Chapter 8: Dry Dry Lanayru
A soft snore escaped from Link as he slept soundly in his bed. This moment of peace was halted as a loud chime echoed through the room. Link groaned as he rolled to his side with his back facing the sword. The chime continued to go on no matter how hard Link tried to ignore it. Repeatedly. After several minutes he finally broke through.
"Alright, alright! I'm up!"
"Good morning, Master Link," Fi greeted him. "I sense that you slept well. The potion that you had Master Fledge acquire seems to have helped with your sleeping."
Link stretched his arms as he let out a yawn. "I don't feel drowsy, that's for sure. I think that's the best sleep I've had in weeks. But did you have to be so loud?"
"Master, as I recall, you wanted me to wake you up after sunrise, specifically seven o'clock, by any means necessary so that you and the others may get an early start for Lanayru."
"Right...Forgot about that…Hey, Fledge, you up yet?"
"I was awake after the tenth chime, but thank you!" Fledge's voice echoed from the other side of the divider.
"Good to hear, buddy!" Link turns to Fi. "Are you able to go to Karane and Pipit?"
"As long as the sword remains on Skyloft, I can go as far as the island's edges."
"Make sure they're awake and tell them to be at Skyloft Plaza by eight o'clock, or we're going without them."
"Understood, Master. I will proceed to deliver your message to them at once."
Fi hovered out of Link's room. The sword spirit honed her senses for Karane's location. She identified her aura from the upper level of the academy. She floated through the ceiling, bringing her to another hallway. Fi drifted past the doors until she found the one that led to Karane's room. There she found the young woman asleep in her bed.
"Master Karane, you must get up."
"Not now, Pipit...It's too early...We can have fun later...Okay, maybe a little..." Karane mumbled in her sleep.
Fi contemplates how to arouse Karane from her slumber. She used the same method to enter Link's dreams to relay her message. She lifted one of her shawl arms over Karane's head. After several minutes Karane darted upward and let out a small yelp.
"Good morning, Master Karane," Fi greeted her nonchalantly. "Master Link has sent me to ensure you're awake and that he wants you to meet him and everyone at the Plaza by eight o'clock."
"Right…" Karane squeaked. "Did you have to go in my head?"
"When you did not wake up when I spoke to you, I had to resort to other methods. I apologize if I cause any distress."
"It's okay. Just wish you didn't see my...dream."
"I will not cast any judgment. It is normal for young women your age to often dream about expressing their romantic urges, and sometimes even se-"
"You don't need to say it! Just promise me you won't do it again." Karane cut off the spirit as her face flushed red.
"Understood. I will not resort to such methods unless necessary."
"And...please don't tell Pipit or any of the guys about this."
"I had no intention of doing so unless you commanded me to."
"Thanks. Let's pretend this didn't happen."
"Very well. I will leave you to get ready."
The sword spirit floated out of the room. Karane massaged her head as she still sat on her bed. On the one hand, she was annoyed at Fi for invading her head like that. On the other, she understood that the sword spirit was simply following her duty. At least Karane could commend her for her dedication to obeying orders. Though she wished it didn't have to resort to that.
"I need some water..."
Mallara gently hummed to herself as she prepared breakfast for her and Pipit. Her son was getting an early start on the search for Zelda, so she wanted to be sure he'll have a full belly to fuel him. A loud chime echoed through the room as she was prepping her ingredients. The woman found herself staring into the eyes of a floating, blue, humanoid woman.
"SWEET FARORE, NAYRU, DIN, AND HYLIA!" Mallara shrieked as she dropped the bowl she was holding, which shattered into many pieces.
A loud thump echoed through the walls before a door slammed open. Out came Pipit, still dressed in pajamas, with a sword in his hands. "What's wrong, Mom!? Are you okay?! Is someone here?!" Pipit darted his eyes around the little house until they found them on the blue woman. His demeanor quickly relaxed. "Oh, hey Fi. What are you doing here?"
