Previously, on “The Legend of Zelda: The Sacred Gems”…

“So this is the lair of the great Aquamentus…” Link started as he crept across the rock. He was about to say more when he heard a rumble from the ring of lava. “I don’t like the sound of this…”

“Be careful!” Thani called as a large green dragon-horse with a long horn on its head surfaced from the lava, circled around the cavern, and landed before Link with a mighty roar. Link just calmly drew his sword for battle…

Episode 10: The First Gem Claimed

Link lunged to stab at his opponent, but his blade met the humid air instead of the Aquamentus that had faced him just seconds before. He scratched his head, confused–did the Aquamentus have teleportation like its smaller brethren and Thani didn’t realize it?

“Look up.” Thani coaxed, pointing up at the room’s craggy ceiling. Link obediently glanced up and grimaced at the sight of the Aquamentus clomping about the rocky ceiling like a spider. His sword wasn’t going to reach the dragon-horse that way, and trying to impale it with something wasn’t likely either.

A sudden whoosh snapped him from his bemused trance–the Aquamentus was flying straight for him, with some smaller Aquamines clinging to its back! He rolled out of the way of the fireball the Aquamentus fired at him, then grabbed his boomerang to take out the four Aquamines that were now on the large rocky platform and crawling towards him. Once all four were stunned, he deftly jumped away from another fireball before finishing off the Aquamentus’ cargo.

“Watch out for fireballs!” Thani cautioned as the Aquamentus dove down to try and skewer Link with its sharp teeth. Link nodded and jumped to meet his foe, but once again sliced through air.

Link gasped as more Aquamines flew to attack him, distracting him from the task of bringing down the huge Aquamentus that circled around the room, as if waiting for a chance to attack. He hurled his boomerang at the smaller Aquamines, knocking them out of the air before they could cling to him and make his battle even harder.

An idea came to him–what if he did the same thing to the larger Aquamine?

He quickly dispatched the four Aquamines he had stunned before heaving his boomerang at the larger dragon circling above him and Thani. Just as the Aquamentus dove down to attack, Link heaved his boomerang at it. The Aquamentus shrieked in surprise as it fell to the ground with a thud, dazed from the throbbing pain in its head. After intercepting his boomerang, Link retrieved his sword and began to slash at the Aquamentus, making it scream even more with each blow. After he had administered a few hits to the dragon horse, it recovered from its daze and flew skyward again.

“I’ll follow it so you’ll have some means of a target!” Thani offered as she zipped away after the Aquamentus.

Link nodded and readied his boomerang again, making sure to keep an eye on Thani as she tracked the Aquamentus. The best time to strike, it seemed, was just before it flew to the ground with Aquamines on its back.

Just then, he heard a whoosh behind him–the Aquamentus was flying to the ground, so he hurled his boomerang skyward. It struck his opponent square in the head and sent what Aquamines it was carrying flying into the lava.

Thani rejoined Link a few seconds later. “It’s weakened, so hurry and finish it off!”

“Right!” Link replied. He ran and jumped at the dazed Aquamentus, delivering the fatal blow to its back. As he watched the defeated Aquamentus dissolve into ether, he noticed a glowing heart forming from the blue flames that made the lava in the room harden and cool. He knew these treasures well: Heart Containers.

Thani smiled. “Well done, Link…I would have expected nothing less from the hero that traveled through time.” she smiled as the two of them passed through the next door into a room similar to where they had entered from. The only item present in the room was a large ivory altar, where a dull red stone that resembled a clock face hovered, as if beckoning for someone to take it.

Link, meanwhile, was a bit hesitant–was that really the Garnet? Or was it another stone that only looked like it that had been planted there as a trap? He assured himself that Thani didn’t look like one to betray him as he nervously walked to the altar and gently picked up the garnet.

A gentle female voice echoed through the room. Thank you, young one, for rescuing me…I am the Garnet of Hours.

“Who are you?” Link gasped in surprise–he hadn’t counted on the Gems of Power being able to speak.

I am the Spirit of Time that lives in the Garnet. the voice replied. If you bring me to where the Jeweled Blade lies and set me within–I will repay you handsomely. With that, Link felt a soothing blue glow around him as the power of the Garnet warped him and Thani outside….

