The Legend of Zelda: Goddess of Secrecy

Dungeon Chapter 35 - Jailbirds

...and out into the cell on the other side. Echo had vanished. Endeavor called across the hall, "Where did she go?"

Link looked around and shrugged, this behavior becoming pretty standard. Endeavor shook their head. "Do you see anything in there that could help us? A switch or a button? This was built for the Sage; it is sure to have something left for you too."

Looking around, Link tried to find something. He figured that Echo would have found something, but he could be wrong. He shifted the bed a bit and found a large boulder. He still had his power bracelets on, the item to small for the pirates to consider, so he figured he might as well see what was hidden behind the rock. He shook his head. "I know why she wanted a bomb."

Behind the stone was another tunnel. Link couldn't tell where it led to, but it was definitely a way out. A few moments later, Zelda, Lynard, and Endeavor joined him in the second cell. Link leaned back a bit, letting his companions see the gap. Lynard said, "I'll go first. They'll be a little easier on me, and I still have this cane."

Lynard ducked down through the space. The three stood there, worried about the man. Minutes passed before Lynard appeared. He informed them, "No one immediately. It comes out in a barrack. There are a few men chatting around a table, but they're so drunk we could take them easily, or even sneak passed I think."

Endeavor replied, "What are the chances they are going to come back here and see this entrance?"

Lynard tightened the grip on his cane. The motion was noticeable as he answered, "I doubt that. If we get caught, they'll put us back in here. But I think people will catch on sooner or later if we keep getting caught."

"Where are we headed once we get out of here?" Link asked.

"I'd need a map of the place to tell you for sure, but something tells me that we'll find Sayyida in the upper levels of the fortress," Lynard stated. "Now, the only way to get there is to get control of the Cage in the center, which her first mate is going be guarding. That's Omar. Without any weapons, that'll be a tough fight."

Zelda asked, "Where are our weapons?"

"I'm fairly certain that you can summon your bow back, Highness, but as for Endeavor and Link's weapons, someone probably is carrying them around," Lynard reasoned as he leaned against the wall to rest a moment. "Keeping them in chests would be too risky, and they might think they're getting to keep those weapons since we're stuck in here."

Endeavor inquired, "What about the Master Sword?"

Lynard sighed, before muttering, "Sayyida probably has that one. Magic and all that, she'd want to protect it herself. But, only one way to find out for certain." He ducked back into the hole and vanished.

Link offered to help Zelda, but the princess scowled at him. Endeavor suggested, "Link, I think you and I should go first." Zelda brushed off her dress as Link ducked down into the tunnel.

There was a short drop as Link fell a few feet down onto a bed. The mattress creaked. The two men sitting around the table started to turn back towards him. Someone jerked him back into the shadows. Lynard put his hand over Link's mouth as they crouched behind the bed. Finally, the two men returned to their game.

"Stay down," Lynard said.

Endeavor came down quietly beside Link. They whispered, "Where is Lynard?" Link pointed towards where Lynard had crawled.

"What is he up to?" they asked.

Lynard came back over to them. He stated, "They're not watching the door. We can slip out, not a bother."

"I would rethink that," Endeavor noted. "You said it would easy to knock them out?" Lynard nodded. "Then we should. That is the Sage's Rod." They pointed across the room where the golden staff was leaning on the table. "That would be a great help to us moving forward."

Link replied, "We don't have anything to fight them with." He glanced at Lynard for help, but Lynard was gone. He looked across the room and saw Lynard with his cane making his way towards the two men.

One fell from Lynard's first swing. The second staggered to his feet, but Lynard knocked him out as well before the man could react. Endeavor mused, "I think most would not believe that he was an old man if you did not see it in his face." They pulled themself out of hiding as Lynard stood over the two men.

Someone tumbled in from above. Link looked up and saw Zelda sliding down off the bed. She looked passed him and saw the two men lying on the ground. "Well, you made short work of them."

Lynard picked up a golden rod from beneath the table. He extended it to Link, saying, "I believe this is yours."

Link gladly took the item back. If it hadn't been for Lynard, it probably would have taken him much longer to recover, until they'd found a better distraction for sure. They would probably have had to sneak around the temple some more before they found a weapon just lying around in order to come back.

Endeavor leaned out the door before leaning back in and shutting the door. "The guards are moving in a counter-clockwise path around the dungeon. I cannot tell if they have any of our weapons from here. Though I think it would be better to remove Omar from this than trying to recollect all our weapons. As long as we get to Sayyida, we may be able to persuade her to return our items without needing to hunt them individually down."

"They're right," Lynard said. "We'll spend more time backtracking if we have to restock every single item. Sayyida may want to use the Master Sword to barter with, which means we need to find her quickly."

They waited until the closest guard passed them by. Lynard took the lead, his familiar face and regular weapon used to their advantage. Link gripped the Sage's Rod, glad to have a weapon again. The abilities of the Shadow Medallion weren't that aggressive, but it was better than having nothing. The Water Medallion could certainly help in a pinch too. At least it could help him make a hasty escape if they got caught.

Lynard led them inside another room, and ducked them out of sight. It was an armory. Lynard whispered, "I figured something might be hidden in here, considering. If not, something else."

Link peered up over the table they were hiding behind. There were three pirates leaning over a table. From here, Link could see Endeavor's sword. He started to lift the Sage's Rod, casting a shadow over the room.

Endeavor rushed in based on memory. They grabbed their blade, before hitting the closest man to them. As the cloud began to vanish, Lynard moved in, stopping the third man before he could escape as Endeavor handled themself. They picked up something off the table. "Looks like we found something else of yours, Link."

They set a familiar blue instrument in Link's hand. Link wiped the mouthpiece off, worried about whether the pirates had tried to play it. It smelt like rum, but so did this entire place. Zelda muttered, "Wish we had found a better weapon."

"I think that'll do a decent job on its own," Lynard said. "Just a note could distract these men, which may be enough for us to get passed something else."

"Would it be enough to get down to the entrance of this Cage?" Endeavor asked, leaning out the doorway.

Lynard joined Endeavor at the entry. They stepped back after a moment as a patrol came by. Lynard answered, "I'd think so. But getting over there is going to be a pain. We'll need to concentrate on at least getting Link through the door." Lynard glanced back at Link. "Ready for this?"

Tightening his grip on the Ocarina, Link replied, "As I'llever be." Lynard slipped out the door. Not wanted to get caught by anyone, Linkquickly followed...