The door hit the ground with a resounding thud, leaving me and Zelda alone in a featureless expanse of darkness. We took cautious steps forward until we tripped some invisible boundary, causing crystals all along the wall to light up, revealing that we were in a massive circular room, even larger than the ones upstairs. The crystals were bright enough to illuminate almost the entire room but weren't piercing after the all-encompassing darkness. The crystals also revealed hundreds upon hundreds of the small slimes we had encountered earlier. As one, they seemed to react to our sudden intrusion and all moved towards the center of the room.

Because the light didn't quite reach the room's middle, we couldn't immediately see what was happening. We could just hear a lot of squishing. Eventually, though, a massive pile of slime moved out of the darkness. No sooner than it had though did it seem to form four thick legs, three arms, and a massive head. Even though it didn't have any vocal chords as far as I could tell, though I'm not a beastly slime monster expert, it gave a loud roar before swinging one of its arms at us.

"Oh, shit, RUN!" I yelled frantically, pushing Zelda one way and throwing myself in the other direction. I only just barely got out of the way of the arm before it came crashing down. We hadn't gotten caught by any of the other slimes in the labyrinth, but I knew what would happen if this one hit us. Pancake wouldn't begin to describe it. "Zelda, stay ahead of it! I'm going to try the Fire Rod on it!"

"Naturally, Link! I'd rather not get crushed by the enormous slime monster! And is that really…" I heard her grunt as she jumped out of the way of another arm. "Is that really what you called that thing? A little on the nose, don't you think?!" I ducked under another swing as I summoned up the fire.

"Occam's Razor hasn't failed me yet!" I fired off a tremendous blast at one of the legs, which promptly exploded into gooey blobs and caused the 'body' of the thing to sink down slightly before it formed another leg to catch itself. The bits I blasted off melted away into nothingness. "At least I don't have to worry about it pulling itself back together," I thought in relief as I fired off another shot at the slime beast, this time at an arm that was swinging towards Zelda. Thank goodness most of the monster evaporated on the spot, or else Zelda would have been covered in monster slime in addition to skulltula webs. I think I'd rather let the monster kill me than have to face that.

I let loose another few rounds, steadily reducing the mammoth's mass and making it sink closer and closer to the ground. Eventually, the head got low enough that I could not only see a darker core inside it, but I could reach it if I jumped. I ran past Zelda and tossed her the Fire Rod, drawing my sword as I turned to run straight at the goo colossus. It brought a heavy arm down to crush me, but I dodged to the side, bouncing back to jump off the giant's…skin? Shell? Whatever it was, it was springy enough to easily get me enough height to clear the beast's head and sink my sword into the thing's core on the way back down. Thankfully I was able to slide down the blob as it pulled its arms and legs back into its central mass and land without breaking my legs.

"Think that did it?" I turned to ask Zelda, who was still looking at the blob as it writhed.

"No, look, it's not dissolving. It's not finished yet."

Sure enough the blob reformed, but this time sprouted about a dozen smaller appendages that it snapped out like tentacles towards us. Luckily, these didn't have nearly as much force behind them, otherwise we would have been toast. The tentacles were also easy to cut through, but with so many of them, I was having a much harder time finding a time to launch a fireball at the massive slime. I was running out of energy too, both physically and magically.

Briefly seeing an opening, I fired a quick shot off, enough to make the thing burst apart somewhat, barely revealing its core. The tentacle arms also were sucked back into the thing, leaving me free to hack at the solid core for a few seconds. I was just barely able to get away when the thing started to reform.

"At least we know how to kill it," I muttered, running away from the monster to hopefully get a little breathing room. Zelda was able to distract the thing, managing to dodge around its attacks with amazing agility. It gave me another chance to blast the thing open and take another few slices at the monster's center. I mistimed my retreat though, and the creature smacked me across the chest. I was pretty sure I heard something snap and then I was flying across the room before landing and rolling across the floor. Which hurt like absolute hell.

I desperately tried to get back to my feet, only to be stopped by another lash from the blob's tentacles. The blow only doubled my pain and sent me sprawling on the floor. Given no opportunity to recover, I was helpless before the unrelenting assault. I had dropped the Fire Rod and only had my sword left to try to defend myself with, which wasn't going that well. All I could do was sit and hope I didn't die.

