Link and Ruby tried their best to keep their balance as they descended the slope leading into the caverns. It didn't go down very far, but it stretched on for a ways. Up ahead, he saw an opening on his right, and another further ahead on his left.

24 hours... might not be enough time, depending on how big it is in here, Link thought. "Nothing so far. No trace of the ponies in need of rescue, no sign of opposition. Aurora's sure they're in here, so they must be."

"If they've blocked our exit, then something's in here keeping us in. Whatever it is it's keeping them in here too. So no getting complacent just because you think it's safe." She saw, at the end of the hall, a slope leading down. "Best see what we can find up here first."

"Agreed." Link drew his sword and wore his shield. "This way first." He led Ruby down the hall on the right, careful not to make too much noise. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a portion of the wall move, then fall to the floor. "We're not alone in here... obviously."

"Don't go near it," Ruby warned, as Link took a step back from it. "We don't know what it is, or what it can do. And I don't want to be here longer than required." More pieces of wall fell the further in they went, and they did not go unnoticed.

The end of the hall revealed a vast opening, with some... creature standing guard over something. Interestingly enough, the ice creature stood on two legs. Not something seen everyday aside from himself. Link looked closely at the strange object it was guarding and determined it to be important. Hmm... I wonder, could that be some kind of device? Maybe I can use it? He put a finger to his lips to ensure Ruby's silence.

"What is it?" Navi asked quietly from under his hat. She had fallen asleep prior to leaving the outpost. Curious, she came out and looked around the corner to see for herself. "Ooh, interesting..."

"That crystal behind it..." Link whispered to her, "I think it does something, but I have to get through that ice whatever to reach it. Any advice?"

"Hmm..." Navi took a moment to study its appearance. "Sorry, without seeing what it can do, I don't think I'll be much help here."

Link sighed, and hung his head a little. "It's fine. Ruby? I want you to stay back and observe. Tell me afterward if you see something I might have missed. I'm gonna try and go up against it." Ruby nodded her head and watched as he stepped out from around the corner into its field of view and charged it.

Immediately, it reached its arm behind its head and flung it forward, shooting ice shards at him. Link slid to a stop, got his shield up in time and slid back from the impact. Ice projectiles, long range. He peeked over his shield at it and saw it make a breathing motion. Quickly, he turned and ran to his side, careful not to slip, to evade the burst of frozen air that came from its maw. Ice breath? Can't do much about that... Lost in his thoughts, he slid right into the wall, and fell over backward. The ice creature took this time to charge at him. Link scrambled to his feet and got his shield up, blocking an incoming swing of its arm. It's not overall strong, maybe I can cripple it? The impact from its swing sent Link sliding across the floor toward the crystal. Link struck his sword into the ground to stop his momentum and raised his shield to stop another barrage of ice shards. He pulled his blade from the ground and again dashed toward the creature.

It inhaled once more, and as it exhaled, Link slid along the ground under the breath and cut off its right leg. The creature dropped to its knees, and leaned forward to retain its balance. Link used the bottom of the wall to support him as he leapt onto its back. With a forceful stab, he thrust his sword into it, through a red orb inside its chest. In a split second, the ice creature crumbled into dust and fell to the floor.

Navi and Ruby came over to him and looked down at the two halves of the orb that remained. "Well done, Link," Navi complimented. "Looks like it wasn't easy, though. You doing alright?" she asked him. He was still a little shaken from all the sliding around.

"I'll be fine," he replied. "Just... gimme a sec." Link took a few breaths and sheathed his sword. "If the creature disappeared, why did the core stay behind?" Carefully, he reached down and picked up the halves. Slowly, he tried squeezing them. "They're durable. Can you break them? Wouldn't want them to reassemble while our backs are turned."

Ruby took the halves from him and set them on the floor. "One way to find out." With one stomp, each half crumbled into smaller chunks and then into dust. "Easy. Now, how about the other one over there"

The two of them walked to the orb housed in the crystal. "It's not normal ice, whatever it is. Crushing the one made the surrounding ice go away as well." Navi floated around the object. "Maybe this one will do the same? But if so, then what purpose would it serve to guard it, or make it if it does nothing?"

"I'm expecting something to happen, so come up here." Navi flew up to his head and sat. Link drew his sword and cut through the middle. As predicted, the surrounding ice turned to dust as Ruby once again stomped of the remaining pieces.

