Saria, Hero of the Forest

by digitalSatyr23

There is a prophecy that a young boy from the forest would one day leave his home, aid a princess in her quest, and ultimately vanquish evil with the help of the Ocarina of Time and the Master Sword. But something has gone wrong. Saria, a Kokiri from Kokiri Village, must take up the mantle of hero and save Hyrule before the world is unraveled by the prophecy undone.

7. Chapter 7: The Sheikah Maze

Author's Notes: Hey, it's been a while since I uploaded. Like... A while while. I don't even know if anyone remembers this story. That being said, I do want to apologize for the unannounced hiatus. My life and writing projects went in a totally different direction, but now I'm in a position where I can hunker down and work on this as much as I want. I spent some time mapping out what I want to do with the rest of the story as well. If you've been waiting for an update this whole time, or if this is your first time reading through this, I hope you enjoy the read. Have a nice day. 3

Saria marched forward into the Sheikah maze, water flowing past her boots. While there were dry pathways bordering the watery ground, they were thin enough that walking them would require hugging the wall, so for now, Saria walked slowly and kept her ears open. The maze was cold, damp, and had a faint, coppery smell mixed with the mold and water. For someone who lived her whole life in a forest full of fresh air, Saria couldn't be more miserable.

"What is this place?" asked Poppy as she floated alongside her friend. "This has been underneath Kakariko this whole time? Between this and that tomb, I feel like we got mixed up in the wrong crowd. Can we go back to Goron City? Those lava rocks are sounding awfully welcoming right now."

"Poppy," whispered Saria. "I value your insight. I really do. But right now I need you to be quiet. Impa said monsters would be released into the maze after time passed, but she never said how long – or short – that amount of time was."

"Oh please, with the kind of training you've been getting this last month, you could clobber any monster she could throw at you!"

"And what if it was a redead?"

Poppy blinked twice and looked away. "Ah ha… Well… I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there."

After leaving the bottom of the watery tunnel far behind, Saria found herself at the beginning of the maze's twisting paths. As she suspected, the whole floor had cold water running through its center like a sewer.

This must be part of the test. It'd be easy to alert any nearby monsters by stepping through this, thought Saria.

There were three paths for her to take: forward, left, or right. As Saria decided on which way to go, a loud fluttering noise echoed through the maze. Saria dove into the darkest corner she could find and grabbed Poppy, covering the fairy's mouth – much to Poppy's irritation. Then the monster flew past them. It was a gigantic skull with leathery wings, glowing eyes, and green flame covering its whole body. It fluttered past the hidden Kokiri and continued to the right. Saria waited until it could no longer be heard to stand back up.

"What was that?" whispered Saria.

"I think it was a green bubble, but I've never seen one so big before! If only you had your slingshot," whispered Poppy.

"Do they have any weaknesses?"

"Hm… I think they drop their guard sometimes when confident, making their flame go out."

"Then I'll have to goad it when the time comes."

"Just be careful. We may be surrounded by water, but its flame is made of dark magic. It can't be put out normally. Besides," Poppy looked at the ground, "I don't think you wanna bathe in this stuff."

Saria went right, wanting to take care of the green bubble as soon as possible. As she hugged the left wall, she fell through an illusion and wound up in a small hidden room. The walls looked like they were constructed out of bones and skulls. Saria hugged her arms and shivered at the sight.

"Why… Why are there so many bones here?"

"I can almost hear their whispers…" said Poppy. "They're taunting us."

Beyond the macabre construction of the hidden room, there was a small wooden chest in the far back. Unfortunately, it had already been emptied of its contents.

"Looks like Sheik beat us to it," said Saria. "I wonder what it was?"

Though she could not see it pass by, Saria heard the green bubble flutter past the entrance to the room. It must be patrolling the area, then. But why? the Kokiri wondered.

Once the monster was gone, Saria and Poppy stepped out of the room and continued down the path, turning the corner and heading further down. Eventually the pair reached an intersection, though Saria's attention was drawn to a statue up ahead and to the right. It looked like the head and hands of a monstrous frog beast with water flowing out of its mouth into a large pool below. On a raised dais, she noticed the symbol of the Royal Family carved into the stone – that of the Triforce!

"I wonder… Do you think that lullaby would affect the flow of water here?" asked Saria. "If only I had my ocarina."

"We could try whistling the tune," whispered Poppy. The fairy tried as such while floating above the dais, but nothing came of it. "Hmph! Picky little thing."

"Let's keep going for now. I'm sure my ocarina will turn up. Eventually…"

A path to the left prior to the frogmouth statue led to yet another crossroad, one which occupied the center of the floor. Left led back to where she started, the path forward just around a corner led away from where the green bubble was patrolling, and the path to the right led to more dimly lit tunnels. There was also a small secondary path just around the left corner going back in the direction of the frog statue. Saria took a moment to breathe, mentally mapping out everything in her head.

If I go right at this crossroad, it should loop around and take me back to the frog statue. I'll check this path out right now since I'm so close.

Saria turned right and followed the watery path, turning right again and finding herself in a dark and damp hall. No sign of doors, traps, or monsters could be seen. Nothing felt unusual about the walls either, so nothing was hidden. At the end of that route, the path was split. To the right was the frog statue, and to the left, a long hall that eventually led to a locked door on the left-hand wall.

Well that didn't help. I guess I'll go back to that crossroad.

As she moved towards the entrance and reached the crossroad, Saria looked at the small path just around a wall to her left. At the end of the passage was an unnerving painting of a smiling beast resting its chin in its hands. Below the painting was an unopened chest. Saria began for the chest as soon as she saw it, but then she stopped.

"Wait…" said Saria. "Why wouldn't Sheik notice a chest out in the open like this?"

"Maybe he thought it was too good to be true and moved on?" said Poppy.

Saria narrowed her eyes at the passage, steeling herself. Stepping lightly, she inched closer and closer to the chest until she nearly stumbled over. A part of the floor wasn't real. Backing up and getting down on all fours, Saria pressed her face through the illusion, realizing it led to a sheer drop into a room far below her.

"What do you see?" asked Poppy.

"Nothing good. It might be a shortcut to a lower floor, but there's no way to tell if there's a way out." Saria raised her head and stood up. "I think I can make this jump, though."

"No need," said Poppy as she fluttered forward.

"What?"

"Oh, come on. I'm here, right? I might as well be useful. You just stay put and I'll bring whatever is in the chest to you."

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea."

"Pleeeease. What's the worst that could-" A floormaster appeared and grabbed hold of Poppy. The fairy screamed, "SARIAAAAA! HEEEEELP!"

Saria dove across the hidden gap in the floor and jumped onto the floormaster, wrestling with the oversized severed hand to try and free her companion. After taking hold of one its fingers, she yanked it back with all her might, breaking it. The monster let go of Poppy and shrieked in ways no severed hand should be able to and fell limp… Only to break apart into three smaller hands. Saria dodged one that leapt for her face, then stomped the hands one by one. The last hand managed to leave a nasty scratch on her leg before it went down.

"Saria, are you okay?!" Poppy fluttered over to the Kokiri.

"I'll be fine. It's just a scratch."

"No, this is bleeding bad. Here, let me help."

Poppy pressed her hands against the wound and healed it, just as she had healed Saria's wounds many times before. When she was done, only the stains of spilt blood remained.

"Thank you, though this almost feels like cheating," chuckled Saria.

"I guess it's a good thing I'm not considered an item," the fairy laughed. "Still, let's be more careful from now on. The energy here is downright oppressive. I don't know how many times I can heal you in such a grim place."

"I know the feeling. The very air has a deathly chill to it."

Saria turned her attention to the chest, curious about its contents. She gestured for Poppy to return to her and opened the chest from the side, worried something might spring out and attack her. The chest was safe, however, and inside was… Her glass bottle.

"What? That's it?! What about your dagger? Your scimitar? Your bombs?! What are we supposed to do with this?"

"Hm…" Saria swung it a few times like a small club. "I bet hitting something with this would hurt."

"You can't be serious!"

The sound of fluttering returned. Saria put a finger to her mouth and the pair watched as the green bubble flew past once again, flying towards the entrance. The Kokiri and fairy nodded to one another before leaving the passageway behind.

Taking the path opposite the small passageway, Saria noticed a door to her left that was locked with a large metal padlock attached to chains from the four corners of the door. She made a mental note of the door and moved forward, finding another intersection. Beyond the watery passage was dry ground, as well as the entrance to two buildings – one door facing towards the entrance, the other facing the opposite way. The latter door was attached to a small brick building. Saria opened it and looked inside, only to be met with the sight of countless skulltulas and cobwebs. She shut the door immediately.

"Huh? What was in there?" asked Poppy.

"Nothing good," said Saria. The Kokiri was pale in the face. "I think I have an idea, though. Do you remember that spell the second Great Fairy taught me?" Poppy nodded. "Wait right there. I don't want you to get caught in the blast."

Poppy did just that, waiting outside the room. Saria stepped inside once more, seeing the skulltulas skittering on the walls towards her. With no time to lose, Saria focused her mind for a moment and cast the spell. A bubble of fire formed in her hands, and with a toss, the bubble exploded on the ground, forming into an ever-growing dome of flame. It burned away the skulltulas, the cobwebs, and just about everything – though Saria was unaffected by the spell. The smoke caused by the fire, however, was a different story. Saria covered her mouth and nose with her arm, looking around for anything useful. At the far end of the room was a half-burned wooden chest, so Saria dashed forward, kicked it open, then grabbed the key inside it before bolting for the door. Saria stumbled to the ground in a coughing fit.

"Saria?!" Poppy cried in a panic.

"I took out the skulltulas… But the smoke had nowhere to go. I got this key, at least."

"Honestly…"

Poppy flew down to Saria and patted her on the back. Once Saria caught her second wind, she stood up and said, "I learned something about that spell. When I called upon Din's power, I had to imagine my targets in my head. I think I can control what the fire burns and what it doesn't."

"That's handy. I guess that means you can use it as much as you like around me."

Saria nodded, then turned her attention to the other nearby door. Steeling herself for whatever awaited her, she entered the building.

It was much larger than the previous room, with a thick L-shape. It had wide open space, small pots lining each wall, and a large chest at the far end of the room. The room seemed harmless enough, but…

"There's no way this is safe," said Poppy. "I mean just LOOK at it."

"I think I can handle this," said Saria.

Stepping into the larger portion of the room, Saria eyed the floors and walls. Much of the stone reminded her of the stone obstacles Impa had her and Sheik run through countless times before. She wasn't certain where, but her instincts told her there were traps all over the place. It was just a matter of finding them. Saria unbuckled her belt and took hold of it like a whip, flicking portions of the ground as she inched further in. Much of the floor was safe, but after swatting one part of the tiles, rusty metal spikes shot out.

"There's one," said Saria, "but where are the-"

Her thoughts were interrupted as something flew past her face. She dodged just in time, and it smashed against a wall. It was one of the pots. Then came a dozen swirling sounds as all the pots in the room lifted up into the air and flew at Saria, one by one. The Kokiri dodged, hopped, punched, and kicked her way through the pots, avoiding floor spikes, and ducking through swinging scythes from the walls, until finally she made it to the other side of the room. She put her belt back on and breathed a sigh of relief. But then… Something crawled out of the wall behind the chest. A tall, slimy, slithering worm creature, easily double Saria's size. As it shuffled forward, disgusting wet noises followed every wriggle.

Saria stepped away from the creature, holding a hand to her mouth. The monster was so grotesque, so utterly repulsive, Saria almost felt sick just looking at it. Its flesh writhed and folded into itself until it reached the top of a wet, flapping hole for a mouth.

"Watch out for that thing!" shouted Poppy. "That's a like like! They'll eat anything! Meat, metal, fabric – you name it!"

The Kokiri fled from the monster, taking shelter behind one of the floor spikes. The like like shuffled after her in turn. At one point it moved past a trapped area, causing a scythe blade to swing from a slit in the wall. Thick blue blood spilled out of the creature like jelly, but its wound sealed shut soon after. Saria moved further back while trying to come up with a plan, watching as the like like slithered its way through a wall of spikes. All the rust on the spikes seemed to disappear as the creature slithered through them.

"Poppy! Get under my cap now!"

The fairy slipped under the Kokiri's green cap to hide. Saria still only had one true weapon in her arsenal – though even its first use proved exhausting. But it didn't matter. She stood her ground, cast her spell, then released a blast of blistering flame all throughout the room. The like like was pushed back as its body melted away, leaving nothing behind but burnt twitching blubber. Saria nearly threw up.

"Oh… By the Deku Tree… May I never encounter such a terrible thing ever again."

The tired Kokiri stumbled across the room, opening from the side once more. A blast of icy cold blew forth until it was exhausted.

"So some of the chests ARE trapped!" said Saria.

"I wonder if that would have worked on the like like?" pondered Poppy.

"I didn't want to risk it. I really didn't want to risk it."

Poppy smirked and shrugged her shoulders. "Not like I blame you."

After that, Saria and Poppy looked inside the chest… It was empty. Their hearts sank at the sight.

"What? All of that for NOTHING?!" growled Poppy. "This is an outrage! We've been robbed!"

It was then that Saria noticed the ground beneath the chest looked slightly different than the rest of the room's tiles. They almost dipped and bended beneath the chest. Curious, she shoved the chest aside, revealing a hole that had another chest in it.

"It looks like it wasn't a total loss," said Saria. "Let's hope this one isn't trapped as well."

Saria climbed into the hole, lifting the chest up and out before climbing back out herself. Carefully lifting the lid open, the chest proved safe, and in it was Saria's ocarina.

"I found it! Finally!" Saria hugged the ocarina tight. "It's good to see you, old friend."

"Great! Now that you have that, you can see what that frog statue does!"

"I wonder… If that statue controls the water levels, what can be accomplished by changing them? It would make it easier to sneak around, but… Is that really it, or is it for something we haven't seen yet?" Saria thought on the matter and remembered how far down she sank to the bottom of the entrance pool before floating back to the top. She hadn't thought much of it at the time, but she had used the top of a ladder to climb out of the pool… "Ah! I think I understand now. But then again, I have this key… Where should I go next?"

"Don't look at me. You're the one being tested."

"Aww. You don't want to pass with me and become a true Sheikah?"

"With everything I've seen, I think I'd be better off with the Gerudo."

