Ocarina of Time Chapter 48

 

Chapter 48
Nocturne

After a long climb down the ladder, which creaked ominously with each thud of his boots, Link reached the rocky ground. Far above him, Sheik started clambering down, quieter than a cat and just as agile. Had Link not known she was there, Sheik could have easily jumped on top of him.

Seeing his eyes linger on Sheik, Navi flicked his ear, the faintest hint of a smirk on her face. "You might want to get the last of your gear out."

Link's cheeks colored. He knew she was just teasing him to keep him sane, but it wasn't like there was anything between him and Sheik. She was the ruler of a broken realm, and he was just a boy from the woods.

He fished his remaining gear out of Saria's weightless- and seemingly bottomless- bag. Quickly fastening his gauntlets on, Link triple-checked what else he had: the Mask of Truth, and a small supply of food and water. There was also a supply of Goron bombs, a gift from Jemite, which Link really hoped he wouldn't have to use. Lastly, he pulled out the Zoran hookshot. Even if Sheik didn't know what to expect here, she must have had a hunch they'd need everything she could get her hands on.

"Are you ready?"

Link almost jumped, not realizing that Sheik was standing beside him.

"Yeah," he said, not wanting to linger.

"Then let's go." Without any further ado, Sheik took the lead, the bright ball of light that was her spell illuminating the path ahead. It could have passed for a fairy, if not for the lack of wings. The light seemed so tiny, so fragile amidst the endless shadows. Like a great serpent coiling itself around his chest and crushing him, the darkness pressed in on Link from all sides. It felt suffocating. He shivered, remembering the vines beneath the Great Deku Tree as they coiled around his chest, tighter and tighter, until he could no longer draw breath. Link unclenched his jaw, realising he was tensing up. He tried to relax, but all this did was make him all too aware of how the tunnel seemed to sap the warmth from his bones.

They hadn't gotten far before Link felt the distinct, unnerving sensation of being watched. He looked over his shoulder, nearly stumbling on a rock, half certain he'd find a pair of red eyes watching him.

"What is it?" Sheik asked, stopping to check what Link was looking at.

"It's..." Link almost held his tongue, feeling foolish. "I... it's nothing."

"If you think you saw something, then tell me," Sheik said calmly, no hint of judgment in her voice.

"I... I don't know what it is exactly," Link admitted. "I thought it might be Dark Link for a second."

Sheik frowned, her hand not moving from the hilt of her dagger. "You may already be feeling the effects of the taint that runs through this temple."

"I can sense it too," Courage said. "Malicious powers prowl these depths, and they stir even now."

"Great," Link muttered.

"I feel like we're being followed," Navi whispered.

Sheik nodded calmly. "It may be that the Necromancer is aware of our intrusion. Stay alert. Both of you."

After Sheik's brief and not-so-comforting words, they continued on down through the rugged cave, trying not to slip or slide on the jagged rocks. As they went, Link thought he saw shapes moving within the shadows.

I'm never going to be able to fight properly if I'm jumping at shadows, he thought, trying to will himself to be calm. He kept going through Sheik's meditation in his head, but the tingling unease in his gut lingered, offering him no reprieve. Courage's presence, which had been steadily growing stronger with each passing day, was enough to keep him from wavering.

Eventually, after what felt like half an eternity, the ground evened out, and the trio arrived at a wall of solid rock.

"A dead end?" Link asked, searching for any hint of another passage. All he saw were black stones.

Navi flew ahead of Sheik's light, halting in front of a smooth rock face that seemed oddly out of place; it was roughly the height of a person and had a thin crack along its rim. That was when Link noticed the tiny musical notes carved into the stone's base. At first, he thought he was looking at some sort of tombstone. Then he realized it was a stone door.

He gestured to the music notes and Navi flew closer to examine them.

"It's Zelda's Lullaby," Navi said.

Sheik stared at it, her face distant for a moment. Knowing the tune probably held a far deeper significance to her, Link offered her the ocarina.

"Do you want the honours?" he asked.

"No, it's fine," Sheik answered with a slight shake of her head. "Thank you."