"That settles that," Ruby said, turning to the hall. "Let's go. I'm starting to feel the coldness of this place."

Link put away his sword and shield and walked with her. "Didn't you bring scarves? I thought you'd remember your inventory."

"Riiiiiiight." Ruby reached into her bag and pulled one out. Easily, she wrapped it around her heck and continued. "That'll do for now. And to your remark, no. I don't keep an up-to-date list on what I'm carrying. This will be my first official 'mission' from the princess."

"Not mine. This'd be my third. Fourth if you count the first time I went to the castle in the woods with my friends." Link made sure to be vague, as to not give any unnecessary information.

"You've been there three times then? News to me. Only reason I didn't know about it was because I was out with a friend. We took the timberwolves into a deep part of the woods for ... reasons." Ruby looked away at that, but righted herself before Link could tell. "Why were you there the first time?"

"Reasons," he replied simply. "Now this is odd..."

"Hm?" Ruby looked at him, then where he pointed. "I don't get it, what's odd?"

Link walked out into the main hall and looked down the two paths before him. "The one on the left here wasn't there before. That orb from earlier... Hmm."

"The one in the creature broke, making it crumble. Then we break the one inside the crystal, and then a door opens up." Navi looked around.

"Not just disappear," he said. "Look." Link pointed at the ground where a thin layer of ice shavings covered the walkway. "The door turned to dust much like the ice whatever from earlier."

"Why would anyone design it that way?" Ruby asked. "Why make switches to doors in your own place like this?"

"It's rather smart if you think about it. You wouldn't put a key close to the door it unlocks, would you? And if you did, you'd hide it." Link looked to his far right. "That way leads down it seems," then he turned to the path to its immediate left, "and this one was already here among these two, so I pick this way."

"You showed no mercy against that thing back there. Have you killed before?" Link almost tripped at the sudden forwardness. "I didn't mean yourself, you know.

He let out a light chuckle. "Funny. But no. I haven't killed before. I did come close to it one time, but I don't like talking about it. I hope you understand."

"Well enough. I won't force the subject." Ruby looked forward and saw an opening ahead, like the last room. "Wait," she said abruptly, sticking her foreleg out in front of him.

"Hm?" Link got against the wall and peeked around the corner into the room. There, by itself, stood a wolf with white fur. As big as a timberwolf, and just as mean, most likely.

Ruby did not take such caution, as she rushed in. Each step she took sent up sparks from her hooves, a sign she was gathering magic. Snow wolves? Being honest, I half expected to see them in a place like this, Navi thought. But what's this?

Link looked past the wolf and Ruby at the wall, and saw a lump of something on the ground behind said wall. Interesting... I'll have to get a closer look once they're done...

The wolf leapt at Ruby who expertly side-stepped. With both combatants having flawless traction, no sliding occurred. Ruby stomped with her forehooves and sent a wave of flames toward her opponent, who jumped over it. Everything moved in slow-motion for the wolf, as it saw Ruby get on her hindlegs and throw a ball of fire at it before it landed. Once on fire, it ran around the room, occasionally crashing into walls and finally coming to a halt. It merely fell to the floor in a pool of water.

"That ends that. Didn't expect a puddle though. That one's new." Ruby looked down at it, then over to Link. "Come on, now."

"I admit, that was pretty cool. I'll never get over how you can do that. Maybe you could teach me how sometime." Praise her, then ask. Get her in a good mood. "If you don't mind, that is."

"If we make it out of here alive, I'll try and teach you on the way back. Try and if, being the key words. I don't expect you to pick it up as quickly as I did."

"Thanks for the opportunity. Tell me, what does this look like to you?" He looked and walked over to the clear wall. There, he peered inside and identified the "lump" as a pony. "Besides a pony, I mean."

"A prison cell. There might be a crystal that brings this wall down too. We'd better hurry. Who knows? He might freeze to death if we take too long." Ruby began looking around the room for such a crystal.

"I doubt it'd be anywhere close. A prisoner cell key would be next to a higher up." Link faced the wall and knocked on it, making a hollow sound. The pony inside remained still. "He's either asleep, or already dead."

"For our sakes, I hope he's just sleeping," Navi offered. "We'd have failed our mission if he .. if the latter were true. And, with this, there are three more prisoners in here. Two of which are subordinates. Likely in cells like this one. How long have we been in here?"

