Chapter 12: The Shrine, Part 2

Author's Note: The rest of this three-day cycle will be devoted to the Shrine, part two. A new subplot for this fic is Link having to gather the Nine Sages (the Seven Sages plus Laruto and Fado). Why does he have to gather them? Because plot. All will be revealed in time..:D

Afternoon of the First Day

66 Hours Remain

"Uh…Link…weren't we supposed to return to the Lone Peak Shrine once we got the Fire Arrows?" commented Tatl. "That might give us leads on your horse. Who knows, right?"

"Sure, whatever," sighed Link.

Link used the Song of Soaring to reach the Mountain Village, then made his way over to the Lone Peak Shrine. He was stopped by Kaepora Gaebora.

"Hoo hoot! Link…Majora is a powerful enemy…When he is defeated, he will not stay defeated…You will need the Nine Sages to seal him away…" the sage explained.

"I thought there were only Seven Sages," replied Link.

"There are two more…the Sage of Earth, Laruto, and the Sage of Wind, Fado…"

"…And your point is?"

"You must go into the Lone Peak Shrine once more. Many challenges await, but the other sages have been imprisoned there by Majora, abducted from the future…But not all of them can be freed now. Some you will have to return and free when you are better equipped…but once they are freed, they remain freed every time you travel back in time…At this time, you are only able to reach a few of the Sages…Please…proceed back in. I have added a portal to the chamber that you were stopped at previously for your convenience. The one that needed the Fire Arrows…"

Link smiled.

"Farewell for now, my boy," said the sage, and then he flew away.

Link proceeded into the Shrine to find a portal had appeared to his left. He entered it and was transported to the room he needed the Fire Arrows for. The water was back to the level it was when he originally entered the room, prior to lowering the water level. He equipped the Fire Arrows and fired them at the four torches above him, which caused the platform he was on to become an elevator. He rode it up to the next room, which was a vast chamber with dirt.

Link stepped off the elevator and looked around. There was a large metal grate hanging over a raised platform which had a door on it. Link used the Clawshot to reach the grating and dropped down and entered the next room. He saw a chest on the floor and opened it to find a…pair of gloves.

"Those are Mole Mitts. They let you dig," explained Tatl.

"Couldn't I just use a shovel?" asked Link.

"No," replied Tatl.

Link figured he should probably dig, and did so to find a floor switch. He stepped on it, causing the floor to open up, sending him plummeting down below.

He saw a sign on the floor.

"Here is the temple of Earth, hidden away within the Lone Peak Shrine," he read aloud.

He noticed a door in front of him, and went through it. He was promptly ambushed by a group of Moblins, which he easily defeated. They left behind a chest that contained…a grappling hook.

"Can I use this as a hookshot?" he asked Tatl.

"No," she sighed.

"Then what IS it for?"

"It can't latch onto targets. It can hook AROUND things, but it can't connect to a target and pull you up. Plus, it's nearly impossible to use it to hoist yourself up. The weight is too great. It's best used to grab things. Kinda like a long-range boomerang, I guess," explained Tatl.

"Oh," he sighed.

"Look! There's a switch!" pointed out Tatl, motioning to a crystal switch across a chasm. Link fired an arrow at it and a bridge rose up to cover the gap. He crossed it and entered the next room.

He used the Grappling Hook to slowly (and I mean slowly) hoist himself up onto a ledge. By the time he got onto the ledge, he was exhausted. He walked over to the door and opened it, staggering into the room where a Zora was sitting.

"Excuse me, who are you?" she asked.

"I'm Link, the Hero of Time…I need your help…I'm looking for the Nine Sages…so they can seal Majora away…" he said, panting.

"Well, you've come to the right place…I am Laruto, the Sage of Earth," the Zora introduced herself.

"…Why is a Zora the Sage of EARTH?" Link questioned.

"What difference does it make? Thank you for rescuing me. Majora snatched me from where I was and brought me here. Oh! That is the Gilded Sword…It's an advanced form of the Kokiri Sword, is it not?" she questioned.

Link nodded.

"The Gilded Sword…can be upgraded. If the Sage of Earth and the Sage of Wind each infuse part of their power into it, it will become Termina's Master Sword."

"What? But…"

"Do not question it. It was foretold in Terminan legends. I've had plenty of time to read about the legends of Termina while trapped here. There's a library in here, actually, full of Terminan myth. One of the books told me about the Terminan Master Sword. Now then…Hand the sword to me."

Link did so, and the sage said an incantation. The sword's hilt had become gold, encrusted with a jewel.

"For now, this sword is equal in power to the Four Sword of Hylian legend…but if you can get the other sage to put their power into it, it will become the Terminan Master Sword. Farewell."

Laruto promptly vanished, leaving Link standing there with a surprised look on his face.

"There is nothing more you can do at the moment here," stated Kaepora Gaebora, and Link found himself back outside the Shrine.

"…How did you do that?" questioned Link.

"That's not important," replied the owl. "However, I do have some advice for you. Go to Romani Ranch. You'll find what you are seeking there."

He promptly flew away, leaving Link to figure out the meaning of his words.

Author's Note: Yep, the Shrine is now a major subplot. It's basically like this: Majora is basically Termina's Ganondorf. He won't stay dead…Hence why the Sages are needed. Anyway, next chapter is back to the plot.