"Good morning, Master Pipit. Master Link had sent me to make sure that you're awake to be sure to meet him and everyone at-."
"The Plaza. Eight o'clock. I know." Pipit finished for her.
"Uh…" Mallara stood baffled at the woman and the casual conversation. Pipit noticed his mother's distress and tried to ease the tension.
"I don't think I ever introduced you to my mother, Fi. This is-"
"Your name is Mallara," Fi spoke to the woman. "You are Master Pipit's mother. You are quite an optimist. The opposite of your son, you can be quite haphazard. You have a strong dislike of chores, especially cleaning, even though you prefer a clean house." Fi took a quick look around at the interior of the small house covered in dust. "I highly recommend removing all this dust as soon as possible, Master Pipit. If you let it build up further, it will increase the chances of contracting an illness that will infect your lungs, specifically hypersensitivity pneumonitis."
"I'll take note of that." Pipit glanced at his mom.
"I will leave you to prepare then." Fi floated through the front door.
Both mother & son just stood in awkward silence. Mallara finally grew the strength to speak.
"I'm guessing that's the 'Fi' you told me about?" Her son nodded. "Is she always-"
"Yeah…Unusual, but grows on you."
Much to Link's relief, everyone else arrived at the dock on time. Only a few people were around the plaza early in the morning, so they were the only ones around. Everyone was armed in their usual gear but returned to the wooden shields. Seeing those shields took Link back yesterday when he swapped shields before setting for the Sealed Grounds. The Item Check clerk, Peatrice, had a rather interesting conversation with him. He quickly pushed that thought out of his head.
They jumped off the dock once they had all their supplies in check. They all flew their Loftwings towards the yellow column of light. Fledge saw the island where Orielle was stranded and where he fought the Aeralfos just yesterday. The student took note to check on the girl once they returned.
They were close to the yellow light now. They all jumped straight toward the gap below. The area below is different than the previous two. There were no plants, trees, lava, mountains, nothing. Just a whole bunch of sand.
The group all landed safely on top of a small tower overseeing a small canyon. There were giant strange statues. The air was hot but not as intense as it was in Eldin. Fi exited the blade.
"We have arrived at Lanayru Mine, Masters. This arid region was transformed into a desert over the course of several hundred years."
At that moment, both the maps vibrated. They all watched as a section was added to the maps with the label Lanayru Mine.
"My projections show that Zelda must have traveled through this area. If we hurry, there is an 85% chance we can meet up with her." Fi went back into the sword.
Everyone climbed down the tower thanks to a ladder. They took this moment to look around the area. There was nothing to be seen but dust, rocks, and dry patches of grass. There is also loud noise coming from behind the tower, which turns out to be these bugs called cicadas that Link caught with the bug net. The quartet eventually proceeded down the path that led them to a dimmed tunnel.
"Did you ever find anything out about this place, Karane?" Fledge said to her at one point.
"Nothing in the books mentioned a Gate of Time or a Lanayru Desert. But Owlan did tell me of a place called Lanayru Field. He said it was a place lush with life, with living beings made of metal inhabiting here."
"Do you think they're both in the same place?" Link looked around their surrounding area. "I mean, I don't see much of life here."
"Let's reserve judgment till we explore more of this place."
They soon found themselves in an open section. There lie several miniature versions of the strange statues. In the center lay a large purple crystal with an unconventional eye symbol on a pedestal. There were also tracks of sorts with carts.
"Interesting crystal here." Link observed as he and the others moved closer to it.
"Do you think it does something?" Pipit wondered.
"Only one way to find out." Link pulled out his sword.
"Is your answer to everything just to hit it?" Karane commented.
"Been working well so far."
Link struck the sword of the crystal. The surface of the crystal went from dark purple to a shiny transparent blue. The crystal floated above the pedestal. The dull brown pedestal was filled with color. The area around the group quickly changed. The sand below their feet changed to lush grass. The carts hovered above the tracks. And the small statues came to life, moving around the area.
