Chapter 27: Arbiter's Grounds Part 1
Not long after departing the camp where the Gerudos lived, Aveil soon led Link and his friends to an area ancient in appearance. The winds blew the sand around them as everyone shielded their eyes the best they could to keep from getting sand in there.
"Here we are, the Arbiter's Grounds, Nabooru has to be trapped in there somewhere. Please get her out of there, preferrably alive," said Aveil.
"We'll definitely see to it that we do, an again, thank you Aveil. We'll see you when we're done in here," commented Link as gave a nod to the Gerudo second-in-command and promptly started to walk into the dungeon with the others following suit after also giving Aveil a nod of assurance.
Upon entering the Arbiter's Grounds, the heroes found themselves in a dark and dank area with a only a few dilipidated torches lighting the area in front of them. Sand covered the ground in front of them and the heroes could tell that they would most likely sink in the sand if they stood idle for too long.
"As if we didn't have enough on our plate, now we have quicksand too. Oh well, no one said saving the world would be easy," stated Alex.
Without hesitance, the six heroes sprinted across the sandy path over to another part of solid ground where the doorway leading further into the depths of the old dungeon stood. Link quickly opened the door and the heroes all walked through where they saw a large steel doorway blocking further entrance as well as most of the ground being a river of sand for Link and the others to cross. Up from the depths of the sand rose several small skeletal creatures armed with crude wooden spears and the little legion immediately began its march towards Link's crew.
"Stalchildren, while their numbers may seem daunting, they really aren't much of a threat," said Link.
"I'll take care of these, you find a way to get that door open," said Zelda as she transformed into Shiek and began to plow through the Stalchildren while Link and the others soldiered forward as quickly as possible to the nearest solid ground while trying to find something that would open the massive blockade in front of them. At that moment, Ryu spotted a thick chain with a handle at the end of it.
"Something tells me that pulling that chain will open the door, however, if we want it done quickly, we'll need a lot of strength for that," said Ryu.
"Then that sounds up my alley," commented Alex as he headed over to the chain and got a firm grip on the handle before giving the chain a strong yank. Just as Ryu had said, the thick steel door began to slowly open. After making sure the door was open wide enough for all of them through, Alex released the chain and got back onto solid ground before sinking into the sand.
"That door is not gonna stay open forever, let's move now!" exclaimed Link.
"C'mon Zelda, let's make tracks now!" called out Ken to Zelda who had just finished dispatching the last of the Stalchildren.
Zelda nodded and sprinted towards the doorway and wound up leaping through at the last possible second. Not long after, the door slammed shut behind them and the six heroes descended a staircase in front of them and came across a large well decorated room with four massive torches in front of them. All of a sudden, three flames on the torches went out and three lanterns appeared out of nowhere and floated off into different areas of the dungeon as a doorway in front of the heroes slammed shut after the flames on the torches were snuffed out.
"I'm guessing we need to get those torches re-ignited in order to progress any further," remarked Chun-Li.
"I'd say so as well, I suggest we split up to get this done faster," replied Link.
"Agreed, now how should we split up?" inquired Alex.
"You come with me, I might need your muscle, Link, go with Ryu, Chun-Li and Ken should be able to handle themselves fine," suggested Zelda.
"All right then, I'm ok with those groups," commented Ryu.
"Me too, now let's find those ghosts and get those torches lit again so we can torch the boss here," added Ken.
Underneath a patch of sand was another handled chain, Alex wasted no time grabbing the chain out of the sand and giving it a strong yank. A staircase opened up that descended to a lower part of the temple. Link and Alex ran down the staircase and found themselves in a large room with a pillar while Zelda used her magic to hover her and Ryu up to the rafters where one of the lanterns flew off to and Ken and Chun-Li entered a room on the west side of the main and Ryu found themselves in a room and ran quickly across the sand, and found large block sitting in the middle of the platform they ran to. Ryu pushed the block into a nearby hole and him and Zelda climbed onto the block and ran towards a handled chain with a chandelier sitting near it. Ryu started yanking at the chain as the chandelier slowly rose off the ground.
"Don't run completely across, stop in the midle, trust me," said Zelda.
