Fi's Return

Chapter Six: The Final Trials

Rain fell cold on his skin when Link opened his eyes on the first floor of the Final Trials. He curled his bare toes when he found himself standing in a touch of water on the travel gate as well. A monk's voice echoed in his mind while his eyes gazed over the stormy room.

"To the blade's chosen hero... In the name of the Goddess Hylia, I offer the Trial of the Sword. You are nearly worthy of wielding the true splendor of the Master Sword... You must fortify your mind, body, and soul by eradicating all obstacles that appear in this realm. In this illusory realm of sacred mystery, anything can happen... All that you obtain here will be lost upon your return to the reality you know."

Lightning flashed along the ceiling of the large, enclosed room, and Link could see trees scattered throughout the area, as well as standing puddles of water. He had no time to dwell on his surroundings however, for a pair of skeletal Stalkoblins popped themselves out of the ground armed with Boko weapons, stalking toward the Hylian. He swiftly tossed a bomb at them, knocking their skulls free of the rest of the skeleton, and causing them to drop the spears they carried with a soft splash. The Champion snatched one, stabbing the bouncing heads as they tried to reattach to the swiftly reassembling bones. Each vanished in a puff of purple.

Link had enough time to pick up the second spiked Boko Spear before the next trio of monsters was upon him. He ducked right to avoid a strike, and toss a bomb at them, scattering their bones. Just behind the bones, he saw what looked like a sword shoved blade down in the center of the sizeable puddle where he currently stood. The top of the hilt began to spark, and his eyes widened. He had a split second to get clear of the water before the bolt of lightning struck the sword, frying all three of the newly reassembled Stalkoblins.

The completion chime sounded, and the Hylian had a tough time locating the flash of the travel gate amongst the flashes of lightning that continued in the room. He swiftly collected all the rusty weapons that were dropped before locating the gate under a large tree halfway across the room. One floor down.

Floors two and three were easily completed, once Link realized that they were going to have various Stal-monsters, as well as Electric Keese and Chuchus. Floor two was Stalizalfos, and floor three was a small fortress surrounded by Stalmoblins. Bombs were the Hylian's weapon of choice, keeping him safe from risk of being struck by the lightning flashing in each room. Having felt the shock of the monsters before, he had no desire to compare the two.

Floor four was a bit more of a challenge. Link wasn't entirely prepared for the Stalkoblins riding skeletal horses and wielding spears, but he unseated one rider and destroyed the monster quickly, stealing the mount and leveling the odds. Fortunately for him, the horses didn't vanish when they lost their rider, allowing him to utilize his riding skills to his advantage. The bow he'd picked up on the previous floor proved to be his best friend. Headshots eliminated the monsters, picking them off one by one. Six in total were removed from their steeds surprisingly quickly. Link looked around when the chime didn't sound. There were more Stalkoblins somewhere, but the rain and lightning flashing made it challenging to see.

He pulled up his Sheikah Slate and activated the Magnesis Rune, allowing the red glow to permeate the room. He jogged cautiously around the large puddles of water, avoiding the sparks that came off a rusty halberd prior to it being struck by lightning. His eyes finally landed on the three piles of bones in a shallow puddle near the back of the room. He pulled out a Boko spear and charged at the creatures, evaporating two of the three before their skeletons could fully pull themselves upright. The third had managed to collect itself, and bent to pick up a fist-sized rock to throw at the Hylian. Link dodged the projectile, and struck the creature's skull twice. The first dislodged its head and sent it bouncing into the puddle, and the second had it vanishing in a puff of purple.