"It's been an hour already. Give or take a few minutes." Link turned to Ruby. "Ask me, we're making good time."

"We don't even know how far down this goes. There could be hundreds of layers to this, you don't know?!" Ruby scowled at him, who retreated a bit. Then, she sighed and turned away. "Let's just get this done and over with so I can be rid of this place."

The three of them went back the way they came and turned down the next hall on the right, the one that opened for them earlier. This one curved to the left and split off to the right. Another drop was down the right path. Link decidedly continued down the left path, to what looked like a dead end. "I don't get it," he admitted, "Why put a crystal here, unguarded?" Link pointed at a crystal housing another red orb, like the other one.

Ruby began walking up to it. "Easy, because they're sloppy, uncoordinated, clueless, mindless, carele-" In an instant, an ice being came out of the wall beside it and pressed Ruby up against the wall. With its free arm, it turned into an ice spear. Ruby quickly put her forehooves against its arm, and put fire through it, forcing it to drop her. Link got to her right side and blocked the inbound spear with his shield. Then, Ruby jumped onto its chest and shot a pulse of fire through it, making a large hole. The red orb inside fell to the floor and cracked on impact. When she landed, she crushed the orb under her weight, scorching part of the floor under her. "Okay, that one was on me..."

"You really need to be more careful in here. If they can come out of the walls like that, then there could be any number of them in here." Link watched as the creature crumbled away. "First these things, then wolves. Sooner or later, we'll be facing them together, I know it."

"They're still clueless..." Ruby turned to the one in the crystal. "One more." Link cut through it and waited. Just like the first, the crystal crumbled away, and Ruby stomped on what remained. "Anything else before we descend?"

"Yeah... One thing: there are two holes. And two of us." Link waited for her to guess what he was getting at.

"You want us to split up, right? I'm fine with that."

"Good, because I'd like you to go down this one here. The other one's a slope, and I can get down it better than a straight hole in the floor." Link walked her to the aforementioned hole. "I'll meet you down there somewhere, in one piece, alright?"

"Don't make me wait too long, or else I'll have saved the commander myself." Ruby slid down the walls and landed heavily.

She looked up the hole and saw Navi's glow fade away. Focus, he's trusting you to pull your weight. Ruby looked at her surroundings, then down the hall she fell in to. Already a clearing... More opposition most likely... She snuck along the wall and glanced around the corner. One creature, one wolf. Their backs are turned... Looking at a wall. Ruby looked closer at it and saw another pony inside. A prisoner! Ruby set her bags down carefully, as not to make a sound. Then, she quietly came into view of the prisoner, who looked straight at her. Ruby put a hoof to her muzzle to issue silence from the prisoner. He nodded slightly, then turned his focus to the two guarding his cell.

The captive began talking and smiling. Ruby halted for a moment, but saw that the two still hadn't noticed her. Ruby stood on her hind legs and threw a ball of fire at the wolf, who melted immediately. The creature turned and shot a salvo of shards in a wave in her direction. She ducked under them and ran at it, bearing her teeth. The creature let out a roar and charged in as well. It inhaled, then exhaled, freezing her in a mid-lunge. "Puny pony caught ice block," it spoke.

Puny pony?! Ruby bursted out of the ice she was trapped in, mane ablaze. "I'm not puny!!" Ruby yelled with much anger at her target, and charged at it, body on fire. She was faster than before, too fast to keep up with. In a few moments, Ruby dashed through the creature's legs and stopped on the other side of it. Silence appeared for a brief moment before the creature collapsed, several of its limbs detached from its body. As the fire around her died out, she took a knee and looked back. The familiar red orb started rolling across the floor, before crumbling away into dust.

"Wh-what did you do to it?" the prisoner asked.

"I punched it really hard in the chest, really fast. I guess you could say the more angry I am, the stronger I get. I keep it under control most of the time, but... Well... I don't like to bring it up. Hold on a sec." Ruby went back and gathered her stuff from around the corner. When she turned back, two more wolves and another ice creature came in from the other room. That first one's roar was a signal! My magic level is just over half, so I should be fine for one burst at least. She set her bags down and went to the middle of the room where she got surrounded by them. "I'll give you this one chance to escape with your lives."

"No option for releasing you." The creature raised its arm and readied its shards. It launched them as the wolves attacked.