Saria giggled at this, feeling a small part of her energy return. She was still feeling worn down from the second casting of Din's Fire. By her estimate, she likely had two more castings of it in her before she was completely exhausted. Theoretically, she had time to rest up and recover afterwards, but given what she had seen of the maze thus far, it was impossible to tell if there even was a safe place to rest.

"Let's check out that locked room nearby," said Saria. "This place is confusing, and I don't want to get lost trying to find it again."

"Sounds good to me," said Poppy.

The fairy took shelter under Saria's cap once more as the Kokiri left the room, returning to the locked doorway. After using the small key on the door, it disappeared in a puff of smoke. The padlock fell to the ground and the chains receded into the walls like metal serpents. Opening the door, Saria found herself in another tomb. Two pools of shallow water bordered Saria on both sides, and sitting along the edges of the pools were sizable rocks. On the opposite wall from the door, three wall niches could be seen. On the left and right niche were bodies wrapped in bandages, and the middle one was empty, with a large chest sitting in front of it. Of note was a third body on the left wall. It was an old, crumpled skeleton wearing Sheikah garb, their clothes torn and bones broken in a dozen places. Saria squatted down next to the skeleton and examined it.

"Poppy…"

"Yeah, Saria?"

"We need to make sure we catch up with Sheik. I know this is a test, but… It's far too cruel for a child."

Standing up, Saria undid her belt once more. The floor in front of the chest seemed suspicious, so she slapped it. Sure enough, spikes shot out from the ground. After putting her belt back on, Saria dragged the chest away and opened it up.

"Hm… It's my bag of deku sticks. This should come in… Handy…"

Out of the corner of her eye, Saria watched as the bandaged bodies in the wall niches floated into the air. The Kokiri stepped back, slinging the stick bag over her shoulder. The bodies then turned right-side up and touched on the ground. A fearsome red glow pierced through the darkness of uncovered eyes as Saria froze in place.

"Oh no! Saria, snap out of it!" Poppy shook her friend's shoulder in vain. The girl's body was completely stiff.

Can't… Move… Got to… Get my ocarina!

A hint of autonomy returned as Saria bit down on her tongue. The pain shocked her body into working – and just in time. One of the mummified figures lurched forward, clawed hands at the ready. Saria dodged to the side and swerved around the monster, scooping up one of the rocks as she tossed it at the other monster's head. It stumbled and tripped into the pool of water. Without a moment to spare, Saria readied her ocarina and played the Sun Song. Then… The monsters stopped moving.

While she felt bad about it, Saria couldn't risk letting the monsters roam free when there was so much to explore (not to mention the danger they might pose to Sheik), so Saria pulled one of her deku sticks out and swatted it over one of the monster's heads. This wasn't enough to kill it, however, and it caused the monster to spring to life once more. It spun round and slashed Saria across the chest with a claw. Saria dodged back, with only her tunic taking damage. She goaded the monster into swinging, leaped above it, then struck it once more in the head, destroying it. The effect of the Sun Song wore off on the other monster as it climbed out of the pool of water. It tried staring Saria down, but she shielded her eyes in time before lunging at it and impaling the monster in the chest with the stick. The room was finally clear.

"What were those things?" asked Saria as she caught her breath.

"I think they're called gibdos. I don't know much about them, but they're extremely dangerous – as you've already figured out."

"No kidding." Saria tossed aside the broken deku stick and patted her chest to make sure she wasn't hurt. "Looks like I'm okay, but I'll need to sew my tunic again later… This poor thing. It'll be nothing but stitches and patches by the time I'm done." With a sigh, Saria's attention returned to the skeleton. "Now for you…" Saria approached the old bones, cradling them in her arms before placing them in the middle wall niche and straightening them out. "There," she smiled. "May you rest in peace."

"Saria…"

"I'm fine, Poppy. Let's get going." The Kokiri drew another deku stick before opening the door. "We have a green bubble to take care of."

Saria was crouched down with her back against a wall. By this point she had memorized the path the green bubble took. It was only a matter of waiting, now… Deku stick in hand, she listened for its fluttering wings. While she listened, other subtle noises could be heard. The trickling of water, the crackling of torch sconces, the skittering of insects, the distant moans of the dead…

Were all Sheikah children trained in this terrible place? Saria wondered. What other secrets is Impa hiding?

Then came the fluttering, followed by the clacking of the green bubble's teeth. The giant flying skull appeared from around the corner, its eyes locked on Saria. Without warning, it dove straight at her. Saria hopped to the side, dodging its attack. The monster awkwardly spun around, readying for another attack. As it charged, the flame around it disappeared.

"Now!" Poppy cried.

Saria leaped towards the green bubble, striking it dead center with her deku stick. The monster shattered into pieces before burning up and fading away.

"Well that's one less problem to worry about," said Saria, sheathing her stick in its bag. "Let's see what that frog statue can do."

A quick jaunt down a watery hallway later, and Saria was there. She briefly wondered what inspired the statue's monstrous visage before playing Zelda's Lullaby. The gentle notes echoed throughout the dank labyrinth, and the statue's eyes lit up. The statue's mouth went dry, and soon enough, the water levels lowered, draining through some unknown mechanism. While there were still light puddles left throughout the surrounding halls, the water was no longer a hazard.

"Oh hey, rupees!" Poppy said, flying down into the hole where the water had once poured. "Maybe old sheiks used this as a wishing well."

"Then wouldn't you be stealing their wishes?" smirked Saria.

"Whaaaaat? No. The money doesn't contain the wish, it's merely a payment for one. Since these were down there, the payment wasn't accepted, therefore it's totally okay to take these."

Saria just shook her head and said, "All right, let me see them."

The Kokiri wiped off the grime on Poppy's new gems. As she did, she looked down into the hole before her. There were oddly familiar bars making up the drainage grate at the bottom.

Those look just like those bars I saw beneath the Great Deku Tree.

"Poppy…"

"Yeah, Saria?"

"Where do you suppose that water drained to?"

"Probably a lower floor. Kakariko does have a well, so maybe the water here is connected to the source? Why do you ask?"

"It's… Nothing. Let's move on."

"If you're sure…"

Poppy shrugged, fluttering after Saria as the Kokiri returned to the entrance pool.

"Looks like it drained here too," said Saria. "I'm going to check out the bottom."

"Just be careful. That ladder looks slimy."

At the bottom of the hole, there was a water-logged chest with a rusted lock. A well-placed kick pried it open, and inside was another key.

"Nice! Now I can go through that other-" The distant sound of grinding stone echoed through the tunnels, sending a chill up Saria's spine. "W-what was that?"

"Those monsters must have finally been released!" said Poppy.

"I still haven't found a proper weapon, either. We need to finish with this floor before we get overrun."

"Right!"

While Saria climbed back out of the hole, she and Poppy planned their next route. They had found another locked door earlier, so Saria would take a right after leaving the entrance, then a left to follow the path straight to the door. Poppy would assist checking around corners, and if the path was clear, Saria would make a break for it. Otherwise, she'd find another way. There was still no telling how many floors remained or what challenges awaited her, so avoiding fights and conserving resources would be Saria's priority.

"I don't see anything," said Poppy at the end of the entrance hall. "I think we're safe."

"All right. Let's go!"

Saria rushed down the hall until she hit the turn. Poppy looked again and froze stiff. "Saria!" she whispered. "Redeads!"

"How many?"

"Looks like two… Three… There might be more, though. There are too many shuffling sounds coming from that way."

"Then let's circle back around and go through the crossroad."

"Okay!"

Turning around and taking a right, Saria made her way down the middle path once more. After getting the go-ahead from Poppy, she reached the end of the path and readied to turn. Just then, Saria noticed something strange.

Her shadow was growing.

Thinking quickly, Saria grabbed Poppy and rolled out of the way – just in time, too, for a huge monstrous hand had slammed into the ground where Saria once stood.

"Another one?" Saria reached for a deku stick.

"That's a wallmaster! They hunt their prey from the shadows and drag them back to their nests!" shouted Poppy.

"Do they split like floormasters?"

"I don't think so, but they're crazy durable from what I've heard."

"In that case…" Saria stuffed Poppy under her green cap and said, "Time to go!"

The wallmaster leaped towards Saria, baring its claws at her. Saria dodged backwards as the monster smashed into the ground. Then it disappeared, rising towards the ceiling as if it were pulled by a string. Saria could hear the sound of the monster scuttling above as it gave chase.

"This thing doesn't know when to quit, does it?" said Saria.

Reaching the end of the path, Saria skidded to a halt. A redead was crouching down in front of the frog statue.

"Nope nope nope nope," Saria closed her eyes and ran left. As she sped down the path, she said, "Poppy, is anything following me?"

"That redead lost interest, so at least you're-wait, look out!"

Saria opened her eyes and leaped away from the attacking wallmaster, which landed in front of the locked door.

"Here's the key, Poppy. Get that door open while I keep it busy!" shouted Saria. She then got into a fighting stance, keeping her palms open to grapple with the monster. The wallmaster lunged for her, slamming its claws down like before. Saria side-stepped the attack, grabbed hold of the monster's thumb, then pivoted on her heels to slam it into the wall. The stone cracked from the impact, but this did little to deter the monster. It balled into a fist, squeezing Saria's arm tight. An immense pain shot through Saria's body as she felt her bones getting crushed. She gritted her teeth and pulled out a deku stick, driving it through the top of the monster's body. The stick pierced its hide, making it screech and let go.

"It's open! Come on!" shouted Poppy.

Saria bolted for the open door and slipped inside with Poppy. The monster gave chase, but Saria slammed the door shut just in time. Horrible screaming and clawing sounds could be heard as it kept trying to batter down the door until finally… It went quiet.

"Phew. That was close…" Before Saria could take a breather, a dart flew past her face, cutting her cheek. "What the?!"

Up ahead, Saria realized her predicament. A long hall full of swinging scythe blades, rising and retracting spike traps, and a three-headed dart-shooting statue at the far end laid before her.

"Isn't this a little extreme?!" shouted Poppy.

"I guess all those obstacle courses Impa had me and Sheik run make sense now. Stay here, Poppy."

"But why?"

"I'm going to turn off that dart shooter, but things might get dicey up ahead. Stick to the air so you're out of range from the traps."

Saria then ran ahead, timing her movements with the scythe blades, ducking to avoid the incoming dart volley, then waiting for the spikes ahead of her to retract. The spikes had a zig-zagging pattern that could be followed to stay ahead of any spikes rising behind you, but the problem was this would put Saria right in a dart's path. She had an idea, though. The holes the darts were coming out of were about the same size as a deku stick.

I only have one left. Better make it count!

Deku stick in-hand, Saria moved along the spike path, getting closer to improve her odds. When the time came, she hucked the stick like a javelin at the statue, jamming the dart shooter's left head. With the path clear, Saria stuck to the left path until she cleared the spike traps. But as she stepped forward, she couldn't find her footing and almost fell. Saria caught herself, realizing it was another illusory floor. She had no room to get a running start because of the spikes, and she had no way of telling how large a gap she had to cross. But then, another idea came to her. She undid her belt once more and hucked it across the room. It landed safely on the ground just in front of the dart thrower. Even so, the distance was vast… Saria took a deep breath, readied herself, then sprang forward. She landed just shy of her destination and found herself falling through the floor.

"Saria!" cried Poppy.

The Kokiri grabbed hold of the ledge, catching herself. Looking down, there was nothing but darkness. Though one of her arms was still in great pain, Saria pulled herself up and climbed out of the pit. She crawled beneath the dart thrower, grabbed her belt, then looked ahead. There was a brown floor switch with a crescent symbol on top. After stomping it, a click could be heard, and the traps deactivated. Poppy flew across the hall and reunited with Saria, hugging her.

"You! Don't scare me like that!" the fairy complained.

"I'll try not to," Saria hugged Poppy back.

While the pair finished their reunion, Saria noticed a chest to her right. "Looks like this is the prize for this gauntlet. Let's see what's inside…"

Using her good arm, Saria unlocked the latch on the front of the chest and pried the box open. Looking inside, the shimmering gold of the Goron's Bracelet could be seen.

"There you are!" Saria grabbed hold of the bracelet. "Now this is just what I needed."

Before Saria could put it on, Poppy said, "Wait!" and went to heal Saria's damaged arm. "I remember how it made your muscles bulge last time. Who knows what that would do to cracked bone!"

"Fair point. I just got excited, is all."

"Are you saying you're enjoying yourself?"

"Maybe a little…" Saria chuckled nervously.

Poppy shook her head, healing the Kokiri. "I swear, every day you become more like Link." Poppy froze up, looking right at Saria. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay," Saria smiled. "He was reckless, but in the best way possible. He didn't let fear ever get in the way of him having fun or doing what was right. Saying I'm becoming more like him is the highest praise I could ever receive."

"Saria…"

The fairy finished healing the Kokiri's arm, and after she stretched it and tested to see how it felt, Saria slipped the Goron's Bracelet back on and felt a huge surge of strength throughout her body.

"Now then… Let's take care of that wallmaster."

Back when Sheik reached the bottom of the water pit, he swam straight to the ladder and rushed down the entrance hall. A thousand thoughts had been on the young Sheikah's mind, most of all being the future of the country and what his place in it would be. Even so, with the final test laid out before him, Sheik was determined to reach the end no matter what.

As Sheik reached the first crossroad of the dungeon, he turned right. Something about the left wall in that tunnel looked… Strange. Pressing his hand against it, he realized it was an illusion, and he stepped inside. Two deku babas growing amidst the bones lunged for Sheik, but with a swift kick, Sheik severed their heads from their stems. He then kicked open the chest they were guarding and reached inside.

It's Saria's slingshot… Sheik thought, picking it up. I've never used one before, but it seems simple enough. Should I take it, or…

Sheik heard a splash from outside. Realizing Saria would soon catch up, Sheik stepped out of the hidden room, only to narrowly avoid the bite of a gigantic green bubble. Taking aim with the slingshot, the deku seed bounced harmlessly off of the green bubble's fiery aura.

So its flame makes it impervious. It only nipped at me when it passed by, so it must be compelled to patrol these halls. I could follow behind it, but it will only slow me down. In that case, I'll cut through the middle of the floor.

Sheik returned to the crossroad and took a right, dashing silently through the middle path. Already he could hear the sound of Saria and Poppy just… Talking. It seemed as if they weren't taking the test seriously at all.

Those fools! They'll attract monsters for sure with all that noise! Unless… No, I'm thinking too hard about this. I need to focus on finishing the test myself. If they want to make it harder on themselves, so be it.

