The Legend of Zelda: Goddess of Secrecy

Dungeon Chapter 25 - The Meltdown

...stepping into another long hallway. The snow lining the halls began to thin out as the heat coursed through the space, the warming greenhouse behind them not quite a furnace, but no longer a cold trap. A chilled breeze rushed down the corridor, more noticeable after the greenhouse's humid warmth.

"Where does this lead?" Link asked, pulling the map back out to double check once more. The hallway was shorter than it appeared, and led out to the courtyard and armory according to his notes. It was really more a series of staircases than a hallway.

After a short decent, Link found himself at the head of his group back on the ground level of the mansion. A stone courtyard expanded in front of them. A fountain sat frozen over in the middle, stone benches surrounding it beneath years of snow and ice. A lone building sat in the back of the courtyard, which could only be the armory. It was very large, and Link figured they would find a forge in there to help with the heat.

But even from across the courtyard, Link could tell that the door was locked, and there was no key left to use. He looked around. Something must be buried in the courtyard, another key at least. Or so Link hoped as he began to circle the area.

The snow began to move. Link knew that the emptiness of the courtyard was too good to be true. Sure enough, wolfos began to spring out of the snow, their white coats blending into the background and they became nearly invisible until they crossed onto the stone pavement.

Link pulled his sword out and sent a few of the wolfos tumbling back with a few opening strikes. Of course, the horde was only going to keep coming. Overhead, two of the ghost-like buglers appeared over the top of the mansion's walls.

From some other corner of the courtyard, a familiar brown fox raced across the courtyard. A pair of wolfos were running after the creature, close on her tail. The fox ducked into Link's swords strokes. The two wolfos were too slow to realize went had happened. Link slashed the snow monsters, before glancing back at the fox.

The fox had continued to run away for a moment, before it paused and rushed back over to Link. The little brown beast jumped up on Link's side, and stuck its head into his pouch.

With the fox hanging on his side, Link kept fighting the best he could. He shoved his hand passed the fox's head and pulled out his slingshot. He fired a seed at one of the buglers, before rushing it as it came down to the ground.

It was while Link had turned his attention to the second bugler, he realized that the fox wasn't hanging on his side anymore. She had fallen off when he had pushed into his bag. But now he was busy, Bruce rushing to join the fight as he and Frostbar caught up.

Tumbled out on the courtyard was Echo, the Sage's Rod in her hands. Link finished off the second bugler, before he rushed back to the courtyard. Echo was holding off Yore with the Sage's Rod, though in a losing fight. The hawk was trying relentlessly to tear the golden staff from her hands.

Link and Bruce finished off the last few wolfos in the courtyard as Frostbar chased a few of the creatures off into the snow. Bruce said as the immediate threat disappeared, "You know, you shouldn't take things that aren't yours."

"You can't use it," Echo replied, gripping the Sage's Rod. Then retreated an inch as Yore's talons snapped in.

"Not yet," Bruce retorted. "But that belongs to Link, not you."

Echo demanded, "If you can't use it, then why can't I? I never said I was keeping it, after all."

"Why would you possibly need it?" Link asked.