Ruby lit her fur on fire and stomped in place. A dome of flame surrounded her, and expanded. Everything in range fell to the ground either in puddles of water or a heap of ice. She walked over to the orb and crushed it. Once more, she gathered her stuff and secured them tightly. "Apologies for my rude display." I can see why Link wanted me along.

"No need to apologize. You are either brave or stupid to come in here alone, but either way, you have my thanks." The stallion inside stood before her, still behind the clear wall. "Who are you, anyway?"

"Just a mare. Looks like you're in a tough spot. But don't worry, we're here to get you and the other 3 out." Ruby nodded confidently.

"Just a mare, huh. Sorry, but 'just a mare' doesn't need to help me."

"Truth be told, I'm one half of a rescue team sent from Canterlot to rescue your sorry flanks from whatever peril your commander decided to put you in. Better?" Ruby frowned at him.

The stallion smiled and looked away slightly. "Much. Figured a team from Canterlot'd come here."

"I can always leave you behind to freeze to death, if you prefer."

"Nothing wrong with you, to be sure. Who else is there?" he asked her.

"A ... hmm... I came with my partner, Link. An official royal guard." She turned her head to the opening at her side. "I'm told there are 4 of you here. Are they all locked up like this?"

"Yeah," he responded, "me, the commander, and two others. They took two of us away before locking her up."

"What about the third?" she noticed.

"The third one stayed with her, only to see her locked away, before getting himself caught."

Ruby turned her body to the opening and looked at him. "Is there anything I need to know before I leave you here?"

"Only this: The door leading to where our commander is kept is a different color than the walls around it. And it's on the lower floor, hidden furthest from the entrance down there. Guess that's two things." He watched as she walked away. "I hope for all our sakes you make it there and back."

Ruby silently nodded as she made her way through to the next room. Inside, she looked around, and saw another prisoner just as she was told. "You there. Did an odd looking creature come by here?" she asked loudly. With no verbal response, the stallion started pointing ahead to another hallway. Ruby started trotting toward it as the stallion sat down and watched. I hope he meant he's over here. She stopped once she got to a fork in the hallway. One way led to the upper floor, while the left path led down to the next one. Powdered ice scattered the floor beside the left path. "At least there's no getting lost in here."

Carefully, she slid down the slope to meet Link against the wall, waiting.

"Don't make me wait too long, or else I'll have saved the commander myself." Ruby disappeared down the hole. Link listened and heard her land rather heavily. He turned away from it and started his own way.

"Split up?" Navi asked. "Is that best?"

"At the moment, yes. It is." Link turned down the main path and continued don the slope to the second floor. "What she says is true. Not only would she be able to, but she's more likely to survive in here than I am. I was right to ask her to come along, if only to have her be a decoy."

"Decoy? I'm afraid I don't follow..."

Link stopped at the bottom and hugged the wall. "You see, she's more capable in a fight with ice creatures than I am. Her fire gives her an edge. I'm just using her to hold the enemy's attention." He noticed the powder on the ground by the hall on his right. "If that's the right way to go, then what's over in that room?" Link looked around the corner and saw 2 more wolves and a single ice creature.

"If you knew this is where you'd end up, did you also know that Ruby would be going the long way?" Navi questioned, not seeing what lurked around the corner.

"Yes," he whispered. "I need her to get the attention of the things in this room, so I can talk with that guard." He pointed at the wall to the right of the room, and looked at the stallion beyond it. "If I can get information out of him, then I might be able to make the most of my time in here."

"I'm not sure if you're making it up as you go along, or if you planned it from the beginning."

"Either way, this would make for an interesting chess game. Hm?" The creatures started to go down the hall on the far side of the room. "There's my opportunity. Come on." Link approached the prisoner and knocked on the wall. "Hey in there."

The stallion turned and backed up a ways. "Y-you're not here to k-kill me, are you?"

"Nothing like that, I assure you. I'm here to get you out. As well as your commander and fellow prisoners. But I haven't figured out how yet. Is there any advice you can give?"

"How do I know I can trust you?" he asked, moving closer to the wall.

"If you don't tell me something that can save your life, then you're going to die a frozen death. But, if you do tell me, I'll make sure you get out of here alive."

"Just trust us. It's better for you than not trusting us." Navi appeared from behind him and landed on his shoulder.

