CHAPTER 15: COMMON GROUND
(unrevised)
_Darkness did not reign for much longer as Link walked along the narrow
tunnel. Heat began to creep into the passage, lighting his hair with
invisible flames as sweat dripped from the ends of his locks and off the
edge of his chin. His body smoldering in the new atmosphere, the weight
of his shield, sword, and accessories—even his very clothing—seemed so
much heavier. His muscles cringed under the pressure of the intense
warmth, and Link thought back to the spirit spring and how only last
night he had bathed in it.
At long last the tunnel began to widen, opening up into a large cavern inside the mountain. Parts of the rock walls were melted away, the lava falling into pools below from the intermittent cracks. The pressure in the chamber was so great that in a few spots, geysers of lava had formed, the red liquid spewing into the air every so often, splattering the crags that were still a part of the ground. Where the lava had eaten away the rock, the Gorons had constructed platforms of strong—but somewhat rusting—metal. Link cautiously made his way across the rock and metal floor until one metal pathway exited. Link followed it through a tunnel, lava churning below him and rock looming above him.
The path dove out into an even larger area. He stood ever so still as he took in every detail of the gigantic operating room. There were no Goron workers to speak of; however, huge cranes, turning wheels, and other heavy machinery were still working in the mines as if their creators were still present and controlling their every movement.
Link continued on his way across the many tiered platforms, finding his way to the nearest doorway. He traversed the area quickly, assured that if he remained in any one spot for too long, the heat would eventually wear on him. Down the slope of one metalwork platform, Link came to a door carved out of rock. He slid the door open and stepped into the next room.
Without any time to think, his reflexes were already taking action. A lizard beast, called a dodongo, had leapt out of its pocket of rocks and steam to intrude on the invader, but Link had already leapt into the room and away from the beast before it had scuttled anywhere near to him. It reared back its green head and blew flame from its snout, giving Link barely any time to roll out of the path of the blast. The lizard tossed its head, looking for its prey, but Link then came down upon its body, sword drawn.
But the sword only clanked against its green scales, and fatefully realized that the rough armor was too hard for his blade to pierce. Dancing around the creature and evading its explosions of flame, Link tried to locate some area of the beast that was not protected so well by the dull scales. When the creature turned about, searching, Link found its vulnerable area and grinned.
The lizard was beginning to turn back in his direction, but Link kicked a loose rock and the dodongo instead twisted around and blew its raging fire on it. As it was distracted, Link threw himself down onto the beast, landing his blade into the red tail. Stunned by the sudden pain, the lizard writhed under the pressure of the sword, turning onto its backside. With the underbelly exposed momentarily, Link shook his weapon free of the bleeding extremity and plunged it straight into the reddened stomach. With a squealing twist, the dodongo writhed no more.
Now Link could observe his new surroundings in peace. The area was covered in gaps of metal, lava surging upward from the holes. Obviously, the direct heat of the flares below had worn away the metal encasing the red liquid, and it seemed that the Gorons had left it in a state of reconstruction, pieces of metal sticking up in different places. The only moderately safe zone was a small rock path to the side, a faded green color emanating from the wall that rose up beside it. Another door had been fashioned at the other side of the pit.
Link lifted his sword free and started for the narrow path, but not even halfway to the safe patches of rock and metal on the other side, a piece of stone gave way from the weight of his foot, and Link leapt back against the wall, watching as the rock was engulfed. He wiped the sweat from his brow; he did not like being so close to such a threat. Yet when he tried to set on his way once more, he could not move; his back was glued to the wall.
Stunned at the impossibility of this, Link held his panic at bay. The ground beneath him was beginning to crumble. He flung an arm back to find to source of his predicament and soon realized that his shield was the item holding him in place; however, it was not stuck on any rock along the wall. He tried moving backward to the ground that he knew was safe, but he could only inch along at a slow pace, the shield shrieking as it scooted along the wall.
He at last returned to stable ground, ripping himself from the wall with tiring effort. He had cleared the rock path, which nearly completely shattered into the fiery pit beneath him. Bringing himself up, he removed his shield and found it scratched in many a place. Link frowned, seeing the triangles dented and feeling ashamed somehow. But then an idea came to him.
Link jerked off a piece of the damaged metal floor and threw it at the green-tinted wall. Shock consumed him as he saw it slap the rock but remain in place. A tiny spark fizzled between the wall and the object intermittently. A smile then crossed his lips, and he peeked again toward the ravaged floor. He set down his shield and moved out to the platforms.
The task of ripping four identical slabs of metal from the floor had been far easier than Link had expected. The heated state of the material made it less tedious to tear and form it to his particular need; though, his fingers did receive a few burns. He brought the chunks—and a clump of hot rock—back to the safe zone where he had slain the dodongo beast and sat down beside his shield. He disrobed his feet and set to work.