Making no further comment, Link turned back to the stone and played Zelda's lullaby.

As he suspected, the soft melody of the lullaby triggered some mechanism that opened the door. Scraping sounds of stone against stone echoed off the walls, drowning out Link's last few notes as the door slid open. Sheik's 'lantern' made its way towards the doorway, its light splashing onto the ledge in the passage beyond. The ledge ran adjacent to the next tunnel, and it was a steep climb down the rocks to reach the stone-laden corridor.

When they finally reached the bottom of the ledge, the door rumbled shut again, making the ground shudder.

"There's another way out," Sheik said assuringly when Navi and Link glanced at her. "It's not much further to the entrance now."

Unslinging her bag, she pulled out the map and the Lens of Truth. Link came to her side, watching as Sheik placed the lens over the map and studied it. As he'd seen earlier, a pattern of black lines appeared, woven in regular shapes across the parchment. Having never learned his letters, maps were often difficult for Link to decipher, and this one proved to be no different.

"This way," Sheik announced, gesturing down the corridor towards their left. Without waiting for a reply, she pressed on, leaving Link and Navi to follow. She stowed away the map and lens, slinging the bag back on her shoulder and continuing her lead.

Link's boots crunched upon the damp ground as the passage sloped downward, descending deeper underground. They must have been miles under Kakariko by now. Occasionally, he spotted the weathered remnants of carvings etched into the walls. Many were defaced, eyes gouged out or heads missing entirely.

Once or twice, Link was sure he heard someone whispering. It was as if the figures in the tattered murals were somehow speaking to him, their endless mutterings sending an icy sliver of fear down his spine. Even as he felt the scar on his hand prickling, it was difficult to ignore. He could've sworn some of the more intact statues followed his movements as he walked by, their heads turning to watch his every step. They weren't beamos, but that was a cold comfort.

"Navi, are you alright?" Link whispered, breaking the silence that hung between him and his companions. Navi seemed quieter than usual. No questions, no sarcastic remarks. At times, he did prefer it when she wasn't so noisy, but this wasn't such an occasion.

"I... I'm fine," Navi murmured, but he could tell she was lying.

"You can rest under my hat if you want." Link phrased his words carefully, knowing Navi wouldn't like it if he pointed out she was frightened. Goddesses, after last night's battle (or what little Link had seen of it), they were all afraid. They'd be stupid not to be. After all, an entire legion of Hylian soldiers had gone into the temple to rescue the villagers trapped within, and only a single soul amongst them had returned, driven to insanity by nameless horrors.

"How much further?" Link asked. He fidgeted nervously with his sword's hilt, fingers resting upon the pommel, convinced something was stirring in the shadows.

"Not far," Sheik said. Her short response made him pretty sure she could also feel the affects of the Shadow Temple.

Sheik's spell flickered against a small patch of the cave wall, and then the passage yawned open just ahead, like the mouth of some enormous beast.

Link kept walking until his foot went squelching unexpectedly into mud. He looked down, realizing he'd stepped into the edge of a pool of water. Sheik's spell shimmered along its inky black surface, revealing little of what lay within its depths. Link quickly stepped back onto the dry rock, not wanting to slip.

"What's that?" Navi asked suddenly.

"What?" Link asked. Navi pointed and Link followed her gaze.

There, just at the edge of his vision, were three pale stalks of what he thought were some bizarre plants. Their stems were moving lazily from side to side, as though fanned by a non-existent breeze.

"I'm not sure," Sheik answered. "It's best to assume they're not friendly."

"Best not," Link agreed, knowing how some plants reacted to touch. Sheik gestured for him to keep going, her 'lantern' guiding them towards a path around the water's edge.

They were less than halfway along the edge of the pool when Sheik took another look at the strange plants, her brow furrowed. Link nearly crashed into her, almost slipping on the rocks, but he managed to grab the wall for support.

Sheik suddenly tensed. "I don't think those are plants. Navi, can you have a look? Don't get too close."

"What is it?" Link asked.

"You were trained by the Kokiri to track and hunt, weren't you?"

"I was. Why?"