Ryu nodded as he finished pulling the chain and ran over to where Zelda was standing and as the chandelier dropped, Ryu and Zelda passed through a hole in the middle and climbed onto the chandelier and found themselves entering a hallway with numerous blocks dotted across a pit of sand.
"I'm gonna guess we're gonna have to be extremely quick to get across," commented Ryu. Zelda nodded as the changed into Shiek and the two began to quickly bound across the sand pit. Meanwhile, Link and Alex found themselves jumping down a pit and finding themselves in a circular room with a large dial going across a pole in the middle.
"What's with this thing?" asked Alex.
"We push this thing and makes the room floor rise or fall depending on the direction we push," answered Link.
"Hmm, let me give in a try," said Alex as he walked over to the dial and pushed it a couple of notches clockwise making the room rise a bit and a doorway making itself open. From out of nowhere though came a shrill scream which paralyzed Link and Alex and the two found themselves being struck by a large club. When the two rose off the ground, Link saw what hit them as skeleton wearing tattered rags carrying the club with him shambled over to the duo.
"It's a ReDead Knight!" exclaimed Link.
"So how do you propose we deal with this?" inquired Alex.
Link pulled out his bow and decided to load it with a Bomb Arrow and fired at the ReDead Knight making it stagger backwards. Link quickly fired another Bomb Arrow and the screaming skeleton fell apart and dissipated in a puff of smoke. Link and Alex entered the doorway in which they found a chest that contained a small key inside.
"I think there was a locked room at the very bottom, let's move the floor down as low as it can go," suggested Link.
In the room that Ken and Chun-Li entered, as they walked forward, a series of spikes jutted out of the floor just inches in front of their faces.
"Phew, we're gonna have to watch our step around here," gasped Chun-Li.
"This is nothing more than a minor annoyance, just means we're gonna have to move carefully," replied Ken.
Ken and Chun-Li traversed through the room making sure that they didn't hit the spikes that sprang from the ground. Upon reaching a platform, a few skulls on the ground sprouted wings and started to fly at the two. Chun-Li delivered a kick to one of the Bubbles and when it flew back, Ken fired a Hadoken as the creature making it shatter. The two repeated the process to the remaining Bubbles and continued along their path. Eventually coming to a large block that Ken pulled towards them and then went to another side and pushed the block into an indentation in the middle of the ground. Ken and Chun-Li then climbed up and saw a bridge that had a large chandelier blocking the path. Ken pulled a nearby chain which made the chandelier rise as Chun-Li ran across while the chandelier was rising. After making sure he had enough time to get across before the chandelier fell again. Ken released the chain and quickly sprinted across the bridge joining Chun-Li as the two came to a winding hallway where a series of Stalchildren rose from the ground.
"These little pests again, no problem," remarked Ken.
"Spinning Bird Kick!" yelled Chun-Li as she spun around upside down with both legs out mowing down one legion of Stalchildren.
"Tatsumakisenpuukyaku!" yelled Ken as he spun around with his leg jutting out disposing of the other part of the Stalchildren army.
As the two continued to run down the hallway, a loud scream paralyzed them both and a ReDead Knight shambled over to Ken and Chun-Li and swung his heavy club and knocked the duo on their backs. As they sprang back up, Chun-Li flipped at the ReDead Knight with her Hazanshu and Ken followed up with his Shoryuken making the flaming skeleton vanish in a puff of smoke.
"Heh, we cremated that creature," quipped Ken as the two continued to run forward and found a chest, inside was the Dungeon Map. After grabbing the map, the two continued forward into the door in front of them. In the meantime, Zelda and Ryu found themselves in a room with a large swinging spiked bar spinning around in the middle.
"Let's move as soon as the bar swings past us," said Zelda.
Zelda and Ryu quickly ran across once the spiked bar spun by them and ran directly ahead of them where they found a chest containing a small key, the locked door was to the east of them. Once the spiked bar swung by yet again. The princess and the martial artist ran towards the locked door and used the small key to open the pathway where they found a dark room with numerous lanterns adorning the circular room.
"The creature that stole the light from the torch should be around here somewhere," commented Ryu as he surveyed room. Soon they saw one of the lanterns move and the apparition known as a Poe appeared before them.
"Now how exactly are we supposed to attack a ghost?" asked Ryu.