"Hmm..." The stallion sat and put a hoof to his chin. "You said you don't know how to free us? I do. In the room below, two Wandil caught us from behind and carried two of my fellow guards away, leaving me with the commander. After a short skirmish, the Wandil imprisoned the commander in the room below, and carried me off to up here. It was during the fight that I noticed, each one had a red orb inside their chest."

"Yeah, break it into dust, it kills them. Same with some doors in here. Your point?"

"My point, dear boy, is that each of their orbs is doubling as an activator. It sustains their life, yes, but it also acts as the keys to various other things. Before carrying me off, the three combined into one, bigger, Wandil, that possessed all three orbs. After it combined, I could no longer see through it to the red cores."

"So, if I get them to split, then I'd see the cores. And you said bigger. Each of the split ones were smaller. It's not going to be easy. Good thing I have back up. Speaking of which, if a pony comes through here, send her down to the next floor. Your help has been ... uh, helpful. I'll get you out in no time." Link turned and started back to the hall he came from.

"Lad! Be careful down there."

"You got it." Link rounded the corner and slid down the slope to the lower floor.

"Link," Navi started, "you got out of there fast. Is it because of Ruby?"

He nodded and hugged the wall at the bottom. "Yeah, she doesn't really need to know that I waited for her to beat them all to come out of hiding. Strategic as that was, she'd see it as cowardice, and that's not something I need."

"You call it strategy? I call it being a sloth. You waiting to make a move is normal, I've come to expect it. But you waiting for somepony else to make a move is just plain lazy."

"I don't need this right now, Navi. If you want to lecture me, do it when we're outside of this place." Link looked back at the slope and heard Ruby's descent. "Not a word to her about this, either."

Navi nodded her head and saw Ruby at last.

"Good, you made it. And in one piece, too." Link noticed her expression and tilted his head. "You alright?'

"Just fine," she replied, a hint of sharpness in her voice. "I had to kill 3 wolves and 2 creatures, talk to a prisoner about stuff, and get directions here from another in the next room. I got called a miserable little pipsqueak and I think I exploded somewhere in there. How's you?" Ruby lowered her eyebrows at him, not expecting an answer.

Link waited a moment before responding. "Need a moment?"

"I said I'm fine. Hm?" Ruby looked at him as he offered her an apple.

"I have 8 left. Well, 6, if you don't count these two." Link held one for himself as well. "Eat up."

"Why should I?" Ruby asked, turning her head away. She glanced back at the fruit held out to her.

Link sighed. "You're not you when you're hungry." Silence. "Come on, you'll feel better, trust me."

Hesitantly, Ruby took it from him and bit into it. "Why are you being nice to me now? I mean, you come in, trash my house, scare my guards away, attack me, and drive me away. Then, you turn around, invite me to go on a mission, you don't tell a word of what happened, to the princess, of all ponies, you offer me food, twice even. I can't figure out why..."

"You want to know? I'll tell you. Everything I do, out on mission, I've been ordered to do, or is involved with the success of said mission. I can't do this alone, I know that. If I have to swallow any pride to make that happen, I'll do it. ... If that means acting a certain way to somepony on my side, I'll be their best friend."

"heh... orders." Ruby took another bite and looked at him. "You really are a dog of the military, aren't you..." She frowned at him. "If you got orders to kill, would you?"

"That ... depends."

"On what?" she asked. Ruby didn't expect this answer from him.

"On who. If I got orders to kill my family, or my friends, I'd have to refuse. If there's no good reason, I won't do it. In fact, I'm not here to rescue the commander at all. I only need something she has. If I needed it from one at camp, and got it, I'd have been on my way if I wasn't ordered to help."

Ruby quickly finished her apple and looked down the halls. "You know something? You are an interesting being. You think so much like a pony, yet you don't at the same time. Any pony I know would have said they wouldn't kill, no matter the situation. A bunch of pacifists, they are. Where I grew up, the environment made it difficult to survive. Every day we were faced with a reaper over our shoulders. That's one of the reasons I left home."

"It's all well and good to get into this, but I doubt here's the place. It's been almost two hours, and we still don't know where exactly the commander is."

"I do. The prisoner in the room I got to first told me. He said she was behind a discolored wall furthest from the way down here. A poor design choice. Why make it obvious?"

