Chapter 4: Saving the Elder
The duo reached Randolph's house out of breath from running so hard 5 minutes later. Scooter looked at them in shock. "Goodness! Is someone after you?"
Behnke bent over to catch his breath before shaking his head in response. "We...need....the Harp....of Ages...."
Scooter nodded. "Go for it. You know where it is hidden."
Behnke and Welborn headed into Randolph's large bookcase and pulled out a book from it, initiating a "click" and the large bookshelf slid the the left, revealing stone steps leading into the darkness. The duo ran down the steps and stopped when they reached the bottom. Ahead of them was the large, golden chest that held the Harp of Ages, resting on a pedestal. "There it is." Welborn said pointing to the chest.
"Wow, good call, Welborn." Behnke said sarcastically. The duo approached the pedestal and stood in front of the chest. Behnke unlatched the clasps and opened the chest. The Harp of Ages laid there peacefully, as if sleeping, only to be woken up with a bright glow of gold when Behnke picked it up out of the chest.
"Wow....This thing must be truly powerful....However, I've never seen Randolph use it except in some performances, but never to travel through time." Behnke said.
"He's the Guardian of Ages after all. He uses his powers to travel through time. The whole purpose of the Harp is for those who need to travel through time and Randolph is not around." Welborn replied. Suddenly, the torches blew out, leaving them in total darkness.
"Whoa! What's going on?" Welborn asked as he blindly looked around. Before Behnke could answer, there was a flash of blue light in front of them and a holographic image of Randolph appeared before them.
"Randolph...." Behnke said in awe.
"Is it truly you?" Welborn asked in amazement.
"Only a crossing through time. Me in the past and you in the present." Randolph replied.
"Randolph, please forgive us for intruding the Temple of Ages. We need your Harp of Ages to travel into the past. Something terrible has happened to the Elder in the age of 500 AD and as a result the Elder in this age ceases to exist. With any luck, we can also find you in the past and rescue you somehow." Welborn said.
"I understand. But rescuing me won't be as easy as you think. Welborn, you know this well enough. You must somehow safely force Khaos out of my body. Only the Elder himself know how this can be done. Just like in the Legend of the Oracle of Ages, there are three special tunes used to travel through time with the Harp of Ages. The Tune of Echoes, the Tune of Currents, and the Tune of Ages. The Tune of Echoes will allow you to travel through to the ages of either 500 or 1400 AD with the help of the time portals scattered across the land. The time portals themselves look like a spiral embedded into the ground. Play the tune, then say the age era you wish to go to and the portal will awaken. Hop into the portal and you will travel to that age. To return to this age, find a time portal in the past and play the tune, say 2009 AD and the portal will awaken to take you back to this age. The Tune of Currents will allow you to travel a little more freely through time. However, it can only be used when you are in the age of either 500 AD or 1400 AD and wish to travel into 2009 AD. Just play the Tune of Currents, say the age era of 2009 AD and you will be transported by means of time teleportation into that age. To get back into the past however, you need to use the Tune of Echoes and travel through the means of a time portal. The Tune of Ages will allow you to travel through time freely as if I was transporting you through time. You play the tune and say the age you wish to travel to, either 500, 1400, or 2009 AD depending on what age you are in and you will be taken there through the means of time teleportation." Randolph said.
"What if we need to travel into the future by any chance?" Behnke asked. Randolph shook his head.
"Traveling into the future using the Harp of Ages is impossible. Only through me, that is possible. Let me teach you the Tune of Echoes." Randolph conjured a hologram of the Harp of Ages and closed his eyes and began to play a short, colorful melody that lasted for about 5 seconds. The sound of the melody echoed with vibrato. "Behnke, just play what I played right now and the Tune of Echoes will be unlocked on the harp." Randolph said. Behnke repeated the melody and the Harp of Ages glowed brightly.
"Yeah! I unlocked the Tune of Echoes!" Behnke exclaimed.
"What about the other tunes?" Welborn asked.
"In the Age of 500 AD, locate Guerdan, the Guardian of Ages. He will teach you the Tune of Currents. But you must be proficient in using the Tune of Echoes before he teaches you the Tune of Currents. Using it only once or twice will not be enough. He has to see the Harp for himself and feel the power flowing through it. In the Age of 1400 AD, locate Nayru, the Oracle of Ages. She will teach you the Tune of Ages after seeing how proficient you are in using the Tune of Echoes and the Tune of Currents. They are very picky about whose worthy of learning these tunes so you must prove yourself to them. I have faith that you will do this." Randolph said.
