Chapter 47: Restricted Area
"Stop right there!" Link shouted, causing Fahlcon to stop midway through the door.
Fahlcon turned around and faced Link. The lights in his eyes glowed brightly as he said, "So you managed to catch up to me. How utterly foolish! Poe Sisters, destroy this annoying pest while I retrieve the Medley Fragment!"
As the Poe Sisters flew towards Link, he swung the Master Sword which suddenly shot a wave of light that hit Fahlcon's hand causing him to drop the Ghost Lantern. Surprised, Fahlcon ran inside the metal door still carrying Agnes. Meanwhile, the Poe Sisters stopped flying midway and looked around in confusion.
"You freed the Poe Sisters, Link," Wittia said. "They're no longer under Fahlcon's control because you made him drop the Ghost Lantern."
"Yeah, but I don't exactly know how I did it," Link said, looking at the Master Sword with a confused look.
"The Master Sword is a special blade that was forged long ago," Mister Penman said as he picked up the Ghost Lantern which was still intact. "It can kill all manner of evil and has magical capabilities as well. Now we must close the door to prevent the monsters inside from getting out."
"But what about Agnes?" Wittia asked. "Shouldn't we go in there and rescue her?"
"No, it's too dangerous," Mister Penman said shaking his head.
"Then I'll go," Link responded. "If monsters start appearing near the door, then don't hesitate to shut it."
"You could get killed, Link," Wittia said, taking Link's hand.
"I'll be fine," Link replied, letting go of Wittia's hand. "I've been in tougher situations before. This is nothing."
But as Link approached the door, Mister Penman stood in his way.
The two stared at each other for a few seconds before Mister Penman sighed. "If you wish to risk your life, then you should take this with you."
Presenting the Ghost Lantern, Mister Penman placed it in Link's hand and stood aside.
"You may now use the Poe Sisters to aid you in navigating through the Restricted Area," Mister Penman said as the Poe Sisters surrounded Link. "The red one is Joelle, the blue one's Beth, the green one's Amy, and the purple one is Meg. Say their name to summon them, otherwise you may tell them to return to the lantern."
"I appreciate you giving this to me, Mister Penman," Link said, and looked at the Poe Sisters individually. "But I'm not going to be like Fahlcon. So Poe Sisters, I release you."
A bright light flashed from the Ghost Lantern for a second, but the Poe Sisters didn't move.
"Oh, I see," Link realized. "You want to come with me. Is that it?"
"That man must be stopped," said Joelle angrily.
"He forced us to do things against our will," responded Beth.
"But you rescued us, young stranger," replied Amy giddily.
"Therefore, we are in your debt and would wish to repay you," said Meg who made a slight bow. "So it is only fair that we accompany you."
Then before Link could protest, the Poe Sisters flew into the Ghost Lantern and appeared inside as ghostly flames that swirled around the inside of the glass casing. Once this was done, Link went into the door and found himself in a dark room with the only light coming from Red, Blue, and Green Bubbles that floated around the tall bookshelves and along the high-vaulted ceiling. But as Link approached one of the bookshelves, he heard the sound of bones crunching. He held the Ghost Lantern up and saw a skeletal warrior with a sword and shield in its hand.
"Great, Stalfos," Link said holding the Master Sword in a defensive position. "Just like the ones from Ikana Valley back in Termina."
After defeating the Stalfos Link came to a bookshelf with a ladder on it. Going up the ladder, Link discovered a small treasure chest on an upper shelf. Inside, there was a small silver key. Then he noticed a metal bar that the ladder was attached to that ran along the entire length of the bookshelf. Using the Talon Clasp, Link was able to propel himself to the end of the shelf where he found another ladder which he climbed onto. This one led him all the way to the top of the shelf where a couple of Stalfos were waiting for him.
"Joelle, help me out!" Link said, holding the Ghost Lantern up.
At once, Joelle emerged from the lantern. Waving her lantern around, Joelle created a perfect circle of fire around Link. The Stalfos stopped when they touched the fire and became incinerated in a matter of seconds. Moving in a southern direction, Link found a crystal ball on a metal pedestal. Hitting it with the Master Sword, the crystal ball turned yellow and a nearby shelf moved. Curious, Link went back down the ladder and investigated the area behind the shelf. There were three Green Bubbles in the area, and so Link summoned Joelle to defend him. But when she used her fire on them, it had no effect on the Bubbles.
"To extinguish the flames on these creatures, you must use the Poe of Green Fire," Joelle said cryptically as she returned into the lantern.
Guessing what she meant, Link said, "Amy, please extinguish the fires on these Bubbles."
In response, Amy appeared from the lantern and waved her lantern side to side to send waves of green fire at the incoming Bubbles. Their green flames were immediately extinguished, allowing Link to use the Master Sword to slice them into pieces. Once they were all defeated, Link noticed a wooden door with a silver lock on it between two bookshelves along the wall that faced westward. Using the matching silver key, Link was able to unlock the door and find a room with a crystal ball inside. Once Link hit it with his sword, the crystal ball turned yellow and another shelf moved outside.
A new area was unlocked in the northern part of the library and here there were Bubbles with blue fire. Remembering what happened last time, Link asked Amy to return to the lantern while he summoned Beth in her place. Using the blue-colored fire from her lantern, Beth was able send fiery projectiles at the incoming Bubbles who immediately lost their flames and tried to flee. But Link was on them in a heartbeat and after defeating all the Bubbles a ladder became visible. Climbing it to the top, Link navigated along the tops of two connecting bookshelves until he came across another small chest with a silver key inside. Finding another ladder to climb down, Link ran toward it but was blocked by a trio of Stalfos. He took them on one at a time with Joelle providing him with a protective ring of fire until every single one of them was nothing but a pile of bones.
At the bottom of the ladder, there was another wooden door with a lock on it. Using the silver key, Link found a third crystal ball that turned yellow when he hit it with his sword. Another shelf moved thus allowing Link to access the eastern end of the library where the Bubbles were red. So he used Joelle to protect him but found that her flames didn't harm them as much as the Stalfos. Then he tried using Meg and to his surprise she encapsulated every single Bubble inside a ring of purple fire which caused them to burn up. However, each time Link used her she had to go back into the lantern to recharge her lantern whose flames lowered significantly with every attack. Soon he found another ladder and climbed up till he was on top of the shelf where a fourth crystal ball was standing. After hitting it, a shelf moved creating a path to a large golden chest. Moving his way toward the chest, Link was suddenly blocked by a trail of books that floated midair forming a menacing face with razor sharp teeth made from paper.
"What is that?" Link asked out loud.
"Bokwyrme, an evil spirit that roams in this section who can make the books come to life," answered Meg. "That man must've awakened him from his slumber in order to distract us."
"Well, let's see how tough he is," replied Link.
To be continued…