The Legend of Zelda: Goddess of Secrecy

Dungeon Chapter 64 - The Howling Caverns

...across the canyon and into the cave network that made up the Earth Temple. It was a delicate blend of natural and built structures weaving in to the entry way. Wooden walkways hung around the edges of the walls and guided paths through stalagmites not yet battered down by the wind. Where Underborough's design had been ramshackle though, the work of Cleff's denizens was artistic and meticulous.

There was a deep pit not far from the entrance, the bottom not visible from the pathway. Light was being cast down over it from the entry arch, and then on to another chamber further in, though Link's view of it was blocked by a stone wall partitioning the space.

As they continued to climb along one of the narrow wooden paths, Link began to see the myriad of tunnels honeycombed into the pit below them. The wind hummed a different note through each of them, and the sound reverberated through the walls around them. Most strongly though, it came from the chamber beyond the pit, though holes carved into the wall by the wind coiling back out from the tunnels.

Still, the wooden paths continued to climb around the edges, leading indirectly towards the wall. They threaded through the stone, all leading in the same direction as the path they were on now. Distantly, Link could hear the flapping of wings not yet visible along their path.

The walkways finally passed the wall and Link started to understand this Song of the Earth. Several of the stalagmites in the center of the chamber had been hollowed out by time, allowing the wind to pass back out and into this chamber from the tunnels below them. It was like a massive natural organ, breathing with music from the Scar.

Sunlight still managed to reach them through patches in the stone wall separating them from the front chamber, though it was failing as the sun sunk in the sky and the top of the canyon began to cut off the light.

Seating had been built into the walls, either like the wooden structures they were following or naturally carved by the wind to create an ornate amphitheater. Link had wished the seats were empty, but more stone statues waited there, faces turned back and away from the stage beneath the hollow stalagmites.

Endeavor gripped Link's arm before pulling them both back and away from the path and away from the open seating area. Link followed her line of sight back to the wall, where he saw the briefest hint of the shadow creature from before.

They waited, hoping it would pass quickly. Fortunately, it did and the dwindling sunlight returned to the room not long after.

"Not good," Link whispered, barely a breath to carry the sound, and yet it still felt like it boomed in this space.

"It suspects we are here already," Endeavor replied, at a similar volume.

"What do we do now?" Link asked, eyes not moving from the wall behind them.

"We need to find the Sages still. I suspect they will be in the wings of the theater," Endeavor said, tapping his shoulder and pointing across the chamber towards the stage. He could see tunnels branching off to the side opposite their path, and he assumed that there would be another closer to them.

"I don't see a way to get down there from here besides going through the center," Link whispered, pointing through the weave of seats.

Endeavor shook her head. "These paths are for guests of the theater; they would not connect to the stage wings. We will need to reach the stage from below to continue into deeper in I am afraid."

Link looked back up at the gap, where sunlight was still currently filtering in. For how much longer though, he wished he knew. He was not excited about the idea of the creature coming back with so little cover.