Dungeon: Eastern Palace Players/Characters: Chaos James - 40 Rupee Total Nicholas Walker – Book of Mudora (-20r) + 20 Rupees Darkness was all that surrounded the young Hylian as he found himself floating in an endless void. Time did not seem to be a factor in this place as he waited what could have been minutes or days for a soft glow to appear before him, shedding light on nothing but covering his bodiless form with warmth. A whispering voice rang out from the light, incoherent at first until he was able to hear the voice with clarity. Its voice, feminine and graceful, spoke with a dulcet melody that soothed his soul and calmed his mind. The voice was telling, not asking, but Nicholas felt compelled to do as he was instructed. "You will be tested, son of Hyrule, in a cruel place that is host to foul evils. If you have Courage, then you shall be granted victory in your trial. May the way of the Hero lead to the Triforce." With instructions given, the warrior could then feel the light fade away, leaving only linger warmth as his mind was pulled back into the shadows and the darkness shifted from pure to hazy. Upon opening his eyes, Nicholas found himself standing in a mountainous location among ruins covered in dirt.
Taking the time to inspect his surroundings, Nicholas noticed ancient stone steps leading up ledges and in distance places, and cracking stone barriers along other cliffs as if an ancient people had once lived here. Grey stone pillars stood nearby, casting shadows across barren dirt and cracked tiles that vaguely gave shape to a path leading to the stairs. He had no idea how he was supposed to complete neither this 'test' nor how he could find the evils said to plague this place, but he wasn't going to give up without trying first. Stepping forward across the cracked path, the first staircase gave way to a much larger scene of the ruins he was in. High cliffs encircled, what he now knew was a valley, in the distance, and more grey-stone paths and steps covered the many ledges and stone outcrops of the area. Ancient statues of stone knights stood stationed in different spots that he could see, as if the ruins were still guarded by their creators to this day. The only wildlife he could see, other than birds flying high above, was lone Tektites or a few travelling Octoroks walking some lower path. Not keen to run into a fight just yet, Nicholas kept to the left-most path for a time. The hike through the valley under the mid-morning sun and blue sky was what many would consider a pleasant walk, and Nicholas was no exception to that. While the beauty of the landscape was fascinating, he was unable to focus on it as his mind started to wander. He kept thinking back to that, for lack of a better term, experience that had landed him in this strange yet picturesque land. The voice had been strange and comforting, and the void itself brought to mind perhaps a dream, but everything was too vivid to be anything but real. His deep thought was only interrupted when he reached another staircase, this one leading him down to another ledge. At the bottom of the steps, Nicholas noticed a line of the knight statues standing at attention along the mountain wall. As he walked by, it felt almost as if he was royalty, soldiers standing at attention in his presence. Nicholas laughed at the thought, his voice echoing off the empty cliffs as he continued forward, before a sound caught his attention. Turning, he noticed one of the statues had a crack in it, but upon further inspection the stone leaped to life and crashed towards him.
Shocked by the sudden movement of what he had thought was a statue, Nicholas jumped backwards to avoid being slammed by the Armos' strike. As he stepped back to give himself more space, he soon realized he was against the barrier, having run out of room on the ledge to back away. Watching the stone armor carefully, the Hylian timed his next steps to the Armos' leap, dancing out of the way as it crashed against the stone wall. With room to run, Nicholas started to retreat as he watched the statue took small hops to turn and face him. With little chance of being able to defeat foes like this with just his fists, Nicholas decided it was better to flee. When he turned around though, another Armos had advanced from its resting place, and he noticed that all of the previously rooted warriors were jumping towards him. Surrounded, Nicholas made a mad dash for safety, risking getting close the statues. The first one he was able to dart around with good timing, but his luck ran out right after that as one of the Armos slammed into him, sending both tumbling down the cliff from the one part of the barrier that had long since crumbled away. Everything was hazy as the warrior came around. His body ached to remind him that he had just fallen down a cliff. His left hand tentatively checked his chest and neck, to make sure nothing was out of place, and then he pushed himself into a sitting position. As his vision cleared, he started to note his surroundings. He was now indoors, in a small, squat room. The ruddy glow of the free-standing lanterns in the room gave a warm glow to the otherwise cold stone. “I see you are awake now,” an old, wispy voice observed from just out of the young man’s vision. Adjusting his position, Nicholas turned to sit facing the voice, which he saw belonged to an elderly man. The old man had a long, silvery-white beard, though no hair on the top of his head, and dirty yellow robes. “I’m sure you have questions,” the old man continued, not waiting for Nicholas to speak, “but, for now, I’m afraid I can’t tell you much.” Nicholas sighed.