"We'll rescue you, put an end to Khaos, and restore time and history back to the way it was! That's a promise!" Behnke said balling a hand into a fist.
Randolph chuckled. "I know you will. You aren't the descendants of Link for no reason! As a side note, Khaos has conjured the Age of Darkness. It's slowly gathering strength through the despair of the people in all ages. While in the age of 1400 AD, keep a look out for your ancestor. You may catch a glimpse of him. Surely with you three working as a team, you can conquer anything!" Randolph said.
"Roger that." Welborn replied.
"Good luck my friends. Before you leave, talk to Scooter. He will know of a time portal that you can use." Randolph said. With that, Randolph vanished before their eyes and light returned to the room once more. The duo left the pedestal and headed for the steps, Welborn took two steps at a time. Behnke stopped and faced the pedestal for a quick second before turning back and running up the steps. Scooter and Welborn were waiting for him.
"So, what now?" Scooter asked after seeing that Behnke had the Harp of Ages.
"We spoke to a hologram of Randolph. He told us that you know a location of a time portal that can take us into the past." Welborn said.
Scooter nodded. "I do indeed. Follow me." Scooter said.
"Lead the way, HOOAH!" Behnke and Welborn exclaimed in unison. Scooter smiled and shook his head before leading them outside and around the left side of Randolph's house.
"There it is." Scooter said looking up at a spiral embedded into the brick wall of Randolph's house.
"So that's what that symbol was....I've been wondering for the longest but Randolph wouldn't tell what it was. Okay, Behnke, you know what to do." Welborn said. Behnke nodded and pulled out the Harp of Ages and played the Tune of Echoes and said in a loud, clear voice, "500 AD!" The spiral glowed brightly before changing into an large oval shaped time portal. A mysterious blue aura was in the background.
"Before you go, I must tell you this. There is no time portal in the same place in the past. But there will be one nearby. Just look and you'll find one eventually. Good luck." Scooter said.
"Thanks for the heads up Scooter. Are you sure you'll be okay while we are gone?" Behnke asked.
Scooter nodded. "Don't worry about me. You can count on me to hold the fort while you are away." Scooter said.
The duo nodded and faced each other. "Are you ready?" Behnke asked. Welborn gave a quick nod. The duo jumped into the time portal. They faced Scooter for a brief second before the time portal closed and the spiral stopped glowing. "Good luck my friends...." Scooter said staring at the portal for a quick second before returning back into Randolph's house.
The time portal opened up in the middle of a large wood at the side of a tree house. Behnke and Welborn came flying out and landed hard on their stomachs before the time portal closed.
"Talk about a rough trip...." Behnke said groaning as he and Welborn slowly rose to their feet and looked around.
"So this must be the Forest of Time in 500 AD...." Welborn said in amazement. The woods itself was dark and spooky. The trees were old, brown, and barren. The sky itself was dark and lightning flashed and thunder rumbled.
"This place is creepy." Behnke said.
"This is the Woods of Time." a voice said from behind them. The duo turned around sharply. A tall man with short light brown hair, an athletic figure, and a kind face stood before them. The man walked towards them. "Do not be afraid, my friends. I know who you are and why you have come. You are the friends of my ancestor, Randolph, the Guardian of Ages in the year 2009 AD." The man said.
Welborn and Behnke slowly relaxed. "Are you Guerdan, the Guardian of Ages of this age?" Welborn asked cautiously. The man nodded. "Yes, I am. Randolph has told me that you would come to this age." Guerdan replied.
"Guerdan, something has happened to the Elder of this age. We need to rescue him because the Elder of 2009 has vanished." Behnke said.
Guerdan sadly shook his head. "I'm afraid that you are already too late....Khaos has already destroyed the Elder and as a result, the Elders in all ages are gone...But all hope is not lost. I can turn back the hands of time to 10 minutes before the Elder was killed. That should give you enough time to climb the tower in the center of the village and rescue the Elder. Randolph, still under Khaos' control is up there. Use extreme caution." Guerdan said. With that, Guerdan closed his eyes. At a rapid rate, the clouds disappeared and the sun came back out and the trees of the woods bloomed and turned green again.
"Wow, amazing!" Behnke exclaimed.
Guerdan opened his eyes. The clock is ticking. You have 15 minutes to climb that tower, reach the Elder, and stop Khaos. Hurry!" Guerdan said.
"How do we get to the tower?" Welborn asked quickly.
"Use the same route you use to get into the village in your time period. In the center of the village you will see a large, black tower." Guerdan said. The duo nodded and took off towards the exit of the woods.