"Wow! Look at this place!" Fledge exclaimed with astonishment.
"Maybe Lanayru Field isn't as far off as I thought," Link concluded.
"A report, Masters." Fi addressed as she appeared. "I can confirm that a time shift has occurred within this space. Any impact on the blue stones creates a sustained temporal disruptions field in the surrounding area. Readings show that this area is in a past state."
"What are those little...statues?" Pipit pointed to the moving objects
"They are robots. They are part of the LD-301 Series of artificial lifeforms. Many of which were never assigned a name. These robots usually worked on mining Timeshift Stones and providing maintenance."
"Artificial lifeforms. That's pretty cool," Karane commented.
After Fi retracted into the sword, one of the robots approached the group.
"Huh? Humans? Where did you all come from, dzzzt?" It spoke to them. "We're here collecting Timeshift Stones and transporting them to Lanayru Mining Facility. Stay away from the blue stones, zrrpt. They're too dangerous for humans!"
"I guess we just keep moving then." Link stated.
Everyone towards the now color-filled door. However, no matter what the quartet did, the door would not open.
"And the door won't open!" Link yelled out.
"I'm sure there's a way to open it," Karane assured him.
"The robots might know. We should ask them," Pipit proposed.
"Alright, everyone asks around," Link commanded.
Everyone split up to talk to the robots. Fledge, instead, caught sight of a beautiful purple flower. It wasn't like any flower he had seen before.
"Looks like something Orielle would like." Fledge scooped the flower from the ground and placed it in his pouch.
Karane saw a robot digging on a large wall. "Excuse me, do you know how to-"
"Do not interfere with mining operations! Stop talking to me, zrrpt!" The robot chastised her as it resumed digging.
Karane let out a huff. "Geeze, thanks for the help."
Pipit notices the tracks leading to the door. They could be a clue. He saw a robot standing near those tracks. "Hey. Do you know what those tracks are for?"
"They are for minecarts. We use them for transporting Timeshift Stones, zrrpt. They're not for human use, so get lost, vrrm!"
"I just ask a simple question, sheesh." Pipit thought to himself.
Link caught his eyes at the tunnel they entered through. There he saw a cart just sitting there,
"What are you doing?!" One of the robots yelled at him. "The minecart is going to pass through that way, so it's dangerous for you to be there, vrrm! You should just go away!"
"Oh, sorry!" Link gave a sheepish smile to the robot, watching it hover away. "Everyone over here!" Link called out to his friends.
"Those robots don't seem very nice," Fledge noted.
"But they did give us a clue on how to get out of here." Link gestured to the minecart. "Help me move this thing."
The quartet moved the heavy minecart within the range the Timeshift Stone could reach. The brown cart quickly filled with color and hovered above the track, symbolizing its operation. All four climbed in, though it was a tight fit. The cart moved along the route. Some of the robots yelled at them to get off, but the humans ignored them as the cart passed through the door, which led them to another dim tunnel.
The cart reached the end of the track, so they all proceeded down the tunnel on foot. They encountered yellow Keese and Chuchus, which shot out electricity on the way. Despite some scratches and brief moments of electrocution, everyone escaped relatively unharmed.
Near the end, they saw another brown minecart. At the end of the tunnel lay the same type of door that only the minecart could go through. That could mean one thing.
"There's gotta be another one of those Timeshift Stones around here," Link stated.
"There are some boulders over there. Maybe they're buried underneath them." Fledge pointed to a small narrow tunnel. A pile of large rocks lay on the other end of it. Between them and the stones was a dark sandy trail.
"Let's check it out." Karane took a step on the sandy section, only to quickly started to sink below. "What the? A little help here!" The guys grabbed her arms and safely pulled her out of the sinking sand. "Okay, definitely not walking on that!"
