In the land of the Ice and Snow [Snowhead Temple][Eev & CJ]

"Yeah." Rika bemusedly called out, a complete lack of joy or interest in his voice. He hated the snow. This was all suffering they had to do for the 'greater good', as Nicholas would say, but it still didn't make the experience any less pleasant. Why couldn't he have picked a more tree-filled environment to hide his secret base in, anyway? They were only doing this because of all the trouble that man had to cause, so the least he could do is make their travels towards him more convenient. Rika supposed they couldn't leave someone like him unchecked, though; someone who created abominations using a combination of forbidden magic and technology then used them to threaten and pilfer goods, rupees, and even the lives of the locals who lived nearby had to be stopped. Of course, they knew absolutely nothing about this man or his creations other than the general location of his supposedly imposing lair; the villagers had never met the man himself, and after one excursion led to several deaths, chose not to enter his deadly base of operations. Rika had pointed this out, but Nicholas was not one to wait for information, instead trying to charge in recklessly. Rika couldn't leave the Hylian alone, lest he get lost in yet another blizzard.

Pulling his thick red scarf up and holding the flickering purple ball of wisps that acted as a portable campfire close, Rika responded, "We don't have to worry about getting lost with me. I agree though, I just want to get in his lair already." Rika said, though as he finished, they came upon their destination; a small ways in the distance, up on top of a small peak, was a veritable castle; a large, imposing fortress that artificially increased the side of the small mountain pillar it rest on. Even from a far away distance, it was quite formidable looking, especially with the harsh winter conditions surrounding it. If one were to assault it and fail, escape would be slim. "Well, at least there's no snow inside. . .probably." Rika added, somewhat impressed by the fortress. Though he was here to help the local peoples, this was as much that for Rika as it was a job of discovery; just what sort of abominations had he created, and how? Hopefully it wouldn't turn out to be something dull.

As they slid across the slippery ice bridge and winded up towards the entrance of the imposing lair, Rika found something rather peculiar; the outside was basically completely unfortified, aside from the severe temperatures surrounding it. Was this man simply arrogant in the status his lair had achieved with the locals, or was he confident that the temperature would be enough to dissuade any would-be explorers or otherwise those looking to stop him? The thought hung at Rika's mind as they reached the entrance, a wide, open doorway beckoning those who find it to enter and find escape from the cold. That settled it; this guy was just arrogant.

"Yeah, finally." Rika replied, his voice full of relief. Most people would not want to be in a villainous lair such as this, but to Rika it was much, much preferred to the temperatures outside. "Yeah, I'm kind of offended, actually." He commented, stepping forward to investigate the room as he drew his scythe in preparation. Bending down to examine the strange markings, Rika brushed his hand against them. He could recognize them, to a certain degree; they appeared to be scientific scribbles and formulas, recipes for mad alchemic creations the monster they were hunting likely created. However, though he could recognize what they were in general, the markings were crazed and incoherent, with no logical connection. It was true that recipes and formulas were often encoded by their creators to keep their inventions a secret, but this didn't appear to be something of that nature; they appeared so disoriented, though, the original creator, if he even could, was certainly the only one able to decipher their meaning.

As he thought about what they might mean, the sound of shifting earth echoed through the room. Glancing around, the doors at each side of Rika began so slowly shift open, though the door directly across from Rika remained shut. As they opened, an all too familiar howl pierced the air, as two White Wolfos darted out of each doorway. Bringing himself to his feet, it seemed as though their first challenge was at hand. Meanwhile, fluttering up above in the corners of the ceiling were a small handful of Ice Keese.

"If you say so." Rika smirked as Nicholas finished explaining. Rika's feet began to let off a wispy, transparent magical aura, waiting and anticipating for one of then to lunge at the duo. Really, he'd rather be the one on the offensive, but being surrounded and swarmed wasn't exactly a good scenario to be aggressive in. As the Wolfos thrust its body forward and Nicholas boomed, the Kokiri pushed off the ground, leaping forward and high into the air. Nicholas's spin twisted underneath Rika's feet, battering the Wolfos that had attempted to maul the Kokiri. However, Rika hadn't just jumped, but he jumped forward. As the Wolfos was pushed back, Rika followed after it, descending as he did. Closing in on the Wolfos, it attempted to scramble to its feet and swipe in front of it at the falling Kokiri, but it was to no avail, as Rika wasn't there.