“So,” the warrior started to inquire, “What are you able to tell me?” The old man stroked his beard thoughtfully, than eased himself to the ground to sit across from Nicholas. “My name is Sahasrahla.” “Is that all?” “I’m a sagely old man.” “I hadn’t noticed.” “You aren’t being very kind to your elders, sonny.” “My apologies, oh great aged one. Where are my manners.” Sahasrahla’s brow furrowed as he stared sharply at the young Hylian, beginning to grow tired of the back and forth. “Would you like to keep up this witty repartee, or would you like some more answers?” “Sorry.” “Good.” Taking a moment to compose his thoughts, the aged scholar started to explain a bit more to the young warrior. “Right now, you are involved in an ancient rite, a challenge upon which only the bravest Knights may prevail. You are tasked with striking down evil forces and proving yourself. I, well, a version of myself meant to assist you in your quest, will guide you in your challenges.” “Why me?” “You are a Knight, are you not?” “Not really.” “Do you not fight for Hyrule?” “Not officially, at least anymore.” “But you do stand against Evil, do you not?” “Yes.” “Good enough.” Bringing himself back to his feet, Sahasrahla moved off to a small table in the corner of the room, and picked up a long, wrapped object. He walked back towards the sitting Nicholas and began to unwrap the canvas, revealing a simple yet sturdy-looking sword. The finely polished blue hilt gleamed against the flicking light of the room. The blade, polished like silver, reflected the flames to make the blade almost look bathed in a tongue of fire. The old man offered the white-blue hilt extended outwards as Nicholas reached up his left hand and grasped the sword. Nicholas took to inspecting the blade, turning it over in his hands and admiring the weight and make. He was interested to find what looked like runes along either side of the fuller. “What are these for? Magic?” the young man inquired curiously, though the old man just snorted. “It’s Ancient Hylian, sonny. Don’t you read?” “Not anything besides romance.” “I meant languages.” “Oh, well, I read Hylian.” “But not Ancient Hylian?” “Why would I?” Sahasrahla sighed, then reached into the folds of his robe and produced a small, green book. “This tome contains a comprehensive guide to translating languages, from Ancient Hylian, to countless others you have likely never heard of.” He handed the book to the warrior, who started to leaf through it. “Use the Book of Mudora to translate the blade’s meaning, so I know you can use it.” Without further prompting, Nicholas took to the task and soon after had ascertained the blade’s meaning. “Fighter’s Sword.” “Correct.” “Is that all?” “You read it all, didn’t you?” “Yes, but I was hoping for a little bit more.” “Unfortunately, this sword is all I can provide for your challenges ahead.” “And the book.” “Yes, and the book.” “So what now?” “Travel south from this place and climb the steps and paths until you can reach the bottom of the palace.” “What will I find there?” “Monsters, traps, and an evil force to which your success relies solely on your ability to grasp victory.” Nicholas stood now, ready for the challenges ahead. He lifted his right and arm tightly clenched his metal fist, “I’ll wring victory from this place with my hands if I have to.” Slipping his new weapon onto his sword belt, Nicholas bowed to his elder. “Many thanks, kind wise one,” he said before turning with renewed vigor, striding out the door and into the late afternoon sunlight. He still had a fair bit of ground to cover before he would reach the Eastern Palace, and he wanted to be there before sundown. It had been about a half hour since Nicholas had departed from Sahasrahla’s shack, but the small building was still visible from across the cliff he stood on. His eyes traced the path he had taken up the stairs, and he quickly decided that stairs were horrible for progress. You barely make any distance, it is all vertical. Grumbling to himself, the young man reached into his coat pocket and retrieved his favorite novel, flipping open to a page at random to immerse himself in the story. Unfortunately, he had to put the book away soon after, as his path narrowed considerably and he was forced to watch his step. It looked like his trial would be very testing after all or at the very least a very boring one.
His march across the cliffs continued on as the sun inched across the reddening sky. He couldn’t even tell if he had managed half a league yet, so arriving at the palace before dusk might be harder then he thought. He continued to trudge along, following a winding pathway of crumbled stone, when an idea sprung to mind. Glancing around, he scanned the cliffs above for any large protrusions in the rock face. “There we go,” he muttered to himself as he spotted just the kind of rock he was looking for. He quickened his pace as he closed in on the spot underneath the spot he had eyed up. Focused, he spotted the perfect jutted ledge halfway up to the outcrop, and leapt into the air. His body, light as a feather, deftly came down upon the small spot with his right foot, then crouched and pushed off once more. Nicholas’ right arm wiped out, slamming into the top of the outcrop and catching him. With an almost effortless pull, he hoisted himself up onto the small platform and looked upwards for the next part of the path. Scaling the rock face would be much quicker than hiking up stairs. Having made more progress in the short time spent climbing then the hours wasted with the stairs, Nicholas’ mood was improving. While it took some extra effort, the ground he could cover by taking straight paths meant he should be able to reach the distant grounds before the sun sinks too low. He would almost have to, as wandering the cliffs at night would be deadly. Not to mention it would be too dangerous to take shortcuts if he can’t see the crags and ledges. Pulling himself up over one of the ruinous guardrails that run along some of the cliff paths, Nicholas quickly checked his surroundings. He didn’t spot many handholds in the wall ahead of him, as it was a sheerer cliff face then his previous climb. Following the flat path now would his best option, at least until he came to more favorable terrain. Striking out on the path now, as luck would have it, he came rounding a sharp turn of the cliff and saw his initial goal towering ahead.