Sheik indicated the churned path they were now following, and for the first time, Link noticed signs of a disturbance. Boot-prints. Muddy prints where somebody had clawed at the soft earth, and bigger tracks where a body had been dragged.

"I know this creature," Courage said, its voice growling in Link's head. "If it can even be called that. It is an abomination. Do not step in the water, or it will sense you."

Navi, meanwhile, was flying closer to the odd tree-like appendages. She was only about two-thirds of the way there when she froze.

"Eek!" she exclaimed in horror. "What are they?"

Now that he was close enough, and now that Navi was illuminating the 'plant', Link realized what she meant. The stem was draped in a grotesque, pale skin that looked like it belonged to the arm of a week-old corpse.

Link spotted what was at the stem's top- a hand with five slender fingers.

Courage was right; it wasn't a plant.

"Navi, get away from that thing!" Link yelled.

She didn't need telling twice and quickly joined them on the safety of the shore.

"Okay, what is that thing?" Navi asked Sheik, her attention fixed solely on the limb.

It continued its morbid wave, as though simply greeting them.

"I'm not certain, but let's hope it didn't hear you," Sheik said. Her eyes lingered a moment on the disturbed earth before she added, "The man whose company disappeared in here mentioned being attacked by a disembodied hand."

"You think that thing attacked him?" Link asked, gesturing towards the plant, keeping his voice low this time.

"He was delirious and did not make much sense." She motioned for him to keep going. "Just be careful and go around the water slowly."

Link continued to creep across the narrow path and past the morbid limbs. It was then that the rancid stench of rotting flesh washed over Link, making him gag. There had been a foul smell lingering in the air for some time, which Link had assumed was the product of some curse, but now it was stronger than ever.  At that moment, a glint of shining metal caught his eye. He looked to see what it was, and then immediately wished he hadn't.

A Hylian soldier's bloated and decaying corpse, one of the Queen's Banner, stared back at him. The man's eyes were wide in terror, and to Link's revulsion, it looked like something had ripped the flesh from the side of his face.

Link swore, and nobody rebuked him.

There were more mutilated bodies- many gnawed on- all dressed in the livery of the Queen's Banner.

"It's horrible," Navi murmured, looking petrified.

"Damn it," Sheik swore an instant after seeing what Navi and Link were looking at. She brought a hand up to her cowl, and Link thought she was going to be ill.

She turned, grasping the rocks in front of her, one hand still clasped to her mouth. Link stood there, unsure of what to say or do.

"Sheik?" he asked quietly, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. It seemed to relax her a little.

She shook her head, hands still clutching the rocks. "I'm fine, just..." Sheik took a deep breath and turned, her eyes involuntarily wandering back to the morbid sight. "Keep going."

"What do you think did this?" Navi whispered, voice thick with terror.

"I don't know," Sheik said, her face green. She looked up at the strange hand as it continued beckoning to them. "The bodies were probably put there as a warning."

Her eyes went to the disturbed path, and back to the carnage in the water.

"I don't see any of the villagers, that's a small mercy at least," Navi said. "Goddesses, Sheik... I'm sorry."

Sheik didn't reply.

Link closed his eyes, turning away from the grisly sight. In his mind, he imagined seeing the villagers instead of soldiers.

"Let's keep moving," he said, swallowing the bile that scoured his throat. If he stayed here much longer, he would become sick.

A sudden warning from Courage surged into Link's awareness, and then, just as quickly, something wet and cold clamped itself around Link's ankle. Hard. Link barely caught a glimpse of the thing before it yanked him towards the water. He shouted, the Master Sword falling with a clang as he was dragged unceremoniously along the slimy rocks. Within seconds, he plunged into the murky pool.

The water was freezing, sapping the warmth from his bones within a scant few heartbeats. Link kicked and flailed, his hands clawing for the safety of the shore, the disembodied limbs dragging him further and further away. Still in the shallows, Link flung his hands against the rocks, clawing at them until his fingers were bloody. He pulled his head out of the water, sucking in precious air.

"Take my hand!" Sheik was by the water's edge. Another pale limb shot out of the water, snapping at Sheik's wrist. "Not you!" she snarled, leaping out of the way.

