Being suddenly attacked by a giant lava-filled rock is not the kinda thing that's gonna leave you firing on all thrusters immediately afterwards, even if you're me. The... thing finished its screeching roar, the remains of the rock heated up turning bright red, and then it started running for me – despite having no eye to see with. I backed up the same slope it had come down, trying to think of something aloud.
"Ok, think," I told myself. "Boss monster thing, covered in hot rocks. What'd we get here? Bombs. Bombs anywhere we want. But what're they gonna do? Only one way to find out, and maybe before I run outta room might be a good idea."
I wasn't paying so much attention to how much further I could back up, but I was certain there was bound to be an edge somewhere behind me. I wasn't planning on falling off it. As the molten rock carried on after me on its six legs, I lobbed a bomb toward it, hoping that either the lava would set it off, or it would detonate somewhere useful.
It bounced once on a rock, twice on a neighbour, then the third time right into a patch of lava where it exploded, the thing rocking back from it. The legs snapped back inside leaving it to roll back down to the base. It almost hit the wall again, but the legs shot out again to stop it, and it roared back at me again.
With sudden inspiration (You know who again probably) I threw a bomb into its gaping maw in mid-roar. The mouth shut quickly, then the entire thing started convulsing as if trying to spit it out. The bomb exploded, several rocks fell off, and an eye appeared to one side. As soon as it saw me, it moved on the lava to find a more sheltered spot.
I could have gone after it. I was probably supposed to go after it. But I had other ideas. I moved out of the eye's sight, scrambling up on top of it, and there I started pulling off and throwing away the various rock fragments that still gave it a kind of shell. It must have been aware of something I was doing, because at one point the eye appeared and looked at me – only to get punched. You can't tell me that isn't gonna hurt!
It recoiled, threatening to throw me off, but I held firm with one fist dug solidly into a remaining rock, still tearing off others with my free hand. It heated up again as it prepared to charge back up the slope, and I had only moments to get free before it reached searing temperatures, run up ahead of it, turn and get another bomb thrown for it to send it rolling back down again.
It stopped itself from hitting the wall at the end again, and also tried to roar – no, not roar I realised, the air was rushing toward it, not away from it. It was drawing in air for some reason – so I added another bomb. Again, it lay stunned with the eye present. More rocks were torn off, from the sides now as the top was completely free of them.
This time I didn't get off in time when it heated up. My clothes caught fire in several places and the metal guards of my gauntlets were definitely making them feel uncomfortable. I needed to end this before I did myself some serious harm.
Once I put myself out I kept up my assault, though instead of hurling rocks off I started attacking the eye now, not wanting to risk being set on fire again. After a few more rounds it appeared to learn slightly, coming up with new tactics. Now when it ran up the slope, it extended the legs fully, allowing it to easily walk right over me. Of course, all I had to do was stand in the middle of the slope to avoid the lava legs, and when it passed overhead I took a chance and tore off a few more rocks, just for good measure.
When it reached the top it withdrew the legs and deliberately rolled right back down again, apparently trying to crush me. The slope wasn't wide enough to dodge that so easily. I'd ripped so many rocks off the side, I'd be risking exposed lava engulfing me on its way past.
The only option I had was risky, and as you'll hear in a bit, definitely upset Link more than a bit – I jumped off. There was lava below, I knew that. But this black stone slope had to be fairly thick to withstand all this and not even crack. So I jumped off between two of the spiky things, holding on with only my fingers as the rock was too tough to dig into normally.
I waited until I judged it had just gone past, then heaved myself back up into view just in time to see it slam into the wall at the bottom. Only a few rocks remained now, the eye had nowhere to hide, and I'd been set on fire and was getting impatient. This time I charged, not even bothering to draw my sword to assault the eye.
It tried again with the same idea, run up and roll down. I went off the other side this time in case it had seen what I did before and tried to toast my fingers. When it hit the wall at the bottom list time, only one rock was left.
I'd stayed lower on the slope this time, so I had no need to run for it. I ripped that rock off, then instead of punching it, I started beating it up with the rock instead. Finally, it started back, jerking uncontrollably and screaming all the while, but the lava was darkening, solidifying. It thrashed about as much as it could before the cooling lava froze it in place, and then it shattered. Only a few suspiciously diamond-shaped fragments attested to any influence from Ghirahim.
The sight of the heart crystal that appeared afterwards was definitely a welcome sight. My tunic and leggings had tears and holes burned in them, I'd suffered a few burns myself, I was definitely feeling worse for wear myself, and even if there was nothing else to fight, I wasn't going anywhere without that crystal repairing and restoring everything. Even then I took a few minutes to recover before I started up the slope one last time, to where another golden door awaited me.
Behind that door was almost identical to the rear of the first Temple. Stone pillars, stone paths, stone steps leading up to another area, even water running in the area. But the biggest difference was the sound of someone playing a lyre. I knew it was a lyre because I'd heard the exact tune being played on it. Zelda had been practising it back in Skyloft before all this had started.