Following the winding path of the cliffs ahead, he came around one of the sharp corners to find more stairs. The narrow flight of stairs cut up through the rock to larger plateaus, all of which directing him towards the site of evil he was tasked with dealing with. The Eastern Palace stood on top of the higher mountain, nesting firmly against an even taller rock face that consisted of the protective barrier in the valley. “Finally,” Nicholas proclaimed as he started up the steps. He had thought perhaps he was lost and would never find the palace, so he had renewed vigor for the task at hand. As he reached the first landing though, he quickly spied more of those statues he had faced earlier. They stood still, but they could be poised to strike at any moment. As long as he was quick though, and anticipated their reaction, he should be able to make it by without a scratch. It only took a few seconds for the warrior to decide how he should get past the armored menace that stood ready to jump to life. Charging forward and pushing off the ground, Nicholas deftly jumped up and landed on the Armos’ head. Quickly kicking off as it rumbled to life, he soared through the air and landing with a heavy thud into the stairs. Not a smooth landing by any means, but it was safer to crash into the stairs a bit haphazardly then risk twisting his ankle on a misstep. Recovering quickly, he scrambled to his feet and started up the next set of stairs. Glancing back, he could see the Armor madly hopping at the bottom, unable to climb the steps. As he came up the next flight though, he had to narrowly dive from the stairs into a roll. The top of the stairs was quickly blocked by another Armos that had sprung to life. He climbed to his feet as a second one also madly jumped towards him. They both bounced towards him as he sprung back, giving him some space to maneuver.
He didn’t want to fight these false soldiers though, but he was up against the wall and they were closing fast. “Oh!” he exclaimed, suppressing the urge to smack his forehead as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a small satchel, holding it firmly in hand. Before the statues got any closer, he darted forward and readied to jump, and with a quick snapping motion he smashed the satchel at his feet as he jumped. A great force of wind blasted out from the satchel’s impact point, mixed with his feather-light jump to hurl him through the sky over his foes. Much higher than his usual jumps, but the height wouldn’t be an issue for him. He landed with a heavy thump, forced into a temporary crouch as he pushed off the ground and dashed for the stairs. He was already halfway up before the statues had managed to even turn around. Cresting the top of this flight had him face to face with the palace entrance. He blew past the two Armos standing guard, and up the final few steps. Next thing he knew, he was standing in the entrance way of the Eastern Palace. “Here we go.” As the light from the entrance filtered in around him, Nicholas took a moment to adjust to the darker interior of the dungeon. The blue tiled floor was rough and the hewn limestone brick walls were but the backdrop to the palace. Two cyclops statues guarded the three hallways ahead, unblinking polished stone eyes ever watching. The periodic wall sconce burned with torches that long since should have burned out without Hylian maintenance. With his surroundings checked and eyes keen, Nicholas slowly advanced into the den of evil he had stepped foot in. He was ever-vigilant with those statues nearby, not wanting a repeat of the earlier cliff-side encounter. Walking down the center hallway, he came to a sealed iron door, with further inspection showing no clear way to advance. “Perhaps a lever somewhere,” he mused as he walked back to try another path. Turning right, he followed the next hallway and was pleased to find an open doorway.
As he entered the next room through the stonework door frame, he came to a small ledge overlooking a pit so deep it descended into nothingness. It looked like the platform had once extended out further, but broke long ago. Glancing around, he could see a further bridge that seemed to reach the other side of the large pit-room. “Easy,” he smirked to himself, as he backed up a step then launched forward, springing off the raised edge of the platform. Gliding through the air with ease, he smoothly landed on the bridge and glanced around. Nicholas quickly noted that each end of the bridge had a solid sealed door, so he guessed he was on the opposite side of the one he passed before. The more concerning thing was the group of tentacle creatures sitting between him and the other sealed door. They didn't seem to be moving, but they leaked pretty freaky. Before he had any more time to consider what they were, the small swarm of blue and orange tentacles suddenly started to wiggle to life. The Popo seemed to be aware of where the warrior stood, because they all started to slither towards him. Drawing his new sword with his left hand, Nicholas took a defensive stance as the creatures approached, waiting for one to approach within blade's length. As soon as one wiggled close enough, he took a brisk step forward and swung widely at the creature. His sword tore through the tentacles, leaving a withering mass as he stepped back to his defensive pose. His hit seemed to have connected well, as the remains shriveled up and broke into a puff of dark smoke. The other two didn't seem to react at all to his attack on the first one either, so it was now time for offense. Bringing his sword closer to his body, the warrior closed the gap quickly and took a solid step forward to cleave the next mass in half as well. He then twisted his upper body and then moved into a lunge, stabbing the last Popo in the center, feeling his sword tip catch on the tiled floor. The stab didn't seem to do as much damage, as the tentacles began to feel out towards his legs. Grabbing the hilt of his sword, though, Nicholas quickly yanked the blade sideways, slicing through half the creature. With the last one defeated, he looked around to figure out what to do next, sword still in hand.
