Z-Fighter
Red Jacket
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Chapter 51: The longest scaling…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]After climbing over some stones and rubble, the group proceeded down the large corridor, before jumping down a large hole that led into the inner section of the tower as a whole. Immediately the group could see that the environment was somewhat different. Instead of the green-tinted stones, partially due to the green torches in the outer section of the tower, this part had a more bluish hue to it overall. There were several large holes in the ground that had a small patch of lava in it, as if a lava ditch was moving through the room, with several solid stone bridges spanning over it to reach every part of the room without having to specifically go around every bit. There was also a rotating platform in the center with a statue that apparently was holding a grotesque stone pillar that ran all the way up to close to the ceiling, being several tens of meters high overall! Another pillar was standing nearby and sported a staircase going all around it, but several parts of it were broken or missing, forcing the group to take the scenic route all around the room just to get to the top of the room if they had to progress. As if that wasn’t enough, the room itself had the presence of some very large Dodongos with maws big enough to swallow two of the children simultaneously whole, making Link shudder as it reminded him of the Big Dodongos he had encountered back in North Termina Field. It almost appeared as if these Dodongos were related to the grotesque King Dodongo, considering their overall size and the spikes on their backs. Looking around the room even more, the group also located several Fire Keese flying around aimlessly, two sets of two Death Armos whom were guarding a bridge each, two Iron Knuckles whom each were at the far side of the room, standing in front of a wooden barrier, a single Floormaster patrolling the first staircase directly ahead, Red Bubbles which were now more actively appearing out from the Lava and leaping over the bridge, as if daring an unsuspecting traveler to cross it without getting knocked off of them and falling into the lava itself, a few Blue Bubbles on a platform at the far side of where the first staircase ended, two White Bubbles patrolling around the rotating pillar and a Green Bubble being present at another higher-laid platform that required the group to reach using the floating platforms and Clawshot Targets which were practically all over on strategic points. For the rest, there was a combined patrol of Assault Sword Soldiers and Stalfos at the far side of the room itself, right behind the pillar with the staircase containing the patrolling Floormaster. Finally, there was a platform on ground level which contained several chests and a suspicious looking shadow among them. The only odd thing was that there were a few Bomb Flowers spread over that very platform on the corners and the center.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, it appears our troubles have only begun.” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I agree; there’s likely more enemies around, probably lying in wait to ambush us.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“At least we have some more room to fight in, just stay clear of the lava ditches.” Darunia said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right. We should try to lure the Fire Keeses over first.” Link said, preparing his bow and Silver Arrows, also locating several more chests around the area.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’ll keep watch in case any of the other enemies make their approach. The Death Armos and the Bubbles seem to contain themselves for now, but that only leaves the others.” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“The Stalfos and those Assault Sword Soldiers are likely the main threats whenever they see us,” Darunia said, “with the Dodongos merely walking around aimlessly and the Iron Knuckles staying put until they’re hit…”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Then it’s settled; we’ll take out first the Fire Keeses and the more aggressive threats, especially considering how relentless those sword soldiers are…” Link said, being serious.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right.” The Sages said in unison, nodding as they found this a logical battleplan…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]With their plan established, the group carefully proceeded in the room, intercepting any Fire Keese that came too close for comfort, the Silver Arrows proving their worth again, especially when the group moved to lure the Stalfos and Assault Sword Soldiers over. This didn’t take long as the Assault Sword Soldiers immediately went to charge at them once they saw them, together with the Stalfos, although a few of the soldiers didn’t look where they were going and subsequently fell in the lava, due to the edges of the path around the ditch having nothing like guard rails or the like to prevent one from falling from those platforms. While this gave the group a few less enemies to deal with, it didn’t make much of a difference due to the relentless attacks of the enemies as a whole, with the Stalfos using a Jump Attack of their own to cross the gaps to attack the group. Thankfully, due to the room being large and having little to no rubble in the way, the group saw them coming and responded accordingly to their attacks by moving to the side or backwards in order to avoid them, with Link, Zelda and Saria pulling off a picture-perfect back flip before using the momentum of the Stalfos’ attack to strike at them, damaging the skeleton warriors, while at the same time Darunia clobbered several Assault Sword Soldiers to the side, while Impa and Nabooru intercepted two other Assault Sword Soldiers whom tried to strike at the children from the side. Ruto attempted to assist the group by launching a Silver Arrow at a Stalfos. While she missed the Stalfos she was aiming for, the Silver Arrow buzzed on and by pure luck managed to strike and destroy one of the White Bubbles that was currently floating in place. Link and Zelda made use of the momentum from the Stalfos’ attacks to roll behind them and perform the Backslash, while being cautious as to not fall in the lava ditch or being crushed underneath the nearby floating Death Armos. To prevent one of them from crushing Saria as she was dangerously close, Link intercepted one by striking it with a Silver Light Arrow, turning the Death Armos upside down, before deliberately moving underneath it to make it strike the ground head-fist, fatally damaging it before the group pulled back as it exploded, taking one Assault Sword Soldier out with it. Still, this left one more Death Armos to deal with, floating in place akin to the Anubis in the Spirit Temple, although it was far more resilient. Saria managed to intercept a few more Fire Keese using her Slingshot, saving some precious ammunition from her Bow and Arrows like this, while Link and Zelda both took on the Stalfos together, being backed up by Nabooru and Impa, whereas Ruto took out some Assault Sword Soldiers with her Silver Arrows, relieving both Darunia and Rauru, who were fighting them, from some pressure.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Once the last four Stalfos were dealt with, Link and Zelda went to engage the Death Armos on the left bridge that was left, leaving the two other Death Armos on the other bridge for what they were at the time, not wanting to put the group under too much pressure as Zelda used a Silver Light Arrow to turn the Death Armos upside down before Link again deliberately made it hit the ground before it detonated, just like its comrade before. Once the Assault Sword Soldiers and Stalfos were dealt with, the group focused on the two remaining Death Armos’, which both Link and Zelda took out by repeating the procedure they did before.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]After defeating the two last Death Armos, the group now had one of the Iron Knuckles close by in front of a Wooden Barrier, while Link was also keeping tabs on the Floormaster on the nearby staircase, which was patrolling up and down the stairs. Deciding to focus on the Iron Knuckle for now, the group moved backwards as Link, Saria and Zelda began to toss Nice Bombs at it to both wake it up and damage it, taking advantage of its slow speed to keep their distance while also looking around to ensure they didn’t make a misstep and fall off the bridge they stood on. Once the Iron Knuckle lost its outer armor and gained speed, while still wielding its deadly axe, the group pelted it with arrows instead before eventually defeating it, making it disintegrate into nothingness.