Reaching a second crossroad, Sheik noticed another chest to his right in a small alcove, sitting beneath a strange painting. A part of the floor in front of the chest seemed out of alignment with the rest of the brickwork of the floor. Feeling confident, Sheik leaped across the illusory gap, only for a monstrous hand to shoot out of the darkness and punch Sheik in the face. The boy tumbled into the depths below. He tried to slow his descent by grasping at the tunnel walls, but they were far too slippery. He plunged to the bottom of the pit, landing on a plate of stone.

Sheik gritted his teeth in pain, looking around the room. It was dimly lit, and most of the floor – save the center that Sheik landed on – was made up of a metal grate. Distant flickering torches could be seen far below. There was no time to assess the situation, however, for monsters appeared from the darkness and attacked!

A skeletal warrior in loose rusted armor and wielding a sword and shield leaped towards Sheik, forcing him to roll away. Then came a floating lantern, spinning through the darkness like a flail. Sheik flipped onto his feet, dodging the attack, only for a large pair of severed hands to try clawing at him.

A stalfos, poe, and two floormasters. That's quite the trap, Impa. I won't let it be the end of me, though.

With only the fairy slingshot and his bare hands to defend himself with, Sheik sized up his opponents. The floormasters were the most aggressive by far, so he prioritized them, dashing between the enemies and kicking one into a wall. The force of the blow seemed to kill it, but it split into three smaller hands afterwards. The stalfos swung his sword at Sheik, forcing him to dodge. One of the smaller hands attacked while Sheik was distracted, slashing his arm with its claws. He ignored the pain and ran, taking shots at the smaller hands until they were all dead. Then Sheik found himself in a corner. To his left, the poe; to his right, the stalfos; dead ahead was the remaining floormaster. With nowhere else to go, Sheik waited for all the monsters converge, and when they did, he leaped into the air, kicking off the wall and charging the stalfos. With a well-placed chop from his hand, the stalfos' skull was severed from the rest of his body.

"Looks like it's over," said Sheik. He kicked the stalfos' skull into the poe's lantern, shattering it, then fired away with the slingshot. Several well-placed shots later, and the monsters were dead. Watching them all burn up into flame, Sheik pocketed the slingshot and breathed a sigh of relief. He put a hand to his chest, feeling his heart still beating fast.

I'm safe for now, but I've barely even begun. Impa gave us a week to finish this test, yet I can't help but feel that was just to psyche us out. Is it possible, then, that the time limit is much shorter than that?

While Sheik pondered these thoughts, he looked around. Aside from the hole in the ceiling and the unusual floor, the room was largely featureless - made up of the same dark grey and mossy brick that he had seen on the 1st floor. There were only two doors: one door ahead of Sheik, and the other to Sheik's right, likely leading to a middle-portion of the floor. Curious, Sheik stepped lightly across the room and listened to each door. Through the right door, he could hear the faint sound of burning. Likely torches or wandering poes, by Sheik's estimate. The forward door had a strange wet gurgling sound. Though faint, it was nonetheless foul.

Knowing Impa, the more treacherous rooms will be guarding the more valuable tools. I'll… Just have to proceed carefully.

The forward door led to a room made up of pale tiles, with small pots lining the walls. The room was long, extending some distance to Sheik's left, and at the end, there was a treasure chest. Sheik didn't trust the floor, so he took out some of the deku seeds he was using for slingshot ammo and flicked them onto the surrounding tiles. No reaction. One step into the room, however, caused some of the pots to start hovering and spin in place.

"There it is."

Sheik chopped, kicked, and dodged as the pots came flying at him, and when the last pot was destroyed, a part of the wall opened up, releasing another monster. A strange, undulating worm-thing slithered out of the wall, making a horrid wet sound with every breath. Sheik knew well what the monster was, so instead of sticking around to fight, Sheik made a mad dash towards the treasure chest. Some parts of the floor were trapped after all, but compared to the harsh obstacles Impa made Sheik run through every day, this was nothing. At the end of the room, Sheik flipped open the chest, thanked the goddesses it too wasn't trapped, then retrieved the curved sword inside. Yet even armed with a weapon, Sheik ignored the monster, returning to the room he had fallen into earlier.

This sword feels much lighter than it looks. Such craftsmanship, too. This is definitely a Gerudo scimitar. How did Saria even come into possession of such a blade? Did she really steal it from that Gerudo causing trouble as of late? Sheik looked to the only other door, gripping the sword's handle tight. No matter. At least I have steel on my side.

Beyond the door was a series of hallways leading left, forward, and right. The only place the floating lanterns of poes couldn't be seen was forward, so Sheik decided to leave the enemies behind and investigate the only clear path. Early on in the hall was a large vault door (likely holding back monsters) on Sheik's right, and further still was a door down a short hall to Sheik's left. The small room was filled with skulltulas and their webbing, but the slingshot and scimitar made short work of them. After cutting through the web, Sheik found another chest, this time containing Sheik's chain whip.

There you are! Sheik grabbed hold of the chain. Spinning and flicking the chain, it lightly crackled with magic sparks. There's a whole surplus of weapons on this floor. I wonder if there's anything left for Saria on the floor above?

For a moment, Sheik considered whether to leave the weapon behind or not, but then he remembered Impa's words. There was no such thing as fair inside this dungeon. If Saria couldn't manage with what tools she found, that was her problem, not Sheik's.

I'm sorry, Saria. This is a test after all. If I help you now, what would be the point?

With newfound resolve, Sheik left the small room behind and continued exploring the hallway. Unfortunately, the boy reached a dead end and was forced to turn around.

Nothing but locked doors and another monster vault. I think I saw another vault near the crossroad, so I'll just go down the opposite path.

Sheik retraced his steps and took a left, heading down a short hall before taking another left, and then a right. The snaking path eventually led to a misaligned crossroad, which was mercifully bereft of enemies. The air was thick, however, with a grim smell hidden beneath the stench of mildew. A small shiver ran up Sheik's spine, but he ignored it, pondering where to go next.

The path forward provided Sheik with a plethora of options. A door immediately to his left had another pair of deku babas guarding a chest, which held Saria's deku nut pouch. Another door to the left at the end of the hall led to a trap-filled room with keese, though this proved a simple affair for the boy. At the end of the room was another door, and the room inside, claustrophobic as it was, held another valuable item – Saria's medicine pouch. The boy took a moment to rest, using some of the healing powder on his wounds before pocketing the leftovers and moving on.

The door opposite the trap-filled room left Sheik at pause. He saw a long hallway with spike traps, swinging scythe blades, and what appeared to be a gigantic boulder rolling into a pit at the end, coming from another hall intersecting at the end of the first. Sheik quietly closed the door and moved on.

That must lead to the exit, but that seems extreme, even for Impa. There's got to be more to it. Maybe a switch, or a hidden passage? Sheik shook his head and returned to the nearby crossroad. I'll just keep looking. Once I know what my options are, I can figure out how best to proceed.

After taking a left and moving past a monster vault, Sheik arrived at an unlocked door. Inside was a heavy metallic chest on the left, and a statue shooting darts at the chest. A floor switch was placed curiously behind the chest. It didn't take long for Sheik to piece together a solution. After crouching down and slipping under the dart barrage, Sheik positioned himself between the wall and the side of the chest, shoving it further and further away with his legs. With it safely out of the way, Sheik crept back, shoving the chest against the wall and over the floor switch. A satisfying click rang out, and the statue ceased firing.

A bit juvenile compared to the other traps, but I could see this being troublesome for the desperate or greedy. Now then…

Prying open the chest, an all-too-familiar blade shimmered inside.

So that's where you hid it.

It was a blade that Impa gave Sheik at the start of his training. A curved single-edged dagger roughly 30cm in length with a black and red cord wrapped handle; the eye and teardrop symbol of the Sheikah could be seen on the pommel. Taking hold of his Sheikah blade, the young boy couldn't help but think back to that moment in time.

"Boy, come here," said Impa.

With a silent nod, the boy walked up to the imposing white-haired woman. She then took the boy by the chin and tilted his head back, looking into his eyes.

"Eyes of red… Just like a Sheikah. This is good. No one will doubt your place among our ranks. What's your name, boy?"

"I… Don't have one."

"That's right. You don't have one. Not anymore, anyway. From now on you shall be known as Sheik. Starting today, you will begin your training as one of us, and only after you have finished will you earn your rightful name. Do you understand?"

The boy gave a silent nod.

"Then take this," said Impa. "Every member of our clan, big or small, must always be prepared to defend themselves and their charges. In your case, it is the Royal Family of Hyrule. Soon you will learn how to wield this blade. Prepare yourself, Sheik, for these next years will be filled with much hardship. But do not fret. While you train under me, I will always watch over you."

There was a softness in Impa's voice that day, something that Sheik had not heard in some time since. Yet despite how hard Impa pushed him, it never felt like it came from a place of hate or indifference. Deep down, Sheik knew Impa cared for him… In her own way. To be reunited with that blade, it was as if Impa had put a hand on his shoulder and said, "It will be all right now. I am here with you."

Sheik's mind returned to the present. The dark, stuffy, grimy dungeon room he was in didn't seem so bad now. He even contemplated how he could use the room as a shelter should he need rest, but for now, he would press on.

Saria rubbed her bruised knuckles, watching the monsters before her burn up or fade into nothingness.

"That should be the last of them," she said.

"Saria, are you okay?" asked Poppy.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Of course she only said that to make her friend feel better. Her mild jubilation from clearing the trap-filled hall from earlier had died down after she had to fight all the monsters released into the dungeon. It wasn't that the danger or difficulty frustrated her. It was the monsters themselves. Why were they down here? Most of them were undead. Was Impa keeping them for the test? Were they always down here? Did monsters simply manifest in the dark reaches of the underground? Saria didn't have an answer… But she knew who did.

Since there was no sign of an exit in the area, Saria and Poppy returned to the middle crossroad of the floor, heading towards where the skulltulas previously were. As the pair made their way through the hall, Poppy stopped.

"Hey, look at this," she said.

"What is it?" asked Saria.

"This wall. Doesn't it look strange?"

"It does look a bit out of alignment. Maybe it's an illusion?"

"I can check it out for you."

"Are you sure? It could be dangerous."

"Oh please, I'm an expert in avoiding danger!" Poppy beat her chest proudly. The fairy then floated towards the wall, disappearing behind it. Not long after, she poked her head and arm back out, waving. "Hey, it's just dirt and a chest!"

Saria entered and sure enough, it was just a small room with walls of tightly packed dirt. Looking at the chest, Saria wondered how to handle it if it was trapped. It was too narrow of a hall to stand at its side and moving it could trigger a trap as well.

"Ah, I've got it!"

"Got what?" asked Poppy.

"All the trapped chests up until now fire out towards the opening side. If I just climb behind it, like so, then I'll be safe!"

Saria crouched down and unlatched the chest from behind, but once it was opened, she froze stiff. As if from the very darkness, a redead appeared in front of her. A horrid shriek echoed in her mind, and the masked undead reached its emaciated hands for her throat.

"Oh no you don't!" cried Poppy. The fairy charged the redead with a rupee, jamming the pointed end into its head. It barely left a scratch, but it caused the redead to look away and try swatting at Poppy. This released the paralysis gripping Saria, allowing her to spring on the undead and pummel it.

Panting, Saria drew her fist back. The undead finally stopped moving. "Poppy… Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine. That sure was close, though. And what a dirty trick that was!"

"Agreed. If chests can summon monsters too, then we'll have to be doubly careful from now on."

Inside the chest was another small key. Saria hadn't seen any other locked doors, but there was still quite a bit of the dungeon to explore, so she pocketed the key and kept moving. She exited out of the illusory wall, taking a right. There she stood at the crossroad just before the skulltula room and where she encountered the like like. The only place she had yet to explore was a path to her right. It snaked around the cold, grimy architecture of the dungeon, eventually leading to a split in the path. To her left at the far end of one path, Saria could see a wall made out of a rusty metal grate, and beyond that wall were standing torches, lighting up the area with a warm glow. The door to it had a lock and chains over it.

"At least we know what the key is for… Wait, do you hear that?"

"Yeah," said Poppy. "It sounds like flapping wings."

The path forward led to a sudden turn to the right. Saria and Poppy cautiously moved down the path, realizing there was a long (mostly featureless) hall, as well as an open vault. In the vault were several keese coated in a blue and white flame. In the center of the vault was a metal firepit, with a flame matching the fire coating the keese.

"How strange," whispered Saria. "Any ideas, Poppy?"

"Hmm… I'm not sure. It doesn't seem natural."

"All right. I'll just have to avoid touching it."

Saria picked up a small rock and hucked it at one of the keese, killing it in an instant. This alerted the other keese, who came swooping down towards Saria. The Kokiri ducked and dodged the bat creatures, tossing a rock at another one. As the keese slammed into a wall, the blue flame trickled into the stone before dissipating, leaving small cracks where the flame traveled.

"What the?"

"Saria, look out!"

In her distraction, a keese closed in on Saria. Poppy dove in front of Saria to block the attack, and when the keese touched her, the fairy froze into a fist-sized crystal of ice.

"Poppy!" cried Saria, diving to catch the fairy as she fell. The keese, curiously, was no longer covered in blue flame. Saria got back on her feet and smacked the keese away, killing it. Only one keese remained. The question was how to deal with it…

I can't touch it. Getting frozen will do me and Poppy no good. No deku sticks left, either. I don't see any more rubble I could throw. I need something durable, something I could… Wait, I know!

Saria drew the small key from her pouch. It was a sizable thing, made of iron and with a good heft to it. She gripped her fingers between its teeth, holding it like a small club. Saria waited for the keese to swoop down before batting it over the head with the back end of the key. The bat died instantly, and ice crystals formed across the key, forcing Saria to drop it. With the monsters dealt with, Saria held the ice crystal containing Poppy in her hands.

"Poppy! Poppy, hold on! I'm going to get you out of there!"

Saria ran towards the locked door at the end of the other path. While she couldn't enter the room without the key, it didn't matter. Saria slipped her hands through the grate and held the ice crystal near the standing torch. Soon enough, the ice around the fairy melted. Poppy coughed and fluttered her wet wings uselessly.

"Agh! I'm alive!" Poppy cried.

The Kokiri drew her friend back through the wall and held her close to her chest. "Thank goodness you're okay. I'm sorry, Poppy. If I had just been a pinch faster, I could have-"

"Hey, don't worry! It's my job to keep you safe! And since you are, that just means I'm doing a good job!" Poppy sneezed. "I may need a little time to dry, though."

