting every single one of the twelve soldiers to stop and look directly at Link.
"Isn't that…" One of the knights narrowed his eyes at Link, then pulling out a crumpled piece of paper and pulling it open; his suspicions were proven correct. "That's him! The guy Lord Ganondorf is after."
"I remember that. Got a pretty big reward on his head."
For a moment every knight shared a quiet glance between themselves. It was not a silence born out of fear or hesitation. But a pause forced entirely by a deep sense of greed.
Took only one of them stepping forward to a pandemonium to break loose.
Branding sword, spears, and axes. They rushed towards the entrance in a frenzy, all those weapons swinging away with one single aim.
Link.
Out of instinct Link tumbled inside the room, his instincts knowing that a run down the stairs would only end up with a spear on his back. But this quick reflex tossed him from the fire into the frying pan.
He barely regained his footing when two knights jumped at him with swords. One coming from the left and the other just thrusting his weapon forward.
Swiping his right arm in an act, Link paired the sword coming from above; he then raised his shield to block the one coming from directly in front of him.
Right then, two other soldiers took the opportunity to flank him from the opposite side.
A man wielding a halberd, came screaming like a lunatic as he aimed his blade onto Link's right side. The other one, using a lot more subtlety, came from behind trying to reach the hero's exposed back.
Almost forced to focus on the man with the pole-weapon, Link bashed his weapon away. But this small moment left him open enough for the soldier behind him to graze his back with the tip of his sword.
Like fire had ripped through his tunic, Link felt his skin burn and ache. Thin lines of blood already running down to his waist.
This sudden pain, however, awakened his senses enough to push Link to counter his attackers away. The three soldiers in front of him were shoved backward with a wide swing of the Master Sword. With a fast jump to the side, Link landed a square kick on the chest of the last soldier.
Caught unaware, the sneak knight found himself spinning wildly in the air, landing on the far side of the room.
This opened a small window for Link to regain his breath. But this only made even more noticeable the suffocating amount of people walking closer to pincer him against the wall.
"Stop caring…"
Link flinched at the searing pain in his chest, his eyes getting unfocused by it.
"Not now… Please don't start doing this now." Link cried quietly, gritting his teeth aggravation.
"If you hesitate, you will die." The voice now too loud in his head to be called a whisper. "These hounds will sink their fangs on you and bleed you dry, all for money. STOP CARING ABOUT THEM."
"Just shut up!"
"On the left, imbecile!"
Jolted awake from his thoughts by that inner scream, Link swung his weapon to the left, pairing a flying spear coming from the back. He then jumped with his back to the wall to dodge three soldiers that decided to leap on top of him.
This last move placed Link in the worse place possible, with little space to move, even the swing of his sword arm will now be hampered by the wall behind him.
"You can't die here. There so much at stake. You can't…" Maybe the pressure is getting to him, but Link swears he could hear a drop of desperation and concern with the voice that has only sounded relentless until now. "I ask of you to let go, just for one moment… Only a single moment. Just trust me and close your eyes."
"Sounds like a terrible idea!" Link cried out loudly this time, as he traded blows with another knight trying to hit him.
"I beg of you, don't let your life be lost here." Now he definitely heard a different side to this voice; humbleness, fear. So different from before. "Close your eyes and let go of yourself."
Growing tired and out of options, Link felt his world come to a stop. All the sound, colors, and shapes came to a full halt. Breathing in, his chest raised and lowered; moving in a time different from everyone else.
"Let me be free." Came a gentle but very insidious whisper.
Urged by it, Link simply closed his eyes and let go.
Everything disappeared in favor of a void made of white. No longer he could feel the weight of the Master Sword, how heavy the Hylian Shield feels on his left arm; the pain running down his back. It was like being drowned in a sense of pure peacefulness.
Then, he breathed out.
Time began to flow anew, his body gaining color, weight, and even the sensation of pain back.
However, as Link opened his eyes, he found himself not in the corner surrounded by soldiers, but in front of the old door on the opposite side from where he came from.
"W-What happened?" Link asked himself, still too stunned in shock to move.
"Ah... ah... I did as promised..." The voice replied, its voice rispid and weak, almost as it was gasping for air. "I can't let you die here… But now… you… are... on your own… Too… weak… to…"
Link didn't know if he should be grateful for it or scared of what just happened to him. Still, his curiosity was screaming at him to look behind him.
"I... wouldn't… do… that…" His body stopped with this warning. "Somethings… are better… left… Un.. kno..wn…"
With one final gasp, the whispers faded away, releasing any sway it had over Link's action.
Even then, Link found himself petrified. He was itching to defy that warning and turn to look behind him. But one glance down his sword and his face went pale; any wishes of turning his gaze back disappeared right then.
Blood is staining the pristine blade of the Master Sword. A sickening amount of blood, almost as if someone had dipped the weapon inside a bucket of red paint.
Gulping down the urge to vomit, Link lowered his head and stepped forward. With both arms trembling, the young Hero decided to leave this room behind him and force himself to move on.
There are still so many lives depending on him today. And if he saw what was behind him, his will would probably crumble under the weight of his consciousness.
Deeply lost in thoughts and worries, Link failed to realize the show of light coming from his right hand. The Triforce in his possession was shining like a furious beacon but slowly faded away as he closed the door behind him.