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“One Iron Knuckle becomes quite easy to deal with when we’re in a group like this.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I agree.” Zelda said, nodding as they made their way towards the lonely platform with the chests, the Bomb Flowers and the suspicious shadow on the ground.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What’s with the shadow here? It can’t be another Invisible Floormaster, can it?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“No, it’s not. It could be from something high up in the air…” Link said, just as a lit Bomb landed near the group, courtesy of a Bomb Soldier that had appeared on one of the higher platforms where the two Blue Bubbles were. Although Ruto took out the Bomb Soldier, the group couldn’t prevent the Bomb from detonating, causing the nearby Bomb Flower, which was the closest to the shadow, to explode as well, causing the shadow to tremble for a split second…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Without warning, a Dead Hand suddenly burst from the shadow on the ground, the sudden shock and scare causing Link, Saria and Zelda to stumble over the Bomb Flower behind them, falling flat on their rears on the ground.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What in the name of Hyrule is that?!” Ruto exclaimed, horrified by the grotesque appearance of the monstrosity as it was scuttling on the ground toward the three downed children.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Impa however was serious and immediately came to the aid of the three children by jumping to the platform, slashing the Dead Hand in the face. The Dead Hand remained undeterred as it kept moving on, opening its grotesque maw to attack Impa, although Impa was having none of it and kept striking at it until it moved away and buried itself back underground.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Where did it go?” Nabooru asked, joining the group, as the others were close behind.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I don’t know, must be somewhere underground!” Link said, preparing another Bomb to lure it out.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Tossing it into a corner, the bomb exploded which brought the Dead Hand out again this time, this time Link moved to take a Jump attack, delivering a successful strike in the creature’s face. However, the creature recovered before Link could regain himself due to the momentum, just as Zelda attempted to strike at the beast. However, she tripped on a re-growing Bomb Flower she didn’t see, causing her to bump into Link who caught her, merely moments before the Dead Hand struck. With a *CHOMP*, the monstrosity bit both Link and Zelda into one of their legs, causing the two children to scream in pain. Although the bite was only short and not enough to break the bones, it did leave a set of bleeding bite marks there. Immediately Saria went postal on the creature, catching and ensnaring it in her vines, before Nabooru slashed its head off, killing it instantly, before Saria went to treat the wounds of the two, using her Forest Sage abilities to disinfect the wounds, with Impa taking some Red Potion for the two to drink. Link was able to bite through the pain himself, but Zelda was outright whimpering as she didn’t expect this to happen.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What was that for a beast?!” Ruto asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“A ‘Dead Hand’ as they describe it. Usually dwells within the depths of the Kakariko Well and the Shadow Temple, but I never thought to encounter one here…” Link said, hissing a little as his injuries were being rapidly healed thanks to the effects of the Red Potion he drank, seeing that Zelda too was also calming down.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Just rest up for a little and you’ll be good enough to go in a couple of minutes.” Impa said, smiling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thanks, Impa.” Both Link and Zelda said in unison, before giggling at this.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Rest for now, we’ll take out the remaining enemies on the ground floor here for you.” Impa said, while Saria fired a Silver Fire Arrow at the Floormaster, killing it… and making it split into three.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Darunia moved over to pound those three mini-Floormasters into dust before they could do any harm, allowing the group to focus on the remaining Iron Knuckle. While Link and Zelda rested to let their wound heal over with the aid of the Red Potion, the others managed to awaken and defeat the Iron Knuckle using the usual strategy of using ranged weapons to break its outer armor and defeat it while ensuring that they kept their distance from it. No sooner had they defeated the Iron Knuckle, when a few more enemies entered the area, this time being only a few Lizalfos and Dinolfos, whom the group had little to no troubles with in taking them out.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]With the enemies so far eliminated, the group returned to Link and Zelda, helping them recover from their wounds, which fortunately weren’t too serious, allowing the group to continue on their mission, first moving to gather all the loot they could find from the present treasure chests, being primarily ammunition of arrows and bombs, although one contained a Bombchu and another turned to be a trap as an icy breath came from it, momentarily trapping the three in a block of ice before it broke, thanks to our body warmth… Once fully restocked, the group proceeded towards the first stairway and ascending it to its top, which led to several floating platforms and Clawshot/Hookshot targets. Using this to reach a more solid platform with a floor switch, Link took out the Green Bubble that was floating on that platform in place. After that, he stood on the floor switch which the Green Bubble had been guarding before, which opened a cell back in the pillar with the first staircase, which contained a cage. Taking aim with his bow, Link launched a Silver Arrow at the cage, breaking it. From the cage came another Goron, who smiled at being released, putting down two Goron Powder Kegs on a platform after arriving downstairs, before making his way out.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You guys and girls wait here.” Darunia said, hopping downstairs to take one of the Powder Kegs and used it on the wooden barrier in front of him, destroying it in order to enter a small, single room with several chests which contained some additional ammunition for Bombs and Arrows… as well as some new shields! These shields looked larger and even more polished than the current Red Shield the group had with them… Taking the Shields with him, he then took the second Powder Keg and used it on the second Wooden Barrier, also obliterating it, before finding a switch which he activated. The result was that one of the statues against the wall was replaced with a different statue as if it stood on a rotating platform, the new statue providing the group with better access to the platform that contained the two Blue Bubbles, which Saria and Zelda took out with Silver Arrows, allowing the group to reach the chests there and reunite with Darunia, who then came upstairs to show the shields he found.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Whoa! The Mirror Shield! Where did you find these?” Link said, blinking.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“In the small room to the right of the staircase.” Darunia said, handing the shields over to those who wanted them as he had plenty of them.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Sweet! I feel a lot more protected now!” Zelda said, giggling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What’s even better; these shields can’t be consumed by Like-Likes.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That’s an advantage indeed.” Saria said, while Navi, Tatl and Tael appeared to help the group out.