Right before what I could tell was going to be a particularly brutal hit, likely one to break another of my ribs, there were two twin blasts of light from the side of the room. One was coming from a positively legendary blast of flame and heat that hit the slime creature dead on.

But it was the other light that was truly breathtaking.

Zelda was shining with a radiance that I could only compare to the sun, though softer so you could actually stand to look at it. In fact, the light surrounding her seemed to draw your eyes to it, inviting you to stare at the being at its center.

Zelda's hair was fluttering around her softly, dancing around her arms and the Fire Rod that she had pointed towards me and the slime monster. Her clothes too looked cleaner and brighter, both having no evidence of the hours of filth we had been accumulating. Her face though, was terrifying. Her brows were drawn down, and her mouth twisted into a snarl, turning her whole visage into a mask of rage. But most of all, her eyes glowed with a light that promised infinite pain and destruction to anyone who crossed her. And at the moment, that gaze was locked on the blob that had been railing on me.

With a harsh cry, Zelda thrust the Fire Rod out and towards the monster again. Another gigantic stream of raw fire blasted out of the Rod and hit the creature dead on, instantly evaporating most of its body. Only the core and a small amount of gelatinous mass remained. Seeing an opportunity and forcing myself past my pain, I pushed myself off the floor and fell on the thing's core, impaling it on my sword. The remaining slime writhed for a moment before going limp and melting away. The core burst apart into light with a satisfying shattering sound. I saw the remaining fragments fly to the center of the room right before I passed out.

When I came to, I was relieved that I felt significantly less pain, and the little bit remaining was quickly fading. I forced my eyes open and saw Zelda crouched over me.

"When the monster died, another one of those heart things appeared. It looked a little different, but since the last one healed you, I figured this one would do the same." She sat back on the ground with a huff. "Looks like I was right." I could see her eyes dropping and she was starting to slump over. I managed to pull myself upright just before Zelda tipped sideways, lowering her upper body into my lap.

I stared down at the beautiful girl I was holding. She had stopped glowing with what I could only assume were her goddess powers, and her skin and hair showed no evidence of traipsing around a messy sewer labyrinth, getting splashed with dirty, mucky water, and being covered in spiderwebs. Her clothes were a different matter, but she looked far better than she had or how I probably looked.

"Zelda, Zelda…" I shook her shoulder lightly, trying to wake her up. It took a few seconds, but slowly her bright eyes opened before scrunching in confusion.

"Link? What happened?"

"You tell me. I thought you couldn't use the Fire Rod, but you started glowing and basically disintegrated the slime monster in one shot. I managed to kill it, passed out, you apparently healed me with another magic heart crystal, and then passed out yourself."

"Right, right, I just felt really tired all of a sudden. I think I'm all right now though." I helped pull her to her feet, keeping a grip on her arm in case she fell over suddenly. Her knees buckled a little, but she was able to catch herself. I only let go of her arm when I was sure she wasn't going to fall on her face.

"You're sure you're alright? You were glowing." Zelda scrunched her brow down, looking troubled. "What in the world sparked that outburst?"

"I…I don't really know. I just didn't want that creature to hurt you anymore. I heard what I thought was one of your ribs breaking and just…snapped." She looked down at her hands with a mixture of awe and fear. "Even now, I can feel that…energy…I guess it was magic…just under the surface." Her hands started glowing lightly, before she shook them, like that was going to make them stop. Zelda's next words came out hoarsely, eyes wide with fear. "What's happening to me?"

"Hey," I said as I grabbed her hands. She started away, like she was scared she was going to burn me. She didn't, fortunately. "Look, I don't know what's going on, but Headmaster Rauru said you were the Goddess reincarnated. Just like I'm the Hero. We're in this together. And I'm going to be here for you no matter what happens. Don't think you're the only one who's scared. Half the time when I'm fighting, I don't even know what I'm doing. Like that flip on the spider I did earlier, I don't know how I did that. My body moved before I could think. Because I knew you were in danger, and I wasn't going to let anything happen to you. So, whatever this is, whatever powers you have, no matter what happens, we'll get through this. You'll be okay. I promise." Zelda nodded, tears in her eyes, before embracing me tightly with a quiet sob. Her shoulders trembled quietly as she cried into my shoulder. I tried to comfort her as best I could. Cremia had never cried in my arms, so I wasn't really sure what to do.