"How are we going to cross it?" Pipit asked.
"Plan B."
Link pulled out one of the bomb flowers from the Bomb Bag. He rolled the bomb flower along the sand, which did not sink below. The bomb blew up the rocks, which revealed a Timeshift stone underneath it. Link used the Beetle to fly over to the stone to activate it, filling the area with green rather than sand. They all returned to the cart to pull into the stone's range. The cart moved them through the door, taking them back outside. There they found themselves in an area far more open, with more sand than rocks. The air was also hotter and dryer. Several broken platforms of stone sticking out laid across the region.
"We have arrived at Lanayru Desert, Masters," Fi addressed them. "The terrain in this area changed dramatically as climate forces rapidly turned it into a desert. I have confirmed numerous areas of sinksand. Should you step in sinksand, you may be swallowed by the desert. Bodily danger has increased by 30%. As a safety measure, I suggest you regularly check the terrain with your map. My readings indicate that Zelda has passed through here. As previously stated, this area is highly dangerous. I suggest reuniting with her quickly to determine the motivations behind her actions at Eldin Province."
"Great...another hot terrain," Fledge grumbled as he wiped his forehead.
"Much better than Eldin." Link scanned the area with his hands on his hips.
Karane, at that moment, caught something in the corner of her eye. Out on the far end of the region was an enormous statue of a wing resembling the Goddess symbol, along with a triangle with a gap in the same shape in the middle.
"That's an interesting structure over there."
"It surely does look important," Pipit added.
Link couldn't help but agree. He pulled out his sword to use its dowsing ability. Sure enough, the tip of the blade glowed rapidly. "And that's where Zelda is."
The group made their way in the direction of the unusual structure. Much like the previous areas, they all took in the sights of this region. Even though the province seems like a wasteland, there were more signs of life than in Eldin.
There were mice and lizards. A common sight throughout the whole journey. Then there were some unusual creatures. One was an insect-like creature that Fi identified as a scorpion with venom capable of killing them. Of course, not all the animals in the desert were dangerous. There was one furry creature with huge ears that Fi called a Lanaryu Fox. The group found the animal rather cute.
There were even several plant life that thrived here as well. There was one that Fi called a cactus. According to the spirit, it was a thick fleshy plant that grew in many hot, dry parts covered with sharp prickles. They also contain fluids inside of them which Fi recommends not drinking because doing so would put them in an intoxicated state.
They came across a pair of cages. One contained one of the robots in a depowered state. The other had the dimed Timeshift Stone. There were also a pair of skeletal remains that lay right outside of the large cages. Link used his Skyward Strike attack to shoot the beam toward the stone. The area, the robot included, was brought back to life. Unfortunately, that also had the two skeletons revealed as Bokoblins. This time they were dressed in white and armed with some electric weapons.
"Seems like our old friends have a new look," Karane quipped.
"What kind of Bokoblin are those?" Link asked Fi.
"These are Techoblins. These Bokoblins wield sophisticated weaponry created by an ancient and highly evolved civilization. You may become paralyzed if struck with a discharge from one of their electrical weapons. These creatures also wear the latest in Bokoblin fashion."
"Are they any different from the other Bokoblins?" Karane asks,
"They move at a faster rate, but they do fight similarly to previous ones. Your methods of fighting them are useful for taking them out. But if you hit their weapon, you will get electrocuted."
"Go enough for me!" Link lunged toward one of the Technoblins.
Karane turned her head towards Pipit & Fledge. "Link and I got these creeps. See if you both can get that robot out of its cage."
"We're on it!" Pipit declared as Karane joined her friend in the fight. Both of the boys went over to the terrified robot in its prison.
"Help, zrrt!"
"Don't worry. We'll get you out of this cage," Fledge assured the robot.
"Get me out!" It cried.
"We're working on it! Just stay calm," Pipit instructed as he wavered his hands around the cage. "There's gotta be a switch or something around here."