Neither door would budge for the Hylian as he searched for some kind of lever or switch to open the passages. He paced back and forth along the bridge, hunting for the way forward. It was probably his fifth time walking across the bridge that his foot came down on a tile that happen to sink a few inches into the floor. Both doors slid open with the 'click' of the switch, to which Nicholas wasted no time in going through the far door. As he walked through the passage, he started to hear a distinctive rumbling sound. Walking into the room, he could see he was on a ledge overlooking a long hallway with other raised platforms overhead. Watching closer to the ground, he quickly discovered where the rumbling was coming from. Evidently, farther ahead in the hallway something or someone was sending large black iron balls rolling along into a lower path that ran under the platform. It seemed like some kind of obstacle, as he could slowly see a pattern between the left and right orbs. Descending the stairs, Nicholas peered down the hallway in between the left orbs' pattern, and could make out grooves in the wall where someone could duck into. Confidently, the warrior slipped into the line of the orbs and started to weave between them, until he felt a deeper rumbling... Nicholas swore out loud as he doubled back, sliding his hand against the wall. As soon as his hand wasn't against it, he quickly slammed himself into the crevasse in the wall as a giant black ball thundered past. "By the Goddess," he sighed with relief as he remained hidden. More small iron balls rolled past, in an alternating pattern before another large one went past. He had nearly been crushed by the sudden shift in pattern, and realized quickly he had to be very cautious from now on. The warrior waited in that hiding hole probably a lot longer than was needed, but he had to be sure he had the pattern down before he zipped out of his hiding spot into the next safe zone. Zagging across the hallway, he slipped into the small gap as another large ball rolled past. Inching around, he patiently watched the pattern and discovered it had changed pattern again. He sighed with relief, glad his caution had paid off. Memorizing the new pattern, it was a simple step to dart through the rest of the hallway. Climbing one of the stairs on either side of the ball launcher, he found another doorway leading into a dark passage, to which he continued deeper into the accursed palace.
Stepping out the passageway, the warrior was greeted with the sight of a large vaulted ceiling stretching out ahead, and he approached the banister of the upper floor he was on to glance down. Down below he could see a raised platform of sorts with a giant chest in the center, and across the room still an ornate door up some stairs. Glancing around, Nicholas didn't see much else of interest, so without a second thought he placed a hand on the railing and vaulted over. Landing on the lower floor, he stood up straight and strolled up to the large chest, looking over its regal design. Curiosity overtaking him, he reached down and flung the lid open and peered inside. "Empty," he muttered as he stood up, though he knew he wasn't alone. While searching the chest, it seemed a pair of Stalfos had dropped from some hiding spot in the roof he had missed, and advanced on Nicholas with large bone clubs in hand. Drawing his sword and holding his right arm in front of him in a wide defensive stance, he held his sword back as they approached. "Now this is my kind of fight." As the Stalfos charged, bone-clubs raised in attack, Nicholas stepped into their attack to counter. He raised his right arm high to deflect the first club, and then swung his left foot around to twist out of the way of the second swing. As he spun, he brought his sword arm up close to his chest and slashed in a wide arc at the first Stalfos. Half the ribcage of the assaulted monster shattered as it staggered sideways. The other one began to circle around as its ally recovered from the blow it had been dealt. The warrior was now in between the two, but the injured one seemed like it had been thrown off balance which slowed it down. They charged once more, so Nicholas committed to going after the one he had already landed a strike on. He closed the gap under its swing and rose into a tackle using his shoulder. The impact cracked through the remaining ribs and broke the evil creature's spine clean off from the torso. As it tumbled over top of him, he turned and slashed across the Stalfos as he ducked aside, killing his first foe. As it vanished into smoke, the second one tried to knock the warrior's head off with a good cuff of the club, but only managed to graze the side of his head. Dropping down, Nicholas rolled over and kicked the leg of his opponent and forced the Stalfos to fall over. Whipping his sword in a large arc, the blade cleaved the fallen foe in half, ending its unlife much like the first one. Pushing himself into a sitting position, Nicholas quickly caught his breath and finally stood once more. Sliding his sword back onto his belt, he glanced around for where to go next after the treasure chest was a bust.
With the ambush dealt with, Nicholas left the chest and crossed the large room towards the stairs. At the top, he found a large ornate door, beautifully crafted with an inlay of gold trim across the stonework lines. Examining the door further, he found the place where a big key could be inserted, likely to open the door, as he saw no handle. He stepped back from the door to survey the room once more, noting a couple other open doorways at opposite ends of the lower area, and more closed ones on the upper level. Thinking about which way to go he turned back to look at the door, when an idea came to mind. "RRGAAAHHHH!" he fiercely cried out as black-gold flames engulfed his arm as he crashed his fist into the door. Stone shattered as his fist sunk through the door, blowing away the barrier with relative ease. Nicholas panted for a moment, grinning like an idiot, "there we go." As the dust settled from the broken door, he slipped through the narrow opening he made. Proceeding through the corridor into a dimly lit room, the warrior knew he wasn't alone as he slowly drew his sword and prepared for a fight. Holding the blade under his right arm away from him in his practiced stance, the sword began to glow with energy as he advanced into the room. Moving forward, he quickly discovered where the uneasy feeling was coming from. Just ahead, a swarm of those wiggling tentacle monsters started to give chase towards him, as two green hulking Eyegores followed behind. Inching closer, Nicholas waited patiently for the Popo to get closer to him. When the mindless creatures were in his range, he took a solid step forward and released the energy from his sword, deftly spinning on the spot as energy crackled from his blade, cleaving all the tentacle foes in half. As they disappeared in puffs of smoke, the two Eyegores staggered forward. The energy from his slashes had been blocked mostly by their thick arms, and their hide seemed extremely durable. As the warrior finished his spinning attack, he used the remaining momentum to roll sideways to his left. Closer to the wall, the two monsters started to give chase, with one in front of the other. Nicholas was now in a better position to fight back against the hulking brutes. Backing to the wall, Nicholas waited for the first Eyegore to get closer than leapt upwards over its head as he spun. Twisting in mid-air, he hurled an Ignition Powder at the wall as the Eyegores turned, the small packet exploding on impact. The sudden gust of force from the wall bowled over both as Nicholas finished his spin and landed in a roll. Springing to his feet, he charged back as the monsters tried to climb to their feet and ran the first one through the eye. The creature shuddered and collapse to the ground, as Nicholas planted his foot firmly on it and yanked his blade free again. As he did, the second one rushed forward with an incoherent cry and rushed the Hylian over. Nicholas fell to the ground as the monster tried to fall on him. Tossing his sword aside, Nicholas brought his right arm forward to catch most of the weight, the air pushing out of his chest as the monster came down upon him. Struggling to push the creature back, Nicholas managed to make an opening by punching his foe with his left fist square in the eyeball. As it stumbled to its feet, backing away howling in agony, Nicholas rolled over to grab his sword and pushed himself up, turning quickly as he rushed the Eyegore down and jamming his blade into its weak point. As the dead monster fell to the floor, sword still firmly wedged in its head, Nicholas likewise fell back to the ground to rest. His breath was still coming in sharply as he regained his composure.
