The Windy Sand Goddess [Eevachu + Electronic Ink]

Dungeon: Temple of Wind - Phantom Hourglass

Players/Characters:

• Eevachu - 50 Rupee Total
  • Rika and Wollo - ???
• Electronic Ink - 50 Rupee Total
  • Yuku - ??

Shuffling through the blazing sands below him, this Octorok was on a mission sent by the goddesses themselves- to unravel the truth behind this sand goddess portrayed and revered by the heathens known as the Gerudo. The sun would have normally beat down on his wide, open back and threaten to turn him into nice and evenly cooked calamari, but he was protected with loose-fitting clothes generously bestowed upon him. With him on the case, this sand goddess would be praying to the true three goddesses by nightfall.

. . . None of that was true. In actuality, it was Rika who was in search of the truth behind this sand goddess, but not for any divinely inspired purposes. He had caught wind of a rumor of an ancient, buried temple dedicated to the Sand Goddess somewhere in the Tantari Desert, supposedly nearby the remains of the old town of Saria. He had heard that an explorer had come across the temple, but despite what he tried he was barred entry inside. It was not rare that these explorers ended up having not existed at all, but Rika was willing to take the plunge to search just on the possibility it was real.

. . .Despite that, he had not had any luck in actually finding it. Additionally, the heat of the sun beating down on him coupled with the frustration of not having found his destination left him in quite the irate mood. Perhaps if he had a shovel, he could start digging a tunnel to his destination. That would help, certainly.

Just what he wanted, he was starting to hallucinate. Hearing voices cautioning him over how terrible deserts were, now? Of course he knew that, deserts were the worst. If he was about to collapse from heat exhaustion, the least he could do is find the temple first. Yet, the voice felt too precise, like he could tell exactly where it was from- if not a hallucination, perhaps it was some sort of sand demon attempting to lure him to his demise. Turning to face the direction the message came from, Rika could see two humanoid-like figures, vague and blurred due to both the distance and the waves of heat masking their details.

The reality was far worse for Rika- it wasn't a hallucination or sand demon, most likely, but instead other people. That's exactly what he wanted in this gritty furnace, someone to get in his way. For a brief moment, he considered ignoring the message and continuing on his way. However, that would prove seemingly pointless in Rika's mind; judging by what the figure had telepathically said, they would likely pursue Rika should he choose to ignore them. Why did everybody follow him, anyway? That seemed to happen fairly often to the Kokiri.

. . . Well, regardless, it was not like he was making progress, anyway. Perhaps they knew of the place he was looking for, too- yes, that would be useful. Justifying the decision in his mind, Rika came to a stop and stared at the figures as they slowly came closer and closer. He would not go to meet them, but would wait for them here. Even if they were some sort of sand demon or mirage- which he still might prefer, potentially-, at least it might give him something more interesting to do than crawl around a desert.

Rika would have preferred a sand witch. He had waited here for a notable amount of time- though it allowed him a chance to rest and recover from the weather-, but his 'reward' was not at all what he wanted. ". . . No worries, I will never call her that." Rika spoke incredulously, his mind grasping and struggling for words. There was so much to address, where would he start? He mostly wanted to just walk away, but he knew that was impossible now. Regret started to fill the Kokiri's mind, but it was too late for him now. "This is Wollo." He began, drawing his attention down to the Octorok, who's large, glimmering eyes stared back at Tessa with feelings of friendship. "I am Rika."

He paused for a moment, thinking over what they had said. Buried temple? It was possible it was the same one he was also looking for. Perhaps this wasn't all bad, since they appeared to know where they were going- to some extent, anyway-, and even if it was the wrong temple, it was still something of potential value. "Is that so? I also happen to be searching for a buried temple- it is said to be an ancient shrine created by the Gerudo, its purpose to give worship to the sand goddess they revered. Are they one in the same?" Rika questioned, eyeing the two.

They both appeared to be Hylian girls, though they seemed radically different from one another, quite an odd pairing; one was forward, eager, and downright annoying, while the other appeared stoic and ready to collapse from the heat- or perhaps from her companion. Either way, Rika could relate to her current situation, as he was feeling the same as her in regards to the heat.

"Uh. Okay." Rika somewhat blankly responded, his attention quite obviously and unapologetically dropping away from Tessa about halfway through her spiel. He would have really, really preferred a sand witch. If he was fortunate enough, it could still turn out to be one, too. It did seem as though they knew where they were going, and their destinations even seemed to match, so it was his best bet to suffer through it. With a light sigh, Rika shrugged his shoulders and nodded in reply. ". . . Well, the sooner we can exit this blistering heat, the better." They did know where they were going, right?