Link & Karane were busy dealing with the Technoblins. Admittedly these peculiar Bokoblins were a little more complex than previous ones before. Like Fi mentioned, they move fast, which results in Link & Karane hitting the monster's weapons and getting electrocuted several times briefly. Yet despite that, they finish off the monsters with a fatal blow. Once they were gone, the bars of the cages went down, freeing the robot.
"Thank you, zrrt!" The robot said to them. "If you hadn't come along, they would have sucked all of the electricity out of me, vrrm!"
"If only he knew," Pipit mumbled.
The robot gave Link an intriguing look. "Oh...Look at that, zrrpt...You have a Beetle. It appears to be an older model of Lanayru fabrication. As thanks for saving me, I will upgrade that for you, zwoop. Give it here for a second, phwing!"
Link pulled the Beetle from his pouch and handed it to the robot. The sentient life turns its back to the group as it spends several minutes tinkering around with the contraption. Finally, it turned around with the Beetle in its hands, this time with a larger pincer. "I call it the Hook Beetle! The big pincers enable you to pick up and carry things with them! I added it so you can grab things. And it also flies much faster, brrrrrrrrt."
"Thank you!" Link said to the robot.
"Be careful out there, zrrt!"
"Well, at least he was nicer than the other robots," Fledge acknowledged as they walked away.
The group soon found themselves standing at the edge of a sink sandpit. With only a few platforms of stable ground seen. Several creatures took the appearance of a massive crab monster with an outer shell that roamed above the sand.
Link leaned down towards his sword. "Is there any way to cross this?"
"It is possible to cross the sinksand by running at high speed. However, due to the distance, there is a 99% possibility that you would sink before you could make it halfway."
"What are those crab things?"
"That is an Ampilus. These monsters have inhabited the desert for eons. Their defining characteristic is the ability to internally generate electrical energy. It is also said they live to an ancient age. Their shells can disperse weight surprisingly well, allowing them to safely traverse desert sinksand."
"Could we use the shells to stand on?"
"Where are you getting at Link?" Pipit asked.
"The shells are sturdy enough to stay on top of the sinksand. If you can take out the Ampilus, you may use its shell to cross the sinksand."
"How will we take out the Ampilus without us sinking below?" Link questioned.
We could use a bomb flower. Though how are you going to get it over to the monster?" Karane guessed.
"Those pincers the robot added on the Beetle looked big enough to carry a bomb," Fledge mentioned.
"Not a bad idea."
Link pulled out the Beetle and a bomb from the bomb bag. He placed the bomb on the newly added pincers, which thankfully fit. The Beetle flew over to the Ampilus. It dropped the bomb on the monster, successfully killing it. Its body vanished, leaving its shell behind.
After catching their breath for the next few minutes, they proceeded along the path. With careful timing and precision, each group member transverses through the sinkssand safely. They repeated using the Beetle to drop the bomb on one Ampilus, using its shell as a platform to rest before dashing to the next platform until they finally reached the end.
The trail led them closer to the large structure with the goddess symbol and unique triangle that oversaw a gorge. The path towards the structure was gone, leaving large stone stumps sticking up. After scoping around with the Beetle, they found several Timeshift Stones, which filled the gaps connecting the rock stumps once activated. One of the trails leads them through what was once a large beautiful tree. Karane noticed the somber expression on Fledge's face as he picked up another one of the purple flowers.
"Are you okay, Fledge?" Karane asked him.
"This whole region...Knowing what it used to be, is so sad to look at. I bet it was so beautiful back in its time. Now it's nothing but dust and sand," Fledge explained as he gazed at the flower. "I wish we could revert this place to what it was before."
Karane couldn't help but agree with the student. Part of her wanted to figure out how to restore this place. Still, logically she knew what happened here was irreversible. It made her wonder...would Skyloft meet a similar fate if they failed their quest. The thought of it made her shiver.