As soon as the sharp pain in his chest had subsided, the warrior got back to his feet and brushed himself off. He walked over to the one corpse and casually put his foot against the beast to yank his sword free. As he did, his eyes caught a dull glint of gold on the Eyegores, which he found was a small key. He took the key and sheathed his blade as he explored more of the room. On the far side of the room, he discovered two offshoots that each held a door, one wide open and the other shut tight with a lock. While he considered searching the open path, he felt like his goal was likely behind the locked door, so he put his new-found key in the lock and opened the door. Evidently he used too much force though, or the key was just very ancient, because it snapped as soon as he heard a click, but it didn't matter. If he needed another key, he could probably find one, or make one. Pulling the door open, he found a winding staircase ahead of him and he cautiously began to climb the spiral steps into darkness. As he neared the top of the steps, he could see the next room clearly enough and began to look it over. He could see large clay pots near the center, and also some knightly statues, but his concern was on the flame-like spirits that were bouncing wildly around the room. They seemed to travel in straight lines, so as long as he kept his eye on them he would be able to avoid them with little issue. With the strange creatures away from his door, he sprung out to search for the door, unable to see it from the doorway. Nicholas reached the center of the room and quickly turned his head to search the walls, spying the tightly shut metal door to his right. He remembered the bridge near the entrance, and how he had finally found a raised piece of tile that acted as a switch, so he began to hunt the floor for a similar tile. It was slow going as he slowly worked his way around the room, avoiding the Bubbles as he went, but eventually he had checked every tile and none of them was a switch. Unsure of what to do next, Nicholas retreated back to the center of the room where he could keep an eye on the strange spirits and think. After some thinking, Nicholas decided he still had two more sets of places to check; under the pots and under the statues. Starting with the clay pots, Nicholas went over to each one and unceremoniously kicked over each one until he revealed a large flat switch. He pressed his foot down on the switch, and heard the now-familiar click as the door wooshed open. He made his way for the door, but as soon as his weight left the switch the door shut again. Puzzled, he tried it a few more times but saw that there wasn't enough time for him to trigger it and run. But then he remembered the statues, and at that point it was a trivial task to push one of them onto the switch to hold it down.
Stepping through the held-open door, Nicholas was surprised when the metal gate suddenly slammed shut behind him. He figured out rather quickly what that meant for him though so he drew his blade and launched forward into the room. A few short strides brought him face to face with another Eyegore as it opened its massive eye. All it could see was a single glint of metal as the warrior slammed his sword through the weak point of the monster, killing it in one fell swoop. As the dead Eyegore fell backwards, Nicholas yanked on the blade to free it from the corpse as he leapt backwards, narrowly avoiding being crushed by two more of the one-eyed creatures. The Eyegores both jerked towards where the warrior had moved, their large eyes easily locking onto his new position. They turned and charged towards him, arms reaching out to grab hold and crush their foe. Nicholas darted to the left towards the corner of the room as they gave chase, one of them ahead of the other. Seeming simple-minded, Nicholas turned and ran towards the next corner, looking for an opening. As he did, he heard a clicking sound as he ran over a tile, as well as the doors slide open once more. He had some options now, but it would probably be hard to escape both of them charging him this close. So, he decided he had to kill at least one of them to give him some room. Slipping a satchel out of his pocket, he turned around as he backed into the wall. Nicholas lifted his right arm up in front of him to give the Eyegore something to grab and squeeze, as it wouldn't be able to even dent his Tempered Arm. As it did try, Nicholas brought his sword arm up to jab into the monster's exposed eye from under his arm. It started to tumble back as the other one ran to push the corpse and crush the warrior against the wall. Knowing this was a chance, he crushed the small satchel in his right hand than held it open towards his foes as the Ignition Powder blasted the Eyegore and the corpse back towards the other wall. With an opening made, he quickly scrambled into a mad dash for the small passage that led towards the next room, the remaining monster following in rage. Nicholas jumped through the door and rolled into the room as the Eyegore charged out the door after him. As he tumbled to his feet, the warrior turned around just in time to see the chasing monster get bowled over by a large iron ball. As he saw that, Nicholas reflexively sprung into the air. He saw a second iron ball smashed into the unmoving monster that was surely dead by now, and saw more shoot around as he fell back down towards the ground. As he touched down he sprung back into the air once more as he quickly scanned the room and noticed the center of the room didn't have any cannon holes aimed at it. Landing and springing to the center, Nicholas caught his breath as more iron balls whooshed by at random. He had noted before that the doors had closed, an obnoxious trend, and he figured a secret tile would trigger the gates. His search across the floor was incredibly trying, as not only did he have to check the tiles until he figured out the general pattern, but he had to avoid being crushed by the cannonballs while finding the tile that would actually open the door. Finally he found the proper tile that opened the door, so the warrior made haste in leaving the hellish iron ball room.
