Chapter 33: Finding the REAL sanctuary
"…ink… Link? Link?! Wake up!" A female voice said.
Link groaned as he woke up, his movements shaky, but stable as he got up.
"Uuuuhhh… what happened?!" He asked.
"You and Saria made a nasty fall from the exit of that temple, are you alright?" The female voice asked.
Upon looking up, Link came face to face with a deeply concerned Zelda, while Ruto and Nabooru were treating a similarly recovering Saria. Impa, Darunia and Rauru were also present, having another Red Potion available which they had bought from another Business Scrub who was at the far side of the area itself, which they gave to the two as soon as they had recovered. This in effect relieved Link and Saria of their headache as the red potion once again proved its usefulness.
"Thank you." Link said.
"That was… quite a ride." Saria said.
"I'll say. I'd rather sit on a horse; at least horses can stop and/or go slow/fast according to our wishes…" Zelda said.
"Well, at least we've made it in one piece so far, that's what counts." Link said, now sitting upright as he felt his strength returning because of the Red Potion he drank.
"That much is certain." Nabooru said.
"What's with the blood out here?" Link then asked, blinking at the red patches on the spots where he and Saria landed.
"Both you and Saria broke your noses when you landed on the floor. We had to reset the bones and had to give you the Red Potion in order to make it heal more rapidly." Rauru said.
Blinking, Link briefly touched his nose lightly, wincing at the touch.
"Just leave it alone; the swelling and all should recede shortly and your nose will be as if it hadn't been touched." Impa said with a soothing tone.
Link smiled at this.
"Thanks, Impa." He said, before chuckling a bit at the indent that he and Saria made in the grass because of their landing, making it apparent he was taking it in a good light.
"Talk about leaving an impression." He said, causing Saria on her turn to nearly choke on a sip of water she was drinking, making Nabooru pat her back as Saria herself laughed and coughed altogether.
Impa smiled, while Zelda went towards Link to sit next to him, smiling as she felt quite relieved.
"So, where are we?" Saria asked after she had calmed down.
"From what we can see, we're on a grassy path at some distance above the area of where we entered the temple." Nabooru said.
"So, that was it?" Link asked.
"Pretty much, although we still haven't explored the other side of the lava river yet…" Rauru said.
"There's only one thing left for us to do here then." Saria said as she got up, helping Link up right after that, smiling.
Link smiled back, accepting the help before readjusting his gear. Once that was done, he approached the edge of the cliff he was on and carefully hopped down at an angle, rolling forward once he landed to prevent damage. Once on the ground, he caught Saria in his arms as she hopped down, before repeating this with Zelda and Ruto, while the adults were able to jump down themselves. Once that was done, Link used his new cane to generate once more a platform on top of the lava so the group could travel onward, this time in the other direction.
Once they were on the platform and were on their way down the lava river, the group noticed that everything else had remained in place after they had cleared it, so it was for the rest void of enemies along the way. That is, until they went further down the river and were confronted by a few Corrupted Arrow Soldiers, the archers of the Corrupted Soldiers variation, which began to fire at the group with their bow and arrows. Darunia's rock hard backside proved vital as a cover, while Saria and Zelda took out the Corrupted Soldiers, although they had to look away as one of those soldiers fell into the lava, never to be seen again. Link had been moving the platform to a metal platform to give the others a more stable ground to retaliate from. Once the Corrupted Soldiers were dealt with, the group climbed on top of the metal platform, heading through a short tunnel and ending up at a path with the lava river below them; upon moving to where the Corrupted Soldiers stood they discovered that the lava river went around that area as they discovered a chest with some additional ammunition for arrows and Deku Seeds, while also containing a few bows big enough for Saria and Ruto to handle, much to their delight. Moving back down the metal path, they moved on over some metal platform to reach a crevice in a stone wall at the end of the lava river, a path leading into a dark room with stone pillars and a single lone tree present. In that area, there was no lava around, which initially brought relief to the group…
…but their relief was short-lived, because once they arrived, they could already hear the distinct moaning sound of ReDeads nearby, coupled with the unmistakable trotting sound from patrolling Floormasters.
"Why them?!" Link and Zelda groaned as they spotted one of the Floormasters around the tree…
"Relax, this time they're visible to us so we should be able to take care of them sooner…" Impa said in a comforting tone, understanding why those demonic, severed, sentient hands agitated both the hero and the princess.
"Thank you." Both children said, before Link used the Sun's Song to first paralyze the ReDeads, allowing the group to focus on the Floormasters first.
"Let's go in pairs again, so we can also watch each other's backs in case either a tiny Floormaster or even a Wallmaster tries anything funny." Link said.