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’ll help you with showing you where to proceed using the Hook- and Clawshots, just take a good look at where we are and above all, don’t look or fall down.” Navi said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Understood.” Link said as he got ready.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Following the trail that Navi, Tatl and Tael left, Link and the Sages used the floating platforms, Hook- and Clawshots where needed in order to move from platform to platform, making their way up in a clockwise direction until they arrived at a solid platform with a broken path at the far side of the large room as a whole, which pointed straight towards the rotating pillar which had sections of a broken path on it as well.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We need to time our jumps here, otherwise we’ll fall down.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right. We should be able to reach the second staircase on our left with ease.” Ruto said, nodding as Link hopped on the path first, waiting as he let the pillar continue on to take him to the staircase, before hopping off the platform and onto the staircase, where he once more waited for the others as he slowly walked up the staircase to its top, before he stopped.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Once the others were with him, the routine was started again of Navi, Tatl and Tael showing the group where to go by floating near the best targets to reach and the platforms to move on, letting the group move on further to the top, this time in a counter-clockwise direction, past one of the other statues, going all the way around until they reached the highest level of the staircase, before hopping on the rotating pillar once more. Looking up, they would see a Hookshot Target above which they could reach one by one, which took them to the flat surface of the pillar’s top. However, as soon as he reached the top first, Link was immediately confronted by two Aeralfos whom had been waiting for him! Knowing the routine of how to defeat him, he waited until he could snag one of them towards him by using his Clawshot on the reptilian’s shield to take it down, before slashing it apart with his Golden Master Sword. The second one was ready to retaliate, but it was intercepted by Zelda, whom repeated the same movements that Link had made, defeating the Aeralfos. Two more approached however, ready to attack, only for Saria and Ruto to take care of them, now knowing how they could be defeated. Once those two Aeralfos had been dealt with, two more approached! This time, Nabooru and Impa took the initiative and also brought those two down, before one more Aeralfos approached, which in turn was taken down by both Rauru and Darunia, finally allowing the group to enter the room at the top, which had a suspicious red glow emanating from it.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Entering the room, the group noticed that they stood on a grating as a floor, with underneath them being a very shallow lava pool. Looking around, Link saw a ladder to his left, which Zelda was already climbing, before he went after her, using his Clawshot to reach a second ladder that reached the ceiling, before he moved using the ceiling’s pathway to move into another opening, seeing a Stalfos already ahead in the next room. The next room also had grating on the floor, where Link landed on as soon as he entered it, ready to fight the Stalfos. Zelda and Saria quickly came to his assistance, with the three taking the Stalfos out with ease, just as the others arrived.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Watch it, guys and girls, the lava appears to be slightly boiling here.” Darunia said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Good grief, this place is tall!” Ruto said, looking up.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The others looked up as well, seeing what Ruto was seeing.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We really have to climb that all the way up, huh?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We have no other choice.” Link said as he moved into a crevice in one of the walls, beginning to make his way up, with the others following.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]However, as Link reached a platform where he prepared to hookshot himself to the other side, he suddenly looked down as he saw something moving… looking down, he saw that the grating had vanished underneath the lava…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh, you have to be flipping kidding me!” He said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What is it?” Zelda asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“A major problem! The lava has begun to rise! Our only way to escape is to climb this tower all the way to the top!” Link said, before using the Hookshot to reach the target on the other side of the room, before hopping on a larger platform at another corner as he traveled in a clockwise direction, using the ladder latched on that third platform to climb higher up the tower, reaching a platform high enough to take a short breather while aiming for another crevice with his Clawshot.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh man, talk about being under pressure…” Zelda said as she joined him, with Link nodding as he shot the Clawshot at the crevice, being taken up into it and climbing further upwards.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“The lava is fortunately rising slow and steady, but it isn’t stopping at all!” Darunia shouted.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It should leave plenty of time to let us reach the top properly.” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]In the crevice, Link used his Clawshot to reach another nearby ladder, using the second one to reach another ladder, and from there he kept using the Clawshots to make his way up using the grating spread across the wall before he managed to finally reach the opening, leading into a corridor with a stairway at the end. Once inside the corridor, Link stopped to take a breather, while waiting for the others.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Once the others had arrived in the same corridor, they first looked down for a bit.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, looks like we’re really stuck in here now…” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll say. Makes me wonder if the lava isn’t pouring out of the windows or into the room we’ve been in before…” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Let’s not dwell on that and keep moving. The sooner we are out of danger, the better.” Rauru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right. Not even Ganon’s original tower was this bad.” Link said as the group moved to the staircase, spotting crates alongside the walls and two chain rails that carried platforms from the right to left from their position.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Arriving at the top, they saw that there were platforms moving over the chain rails towards their position as if it held a hidden contraption somewhere and several Normal, Fire and Ice Keeses were flying about in the room, altogether with two sets of two Green Bubbles in the central area and a single Blue Bubble on the platform at the far side of the room they were in. The group had no troubles in taking out the Green Bubbles with ease, but the Keeses proved more resilient in the way of the group having to either wait for them to dive down towards them or otherwise score lucky shots, which was a few times the case against the Fire and Ice Keeses. Link, Saria and Zelda also had to go to the ground level of the current area to lure the Keeses to them and take them out, with eventually the group managing to take out the Keeses after a couple of tedious minutes. Moving back to the others, Link, Saria and Zelda climbed the ladders present to move back to where the staircase was, before hopping on the moving platforms one after the other, in effect repeating the procedure they did before back in the now-destroyed underground headquarters. The group managed to safely reach the other side, using the Hookshot to latch on the nearby post and reach the path, that was essentially a corridor with three Blue Bubbles inside. While Link and Zelda were successful in taking out two of them, the third managed to bump into them as well as Saria before Ruto took it out, in effect jinxing the three as an eerie bluish-purple glow was pulsing around them.