To Be Continued…

o^-^o: So what lies ahead on Link’s journey? Don’t miss Episode 11 on this Web site next week!

o^-^o: Don’t close that browser! Here’s what’s coming up this week on “The Legend of Zelda: The Sacred Gems”…

BEGIN PREVIEW

Link gasped as more Aquamines flew to attack him, distracting him from the task of bringing down the huge Aquamentus that circled around the room, as if waiting for a chance to attack. He hurled his boomerang at the smaller Aquamines, knocking them out of the air before they could cling to him and make his battle even harder.

An idea came to him–what if he did the same thing to the larger Aquamine?

He quickly dispatched the four Aquamines he had stunned before heaving his boomerang at the larger dragon circling above him and Thani….

END PREVIEW

o^-^o: Curious to see what happens? Stop by Sunday and see!

Previously, on “The Legend of Zelda: The Sacred Gems”…

“Furthermore, there are rumors of a giant Aquamine that is said to guard the Garnet of Hours.” Thani continued. “He has been named ‘Aquamentus’–meaning ‘the great Aquamine’–by the scholars that have analyzed accounts of those that saw him.”

“We came in from a cave, and Aquamentus’ lair is said to be underground.” Thani explained, gesturing to the expanse of lava stretching out before them. There were a few large rocks scattered throughout the magma, but a chest decorated in an ornate blue and yellow stood by a doorway on another cliff. Link swallowed hard as he fanned the sweat forming on his face–there was no way he could cross that large of a lava pool by jumping!

Episode 9: The Great Aquamine

“Oh my…” Thani gasped when she saw the huge expanse of lava stretching out before them. “I’ve never seen a lava pit this large before…”

“It’s even bigger than the ones inside Death Mountain…” Link agreed as he dug the Ocarina of Time from his pack and performed the Song of Time again. But no silver blocks emerged from the magma.

An odd symbol by his foot got his attention–what was this odd flower set in fairy wings doing etched in the rock? Then it clicked–what if he were to try Leide’s Rondo here?

He carefully stepped onto the flower-like symbol and began the rollicking melody of the rondo. When the last note died, a few platforms emerged from the lava. Vines dropped down from the craggy ceiling seconds later, making the crossing appear a little easier.

“Leide heard your song and granted you a little help.” Thani explained.

But why couldn’t she have just given me a straight path to the other side? Link thought as he pocketed the Ocarina and carefully stepped onto the first platform. After sizing up the vine’s strength, he jumped and grabbed on, narrowly missing a grip and falling into the lava. After climbing to a point midway up the vine, he heaved himself forward, but missed the next platform by inches! He landed not in the lava but on a field of green light, which brought him back to the vine again. “Thanks.” he replied to Thani.

“I couldn’t bear to see you burning to a crisp.” Thani assured Link. “So if you ever miss a mark, I’ll bring you back to the point you started at.” Link nodded, then tried again to make the jump to the next platform. His desperate heave made the vine snap seconds after he jumped off of it, making a chilling hiss echo behind Link as the vine was consumed in flames.

After catching his breath, he ran and leapt onto the next vine. Thani hovered nearby, ready to rescue Link if a jump was missed. Thankfully, the speed from his approach made the vine swing enough to allow Link a safe jump to the third platform. The next jump was a little farther than the last two, so he started his next approach a little quicker, making a jump that almost looked like he was flying onto the vine.

This process of jumping across the vines continued for an hour, untill Link finally arrived on the final platform, exhausted from the combined stress of the heat and the jumping. He trudged over to the large chest, heaved it open, and smiled when he saw what was inside.

“Was the chest’s contents what you hoped?” Thani asked.

“This is it…the key to the lair of Aquamentus! Link trumphantly laughed as he proudly dangled the tiny gold key over his head.

“While I am proud of you for that clever way to cross the lava pit, let me give you a word of caution…” Thani replied as Link eagerly stashed the key away. “Aquamentus will be much harder than the little Aquamines we fought earlier.”

Link swallowed hard as a gutteral roar resonated into the room. He was not looking forward to having to fight more Aquamines, much less a giant one.