"I'm not sure exactly, just watch for an opening though," answered Zelda.
At that moment, the Poe glowed a bright purple as he swung his flaming lantern at Ryu and Zelda and hit them both.
"He has to become tangible in order to hit us, my guess is when he prepares to swing at us, we should beat him to the attack," commented Ryu.
"I think so too, let's try your theory," said Zelda as the Poe started to glow purple again, Ryu smacked the specter with his Shoryuken. Ryu and the others sending the ghost floating backwards. The Poe floated towards Ryu and Zelda again and once more, the purple glow signified it being ready to attack, Zelda leapt up and hit the monster with a kick infused with magic that floored the Poe. A black orb with a faint purple glow around it appeared.
"I think we should destroy that," said Zelda.
"Shakunetsu!" yelled Ryu as a reddish-orange Hadoken shot forth from Ryu's palms and nailed the orb shattering it making the Poe vanish and the flame from its lantern fly off.
"That wasn't too difficult, I'm wondering if the others were able to find their respective ghost," pondered Ryu.
"We should make our way back though just to make sure," responded Zelda.
Ken and Chun-Li entered a similar dark room and found themselves overlooking a floating lantern as the Poe hovered towards them, as it glowed purple, and swung its lantern at the two who flipped back to avoid being it by the ghost.
"What do you think we should do Ken?" asked Chun-Li.
"I say we fight fire with fire," answered Ken as he dashed at the Poe once it glowed purple again and released another Shoryuken making it fly back. It slowly hovered towards the two once again.
"This thing just doesn't learn does it," commented Ken as he waited for the tell that the Poe was going to attack. Once he saw it, him and Chun-Li released and EX Kikoken and an EX Hadoken into it simultaneously making the Poe fall, once the Poe's soul became visible to them, Chun-Li ran over and used her Hyakuretsu Kyaku as her rapid fire kicks eventually shattered the orb and the Poe vanished into smoke and its lantern shattered.
"Well, that's all said and done, let's get back to the others now," suggested Chun-Li.
Ken nodded as him and Chun-Li left the dark room. Link and Alex also entered a circular room that was very dark and adorned with suits of old armor. The Poe hovered out from one of the suits and swung its lantern at Alex who parried the attack and countered with his Flash Chop as Link did a vertical Spin Attack to the creature making it stagger back. The Poe floated away and the two fighters gave chase, as the Poe glowed purple again, Alex rushed forward and struck the Poe with his Slash Elbow making the Poe fall to the ground with its soul exposed. Link brandished his Megaton Hammer and promptly smashed the Poe's soul and like its bretheren, it vanished in smoke as the flame from its lantern flew off.
"Not much of a workout there," said Alex.
"Well, let's head back now," added Link as he opened a nearby treasure chest containing the Compass.
Eventually, all six heroes met up again as the torches all lit up yet again and the doorway leading further into the Arbiter's Grounds opened up.
"It's only going to get more difficult from here, but at least the ghost hunt is over," remarked Link.
"Agreed, now let's make tracks," added Ryu.
With that, the six heroes found themselves in a large circular room with hole in the shape of a gear in the middle, the only way that looked open to them was to the west, so logically, they entered the door and found themselves in a room overlooking a large pit.
"Nowhere to go but down," stated Alex.
The other five nodded in agreement as they all leapt down the chasm and found themselves surrounded by Bubbles once again, only this time, they were surrounded by fire as the flying skulls dove at the heroes who all leapt out of the way. Link shot an arrow at the flaming Bubble as Alex follwed up with his Air Stampede which shattered the skull. After disposing of the remaining Fire Bubbles in a similar fashion, Link and the others entered a nearby door where three skeletons rose up from the ground and each of them were brandishing dual swords and began to walk towards the six heroes.
"Great, Stalfos once again, well let's get this over with now," said Link as he drew his sword and took a swing which the Stalfos parried with his own sword and then slashed at the heroes.
"These skeletons aren't stupid, it looks like they're going to deflect our attacks with their swords," commented Chun-Li.
"Indeed, watch where their swords are positioned and strike the opening," added Link.