"Of course, my friend. Just sit tight under here," Saria said, placing Poppy under her cap. "I'll take care of the rest."

Saria returned to the hall where the ice keese once were. Something about the rest of the hall being featureless seemed… Suspicious. Upon closer examination, she noticed something about the wall the vault was connected to. Two parts of it were illusory brickwork, and between these two portions was a heavily damaged and cracked wall. Giving it a few jabs, however, yielded nothing.

Still too sturdy to knock down. Let's see what's in these two rooms, then.

The left room ended up being a double trap. A space immediately past the illusory wall was an illusory floor that led to a pit. Saria narrowly avoided stepping in, only to then realize that the chest inside the trapped room was… Also an illusion. Leaving that room behind, the other one seemed safer, but after opening a chest inside, Saria had to step away from its icy blast. Nothing was even inside the chest.

"Sheesh! This hall is nothing but bad news!" Poppy sneezed again. "Let's get out of here, Saria!"

"Hold on. There might be something behind this middle wall."

"How can you tell? The others were just traps!"

"Every other part of this dungeon has been in fine shape. Dirty, but fine. Why is this the only cracked one?"

"Maybe it was shoddy brickwork. Didn't hold up to the test of time like the rest of this place," Poppy said, wiping her nose with a tiny handkerchief. "They could have been in a hurry, too."

"But if that's the case, why?"

Saria pondered the matter for a time, thinking about the ice keese. The fire surrounding them had strange properties. Physical contact froze you solid, but if it touched stone, it almost dripped across it like an ooze, leaving cracks and seams in its wake. Saria stepped in front of the open vault, staring into the fire pit. The blue and white flame gently danced, causing Saria's shadow to flicker behind her.

"I wonder…"

Bottle in hand, Saria uncorked it and approached the fire. She stood over it, a bead of cold sweat slipping down her forehead.

"Saria, what are you doing?" Poppy asked nervously.

"I have an idea."

"You're not going to try and scoop up fire, are you?"

"I just might. Do you remember that shop Fado and I cleared out?"

"Yeah…"

"There was something listed on the sign next to its front door. Blue Flame. How do you suppose something like that was stored and sold?"

"I'm… Not sure. Maybe he was selling lanterns of the stuff. But then…"

"How did he get the fire for the lanterns? The way the flame behaved earlier caught my attention. I don't think it's a flame at all."

"But wait, if you touch it, you'll get frozen solid!"

"Then I'll just have to be quick."

Before Poppy could say anymore, Saria scooped her empty bottle through the flame and capped it. She watched as the blue and white fire sloshed inside the container, almost like a liquid. Much to her surprise, the bottle itself was fine. A little cold, but not nearly as much as the key from earlier.

"Wow, that actually worked," said Poppy, holding up Saria's cap to see. "Now what?"

"Now… We do another test."

Approaching the cracked wall, Saria uncorked the bottle and splashed the blue flame across it. The flame spread throughout the brickwork, breaking it up more and more until, finally, the wall came crumbling down. Dust was kicked up into the air, causing Saria to cough. After waving away the dust with her hand, she saw another chest on the other side of the rubble.

"Ha! I knew it!" Saria smiled ear to ear.

"I can't believe Impa expected you to figure that out," said Poppy. "That's such a strange puzzle."

"At least it was worth the effort," said Saria, climbing over the rubble.

"Assuming it isn't another trap."

Saria examined the chest. She had started to pick up on small design quirks that gave her an idea of whether a chest was trapped or not. Compared to the last few, this chest seemed ordinary. Her muscles tensed as she grasped the lid, and after throwing it open, she saw what was inside…

"My bomb bag!" Saria cheered. "It's still full, too!"

"Finally, a real weapon!" Poppy clenched her fist. "Now we're unstoppable!"

Before she left the hall, Saria decided to refill her bottle with blue flame – just in case. After corking the bottle and grabbing the key off the ground, she made her way to the last door. She popped the lock open, and stepped inside the room…

"This floor looks like it's made of iron," said Saria. "It's… Spacious, too."

"Forget about that, look over there!" Poppy shouted. "There's a ladder leading down!"

"So it seems." Saria rubbed her chin. There were no immediate signs of monsters, but they could just appear, if the redead trap was any indication. This room was meant for a fight. The question was with what and when? It only took a few steps to answer those questions.

The loud stab of metal on metal rang out from behind the pair. Saria turned and realized that bars had sealed off the door. Moments later, an armored skeleton emerged from the darkness, with a shield in one hand, and a spiked flail in the other.

"Stalfos!" shouted Poppy. "Watch out!"

With a growl, the stalfos leaped forward, slamming his flail into the ground. Saria jumped back, seeing the dent the attack left behind in the floor. She got into a fighting stance and circled around the room, waiting for the stalfos' next move. The monster swung horizontally next. Saria quickly ducked then sprang from the ground, leaping towards the stalfos. She threw a punch, but the stalfos blocked with his shield. The force of the blow dented the rusty shield, and the skeleton slid backwards. The pair continued exchanging blows, with the stalfos almost landing a direct hit. The Kokiri had stumbled when she stepped onto the dented floor, and while she managed to dodge the full brunt of the blow, the spikes from the flail still scratched her left arm, drawing blood.

"Any ideas, Poppy?" asked Saria.

"This stalfos doesn't have much armor on his backside. I'd say go for his spine!"

"Easier said than done," said Saria, dodging flail strikes. "But maybe I can make my own opening."

Reaching into her bag, Saria pulled out a bomb and lit its fuse. Waiting until it was nearly ready to blow up, she hucked it at the stalfos. The skeleton shielded himself as best as he could from the explosion. While he was distracted, Saria dashed towards him and slid beneath his legs. After springing off the wall behind him, Saria flew through the air and kicked the stalfos' spine, shattering it in a single blow. The skeleton crumpled to the ground and burned up into flame. Soon after, there was a clicking sound, and the bars barricading the doorway receded.

"I'm a bit low on fairy dust," said Poppy. "Are you going to be okay with that wound?"

"I'll be fine. At this point, I'm more worried about Sheik. We've explored this entire floor, and there's been no sign of him. He couldn't have come this way, so it's possible he might have fallen in one of those pits."

"You don't think he's-"

"He's alive." Saria blurted out. "But he's probably more injured than we are."

"Then we've got no time to lose. Let's head down and see if we can catch up to him!"

Saria smiled at this and approached the ladder. There was a trapdoor resting in front of it, with grooves on one side to let it easily close over the ladder handles. After lifting it open, Saria slid down the ladder. Once she reached the bottom, she found herself in a room eerily similar to the one up above, though the standing torches were on the outside of the grate wall, and the grate itself was stained red…

That better be rust, Saria thought.

After exploring the room and finding nothing, Saria headed for the door. She gripped the handle, steeled herself for the challenges ahead, and stepped through.

Stepping out of the dart trap room, Sheik's body tensed up at a distant sound. One of the vault doors from before was opening. What would come out, however, was anyone's guess.

I should deal with those patrolling poes first. They'll only get in the way.

Sheik kept his blade at the ready, slowly moving through the snaking path back to the first room he had fallen into. Soon enough, he spotted one of the poe's floating lanterns. The ghost did not manifest, however, and instead swung the lantern about freely as it charged towards Sheik. As he stepped aside to dodge, he saw movement in the corner of his eye. Another floormaster had appeared and was heading towards him. Changing targets, Sheik met the monster head on, slashing across its body with his blade. It split into three smaller hands like the others, and the hands frantically moved about, hopping and clawing the air. Sheik readied his chain whip when he heard something strange coming from up above. He stayed focused on the floormaster's hands, though, for he knew that if left alone, they could grow to be as big as the original monster. Sheik chased after the hands, slapping the ground with his chain to take them out. One hand, two hands, then he cornered the third. The poe in the hall manifested and readied another attack. That's when the wallmaster made its move.

So distracted by the surrounding enemies, Sheik was snatched up by the wallmaster and pulled straight into the air. Phasing through solid stone, the monster pulled Sheik into the darkness, up through the ground of the first floor, and then onto the first floor's ceiling. It happened so fast; Sheik scarcely had time to think. He put all his will into driving his blade into the wallmaster, forcing the hand to let him go. After landing on the ground, he realized he was back at the beginning of the dungeon. No sound could be heard throughout the floor, save the shuffling of distant monsters. Not even the water was flowing like it once was. Infuriated beyond belief, Sheik ran through the 1st floor once again in order to catch up with his rival.

"Did you find anything?" asked Poppy.

"Nope, nothing in this room either," said Saria.

"I guess Sheik must have been through here too."

Saria and Poppy were met with quite a few monsters once they started exploring the 2nd floor, but after that was dealt with, they kept finding empty room after empty room. While there was no sign of Sheik, it was clear he had been busy.

After exiting a room with a dart trap statue and an empty chest, Saria looked to her left, and noticed cracks in the wall. She decided to splash it with blue flame, and once the wall was gone, a small hallway was left in its place, going forward and turning sharply to the left.

"What's in here, I wonder?" asked Poppy.

"Doesn't seem like much." Saria stepped over some of the rubble and peeked around the corner. "Wait, a dead end?"

"I think you could blow open this one too," said Poppy. "See? More cracks."

"But do I make the trip back upstairs?" Saria rubbed her chin in thought. "Nah, I don't want to fall behind." She then reached into her pouch and pulled out a bomb. "Poppy, go back to the entrance!"

"Don't have to tell me twice!"

As Poppy left the hall, Saria lit the fuse and rolled the bomb across the floor. With a quick burst of speed, Saria left the hall as well and hopped over the rubble, taking cover. After the boom, dust and debris burst from the hall.

"Looks like that did the trick. Come on!"

Saria vaulted back over the rubble and turned the corner, seeing the new path beyond the opening. As she got closer, she saw a boulder roll past her.

"Huh? What was that?"

"I think it was a rock," said Poppy. "A real big one, too."

"How did… You know what, I shouldn't be questioning things at this point."

Saria inched as close as she could to the new hall, looking to her right. At the far end of the hall, she saw a set of stairs leading down towards a locked door, and a grooved platform of stone set above the stairs was funneling boulders into the hall. On the left side of the slanted hall was a long empty passageway, eventually leading to a boulder-sized hole in the ground, intersecting with a turn to the left.

"I think that connects to that trap hall we saw earlier," said Poppy.

"You might be right. Then this passageway we're in must be a shortcut."

"It might be more than that. Look!"

Poppy pointed out a pair of odd-looking walls on the left side of the hall. Illusions, by Saria's reckoning.

So either those are meant as safe zones while you run up the passageway, or they're hiding items. But then… If you do go for those from this side, you'll be forced into that trap hallway by the boulder. I see your game, Impa.

"We can check those out later. Let's head back for now until we find a key," said Saria.

The Kokiri and fairy left the short hallway behind and returned to the main hall. As Saria climbed over the rubble, she realized the wall across from her was an illusion as well. She hucked a rock through the wall and listened. It sounded like it hit the ground, so she was certain there was no pit trap. After walking through, she found herself in a short hall that led to a larger room with a chest at the end. As Saria reached the border between the short hall and the room, she stopped.

"Wait… Something doesn't feel right." She leaned into the room without moving forward, looking both ways. "Spike walls."

"Sharp ones too. Oh no… I think I see bones hanging from them," Poppy winced.

"The walls must spring on whoever opens the chest. The question is whether they move fast or slow."

"I could try opening it for you."

"No, the chest could be trapped too. I don't want you to get hurt." Saria pondered the situation. The chest was big, so she wondered if she could take shelter in it and wait for the trap to reset, but there was also the chance the spike walls would crush her while she was hiding. "Maybe I'm overthinking this. I'll try darting for the chest and pull it back before the walls come closing in."

"Are you sure?" asked Poppy.

"Worst case scenario, I can try blasting a hole in the trap with my bombs. Just wait here."

Poppy nodded and fluttered in place, watching as Saria got ready. The Kokiri bent her legs, ready to spring into the room and nab the chest. Once she leaped inside, however, the wall behind her closed shut.

"Saria!" a muffled Poppy cried.

The Kokiri pivoted on her heels, leaping towards the wall and kicking it. The stone looked thin, but it was still too sturdy to break down.

"Shoot!" Saria watched as the spiked walls began to move. The sound of gears turning could be heard as the walls slid closer and closer, old bloodstains on the stakes becoming plainly visible. But something else was revealed to her the moment the walls grew closer. They were made of wood.

Waiting for just the right moment, Saria called upon the power of Din's Fire and burned the walls to ash. She covered her mouth and nose to avoid the smoke and noticed a floor switch on one end of the room. After stepping on it, the entrance to the room finally opened, letting out all the smoke.

"Saria, you're okay!" said Poppy, flying over and hugging her friend. Saria hugged Poppy back, then waved some of the remaining smoke away from her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine. This floor is tricky, though. Definitely a step up from the last one."

Saria approached the chest in the room, kicking it open from the side. No more traps were sprung. Instead, Saria was greeted by the comforting sight of her dagger.

"There you are!" Saria took hold of it excitedly. She practically hugged her dagger before strapping it back to her hip. "This room may have been dangerous, but it was well worth it."

"Now there's nothing that can stop you!" Poppy cheered.

"I don't know about that, but at least we have something more reliable than sticks and rocks."

Weapon secured, Saria's confidence was bolstered. She left the room behind and returned to the main hall. She took a right after leaving through the illusory wall, then a left at the crossroad. After a series of turns, she found herself at an intersection.

"Hmm… A door here, and two other halls to go down. Why don't you pick where to go this time," said Saria.

"All right! I choose… This way!" Poppy pointed at the door to Saria's left.

Saria drew her dagger and gripped the doorknob. "Let's see what's waiting for us this time."

When the pair entered, they found themselves in a peculiar square room. Most of the floor was made of a metal grate, save the center, which was solid stone. Above the plate of stone was a long tunnel.

"Hey, I think we're at the bottom of one of those pits!" said Poppy.

"It looks like it. No sign of loot or monsters, though. Just a door." Saria approached the door, opened it, saw a like like right in front of her, and slammed the door shut. She slowly turned her head towards Poppy. "Let's head somewhere else."

"R-right. Let's."

The pair left the grate room behind and moved forward, noticing an empty vault to their right, and a door to their left shortly thereafter. The door led to a cleared-out room, so they continued.