“But I will give you one piece of advice, one I”m sure you have heard before.” Thani continued. “What you find in a dungeon will me most helpful against the monster guarding the Gem of Power.” With that, she lead the way down a winding hallway filled with many twists and turns–so many, it felt disorienting to Link as he followed Thani through snaking curves that went left, right, down slopes, plus one sharp enough that it felt like he was going upside down. Once he had regained his footing and wound through the last few curves, he found himself before a large door with a lock shaped like what appeared to be a horned monster’s head.

Another roar echoed through the hall, making the carpeted floor Link was standing on shake for a moment–he knew that this door was the way inside Aquamentus’ lair.

He inserted the key and gave it a hard turn, causing the door to open with a creak, revealing a large exapanse of rock ringed with lava around the edges except for the way Link and Thani had entered from and a second door directly across the way from the entrance.

“So this is the lair of the great Aquamentus…” Link started as he crept across the rock. He was about to say more when he heard a rumble from the ring of lava. “I don’t like the sound of this…”

“Be careful!” Thani called as a large green dragon-horse with a long horn on its head surfaced from the lava, circled around the cavern, and landed before Link with a mighty roar. Link just calmly drew his sword for battle…

To Be Continued…

o^-^o: Will Link defeat Aquamentus? Don’t miss Episode 10 on this Web site next week!

o^-^o: Don’t close that browser! Here’s what’s coming up next week on “The Legend of Zelda: The Sacred Gems”…

BEGIN PREVIEW

“This is it…the key to the lair of Aquamentus!” Link trumphantly laughed as he proudly dangled the tiny gold key over his head.

“While I am proud of you for that cleaver way to cross the lava pit, let me give you a word of caution…” Thani replied as Link eagerly stashed the key away. “Aquamentus will be much harder than the little Aquamines we fought earlier.”

Link swallowed hard as a gutteral roar resonated into the room. He was not looking forward to having to fight more Aquamines, much less a giant one.

“But I will give you one piece of advice, one I”m sure you have heard before.” Thani continued. “What you find in a dungeon will be most helpful against the monster guarding the Gem of Power.”

END PREVIEW

o^-^o: Will Thani’s advice prove true? Find out next Sunday!

Previously, on “The Legend of Zelda: The Sacred Gems…

After surveying the room to make sure there were no other enemies present, Link walked over towards the chest, eased open the lid, and grabbed the contents from within. He smiled and held his treasure high for Thani to see: the Stalfos had been guarding a boomerang!

“I see.” Thani replied as she led the way into the next room, which was literally split in half by a large gap. Three orb shaped switches hovered in the darkness, but what made matters worse was the hissing of roughly twenty snakes crawling to meet them….

Episode 8. The Garnet’s Guardian

Link swallowed hard as he saw the snakes slithering up close to him, their fangs bared in eagerness to savor his flesh. He had fought snakes before, but not this many in one place. How was he going to defeat them all one at a time without being bitten?

He braced himself for the oncoming rash of snakebites, but suddenly felt a soft red aura around him that kept the numerous fangs from striking at him. Each snake would lunge to strike at his exposed legs and arms, only to be rebuffed by the odd red shield; writhing in pain all the while.

Then it hit him as to who had created the shield: Thani! Inspired by this, he whirled around in a circle, his sword slaying the snakes that enclosed him in a writhing circle. With the first wave of snakes gone, he quickly dispatched the others before they had a chance to try and strike. With each snake he slew, he noticed that some would have items on their corpses. Most of what he had slain had left rupees, most likely from other adventurers that had found this place.

He turned to Thani. “How did you create that shield?” he asked as he began looting what snake corpses he could.

“My strength is tied to yours–when you are in danger, I can try to help.” Thani explained. “But if you are wounded in battle, I may not be able to help, so try and be strong.”

Link nodded and reached for his boomerang. After eying the left crystal switch, he heaved it foward. He heard the promising THACK!’s of two switches being struck, but his hopeful smile turned to a grimace of frustration as his weapon sailed past the third switch and returned to him.

Thani studied the arc-like setup of the three crystals. “Maybe if you approached it from the other direction…”

“As in hitting the one on the right first?” Link asked. He aimed his weapon at the right switch and gave it a more powerful heave.

Thani watched as the boomerang struck the first switch, then the second, then narrowly miss the third before returning to Link. “That was better than before, but maybe if you tried throwing a little more gently, it might hit all three and allow us passage.”