"I'm just so scared," the girl in my arms choked out, voice thick with emotion.

"I know. I am too. But we'll be okay." And I prayed to every god and goddess I could think of that I was right.

Zelda and I stood there for a few minutes like that. I let her stand there in my arms. With anyone else, I would have been uncomfortable, but with Zelda it was alright. I knew the struggle she was experiencing, and I knew how jarring it could be. Eventually, she calmed down and pulled away.

"Thank you," she said, wiping her eyes. "It was just a lot to take in. I didn't really believe Rauru I guess."

"I can hardly blame you. I barely believed that I was a reborn hero." We smiled at each other for a moment before I caught something out of the corner of my eye. "That wasn't there before," I said, pointing at the pedestal that had appeared in the middle of the room.

Zelda and I cautiously approached the pedestal, but it didn't feel like there was a trap waiting for us. Sure enough, as we approached, no monsters or sawblades or anything like that popped out. We looked down at what was resting on the pedestal in surprise.

On top of the stone dais was a shield. The metal was a deep blue and polished to a shine. The crest of Hyrule was stamped on the front, though it was an older version than the one that was used as the country's crest. A raised edge framing the red bird and the Triforce added an impression of strength. Perhaps most impressively of all though was its condition. The shield looked immaculate, as though it was brand new, though it must have been here for hundreds of years at the least.

I reached out and lifted it with reverence, scared to mar the cleanliness of the shield. I shouldn't have been worried though, since none of the dirt, mud, and gunk I was covered with seemed to stick to it, instead just sliding off. Zelda reached out to touch it too. I thought I heard a faint ringing as she pressed her palm to the cool metal.

"This shield is old. I can sense magic in it that is…ancient. The magic itself is tied into the metal at a molecular level. This shield was forged with magic." Zelda seemed to shake herself out of a daze and took her hand off the shield. "I don't think this shield could ever be dented, much less broken. It's ridiculously strong." I flipped the shield over and saw the back was fixed with leather straps.

It was easy to slip my arm into the straps and tighten it. The straps were snug and the weight on my arm was satisfying. Just like that, I knew this shield was going to work well for me.

"I guess this is what this place was guarding? It's not like there's a lot left in here." I turned to face Zelda. "Ready to get out of here?"

Alright then! Another chapter down, only...a lot more to go. Honestly just going to write until I'm satisfied. And then I'll write something else. Forever. Until I die. The end.

In any case, here you go, there you go, now go away. No, wait, forgot the reviews. Shit. I mean...uh...reviews!

Sand Seal, yeah, seal puns. Still putting them in, I see. Well, to each their own. I appreciate you keeping it a little shorter. Not for my sake, for everyone else's. They got jealous. Yeah, I'm a bit mean to Zelda, but such things happen. I mean, did you think things were going to be easy for them? Dungeon item spam usually works, so I can only approve. Shadow, good guess...I suppose. At least you're honest with yourself. Nightwing, NOPE! Totally wrong. I can't have both the mini-boss and the boss be spiders. That'd be boring. Your assessment of the equipment is correct, plus a shield now. Link is indeed a total badass, and will only continue to become more badass as the story continues. As far as the kidnapping goes, now that you mention it...nah, she won't. Foopuff, yeah, cringe in inevitable when you're making a work of fiction. That's my opinion at least. Glad you like the characters and my homages to the series. I incorporate as much as I can, since I really want this to feel like it could happen in universe. That anon guy, glad you like it! Maybe get some sleep, but whatever, it's up to you. I appreciate the enthusiasm at any rate. Ultimate, or she just needs to get pissed/protective. Dbzgtfan, I guess since you asked so nicely, I'll keep writing. And fear not, the Zelink will continue!

Dang, a lot of you this time. Not that I'm complaining, of course. I'm curious how many of you read all of this, so, if you feel like leaving a review (which I highly recommend), let me know. I also want to know what you thought of the dungeon overall. I don't think I did a bad job, but, as the author, my opinion is slightly biased. So let me know what you thought and I'll see you next time.

-Aro