"The creatures with the orbs in their chests, I learned, are called Wandils. Apparently, in that room, there is one, but it can split into three smaller ones. I need to make that happen. To do that, I need to pressure it, but not kill it. Once it's split, the fight's gonna be more difficult, but at the same time, easier." Link also looked down the halls. In that regard, I think you should go th-"

"Absolutely not. I'm not going to split up from you again. Once was bad enough. If we're going through this, then we are going through this. As one unit. Got it?" Ruby shot him a scornful look. "Strength in numbers."

Link hesitated, but nodded. "Sure," he said, finishing his apple. "This way first." He led Ruby down the path on the right and stopped at the end. Link peeked around it to see three wolves and a Wandil with their back turned. Odd... If they're standing guard, they aren't doing a very good job of it. Link turned and whispered, "Ruby. Don't attack them. We're going to sneak by them. No sense setting off any alarm to bring more of them." Ruby merely nodded and followed him round the corner, making sure to stay out of their fields of view.

At the end of the next hall, Link repeated his previous action of peeking around the corner. "3 more wolves, another Wandil. And what's this?" He pointed at the wall beside him. "It's discolored, like the advice you got. See if you can break through it. And try to be quiet." Those 4 over there, I would think they'd be watching this door. In case something happened. It might be a trap...

Ruby was able to push through it easily. A thin wall of ice, and it fell too easily. "That's strange, but come on." Link stepped over the shavings and saw the wall rebuild itself.

"So that's what happens when a door is incorrectly opened. Makes sense why the outside door closed itself." Link walked down the hall, and stopped before an open room. Inside, a large Wandil stood, looking at the hall. "Now, Ruby. I need you to-" Just as he was about to say, a thick wall of ice rose up from the floor, separating the two of them, and shutting Ruby out. "Ruby! Are you alright?"

"I'm alright. You've got more important things to worry about, now."

"Yeah," he said, drawing his sword and shield. "Much bigger things." That was the trap, and we fell for it. Now, I have to fight this thing on my own. Navi... She's out there with Ruby. Might be best, she could get hurt. Link stepped out into the open and looked past the Wandil, seeing the commander behind a clear wall of ice.

She saw him too. Her eyes went wide with surprise, as she glanced up at the Wandil before her. Who is this? Hmm... He must be here for a rescue attempt. Alone? Foolish. But... He looks composed.

"Wandil. I am willing to negotiate the release of the pony behind you. Will you comply?" Doubtful, but it's worth a try.

The Wandil stood silent for a minute. Finally, it replied, "Wandil not trade words for let go prisoner." It inhaled, and blew out a storm's worth of cold air at him. Being bigger than the others, the area of effect was also larger. Link used his sword to slide himself out of the way.

I'm gonna have to get close to pressure it. You've fought enough of them to find a weak point, where is it? Link got his shield up in time to block an incoming barrage of shards, larger, and harder hitting than the ones before. He put the tip of his blade in the floor behind him to keep him in place. Link looked over his shield at the Wandil, as it reached over and behind its head. Hm? The arm... If I can, again, get close enough, I could cut it off at the thinnest point: the elbow. If I'm lucky, he'll come to me.

He blocked the resulting wave of shards and held his ground. Soon, he felt small waves of activity beneath his feet as the Wandil began running at him. Which arm is it gonna use? Link watched and waited. As soon as it was over him, he saw it attack. Right! Quickly, he turned over and grabbed on to its arm with his shield hand. The Wandil lifted its arm and swung at him with its other. Link took this chance to cut off the Wandil's left arm at the elbow, then in its panic, latched on with his legs and chopped off its right one.

Both of the arms crumbled on the floor, as Link landed, looking at the creature confidently. That worked. Come on, split now.

The Wandil looked at its new nubs, then back to Link. "Wandil commends little warrior. None tries Wandil most than it."

"Uh... Thanks?"

"But it effort is tested!" At the Wandil's shoulders, large cracks appeared, as it broke itself into three smaller pieces. The torso sprouted new limbs, and the other two pieces sprouted new bodies. True to the prisoner's word, each one was smaller than the original. Maybe the loss of its arms resulted in even smaller Wandil? Even so, they were only slightly bigger than himself.

That's better, and worse at the same time. Link readied himself against the new threat of two more enemies. I can also see inside them now. Each one's got an orb. In the center of their chests.