It seemed as if they had made new friends. One of them sure seemed to talk a lot, but that was okay with Wollo- that meant she was a very friendly friend. The other was more withdrawn and said stuff in a complicated way Wollo had a harder time understanding, like Rika, so perhaps she was super strong as well. Yeah, she must be! Wollo sure was happy to meet such a strong friend, with her and Rika, Wollo wouldn't be eaten today! . . . Hopefully. What if he were to get split up with only him and the talky girl, then they would surely be doomed. Wollo would just have to make sure that didn't happen, then he and his friends would all be fine.

. . .
. . .

They had been walking for some time, though for exactly how long Rika had honestly lost track; he had put forth most of his effort to drowning out the insufferable noise coming out of the girl's mouth. For the most part, he had been successful; while he made responses here and there, he paid little attention to the actual content of what she was saying. He was actually starting to adjust to it quite nicely, compared to when they had first met, though he wasn't sure if he could deal with this for an extended period of time. The two girls, they seemed close- was the other one, Abigail, always subject to this? In comparison to Tessa, she seemed far more tolerable- certainly the brains of this duo. She was more reserved and spoke with a sense of intellectualism Rika could not help but respect. She was not annoying him, too, so that was a plus. He was typically accompanied by ignoramuses, so having a fellow intellectual along was somewhat refreshing.

Remnants of what appeared to be their destination rest ahead. Tips of crumbling, dilapidated pillars wrapped around and decorated a lone, dome-like structure which rest mostly covered in sand, the majority of the structure slumbering underneath the desert floor. A small, dark opening was visible amid the sand whirring around the winds, signaling an entryway for the four. This must be our destination, Rika pondered, glancing over to the two who knew where they were going to confirm his thoughts. Their reactions seemed to prove this to him.

. . . It seemed like a clear opening to him. Why exactly did anyone have trouble entering? It wasn't even that large of a building. Perhaps it led further underground, and the pathway to further down was what was sealed away. Well, there was no way to know until he investigated it for himself. Taking a few steps forward, the Kokiri went to peer into the dark opening.

". . . Unfortunately, I believe it to be the same for me." Rika replied, a hint of disappointment resting on his tongue. The ruins he was searching for were explicitly sealed shut, barring adventurers any entry. Unless someone had discovered and opened them since the last time one of the bar's explorers had visited the ruins, they were clearly not the correct ones. "Ruins are ruins, though. There's bound to be something in its depths." He shrugged, dipping his head in to peer at the insides. ". . . Plus, truth be told, I agree, this heat is vile. Anything to cover ourselves from this despicable heat is a positive to me." He complained, though his attention toward the heat was immediately drawn away once he caught a glimpse of what was inside. Rather, he didn't, because there was no source of light aside from the little that peered into the opening; he could not even spot Tessa amid the darkness.

With a snap of his fingers, a flame sparked into existence, swirling into a small, hovering wisp of an orb gently next to his head and illuminating the immediate vicinity. Immediately, there seemed to be nothing; grains of sand decorated the floor, likely from the opening they were coming from, and a staircase ahead descended deeper into the ground. Perhaps they really were entering from the rooftop, then?

Stepping into the room and making his way out of the sand and heat, Rika began to remove the clothing wrapped around Wollo. Then, a clear, shimmering orb of water formed in Rika's hand. Puncturing the top with his thumb, clean liquid drizzled down into the Kokiri's mouth. "Uhh. . . " Wollo mumbled to the Kokiri, to garner his attention. "Oh, yeah, you would like some too, wouldn't you Wollo?" Rika drained the rest of the clear, glass-like orb into Wollo's snout.

It was possible the hyperactive girl had ran completely ahead by now, but Rika was honestly unconcerned with her; he felt like she would have done that regardless of his speed, and furthermore her partner seemed relatively dismissive of her reckless activities. Rika was busy recovering from this exhaustive heat he had the utter displeasure of encountering on such a regular basis, he would make his way down the steps in due time.

Hearing Tessa call out her discovery, Rika brought himself to his feet. That girl was bound to trigger some sort of trap at this rate, trapping the trio that remained at the top of the pillar and halting their continuation. Admittedly, he would have liked to rest a moment longer, but it was 'good enough', he supposed. At least they weren't outside anymore. "Let's go, Wollo." Rika called out to the Octorok, drawing his scythe as he did. This place was more than just an ancient shrine- it was a reprieve from the harsh climates the desert brought. It was more than likely that other creatures would have made this their home, at least temporarily, and it is entirely possible they would not be pleased by the site of visitors- particularly Hylians. With his scythe somewhat lazily by his side, Rika began his descent down the long stairwell.

...

