As Link and Linebeck step (and Ciela flutters) onto the Ghost Ship, with the decayed and moldy planks of its fog-covered deck creaking under their feet, the trio begins to assume that they are standing in the epicenter of evil. The goals they had sought, a rescued friend and a cargo hold full of riches, were hidden somewhere on this ghostly galleon. Link, never one to be deterred, steps through the entrance into the ship’s depths as a display to nearby undead foes that he is here to become more than prey for this infamous vessel.
Down the steps from the deck and onto the ship’s first level, Link realizes that the Ghost Ship is larger and more complicated than he first thought. Perhaps it’s by the design of the dark magic that controlled the ship, but the interior resembles the layout of many of the dungeons Link’s visited, most notably the Temple of the Ocean King. Link would need to be on guard but press on. This was the ship that took his friend Tetra. She is down here somewhere, he knows it. He’s going to find her.
His search looks to be a complicated one, but a fight with some ghosts that leads to the rescue of a mysterious maiden provides quick progress. This girl, who claims to be the youngest of the four Cubus Sisters, says that she and her three sisters were captured and taken aboard the Ghost Ship, and she asks that Link rescue the others. She doesn’t know where they are being held, but she thinks it’s possible that Tetra might be with one of the other sisters. She also cautions against stirring the menacing Reaplings, beings she only refers to as “the fallen.” With that faint hope and that grave warning, Link leaves the sister and makes his way into the darker depths of the vessel.
Finding the next sister, the third youngest one, is simple, as she is only kept on the other side of the same floor. So, Link simply escorts her back to the youngest sister. That out of the way, Link takes a deep breath and descends on the stairway leading to the lower level.
The next floor’s decor is distinct, but its layout, with the light squares included, offers even more of an ominous reflection of the Temple of the Ocean King. And the effect is made complete as Link steps out from the safety of the light, which summons a demonic Reapling to patrol the halls. It may be a spirit wielding a massive scythe, but its relation to the Phantoms is clear. Link, using all caution, sneaks around the beast and makes his way past a bevy of bothersome Skulltulas and fire traps before reaching the other side of the floor, where another Cubus Sister awaits.
This sister, the second oldest of the four, thanks Link for his help and asks him to lead her back to the youngest sister. Link obliges, but before they depart, the sister informs him that there are two treasure chests across the hall and that he should open the one on the left. She stresses this detail. The left. He should definitely open the left. Call it intuition or skepticism, but Link opts to open the one on the right, which earns him a Yellow Potion.
He has snagged a good treasure, but curiosity gets the better of him, and he must know what was in the chest she so emphatically suggested. Link pries the chest open and is met with a Rupoor, which costs him ten rupees and also summons a second Reapling. The sister, seeing what the result of opening the chest was, apologizes for her error. She claims that she must have remembered it wrong. Link remains calm, but his hero’s instinct has him on guard with these girls. Still, he does as promised and returns her to the youngest sister.
Three sisters now saved, Link pushes further into the ship to find the last one. But his trust has been waning with each new encounter with the maidens. Each floor he explores almost seems to be designed for him to find the sisters. And Skulltulas, all of which will cause the sisters to panic if they get too close, seem strategically placed along the paths back to the first floor.
Additionally, and as Link might now expect, the last sister offers similar bad advice when he finds her, such as not incapacitating the Reaplings when given the chance. Each sister seems to cause problems, and Tetra is still nowhere to be found. Link cannot give up though. With all four sisters found, perhaps they can help turn his fortunes around. Perhaps.
Perhaps not. Link, with the last and eldest sister following close behind, returns to the rest of the Cubus clan. They are happy to see all of each other, but they immediately turn on Link, bemoaning him for not succumbing to the dread of the Ghost Ship. The sisters offer to take him to Tetra, but he first must play a game on the ship’s deck — a fun, simple game of Dead Man’s Volley. Link, unfazed by their trickery and always being up for a game of the lethal sport, accepts the offer, and the five adjourn to the ship’s deck and their arena.
Outside and under the watch of the accursed fog, the sisters reveal their true nature to Link. They are the Diabolical Cubus Sisters, and now Link must best them in a four-on-one match. Their crafty tactics seem to be a challenge for Link, but his strategy is to best the sisters one at a time, and the threat they pose lessens with each subsequent victory. Before long, Link sends the last remaining sister’s hubris back at her with a swing of his blade, and he stands as the victor of the deadly game.
The Cubus Sister are defeated, though ghosts cannot truly die. But they also know that they are no match for Link. They accept defeat and, in a taunting tone, tell him to take Tetra with him. The Ghost Key, which unlocks the only unexplored area of the ship, is left in a chest for Link. Link returns to the first floor and finds the matching door. He’s excited, knowing that Tetra is close. He’s past the door. Now, only a flight of steps remains. He runs up the steps and into the room that Tetra is being held in.
He finds her. Unfortunately, Tetra, who had been calling out for his help, had been reduced to stone, her life force drained completely by this foul ship. Linebeck joins Link in the chamber, and, surprisingly, so does Oshus, who explains in detail that her life force had been sought out and drained by a demonic beast named Bellum. If Link wants to restore her, he’ll need to reach the bottom of the Temple of the Ocean King and slay the monster. He was so close, and now he is so far. But Link’s will is not easily broken, so he leaves the menacing ship, with Tetra’s petrified body in tow, and the group returns to the open seas to plan their next move.