"Be careful! Each one of them has only one ability passed from the larger one!" the commander yelled, hoping it reached her rescuer's ears. that being might save us yet...

"Silence, Prisoner!" the middle Wandil shouted, turning back to the commander.

That's the leader, so it stands to reason it has the physical strength of-

"You... Being. Enjoy this." Each of the three Wandils reformed themselves to look more like him. No sword, no shield, but more human-like in physical stature. The arms were still bigger around, and the legs too.

"Don't worry, Commander. I promise I'll set you free. It just might take a while." Link glared at the one in the middle.

I hope so... she thought, smiling slightly at the boy's words.

"Dead in attempt!" the one on the left declared. It shot several quick shards at him. Being on his sword side, it took a bit of time to get his shield over to block. He found the hits didn't have near as much impact as the larger ones, and he could stand his ground without support. From the corner on his eye, he saw the far right one exhale, sending a much smaller cloud of air at him. Link jumped back a ways to avoid it, and the middle one saw this as an opportunity. He sheathed his sword and rose his shield to block a hit. Slowly, he began gathering magic in his left hand.

Hm? The commander saw his magic field begin to stir and gather in his hand. That being knows magic? And shield magic no less.

The leader Wandil charged in again, and pushed Link back against the wall. Unfortunately, Link couldn't keep from sliding back, and was forced to use some of his magic to lessen the impact against the wall. With its other arm, it grabbed him and threw him behind, sliding across the icy floors. Link's face took the first hit, but he righted himself and slid on his back, stopping just short of the commander's cell.

"You, boy. You are a boy, right?" Link stood and nodded. "Boy, are you alright?" She looked down and saw several drops of blood.

"I'll be fine," he replied, showing signs of exhaustion. Are you alright?"

"Of course I'm alright. My magic is being blocked by this cell wall, so I cannot cast any spells to help. Not that any of them could." She looked out at the three. "What's your plan of attack?"

"Attack, that's pretty much it," Link said, letting the blood drip from his head. "I'll admit, that impact hurt. Not the worst pain I've felt, so it's fine."

"Fine? You're head is bleeding. And if you have a plan with that barrier spell you're gathering, you may want to employ it as soon as possible." The commander looked back at him.

"I know. 3 on 1 aren't fair odds." Link propelled himself forward, toward the shard-shooter as the other one blew its breath at him. He leapt over the burst of air and watched as the shooter launched its wave at him. In one motion, Link threw out his barrier, deflecting them toward the physical attacker. As soon as the salvo ended, he dropped his barrier and drew his sword, landing and sliding forward. As soon as he was close enough, Link used his forward momentum to run his sword through its chest, clean-cutting the orb.

The Wandil crumbled away as the orb halves hit the floor. Link stomped on them and turned around to face the remaining two. "Which one of you is next?"

Sound strategy. He used his momentum to help him stab. He must think he's not strong enough to cut them otherwise. I admit, he's got some moves. He could actually do it.

One of them ran at him, arms wide. That's not right. The physical one doesn't run like that. Link stepped around it as it got close enough. He raised his shield to block the strike. It wasn't on the same level as the other one, but it was enough to make him slide toward the other one standing. There's a moment when its swing is too wide. Link turned and ducked the attacker's incoming swing, using his rotation to cut through it at the waist. He stuck his blade in the ground to stop himself, and saw it crumble to the ground. I missed, but it'll be easier now. Link turned his blade down and stabbed through, barely cutting it. Whether a clip or a clean cut, it still made the Wandil powderize. "All that leaves is you. I will give you this one chance. Release the captives and I will spare your life."

"Wandil rather suffer several deaths than admit defeat." It started inhaling.

"So be it." Link put his shield away and gathered more magic in his right hand. As it released its breath, he rose his barrier, and started running at it. Thankfully, the magic barrier protected him from the attack. As soon as he got close enough, he put his barrier in the Wandil's gaping maw and chopped its legs off. On the back swing, Link cut off its head. He was able to drop the barrier at that time. With a yell, he thrust his blade deep into its chest, successfully cutting the orb inside. He picked up the remaining pieces of the orb and set them beside the other one. One by one, he crushed them under his weight, ensuring their defeat.

Link collapsed to his shaking knees and used his sword for support. The blood from his head wound had not stopped. He looked toward the commander, who had started trotting over ho him. "Well done, boy. You have my gratitude. To be honest, I did not expect to be rescued by one such as you. Who are you?"