"Hey, another illusion," said Poppy, pointing to the left wall. Saria gave it the rock test, and when it seemed safe, she and Poppy entered.

"Huh? It's just a torch," said Saria.

"It's nice and warm at least." Poppy held up her hands near the fire. "What do you think it's here for?"

"I'm not sure. It could be for another puzzle…" Saria also held her hands up to the fire. The pair waited around, enjoying the comfort of warmth for a few seconds.

"I wish we brought along some sweet potatoes," said Poppy.

"Yeah… Those would be really nice right about now."

Saria's mind began to wander, taking her back to better times. She was in her village with the other Kokiri, gathering sweet potatoes.

"We got a lot of big ones this year," said Saria. "How are the rest of you doing?"

"We're doing great!" said Link. "Our basket is nearly full!"

"No thanks to you," grumbled Mido.

"What are you talking about? More than half the ones we have are ones I pulled!"

"But you didn't even brush the dirt off! Our basket would be nothing but dirt were it not for me! You can't just toss them in willy-nilly like that!"

"Well the Know-It-All Brothers told me the dirt gives the potatoes flavor."

"Flavor only worms would appreciate!"

Sparks were flying between Link and Mido. Saria sighed and approached the two, showing them how it was done.

"While I don't disagree with you, Mido, we give the potatoes a good wash by the river anyway. If you spend too much time brushing them off here, we'll never get done."

"B-but Saria, I was just-"

"I know. It's all right." Saria then turned to Link, who was looking away and whistling. "As for you, I know it's faster your way, but you could stand to shake at least a little dirt off the potatoes. If you're not more careful, you'll just be making more work for the others."

"Yeah… Okay. I'm sorry," said Link.

Saria smiled and said, "If you want, you can help wash them down by the river."

"I can do that!" Link excitedly grabbed the basket he and Mido were using and ran off with it.

"Link! Link, we weren't done here!" shouted Mido. "Ooooh, that kid! He's nothing but trouble!"

"But it's pretty fun trouble. Don't you agree?" Saria laughed.

"No, I do not," Mido crossed his arms.

"Well if it makes you feel any better, I still have my basket, so we can work together now."

Mido blushed, quickly looking away. "S-sure, I can do that."

Saria and Mido spent the next hour pulling sweet potatoes, trimming the roots, brushing off dirt, then setting them in the basket. Once they were done, the pair made their way down to the small river running through the village. When Link saw Saria, he stood up and ran over to her excitedly.

"Hey Saria, check it out! I caught a fish with by bare hands!"

"Gah! Put that back, Link!" growled Mido.

"But why? Fish are tasty." The fish wriggled about in Link's arms before suddenly escaping, bouncing off of Link's head and back into the river, swimming downstream. The sight was so ridiculous, all the Kokiri couldn't help but laugh. Link laughed as well, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. The smiling, blushing boy was such a warm and comforting sight, Saria knew she would never forget that day.

"Link…"

"Saria?"

"Wha?"

Saria snapped back to the present, realizing Poppy was in front of her.

"Saria, are you okay? You dozed off on me."

"I was asleep?"

"It seemed like it, at least. Pretty impressive since you were standing the whole time. I didn't even see you blink."

Saria looked around. She was still in that small room with the standing torch. The harsh reality of the present weighed heavily on her shoulders.

"I'll… I'll be fine. Let's keep going."

Leaving through the illusory wall and taking a left, Saria and Poppy found themselves at another intersection. There were two doors to the left – one at the far end of the left path, while the other was on the wall across the way, and to the right around a turn was a sealed vault door. The door across the way led to a long hall with a big skulltula blocking the way, but Saria was used to dealing with such monsters. She slashed it with her dagger after it spun about, revealing its soft underbelly, and with the monster slain, she found a locked door at the end of the hall. Looking up, the ceiling was full of cobwebs, but little else.

"You don't suppose a key is hidden up there, do you?" asked Saria.

"Maybe, but is it worth the effort checking?" asked Poppy.

"Nuh uh." Then the pair left the skulltula hall.

Taking a right, Saria entered through the other door. The room was pretty big, and dark too. It took a moment for Saria's eyes to adjust to the darkness.

"I think I see standing torches in the corners," said Saria. "Nothing to light it with… Though…" The Kokiri leaned her head back as she said, "Ooooh, so that's what that room is for."

"What do you think lighting the torches will do?" asked Poppy.

"I think I see bars covering a door on the right wall. Maybe they're connected somehow?"

"Oooh, I see. So we light them up and open the path! Got any deku sticks?"

"No, I used my last one on that dart trap, remember?"

"Oh. Well shoot, now what do we do?"

Saria thought about her options. Nothing she had on-hand would work, and she wasn't about to tear scraps of cloth from her shirt.

"Wait a minute, wasn't there a room with deku babas earlier?" asked Saria.

"You're right! They were in one of the cleared rooms back down the hall," said Poppy.

"Let's go harvest some stems, then."

When Saria first began to explore the 2nd floor, she had taken a left at the first crossroad. This was where she found a door leading to the trap-filled hallway, as well as multiple rooms with empty treasure chests. In one of the closer ones, two deku babas sat like guard dogs on both sides of an empty chest. Many a times had Saria slain similar creatures out in the Lost Woods to make the area safer, harvesting useful materials from them. While the heads were similar in composition to deku nuts, the stems hardened upon death, turning into wood. Ordinarily, Saria would pull out the roots of deku babas to prevent them from regrowing, but in this case, she took advantage of their rapid growth, killing a number of deku babas until her deku stick bag was full.

"There, that should do it," said Saria.

"I almost feel bad for the little guys," said Poppy.

"I get what you mean but try not to let it bother you too much. They're still monsters, after all. If you're not careful, they'd happily gobble you up."

Poppy shivered and said, "Ugh, thanks for the reminder."

With a fresh supply of deku sticks, Saria returned to the small room with the standing torch. After lighting up a stick, she made her way into the dark room and lit up the torches one by one. After narrowly lighting them up before her stick burned away, the room was enveloped in a warm light. The bars receded from the doorway, letting the pair go through.

On the other side of the door, Saria found herself in an earthy, cave-like room. A skeleton was slumped against a wall, its hand grasping a key.

"This looks like it fits that door in the skulltula hall," said Saria.

"Wait," said Poppy. "I can hear the skeleton whisper something." Saria stopped, hand on the key. Poppy then said, "Beware… Beware the flame… What does that mean?"

Saria's ears perked up. It sounded like fluttering was coming from the previous room.

"I think I have an idea. Hide in my cap. I'll keep us safe."

Poppy did so. After Saria secured the key, she drew her dagger and carefully opened the door. On the other side, she saw several keese flying about the room, now coated in flame. It wasn't long before they noticed her, changing direction and swooping down towards her. Dagger in hand, Saria made quick work of the beasts. She dashed through the room, slicing at the keese one by one until they were all gone. While she suffered small burns on her hand due to the short reach of her dagger, she and her friend were now safe.

"Are you okay?" asked Poppy.

"I'll be fine." Saria winced, shaking her hand. "I can see why that spirit warned us, though."

"I hope that key was worth it."

Saria unlocked the door in the skulltula hall. It led to a room with a big chest on a pedestal. After entering the room, bars shot down over the door, sealing it shut. Soon after, two stalfos emerged from the shadows, each armed with a sword and shield. While one stayed back, the other happily charged Saria, swinging his sword.

"If it's not one thing, it's another!" shouted Saria, blocking the sword with her dagger. After shoving the sword aside, Saria slashed the stalfos across the ribs, causing him to step back. The two fighters circled around the room, parrying each other's blades as they attacked. Not wishing to be stuck in a stalemate forever, Saria dashed back, pulling out a bomb. After lighting it up, she moved in, slashed at the stalfos to distract him, and rolled the bomb between his legs. Before it exploded, Saria stepped back. The blast of the bomb caused the stalfos to stumble, and with his defenses open, she drove her dagger straight through the monster's skull, killing him.

"You got it!" cheered Poppy.

"Yeah, but it's not over yet," said Saria.

The second stalfos joined the fray. He tossed his shield aside and picked up his fallen comrade's sword. Now armed with two blades, he came in swinging like a vortex of steel. While Saria could defend against some of the attacks, she found herself open to strikes from the second sword more often than not. After getting slashed across the side, Saria stumbled, grasping at her wound.

"Saria!" cried Poppy.

"It's all right! I haven't given up just yet!"

Saria rolled out of the way of the stalfos' next attack, drawing a deku stick from her bag. Dagger and stick in hand, she met the stalfos head on, swinging wildly. The difference in weapon length caught the skeleton off-guard, and when the opening presented itself, Saria smashed the monster's skull open, slaying it.

"Ugh… There… I did it…"

Saria collapsed onto her knees, panting. Not only was she tired and bleeding, but she was also starving. The burn wound on her hand seemed pleasant by comparison.

Poppy flew to Saria's side. "Hey, don't close your eyes on me!"

"I'm not… Poppy… I just wanna take a little nap…"

Tears in her eyes, Poppy said, "Saria, don't give up yet!" The fairy looked around for something, anything that could help. She then flew over to the chest, using all of her strength to open the lid. "Oh please be something useful, please be something useful!"

With a mighty shove, Poppy opened the chest and found a glass bottle filled with a red liquid. She lifted it up and carried it over to the Kokiri, placing it in front of her.

"Saria! I think I found a potion!"

"A… Potion?"

Poppy uncorked the bottle and nudged it closer. The Kokiri took it, drinking it all up. The magic of the potion then coursed through Saria's body, knitting her wounds shut and restoring her strength. Saria stumbled to her feet, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Saria! Are you feeling okay?"

"Okay? I feel great! What was in that stuff?"

Poppy wiped a tear from her face and smiled. "I haven't the faintest idea."

While the pair suffered a close call, Saria's wounds were healed. She even got a spare bottle out of the encounter. But before the pair could rejoice, they heard the sound of a distant vault opening.

"Oh now what?" asked Poppy.

"More monsters are being released. Stay close to me," said Saria.

Unsure of what dangers awaited them, the Kokiri and fairy moved back down the skulltula hall. Once they reached the exit door, Saria slowly turned the handle, opening the door as quietly as possible. There were no signs of monsters at the moment, but she could see that the vault down the left path was open.

"So that's where they came from," Saria whispered. "Then they must be up further in."

The pair made use of a previous tactic, with Poppy scouting ahead while Saria followed up from behind.

"Looks like the coast is clear," whispered Poppy. Saria moved up the hall, eyeing the intersection up ahead suspiciously. The sound of rattling bone and clanking armor echoed throughout the dungeon. More stalfos were on the move…

"Do you see anything?" whispered Saria.

"I see shadows moving down the left path, but the right is clear," whispered Poppy.

"Then let's head to the right."

The pair moved down the hall, running into a peculiar sight. The right path eventually turned left but stopped abruptly due to a breakable wall blocking the path. Unlike previous ones Saria had seen, this one was covered in a strange yellow barrier. To test it, Saria threw a rock at it. The rock bounced harmlessly off the barrier before it even got close to the wall.

"How are we supposed to get through that?" whispered Saria.

"Maybe it has something to do with this," Poppy pointed back. Saria turned, noticing a disheveled vault door was opposite the energy wall the whole time. So covered in dust and grime, it had escaped Saria's attention up until then.

"Thanks for spotting that, Poppy, but are you suggesting we wait until it opens to see what's inside?"

"We might not have to wait. Look, there are cracks in the door. Maybe we could break it open."

"And alert the stalfos on patrol."

"Maybe, but I have an idea. Do you remember the song we learned in that other tomb? If it works on redead, it might work on stalfos too!"

Saria thought on it for a moment, nodding with approval. "Poppy, you might just be a genius."

"Might be, you say? Of course I'm a genius!"

"Calm down now," Saria smiled. "We still don't know if it'll work. Still… I'm willing to give it a shot."

Now armed with a plan, Saria handed her ocarina to Poppy for a moment. After lighting up another bomb and tossing it across the hall towards the vault door, she shielded her face from the explosion, holding out her hand for the ocarina. When she uncovered her face, however, Saria immediately wished she hadn't. Four redead were waiting for them on the other side of the old vault door.

"Play the song, Saria! Quickly!" shouted Poppy. But it was no good. The sight of the redead had paralyzed Saria. Worse yet, it sounded like the stalfos were running towards their area. "Ah shoot, what do I do? What do I do?"

Saria struggled against the paralysis as best as she could. If she didn't do something soon, she and Poppy would be overrun by the undead. She tried forcing her fingers to move, channeling all of her willpower into her hand.

"S-Saria?" Poppy seemed to notice, looking down at her hand. "Wait, I've got an idea! Keep doing that!"

For a moment, it was if the Kokiri and fairy's minds were one. Once the ocarina was in Saria's hand, she mustered enough willpower to keep her fingers moving, blocking the right holes for the right notes. While she did so, Poppy blew on the ocarina to play it, and together, the pair played the Sun Song. The magic of the song froze all of the nearby undead, releasing Saria from the redead's gaze attack. Saria gasped for air, pocketing her ocarina.

"Oh thank you, Poppy. Thank you!"

"No problem, but we should really get a move on!"

"You're right. Let's see what we can do."

Saria ran down the hall towards the frozen undead, hopping over them. She saw that the stalfos were there as well, swords in-hand. Curiously, there was a floor switch in the middle of the open vault. Saria pressed it, seeing the barrier around the breakable wall disappear. But as soon as she moved, the floor switch shot back up, returning the barrier to the wall. Though frustrated, it gave Saria an idea. She picked up one of the redead and set it on the switch. The undead's weight was enough to compress the switch, so Saria hucked another bomb while there was an opening and destroyed the wall.

But then, the Sun Song's effects started to wear off…

"Saria, they're starting to move!" shouted Poppy.

There were precious few seconds remaining. Saria had to act fast, otherwise she'd be joining the ranks of the dead in the dungeon. She considered playing the Sun Song again, but she had no idea if it would work a second time. Even if it did, it was advancing time every time she played. Worried it might cause more vaults to open, or worse, cause the exit to the dungeon to seal early, Saria came up with a new plan. A memory from when she first met the Great Fairy on Death Mountain sparked in her mind. She had intended to save her magic energy for later, but given the situation she was in, she realized she had no other choice. In what little time remained, she remembered the special technique she was taught, channeled her magic energy into her dagger, then spun around, releasing a wave of slicing energy. The attack cut through the redeads and stalfos, laying them flat. Saria panted, almost completely out of magic energy. Had she hesitated at all, she knew she would be dead.