Link placed the metal pieces and the rock down and removed his cap. Holding a boot upside-down between his legs, Link grabbed a piece of metal and positioned it at the toe of the boot. His opposite hand covered by his hat, he scooped up the hot rock and ran it across the edges of the metal several times until it had been seared onto the shoe. Smiling at his work, he attached another piece to the heel of the same boot and then repeated the steps to his other leather boot.
When Link had finished he threw the stone down and looked at his hat; scorch marks had been embossed upon it. Shrugging, Link decided he was too hot to return it to his head anyway, and he tucked it in his belt for safekeeping.
“I hope you know that you just ruined a good pair of boots,” snorted Midna, as Link stepped back into his boots, and he was propelled to send an apology through his thoughts to the warrior of old who had once walked within their leather confinement. He tested his new soles and satisfied with his rushed work, decided to try them at their true purpose.
Link threw the shield over his back again and headed for the path. He lifted a foot tentatively to the greenish wall and felt the powerful suction vibrate through his foot as it was pulled to the vertical surface. He tried pulling it loose, and though he had to exert an incredible amount of strength to manage the feat, he was pleased. The shoes would serve their intended function.
Stepping onto the wall, one foot behind the other, he adjusted himself to the new style of sideways walking, feeling as if the higher side of his body were squishing into his lowered half. The heat from the pit below beat at his cheeks, and he propelled forward, awkwardly moving toward the other side. When he jerked one foot up, he had to continually correct his stance, for when he stood on one foot, his body arched downward.
By the time he reached the opposite side of the room and had removed himself from the wall, his calves ached and his thighs screamed. He took a few seconds to rub away the tightness, but quickly reminded himself that pain could not slow him down. He stamped over to the door and opened it.
The room within looked like a shrine, nearly mirrored to the room in which he had met Gor Coron, but this one was much smaller and more cluttered. Books, statues, and wall carvings littered the high walls, and in the center of the room, a sumo mat had been built. Yet within that ring, a little clump of rock sat, smoke steaming out of its top. As Link stepped further into the room, however, the stone took another shape—that of a tiny Goron. It’s back was the formation that had been spouting jets of fog, and at the top of its pointed head gushed more smoke from another hole. The Goron’s minuscule legs made Link wonder how the rock man could even stay upright without his cane supporting him.
His old, bleary eyes looked up at Link, “I thought I felt a presence,” the Goron’s ancient, cracking voice spoke. “But what a surprise to find a young human. Yet … why have you come?”
Link conveyed his audience with Gor Coron to the old Goron and told of his mission to help Darbus.
“Ah,” the steaming man exclaimed with new life. “If Gor Coron has faith in you, then your heart must be true. I am Gor Amoto, one of the four Goron elders. If you are to lend this tribe your power, you will need this.”
Gor Amoto passed a disassembled device into Link’s hand. It was comprised of a long bluish body and half a golden ring at the top.
“We elders had to lock our patriarch in a room deep within these mines,” the Goron said, a watery sadness seeping into his words. “That is a shard of the key that, when merged together, form the key that will open the door. There are two other pieces of the key that you will need to obtain from the other elders within the mines.”
“Thank you,” breathed Link, stowing the key shard in the cap now hanging from his belt.
Gor Amoto nodded to the young human then turned about and slowly paced over to a corner. He sank back down into his lumpy form and made no noise except the low hum of the smoke rising from his cratered back.
===============
Link finally worked his way back to the room with the large cranes hanging from overhead. Their flat surfaces had been engineered with the same green magnetism as many of the walls. While some of the swinging arms were dormant, most of them were actively collecting crates from moving pathways and turning about to deposit the cargo to a higher level. And without realizing where he was standing, Link was pulled upward along with a few crates. It was he—pulled by his shield—who hit the crane first, and after shaking himself from his daze, he quickly pulled himself upside-down onto the soles of his feet and leaned as far out as he could, hands over his head. The crates that had been sucked up below him, smacked into the crane, missing Link by a foot.
Looking behind him he was thankful the cargo had not impacted with him. Yet, then they were on the move, and he grabbed onto a side of one of the crates to brace his swaying body. They stopped meters above another level, and Link no longer felt the vibration at his feet. He pushed himself back from the crate as he and the boxes fell toward the pile of cargo below. Hopefully, he could land on the rock beside the containers, for it would be smooth compared to the rough metal that he would make contact with otherwise.
Unfortunately, Link crashed into the side of a crate and the sharp edge ripped a small but deep cut along his upper left arm. Link spun from his collision and landed face-down on the rock. The crates that had been snatched up with him fell a safe distance away.