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Huh?! What happened?! Why can’t I draw my sword?!” Zelda asked, panicked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“And what is this bluish-purple glow around me?!” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’ve been jinxed by one of the Blue Bubbles.” Link casually said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You seem pretty neutral with that.” Impa said, frowning.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It’s because I have the means to wash this away in a jiffy.” Link said, before grabbing his Ocarina and played the Song of Storms, which caused it to rain inside the tower for a brief moment, in effect washing the jinx curse placed on the group away like it was nothing. Link demonstrated the cured effects as he was able to draw his own sword again.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Normally the jinx curse would last for about a minute or two or so, but the Song of Storms allows it to wash away instantly, making the curse little more than a troublesome nuisance rather than an actual curse.” Link said, before casually side-stepping a bit before a Wallmaster dropped on the place where he stood before, after which Nabooru took out the fiend with her sword in a single strike.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]After moving through the corridor and opening the chests present inside to obtain some of the ammunition they needed on Silver Arrows and the like, the group entered a room which had several floating platforms around, a plain floor at the bottom with a ladder to reach the corridor again and a small lava pond to the far right, with a floor on a higher side which the group needed to reach using the Hookshot and the floating platforms, which had a large hole on its other side. On the last floating platform however stood a single Bow Soldier, ready to strike at the group from a distance. However, Link wasn’t stupid; he hopped on the first floating platform and used a Silver Arrow to take out the fiend from a long distance, defeating it instantly as it fell in the lava pond. Now the group could proceed onward without worry, not letting themselves be distracted from the melting corpse as it sank below the surface of the lava, never to be seen again.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What’s with the lava out here?! This is no volcano like Death Mountain!” Ruto said as the group carefully made their way over the platforms towards the spot where the Bow Soldier stood.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That it isn’t, but perhaps this lava was taken or placed here using magic, knowing how wicked Ganondorf and Majora are.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That’s right; there was also lava in the Fire Room of Ganon’s Castle in the Future that Almost Was after all.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You got me there. Perhaps their dark and wicked powers can make such normally impossible things possible.” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“True. Don’t forget that the Training Grounds in the Gerudo Fortress has lava too, but that’s due to the complex being mostly underground…” Nabooru added.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Impa nodded at this, remaining silent on the matter as the group used their Hookshots to reach the area on the far side, seeing that there was a path with a corridor down the hole they had seen.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Figuring that they had to go through there in order to proceed on, the group hopped down onto the path, breaking a cage behind them which released another fairy which healed any injuries the group had before leaving through the nearby window. After watching her leave, the group made their way on through the corridor into a large, cylindrical room, where the door locked itself behind the group once everyone was inside.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yikes! We’re locked in!” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’m not so sure about that…” Link said as he looked up… right before he went wide-eyed for a moment.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Seeing this, the others looked up as well. The main thing was that this particular section was tall, and I do mean tall! Practically a hundred meters or so, if not more in height, with a rotating spike trap on the tower’s wall to skewer anyone unfortunate enough to be falling into that direction, while numerous, numerous floating platforms were scattered in random locations around the room’s center, some of them being occupied by Bow Soldiers, who were ready to intercept anyone who would cross their paths.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Now how are we going to get up there?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Judging by how the platforms are placed, it’s practically saying that we should simply find our way up. Some platforms can be skipped with ease, others look like they can be used as fail saves and others could be merely distractions…” Link said, popping his neck a little and stretching out.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, it’s going to be quite a climb, that much is certain.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Indeed. I just wonder what we’ll find at the top.” Darunia said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, like they say: ‘Only one way to find out’.” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Bracing themselves, the group moved towards the ladder with a wooden platform at its top, that served as nothing more than a decent spot for the group to begin their ascension of the tower using those floating platforms. Looking up, Link could clearly see some silhouettes of the Bow Soldiers that were present.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Just be careful on the way up; this looks like we will be encountering the last defenses.” Link said, pointing to the waiting Soldiers further up.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thanks for the heads up.” Zelda said, smiling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Don’t mention it.” Link said with a smile of his own, before the group proceeded to hop over to the floating platforms one after the other, while Link took out one of the Bow Soldiers easily before continuing on.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]However, just as everyone was a few meters up in the tower, when the heat inside the room increased.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What in Hyrule-?!” Link said, before looking down, seeing that lava had appeared in the room and was now covering the floor![/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh you HAVE to be joking!!” Ruto said, seeing this as well.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’m afraid it’s not a joke, we need to go!” Rauru said as the group began to continue making their way up, with the lava rising agonizingly slow, giving the group some form of reprieve as it allowed them to properly time their jumps and take out Bow Soldiers along the way.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link and the Seven Sages managed to make their way past the first spiked ring on the wall that was spinning around, taking out the Bow Soldiers that were a hindrance, while also keeping a close watch on each other as well as the lava below, not wanting to make any slip-ups that could cost them their lives. They needed each other more than ever now, so losing each other was now completely out of the question. Fortunately, the trip went without incidents, although the group stayed clear of the Bow Soldiers which were inevitably knocked off their platforms because of the arrows, falling down all the way into the still-rising lava below. Finally, after a few minutes, but what seemed like an hour, the group managed to reach the top of the room, with an open door leading into a new corridor which went onward in a curve to the right and the left.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Whew, that went better than I expected.” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link smiled, patting her on the back.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’re at least still together as a whole, that’s what counts the most. So in that regard, we still have a fighting chance.” He said as the group went on their way.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That’s right. I just wonder when we will eventually reach the top.” Zelda said.