"There's nothing we can do for this place now. The only thing we can do is make sure Skyloft or any other place on The Surface doesn't meet the same fate."
The large stone structure was not only several feet away. Much like Skyview and Earth Temple, this one looks like it's been here for the same time.
"Hey Fi, do you know what this place is?" Link asked her.
"That structure ahead is the Temple of Time. My readings show that Zelda is just beyond those walls."
"We're not the only ones here." Pipit pointed to a large orange creature standing in front of some rubble leading toward the temple.
Every tense up as they gaze at the visitor. However, Link quickly relaxed. "Everyone, relax. I know that is. Gorko!"
"Oh hey! Good to see you, bud! Seems like you pop up everywhere! Though I am one to talk." The creature known as Gorko spoke. "You have company this time. Friends of yours?"
"Yeah. Guys, this is Gorko. He's a Goron."
"You know each other?" Pipit questioned.
"You bet we do!" Gorko gladly confirmed. "This guy right here saved me from some monsters. We instantly clicked due to our interest in history. Speaking of which, I am dying to tell you something, bud. It is the discovery of the century! This is a sacred place known as the Temple of Time. I could not believe my eyes when I saw a human who lived on the legendary Isle of the Goddess! It wore clothes just like the ones written in the ancient manuscripts! And it looked just like you and your friends, bud! It came with another person...and they entered the temple! I wanted to chase after them...But then there was an explosion all of a sudden! And the entrance...Well, you can see for yourself, bud. I do not think we are getting past this mess. I wish we could discover what is happening on the other side!"
"I think I'll figure it out. Don't worry," Link told the Goron.
"Alright...Good luck!"
Gorko resumed examining the entrance while the humans walked to the side.
"Okay, good news: We know where Zelda is. Bad news: The only way to her is blocked," Karane summarized with hints of annoyance.
"Let's not lose hope yet." Link suggested There has to be another way in. Let's look around to see what we can find."
With that, the group resumed their exploration. The path led them back to the area with the stone structures, surrounded by a high amount of sinksand.
"Looks like we're gonna have to run for it again," Link declared.
"More running...yay," Fledge replied glumly, recalling almost passing out from running up the steep hill back at Eldin.
The first platform they ran on was business as usual. Then when the time came to run to the next one, something odd occurred. When Link stepped foot into the sand, he stopped. He felt something solid under his feet. It prevented him from sinking.
"Why did you stop?" Pipit yelled out to Link.
"There's solid ground under here. Check for yourself."
The yellow-clad senior knight slowly stepped foot into the sand. Much like what Link said, there was solid ground.
"He's right! It's safe to walk!" Pipit shouted to Fledge & Karane.
The group safely walked to the next available stone platform one by one. Not once did anyone almost sink below the sand.
"Okay, so we now know certain sections under the sand make it safe to cross," Link declared.
"But how would we know which section has the ground and which doesn't?" Fledge wondered.
The group remained quiet for several moments. Karane placed her hand under her chin as she thought of a solution. An idea quickly came to her. "Pipit, can you hand me the spare map?"
"Uh, sure." Pipit pulled out the map The Old One gave him." Anything you want to tell us?" He asked as Karane took the map.
"Just give me a few minutes." Karane sprawled the map on the ground. She observes the map for the next few minutes as the guys watch her. "Alright, I think I figured it out."
"What?" Link asked.
"See the way the stone platforms are presented. Look at their shape and how certain ones correspond to one another. I'm willing to bet that these platforms were all once connected, like the one we just crossed." Karane gazes over to the stone structure that appears broken off. "If I'm correct, that structure over there is connected to this platform."
"I detect a 96% chance that Master Karane's theory is correct," Fi reported to the group.
"There's only one way to find out." Karane stood up, gazing at the sand between them and the platform. She only stepped forward before he felt someone gently grab her arm.
"Wait! I can go first if you like," Pipit offered, but Karane waved him off.