He was still exhausted from fighting, but managed an answer. "Link, and out there, is my partner, Ruby, and my companion, Navi." After a few more breaths, he sat down, then lay on his back, leaving his sword in the ground.

"Link. I extend to you my formal gratitude. I wish I could assist in our exit, but as mentioned, the cell wall weakened my magical ability considerably. I fear there is little I can actually do at this point." The commander looked toward the door and saw nothing from this far away. "Even with all three orbs broken, our exit is still barred."

"Because we missed one." Link pointed at the ceiling, at a particular hanging crystal. "Of course the enemy would make escape near impossible."

"Near? You cannot reach it, and neither can I." The commander looked up and saw it hanging there.

"Yes I can. I have this." Link retrieved his boomerang and looked at it closely, his breathing stabilized. He sat up and sheathed his sword. "If I throw it right, it'll knock it free, and send it crashing down."

Link stood, and took aim. With a good throw, it traveled too low, but far enough. "If only it auto-targeted..." He had to brace himself to catch it. "It really does return on its own. Cool. One more try, I think I got it."

"No one gets it that quick, not even-" Her words were interrupted as Link threw it once more, with precision. The boomerang cut through his target, and returned just before it hit the ground and shattered. Orb and all. "I stand corrected. You are truly an interesting being."

"Ruby! Navi! Are you alright?" he called out, and made his way over. Outside, Ruby was on the floor, unconscious. Navi was sitting on her head. "What happened?"

"It was an ambush. Those wolves and Wandils from the two rooms ganged up on her. She used up a lot of magic, but she managed to get rid of them all." Navi flew to Link's shoulder and looked at the commander, who followed him. "Commander?"

"That is I. We need to get out of here quickly. Where are my troops?"

"In cells on the first two floors. The first one we met was asleep, but the other two were still awake. Can you carry her for me? I'm a little messed up." The commander nodded and lifted her up, setting her over her armored back and followed him out.

On the second floor, the two from the cells were waiting for them. "Welcome back, Second Commander. You don't look too shaken. Good on ya, kid," the first commended.

"What happened to her?" the other asked.

"Unfortunately, she was ambushed. Let's get out of here and back to camp." The two nodded and followed Link up the slope to the first cell.

Link knelt beside the stallion and shook him a little. "Hey, come on. The ice is not a good place to sleep." The stallion rolled over and woke up.

"Hm?" he asked, half asleep still. "Oh... I fell asleep again. Sorry. Second Commander? You're ... free?"

"As a bird. Get yourself composed, we're heading out." Another nod as he got to his hooves.

Ruby woke up and looked at the mare carrying her. "Beg your pardon, but can you set me down?" The commander set her down carefully. "Thanks. Looks like you did it. You're bleeding, though. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. It'll stop soon. My blood clots faster than normal, thankfully. How're you?" he asked her.

"I've been better. Cold armor doesn't make for a good bed." A few laughs came from two of the guards. "What?"

"Nothing. We're almost out. Hey, Aurora?!" Link yelled. "You still out there?" At the top of the hall leading out, the mare came into view. "We got her out safely."

"My Commander?! Second Commander Prism! I'm so glad you're alright," she called down. In moments, the group made it out. "3 and a half hours you've been down there."

"Aurora... So, you led them here, of course. I have you to thank as well."

"Second Commander, when we get to camp, there is a matter I need to discuss with you. In private. It is of great importance, and the reason I'm out here in the first place." The commander glanced at him. "If you don't mind."

"I don't mind at all. In fact, I was going to ask you the same thing." She smiled at him.

Finally out of the ice cavern, the 8 of them started their journey 2 miles east to the camp.

Well, there it is: the ice cavern. And I know, he doesn't get to it until he's an adult, but he wasn't about to go into a giant fish.

Regarding the commander and her fellow captives, I had originally left out the rescuing of them in the unedited version. Somehow, I didn't catch it until I got to the final version. Hopefully, it doesn't feel rushed.

In just a few (3 or 4) more chapters, it'll be his birthday, and I've got 2 votes for the bracelet and one for the slingshot. Post a comment to have your vote counted.

Side note: I looked up the military ranks, and decided the royal guard will follow the ranks of Final Fantasy XIV.