"That… Was close…" said Saria, catching her breath.

"I'll say! That was pretty impressive, though. We'll have to thank the Great Fairy the next time we visit Death Mountain."

Saria nodded in agreement, then looked around to take stock of the situation. All the enemies had been dealt with, but the barrier had returned. It seemed it could still hold its shape, even with the wall no longer there. What's more, Saria could see something beyond the barrier. It was a large chest. Curious, she stepped onto the switch, lowering the barrier. Instead of disappearing completely, it seemed to transfer, wrapping itself around the chest.

"Hmm… Well that's perplexing. How are we supposed to get through that?" asked Saria.

"I could try going through and opening the chest," said Poppy.

"If you think you can open it, then sure, let's give it a shot. Just be careful. Who knows what will happen once that chest is opened."

Saria remained on stand-by, stepping on and releasing the switch as necessary to give Poppy access to the chest. Unfortunately, she couldn't make it budge. After lowering the barrier so she could return, Poppy spoke up.

"It's no good. The lid's too heavy."

"Maybe I could leave some gear behind that you could move around?"

"You think I can lift half the stuff you carry?"

"Well, it was worth a shot."

Saria was just about ready to leave when she noticed someone approaching. It was a slim figure in the darkness, but a familiar one, nonetheless.

"Having trouble, are we?"

""Sheik!"" Saria and Poppy cried in unison. The pair ran over to the boy and tried hugging him, but he shoved them away before they got too close.

"Hey, now's not the time for that!"

"Ha ha… Sorry. It was just such a relief to see you. Where have you been? Are you hurt?" asked Saria.

"I'm fine, I…" Sheik sighed. "I may have been a bit careless. I don't know where the exit is either, so maybe… We could… Work together?"

Saria's eyes lit up in excitement. "I'd be more than happy to! In fact, we already found the exit."

"You did?"

"Yeah! Sort of… There's a door at the bottom of some stairs. It's locked and guarded by this weird boulder trap. We should be able to get through the trap, but first we need to find the key."

"All right. What is there left to do? I imagine you've explored this floor pretty thoroughly."

"First we wanna see what's in this chest," chimed in Poppy. "Come over here."

Saria and Poppy showed Sheik the barrier, chest, and floor switch dilemma. Afterwards, Sheik said, "So what we need is one of us to stand on and move from this while the other opens the chest. Does that sound about right?"

"That's right," said Saria. "Would you be willing to watch the switch?"

"Me? But what if I lock you in and abandon you?"

"Why would you do that?" asked Saria. "You need our help."

"B-but how can you trust me again so soon? Did you forget how I attacked you on the ranch?"

"Well sure, but I know you wouldn't leave me behind."

"And besides," said Poppy, "if you did do that, I would pester you for the rest of your days."

It sounded like Sheik was grinding his teeth together. Saria wasn't sure what was on the young boy's mind, but she had an idea. Even so, she had no reason to doubt Sheik in that moment. Despite the boy's unusual behavior, Saria knew he was also as pragmatic as they came. Sheik would have never approached her and Poppy if Sheik thought for a moment he could get through the rest of the test by himself. There was a much more practical reason why Sheik wouldn't betray Saria.

Once they settled things, Saria moved over to the barrier and gave Sheik the signal to move it. Sheik did so, letting Saria get to the chest. Once the chest's barrier was down, Saria opened it up, and sure enough, a large key was inside.

"Got it!" said Saria.

Sheik let Saria through the first barrier, and the two reunited.

"So that must be the key to the exit," said Sheik.

"Most likely," said Saria.

Then came a rumbling. In that moment, Saria remembered there was one last vault door remaining on the floor. It would seem that it was finally opening.

"Say, now that we're on the same side again, could you help me take down those monsters?" asked Saria.

"Hmph. You already got my help with that puzzle."

"Oh…"

"But then again, those monsters are in my way too. I don't mind helping you out."

For a second, Saria was certain Sheik was smirking beneath the cloth covering his face. Saria smiled as well, saying, "Then let's get going!" as she ran down the hall towards the monsters. While she wasn't certain what Sheik would do next, just knowing that he was safe and sound was enough to bolster the Kokiri's resolve. Whatever challenge next awaited them, Saria was certain she, Sheik, and Poppy could overcome it.

Saria and Sheik stood victorious over the defeated monsters. Four gibdos were released from the vault, and four gibdos were put to the sword. As Saria sheathed her dagger, she looked at the fallen monsters. Whatever was inhabiting their bandages seemed to simply disappear, leaving nothing behind but strips of old linen.

"How are you doing, Sheik? Did you get hurt?" asked Saria.

"No, I'm fine. And you?"

"Not any worse for wear."

"Then let's not dawdle any longer. Where is the exit you spoke of?"

"Right over there," Saria pointed to a nearby tunnel.

Sheik approached the mouth of the tunnel, looking at the rubble strewn about the floor. "Have you been blowing holes in the walls?"

"If by blowing holes in the walls you mean revealing hidden secrets… Then yes."

Sheik narrowed his eyes at Saria and said, "Very well. I just hope for your sake Impa is okay with this."

Sheik moved further in and Saria followed. At the exit just shy of the boulder tunnel, Saria pointed to the stairway.

"See, down there is the locked door. All we need to do is wait until a boulder passes and make a dash for it."

"Seems easy enough. Is there anything else?"

"In the opposite direction are some hidden rooms I haven't checked out yet."

Sheik leaned against the right wall, peering down the tunnel. "I see… There is one thing I'm still missing. Perhaps it's in one of those rooms."

"Want to check them out before we go? The first one is just on the other side of this wall," Saria knocked on the left wall.

"I suppose, but the boulder is too fast to come back up this way if we check out the second one. You'd be funneled into those other traps around the corner."

"Don't worry. I can handle them," Saria put a hand on her chest. "I got some practice in while exploring the 1st floor."

"Are you sure? You'd be risking your life for very little."

"It's no trouble at all," Saria smiled.

With a sigh, Sheik said, "All right. When the next boulder passes, we make our move. Ready?"

""Ready!"" Saria and Poppy said in unison.

Once another boulder passed, Sheik said, "Now!" and ran out into the tunnel, swerving to the left to go through the illusory wall. Saria kept on running, keeping pace with the boulder until she, too, dove through an illusory wall. The room was a short L-shaped room made of the same stone as the rest of the dungeon, though old rusty chains and shackles dangled from the ceiling.

"More chains? What are these even for?" asked Poppy.

"I doubt they were just for show," said Saria. The Kokiri jostled some of the chains with the tip of her dagger, but nothing happened. Feeling relieved, she turned the corner in the room and found a chest. This one was, thankfully, not trapped, and inside was a bag of long steel needles.

"Needles? Do you think these are Sheik's?" asked Poppy, eyeing the bag.

"They look like throwing weapons. I'd hate to be on the receiving end of one of these." Saria tied the bag to her belt. "We got our prize. Now comes the fun part."

"Even though I know you'll be fine, you saying that still worries me."

After stretching and adjusting her boots, Saria waited for the sound of a boulder passing before exiting the room and running down the hall. She hopped over the large hole at the bend, side-stepped a swinging scythe, hopped away from a spike trap, then continued to duck and dodge her way down the trap hall until, finally, she made it to the door. Soon after, she met back up with Sheik in the secret tunnel.

"You seem in good spirits. Did you find anything?" asked Sheik.

"Yeah! Are these yours?" asked Saria, holding up the needle bag.

"They are." Sheik reached for the bag, but Saria pulled it away.

"Hold on. Before I give you this, I'd like to make a trade. I noticed you found quite a few of my things."

"I did. Which would you like in exchange?"

After giving it some thought, Saria said, "I'd like the scimitar."

"Another weapon? Very well."

The pair made the exchange, and Saria strapped the scimitar onto her back. "There we go. This ought to help me with some of the bigger monsters. Where did you find this, anyway?"

Sheik shivered. "In a room with a like like."

"Ooooh… That's what that room was…"

With matters finally settled on the 2nd floor, Saria and Sheik waited for another opening and ran to the stairs. Saria unlocked the door, and then everyone made their way down a long winding stairway into darkness…

Poppy kept the path lit as Saria and Sheik descended further into the dungeon. The once dark grey of the walls took on a noticeably earthy hue as stone brick gave way to dirt and cavernous rock. Eventually, the three reached the bottom where a steel doorway sat in a rusted frame. Decorating the door was the engraving of a robed figure with a skull for a head, their eyes glowing green. Before anyone could even touch the door, a message seemed to emanate from it, echoing in Saria's mind.

"You who have come this far, prepare yourself for one final challenge. A gauntlet of harrowing foes awaits those who would work from the shadows."

Saria rubbed the side of her head. "Did you hear that too?"

"Yes. It felt… Strange. Almost like they were my own thoughts," said Sheik. After shaking his head, he said, "Let's just get this over with." Then he opened the door.

The three stepped inside, finding themselves in a bloody brick room with standing torches in the corners of the right wall. On the same wall as the entrance was another door, albeit on the other side of the room and locked. After everyone was inside, bars shot down, sealing the entrance. Two stalfos fell from the darkness up above, weapons at the ready.

"More of them? Sheik, you take the one on the right, I'll deal with the one on the left," said Saria.

"Very well. Try and keep up."

Sheik rushed the stalfos, drawing his blade and swiping diagonally in one fluid motion. The blade met its mark, tearing through parts of the stalfos' rusted armor. Saria drew her scimitar, gripping it in both hands as she charged her opponent. She brought the full weight of the blade down on the stalfos, who blocked with his shield but faltered from the force. Saria took advantage of the opening and kicked him in the jaw, knocking him back. Before she dealt the final blow, Saria stopped.

"Wait… That skittering sound… Sheik, up above!"

The pair dodged back, and two wallmasters slammed into the ground where Saria and Sheik once stood. Now with four enemies in the room, Saria planned out her next move. Sheik had no such hesitation, charging back into the fray. He leaped into the air, driving his knee into one of the wallmasters at the same time as his blade, killing it before it had the chance to counterattack. Saria focused her attention on her own foes, slashing the wallmaster in front of her. The giant hand skittered out of the way of the first strike, letting the wounded stalfos charge in and slash at Saria. The Kokiri dodged as best she could, then her and the stalfos' blades clashed. Sparks flew as the two tried to win in their contest of strength. At first it seemed like the stalfos would win out, and he cackled at the sight. But then Saria kicked one of the stalfos' legs out from under him, sending him to the ground. As the second wallmaster tried to attack, Saria leaped out of the way, watching as it crushed the stalfos under its weight. She then spun around, slashing her scimitar into the beast's dark hide and knocking it to the ground. Before it could get up, Saria spun around again and again, striking the wallmaster until it finally died. After she stopped, she saw the other stalfos fall to the ground beside Sheik and burn away.

Saria was feeling a little dizzy from her impromptu spin attacks, but after the feeling dissipated, she realized a small chest had appeared between the two standing torches. Sheik was already retrieving a key from the chest. He then approached the exit, unlocking it.

"Well, are you coming?" asked Sheik.

"Y-yeah, I just needed a minute," said Saria.

The Kokiri ran to catch up, walking outside onto a small metal platform embedded in the rock. It was high up from the ground, built on top of a cliff with a ladder connecting to a lower platform, and then to another. It was so dark, Saria needed Poppy's light to find her footing. She carefully made her way to the first ladder and began her descent.

"So Sheik…"

"Yes, Saria?"

"How much did you know about this place?"

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is did you know about all these traps? All these undead and monsters? All those skeletons - and I don't mean the ones wearing armor."

Sheik, who was already climbing down the second ladder, was silent for a moment. When he spoke, he said, "I've always been told exactly what I needed to know. I know that this place was repurposed into a Sheikah training dungeon long ago, and that many have explored its halls before us. Many have failed, as well."

"Repurposed?" asked Poppy. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means we Sheikah never waste what we have. If something no longer suits its original purpose, we give it a new one. That is the Sheikah way."

"And none of this bothers you?" asked Saria.

"Why should it? It wouldn't bother a true Sheikah."

"You say that as if you're not entitled to your own feelings…"

The pair eventually reached the bottom of the last ladder, which was lit by two standing torches. Sheik and Saria stood at the entrance of a long, cavernous tunnel occluded in darkness. Sheik made his way into the tunnel, saying, "It doesn't matter if I have my own feelings. They are not useful to me… To what I must become. Just like the Sheikah of old, I will repurpose them."

Saria felt a cold wind blow through her. She wanted to be there for Sheik, to comfort him, but… She didn't know how. All she could do was provide a little bit of light. And so, she took out a deku stick, lit it with one of the torches, and marched onwards.

The tunnel was largely featureless, save the occasional stalagmites poking out of the ground. Up above, a colony of keese made their home, resting on the ceiling and jutting stalactites. Some deigned to come down attack, but they were dealt with easily enough. Many of the others remained on the ceiling, following Saria with their beady red eyes. Poppy kept under Saria's hat throughout the tunnel.

By the time her torch burned away, Saria reached the other side of the tunnel where Sheik awaited. Before them was a large lit cavern with a pit of smoky green slime in the center. Wooden logs were placed haphazardly around the pit to act as walkways, though Saria wasn't sure if they could be trusted. The pit was bordered by four standing torches in its corners, and on the other side of the pit was the entrance to a new tunnel, though it was blocked up by dense layers of skulltula web.

"So this is what I saw from that room," Sheik muttered.

"What is it?" asked Saria.

"I'm not sure what the pit's purpose is. I have a hunch, though." Sheik pulled out a deku nut and gently tossed it into the ooze. The nut smoked and bubbled as the viscous slime melted it into nothing. "I see… I guess that's another reason not to touch it."

Saria looked closer, realizing that several skeletal hands were reaching out of the pit. She gulped, unsure what to make of it.

"I'll go first," said Saria.

"No, I should go," said Sheik. "I'm carrying less and am therefore lighter. If it's not safe for me, then it certainly won't be for you."

"Then before you go, take this," said Saria, holding out a deku stick. "You can use it to balance, and once you're on the other side, light it with one of the torches and burn the webbing."

"I can work with that," said Sheik. "All right, here I go."

Sheik held the long deku stick horizontally, stepping onto the first log in the pit. The log didn't seem to move as he pressed his weight down on it. Step by step, the boy made his way closer to the end, and after reaching the upper right corner of the pit, he hopped safely onto solid ground.