Charging into the next room, Nicholas noted it was an oddly empty room, save for a few details. One, the door on the right-hand wall was gated shut and the floor before it seemed menacing enough with its demonic-looking skull design. Two, standing guard in front of the gated door stood a red Eyegore who opened its massive eye and howled out in fury at the warrior. Nicholas unsheathed his sword and ran further into the room as his angered foe gave chase, moving much faster than his blue brethren. Despite how aggressive the Eyegore was being, Nicholas was feeling just as frustrated at this point. So the headstrong warrior quickly turned about and dove into his attacker while aiming for the eye. The two combatants crashed together as the Eyegore deflected the sword using its armor-plated arms, while Nicholas turned into the collision so he could stumble past without getting completely crushed by the stampeding monster. Perhaps he had underestimated the strength of this creature. Nevertheless, he wasn't going to have much time to consider his alternatives, because it wasn't going to give him any room to breathe. He darted away from the Eyegore as he turned around for a second attempt at catching him. Sprinting forward, Nicholas quickly spun about and jumped into the air to get over the monster, hoping to surprise it with an attack when it turned. The Eyegore, meanwhile, didn’t seem to be surprised, as its arm shot out quickly and grabbed the surprised Hylian by the leg and deftly smashed him to the ground. Nicholas gasped in pain as he bounced off the stone tiles as the monster crashed down to drive its fist into his skull. Reflexively, the warrior brought up his right arm to protect his face as he pulled his legs up to catch the one-eyed creature’s weight. He grunted as the creature fell on top of him, his face rubbing against the metal of his arm as the Eyegore’s arm pinned him and his legs pressed in as the body crushed against him. The heavy plated armor of the monster made his predicament all the worse as he struggled just to keep his legs from buckling. The dire situation required some swift thinking on the warrior’s part. Letting go of his sword, Nicholas quickly jabbed forward in an attempt to poke the creature’s eye. As he expected, the monster lifted its arms to protect itself from the attack, which is exactly what he wanted. With his right arm now free, he grabbed his sword from the ground where he left it, and swung at the Eyegore’s protecting arms. His blade scraped across the armor-like skin of the creature to make it stagger back to further protect itself. Kicking his legs out as it stumbled to force it back; Nicholas used the momentum to roll backwards to a crouching position as his free left hand darted into his pocket for another Ignition satchel. Darting forward on the offense now, the swift warrior bounded towards his foe and swung his sword again to make sure it would keep defending. As he did, he closed the gap and slammed his left hand in between its guard and its body, ducking to the side as the Ignition Powder exploded and blasted the arms of the Eyegore wide open. Barely waiting for the wind to die down, Nicholas weaved back in front of the menacing creature as he drove his sword to the hilt into the monster’s one weakness. Its body grew rigid as it perished almost instantly, falling to the ground with a mighty crash, the Fighter’s Sword being pushed back out as it hit the ground. Nicholas stood panting as he heard the tell-tale sound that the gated doors had opened. Grabbing his sword in hand, Nicholas turned to face the imposing doorway ahead and wondered what he would find on the other side.
Stepping through the doorway, Nicholas found himself in an odd shaped hallway. At least, it felt like it was supposed to be a hallway, though he could probably just call it a room of its own. It was pretty sparse in terms of interesting features, besides a few clay pots in the corners of the room. Overall, it was what seemed to be the calm before the storm. Even Nicholas could feel the pressure of absolute evil that awaited him in the next room. He steeled his resolve as his right hand flexed and relaxed the fist he always makes when he is pumped for a fight. Sword held at his side, the warrior strolled through the door to step foot into a large, barren square room. The doorway behind him sealed shut with the familiar iron gate he had grown used to seeing. The only things in the room were six large, stone-like Knight Statues. Like the Armos he had faced earlier, he knew it would be mere seconds before they would spring to life and likely crush him alive. Not wanting to wait for that, Nicholas quickly fled to his left to the corner as the six Armor Knights shook to life. All six, in rank and file, all sprung into the air than crashed back to the ground in a circular formation. Nicholas noted they seemed almost trained, like actual soldiers. Instead of going after the invader, they seemed instead ready to enact ancient marching training as they bounced in a circle around the room. The warrior stood poised in the corner as he watched the Armos Knights do their ancient march. They seemed to circle, than close in, than spread out again. Had he been trying to attack right now, he likely would have been crushed under their uncaring stone bodies. After the circling was done, they all lined up on the opposite wall, shoulder to shoulder, and after a second they all stormed across the room. Thinking quickly, Nicholas charged to meet his stampeding foe, keeping to the wall as he pulled out some Ignition Powder. He deftly hurled the satchel to the wall as the far left Armos Knight marched across. The powder exploded as strong wind forced the stone knight to the side, crashing into its ally and giving Nicholas enough room by the wall to dive past. Slipping by, the warrior turned and slashed at the back of the statue, chipping off some stone but doing very little damage. As soon as they crossed the room, they moved back into formation, but Nicholas kept up beside the one he had injured already. He slashed at it as they moved in the circular march once more. Each little bit seemed like it would add up, but his sword didn’t do as much as he would hope. Considering how else he might be able to deal damage, he quickly whipped out another satchel and hurled it forward at the next Armos Knight in line. The blast of air from its back staggered the one he had been hacking at, causing the one behind it to smash into it, and breaking open its protective armoring. As they all than stopped to meet in the middle, Nicholas dashed in as they moved out again to leap and thrust his sword in between the cracks of the stone armor. As his sword slid into place, the statue stopped and suddenly convulsed as it shattered into a black cloud of smoke, vanishing from sight. As Nicholas dropped to the ground, he quickly moved out of the way as the Armos Knights formed up a rank against the far wall. It was missing one of its six Knights, which meant the warrior only had five more to go.