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]After climbing over some stones and rubble, the group proceeded down the large corridor, before jumping down a large hole that led into the inner section of the tower as a whole. Immediately the group could see that the environment was somewhat different. Instead of the green-tinted stones, partially due to the green torches in the outer section of the tower, this part had a more bluish hue to it overall. There were several large holes in the ground that had a small patch of lava in it, as if a lava ditch was moving through the room, with several solid stone bridges spanning over it to reach every part of the room without having to specifically go around every bit. There was also a rotating platform in the center with a statue that apparently was holding a grotesque stone pillar that ran all the way up to close to the ceiling, being several tens of meters high overall! Another pillar was standing nearby and sported a staircase going all around it, but several parts of it were broken or missing, forcing the group to take the scenic route all around the room just to get to the top of the room if they had to progress. As if that wasn’t enough, the room itself had the presence of some very large Dodongos with maws big enough to swallow two of the children simultaneously whole, making Link shudder as it reminded him of the Big Dodongos he had encountered back in North Termina Field. It almost appeared as if these Dodongos were related to the grotesque King Dodongo, considering their overall size and the spikes on their backs. Looking around the room even more, the group also located several Fire Keese flying around aimlessly, two sets of two Death Armos whom were guarding a bridge each, two Iron Knuckles whom each were at the far side of the room, standing in front of a wooden barrier, a single Floormaster patrolling the first staircase directly ahead, Red Bubbles which were now more actively appearing out from the Lava and leaping over the bridge, as if daring an unsuspecting traveler to cross it without getting knocked off of them and falling into the lava itself, a few Blue Bubbles on a platform at the far side of where the first staircase ended, two White Bubbles patrolling around the rotating pillar and a Green Bubble being present at another higher-laid platform that required the group to reach using the floating platforms and Clawshot Targets which were practically all over on strategic points. For the rest, there was a combined patrol of Assault Sword Soldiers and Stalfos at the far side of the room itself, right behind the pillar with the staircase containing the patrolling Floormaster. Finally, there was a platform on ground level which contained several chests and a suspicious looking shadow among them. The only odd thing was that there were a few Bomb Flowers spread over that very platform on the corners and the center.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, it appears our troubles have only begun.” Nabooru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I agree; there’s likely more enemies around, probably lying in wait to ambush us.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“At least we have some more room to fight in, just stay clear of the lava ditches.” Darunia said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right. We should try to lure the Fire Keeses over first.” Link said, preparing his bow and Silver Arrows, also locating several more chests around the area.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’ll keep watch in case any of the other enemies make their approach. The Death Armos and the Bubbles seem to contain themselves for now, but that only leaves the others.” Impa said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“The Stalfos and those Assault Sword Soldiers are likely the main threats whenever they see us,” Darunia said, “with the Dodongos merely walking around aimlessly and the Iron Knuckles staying put until they’re hit…”[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Then it’s settled; we’ll take out first the Fire Keeses and the more aggressive threats, especially considering how relentless those sword soldiers are…” Link said, being serious.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right.” The Sages said in unison, nodding as they found this a logical battleplan…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]With their plan established, the group carefully proceeded in the room, intercepting any Fire Keese that came too close for comfort, the Silver Arrows proving their worth again, especially when the group moved to lure the Stalfos and Assault Sword Soldiers over. This didn’t take long as the Assault Sword Soldiers immediately went to charge at them once they saw them, together with the Stalfos, although a few of the soldiers didn’t look where they were going and subsequently fell in the lava, due to the edges of the path around the ditch having nothing like guard rails or the like to prevent one from falling from those platforms. While this gave the group a few less enemies to deal with, it didn’t make much of a difference due to the relentless attacks of the enemies as a whole, with the Stalfos using a Jump Attack of their own to cross the gaps to attack the group. Thankfully, due to the room being large and having little to no rubble in the way, the group saw them coming and responded accordingly to their attacks by moving to the side or backwards in order to avoid them, with Link, Zelda and Saria pulling off a picture-perfect back flip before using the momentum of the Stalfos’ attack to strike at them, damaging the skeleton warriors, while at the same time Darunia clobbered several Assault Sword Soldiers to the side, while Impa and Nabooru intercepted two other Assault Sword Soldiers whom tried to strike at the children from the side. Ruto attempted to assist the group by launching a Silver Arrow at a Stalfos. While she missed the Stalfos she was aiming for, the Silver Arrow buzzed on and by pure luck managed to strike and destroy one of the White Bubbles that was currently floating in place. Link and Zelda made use of the momentum from the Stalfos’ attacks to roll behind them and perform the Backslash, while being cautious as to not fall in the lava ditch or being crushed underneath the nearby floating Death Armos. To prevent one of them from crushing Saria as she was dangerously close, Link intercepted one by striking it with a Silver Light Arrow, turning the Death Armos upside down, before deliberately moving underneath it to make it strike the ground head-fist, fatally damaging it before the group pulled back as it exploded, taking one Assault Sword Soldier out with it. Still, this left one more Death Armos to deal with, floating in place akin to the Anubis in the Spirit Temple, although it was far more resilient. Saria managed to intercept a few more Fire Keese using her Slingshot, saving some precious ammunition from her Bow and Arrows like this, while Link and Zelda both took on the Stalfos together, being backed up by Nabooru and Impa, whereas Ruto took out some Assault Sword Soldiers with her Silver Arrows, relieving both Darunia and Rauru, who were fighting them, from some pressure.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Once the last four Stalfos were dealt with, Link and Zelda went to engage the Death Armos on the left bridge that was left, leaving the two other Death Armos on the other bridge for what they were at the time, not wanting to put the group under too much pressure as Zelda used a Silver Light Arrow to turn the Death Armos upside down before Link again deliberately made it hit the ground before it detonated, just like its comrade before. Once the Assault Sword Soldiers and Stalfos were dealt with, the group focused on the two remaining Death Armos’, which both Link and Zelda took out by repeating the procedure they did before.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]After defeating the two last Death Armos, the group now had one of the Iron Knuckles close by in front of a Wooden Barrier, while Link was also keeping tabs on the Floormaster on the nearby staircase, which was patrolling up and down the stairs. Deciding to focus on the Iron Knuckle for now, the group moved backwards as Link, Saria and Zelda began to toss Nice Bombs at it to both wake it up and damage it, taking advantage of its slow speed to keep their distance while also looking around to ensure they didn’t make a misstep and fall off the bridge they stood on. Once the Iron Knuckle lost its outer armor and gained speed, while still wielding its deadly axe, the group pelted it with arrows instead before eventually defeating it, making it disintegrate into nothingness.