Link rolled his eyes as he prepared to throw again–how hard could throwing a boomerang at switches be? To be fair, he had not thrown one in three months, so he was likely out of practice. He just sighed and gave his weapon a forceful yet gentle toss at the switches–and smiled with joy as he heard three THACK!’s, followed by the swoosh of iron bars lifting off of the door, granting them passage.

“Third time’s a charm…” Thani assured Link as she lead the way down a hallway into the next room. “You might just be out of practice at throwing, but believe me, your skill will come back to you soon enough.”

Link was about to answer when he was surprised by four tiny creatures that looked like dragons, yet had heads and manes like horses. He quickly slashed one before it could claw him, threw off the one clinging to his back before grappling with the other two. The one he had slashed earlier tried to climb onto him, but he wrested that one off as well before slashing it twice in succession. Satisfied that he had felled one, he shooed away the three remaining ones before they seemingly disappeared into thin air.

He was confused at first, but then felt something crawling on his back. It clicked–the horse-dragons had teleported away from him and onto his back, where he couldn’t reach them! If he tried to turn around to look, they would warp away from him and reappear before him, only to teleport onto his back again before he could attack.

Thani tried not to laugh at the contortions Link was going through to keep the horse-dragons at bay. Finally, Link lunged at a horse dragon as it appeared in front of him again, sending it barreling into the other two that had reappeared, killing all three when they crashed into the wall.

Thani was impressed. “Now there’s a strategy I’ve never seen before…”

“What were those things?” Link asked as he looted the last miniature horse-dragon’s corpse.

“Those are Aquamines, winged dragon-horses that have been said to travel through time very much like you did.” Thani explained. “But unlike you, Aquamines can warp through time and space at will. They are also very swift, but are easily dispatched if you knock them out of the air with a ranged weapon.”

So that explains why I had so much trouble defeating them… Link thought. He made a mental note to use his boomerang if he ever ran into more of them.

“Furthermore, there are rumors of a giant Aquamine that is said to guard the Garnet of Hours.” Thani continued. “He has been named ‘Aquamentus’–meaning ‘the great Aquamine’–by the scholars that have analyzed accounts of those that saw him.”

“I see…” Link wheezed, still tired from his encounter.

“Unlike a normal Aquamine, Aquamentus can’t teleport–but you should still treat it like one of its tiny brethren when you challenge it.” Thani cautioned as the two of them rounded a corner and down a stairway leading into a cavern.

“What are we doing in a cave?” Link asked Thani, confused at the sudden change in scenery.

“We came in from a cave, and Aquamentus’ lair is said to be underground.” Thani explained, gesturing to the expanse of lava stretching out before them. There were a few large rocks scattered throughout the magma, but a chest decorated in an ornate blue and yellow stood by a doorway on another cliff. Link swallowed hard as he fanned the sweat forming on his face–there was no way he could cross that large of a lava pool by jumping!

o^-^o: So how is Link going to cross the huge lava pit? Will he earn the right to challenge Aquamentus? Don’t miss Episode 9 on this Web site next week!

o^-^o: Don’t close that browser! Here’s what’s coming up on “The Legend of Zelda: The Sacred Gems….

BEGIN PREVIEW

“What were those things?” Link asked as he looted the last miniature horse-dragon’s corpse.

“Those are Aquamines, winged dragon-horses that have been said to travel through time very much like you did.” Thani explained. “But unlike you, Aquamines can warp through time and space at will. They are also very swift, but are easily dispatched if you knock them out of the air with a ranged weapon.”

So that explains why I had so much trouble defeating them… Link thought. He made a mental note to use his boomerang if he ever ran into more of them.

“Furthermore, there are rumors of a giant Aquamine that is said to guard the Garnet of Hours.” Thani continued. “He has been named ‘Aquamentus’–meaning ‘the great Aquamine’–by the scholars that have analyzed accounts of those that saw him…”

END PREVIEW

o^-^o: Curious to see what happens? Stop by Sunday and see!

Previously, on “The Legend of Zelda: The Sacred Gems”…

“So all the songs I used to come to the temples on my first journey–these melodies are like them?” Link asked as he arrived at the other end of the room.