It was flooded with sand. A massive, imposing statue depicting a female warrior rest towards the back. Though flooded with enough sand to consume any pews that may have been, the statue seemed mostly unfettered, only adding to its apparent size. Glancing behind himself at the doorway he had entered from, Rika could only conclude they were likely entering from some upper level, the base floor and its doors having been utterly consumed by the sand. It was likely that they were standing on what was once a balcony protruding from the wall, though it was difficult to tell as sand had made ground where open air would have been.

It seemed Tessa had kept busy in their time apart. Stepping forward onto the sand, Rika began to approach the statue, careful to avoid the swirling pitfalls that dotted the rather large room. The woman wore a regal headpiece, which wrapped around her and draped down over her shoulders like snakes. Though it didn't seem to be the shrine he was looking for, it was highly likely this was the sand goddess that had been mentioned. Yet, something felt strange, being this close to it. It was like he felt a gentle breeze against his face. Was there a draft?

--

Wollo did not really like stairs or sand. It was hard for him to walk down stairs without rolling, and he always sunk in the sand. Plus, there were usually giant crab monsters in the sand trying to eat him, from his experiences. It would be awful if that happened again, but Wollo knew that it would. He had already accepted this reality. Resigned to his fate, all he could do was wait for the lobster beast to do as it wished to Wollo.

...

Where was Rika going? Into the sand? That was it! If Rika was going into the sand, Wollo was safe- no lobster beast would be a match for him. Having convinced himself of his safety, Wollo was finally at ease. Rika was investigating some sort of statue, though. What was that? It was some scary looking lady. Wollo wondered if she would have been his friend. She was awfully scary looking, but she must have been nice. That's right, she definitely would be Wollo's friend! They were in the desert, so it wasn't like they ate seafood normally anyway. Wollo was emboldened by his newfound bond with this statue lady.

Rika rolled his eyes at Tessa. This girl had no appreciation for the complex history and architecture this place held, that much was certain. He was hoping she would not be as much of an airhead as he initially presumed, but that was a fact that had cemented itself in his mind. His mind lingered back to the statue for a moment- it was likely there was some sort of hidden passageway sealed behind it, but the statue was far too large for Rika to do anything about it. Destroying the statue would prove arduous and time consuming- and who would destroy such a great piece of history, anyway,- and moving it with their own strength was certainly out of the question. He would have to move on from it for now, while keeping a mental note of its existence.

"I suppose we shall." Rika glanced at the swirling sand. "Follow me Wollo, make sure to use the same hole." He told the Octorok while the duo of girls were making their way down, before briskly following behind.

...

Dusting off his hat and shoulders, Rika was already sick of the sand. If only there was some easy way to deal with it. As he considered that, a thought popped in his mind; a tool he had in his adventurer's pouch toolbox that often slipped his mind due to its infrequent usefulness, but now was the perfect time. Yet, he would find little actual use for it in the midst of any sort of combat- his fighting style and weapon of choice left it difficult to wield another object in his hand, and he would find it uncomfortable to try to hold it.

He glanced over at his allies. Tessa would never have this. She would probably just end up losing it.

That left Abigail. She seemed to be less of the combative type, compared to her overly eager companion, and her weapon of choice seemed to be a staff, so she was likely a mage of some kind. She was also a fellow intellectual, it appeared, someone Rika could trust would find real use out of the Sand Wand, something he couldn't say for Tessa. Her using it would likely be better than him keeping it in his bag.

With that settled, Rika called out to her. "Ah, Abigail," he dug into his Adventurer's Pouch as he spoke, "I have something that may assist you in here." Pulling out the Sand Wand, he presented it to the girl for a moment, as if judging her reaction to see if she was familiar with the device. When it seemed as though she was, that pleased Rika- it showed, again, her knowledge, and he didn't have to bother with an explanation. "It will be difficult for me to use in here, but you are free to employ it if you wish." He offered to the girl, extending the small, ornate stick to her.

Whether she took it or not, Rika continued on. Moving to the closest door, Rika slid it open- to some minor difficulty, as the door was old and creaked horribly due to the sand. Stealth would not be their ally in this domain, Rika noted.

A few small bouts of swirling sand decorated the small room's floor. Though they seemed far weaker than the powerful pull they had seen before, there was little safe space to stand in the room. Stepping into the room, Rika was immediately met by a rippling sand monster leaping out of the whirpool, attempting to grab the Kokiri and drag him back. Leaping to the side and switching on his Hover Boots, Rika glided to the side, over the sand pit and away from the Geldman. Sliding across the air and over one of the sand pits, Rika had another problem to deal with now. The Geldman, having missed its surprise assault, dissolved into the sand below and awaited another strike.

