The Legend of Zelda: Goddess of Secrecy

Overworld Chapter 62 - Cleff

...and into the carved-out settlement of Cleff. Several long recesses, maybe a few heads taller than Endeavor, spanned the length of the canyon wall as far as nearly Link's whole eyeline. Stairs between the levels were carved out between the vibrantly painted streets and stucco homes and businesses backed into the cave's walls. Two more rows marked out streets between edge of the canyon and the back of the cave.

Though much of that vibrancy was dulled under a heavy coat of dust. Nothing had stirred in these halls for who knew how long until the three of them, and the signs of unuse were beginning to show from the layer of red sand building up.

What was more haunting was the absolute stillness of it all. Despite the winds rushing outside through the Scar, the air in Cleff was dead. The sound of the gales was dampened by the rock walls around them.

Echo didn't dash ahead anymore. She waited patiently for them at the edge of one of the rocks. Her fox ears were pinned back as she scanned the space ahead of them.

Dotting the paths were statues, made in incredibly detail, of Cleff's residents. Some had a good deal of sand covering them, others only as much as the rest of the city. Cleff had frozen in phases.

They stood there for so long Link thought his muscles would cramp. He shifted them only slightly, Echo's stillness keeping them from moving forward.

And that's when he heard it. Distantly, on the far side of the town, was a wailing. No, that was the wrong word Link decided as he listened longer. It wasn't music, music had meter. But it was a song, primal and beautiful as it twisted through the earth.

That's when something moved at last. Link ducked lower as a shadow blocked out the opening into the Scar. It was massive, but indistinct. Link thought he made out a face before the wind pushed its features and it reformed further down the canyon wall. Two shadows were cast out over Cleff, drifting and then snaking between buildings unlike any shadow Link had ever seen.

Like arms, he realized as the shadows retreated down an alley ahead of them and then down across another path. Great unnatural arms. They'd found their monster.

As the hands drifted away, Echo darted ahead into Cleff. She dove into one of the buildings as the shadow reached the other way, before teleporting further in. As she moved, Link noticed where she landed were the deepest shadows clung. They were blocked in by walls, where light would never reach.

After a few hops across the city, Echo waited just at the edge of Link's line of sight. Her tail flicked slowly as she waited, and Link turned to scout his next moves.

Beside him, he saw Endeavor bracing her side as she came to the same conclusion. Link caught her arm before she could make the first dash and motioned for her to wait. Slowly, he pulled out the Hero's Cloak and extended it to her.

Endeavor clasped the cloth and began draping it over her own . As she did, another idea came to Link. He slowly worked out the Sage's Rod and then the deep purple Shadow Sage's emblem. He held up the two to Endeavor for her thoughts.

Glancing back a couple times to gauge the creature, Endeavor weighed the option for a while. She brought up her hands, holding one flat and the other she walked slowly across her palm. The shadows might have been safe from the creature, but Link would still be audible.

Letting the medallion slip into the hook of the rod, Link mouthed, "Last resort," to which Endeavor nodded and threw the hood of the Cloak over her head.

Link was a little unsettled by how completely Endeavor vanished, but he supposed he'd had that effect on others. He heard the ground shift once or twice, but nothing brought the attention of the shadow their way just yet. It drifted lazily as it scanned, before it would disappear, only to reappear shortly after and scan another section of Cleff.