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“One Iron Knuckle becomes quite easy to deal with when we’re in a group like this.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I agree.” Zelda said, nodding as they made their way towards the lonely platform with the chests, the Bomb Flowers and the suspicious shadow on the ground.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What’s with the shadow here? It can’t be another Invisible Floormaster, can it?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“No, it’s not. It could be from something high up in the air…” Link said, just as a lit Bomb landed near the group, courtesy of a Bomb Soldier that had appeared on one of the higher platforms where the two Blue Bubbles were. Although Ruto took out the Bomb Soldier, the group couldn’t prevent the Bomb from detonating, causing the nearby Bomb Flower, which was the closest to the shadow, to explode as well, causing the shadow to tremble for a split second…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Without warning, a Dead Hand suddenly burst from the shadow on the ground, the sudden shock and scare causing Link, Saria and Zelda to stumble over the Bomb Flower behind them, falling flat on their rears on the ground.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What in the name of Hyrule is that?!” Ruto exclaimed, horrified by the grotesque appearance of the monstrosity as it was scuttling on the ground toward the three downed children.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Impa however was serious and immediately came to the aid of the three children by jumping to the platform, slashing the Dead Hand in the face. The Dead Hand remained undeterred as it kept moving on, opening its grotesque maw to attack Impa, although Impa was having none of it and kept striking at it until it moved away and buried itself back underground.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Where did it go?” Nabooru asked, joining the group, as the others were close behind.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I don’t know, must be somewhere underground!” Link said, preparing another Bomb to lure it out.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Tossing it into a corner, the bomb exploded which brought the Dead Hand out again this time, this time Link moved to take a Jump attack, delivering a successful strike in the creature’s face. However, the creature recovered before Link could regain himself due to the momentum, just as Zelda attempted to strike at the beast. However, she tripped on a re-growing Bomb Flower she didn’t see, causing her to bump into Link who caught her, merely moments before the Dead Hand struck. With a *CHOMP*, the monstrosity bit both Link and Zelda into one of their legs, causing the two children to scream in pain. Although the bite was only short and not enough to break the bones, it did leave a set of bleeding bite marks there. Immediately Saria went postal on the creature, catching and ensnaring it in her vines, before Nabooru slashed its head off, killing it instantly, before Saria went to treat the wounds of the two, using her Forest Sage abilities to disinfect the wounds, with Impa taking some Red Potion for the two to drink. Link was able to bite through the pain himself, but Zelda was outright whimpering as she didn’t expect this to happen.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What was that for a beast?!” Ruto asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“A ‘Dead Hand’ as they describe it. Usually dwells within the depths of the Kakariko Well and the Shadow Temple, but I never thought to encounter one here…” Link said, hissing a little as his injuries were being rapidly healed thanks to the effects of the Red Potion he drank, seeing that Zelda too was also calming down.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Just rest up for a little and you’ll be good enough to go in a couple of minutes.” Impa said, smiling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thanks, Impa.” Both Link and Zelda said in unison, before giggling at this.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Rest for now, we’ll take out the remaining enemies on the ground floor here for you.” Impa said, while Saria fired a Silver Fire Arrow at the Floormaster, killing it… and making it split into three.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Darunia moved over to pound those three mini-Floormasters into dust before they could do any harm, allowing the group to focus on the remaining Iron Knuckle. While Link and Zelda rested to let their wound heal over with the aid of the Red Potion, the others managed to awaken and defeat the Iron Knuckle using the usual strategy of using ranged weapons to break its outer armor and defeat it while ensuring that they kept their distance from it. No sooner had they defeated the Iron Knuckle, when a few more enemies entered the area, this time being only a few Lizalfos and Dinolfos, whom the group had little to no troubles with in taking them out.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]With the enemies so far eliminated, the group returned to Link and Zelda, helping them recover from their wounds, which fortunately weren’t too serious, allowing the group to continue on their mission, first moving to gather all the loot they could find from the present treasure chests, being primarily ammunition of arrows and bombs, although one contained a Bombchu and another turned to be a trap as an icy breath came from it, momentarily trapping the three in a block of ice before it broke, thanks to our body warmth… Once fully restocked, the group proceeded towards the first stairway and ascending it to its top, which led to several floating platforms and Clawshot/Hookshot targets. Using this to reach a more solid platform with a floor switch, Link took out the Green Bubble that was floating on that platform in place. After that, he stood on the floor switch which the Green Bubble had been guarding before, which opened a cell back in the pillar with the first staircase, which contained a cage. Taking aim with his bow, Link launched a Silver Arrow at the cage, breaking it. From the cage came another Goron, who smiled at being released, putting down two Goron Powder Kegs on a platform after arriving downstairs, before making his way out.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You guys and girls wait here.” Darunia said, hopping downstairs to take one of the Powder Kegs and used it on the wooden barrier in front of him, destroying it in order to enter a small, single room with several chests which contained some additional ammunition for Bombs and Arrows… as well as some new shields! These shields looked larger and even more polished than the current Red Shield the group had with them… Taking the Shields with him, he then took the second Powder Keg and used it on the second Wooden Barrier, also obliterating it, before finding a switch which he activated. The result was that one of the statues against the wall was replaced with a different statue as if it stood on a rotating platform, the new statue providing the group with better access to the platform that contained the two Blue Bubbles, which Saria and Zelda took out with Silver Arrows, allowing the group to reach the chests there and reunite with Darunia, who then came upstairs to show the shields he found.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Whoa! The Mirror Shield! Where did you find these?” Link said, blinking.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“In the small room to the right of the staircase.” Darunia said, handing the shields over to those who wanted them as he had plenty of them.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Sweet! I feel a lot more protected now!” Zelda said, giggling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What’s even better; these shields can’t be consumed by Like-Likes.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That’s an advantage indeed.” Saria said, while Navi, Tatl and Tael appeared to help the group out.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’ll help you with showing you where to proceed using the Hook- and Clawshots, just take a good look at where we are and above all, don’t look or fall down.” Navi said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Understood.” Link said as he got ready.