The gap the first destroyed enemy left made avoiding the marching line a much easier process for Nicholas. It seemed the Knights couldn’t, or wouldn’t, acknowledge when one of their brothers in arms had fallen. As they went back to their stock circular march, Nicholas picked out his next target and started to keep pace with it once more. Strategies were just coming to mind off the top of his head at this point, and his next plan would hopefully be faster. As soon as the Armos Knight he was tailing had stopped, he quickly turned to face its side while keeping his body forward. He took his firm stance, legs rooted and energy flaring as he pulled his right arm back. His voice started as a low growl until he was practically screaming his lungs out. He held that pose, keeping the energy contained as the Armos Knight returned from the circle and came crashing back towards him. At the last moment, and with a triumphant echo, he lunged forward with his black-gold flames as they leapt around his fist and smashed the statue back. It lumbered backwards as it cracked and split, eventually shattering into dust like the previous one. As he brought his arm down, the warrior grinned at how effective that had been. It was now one against four, the odds slowly moving into his favor as he worked on whittling his unflinching, but stupid, foes. The remaining Armos Knights lined up again to continue their assault, so Nicholas moved in front of his next foe, readying another one of his powders in his right hand. It was time for some blunt force trauma, in an alternate attempt to break the shell quickly. Backed up against the wall, Nicholas waited for the Armos Knight to get closer to him. When the distance looked good to him, he threw the satchel in his hand down against the wall as he jumped forward. Pulling his right arm back as he brought his legs up close to his body, he swung his arm forward to smash his fist into the statue’s face. He caught the rest of his body by planting his feet against the Knight’s chest, pulling his arm away to jump back off as it tilted back. The warrior landed with a grunt as he could still feel the impact in his arm, but he didn’t have time to worry about the aching pain. Leaving his sword on the floor beside him, his left hand once more shot into his pocket to bring out one of the very useful explosive satchels. As the Armos Knight still teetered, he threw the powder underneath the statue, causing the unsteady Knight to fall backwards and crash to the ground. It flailed about for a few seconds in some kind of panic, but it seemed falling over had ensured its defeat, as it perished soon after. The warrior picked up his sword as he stood, his shoulder aching as he looked at the remaining three. It was slow going, but he already managed to weed them down to half their original forces.
The armored statues took their positions once more in the fractured circle, as it seemed they would not stop until the warrior stopped them himself. Despite the effort required to break through and defeat these monsters, he was doing quite well. Taking a moment to catch his breath, Nicholas charged back into the fray to pick off his next target. He approached the next Armos Knight as it stomped by and leapt onto its back, grabbing hold of the stampeding statue. Once he managed to plant his feet on his foe, he started to slash and smash at the stone armor until he managed to chip it, giving him the chance to force the tip of the blade in. With the opening ready, he tucked his sword under his arm and grabbed a satchel to shove into the crack. Sword back at the ready, Nicholas waited for the Armos Knight to land from a stomp before he shoved the blade back in the broken armor. Suddenly the chink in the armor smashed apart with the force of wind blasting out, revealing the weaker insides for the Hylian to plunge his blade into. He landed on the ground as the statue perished, leaving only two left for the warrior to slay. He was so close to destroying the evil of the palace. Nicholas backed away as he repositioned himself in the room. There was two left, and he was feeling good about the fight. His right arm was sore still, but he felt the risk of another Warlock Punch was worthwhile. They were about to start the usual room-clearing charge, though at two Knights it was barely a threat. Positioning himself in the predictable path, he began the stance and screamed his heart out as his aura surrounded him. His arm rocketed forward into the advancing Armos Knight, easily shattering its body like the other one he had killed. It disappeared in the same dark smoke that all the others had died, but before Nicholas could even finish the follow-through, he was suddenly his by a heavy force that threw him back and slammed him into the wall. Slumping down to the ground, Nicholas coughed and swore under his breath as his body felt ragged and broken. Looking up from his battered form, the injured warrior noticed something had changed. The last Armos Knight, who he thought would follow the same pattern as all the others, had transformed. It seemed like it was flooded with red energy, almost glowing in its rage. It was also stomping angrily around in a rage, meaning it likely was going to be much more unpredictable. Nicholas pushed himself back up the wall so he could weakly stand, than dove out of the way as the Red Knight leapt forward and smashed into the wall. He tumbled across the cold tile and scrambled to keep himself up right. He didn’t have time to rest though, as the Red Knight took no time in leaping in the air to land directly on the Hylian. He sprinted out of the way as the enraged statue landed on the ground and shaking the room. Nicholas had not been prepared for this, and now all plans went out the window as his instincts kicked in. He had to survive this onslaught, and he wasn’t sure how. Diving into another roll to avoid the crashing foe, the warrior grabbed at his pocket until he pulled out another Ignition Powder. Keeping it tightly in his right hand for an emergency, he continued to flee from his opponent. He was running out of steam with all this endless running though, and as bad luck would have it, he slipped in one of his attempted dives. He was exhausted, but he managed to turn as he fell to land on his back. He grunted with pain as his body smashed against the hard stone, but it was secondary to what was about to crush him. The mad Red Knight leapt high in the air and came hurdling down upon the prone Hylian. As a last-resort attempt, Nicholas brought his right arm across his neck in the defensive triangle shape that the armor afforded him as unbreakable protection. He smashed the powder in his hand to release a torrent of wind as the Armos Knight landed on him, and despite his attempts he still felt multiple things go wrong.