One Stalfos swung at Zelda who shielded herself with Nayru's Love and took a swing at a Stalfos who quickly parried her attack with his blade as Alex took the opportunity to grab the skeletal knight and Power Bomb it. Chun-Li and Ken then delivered simultaneous kicks to another which stuck its blades up to block the attack and then let out a roar in which Ken took the opportunity to Shoryuken the Stalfos flooring the creature. Link rolled a bomb at the third Stalfos and the ensuing explosion made the bony creature's arms fall off and Ryu nailed the armless Stalfos with a Hadoken as it gathered its limbs. After a while of waiting and timing their attacks, the trio of Stalfos soon met its end. All of a sudden though the sounds of chains snapping was heard and as Link and the others looked up, they saw cages falling towards them. Link rolled out of the way, however the others were trapped inside.
"Link, go on ahead and see what's in the next room, we'll catch up to you," said Ryu.
"Are you sure of that," said Link.
"Yeah, we'll find our way out," answered Alex.
Link hesitantly walked through the door in front of him, and found himself surrounded by a pit of sand. The ground started to shake and from underneath the sand sprang up a large sandworm with a large mouth and a giant blue tongue.
"Molgera!" gasped Link.
Link started to look around his surroundings. As the ground started to shake again, he ran from his spot as Molgera popped its head out of the sand, its tongue hanging out. Link quickly took out his Clawshot and fired at the tongue pulling the long blue body part towards Link who began to slash frantically at the tongue with his sword. Eventually Molgera retreated back into the sand after spitting out a few younglings who began to slither towards Link and one leapt at him in an attempt to bite him. Link rolled out of the way and grabbed the youngling with his Clawshot and slashed it making the small sandworm vanish. However, Link soon found himself enveloped by the mouth of Molgera who tried to swallow the Hylian hero, Link stabbed at the creature's mouth, making Molgera spit him out.
"Disgusting, I don't intend to be this monster's dinner," grumbled Link.
As the ground rumbled yet again, Link ran quickly as Molgera popped out again, Link fired out his Clawshot grabbing Molgera's tongue and began to promptly slash it yet again. Again after a series of slashes. Molgera spat out more younglings and retreated into the sand. One of the young sandworms leapt up and bit Link who winced before latching onto the youngling with his Clawshot before dispatching of it with his sword. Molgera rose out of the sand again and began to fly around and starting spitting out even more younglings before descending back into the sand.
"This creature intends to keep me busy with its young in an effort to try and ingest me, I won't let that happen," commented Link.
Link weaved away from Molgera's young, dispatching them whenever necessary. As the ground rumbled again, Link moved again from where he was standing as Molgera's head arose from the sand yet again. Dodging the bite attempt of yet another youngling. Link latched onto Molgera's tongue with his Clawshot once again and began to frantically slash the tongue until all of the sudded all the younglings dropped dead as Molgera flew into the air screaming hoarsely before its body began to dry out and it exploded into sand. A treasure chest appeared in the center of the room. Also, Zelda and the others walked into the room at this time.
"Looks you handled a monster without us again, and we weren't even poisoned this time," remarked Chun-Li.
"How did you get out of the cages?" asked Link.
"The Titan's Gloves finallly came in handy," said Alex as he pointed to his hands indicating he was wearing the gloves Tom had given him.
"Anyways, let's see what we got for your troubles," stated Ken.
Link opened the treasure chest and inside was a gear shaped object with sharp metal on the teeth and seemed large enough for someone to ride on.
"We got the Spinner, this should definitely help us with navigating the remainder of this dungeon," said Link.
"Then let's continue onwards, we want to make sure we get Nabooru out of here alive," suggested Ryu.
With that, the six left the room and resumed their exploration of the Arbiter's Grounds.
Author's Note: I've been suffering a writer's block as of late and work and school have been quite hectic as well. I'm glad I finally got over my writer's block though and am glad to bring you a new chapter now. I got Skyward Sword back at launch. It's now my favorite Zelda game even surpassing A Link to the Past. I do plan to implement things from that game into this fic too. I also want to get that Hyrule Historia artbook that's out in Japan too, but since I can't read Japanese, I'll have to wait until an official US release, get to it Nintendo! Anyways, I'm off to work on the next chapter, I promise you won't have to wait that long for the next update. Until then though, please read and review.