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Following the trail that Navi, Tatl and Tael left, Link and the Sages used the floating platforms, Hook- and Clawshots where needed in order to move from platform to platform, making their way up in a clockwise direction until they arrived at a solid platform with a broken path at the far side of the large room as a whole, which pointed straight towards the rotating pillar which had sections of a broken path on it as well.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We need to time our jumps here, otherwise we’ll fall down.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right. We should be able to reach the second staircase on our left with ease.” Ruto said, nodding as Link hopped on the path first, waiting as he let the pillar continue on to take him to the staircase, before hopping off the platform and onto the staircase, where he once more waited for the others as he slowly walked up the staircase to its top, before he stopped.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Once the others were with him, the routine was started again of Navi, Tatl and Tael showing the group where to go by floating near the best targets to reach and the platforms to move on, letting the group move on further to the top, this time in a counter-clockwise direction, past one of the other statues, going all the way around until they reached the highest level of the staircase, before hopping on the rotating pillar once more. Looking up, they would see a Hookshot Target above which they could reach one by one, which took them to the flat surface of the pillar’s top. However, as soon as he reached the top first, Link was immediately confronted by two Aeralfos whom had been waiting for him! Knowing the routine of how to defeat him, he waited until he could snag one of them towards him by using his Clawshot on the reptilian’s shield to take it down, before slashing it apart with his Golden Master Sword. The second one was ready to retaliate, but it was intercepted by Zelda, whom repeated the same movements that Link had made, defeating the Aeralfos. Two more approached however, ready to attack, only for Saria and Ruto to take care of them, now knowing how they could be defeated. Once those two Aeralfos had been dealt with, two more approached! This time, Nabooru and Impa took the initiative and also brought those two down, before one more Aeralfos approached, which in turn was taken down by both Rauru and Darunia, finally allowing the group to enter the room at the top, which had a suspicious red glow emanating from it.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Entering the room, the group noticed that they stood on a grating as a floor, with underneath them being a very shallow lava pool. Looking around, Link saw a ladder to his left, which Zelda was already climbing, before he went after her, using his Clawshot to reach a second ladder that reached the ceiling, before he moved using the ceiling’s pathway to move into another opening, seeing a Stalfos already ahead in the next room. The next room also had grating on the floor, where Link landed on as soon as he entered it, ready to fight the Stalfos. Zelda and Saria quickly came to his assistance, with the three taking the Stalfos out with ease, just as the others arrived.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Watch it, guys and girls, the lava appears to be slightly boiling here.” Darunia said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Good grief, this place is tall!” Ruto said, looking up.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The others looked up as well, seeing what Ruto was seeing.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We really have to climb that all the way up, huh?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We have no other choice.” Link said as he moved into a crevice in one of the walls, beginning to make his way up, with the others following.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]However, as Link reached a platform where he prepared to hookshot himself to the other side, he suddenly looked down as he saw something moving… looking down, he saw that the grating had vanished underneath the lava…[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh, you have to be flipping kidding me!” He said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What is it?” Zelda asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“A major problem! The lava has begun to rise! Our only way to escape is to climb this tower all the way to the top!” Link said, before using the Hookshot to reach the target on the other side of the room, before hopping on a larger platform at another corner as he traveled in a clockwise direction, using the ladder latched on that third platform to climb higher up the tower, reaching a platform high enough to take a short breather while aiming for another crevice with his Clawshot.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh man, talk about being under pressure…” Zelda said as she joined him, with Link nodding as he shot the Clawshot at the crevice, being taken up into it and climbing further upwards.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“The lava is fortunately rising slow and steady, but it isn’t stopping at all!” Darunia shouted.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It should leave plenty of time to let us reach the top properly.” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]In the crevice, Link used his Clawshot to reach another nearby ladder, using the second one to reach another ladder, and from there he kept using the Clawshots to make his way up using the grating spread across the wall before he managed to finally reach the opening, leading into a corridor with a stairway at the end. Once inside the corridor, Link stopped to take a breather, while waiting for the others.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Once the others had arrived in the same corridor, they first looked down for a bit.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, looks like we’re really stuck in here now…” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’ll say. Makes me wonder if the lava isn’t pouring out of the windows or into the room we’ve been in before…” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Let’s not dwell on that and keep moving. The sooner we are out of danger, the better.” Rauru said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Right. Not even Ganon’s original tower was this bad.” Link said as the group moved to the staircase, spotting crates alongside the walls and two chain rails that carried platforms from the right to left from their position.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Arriving at the top, they saw that there were platforms moving over the chain rails towards their position as if it held a hidden contraption somewhere and several Normal, Fire and Ice Keeses were flying about in the room, altogether with two sets of two Green Bubbles in the central area and a single Blue Bubble on the platform at the far side of the room they were in. The group had no troubles in taking out the Green Bubbles with ease, but the Keeses proved more resilient in the way of the group having to either wait for them to dive down towards them or otherwise score lucky shots, which was a few times the case against the Fire and Ice Keeses. Link, Saria and Zelda also had to go to the ground level of the current area to lure the Keeses to them and take them out, with eventually the group managing to take out the Keeses after a couple of tedious minutes. Moving back to the others, Link, Saria and Zelda climbed the ladders present to move back to where the staircase was, before hopping on the moving platforms one after the other, in effect repeating the procedure they did before back in the now-destroyed underground headquarters. The group managed to safely reach the other side, using the Hookshot to latch on the nearby post and reach the path, that was essentially a corridor with three Blue Bubbles inside. While Link and Zelda were successful in taking out two of them, the third managed to bump into them as well as Saria before Ruto took it out, in effect jinxing the three as an eerie bluish-purple glow was pulsing around them.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Huh?! What happened?! Why can’t I draw my sword?!” Zelda asked, panicked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“And what is this bluish-purple glow around me?!” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’ve been jinxed by one of the Blue Bubbles.” Link casually said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You seem pretty neutral with that.” Impa said, frowning.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“It’s because I have the means to wash this away in a jiffy.” Link said, before grabbing his Ocarina and played the Song of Storms, which caused it to rain inside the tower for a brief moment, in effect washing the jinx curse placed on the group away like it was nothing. Link demonstrated the cured effects as he was able to draw his own sword again.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Normally the jinx curse would last for about a minute or two or so, but the Song of Storms allows it to wash away instantly, making the curse little more than a troublesome nuisance rather than an actual curse.” Link said, before casually side-stepping a bit before a Wallmaster dropped on the place where he stood before, after which Nabooru took out the fiend with her sword in a single strike.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]After moving through the corridor and opening the chests present inside to obtain some of the ammunition they needed on Silver Arrows and the like, the group entered a room which had several floating platforms around, a plain floor at the bottom with a ladder to reach the corridor again and a small lava pond to the far right, with a floor on a higher side which the group needed to reach using the Hookshot and the floating platforms, which had a large hole on its other side. On the last floating platform however stood a single Bow Soldier, ready to strike at the group from a distance. However, Link wasn’t stupid; he hopped on the first floating platform and used a Silver Arrow to take out the fiend from a long distance, defeating it instantly as it fell in the lava pond. Now the group could proceed onward without worry, not letting themselves be distracted from the melting corpse as it sank below the surface of the lava, never to be seen again.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What’s with the lava out here?! This is no volcano like Death Mountain!” Ruto said as the group carefully made their way over the platforms towards the spot where the Bow Soldier stood.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That it isn’t, but perhaps this lava was taken or placed here using magic, knowing how wicked Ganondorf and Majora are.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That’s right; there was also lava in the Fire Room of Ganon’s Castle in the Future that Almost Was after all.” Link said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“You got me there. Perhaps their dark and wicked powers can make such normally impossible things possible.” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“True. Don’t forget that the Training Grounds in the Gerudo Fortress has lava too, but that’s due to the complex being mostly underground…” Nabooru added.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Impa nodded at this, remaining silent on the matter as the group used their Hookshots to reach the area on the far side, seeing that there was a path with a corridor down the hole they had seen.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Figuring that they had to go through there in order to proceed on, the group hopped down onto the path, breaking a cage behind them which released another fairy which healed any injuries the group had before leaving through the nearby window. After watching her leave, the group made their way on through the corridor into a large, cylindrical room, where the door locked itself behind the group once everyone was inside.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Yikes! We’re locked in!” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’m not so sure about that…” Link said as he looked up… right before he went wide-eyed for a moment.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Seeing this, the others looked up as well. The main thing was that this particular section was tall, and I do mean tall! Practically a hundred meters or so, if not more in height, with a rotating spike trap on the tower’s wall to skewer anyone unfortunate enough to be falling into that direction, while numerous, numerous floating platforms were scattered in random locations around the room’s center, some of them being occupied by Bow Soldiers, who were ready to intercept anyone who would cross their paths.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Now how are we going to get up there?” Saria asked.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Judging by how the platforms are placed, it’s practically saying that we should simply find our way up. Some platforms can be skipped with ease, others look like they can be used as fail saves and others could be merely distractions…” Link said, popping his neck a little and stretching out.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, it’s going to be quite a climb, that much is certain.” Zelda said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Indeed. I just wonder what we’ll find at the top.” Darunia said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Well, like they say: ‘Only one way to find out’.” Saria said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Bracing themselves, the group moved towards the ladder with a wooden platform at its top, that served as nothing more than a decent spot for the group to begin their ascension of the tower using those floating platforms. Looking up, Link could clearly see some silhouettes of the Bow Soldiers that were present.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Just be careful on the way up; this looks like we will be encountering the last defenses.” Link said, pointing to the waiting Soldiers further up.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Thanks for the heads up.” Zelda said, smiling.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Don’t mention it.” Link said with a smile of his own, before the group proceeded to hop over to the floating platforms one after the other, while Link took out one of the Bow Soldiers easily before continuing on.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]However, just as everyone was a few meters up in the tower, when the heat inside the room increased.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“What in Hyrule-?!” Link said, before looking down, seeing that lava had appeared in the room and was now covering the floor![/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Oh you HAVE to be joking!!” Ruto said, seeing this as well.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“I’m afraid it’s not a joke, we need to go!” Rauru said as the group began to continue making their way up, with the lava rising agonizingly slow, giving the group some form of reprieve as it allowed them to properly time their jumps and take out Bow Soldiers along the way.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link and the Seven Sages managed to make their way past the first spiked ring on the wall that was spinning around, taking out the Bow Soldiers that were a hindrance, while also keeping a close watch on each other as well as the lava below, not wanting to make any slip-ups that could cost them their lives. They needed each other more than ever now, so losing each other was now completely out of the question. Fortunately, the trip went without incidents, although the group stayed clear of the Bow Soldiers which were inevitably knocked off their platforms because of the arrows, falling down all the way into the still-rising lava below. Finally, after a few minutes, but what seemed like an hour, the group managed to reach the top of the room, with an open door leading into a new corridor which went onward in a curve to the right and the left.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“Whew, that went better than I expected.” Ruto said.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Link smiled, patting her on the back.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“We’re at least still together as a whole, that’s what counts the most. So in that regard, we still have a fighting chance.” He said as the group went on their way.[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]“That’s right. I just wonder when we will eventually reach the top.” Zelda said.