"Woo! Nice work, Sheik!" Poppy cheered.

"Thanks. I'll get to work on this web now. Good luck," said Sheik.

Saria smiled, taking out another stick as she began her own trek across the pit. The log shifted slightly from her weight, but after standing still for a moment, things settled down, and she continued. Things were going fine, but as soon as Sheik started torching skulltula web, figures emerged from the slime pit. Two redead coated in the acidic slime rose to the surface and trudged their way towards Saria. A foul scream echoed in her mind as her body froze stiff.

"Saria!" Sheik shouted. The boy dropped his torch and pulled out several needles, tossing them in quick succession. One of the redead was taken down immediately, turned into a pincushion by Sheik's attack. This gave Saria the chance to break free of their paralysis. Instead of fighting, Saria ran, doing her best to balance on the logs and hopping to and fro to get to safety. By the time she reached solid ground, Sheik took care of the other redead.

"Yeah, we made it!" said Poppy.

"All thanks to Sheik. You really came through for me," Saria smiled.

"It was nothing," Sheik looked away. "You would have done the same."

"Well you're not wrong."

Saria drew another deku stick and lit it with a torch, and together the pair burned their way through the skulltula web. It was a wide tunnel full of the spider monsters, many of which moved to attack in order to defend their territory. Others skittered away from the light, almost as if they were afraid of it. After veering to the right in the tunnel, Saria and Sheik found a split in the path. To their left was a brick wall – one that looked breakable if Saria had to guess. To their right was the last bit of webbing before the rest of a narrow path forward.

"I can see faint movement in the darkness up ahead. More monsters await us," said Sheik.

"In that case, why don't we see what's behind this wall?" said Saria, pulling out a bomb.

"You know that's going to alert everything in this cave to our presence, right?"

"It's not like we have anywhere to hide. Besides, you heard that door earlier. Either way we'll have to face a gauntlet. Let's make sure we know our options first."

"Very well…"

With a light and a toss, Saria blasted a hole right through the left path. After the dust settled, she clambered over the rubble. Inside was a small cavern containing a rather grandiose-looking chest, made of a blue-tinted metal with a golden frame.

"What did you find?" asked Sheik from the entrance.

"I'm not entirely sure," said Saria. "It looks important, though."

Examining the chest closer and finding no hints of trickery on the outside, Saria carefully lifted the lid open, and when she did, a faint glimmer of golden light shined from within. The chest contained a key – but it was no ordinary key. It was easily the length of Saria's forearm and colored gold with a red jewel in its horned head. Ancient markings surrounded the jewel and lined the neck of the key as well.

"Ooooh, now that's one shiny key!" said Poppy. "What do you think it goes to?"

"The final chamber, most likely," said Saria.

"You know, it sounds a little ominous when you put it that way."

"Either way it was to our benefit to grab it now," said Sheik. "Now we have nothing but the path ahead. Are you ready, Saria?"

Gripping the key in her hand, Saria felt the weight of the challenge before her. She took a deep breath and pocketed the key. "I'm ready."

"Then it's time. Let's go."

After Poppy hid under Saria's cap, the Kokiri and Sheikah boy made their way to the final path. Stepping forward, a line of torches came alive throughout the tunnel, shedding light on all the monsters ahead of them. Stalfos, redead, floormasters, a giant green bubble, and a poe wielding a staff with a lantern on one end at the back of the crowd, as if it were their leader. As the poe pointed forward with its lantern staff, the monsters made their way down the tunnel towards Saria and Sheik. The pair didn't say a word. They just drew their weapons… And charged.

Sheik was the first to attack, tossing down a few deku nuts to blind or stun the first wave of monsters. Saria followed this up with a volley of lit bombs, blasting apart the weaker monsters and softening up the stronger ones. A stalfos made it ahead of the pack and met Sheik head on. The boy side-stepped the initial attack, sweeping the skeleton's legs before slicing his head off. A floormaster turned green and flew across the battlefield towards Sheik, but Saria intercepted it, slicing right between its middle and ring finger until it was cut in twain. She followed this up with a spin attack to destroy the smaller hands. A redead shambled towards Saria, only to be filled with needles from Sheik. The two kept fighting monster after monster, making sure to back each other up as needed as they cut down each and every threat that came their way.

From the back of the crowd, the poe with a staff seemed to grow impatient. Drawing his lantern staff through the air horizontally, several balls of flame manifested. After pointing the staff forward, the fireballs flew through the air, hitting the ground and exploding in bursts of concussive force and flame.

"That's not just a poe, Saria. That's a wizzrobe!" shouted Poppy.

"A wizzrobe? What do you know about them?" asked Saria.

"They're undead magicians, mages who couldn't find peace in the afterlife. Just like poes, something unresolved ties them to this world."

Saria and Sheik dodged out of the way of the incoming fireballs. As Saria took cover behind upturned earth, she said, "That clears up a little bit. Anything else?"

"I heard they can disappear and… Appear from anywhere."

Saria and Poppy looked up, realizing the wizzrobe had teleported itself just above where Saria was hiding, ready with another spell. Before it could cast, Sheik leaped into the air, attacking the mage with a spinning kick.

"Oh no you don't!" he shouted. The kick landed, but then the wizzrobe disappeared in a puff of smoke, reappearing further back down the tunnel.

"We'll never get anywhere like this," said Saria. "I have an idea, though. Do you think you can keep it busy?"

"I don't think I have much of a choice. What did you have in mind?"

Saria pulled out her ocarina. "I'm going to bring peace to the living dead."

Sheik gave Saria a confused look but nodded all the same. After that, he rushed forward, continuing to fight and keep the wizzrobe distracted.

"Saria, what if the song causes too much time to pass and the exit closes shut?" asked Poppy.

"I know that's a risk, but if we can't take care of that monster, we won't even see the exit. Worst case scenario, we can always find a way to climb back out of the entrance tunnel."

Poppy sighed. "There's just no reasoning with you, huh? All right, give it all you've got!"

Taking hold of her ocarina once more, Saria blocked out all the surrounding noise and chaos and focused on the music. It was a simple song, one that she had played a few times by this point. One, two, three. One, two, three. It was that simple. The final note sounded like the fluttering wings of a bird, rising with the morning sun. A wave of light ushered forth from the ocarina, washing over the undead remaining in the tunnel. Even the wizzrobe was left frozen by the song.

"This is the end!" Sheik shouted. He leaped into the air, driving his blade deep into the magician. After the pair came crashing to the ground, the wizzrobe's form broke apart, leaving nothing behind but a small flame with a scowling face at its center. The remaining enemies were easy pickings for Sheik and Saria. Once they were finished, they approached the wizzrobe's flame.

"What did you do, Kokiri?!" shouted the wizzrobe. "What trickery was that?"

"It was no trickery. It was a parting gift from the Composer Brothers," said Saria.

"Flat and Sharp finished their research? But they would never give up their secrets to an outsider!"

"Research? What are you two talking about?" asked Sheik.

"It's a bit of a story," chuckled Saria. "But I had a run in with some other poes in the Royal Family tomb."

Sheik stared daggers at Saria. "What were you doing in the Royal Family tomb?"

"Well I… You know…" Saria sighed. "All right, I'll tell you."

Saria went on to explain how she approached the graveyard in Kakariko Village thinking there was trouble. She talked about the storm, the bolt of lightning that opened the tomb, her encounter with Sharp and Flat, as well as her run-in with Kitoga, who was trying to steal the brothers' secrets on Ganondorf's behalf.

"And that is how I got this scimitar," Saria smiled nervously.

Sheik, who had his arms crossed and was tapping his foot the whole story eventually said, "That would explain a few things. Impa and I had been wondering why such an important tombstone was blown apart."

"Sorry about that…"

"It really is unbelievable," said the wizzrobe. "Still, I can't help but feel happy."

"Oh? How come?" asked Saria.

"I once trained those two when we were still alive. They were terrible Sheikah, but great musicians. Being artists that lived in the shadows must have been quite a burden for them. I… Can't help but feel glad they were able to share the fruit of their research. And with a royal envoy, no less!"

"So you're not mad anymore?"

"Of course I'm still mad! But… To know I was bested by such capable and resourceful folk, it puts what's left of my heart at ease. I'm sure you two will make fine Sheikah."

Then the wizzrobe's flame dissipated. A silence fell over the tunnel, but it was one that left Saria feeling at peace. She looked over to Sheik, and for just a moment, it seemed like his typically stern gaze had softened… If only a little.

"Looks like we beat the gauntlet," said Saria. "Now we just have to reach the exit."

"Yeah… I guess so," said Sheik.

"What's wrong? You're almost a full Sheikah. Aren't you happy?"

The boy was still gripping his dagger at the time. He stared upwards towards the incline of rock before him, which led to a large vault-like door with a huge lock and chain.

"I'm… Not sure."

"Well… At least we're almost through with this place, right, Poppy?"

"Exactly!" said the fairy. "Just a little more and we'll be outside! Just think: sunshine, fresh air, and water that isn't cursed! Doesn't that sound great?"

"It… Does." Sheik sheathed his dagger and made his way up. Saria and Poppy shrugged to each other and followed.

Further up ahead, Saria noticed a small side path which led to a patch of vegetation. She realized the plants were similar to ones from Kokiri Forest.

"Hey, we can get some supplies here!" said Saria. "Nuts, seeds, some leaves for medicine… Huh? What's this?"

While Saria was sifting through the plants, she noticed an old decrepit journal hidden under the foliage. After picking it up and dusting it off, she saw the cover had the symbol of the Sheikah on it – an eye with three evenly-spaced triangles above it and a teardrop below it. Unfortunately, Saria couldn't read anything in it.

"Hey Sheik, check it out. I think I found a journal belonging to your people."

"Oh?" Sheik approached, taking the journal from Saria. "Let's see what it says…" Saria watched Sheik's one visible eye scan the pages, never blinking. He was skimming through fast, but as he approached the end, his eye went wide, and he dropped the journal out of shock.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Saria's eyes trailed away from Sheik to the journal. The last page it was on was dirtied by old bloodstains.

"It can't be," muttered Sheik. "Is that… Really what's down here?"

Saria stood up, clasping her hands over her heart. "Sheik? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I…" Sheik took a deep breath, composing himself. "There's something you should know about what's on the other side of that door. Let me tell you a story." Saria gave a nod and listened closely to what the boy had to say. Sheik then said, "Are you familiar with the Hyrulean Civil War?"

"Only a little. My people abstained from the war, so I only learned about it after leaving the forest."

"That doesn't surprise me… Before I met you, all I knew of the Kokiri was that they lived peaceful, carefree lives in the distant forests. Many people simply called them 'Forest Fairies' – but that's neither here nor there. While the Kokiri stayed safe inside the forests, war raged on for countless generations between the people of Hyrule. My people served the Royal Family from the shadows. This meant a lot of things. Sometimes we were guards, sometimes we were spies, and sometimes we were… Assassins. The Sheikah did everything we were asked to, for that… Was our purpose."

"I had some idea of that, but what does that have to do with this journal?"

"Before I answer your question, promise me you won't tell another soul about this."

The stern, resolved look in Sheik's eye returned, staring right through Saria. A part of her wondered if she could keep that promise, but for the time being, she would respect Sheik's wish.

"I promise."

"Thank you. Then let's continue. As I said, the Sheikah were tasked with a variety of duties as ordered by the Royal Family. Sometimes that meant bringing back captured enemies and… Learning what we could from them. This isn't something I've ever been trained to do, but I hear some of the methods used were… Unkind. It was dirty work, but it was done in the name of peace. However, in order to hide these dark deeds from the eye of the populace, the Sheikah needed to ensure that the captured enemies never saw the light of day again."

"So the Sheikah killed them," said Saria, her voice cold.

"Not just that," Sheik shook his head. "Did it ever occur to you where the dead were taken, where their remains were buried? Our graveyard was reserved for Sheikah, members of the Royal Family, and these days, the locals of Kakariko Village." Sheik paused, almost like he was struggling to speak. "That journal belonged to someone who helped with that duty, and behind this door… Is where the bodies were taken."

Saria clenched her fist. Her thoughts returned to Impa and the nature of the dungeon she had made Saria and Sheik fight through. The dungeon that, in Sheik's own words… Was repurposed.

"I understand," said Saria.

"You do?" Sheik asked.

"Yes. I understand before the day is through, Impa and I are going to have a long talk."

"Hey, I told you not to share what we talked about! Half the stuff I said I had to figure out on my own! Don't you understand? If Impa finds out what I've uncovered, I could…"

Saria stepped forward, putting a hand on Sheik's shoulder. "If it comes to that, Impa will have to go through me before she gets to you." The Kokiri then looked up at the locked vault door once again. "I think it's time we finished up here."

"Yeah… You're right."

Saria and Sheik made their way up to the locked vault door, all while Poppy stayed hidden underneath Saria's cap. She could tell the fairy was shaking. She slipped her hand under the cap to reach out to Poppy, who took hold of one of Saria's fingers, calming down.

Don't worry, my friend. I'll see us through this. Our destination lies far from this place. I will not let one of the Sheikah's dirty secrets be the end of me.

Saria and Sheik entered the final chamber. The room was dark, though faint light from up above allowed Saria to discern a few details. For one, she was walking on a floor composed entirely of bone. Hundreds upon hundreds of skeletons seemed to comprise the floor, walls, and even bits of the ceiling. What's more, strange wriggling things could be seen in the far corners of the room.

And then the entrance sealed shut…

"Sheik, do you see anything?" asked Saria.

"Only… Tentacles. No. Not just tentacles. Hands."

"Hands?"

Saria looked closer, realizing the wriggling things were long pale limbs, each ending in bony, red-tipped claws. The wriggling limbs reached ever towards the sky, though they didn't move about much otherwise. It reminded Saria of certain plants she had seen in the Lost Woods, plants that naturally reacted when insects landed on them, closing shut to devour their prey.

"These must be used for hunting. But where is the rest of the beast?" asked Saria.

"Likely in hiding. I know how we can get it to show itself." Sheik drew his blade, approaching one of the hands cautiously. As he readied to cut the limb, it bent down and grabbed hold of his head with a sudden burst of speed. As soon as it grabbed hold of Sheik, something burst out of the bone pile further in the room. It was vaguely humanoid in shape, fat and pale with splotches of red all across its calloused, rubbery hide. It had two arms ending in sharp nubs, and its long neck was currently pointed straight up, hiding the creature's head from view.