“That’s it!” Thani smiled. “That’s Leide’s Rondo!”

Episode 7: To Any Lengths

The Ocarina glowed a soft gold for a moment as it resonated with the power of the fairy melody. Link pocketed it and noted the design of stylized fairy wings before the slab of stone with Leide’s Rondo inscribed on it as he followed Thani into the next hallway. If he saw that design, that would be his signal the song was needed.

The twosome rounded a corner and came to a large open room much like the room they had entered the temple from. Link looked quizzically at the number of switches that lined the walls, the pedestal in one corner, and the barred door that impeded his progress. If he only had a way to hit the switches, like arrows, a boomerang, or even Bombchus.

Then it hit him–maybe the pedestal held the item he was seeking?

He sighed and started towards the pedestal, but gasped as a barrier of flames prevented him from coming closer. To make matters worse, he heard the clatter of bones approaching and drew his sword in anticipation of meeting the giant skeleton clad in the armor of a long forgotten era–a Stalfos–in battle.

“Be careful, Link–I hear Stalfos blades can really hurt!” Thani called as the two opponents charged for each other. She hid her eyes as her human companion’s tiny blade and his boney opponent’s claymore clashed in the dim torchlight, their sillhouettes swirling about in an almost elegant-looking dance.

The Stalfos lunged to slash Link, only to be rebuffed by a small yet sturdy wooden shield. Once sure he had caught his opponent offguard, Link lashed out towards the Stalfos’ chest, but instead succeeded in leaving a large gash in the creature’s armor, exposing more bone. At the same time, he also spotted something red pulsing among the bones he had just uncovered: the Stalfos’ heart.

Thani watched as the Stalfos leapt in the air, intent on skewering the small boy facing it. “Watch out!” she called.

Link gasped as he realized the Stalfos was now above him–if he was in the place the Stalfos would ultimately land, he would be crushed!

He began jogging back towards the entrance he and Thani had entered from, his nervous jog speeding into a run the closer he came. He next curled into a ball shape, with the momentum from running giving him enough speed and distance to escape being flattened by his boney assailant.

“Now, Link!” Thani called as the Stalfos glanced around the room in a daze, confused as to where its opponent had gone. It didn’t count on its opponent rushing up behind it, jumping on its back, and delivering the final blow from there. As the flames of ether began to burn away the Stalfos’ body, Link took a flying leap back onto the ground by Thani, just in time to see a chest form on the pedestal.

After surveying the room to make sure there were no other enemies present, Link walked over towards the chest, eased open the lid, and grabbed the contents from within. He smiled and held his treasure high for Thani to see: the Stalfos had been guarding a boomerang!

Thani was interested by the odd object her friend carried. “What is it?”

“It’s called a boomerang.” Link explained. “You throw it like this…” he paused, and heaved his newfound boomerang at one switch, allowing passage deeper into the dungeon. “and it will return to you, no matter how far you throw it from.”

“I see.” Thani replied as she led the way into the next room, which was literally split in half by a large gap. Three orb shaped switches hovered in the darkness, but what made matters worse was the hissing of roughly twenty snakes crawling to meet them….

To Be Continued…

o^-^o: Will the boomerang prove useful in the rest of the dungeon’s puzzles? What could be guarding the Garnet of Hours? Don’t miss Episode 8 on this Web site next week!

o^-^o: Don’t close that browser! Here’s what’s coming up this week on “The Legend of Zelda: The Sacred Gems”…

BEGIN PREVIEW

Link looked quizzically at the number of switches that lined the walls, the pedestal in one corner, and the barred door that impeded his progress. If he only had a way to hit the switches, like arrows, a boomerang, or even Bombchus.

Then it hit him–maybe the pedestal held the item he was seeking?

He sighed and started towards the pedestal, but gasped as a barrier of flames prevented him from coming closer. To make matters worse, he heard the clatter of bones approaching and drew his sword in anticipation of meeting the giant skeleton clad in the armor of a long forgotten era–a Stalfos–in battle.

“Be careful, Link–I hear Stalfos blades can really hurt!” Thani called as the two opponents charged for each other…

END PREVIEW

o^-^o: Can Link defeat the Stalfos? What will he receive that will aid him in his progress? Come by Sunday and see!