The Red Armor Knight was flung off him by its unbalanced landing and the Ignition Powder, but the damage had already been done. Besides the many cracked ribs, there was a good chance that he had broken something in both his right arm and right leg. He howled in pain, but unfortunately he didn’t have any time to whine about it. He grabbed a second Ignition Powder from his pocket with his good hand than grabbed his sword as he smashed the powder underneath his shoulders. The gust of air flung him upwards as he struggled to land, grimacing as his broken leg was jittered about. He finally managed to catch himself on his good left leg and sprung out of the way as the Armos continued its assault. Jumping again, Nicholas spun in the air and this time managed to let loose a beam of energy from his sword as he swung it. It was a technique he didn’t often want to rely on, but the ranged attacks was all he could rely on against this foe. As soon as his foot would touch the ground he would spring off as the Knight followed close behind, taking bits of damage from his sword beams as he fled. His next landing seemed to have outpaced the Red Knight as it landed beside him, but it was only so it could catch him on the upwards jump, slamming him headfirst into the wall. He could feel blood running down his face as he turned around to see it land not too far away from him. He was feeling dizzy now, and was resisting the urge to vomit as he balanced his sword beside him. The Red Knight leapt towards him, intent now on crushing its foe against the wall and grinding him to a bloody pulp. Swift in the face of death, Nicholas ripped a handful of satchels from his pocket and just slammed it above his head against the wall. The force blasted outwards and pushed the statue Knight back from the wall before it could crush the warrior. Reaching down, he grabbed his sword and swung upwards and rapidly swung as he then leapt away as he continued his wounded assault. Each slash released all his energy as he desperately tried to outlast his foe. As he continued his final barrage, he could finally see the chinks in the Red Knight’s armor, so his final push would be to that spot. Leaping clear once more, he landed low than spun around to leap back towards the Armos Knight as it crashed into him, hitting his left foot to absorb the impact. It was his last shot to kill the last statue, driving his sword into the cracks of the armor and wedging it in place. Wincing and growling as he lifted his right arm, he could feel the bones stab through his flesh as he grabbed the pommel and shoved the blade as deep as he could as the crashed into the wall. At that point, Nicholas blacked out.
It was nothing but endless pain to him, and sleeping would have been the best thing to do, but the sleepless warrior opened his eyes despite his condition and found himself still in the palace room. He looked left, than right, before sitting up and glancing around. His body was numb by now, the pain dulled to a mild roar as his head cried for relief. The Red Knight was gone, he guessed slain, but he wasn’t quite sure. It was quiet though, and for that he was thankful, because he really didn’t think he had anything left in him to fight. As if to answer his questions about the fight, the room seemed to dull as a glowing light appeared before him. The ephemeral being stood before him, soothing his mind, it reminded him about his mysterious meeting at the start of the trial. “Well done, son of Hyrule. You have passed the first test, defeated the Evil in this place, and you have started to prove yourself.” The voice was calming, and despite the fact he should have been frustrated about it being the ‘first’ of tests, he was glad. “Your mind can rest now until the next test calls you, but for now be glad you have earned the first token.” As the voice explained, it presented a pendant of green to the wary warrior, to which it placed it upon his neck. “Thank you, son of Hyrule. May the way of the Hero lead to the Triforce.” His eyes opened now, for sure this time. He felt exhausted, but his body did not ache as he thought it would. He was in some dark room, on a bed still dressed, making him think he had just been asleep. It seemed that the elusive slumber he could not often find was now plagued by nightmares of sorts. No matter, he was always tired as it was, so missing out on some sleep didn’t bother him much. Sitting up, he decided he would read away the rest of the twilight hours until dawn, so he reached into his jacket to get his favorite novel. When he pulled out the green-bound book he remembered from his dream, he stopped to stare at it in the darkness. Obviously he was wrong about what he was holding; it had been a dream after all. The dull green pendant draped around his neck, on the other hand, was something he couldn’t explain.