The others nodded, before moving to engage their hated enemies. The large Floormasters were easily taken care of, which left only the smaller ones which tried to first run away before boldly charging at the group. While the group focused more on the Floormasters, Link played the Sun's Song again to freeze the ReDeads again so the group could take them out without much trouble, having intercepted so far a total of THREE Wallmasters in the room so far. Link and Zelda in particular took delight in taking out the hands that dropped from above, as it had been the bane of their travels so far… Saria on her turn intercepted a tiny Floormaster which targeted Nabooru, while Nabooru on her turn took out another Wallmaster whom tried to ambush the Forest Sage in turn. Rauru used his Light-based spells to instantly decimate any Floormaster in his path, the few ReDeads that were in the way of his attacks were also taken out instantly, while Link kept playing the Sun's Song just to be sure the ReDeads remain frozen to prevent them from getting in the way.
After a few minutes, the last of the Floormasters was finally taken down, allowing the group to concentrate on the remaining ReDeads, as some of them were actually together in small groups of four. While scouting the area itself, the group also were on the lookout for any remaining Wallmasters that could be dwelling in the area, but to their relief, they found none. Once the ReDeads were slain, the group were able to catch their breath for a moment, before they could proceed onward to the ledge that Link saw, using the new cane he had in his possession to create an actual block which he, Zelda and Saria pushed towards the ledge and put it into its place. Once that was done, the group climbed one after the other on the platform and onto the ledge, taking out a last Skulltula along the way, before finding themselves outside again on a path in the open. The sight of the vast forest between Hyrule and Termina could be clearly seen in the far distance and the sky being a glowing blue. The area around them felt it was completely at peace, no single enemy in sight… and the fresh air was quite a relief from the excruciating heat they had experienced while traveling over the lava. The path itself also had patches of green grass ahead, where plants and bushes were growing as if a small portion of the forest had been able to reach the path there.
"Well, it looks like we took out the outpost itself…" Impa said.
"Yeah, you'd think our two enemies could be smarter than this…" Ruto said.
"You'll never know with those two. I honestly feel much more at peace when they've been properly dealt with." Zelda said.
"I think we all share your opinion on that, Zel. It's just not easy to get to them as it is right now…" Link said, with Zelda blushing at hearing Link's affectionate nickname for her.
Deciding to enjoy the fresh air, the group stopped to rest for a bit, allowing themselves to relax and let their bodies calm down in a way as well… Both Link and Zelda stretched a bit, popping their necks a little before sitting down on the stone path to rest, with Saria sitting on Link's other side, while Ruto sat in front of them. Nabooru smirked.
"My, my, Link. I never thought you'd become quite the womanizer throughout your adventure…" She said.
"Huh?" Link asked, blinking.
"Face it, you've got three girls sitting near you and I've seen that Romani of the Romani Ranch was deeply worried about you as well when Zelda and you were out cold back then." She said.
Link's eyes went wide at this.
"But… but why would they be… interested in me?" Link then blurted out, "I… I mean, sure the girls I've associated in my life so far are really good looking, no doubt about that, but why me?"
Nabooru giggled as Link was oblivious to a furious blush having crept on the faces of Saria, Zelda and Ruto altogether.
"Do you want to know the reason?" She then asked.
"Yeah, I'd love to know." Link said.
"It's simple; it's because of your heart."
"My heart?"
"Yep. The fact that you simply do what you believe is right to help the people out, you don't boast about your capabilities or you don't show them off like most macho men tend to do around town as well as your courageous demeanor and spirit make you well-liked by the girls." The Gerudo leader said.
Now it was Link's turn to blush, looking nervously at Saria, Zelda and Ruto, only to see them smile sweetly at him.
"Besides, the girls aren't the only ones… Navi and Tatl worried about you as well…" Nabooru then said.
"H – h – hey, I am only trying to m – make the situation less stressed… it's – it's n – not I actually c – care about him…" Tatl furiously responded.
"Oh yeah? That blush on your face is telling me otherwise, sis." Tael said.
"Oh, s – s – shut up, Tael."
A few minutes later, the group got back up again, having rested well enough in order to proceed. Both Link and Zelda walked next to each other along the path, with Saria and Ruto behind them. Nabooru and Impa walked behind Saria and Ruto and behind them were Rauru and Darunia.
"Hmmm, this is getting a bit suspicious…" Link then said.
"What makes you say that?" Zelda asked, confused.
"It's too quiet out here." Link said.
"I see your point. It's like you're actually expecting something to happen."
"Yeah. I'm sorry to sound paranoid, but it's just how my past adventures have been."
"We don't blame you, kid. Considering what you have been through, it would have left a mark anyhow. Besides, we're all together in this and, given our past encounters, anyone of us would feel the same." Nabooru said.