--

Wollo got sand on his moustache. He hated when that happened, it was so uncomfortable. There was always sand on his moustache in the desert. The pit was a little scary to Wollo- it was basically eating him, after all-, but if all of his brave friends were doing it, Wollo knew it must have been safe.

"Hmm. I doubt it." Rika pondered for a moment. "They're not very intelligent." Would they even wear clothes? COULD they even wear clothes? Was the speedo even an article of clothing? It seemed to blend perfectly into the sand. These were the kind of questions Rika thought about. Regardless, it was unlikely he would find his- Hey, he was in the middle of thinking!

A bulky clump of sand- it could be called a hand, depending on one's perspective- shot out from below the Kokiri and latched onto his leg. Glancing down, he could see the head of a Geldman peering at him from beyond its outstretched paw, with what he assumed was supposed to be a mischievous, deadly look painted across its face, but it came off as more cartoony and goofy than anything else. With a quick tug, he found himself being pulled into the sandy pit next to him. With a quick swipe of his scythe, the hand was severed from his body and the Geldman's, causing it to once again vanish in the sand, though unfortunately the now detached hand gripped onto his leg. That was probably the least of his concerns, as how his ankles were submerged in the sand. Now his boots were going to be full of sand, this was awful.

--

Could they be friends? Wollo could only hope. It seemed like Rika had already started attacking them though- usually things didn't want to become their friends once that happened. Wollo didn't wear clothes, though. If he wore more clothes, would he find more friends? Wollo deliberated on this as intently as he could.

Rika stabbed at the disembodied hand latched onto his leg in an attempt to break it up.

"Admittedly, you are correct; obtaining a proper specimen is remarkably difficult, and I have yet to read of an experiment involving them."

The disarmed Geldman sprung up beside Rika, and attempted to punch him with its lone, remaining arm. Rika's arm matched it, and it appeared to be like some dramatic action scene as the fists closed in on one another until the inevitable collision- however, that collision never came. Instead, a burst of Wind exploded from Rika's fist, tearing the Geldman's fist and arm apart entirely. Completely dis-armed(hehe), it dove into the sand once again.

"Yet," he continued, "appearances seem to suggest a lack of sapience. All encounters I know of with Geldman, both personally and from other's accounts, show them to be aggressively violent, and for seemingly little reason except, perhaps, for territorial reasons. From my observation, they seem to do little more than this, as well. I have never even heard a case of them consuming their prey, either, so I question if they even hunger at all." Rika proposed his thoughts to Abigail while he finished detaching the clenched hand and pulling his feet out of the sand. Regardless of any hypothesis they might have, actual research would likely prove too difficult to engage in, at least at the moment; the capture of one aside, they did not seem capable of communication, and even if they were, they were most likely not privy to it. Perhaps it would be an interesting experiment in the future, though.

This time, Tessa took the lead into the next room. It was reminiscent of the previous room; the sand floor seamlessly transitioned through the doorway into the area beyond, though unlike with the Geldman's habitat there were no uncomfortable, swirling death pits. Instead, spread across the room were a handful of beige, rough, sandy looking Dodongo. They seemed to be minding their own business, though their attention cautiously drew to Tessa as she entered the room. Rika followed close behind, with Abigail last.

As far as he was aware, Sand Dodongo were biologically similar to normal Dodongo; they were still incredibly resistant to high temperatures, and still had a habit of exploding if treated improperly. The major difference was simply their locale; rather than swimming in bubbling volcanoes and pits of lava, they found their home diving under shifting sands and the blazing sun. He somewhat envied them, to be honest; what he would give to not have to suffer under the heat. Not that he would ever tell anyone he actually envied a Dodongo.

Suddenly, the ground ruptured in front of the group, a disembodied hand lurching out. At first glance, one might assume them to be akin to Geldman, as it was a humanoid limb made of sand, but further examination would tell any seasoned adventurer that though its shape differed, it was a Wallmaster. It lurched onto Tessa before she could react, pulling her into the sand- and presumably sending her out of the dungeon into the desert. At the same time, flanking the group from behind, a hand shot out at Abigail, grasping her by the ankle and pulling her into the magical, seemingly portal-like ground at her feet. Gone before he could even react, Rika was left alone- well, except for Wollo, who had cautiously stayed behind the previous room. It was unlikely the duo would return, as they were likely thrown out of the shrine and into the desert seas. Dangerous for them, perhaps, but there was nothing Rika could no longer do- he could not even escape, at the moment. The Wallmasters had left with the duo, so presumably they were gone, but he would have to show caution for them. Admittedly, the Kokiri was more or less un-phased by their disappearance. He knew they weren't dead, and that's all that matters.