They came across the tower 7 minutes later. "Khaos must be making his way up the tower now! Come on!" Behnke exclaimed to Welborn. The duo took off into the large, black tower. They looked above them and saw steps leading all the way up to the top. Welborn gave a low whistle.
"We've got 3 minutes exactly! Come on!" Behnke said. The duo began to run up the long flight of steps that lead to the highest turret. Meanwhile Randolph/Khaos had just reached Queen Ambi and the Elder and had confronted them.
"I do not think so. No one is going anywhere....Especially you, your highness!" Randolph/Khaos said giving a cold smile.
"Wh-what?" Queen Ambi asked taken aback.
"Your majesty, get back! That isn't the real Randolph! I sense pure evil within him!" The Elder said pulling Queen Ambi back.
"Guards, seize him!" Queen Ambi ordered. Her seven most powerful warriors that were in golden armor swiped out their swords and closed in upon Randolph/Khaos. Randolph/Khaos gave a cold smile. "Why beat em when you can join them?" Randolph/Khaos shot a hand out to the guards. Red electricity shot out of his fingers and into each of the guards' eyes. The guards fell to their knees. "Rise my Khaos Warriors." Randolph/Khaos said in a low voice. The guards slowly rose to their feet.
"Who do you serve?" Randolph/Khaos asked.
"We serve Master Khaos." The guards said with their voices hard and angry.
"Music to my ears! Now escort Queen Ambi to the palace and throw her into the palace dungeons. If at any point she cries for help, kill her and kill those that try to help her. With a simple touch of your hands, you will infect the other guards with the evil within you and build an army to make sure no one enters the palace!" Randolph/Khaos ordered.
"We obey!" The guards said bowing. One of them grabbed Queen Ambi by the arm.
"Unhand me at once!" Queen Ambi ordered struggling.
The door at the throne room was suddenly knocked down with a loud crash and Behnke and Welborn ran into the room. Welborn pulled out his sword and Behnke struck a fighter's stance. "You're not going anywhere with the Elder or the Queen!" Welborn shouted pointing his sword at Randolph/Khaos.
Randolph/Khaos gasped. "Wh-wha? How did you...?" Randolph/Khaos began to ask.
"Getting in was the easy part! We won't let you change history! Come out of Randolph's body right now, Khaos!" Behnke ordered.
"Your majesty, Elder, please step aside and allow us the honor!" Welborn said. Queen Ambi and the Elder nodded and fled to a nearby corner of the room. Randolph/Khaos was taken aback but quickly recovered his composure.
"Fools. Even if I was to let Randolph go, what good would it do? I have the power to control time! Even without him, I can still conjure the Age of Shadows!" Randolph/Khaos said sneering.
"We'd rather die fighting than to allow that to happen! Prepare yourself, Khaos!" Welborn said raising his blade.
Randolph/Khaos continued to sneer at them. "Incompetent idiots! It doesn't matter. You're still too late! Take the Queen and the Elder if you desire! But the Age of Shadows will come!" Randolph/Khaos raised his arms and then pointed his hands in the center of the room. 10 knights in black armor appeared before them and surrounded them. Their red eyes glowed hungrily from within their helmets.
"Try stopping me, soldiers! If you can survive this!" Then laughing loudly, Randolph/Khaos vanished, leaving Behnke and Welborn to deal with the black knights. The Black knights laughed as they advanced on the duo, pulling out their long swords.
"Lets do this!" Behnke exclaimed. The duo charged at the Black Knights. He flipped over one of the knights and kicked him in the back and tripped an incoming one, sending it flying forward onto his stomach. One came at him from behind with a horizontal blow across the stomach but Behnke teleported underground and rose up behind the knight just as quickly and kicked him in the back, forcing him into a wall. He ducked from a massive sword swing from another knight and grabbed one of his arms. He turned and kicked another incoming knight in the chest, throwing him backwards and then flipped the one he was holding onto his back. The first knight he flipped over and the one he tripped both came at him with their swords raised. "Feel the rage of my fists! Fists of Fury!" As soon as the knights came close enough to him, Behnke launched out his fists and punched both of them slowly. Soon his fists gained speed until they both were solid blurs. Then with a yell while pulling back both fists, Behnke launched a powerful blow into both knights, knocking them 5 feet backwards and onto their backs. "Still gets the job done." Behnke said folding his arms across his chest as he stared down at his unconscious 5 knights he faced.