“That was graceful,” giggled Midna.
Link picked himself up with a moan. He leaned against a crate, first holding his stomach. He then recognized the searing pain in his arm, and his hand flew to the wound where blood ran slowly down his skin. A hole had been worn into his green and white clothes and chain mail undergarment. Grimacing from the gash, he had nothing with which to bind it, and resolved that he would simply keep pressure on it with his hand until he found something else … or until he had to use it to defend himself.
Link limped a few meters away from the deposit until the pain in his foot had ebbed away. In front of him was another door, which he gladly passed through. On the other side was a room quite similar to the previous chamber, yet it expanded more outward rather than upward. He noted that this crane room was obviously older than the one now behind him, for there were some pathways and slopes built with wooden planks.
He made his way through the maze of wide, twisting platforms until he came to a chained door, having crossed decaying planks to reach it. With a shrug he lifted his blade from its sheath, a painful throb echoing through his arm, and cast the blade down upon the metal bindings. They fell loose from the sharp cut, and Link batted them aside and pushed open the door.
Darkness pervaded the next room, but to Link’s lupine eyes the space was merely dimmed. He hardly paid any attention to his blue orbs’ ability any more, for though he still feared the thought of transformation into the beast, he had admitted to himself that the talents that he had received as a human in return were far worth the pain. He needed every asset, every strength, if he was going to continue on his journey to rid Hyrule of the unnatural darkness.
He noticed a frail figure lurking in the corner of the room, another Goron shrine, and as he stepped toward the slumped frame, it turned to him. This Goron was also small in stature, but only due to his back doubled over. A large rectangle face with a long and nearly toothless mouth looked up at Link’s scratched face. “Oh…. A young human? Why have you come this far into our mines?”
Again Link explained his presence, and showed him the key shard that Gor Amoto had gifted to him.
The Goron squealed in delight. “I am Gor Ebizo. If you truly are here to help our tribe, then you will need my piece of the key.”
Gor Ebizo handed Link a piece similar to the first.
Thanking the Goron, Link turned to leave, tucking the two shards into his hat. But at the quaking voice of Gor Ebizo, Link stopped. “There are dangers that line your path to reach the last elder. There is a weapon, left by an ancient hero, hidden up ahead in a cargo room. We have protected it through the generations, and it would help you on your way. But you will first need to speak with the guard.” Gor Ebizo returned to his musings then, his back to Link.
Tilting his head as he watched the Goron, Link was slightly reminded of Midna. She also had a tendency to give him a piece of information and then disappear from conversation immediately afterward. Link wondered whether he should say anything or simply depart, and he soon opted for the latter, leaving the slouching Goron to his mumbles.
===============
Link marveled at the engineering of the next room, which had been carved cylindrically. Lava poured from the many cracks along the encompassing wall, creating a pit of fire below. The two sides of the chamber were the same, catwalks protruding outward from the opposing doors. They met in the middle by a large magnetic platform shaped in curves, the bottom doming downward. It looked almost like a crane head, only upside-down. Four massive and durable chains connected the platform to the ceiling that loomed high overhead. Crates of ore were stacked at one side, making the platform yield only slightly to that side. Link assumed this was the storage room of which Gor Ebizo had told him. He could have stared in awe at the ingenuity of the Gorons for ages, to learn their ways of construction.
However, he had to move on.
Upon taking his first step onto the large ring, his feet buzzed to life and became more difficult to move, but he had become accustomed to exerting the necessary power for lifting them one step at a time.
“What business does a human have coming here?” a deep voice boomed across the chamber.
Link stopped all movement, and while he slowly reached for his sword—his arm squirming on the inside from its wound—he cast his eyesight all about the room, looking down, up, and into every corner and crack.
“No business, I say!” the voice reverberated.
“I have come to help your tribe,” argued Link, being sure to project his voice in a deeper octave. His eyes continued to search.
“This is a forbidden place!” the cruel tone echoed again.
“Gor Coron sent me,” Link tried to reason. “Gor Ebizo told me—”
A laugh bellowed from the voice’s hiding place, and a body emerged from the shadow of a boulder on a short cliff just about Link. The Goron’s arms, back, and head were vastly armored, its hunks of metal casings making it seem twice the size of a normal Goron at its distance from Link, whose left hand now crept up the scabbard at his back upon locating the mass of moving rock. “Puny talk from a puny human,” the Goron said from behind a rusted silvery helmet.
The Goron then leapt from his perch and landed heavily onto the magnetic platform, and it immediately quaked beneath his profound weight. Two opposing chains snapped causing the platform to collapse slightly, just above the deposit of fire and lava. The crates toppled, many falling into the abyss of fiery death. