Chapter 7: Dust Devil Flats

The water tunnel led to an oasis at the side of the desert. The sheer rock wall just beside it seemed impassable. Before the Zora left, Rosso told him that this struggling oasis was the only place here where plants could grow. At least the water would be good. A few buildings remained standing, although they had no doors nor glass in the windows. The desert spread far in front of him, but he could use the Song of Soaring to get back here for water and shelter once he reached another landmark.

Link could see the Helmaroc's tower off to the east, but he didn't need to go out that far. The place he needed to go was to the north. With no wind here, the glare of the sun was intense and suffocating. But evening would fall in a few hours. There was a littering of boulders along the way, so he kept to the shadows as much as he could. Dark-feathered Kagarocs often perched on top those boulders and the bones resting in the sands seemed like they could become monsters once the sun went down.

As he got closer to the Dust Devil Flats, the air was drawn towards the strange structure. There was no way it should be standing the way it was. Or rather, floating. He could see sandy cyclones moving around huge levitating floors. What he couldn't see were any walls or supports. It was simply a series of stone floors that hung in the air, one large floor and a group of smaller ones higher up. Was that the Wizzrobes' doing?

He still didn't see any walls when he got into the cyclones' path and his magical compass chimed. Link did see some Wizzrobes wandering about on this first floor. Some images of the past came to his mind: Wizzrobes could take a variety of forms, like mimicking a Bokoblin or being robed birdmen. Here, the Wizzrobes were fully cloaked creatures that floated off the ground. He could see the glowing eyes of the nearest one, a brown robed one. As soon as he recalled what Impa said about them, the brown Wizzrobe lifted its long sleeves and rose an earthen wall between them. That could be annoying, but as long as it wasn't flinging spells at him, it wasn't too bad.

All the ones he could spot down here had brown robes. And they didn't attack as he came in sight of him, just raised up their earth walls to keep from getting attacked. Link checked around the ground floor but found nothing more around. Maybe a chest had gotten buried in the sand? If it had, it was very well hidden or one of the Wizzrobes was keeping on top of it. Eliminating them could lead to something happening.

What about the cyclones, though? There were no stairs to the upper floors, but he could recall some cyclones being powerful enough to throw him up higher. As Link headed towards one to check it out, he recalled that it was mostly the child heroes who took advantage of that. And it was usually done with an item. Nothing he had right now seemed suitable. Getting into a cyclone got him thrown out into the sun-baked sand.

Killing off the brown Wizzrobes could be the next step; Link considered that as he picked himself back up. Then he heard a strange laugh behind him. One of the white and green Wizzrobes was up on the second floor, making an insulting gesture at him. The cyclone had moved on but the air was still disturbed between them; an arrow shot that way could fly off in another direction. Best to ignore it for now and find a way to get the brown ones.

The green one was not happy with being ignored, giving an angry squabble and creating a cyclone right on top of Link. Instead of shoving him away, this one spun him around so rapidly that he felt sick, then hurled him into the air. The blue sky and orange-brown sand flashed in front of his eyes until he crashed into the latter and got half buried from the force. Link spat out the gritty sand and made sure his swirling head was in the air so he could breathe.

Once the dizziness passed, he glanced around. The sun was touching the mountains in the distance. From that, he could tell he'd been thrown north of the Flats, about a twenty minute walk from there. Close to him, there was a crumbled structure that seemed to be mostly wood. Out here? Link went over and picked up a piece to look over. It was petrified from the dry heat and old age.

There was more past the heap, up an incline not too far ahead. Link could see square buildings carved into the mountain, black holes of windows and doors. As he wondered what kind of town would be out here in a cursed land, he saw this view from hundreds of years ago. The town was alive then, populated by women marked by dark skin and red hair. They had invited him to stay with them since they liked how strong he was. However, the fairy was dead set against it and would only tell him that he didn't understand when asked why.

The town was dead now, barren and still. Link walked up there just in case. When he entered one of the doorways, he found scattered bones in the room and along the halls. It might be shelter, but he felt like he'd rather sleep at the oasis instead of here. Ghosts weren't easy to fight and bad things could come of lingering in a place like this too long.

Before he left, he came across some charcoal ramblings on the walls. A few pictures showed a map of the desert and the layout of the Dust Devil Flats. Arrows pointed to the encircled tower in the center of the desert while the temple ruins had been crossed out. 'First a fish swallows the Medal of Valor and now the Dust Devil has split itself into two. Both halves argue over the Medal of Wit. Bah, forget about getting the Medal of Vigor and whatever treasure is out here. I'll find another way. Besides, the Devil Wizzrobe twins keep arguing over whether night or day is best. They only appear now at dawn and dusk. H. Rat'

Then he had to defeat the Dust Devil for the Medal of Wit, and it was actually a pair of Wizzrobe twins. Other marks warned that going near the temple brought about certain death. But for the tower, the note seemed more promising. 'Get feather from Helmaroc! Key to getting to the upper level of DDF. That totem pole is spawning monsters, so approach at own risk.'

Quietly thanking the goddesses that he'd found this information, Link altered his plans. Taking out the brown Wizzrobes on the ground level might still do something, but getting to the second level apparently required a Helmaroc feather. So he needed to go back to the oasis with the magic song, then trek out to the totem pole. Depending on how long it took him to get the feather, he would then go back to the oasis for the night or try to find the Dust Devils at dusk.

Before he could go, some movement caught his eye: Gale's envelope had come back. Link smiled and opened it up right away. It was still daylight, so this place was fine for a short break.

Dear Link:

I really don't think you need to be ashamed of your voice anymore. You have a nice calming tone. If you let yourself be confident in your words, I'm sure you could soothe anybody's heart, not just the horses. I keep thinking that I really want to talk with you again soon. When I was young, my parents made sure I could speak well; it's something you need to keep pace in high society. I could help you out there, but you should stop worrying over it since that will make improving harder on you.

As for where I am now, I'm at the college in Onduran using their library for my study. I never took classes here, but I had good enough connections to get a visitor's pass. You could stop by here on your way to Death Mountain. Please be careful in doing so. Ganon has secured his hold on all the communities in central Hyrule and is spreading out from there. As I'm Sudain nobility, so far they haven't bothered me.

But I can't say that I agree with how our king is doing things. Did you hear about how he executed the Hylian king and queen in the town square? Doing so in public with many witnesses is a barbaric display of power, especially since he killed them himself. And there's that name he took as well. I am certain that that was not always his name, but it only gives me a headache when I try to remember his original name. They say that he's the descendant of the Ganondorf who fought against the Hero of Time. Perhaps he called on his ancestor's soul?

That really worries me, especially about what's going to happen to the rest of us from Sudai. The people that Ganondorf ruled over were called the Gerudo and all that's left of them is a few scattered individuals of watered-down blood. While the desert they lived in still bears their name, it's now a cursed place cut off from the rest of the world and only populated by monsters. I know what a lot of people say about us, but those of us from Sudai aren't a corrupt people. It's like you Hylians, there's mostly good people with a few bad ones around. Possibly our king is evil now, but I can't say that to many people.

Well this strayed from what I meant to write you, but it is something that worries me. If you do become the hero of Hyrule, could you be kind to the rest of Sudai? Visit me in Onduran on your way to Death Mountain, if you can avoid notice from Ganon's monsters and soldiers patrolling around. Once we meet up, I can excuse you as my guest and we could spend some time together.

So where are you now? I was able to find records of where the medals you're searching for are supposed to be (Valor, Vigor, and Wit), but that cave where the Zora Eaters were is not one of those places.

From Gale.

Halfway through the letter, Link had paused and glanced around at the room he was in. A few bones on the floor might've been the remains of adventurers like those who wrote on the wall here. Or, they might be those of the Gerudo people. Had they been wiped out because of what the past hero had done? The Hero of Time had fought a few of the Gerudo women, but Link didn't think that he had killed any of them. The storytellers said that the Gerudo were a race of thieves. Thieves… wasn't that like what people were saying these days about the Sudain people?

But Gale was one of them and he was a good person. Link could certainly be mindful of others from Sudai for his sake. As he finished up the letter, he thought that Gale offering help with his speaking was a great thing. That would make things less stressful than they currently were. He'd get over to Onduran as soon as he could, once he'd taken care of things here in the desert and retrieved Epona from the Zora inn.