"This was my idea. I should test it out first. Plus...If I'm wrong, I don't want you to die on my mistake."
"Alright...Just be careful."
Slowly, Karane stepped into the sand. Solid ground meets her feet. How far it goes is yet to be known. The next several minutes were tense around the guys as she slowly walked across the sand. Karane knew she had to be careful. One wrong move, and she'll be earning a mouthful of sand. Many tense minutes later, Karane finally made it to the end.
"It's all good! Just walk straight towards me!" The female senior knight called to her friends.
Several moments later, the rest of the group caught up with Karane. They climbed on the broken slope of the elevated stone platform. There they found more remains of the ancient robots, along with some contraptions. A Timeshift Stone lay in front of the strange device. Hitting it restores the color & life to both it and the robot.
"Who are you? None of you are in my memory banks, brrt," The robot questioned the group.
"My friends and I want to know if you know a way inside the Temple of Time. The other path to it is blocked," Link told the robot.
"You need to get into the temple, but the way is blocked?" The green-clad senior knight nodded. "Well, fortunately, there is an underground path that leads to the temple. It is connected with the Lanayru Mining Facility."
"Can you tell us where it is?"
"Why, it's right here!" The robot gestured to the opened space of the sand.
"Uh...I don't see anything," Fledge stated bewilderedly.
"I think the sand must've messed up his head," Pipit muttered.
"That's because you need this to power up." The robot gestured to the contraption. "This is the power generator for the mechanism that opened the entrance to Lanayru Mining Facility, zrrpt! It just needs something thin to activate it. I think your sword just might do the trick!"
Link placed himself in front of the large generator. He stuck the blade of the sword inside it to turn it on. The generator let a warm glow. The ground shook as a large structure rose from the sandpit with a large set of stairs leading towards it.
"Is that the place?" Karane asked.
"Yep! This is Lanayru Mining Facility, phwing! It is where Timeshift Stones are produced. No matter how often I see this place, my rotors still hum with admiration, bzzt!" The robot expressed. "Good luck getting to the temple!"
The group slowly made their way up the long stairs. They slowly approach the entrance to the facility, stopping to gaze down at the set of stairs leading down toward their destination. Torches hang along the walls, with several patches of sand pouring down them.
Working up the courage, they walked down the stairs.
Meanwhile, at the Temple of Time…
"Was that explosion necessary, Impa?" Zelda questioned her companion.
"It is only a safety precaution. I do not want monsters sneaking in here while you are doing the ritual," Impa simply told her.
"I know, but wouldn't Link and the others have trouble getting in here?"
"He is the Goddesses Chosen Hero, is he not? You did mention that he and your friends were knights in training. Surely they would know what to do."
"You have a good point. In that case, can I rest for a bit? I am tired from walking over here. And thirsty."
"Of course, Your Grace." Impa handed over her water skin which Zelda happily accepted. "I forgot that this terrain is not the same as it was all those years ago. I apologize if I seem a little rash getting over here."
"It's okay, Impa." Zelda smiled reassuringly at the woman.
"But we cannot rest for too long. We must commence with the ritual soon."
"Of course. You should rest too. You worked so hard getting me over here and keeping me safe. You deserve it."
"Thank you, Your Grace."
"I already told you. Please call me Zelda if you want."
"Right...Sorry, I'm just so used to using formalities."
Zelda giggled. "At least try to break the habit."
"I will try Your Gra-...Zelda." Impa smiled at the blonde.
Impa sat down just several feet away. The woman had put herself in a meditative state. Zelda turned her attention to the rubble blocking the path to where she was now.
"Link. Karane. Pipit. Fledge. I hope you guys get here soon...I miss you all."
So we finally made it to Lanayru Desert. Next stop is the mining facility. What lies in there for our heroes to discover?
Don't think I forgot about Gorko, did I?
Fav, Follows, and Reviews are appreciated.