…with the bugler in tow behind him. The bugler’s icy breath bit at his heels as he skated across the room towards the furnace. There was a flight of stairs between the two rooms, allowing the bugler to gain on Link as he climbed them. Link launched a fireball at the furnace, before dropping down to the ground. He slid across the ice, bumping into the side of the furnace.
The bugler started to turn around above him. Link grabbed the bellows for the furnace and before pumping air into them. The flame leapt up in a giant burst, engulfing the remaining bugler in its flames. The monster sputtered and died.
As the last of the bugler vanished, the heat from the furnace began to race through the pipes connected to it. The thick ice walls began to melt rapidly as the heating system was completed. Water began to fall down in waves, knocking the paintings off the walls. It filled the room up to the top of the stairs, which was about three feet of standing water.
The heat returning, Link returned to the previous room. Freya was hanging on Frostbar’s shoulders as the yeti waded through the water. Bruce was wading through the water with some difficulty in his plate mail.
Steam began to rise as heat returned to the room. Link walked out into the water, keeping the Sage’s Rod above the water. Bruce passed him and climbed up the stairs to solid land. He said as he began to drain his armor of water, “This is more like a water temple.”
Something moved in the water. Link looked around, the shape hiding beneath the portraits as it moved around the room. He quickly switched back to the Master Sword. That fire wouldn’t do him much good fighting something beneath the water.
Freya climbed up as high as she could on top of Frostbar’s shoulders. Bruce took a few steps closer to the water, looking out over it, hoping to see something from his vantage point. Link pushed one of the paintings aside, trying to get a better look.
In a moment, the creature raced up and wrapped itself around Link’s hand. Link slashed, cutting the bottom of the monster off. The part wrapped around his arm fell off, lifeless, before dying with the rest of its body. Link braced himself, as another pair of the creatures surged out of the water, wrapping themselves around his other arm.
Frostbar was fighting against a good number of the creatures, but they weren’t long enough to pull him down. The yeti shouted, “They mean to drown us in three feet of water.”
“Three feet of water may be all it takes,” Bruce returned as he batted away the creatures from where they were spring up the steps to grab him.
“These must be the spawn of that ice snake,” Frostbar commented, wrenching one arm free. “Those these don’t appear to have its icy touch, thank the Goddesses.”
Breaking his arm free at last, Link sliced through the two that were holding him down. He began wading back towards the stairs, hoping to find where the monsters were coming from. More and more of the ropes tried to grab him, but Link held his ground.
After a struggle, Link managed to pull himself up the stairs next to Bruce. Frostbar was scrambling up a wall, trying to get him and Freya out of the mx. Bruce asked, “How are we going to get out of this?”
Looking up at Yore, Link asked, “Can you burn a painting?”
“You could. These appear to be oil paintings; they would burn quickly if you could get them lit.”
“Are any of these original works?” Link inquired.
Bruce pressed, “We’re stranded on this stairway by murderous water snakes, and you’re asking if these are original works of art?”
“I must agree with Bruce on this. It is honorable to consider the works and their history before destroying them, but you must preserve yourself before a work that cannot help us save this country. Hyrule will understand.”
Link looked across the water. They didn’t have much of a choice. He pulled out a bomb, before lighting it and tossing it out over the water. It landed and rolled around inside the frame of the painting. The explosion went off, the painting catching immediately, which in turn sparked the near by works. A fire began to spread from them all across the room.
Almost immediately after the fire started, it stopped. The paintings crumbled, revealing the shrinking swarm of snakes beneath the water. The water began to evaporate from the heat of the room, leaving the floor barren, save a few floundering ropes. Frostbar dropped from the corner he had stuck himself in. Bruce and Link finished off the last few snakes as the last of the water dissipated.
Bruce rolled his shoulder for a moment, stretching it from being attacked. “This place is a death trap. A freezing death trap. I’m going back to Eveningale after this is all over.”
Link smiled at the notion, but he knew he wasn’t going to be able to go back to Eveningale for a while. He had a lot of work left to do before he could rest again. He looked around the room, hoping from some sign of a key. He looked up at the walls and saw one massive painting remained. It was of, well, him, ironically, or someone he had been.
Walking up to the painting, Link looked for someway to move it. The thing was huge and he was wondering how he hadn’t noticed it before. Then again, there were quite a few other works hanging on the walls.
While he couldn’t move it, Link could tell there was something on the other side. He took a few steps back. He pulled out his slingshot and aimed it at the top of the painting. The seed snapped the rope on the top of the painting, and suddenly, it started coming down towards them. Link rolled out of the way as the top of the picture crash down.
The painting created a ramp up to a hidden alcove. Frostbar said, “It looks like that sage was smarter than I gave him credit for.”
“Did this show up on the map?” Bruce asked as they climbed up the painting.
“No,” Link replied. He pulled out his lantern and lit a pair of torches inside the alcove. In the weak firelight, Link could make out a large chest. Its gold sides made it stand out even with the poor lighting. Link walked up to the chest and opened it up.
Inside was a blue steel key. The head of it was decorated with ornate snowflake with the Water Sage’s symbol in the center of the design. Link stood back up, turning to face the others. Frostbar said, “Now there’s a key.”
Not wanting to waste anymore time, Link started back across the mansion. The trek was familiar and quick. The halls were empty at last of enemies, but the storm wasn’t over yet. They came to a halt in front of the great door they had seen before. Link put the key inside and turned.
The lock pulled the key into it. With the two joined together, the whole thing burst into snow, before quickly drifting down and melting into water. A line of water formed in front of the door, and it rolled open, ice breaking from its sides as it moved.
There was a square room beyond the door, a square hole in the middle. Link stepped up to the hole and looked down. Water dripped from the sides, still melting a bit. Even if they had gotten here sooner, there was nowhere they could have gone. The gap would have been sealed shut with layers of ice.
“What do you think is down there?” Bruce asked, leaning over.
“I don’t know, but we’re going to have to find out,” Link said.
Frostbar walked up. “Well, if we have to take the plunge.” The yeti walked up to the side and jumped over. Freya followed after him, waving as she tumbled over the side after Frostbar.
Bruce shook his head. “I’m going to regret this in the morning.” He dropped himself over the side of the hole before vanished down into the room below.
Link glanced back at the opening where they had come from, before looking back at the hole. With the Master Sword out and ready, Link leapt over the side…