Pressing off with his foot once more, Rika jumped mid-air, his body twisting and turning forward as if he were rolling mid-air. As he did so, his scythe followed, slicing downward in a crescent threatening to viciously tear out the nape of the Wolfos. And so it did, as the scythe blade slashed against the back of the Wolfos's skull, spilling blood as it let out a howl of pain. Rika finished his spin and landed behind the Wolfos, but he was only met with disappointment by his attack; though it was certainly effective, he hadn't cut deep enough to cleanly execute the creature, so his attack instead simply inflicted a great wound on it. He had been practicing his Helm Splitter technique for a short time now, but it seemed as though it still required a little work before he could cleanly execute it and, well, his foes.

The Wolfos, though still alive, couldn't help but whine and whimper in pain as it put a small bit of distance between itself and Rika. The other Wolfos, seeing the threat that the Kokiri had posed against one of the other Wolfos, cautiously stared at Rika, waiting for any sort of opportunity to strike. Above, the Ice Keese began to flutter closer downward, the sounds of battle waking them as their light screeches echoed through the room.

Rika eyed the two Wolfos cautiously staring him down; should he go after and finish off the one that he had injured, or execute the one at full strength as the other one was somewhat indisposed? Decisions, decisions. His ears caught wind of the cries of Keese, but he was not especially concerned with a small handful of bats that would serve to do nothing more than annoy him should he give them attention. The Wolfos didn't seem like they were gonna move unless Rika did, though, so he would have to change that. Forming a small, round ball of water in his palm, which would probably freeze after a short time if he didn't act with it, he chucked it forward in the direction of the Wolfos. Its objective wasn't to defeat the Wolfos, however- though if it did, it would not be a bad thing.

As the orb sailed towards the two wolves, they darted away from each other and towards Rika, attempting to attack him while his guard was down from throwing. The Aqua Grenade exploded harmlessly, though the splash of water was likely not particularly pleasant to feel. With his plan of getting the Wolfos to move- and separate- in motion, Rika pushed forward, spinning towards one of the lone Wolfos- the injured Wolfos, though that was more a matter of coincidence- with a Deku Pirouette, his scythe spinning in a wide arc. As he did so, a chilling blue aura enveloped his scythe, unleashing a wave of magical, cold energy around Rika alongside the slicing spin of his blade. As he spun past the Wolfos, its body slumped before collapsing, its head rolling off, the spinning strike decapitating it, its blood frozen shut from running by the magical freezing potential of the Ice Enchantment.

As he stopped his spin and faced where he had come from, he found the other Wolfos lunging at his back. With a surprised, slightly clumsy leap backwards, Rika narrowly avoided being minced apart, his dodge capable only due to the enhanced distance granted by his Bunny Hood and Jump spell. Its chance to strike forfeit, the Wolfos returned to its cautious demeanor. As Rika looked at it, he saw Nicholas being mauled by one of the Wolfos. He was probably fine. Still though, if Rika helped him, he could hold this over Nicholas later. With a quick, gentle wave of his hand, a vibrating ball of Wind flew out from Rika's fingertips and readied itself to collide with the wolf. It likely wouldn't kill the Wolfos- though it may cause a broken rib or two-, but it was more than enough to give Nicholas the opening he'd need.

As Rika did that, he turned to finish his own Wolfos off. At least, he would, until Rika felt an unbearably chilling cold trace his fingertips and down his bone; they felt numb to the touch, and it felt strangely difficult to keep a grip on his weapon. Reflexively, Rika released his scythe, the polearm clanking against the cold ground at Rika's feet as it was enveloped in a frozen block of ice. Fluttering above him was an Ice Keese, which had made contact with his weapon and enveloped it in its icy aura, disarming him and leaving him without a defense against the Wolfos. The Wolfos would certainly strike now, at least.

As Rika readied himself for the Wolfos's lunge, his eyes caught wind of a small packet sliding across the ice at his feet, one quite recognizable to him. "Oh damn it-" The Kokiri muttered as the packet exploded, sending a violent burst of force erupting outward. The lunging Wolfos was luckily thrust back, but Rika's scythe was flung into the air, the Kokiri twisting back in midair to avoid being slammed in the head by the now frozen ice hunk he used as a weapon. Pushing off the air with a second jump, Rika spun backwards in midair, recovering himself from an uneven fall as he landed on his feet. His scythe crashed a short distance away, making it even less likely to use. That was what Rika got for helping Nicholas?! That was his reply?! He should've hit Nicholas with Wind instead.