There weren't any monsters here yet, so Link took a few minutes to write a response and send it off. There was a lot to write him now: tell him that he'd definitely take up that offer to visit him, assure him that he wasn't going to be against his people unless he had to defend himself or someone else, and let him know about what he was facing in the Gerudo Desert in order to get the Medal of Wit. Gale might know something more of how to deal with the Wizzrobes.

Once that was flying away, Link left the building and took out his flute. The Song of Soaring felt like he was wrapped in feathers before warping off to the point he had in mind, the oasis. He took a moment to drink some fresh water and store some more before heading off to the west. While the totem was further off than the flats, it was a clear landmark to follow. The sky was darkening and the air was cooling off. At those signs, the totem and a large ring of torches around it lit up with white fire. Good, he could at least take care of the Helmaroc with that light.

The approaching night meant that monsters were beginning to stir. Kagarocs dove at him and had to be shot away with arrows. Thankfully, he was able to retrieve most of the arrows. Little whirling cacti that he felt were called Leevers appeared as he got away from the mountainous wall of this desert. They weren't trouble as long as he was mindful of how he moved. Once the sun was gone, the skeletons in the sand did come to life to attack him. The Stalchildren weren't too strong, but there were a lot of them in darker areas. The lanterns of Poes also appeared, though none came close.

As he got close to the nearest torch, the envelope returned to him. Link didn't want a Kagaroc to tear it, so he grabbed it out of the air with his shield hand and kept moving. Stopping did not seem like a smart idea. Once he entered the white light of the torch, the Stalchildren stopped and didn't want to follow him. The Kagarocs wheeled away, cawing but not pursuing him. Maybe they saw this as the territory of the Helmaroc.

He tucked the envelope into his bag, then glanced around. A raised portion of sandstone here gave a foundation to the totem and its torches. From bottom to top, there was a Stalchild face, what seemed like a Leever cactus, another skeleton monster in a Stalfos, a Peahat, maybe a Wizzrobe hood, a ring of orbs he couldn't identify, a Skull Bubble, and lastly a Kagaroc spreading its wings and long neck out. The Helmaroc itself wasn't perched on top.

Where was it? Link kept his sword out and checked around for any clues. It got eerie as he finished a lap around totem and nothing came. Once he stopped, he felt something was up. The giant bird then showed up at last, screeching at him in fury at the trespassing. He rolled to the side; it crashed right into the totem pole and collapsed into a heap of blue and red feathers. Not wanting it to take back to the air, Link darted over and used a quick draw to cut through its wing and break the bone there. One of its smallest wing feathers came off whole and dropped on the ground. Link went ahead and grabbed it. An odd feeling came over him, like he was in the water rather than the air.

By then, the Helmaroc had recovered itself. It screamed, making the black mask over its face shine ominously. Beating its one good wing, it called up another whirlwind that caught Link and hurled him even deeper into the desert. The darkness made it even more disorienting when he landed. He could see the white torches lighting up the monster totem. As the sun was down and no moon had arrived yet, he wasn't sure how to tell where he was. He wasn't at the oasis; maybe the compass would clear things up, if he could see it.

Then there was a large explosion by the totem, showing what the Helmaroc had done with its mask. It wasn't a bright creature, Link thought, given that he was thrown a long distance from it. As he got up, the totem pole exploded into a huge tower of white flame. That would have been bad to get caught in, especially as he felt the shockwave from it from where he was. White flames were scattered through the desert, including out where he was. It gave illumination, so he glanced around to see where he'd ended up.

It was too dark to see outside of the range of two flames that had fallen to the ground nearby. But within that area, a strange figure was floating ten feet away. It had the silhouette of a man, but blue-white flames glowed within a tattered frame. It had a skull for a head and a twisted staff for a weapon. Recognizing it as the phantom Ganon, Link knew that he wasn't anywhere he wanted to be.

The phantom twirled its staff, causing a dozen small electric balls to shoot out around it. After a moment, they all blew up and the phantom was flying towards him. Link blocked its staff with his sword, finding the phantom's weapon more solid than it appeared. The phantom reversed its hold on the staff trying to smack him in the head with it. Dodging to the side, he cut through it to find not much there. Its body was brittle but its spirit would not die easily.

"You?" it growled, moving back a foot. "You're the one who defeated me before. You're the reason I've been abandoned out here!"

"That wasn't me," Link said. Although, how could he convince a phantom who most likely wasn't sensible?