The figure I'd seen outside, the one who'd made a bridge extend for me, was at the top of the steps, just off to one side. The radiant blonde hair of Zelda, now wearing white, was centre stage with her tune. When it broke off a light rose gently before them. Impa said something too quiet to hear over the water, gesturing to the light. Zelda almost entered it, but paused – turned, and saw me. After a moment, so too did Impa.
I started for her, and she also headed for the steps to meet me, but Impa intervened.
"You cannot go to him, your Grace," she told Zelda firmly. "Remember what we discussed. Restrain yourself. Focus on the task at hand."
"But at least..." she said, leaving it hanging. Impa's expression remained impassive, but after a moment she relented and nodded.
"I have to go, Knuckles. I can't stay. But... it was good to see you again. Impa... might explain," she told me. Without another word, she turned away and headed into the light. Within moments, she'd gone. Impa sighed, then turned to me with a harder expression.
"You took your time getting here, Echidna. I can see why the Goddess chose you, but I wonder if you are truly the one who should have been chosen. You will have to do better if you wish to defend her Grace."
I refused to rise to that bait. Normally I would have let it rile me up, but not this time. This time I needed to know more, so I asked, "Why call her that? She's always been just Zelda. You and that Demon... you both call her that. Why?"
"You need not be concerned with that at this time. However... if you wish to prove yourself – in my eyes more than hers – if you wish to prove that you can be of help to her Grace, you must summon up your courage and face the trials that have been laid in store for you."
"More trials? I should have known these two Temples weren't going to be the end of it. Catching up with her was just too good to last."
"Last? If you had not been here so late, you would not be in this situation!" That remark stung.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" I burst out angrily. "Next time I'll just ignore all those people who needed my help, right? I won't help a mother find her daughter, or help a demon that doesn't want to be a demon! I won't bother going around doing good things! I'll just be a selfish Hero, only out to do one thing without a care for anything else – and then what would Zelda think of me?!"
Impa's expression did not change. Instead, she simply made a cryptic statement: "Perhaps they were right about you, Echidna. Go. Face the trials. Only when you have conquered them will you be able to be of any use to Zelda."
I just stared. It's not often anyone shrugs off one of my outbursts without even turning a hair. Impa watched for a moment, then she too turned and walked into the light. After she had also vanished, the light faded away, and behind it I saw a carving similar to the one at the first Temple. Perhaps a third stone tablet would be given to me here, to add to, if not complete, the map in the Statue of the Goddess.
It took me a few moments to get my thoughts in some semblance of order. I'd caught up with Zelda, then stopped from meeting her. I'd been casually accused of being late and of no use to her, and my outburst had been almost completely ignored.
I set one thing firmly straight with myself though. I was not going to let Impa tell me to stop going around, helping people, helping Batreaux, or anyone else. If she didn't like it, that was too bad. They needed help, and they weren't getting it from anyone else. What kind of Hero would I have been if I'd ignore that?
Once I'd sorted myself out, I went up ahead to where they'd been and delivered another Skyward Strike, lighting up the Lofting emblem. Again Fi appeared and informed me there was a message left for me in the language of old gods.
Once again skating on the surface of the water, she musically translated the message. Again, I'll spare you the details – I'm not an expert on dancing – but the message went something like this, if I remember it right.
"From the edge of time I guide you, the one destined to carry out the goddess's mission. The spirit maiden who descended from the clouds has passed through the Earth Spring and makes her way to a fated place. The parched desert of Lanayru is the place where the chosen will pass through the Gate of Time into a distant world."
At that point I absently thought I'd already done that in coming here, just without the whole 'Gate of Time' part.
Fi had no more to translate however. She went to one side as a stone tablet appeared and descended to my hands, easily the largest of the three and by its shape definitely the last one. Only after I took it did Fi speak again.
"Master Knuckles, it appears Zelda has cleansed herself in the waters of this fountain," she informed me.
"Yeah, I gathered that. And you're about to tell me that based on that message, she's gone to Lanayru."
"That is the most probable case, Master," she affirmed. "We should return at once to Skyloft to cause the next light signal to appear so we may know where to descend."
"Fi," I said as she prepared to disappear. "What Impa said. About being late. I did a lot of things up in Skyloft, and I haven't exactly been hurrying. Do you think..."
"I think you should continue to do what you believe is right, Master Knuckles. Based on what has happened thus far, there are high probabilities that your actions involving others will aid you further in your own quest, and prepare you better for what you will face."
"You're not just saying that because you think it's what I want to hear?"
"I can only impart my own thoughts on the matter, but as a creation of the Goddess, it is highly probable that I am in some way influenced by her. Perhaps it is her design that you continue this work. I am unable to comment further, Master. We should set out at once."