Sheik slashed the limb in half, flicking a dagger and embedding it into a second grotesque limb as it tried clamping itself onto her face. It recoiled, and another of its kind joined the fray, trying to sink its filthy nails into her arm.

Sheik reduced the monstrosity to a bloody stump, hacking and slashing as more horrid limbs emerged from the water. Seeing Link's sword, she kicked it, knocking it towards its master.

"Link, your sword!" she yelled. She was trying to get closer to him, but the limbs pulling at her made it impossible. Link saw the blade within arm's reach and threw himself bodily towards it. He fought against the grip of the hand holding him, kicking with his free boot. The hand dug into his ankle harder, its claws tearing through flesh and piercing skin.

"ARGHH!" Link screamed, pain flaring in his ankle like liquid flame. He gripped the Master Sword, twisted himself around, and sliced the pale limb in half. The bloodless stump fell like a puppet cut from its strings. Free, Link tried to turn his attention to Sheik.

"Sheik!" he yelled. "Hang on!"

A hand shot out of the water, wrapping its bony fingers around his sword arm. Two more reached for him as he gripped the Master Sword in his other hand, clumsily trying to hack at the first limb. He felt another hand grip his right arm and realized he was being overwhelmed. Another hand wrenched the Master Sword from his grip. As it did so, there was a loud hiss and smoke rose from the blade's hilt. The hand gripping it let go, its gray flesh blackened and blistered. The sword splashed into the mire, while the other hands tried to push Link back into the water, their filthy nails tearing into his skin.

Link struggled to keep his head above water, thrashing with all his might. His leg slipped out of one hand, and another pulled him deeper into the muck. As it did, Link came face to face with a man's corpse, his flesh waxy and tinged with green.

"Link! There's a dagger on the man's belt!" Navi shouted.

Navi's voice snapped him out of a near panic. He bit the hand holding his right hand, teeth sinking into its wrist, and almost gagged as he did so. Apparently startled, the hand released its grip, allowing Link to quickly pull the dagger from its owner's corpse and start swinging in a frenzy.

I don't want to die like this! he thought in desperation, unaware of Courage's efforts to help him. I will NOT die like this!

He slashed the blade through a hand's wrist just as a dark shape emerged from the water.

"Sheik, do something!" Navi shrieked.

"I'm trying!" Sheik yelled back while flinging off another attacker.

A low moan, like a multitude of people on their deathbed, rumbled through the darkness.

Link ignored the sound, whereas Sheik swore from somewhere behind him.

He twisted around, sawing through another limb, and looked around desperately for his sword. The amber gem glinted faintly within the bog, and he reached it, pushing past another corpse with half its face missing.

Link nearly retched, but the gruesome cadavers were not the worst of it. Those paled in comparison to the dark figure slithering towards him.

Navi's strangled cry made Link look around, the sound chilling him to the core. He saw what she was looking at and opened his mouth in a silent scream of horror.

A hunched figure, a monstrosity of pale, white flesh that was covered in oozing sores, slithered towards him. Its body resembled a slug, but the similarity ended there. What should have been arms ended in two hooks, caked with the blood of its most recent meal. The monster's neck was strangely elongated, covered in the same pus-filled wounds as its body. The Hylians had not gone to their graves quietly.

The beast's face was horribly contorted, gaunt and skull-like, its nose missing. Both eye sockets were hollow, save for the fire burning white within their depths. The face twisted into a manic grin that seemed to distort the beast's features even more.

It was feet away when Link snapped out of his terrified trance. The abomination opened its jagged maw and moaned a low and hideous sound.

No. Link's mind raced in a panic. There was no way he was being eaten by this thing. No, no, no...

He hacked madly at the limbs coming towards him, slashing like a madman as they clawed his tunic, face, and limbs, the hands that fell regenerating before his eyes. There was no end to them. No end at all.

No. No. No. He saw the faces of the dead, their bodies gnawed and chewed, bone visible beneath ruined flesh.

No. He wasn't going to die like that. There was just no Goddesses' damned way that would happen.