The Wolfos quickly recovered from its stagger and returned to lunging at the unarmed Kokiri, who swiftly avoided its menacing claws with his vastly enhanced agility. It was unfortunate he was disarmed, as this Wolfos was giving him plenty of openings to strike. He would have to use a spell to dispose of it, it seemed. However, just as he was about to, Nicholas acted. The Hylian barreled into the Wolfos, tackling it while it was focused on the Kokiri boy and sending it flying to the ground. "Nicholas! Damn it, that was my Wolfos!" Rika shouted angrily, snapping and sending a ball of Fire exploding into an Ice Keese fluttering closely above his head and demolishing it. "I should've let that Wolfos kill you. . ." Rika pouted, as he brushed his Will-o-Wisp over his scythe in an attempt to dissolve the ice coating it had received. He didn't even care if the Wolfos was dead from that tackle or not; Nicholas interrupted his fight, so he could deal with it. All that was left were a couple pesky flying rats, which were not something he was particularly concerned over.

"Uh. . . Pick targets. . ?" Rika responded, surprised at Nicholas's response. Though there was a hint of truth in feeling in the Kokiri's words, he was not being entirely serious; though he may have been more upset if it was some random stranger or someone he disliked, Nicholas wasn't trying to intentionally stop him from fighting or anything like that. He was really caught off guard by how seriously Nicholas reacted, and even that he apologized; most people either didn't take him seriously or ignored him, this was a new reaction. As Rika stammered for a reaction, the remaining shut door on the base level began to grind open once the life faded from the Wolfos.

"Uh. . . Y-Y'know, nevermind, forget it." The Kokiri grumbled, embarrassed, his skin changing to match his clothing as he turned to the door. "We're being invited further in." Rika quickly stumbled out before walking over to the open doorway. As he stepped by its entrance, a row of blue torches came to life on each side of the hallway in front of the Kokiri, zooming further down the hallway and illuminating what was dark. It seemed like a pretty obvious trap. Stepping away from the door, Rika jumped up to a hanging platform dangling just above his head. Looking over the door in the wall, it appeared to be more of a gate than a door, and he could clearly see some sort of lift mechanism behind it. However, it appeared locked, as when the Kokiri shook at the gate to open it, it wouldn't budge. Upon closer examination, this appeared to be the case, as the door was sealed shut with a lock. It didn't look -especially- durable, but they would risk damaging the lift were they to attempt destroying it. . .

Leaping off the platform, Rika glanced down the hallway. "Looks like a key would be useful. If this is the way he wants us to go, perhaps we'll find something down here. . . " The Kokiri thought to himself, as he began making his way down the hallway. . . And continued. . . and continued. . .

And then, Rika saw a key resting on the ground, next to a dead end. "This is too easy, definitely a trap." Rika declared, as he approached the key to pick it up. Nothing happened. "I guess maybe he's just dumb?" Rika questioned, shrugging, as he began to make his way back. Then the Kokiri stopped, pushed himself back, and stumbled to the ground, narrowly avoiding the bolt of electricity that shot out of the wall. "Okay, maybe not that dumb. . . " He grumbled, bringing himself to his feet. "Keep an eye out, it looks like this place is trapped."

Rika scowled at Nicholas's display. If he wasn't triggering any traps, that could possibly mean there weren't any more- Rika instantly discarded that thought as worthless, there was no way that was the only trap here. Such a mad scientist who openly welcomed the two into his home and so clearly presented the key they needed would not make it so simple as to only have one trap. No, it was more likely the key was somehow related to the activation of the traps. With that in mind, Rika could simply toss the key across. Well, without knowing what kind of traps lay hidden, that would be far too risky, as they could risk losing the key or becoming trapped in this tunnel- it could even cave in!

He didn't have time to think about it any longer. Tensing his muscles, the Kokiri slowly moved forward, his body hesitant and ready to lunge back at any sign of a shock. Yet, when he passed over where the electricity had jolted from the wall, it was calm. Perhaps the trap did only activate once. With that in mind, he cautiously continued making his way forward, the key gripped firmly in his palm. The Hylian had gained a short distance on the Kokiri, but that was for the best. If the traps could really only be triggered by the key, it was likely best they keep a short gap between each other.

After another short distance of traveling, Rika was starting to wonder if there were any traps left after all. Just as he did, it was met with one. The floor underneath Rika's feet violently ripped itself open, threatening to toss Rika off his feet. He was met with a swirl of darkness below him, likely a bottomless pit. Immediately, the Kokiri attempted to recover himself, pushing his feet off of midair and lunging forward- the ledge was about six or seven feet forward, and even with his gliding, he wouldn't be able to grab. Thinking quickly, he shoved his hand into the pouch at his side and ripped out a few of the small packets. Thrusting them at his feet, against the wall he was now hovering against, the Ignition Powder exploded, sending a vicious burst of energy launching upwards and sending the Kokiri somewhat painfully catapulting into the air. Just as he passed the ground level he had fallen from, the open pit slammed shut. Collapsing to the ground, the Kokiri was certainly worse for wear with that blow- it was a hasty improvisation, so the actual execution was less than perfect. He was alive, and not falling, at least.