"It was you! I can't defeat you, but I can make you pay for my suffering! You will never be safe again." Taking its staff in both hands, it spun the weapon around into a black blur. The completed circle turned into a small line, then shot at his right hand too quick for him to get it out of the way. The phantom laughed like it was in pain before it turned to smoke and ash.

Link's wrist stung, but it was more like a rope burn than a cut. Looking there, he found a black bracelet made up of a tiny chain with three charms. One was a flaming skull like the phantom's, another was a black horseshoe, and the third was a blank silhouette. The phantom of Ganon was going to haunt him now, along with whatever the other charms represented. Although, it might be considered lucky because he didn't have a weapon now that could deal with this spirit. He could deal with this until he could destroy the phantom.

Turning around, he saw that the totem was still in flames. Link hoped that didn't do anything bad. Still, it was too late to be trying to find the Dust Devils. He warped back to the oasis and set up a campsite with the sturdiest building left there. There were what looked like magic wards carved onto the walls, although he couldn't tell if they were still active. Since he was safer indoors, he got out Gale's letter to finally read.

Dear Link:

The Wizzrobes are best taken out with non-elemental ranged magic or arrows, so you should be fine with those. The Kagarocs and Helmaroc are also best dealt with through arrows; you may want to wait until daytime to have better sight of them. As for the more worrisome factors, I've heard of the Dust Devil but the stories are contradictory. There is either one or two of them and they might have powers over time or gravity. When you do come to fight them, be careful if it's the latter as that floating dungeon might collapse upon their deaths. The Ganon phantom might be best left alone until you have more options to fight it with.

Also, I have a feeling that the totem pole in the desert is a big problem. The desert has been lifeless and cursed for so long that I wonder if that totem is causing that. It could be better to knock it down and see if the desert changes character. Even if it's not the source of the desert's curse, it might be the source of the Helmaroc's life. Several adventurers have claimed to have killed the Helmaroc but it came back to full life later in the day. So destroying the totem should help in some way.

Be careful out there; I'll be waiting to see you.

From Gale.

If he was right, then the accidental destruction of the totem wasn't anything to worry about. Link wrote back to inform him of what happened and ask about the strange bracelet. He was tired after all the treks around the desert, so he went to sleep shortly after sending the letter off. In that short time, he wondered what his next meeting with Gale would be like.

At the top of the tower, Zelda seemed more stunned than anything. Joachim was trying to help her, but it wasn't as simple as just losing her parents. Having heard the truth behind the wars, even he was shocked at how awful of a plan it was. All this waste; the king had used even her for the sake of conquering other lands. What should be done now?

While things should be done for the kingdom, right now they had to deal with being captive in the castle. They could plan for ahead, but they'd have to get out of the castle to do much. Still, there was something that was on his mind. "Impa, do you know much about Sudai?"

"I spent some time there," she said. "What about that place?"

"Do you know about the Falcon Ring?" he asked.

"It's the symbol of Sudain royalty," she said without hesitation. "They say that a falcon spirit has protected their kingdom since it was founded; this spirit judges Sudai's rulers to see if they meet its expectations. As such, they expect all of their rulers to be tested before they're accepted by the public. The falcon can even cause a ruler to be rejected."

"I see, that's what they meant." Then he explained about how he'd overheard about Ganon not wearing his Falcon Ring and how his generals were starting to have some doubts in him.

Zelda had listened to that. "If he has become Ganon, he can't wear it. We might be able to convince his forces to help us out of here if they lose faith in him. I thought I saw a hint of goodness in him one time, but maybe that's gone."

"He's certainly gotten cruel to make you be there today," Joachim said, still angry over that. It was an important truth to come out. But still, did he have to do that? Maybe it was some twisted idea of justice?

"He has said he wants me dead," she said, not much energy in her voice. "I wish we could do more. You and I are more the people who rebuild and reorganize after these events, not those who would actively participate."

"We'll find a way, even if it's just hiding out until our skills are needed," he said, trying to reassure her. It was important to rebuild. But she just shook her head, trembling again.

Joachim went to sit by her again, but then loud thumps came from the door. "We're here for Joachim, General Kimbera has called for you."

"May I come back to be with Zelda?" he called back.

"Maybe tomorrow, get over here."

After a quiet sigh, he kissed Zelda's cheek. "I'll pester them until they let me back up."