"Sheik!" he screamed. "Any help would be good about NOW!"

She was busy fighting off half a dozen hands, as they tried to dunk her into the water, snatching and clawing at her clothing.

Seeing this, Link channelled fire into the Master Sword. His vision swam in swirls of light, and the blade twirled with a brilliant red arc, reducing bloodied limbs to stalks. More hands continued clawing their way towards him.

"Sheik!" Link screamed desperately.

Sheik was still trying to get free. Link wanted to reach her and help, but he couldn't- that thing was almost on top of him.

The lumbering gargantuan beast opened its mouth wide, revealing rows of yellow teeth stained with crimson. One hand gripped Link's mouth, muffling his cry.

The horrible behemoth's pale face came within inches of his own. Link felt its breath against his skin, its rancid stench washing over him in waves.

It raised one hooked limb, ready to gore him.

Link tried the only thing left that he could think of, finally yielding to Courage's call. The scar on his hand prickled, pain flaring until his skin felt like it was on fire. He embraced Farore's power, letting it flow through his veins, and for an instant, an image flashed across Link's vision. A face with fierce glowing eyes stared back at him, war paint decorating both forehead and cheeks. A face so eerily like his own.

The monster paused, distracted by the glowing Triforce symbol shining upon Link's gauntlet.

"Hey, ugly!" Navi flew in front of the demon's face. It jerked back, disorientated by her light. "Over here. Come on, come and get me."

Clawing at the air, the hands obliged, but Navi was far too quick for them. The distraction was enough.

The Master Sword glowing with a holy light, Link slashed through the hand holding him. He spun around in time to come face to face with the monster's jagged maw. One of it's bloodied hooks slammed towards his face, but he cleaved the Master Sword through it. The monster roared with pain-

"ARRGGHHH!"

With a defiant cry, Link shoved the Master Sword through its jaw, straight into its gruesome gullet.

The beast gurgled horribly, turning Link's blood to ice. Blood bubbled up from its throat and the monster choked, coughing on its own blood. It vomited then, drenching Link in a mix of blood and bile. He wrenched the Master Sword free of the monster's maw, and with a splash, the abominable creature sank back into the muck. The forest of hands went limp, shrivelling and sinking back into the black mire.

Link didn't know how he made it back up the path's slope. By then, the scar on his hand no longer prickled, the Triforce's power dulled. He was spent and utterly numb. Link struggled to find the energy to see where Sheik was. He was relieved to see that she was dragging herself out of the water.

Link sank to his knees, shaking terribly. His stomach lurched, and what little food was in it ended up on the ground.

"I never... ever... want to see another of those things again," he gasped, crawling over to the cave wall. His limbs were like jelly, refusing to take his weight. He collapsed, rolling onto his back and gulping down precious air.

"Link?" Sheik asked, sounding concerned but otherwise unperturbed by what just happened.

Goddesses, how could Sheik sound so calm? Her own men were eaten alive by that thing, and they had almost become its next meal.

He barely noticed Navi or Sheik's worried looks, even while Sheik knelt beside him.

"What was that?" Link found himself asking.

"A creation of Bongo Bongo, no doubt. He conducted many experiments on living things when he was alive, creating an army for the king."

"That was a person!?" Navi exclaimed.

"Was," Sheik said with disgust.

"Goddesses... what kind of monster was this man?" Link asked, glancing at where the horrid monster had been.

"He was a Sheikah. Once. His methods were deemed far too extreme and in violation of the Goddesses' commandments. It was Impa who led the revolt against him and the king. You have seen some of his creations before."

"I have?"

"Wolfos, Stalfos, ReDeads. He created all of them."

"Wolfos?" Navi asked, sounding horrified. "You mean the Sheikah created them?"

Sheik nodded. "Ganondorf learned to control them for his own means."

Navi went silent, no doubt lost in memories of Link's near-death experience with the Wolfos and the loss of her old Kokiri charge.

Link slumped against the wall, trying to find the strength to push himself up. Sheik placed a hand on his shoulder, and still very much aware of what they'd just faced, Link almost jumped out of his skin.