"Indeed; everyone of us here had to grow up quicker than expected due to the memories of the Future That Almost Was having been added to us." Saria said.
"That is something that actually surprises me, I thought that I alone would have that knowledge passed on to me…" Link said.
"Time travel isn't exactly a run-off-the-mill thing. I believe that our counterparts there must have transferred the knowledge they had at the time to us the moment you would be sent back in this time after Ganondorf's defeat. This in turn would explain why we initially suspected that Ganondorf was up to no good at first; your warning to me simply confirmed this suspicion and allowed us to act accordingly." Zelda said.
Link nodded at this, seeing the logic behind her reasoning.
"At least it allowed us to catch Ganondorf by surprise at that time, but to see him taking the Triforce of Power with him once we sealed him away here as he attacked us after his lies were exposed…" Impa said.
"The only thing that we must do is to take that Triforce piece from him so we can restore the Triforce itself and bring peace and prosperity back to Hyrule before we end him. If he relies on the Triforce of Power so much, it will critically weaken him once we take it away. That way we can ensure he will NEVER come back." Rauru said.
"Right. Once we have gained the extra power we need, we should be able to take them down, once and for all. That way Hyrule and Termina will be safe once more." Link said, eager to defeat the menaces once and for all.
"That's the spirit! We shouldn't dwell in the past and let bad memories get to us; we need to focus on the now." Zelda said, smiling at seeing Link in high spirits again.
For a few minutes, the group continued along the path, coming closer to the edge of the cliff that showed the forest in full view. But as they went on, they noticed several broken or turned over stone pillars along the path.
"Well, looks like those fiends made a mess out of this place." Link said, carefully climbing on a pillar to move over it and gently land on the path so they could continue on their way.
"Yeah. Why would they even do something like this out here?" Saria asked, following after Link along with Zelda and Ruto.
"They obviously want to obstruct our progress this way." The Zora princess replied.
"I see your point, but to do it so obviously out here like that…" Zelda said, scratching the back of her head as she moved next to Link, who seemed rather cautious now as he walked over an obvious crack in the path itself…
Saria could have sworn she felt the path shake a bit, causing her to shiver as she walked to Link's other side, with Ruto behind her. Nabooru and Impa looked around the area, while Rauru got off from the pillar and onto the same path as the others.
Just as Darunia stepped on the path however, a large snap resonated through the area.
"What was that?!" Ruto asked.
Right before any of the others could answer, the path on which the group stood on began to sport more cracks.
"Oh no… RUN!" Impa shouted.
Just as Link wanted to run to safety, one of his feet fell through a crack, causing Link to lose his balance and land on the ground, causing the stone he landed on to break completely, falling down a hole which it previously had covered, causing Link to scream in terror as he grabbed the edge of the nearest piece of stone, trying to pull himself up, only for that piece to break as well, causing Link to lose his grip and fell down the hole, causing him to land on a lower ground with a *THUD*. This time however, Link remained fully conscious, although he was dazed from the impact. Saria and Zelda soon fell through similar holes as more parts of the stone cover broke off, eventually taking the other Sages with it as well, each of them landing on a stone pathway where Link landed on previously, with Saria and Zelda helping him up.
"One of these days I'm REALLY going to fall apart if this keeps up." Link said.
"You're not the only one who thinks like that…" Zelda said.
"But wait, are we underground now?!" Saria asked.
"It looks like it. It's like a cavern out here with lava all around us as well as a path we obviously have to go over to get out of here." Impa said.
"Strange, this part reminds me of the temple we've been in about an hour ago, but there's no way we could be all the way back there…" Nabooru said.
"The only differences are those stalactites and the apparent stairway thing out here…" Ruto said.
"Well, looks like we have no other choice but to move on in here." Darunia said, while Link already begun with shooting the stalactites down to create makeshift platforms for the group, hopping over to them to where the staircase was that led to a familiar bridge, before moving to platforms in the center tunnel area, moving to a pathway that had yet another Fire Spouting Statue in the wall to the right. Waiting for the flame to go out, Link moved on towards another stalactite, with the Sages following close behind him as they journeyed onward through the hottest region of their world. A bigger stalactite was shot down which the entire group could stand on, which carried them over the lava towards a bridge which the group climbed on, shooting down two pillars through its connecting Crystal Switches to make a makeshift path that led towards a net spanning over the ceiling area, this time having rotating Fire Spouting Statues in the center of that net. Sighing, Link jumped up and grabbed the net, gradually making his way to the right while studying the pattern of the Fire Spouting Statue, getting the pattern of the flames down and making sure he was between the fire streams without being hit. Once he made it safely to the other side, Link let go of the net and landed on a stone bridge spanning the room right below, shooting at another Crystal Switch that brought a third pillar down while he waited for the others to arrive. Once the Sages had joined him, Link moved on over the now-downed pillar, before making his way up into a small room, where he spotted a grating in the ceiling.