"Be careful," she said, gripping his hand before letting him go.

The lady general wanted to interrogate him on various treasures and devices within Hyrule Castle. Joachim didn't want to cooperate; at least some of it he could honestly say he wasn't sure about, like the current location of the Septdraco. He cooperated on things that shouldn't make much of a difference, in exchange for something he wanted to know. "Are we going to allow some traders in the castle? We've got a good stockpile, but we'll have to restrict the meals if we can't get fresh foods."

"We'll allow for some traders we approve of," Kimbera said.

"And how are the other towns and regions doing? I can only get information on the castle now, since there hasn't been much out of the town that's reached me."

Fortunately, she was willing to help. "A great many people have escaped the castle city, but the king's monsters have spread to all lands that Hyrule held claim over. They won't find anywhere good to escape to."

"That's unfortunate," Joachim said. "There's going to be a lot of trouble coming out of that. I hope they can at least make themselves a safe area."

"The king used to do so much trying to keep others safe," Kimbera said, then caught herself. "He'll make things right; he has a plan for all this. You'll see soon."

He could tell by her eye twitches and tapping foot that she didn't believe that herself. Kimbera didn't fully believe in him either, but Joachim hoped that he might have started a connection here.

Eerie whirs woke Link up; he found that some Leevers were spinning around not far from his shelter. He had to dispatch them before he could prepare himself for the day. As it was in the pre-dawn hours, he had time to get to the dust devil's labyrinth and hopefully meet them. After he got something to eat, he warped himself over to place. The bottom floor was still populated by brown Wizzrobes; he ignored them for now.

Now, about this feather… Link felt a little different carrying it around. He'd tied it to his horsehair charm in order to keep track of it. Was it a weight enchantment? Or it might be jumping. Link walked back away from the floating floors, then jumped to experiment. He ended up jumping over three times his own height. That would certainly get him up there. For now, he ran over and jumped when there wasn't a cyclone there to throw him off.

Up on the second floor, it was was empty save for the green Wizzrobes. No walls, no chests, no other enemies. There was a cross hallway overhead between four platforms that he hadn't been able to see well from the desert floor. As with this floor, there wasn't a staircase or ladder up there. It seemed too high for him to reach with the Helmaroc feather. But there were small wind cyclones that might be able to help.

But he didn't want the green Wizzrobes to mess him up trying to jump up to the top level. Link shot off the Wizzrobes with his bows, starting with the closest. They also dropped some arrows upon being killed. That was supposed to be a blessing of the Hylian goddesses for the people they preferred. Like Gale suggested, these monsters were simple to take care of as long as they didn't notice he was there. Although, they had to be bad at paying attention to miss him jumping up here.

The top level was also empty, not even any Wizzrobes. Link waited there for a moment and thought. Maybe he did need to destroy the first floor Wizzrobes as well. However, the notes mentioned that the twins argued about day and night. He might as well wait up here first.

This plan had the benefit of seeing the sunrise start to develop. As the eastern sky started to turn yellow, two gold and brown Wizzrobes appeared on opposing platforms. They were flinging rocks back and forth trying to hit each other. One flew not that far over Link's head, causing him to duck down and roll towards the nearer of the pair. But when he slashed at it, it teleported away. The other one laughed and made a song play out of nothing. The melody seemed like it could do something.

And it did: it caused the sun to speed across the sky and turn the time to the start of sunset. That was the Sun's Song; Link was sure that if he heard it a couple more times, he could play it himself. Although, would he want to? It didn't seem like turning the day half away was that useful. The Wizzrobe who had teleported to another of the four platforms hurled rocks at both of them, then made the song play again. The night turned to day.

This could turn into trouble. Link tried to block the rock with his shield, but it knocked him back with a loud thonk. Even though his shield arm ached from that, he quickly grabbed at the edge of the platform; this was not a good height to be falling from. Day went to night and night went to day in the brief time that he rebalanced himself. How long had these two been fighting like this? It had to be why he couldn't find them when he'd first arrived.

Thinking that this would be much better if there was some kind of cover up here, Link brought out his bow. It would be easier to aim by day, so he first aimed for the one that was trying to make it night. They both warped when that one was struck, shrieking and deciding to throw spells at him. But not rocks this time: one shot him with lightning and the other with a cutting winter wind. Then day arrived and the two Wizzrobes turned back against each other. At least they were easily distracted, giving him time to drink the red potion he'd bought. He listened for the song, then shot at the one summoning night again.