"Sorry," Sheik said, looking appalled at her own mistake. "I just need to check that you're okay."

Link relaxed, nodding meekly, and she pressed a hand to his face. He still flinched, even though her hand felt soft and warm.

"You're freezing," Sheik whispered.

"I'll be fine," Link stated in defiance. To prove it, he rolled to his feet, using the cave wall for support, and almost fell over. He looked down at his injured leg, noticing the bloody rivulets and torn leggings.

Oddly, the wound didn't hurt, or maybe he was just too far gone with shock.

"You're not going to make it very far in your condition," Sheik told him. She saw what he was looking at, and her eyes widened. "You're hurt."

"Nothing that hasn't happened before," Link said, almost laughing with near delirium. He might have lost his wits altogether, but only the steady awareness of Courage's mind kept him steady.

Odd. When had he started thinking it was more than just a spirit somehow connected to the Triforce?

"It needs to be treated," Sheik said in concern, examining Link's injury, "or else the wound will fester."

"It doesn't hurt," Link tried assuring her, but Sheik was already rummaging through her satchel, pulling out a bundle of bandages, some alcohol, and several red potions.

"I'll be fine."

"The hell you will with something like that," Sheik said angrily. She rolled up his trouser leg, ignoring his feeble protests as she poured some alcohol onto his macerated limb. Link tried to pull away, gritting his teeth against the alcohol's sting. Sheik finished cleaning the wound, bandaging it. "I'd offer to make camp so we can recover for a moment, but there isn't time."

"This isn't my idea of a nice picnic spot," Link said, "I've only got our rations, and I don't think they'll stay down."

With little more than a small nod. Sheik handed him a red potion. Link stared at the liquid after uncorking the bottle, unsure whether he would just bring it back up again.

"Just drink slowly if you need to," Navi said. "We can rest here until you're okay."

Link looked at the vile potion in his other hand, swirled it around, and then drank it. Slowly, the weariness drained from his bones and his limbs felt stronger.

"That should give you a few hours respite from your injuries," Sheik said.

"Thanks," Link said, gingerly putting weight onto his injured leg and then accepting the Master Sword from Sheik.

Checking his gear again to make sure it was secured, Link was relieved to find that everything was accounted for.

He didn't glance at the murky pool, not wanting to look upon the dead bodies anymore. The memories of what he'd seen were not likely to leave him for a long time.

He wondered what was waiting for them further on, and only a sense of urgency kept his steps from faltering.

The trio remained silent as they reached another chamber, all fearing what else they might encounter. Nothing emerged out of the darkness, yet the ever-present whispers continued their haunting chant. Sometimes, Link thought he saw a hunched figure lumbering towards him, and it took all his willpower to convince himself it wasn't real.

They entered a circular chamber decorated with stone reliefs and a round dais with arcane symbols etched along its rim. Seven torches lined the dais' edge, all of them lit. In front of them were two ancient doors, black and adorned with carvings, much like the surrounding walls.

There was something else next to the door, glinting in the torchlight. When Link drew nearer, he almost threw up again. It was a message penned in blood.

"Here is gathered Hyrule's bloody history of greed and hatred," Navi said, sounding disturbed.

"Who writes a message in blood?" Link asked, disgusted.

"Someone who badly needed some ink?" Navi deadpanned with little humour. Link shot her a disapproving look before scanning the room for anything they might have missed.

Ancient reliefs adorning the walls rose high above them. Many of them had been defaced with their heads chiselled off. Several, however, were still intact. One depicted a horse with white wings, while another showed a man bearing a staff entwined with twin serpents. A third bore a depiction of a three-headed dog, its lips curled in a feral snarl.

A shimmering, semi-translucent barrier rose to the archway's tip. It was similar to the one impeding Link's attempts to traverse the Spirit Temple.

Two soldiers lay slumped against one of the nearby walls. Sheik checked them for any signs of life, but they were long gone. Stalfos bones littered the ground, their armour and blades scattered about the chamber, a testament to the Hylian soldiers' desperate last stand. Sheik retrieved a bow from a soldier, then unclasped his quiver.