. . . Then Rika noticed the key was missing from his hand. Did he drop it in the pit? Unbeknownst to him, when he launched himself upwards with the Ignition Powder, the key was forcefully blown away from him and was now flying directly towards Nicholas.

The key went vaulting forward ahead of Nicholas as the arc of lightning zapped it, placing itself spinning in the air between himself and the way out. Just as it passed the ex-soldier, a wide pit opened up below the key, threatening to consume it. There was no way either of them could reach it in time. They couldn't let the key drop, though. There was one thing Rika could do.

Still prone on the ground, Rika hastily waved his hand forward. Instantly, a ferocious swirl of Wind bolted out of his hand and zoomed across the prone Nicholas, slamming into the key and sending it catapulting forward through the doorway and into the room they had come from. For a mere moment, Rika felt some sense of relief and comfort that they had rescued the key, but that quickly faded by the sounds that caught his ears.

The strong buzzing of electricity hummed against his ears, as he saw the electrical arcs ahead of him twisting from wall to wall. That wasn't the most disconcerting thing he was hearing, however; what was worse was the speedy crushing noise he was hearing behind him. Glancing behind him, the walls were swiftly collapsing on themselves, block after block and closing in quickly on the duo. "Run!" Rika cried out to Nicholas as he pushed himself to his feet to escape what would be certain doom if he were caught in such a trap.

"Get moving, idiot!" Was all Nicholas heard from the Kokiri as he turned to reach out to Rika. A moment after, like a red blur, he saw the crimson-garbed boy bolt past him towards the pit, paying no heed to his extended palm. What was that idiot thinking, stopping like that? They barely had any time before they became flattened like moles to a hammer, there was no time for him to be doing anything like that.

Reaching the edge of the pit, Rika pushed forward with a wide leap, simultaneously activating his Hover Boots. With his increased velocity, Rika slid across the air, flying over the pit and out of the hallway. His rushed, haphazard exit sent him tumbling to the ground once he was outside, rolling to the ground and across the slick ice. Deactivating his Hover Boots, Rika heard the final rumbling crash of the walls colliding with one another, signaling an end to the madman's trap. Nicholas had likely escaped, though it would have been unfortunate if he was mushed into some sort of fine, Goron Iron-held paste. Knowing him, though, he would have just punched the wall out of the way were he smashed by it, so either way he was fine.

Bringing himself to his feet, Rika turned to examine whether Nicholas was still alive- and where the key had flown to.

It was just as he had expected. Having confirmed Nicholas's survival with his own eyes, Rika went to retrieving the key. It had slid a fair few feet across the room, but the sparkling metal was clear among the ice. Retrieving it, Rika scanned the room one final time. The locked lift was surely their best bet for progressing through this veritable ice fortress. After a moment's rest, the sealing chains found themselves in a pile at the two heroes' feet. Riding the elevator, they were met with the cold and the haunting light of Rika's Will-o-Wisp to illuminate their way.

Their stop, however, was quite peculiar. Piping was clearly visible through the semi-transparent ice-like floor and walls, with numerous switches spread across the walls connecting to this complex network of pipes. Furthermore, three massive, armored statues seemed to rest in a triangular position in the room. Rika eyed them suspiciously- as of yet, they seemed to be mere statues, but it was unlikely things were that simple. "I'm unsure," Rika commented, approaching another of the statues. "It's likely we're meant to press a switch." There didn't seem to be anything of particular note on the statue. Glancing inside of the armor proved it to be a statue of clay, though it was difficult to tell of what it was representing. Chilled, thick metal armor coated its exterior, a thick sheet of frost layering its body beyond that. At a glance, the other suits seemed similar.

"Well, nothing to do except try." Rika shrugged, making up his mind, as he stepped close to a wall and pressed a switch semi-randomly. For a brief second, he saw an electrical jolt shoot out of the switch and through the piping, but it was brief. As he did, a small section of the floor began to crack open, and hot steam began pouring out, its loud whistle filling the otherwise silent and dreary room. It didn't stop.

"I suppose that was not right." Rika groaned- were they going to deal with this the entire time?