Meanwhile Welborn did 5 combat rolls, dodging sword strikes that were coming at him. He blocked another sword swing from one knight and slugged it in the face. He tripped another one with his sword and turned his sword upside down and stabbed the knight in the back. The other three knights came at him in a triangular formation with their swords raised. "See ya!" Welborn exclaimed as he vanished in a cloud of smoke as their swords struck where he was seconds earlier. The knights looked around them in shock wondering where he went. "Hey losers! Looking for me?" Welborn asked from behind them. The knights faced him and growled with anger. With a yell the three of them charged. "You just never know when to quit do you? Fire Blade!" Welborn shouted. The blade of his sword became engulfed with large flames. The knights came at him in a straight line. Welborn slashed one across the chest, leaving a trail of fire upon the gap within the slash, knocking the knight onto his back. He then spun around and caught the second at his torso, slicing him in half. With a yell he then thrusted his sword into the 3rd knight's stomach and pulled it out. The knight fell to his knees and then collapsed onto his stomach. "Side Kick!" Welborn yelled as the knight he slugged in the face came charging at him. Welborn jumped to the side as the knight launched a stabbing move at the spot he was at and then Welborn leapt up and gave the knight a roundhouse kick to the head, flipping him on his back, knocking him unconscious. All 10 knights vanished in a cloud of smoke. "That was too easy." Welborn said lowering his sword with triumph.
"Morons....They should always know their enemy before they strike the first blow." Behnke said shaking his head.
Queen Ambi and the Elder approached the duo. "Thank you so much for saving us. We are in your debt." Queen Ambi said gratefully.
"No thanks needed your majesty. We're just doing our job." Welborn said. Suddenly, the tower began shaking violently, throwing them all off balance.
"W-whoa! What's happening?!" Behnke asked.
"Khaos is at the top of the turret! He's conjuring the Age of Shadows! We have to stop him!" Welborn exclaimed.
"Your majesty, Elder, you must get to safety! Go now! We'll take care of this!" Behnke said facing Queen Ambi and the Elder. The Elder and Queen Ambi nodded quickly.
"Please be careful." The Elder said. Behnke and Welborn nodded and watched as the duo headed for the steps leading out of the tower. Behnke and Welborn ran towards the last flight of steps going up and began going up them, two at a time. They reached the top and ran out of the tower outside and gasped. Randolph/Khaos was glowing brightly. With a laugh he faced Behnke and Welborn.
"You're too late, soldiers! I have already conjured the Age of Darkness! The power flows through me! Even without the powers of young Randolph, I can still stop time and control it! It's only a matter of time now before the Age of Darkness completely takes over the earth and all of the ages of time! No one can stop me now!" Randolph/Khaos exclaimed.
"We'll find a way to free this world from your evil, Khaos! We're not giving up! Let go of Randolph! He's of no value to you now!" Behnke ordered.
Randolph/Khaos laughed. "If I let go of Randolph now, he'll only be a loose end I need to tie up later! He will remain with me until he agrees with me to give into my needs!" Randolph/Khaos exclaimed.
"You should already know thats one thing that he'll never do!" Welborn shouted.
"Then I guess he'll be mine forever! Now fools, BEGONE!" Randolph/Khaos said with a wave of his hand. A strong gust of wind knocked the duo off of the tower towards the ground 100 stories below.
"We're going to crash! If we don't figure out something soon, we'll be finished!" Welborn shouted to Behnke.
"Brace yourself!" Behnke shouted when they were 50 feet above the ground. The duo shut their eyes and braced themselves for impact. But after awhile, nothing happened. The duo slowly opened their eyes. "Huh?" The duo asked as they saw that they were frozen 1 foot above the ground.
"Nice of you to drop in." a voice said from beside them. The duo turned and saw Guerdan staring at them with a smile on his face. Then with a snap of his fingers, the duo landed on their stomachs. Behnke and Welborn rose to their feet.
"Guerdan, you saved our lives! Thank you!" Welborn said gratefully.
"No, it is I who should be thanking you. You have saved two lives today." Guerdan said.
Behnke stared at the tower at the very top. "Randolph....." Behnke whispered.
Welborn ran towards the door but a green blast of energy coming from the door shot into his chest, throwing him backwards onto his back.
"Welborn! Are you okay?" Guerdan asked running to him.
Welborn sat up and nodded. "It looks like Khaos casted a spell around the tower, preventing anyone from entering."
"There's only one thing we can do. Lets head for the Elder's house for advice on what we must do." Behnke said turning from the tower. Guerdan nodded as Welborn rose to his feet. The trio left the tower and headed for the Elder's house in the village.