He'd braced himself to roll away to avoid their magic, but the second arrow was enough to kill off the night-loving Wizzrobe. But instead of going up in an explosion and smoke like other monsters, it turned into shadows and got absorbed into the day-loving Wizzrobe. It screamed in fury while it grew ten times its old size. Ragged brown wings unfurled behind it and the cyclones intensified into one giant tornado. The floating dungeon broke apart and Link was caught in the center of it all with the real Dust Devil. Not only that, but the dark and light continued to cycle, never letting the sun return to its normal pace.

A rock nearly got thrown into him and Link jumped away on instinct. This threw him across the tornado's center where he managed to turn and land on another piece of stone flooring. Later on, he'd not been able to describe how he did it. It was either do or die here inside this storm and the Dust Devil was going wild. The giant Wizzrobe threw spells seemingly at random, making it hard to guess where and when things were safe for a brief moment. Still, he kept alert and when it seemed he had the time, he fired an arrow at it. Maybe the wings, maybe the center of its robe, maybe its glowing eyes…

Since it was making such a ruckus and the wind was howling, it was hard to tell if he was having an effect until the Dust Devil started glowing red and firing streams of sand across the cyclone. After taking another shot at its eyes, Link noticed that something else was floating in the center of the cyclone, something with a fiery red glow. He couldn't get a good look at it in this mess. Since it didn't seem to be attacking him, he jumped to another platform and fired again, ignoring the pain from being battered around this storm. The Dust Devil then went up in flames, confusing Link. However, there was a golden orb he could now see better in those flames. Link fired at that and the Dust Devil exploded into a downpour of sand.

The tornado immediately broke apart and all the floors were scattered around the desert. Link flipped himself upright and prepared to take a long fall, but a red shadow hand snatched him up unexpectedly. Wincing as it tightened on the new spell wounds, he braced himself for whatever was coming next. He got brought safely to the ground along with whoever had been floating in the storm. A sparkling blue medal flew over to him, it had the symbol of Nayru on it as it was the Medal of Wit. He took hold of it...

These lizard people were easy to get angry at. After all, they had stolen all of his gear while he'd been knocked unconscious from the rafting accident. But when he approached them, they didn't seem evil or cruel. They were almost innocent in the ways they found even the simplest things interesting. The Tokay picked up stuff from the beaches and no one came to reclaim them; they didn't see that as anything bad. He felt bad for scaring them when he came to get his things back. Although they had made things harder, he found himself wanting to do something about the monsters that were roaming this island and make things a little more peaceful for the Tokay.

… A full moon shone down on the desert, giving it a mysterious atmosphere. Wait, full moon? It had been a new moon when he'd fought the Zora Eaters. Link clutched the medal and thought that he had disrupted the Dust Devil twins from whatever they had been up to in their epic argument. Then again, they attacked him quickly and their underlings did the same. They weren't innocent like the Tokay had been in that story long ago.

"Link!" a vaguely familiar voice called as the person who'd joined him came closer. "No wonder you weren't responding; thank goodness you're all right."

"Gale?" He stood back up and recognized him now; there weren't many people around with both dark brown skin and bold red hair like that. Link gave him a small bow. "Thanks for helping with that."

"I didn't do too much, just distracted it and got you down safely," Gale said. "I was worried that I hadn't heard from you at all these two weeks."

"I'm all right, it only seemed like a few minutes to me," Link said, then rubbed his shoulder. He did feel strangely exhausted even though he'd only woken up about an hour ago. Maybe it was better to not play the Sun's Song. "They did have powerful spells, so you came at a good time."

He brought out a bottle of blue potion and handed it over. "Here, you'd better drink that; you seem banged up good from that battle. I can take you back to Onduran and get you something to eat over there. You could do with some sleep too."

"It is rough to sleep in a desert full of monsters, but you don't have to do all that for me," he said, although he smiled at his concern.

"Maybe I don't have to, but I want to," Gale said, offering a hand. "Come on, let's go."

"All right," he said, accepting the warp over to that town. He'd have to warp himself back over to the Zora village in order to pick Epona back up, but she was in a good stable. He wasn't going to turn down this chance to talk with Gale again.