"Don't worry, Sheik! I'll save you!" said Saria. She moved to help pry off the hand, which had a death grip around Sheik's head. Sheik's legs were kicking back and forth as he tried to pull himself free, but despite the pair's combined efforts, the hand wouldn't let go. "Fine then! How about this?"

Saria struck the long thin arm of the hand with her dagger, severing it. The rest of the limb holding Sheik went limp, slumping to the floor. The stump oozed green blood and disappeared into the bone pile. All while this went on, the beast itself had shuffled closer to the pair. It bent its neck down towards them, revealing a long bony face with a pointed nose. Its teeth were all thick incisors, its eye sockets were empty black pits, and its mouth was opening so wide that Saria thought it could devour someone whole. Sheik stood motionless, his body seemingly paralyzed with fear.

"Sheik! Move!" shouted Saria.

This snapped the boy out of it just long enough for him to kick the creature's body in panic. The impact of the blow caused the monster to wriggle slightly, but it was clear no damage was done. The monster responded to this by clamping down its jaws on Sheik's leg. The boy howled in pain as blood seeped from the wound.

"Let him go!" cried Saria. She charged the beast, bringing her scimitar around to strike its head. This caused the beast to scream and let go of Sheik, who fell to the ground. The monster itself retreated into the bone pile, moving its pointed arms swiftly to dig its way underground. Saria used her own body to shield Sheik from the debris kicked up by the monster's burrowing.

With the monster gone for the moment, Saria tried putting pressure on Sheik's leg wound. The boy hissed in pain and said, "Saria! I have your medicine! It's in my left pouch!"

Hearing these words, Saria pulled out her medicine pouch and started applying some of the powder to the wound. She knew it would sting, but it would be enough to staunch the bleeding… For now. Using the leg afterwards was another story.

"Hey, look out!" shouted Poppy. Saria looked around, noticing the hands were on the move. Even the one she had severed had seemingly grown back, and the limbs were wriggling through the bone pile as if searching for her and Sheik.

"If you use the rest, it should get you back on your feet. I'll keep the monster busy in the meantime," said Saria. Sheik just gave a silent nod and did what he could to heal himself. As for Saria, she acted as a barrier between the hands and Sheik. When one got too close, she slashed at it with her scimitar, causing it to retreat. After three of the hands were wounded, the monster burst from the bone pile once more, sniffing the air with its beak-like nose.

"It can't see us!" said Poppy. "It must use touch and smell to find its prey."

"If that's the case, then let's try this," said Saria. She picked up a bone and hucked it at one of the remaining hands. The hand grabbed hold of the bone, squeezing it with enough force to shatter it into pieces. The monster waddled through the bone pile towards the last hand, biting at the air. When it became clear there was nothing there to eat, it receded back into the ground.

By this time, Sheik was back on his feet. "It's strong, but not very smart. We can win this."

Hands sprouted from the bone pile once more. Saria and Sheik tossed bones towards them, watching to see if they attracted the monster. Nothing worked at first, but after Sheik threw a skull, a hand eagerly clamped down on it, driving its claws into the skull's eye sockets. The monster emerged again, sniffing the air. This time, however, it sensed the bait and turned towards Saria and Sheik instead.

Sheik tossed a volley of needles at the monster. They pierced its hide, but did little else.

"So only its head is vulnerable," said Sheik. "I had hoped that wasn't a certainty."

"We can still strike it when it tries to bite," said Saria. "We just have to be patient."

The monster slithered closer and closer to the pair, elongating its jaw in anticipation. Saria and Sheik readied to attack, but as they did, the other hands receded into the ground. When they reemerged, two of them appeared by Saria, grabbing her by her ankles and pulling her to the ground. Sheik tried to move in to help, but another hand emerged, pulling him to the ground as well. The last hand pinned Saria's sword arm, and the monster moved in closer and closer, ready to bite. A mixture of fear and revulsion welled up inside of Saria. The monster moved its head closer and closer, the stench of death emanating from its maw. Before it could eat Saria, Sheik pulled out his chain and lashed it around the monster's neck, shocking the beast with magic volts.

"Saria, your dagger!" shouted Poppy.

The Kokiri pulled out her dagger and stabbed the hand holding her sword hand down, then the other hands holding her legs. Now free, she got to her feet and hucked her dagger at the hand holding Sheik down.

"It's trying to keep its neck craned. Help me, Saria!" shouted Sheik.

"On it!"

Saria rushed to Sheik's side, helping to pull the chain around the monster's neck. With their combined strength, they yanked the creature to the ground. Having done so, Saria saw that it had no legs, and instead the bottom of the monster connected to the hands like they were tentacles. A new layer of revulsion entered her mind, but she ignored it in favor of attacking.

Saria and Sheik struck the monster's head over and over with their blades in a mad fury. After it stopped moving, they gave it a few more thwacks just to be sure. With the monster slain, its body seemed to naturally deflate and slither back into the bone pile, disappearing. Whether it was dead or merely unconscious, Saria had no idea.

The bars on the entrance released, and an opening in one of the walls came down, showing the way to the exit. Finally, a swirl of light circled around a portion of the room, revealing a chest.

"What… Is it?" asked Saria.

"I'm not sure. Care to check it out?" asked Sheik. Seeing as the boy had a limp from his leg injury, Saria gave him a nod and walked towards the chest.

After checking to make sure it was safe, Saria unlatched the chest and looked inside. A strange hand mirror was contained within, with a purple body, gold ring at the bottom of its handle, and three pointed red jewels on the top of the rim. An eye-like design could be seen in the see-through lens of the mirror, and looking through it made Saria's head feel funny.

"Wait, is that…?" Sheik moved closer, taking hold of the mirror. "I don't believe it. How long has this been here?"

"What is it?" asked Poppy.

"An ancient Sheikah relic. It's called the Lens of Truth, for those with the magic power to activate it can see through all illusions and trickery."

"Is that so… Then you should have it," said Saria. "It is a Sheikah relic, after all."

"No, you deserve it more," Sheik handed the lens back. "While I did what I could in this dungeon, time and time again I saw how much more you accomplished. Were it not for you, I would have just been another body to feed that monstrosity. To the victor go the spoils."

"You saved my life too, but if you're really certain, then I'll hold onto it for now."

Saria slipped the handle of the lens under her belt and checked to make sure it was secure. Then, Saria, Poppy, and Sheik made their way through the new tunnel towards the exit. A huge stone slab of a door had lowered about halfway, but there was still plenty of room for them to exit out of the dungeon. At last they were outside… And Impa was waiting for them.

Impa approached slowly, clapping all the while. Sheik looked relieved to see her, but Saria held nothing but contempt for the woman's applause.

"Finally, you both return! For this, I am glad," said Impa.

"You!" Saria began. "How dare you!"

"Saria!" Sheik reached out a hand, trying to pull her back. Saria shrugged off the boy and pressed forward.

"Do you have any idea what you just put us through? What you just put Sheik through?"

Impa narrowed her eyes at Saria. "Of course I do. I personally ran through the dungeon to place your gear."

"Then you've got a lot of nerve applauding us like we just won some simple game. That whole dungeon was a death trap. You should have known it was a death trap. And for what? Training? Tests? That went way too far!"

"Yeah, you tell her, Saria!" said Poppy. One look from Impa quieted the fairy down. "Y-yeah, you… Tell her." The fairy then went back to hiding under Saria's cap.

"So you don't like the test I put you through, is that it? Then let me remind you of something: you never had to take the test, Saria. You are not one of the Sheikah. While I was happy to train you along with Sheik, you remain an outsider. You are ignorant of our ways."

"I understand that. I only have myself to blame for going down there. But Sheik is a different matter. It was expected of him. Required of him! He had to put his life on the line countless times in order to get through."

"Yes. We Sheikah must always be prepared to put our life on the line for our duty. Is this not what Sheik has told you? Even though we Sheikah were prepared to disappear in the recent era of peace, the flames of war have been fanned by Ganondorf and his minions. There would be no room for those unwilling to commit themselves to their duties."

"And this I understand perfectly," said Sheik, bending the knee to Impa. Despite this putting a strain on his wounded leg, Sheik did not wince or complain. The pain Sheik didn't express Saria felt inside twice over.

"Sheik… I know you're committed, but you're just a boy…" said Saria.

"And I don't have enough time to grow up."

Impa sighed and crouched down, extending a hand towards Sheik. Magical energy gathered, and with a flash of light, Impa healed the boy's wound.

"There. That should help," said Impa.

"The pain… It's gone! Thank you, master," said Sheik.

"And as for you, Saria. I know my methods seem cruel, but there are things you must know before you judge. Every Sheik must be put to the test before becoming a true Sheikah. The test has varied over the years, with this one being the least dangerous of them. I was left to die in the dungeon I was sent through, but I persevered, and I returned to the surface stronger for it. This is the Sheikah way. Even so, I did not want to lose either of you. That's why I've been watching."

"Y-you've been watching?" asked Sheik. Impa nodded.

"Every step you took, every decision you made, I was there to witness it. I watched you both travel through the dungeon, admiring your courage, creativity, and determination. More than once did I want to step in and help, but I knew that if I did, then it would all be for naught. I will not always be around, and if you two cannot defeat such challenges on your own, then the test would have been a failure."

"And if you told us you were watching from the start, we wouldn't have taken the test as seriously," said Saria.

"Precisely."

"So you really were beside me all along…" said Sheik. "But then, that means you-"

Impa held out a hand. "I'm aware of what you spoke of. I'm aware of its… Implications, but that isn't important right now. The ghosts of the past can be exorcised when peace returns. Right now we have other matters to attend to."

"Already?" asked Saria.

"Indeed. You are both officially Sheikah, after all, and the world did not stop spinning while you idled away underground."

"Then what is our mission?" asked Sheik.

Impa explained the situation. The ruler of Hyrule, King Emmerich, was sent a message from Ganondorf. Zora's Domain had become frozen over, and Princess Ruto was taken captive. As Hyrule relies on Zora's River for water, Ganondorf threatened the king with cutting off the river completely until he gave into his demands, which included giving him the Ocarina of Time, as well as the Goron's Ruby.

"The Zora have been allies of the Royal Family for generations," said Impa. "We simply cannot let this attack go unanswered. But dealing with this will require a coordinated effort. I would call upon you both if you would permit it."

Saria thought on the matter for only a moment before she said, "Fine, I'll help. But we're not done talking about that dungeon."

"I'll be more than happy to hear you out once this is all over," Impa smiled.

"Then who shall go where?" asked Sheik.

"I will send you to Zora's Domain. I want you to figure out how it's been frozen and see if you can reverse the effect. Retreat if it becomes too unsafe and seek me out in the castle to report what you learn. Once we figure out how to thaw the river, Ganondorf will only have his hostages to fall back on. And that's where you come in, Saria. I want you to head to Gerudo Desert."

"Gerudo Desert? I can't imagine they'll let me just walk in if they're preparing for war. How am I supposed to enter?" asked Saria.

"I'm glad you asked. We have an ally working from the inside. Once you reach the entrance to the territory, there should be messages from them you can follow. Seek them out, and they'll help you reach the Gerudo. And remember, while Princess Ruto is your top priority, she isn't the only hostage Ganondorf has. Several people have gone missing as of late, including your friends from Lon Lon Ranch."

"Malon?!" said Sheik.

"That fiend!" said Saria.

"I understand how you feel, but be careful not to let your emotions get the better of you. The Gerudo are an entire people of warriors and strategists. While the soldiers of the crown sat idle during the near decade of peace, the Gerudo have only intensified their training. You can't take a single one of them lightly. Do you understand?"

"I do," Saria nodded. "But what will you be doing during all of this?"

"My sworn duty. I will remain by King Emmerich's and Princess Zelda's side until the conflict has passed. After all, these demands could merely be a distraction. It wouldn't be the first time Gerudo have tried abducting the princess."

"I see… Then when should we leave?"

"As soon as possible. Rest, eat, stretch, and exchange gear if you need to, but do not idle for long. I wish we had time for a proper ceremony, but unfortunately, we don't have such a luxury."

"I understand," said Sheik. "I'll only need a minute."

"With luck, dealing with this current scheme of Ganondorf's will set him back and give us a chance to better prepare for his next move. During that time, we'll have to decide on a proper name for you, Sheik."

The boy's eye lit up at those words, and Sheik nodded, finally standing up. "I'll do my best, master."

"See that you do."

Saria then reached into one of her pouches, pulling out the Goron's Ruby. "Here, Impa. Since I'll be going to Gerudo Desert, it's not safe with me. It would be better for you to hold onto it."

"If you're certain, then I will guard it with my life. Now unless you have anything else to tell me, you are both dismissed."

Impa left the hidden village while Sheik walked towards the sleeping quarters he and Saria had been using. Saria followed the boy, asking, "Are you really okay with all this?"

"Okay with what? Doing my job?" scowled Sheik.

"I mean all of it. We just got out of that death trap, and we're already being sent off to do work for Impa and the Royal Family."

"Would you rather we abandon the Zora?"

"I'm not saying that, but… Aren't you pushing yourself a little hard?"

"Saria, I understand how you feel, but I've been training for this moment my entire life. This is what I'm meant to do. You saw first-hand what I had to go through to earn the right to work for Impa. It's what I wanted, and everything you're saying is just belittling me and my efforts."

"I'm not trying to belittle you!"

"Then leave me be! If you truly cared, you would believe in me the way Impa does. But clearly you see me as nothing but a child."

"You are a child!" Saria stopped, covering her mouth with her hand as she saw Sheik's eye go wide. Sheik quickly tossed all of Saria's gear he collected in the dungeon on a bed.

"Here are your things. I'm glad we're on separate missions."

Then Sheik was gone. Saria didn't even have the strength to call out to him. She just sat on the bed.

"Saria…" said Poppy, climbing out of the Kokiri's cap. "It's… It's not your fault."

"Then whose fault is it? I just wanted to look after him, but everything I do seems to be pushing him away. What do I do, Poppy?"

"I don't know. I think he just needs time."

"Yeah… You're probably right." Saria sighed, her shoulders drooping. "Time… I wish we all had more time."

Saria and Poppy took the time to eat and drink some water. After the Kokiri replenished some of her supplies, she readjusted her clothes, made sure her pouches and belts were secure, then left the hidden village behind. Her next destination… Gerudo Desert.