Link grimaced in distaste. He didn't like the idea of stealing from the dead, even if necessary. Sheik murmured a short prayer to the departed and then got up, looking harder and more resolute than before.

"There has to be some way to get rid of that barrier," Navi said. "We didn't get past that thing just to be stopped now."

Sheik, it seemed, already had an idea. Link watched as she pulled out the Lens of Truth and held it up to the door.

Curious, Link peered through it and was surprised to see little white lines, burning like a fire, across the barrier. There were circles interspaced within the lines.

"Music notes," Link murmured. Having come across numerous examples of these patterns, he would have recognised Zelda's Lullaby. This was a different tune.

"Pass me the ocarina." Sheik held out a hand. Link rummaged through his bag and handed her the instrument. Sheik dried it, doing her best to clean it, both of them not caring to think of the horrid muck it had recently landed in.

Link waited as Sheik played the same haunting tune that brought them into Kakariko via the graveyard portal.

"It's called the Nocturne of Shadow," Sheik said before Link could ask.

Link stepped towards the enormous double doors and cringed as they creaked open. A bell would have been a more subtle way to announce their presence, but as the Necromancer most likely knew they were here, it probably made little difference.

The room beyond looked like an enormous beast's throat, similar to Jabu Jabu. It sloped downward, with long stone steps descending underground.

Statues depicting hooded monk-like figures stood watch within shallow alcoves. Disused braziers decorated the walls, leaving the corridor in near-total darkness. More Stalfos bones littered on the ground, spider webs lined some of the alcoves, while corpses dressed in armour occupied the others. Link swore some of the dead were watching him as he descended the stairs. He kept looking, half expecting to find a pair of red or amber eyes staring at him.

Link hadn't walked far when a strange wind ruffled his fringe. On it carried a voice, cold and venomous, whispering a single name.

"Link."

One voice became dozens as the sound echoed throughout the room, chilling Link to the core.

"Keep moving," Sheik said quietly.

Without a word, he did so.

Next Chapter

Reviews

SunPraiser31 chapter 49 . Apr 1, 2017 Like I thought, what a fun trip this is! You do a really good job of giving the whole thing a very tense and chilling atmosphere, like something out of a horror game. All the dead bodies and those dismembered hands are notch up from the rest of the story in terms of gore. I'm perfectly fine with it, but I can see why you felt the need to forewarn me about it. Good bit of subtle characterization when Sheik refused to play Zelda's Lullaby buy chose to play the Nocturne of Shadow. That song has a lot of painful memories for her. Very nice touch. The next chapter is gonna be sunshine and rainbows, right? Right?

TheHero136 chapter 49 . Sep 11, 2015 Quite intense. Perhaps next chapter you could have invisible platforms or the ghost ship. Just ideas, but keep writing. Very good story.

Shaveza chapter 49 . Aug 15, 2015 I probably shouldn't have laughed when Sheik was all 'NOT YOU' to the hand when trying to pull Link out of the water, but I did. I probably would giggle out of sheer hysteria though if it were me in their shoes. Not even at the Temple yet, and they've faced a Dead Hand. You really caught the fear of this thing. But if this is the start, I can't wait to get into the Temple!

R. Recollect chapter 49 . Aug 15, 2015 Ohhhh man. I love Dead Hand. It's my favorite monster. Those many bloody hands, that impossibly wide maw, that scary-ass face- it's a splendid monster. Shiek's "Take my hand! Not you, dammit!" moment was priceless. It almost seemed like the Dead Hand was sentient. Maybe it had a sense of humor too? The inclusion of that bloody message at the end was also great, does this mean that they're in the real Shadow Temple now? Navi's quip about ink was just priceless. Good Chapter, and sincerely hoping those villagers don't get turned into abominations. That would really suck. Without Wax, ~R

Lord Darth Yoda chapter 49 . Aug 14, 2015 But where's the puppies and rainbows? :( This Temple always freaked me out. There's no way that it was ever a nice place and you showed that perfectly. Makes me nervous for the team if Dead Hand the welcoming committee. And what are the odds all those Stalfos skeletons won't stay quiet...