"Let's see how this works…" Link said as he took out his new Clawshot, which he fired towards it, the claw snagging the grating and allowing Link to shoot forward and hanging on the grating through the Clawshot itself. He carefully lowered the chain until he spotted a target for the hookshot, firing it on the hookshot and it took him towards a new platform, the Clawshot letting go and retracting back into its gun safely. The others all followed this example, although Darunia instead took a few steps behind and used a charged Goron Roll to propel himself to where the others were.
Once they had gathered once more on a pathway, Zelda shot down several stalactites to make a makeshift path, while Saria shot down a 4th pillar with the same crystal on it to make it easier for the group to pass over to a more solid path. This led them upward to a floating platform containing a cage, which released fairies after Link and Saria broke it, much to Navi, Tatl and Tael's surprise. The three fairies on their turn had remained silent and/or sought a hiding place to escape the heat while following the group. The group itself then hopped on another platform that was floating on the lava, which took them over a vast lava pool while on the way the group avoided two more Fire Spouting Statues.
"Wow, I never knew this place was so complex… it really is like a labyrinth." Link said as the group moved along.
"Indeed. The worst thing is that there's no map around, so we have no idea where we're going." Zelda said, nodding as the group approached three stone platforms.
"Oh, low bridge!" Impa said.
Timing their jumps carefully, the group got on the platforms and hopped back on the floating one before they would miss it and become trapped. Link also shot down more of the Stalactites after they went over the final platform, the four stalactites total giving the group a path towards a staircase.
"Oh man… any deeper and we may reach the planet's core…" Ruto said.
"That would be a bit too deep, but I see what you mean…" Impa said, before the group moved on the staircase and entered the open, dark hallway, right before they went on a slope, but this time they were more prepared and maintained balance as they slid down the path along the way…
The group slid down the path and entered a very large and wide lava room, with a path going in a reversed 'S' pattern and two flame-spouting statures which rotated in a counter-clockwise direction, meaning that the group had to jump over the flames to avoid them. Moving along the path as best as they could, they jumped over the flames before hopping over the gaps between the smaller platforms, before climbing a ladder to a higher floor of the room, using the Hook- and Clawshot targets to take them to the different platforms that were present.
"Is it me, or are we going in a U-turn here?" Saria asked.
"We are going in such a turn, kid," Nabooru said, seeing a large chasm at the far side of the room they were headed to, "Whoever designed this must have been quite inventive. I never thought that someone would even be able to make something this big."
"I think I may need a word with the Goron Elder in Snowhead. If this is supposed to be a mining facility, it definitely lacks maintenance with the broken paths and everything, provided he knows about this in the first place." Darunia said.
"Do you think this place could have been here for a long time?" Rauru asked.
"I consider that a decent possibility, seeing the state of the area itself as a whole…" Darunia replied.
Eventually landing at the platform at the edge of the chasm, Link first moved to feel the platform, feeling his hand easily sliding over it.
"The path is slippery… and considering how wide this path is, this could be risky…" He said, getting back up.
"But this is the only way we can go on, right?" Ruto asked.
"It is. I suggest we go in turns and wait several seconds between each other before we go. That way we won't run the risk of bumping into each other along the way." Link said.
"Good idea. It gives us room to react accordingly in case one of us messes up or slows down…" Darunia said.
"Alright, let's see where this heads to…" Link said as he went in first, mostly to keep his friends safe by scouting the area for them as he hopped from the platform, landing on the slope which caused him to slide down along the way, automatically hopping from platform to platform once he reached the edges.
"Whoa! This goes quite fast- what the- ?!" Link then said, right before he slid right on top of another legged Bombchu, which instantly took off with him on it.
"Ah crud, not this again?!" Link exclaimed as he was headed right for a looping when the Bombchu took off, the Bombchu making it safely through the looping.
"Whew, for a moment I thought that was going to- OH FOR THE LOVE OF FARORE!" Link then exclaimed as he went onward, heading straight for a SECOND looping as he went on, also making it safely, before he went towards a door.
Link jumped off the Bombchu before it collided with the door, blasting it open in turn, which in turn allowed Link to pass through the door, before he sat down in a safer part of the room where he waited for the others. It took about two minutes before the group was reunited again, each of them having been riding a legged Bombchu in turn, having done their best to stay on the track of where Link had gone to.
"Well, at least we made it through here safely…" Ruto said after the group calmed down.
"Yep, now it's only up to us to continue on this trip… I wonder if we'll be reaching the exit anytime soon…" Saria said.
"Only one way to find out." Link said, hopping down the hole, with the others following him.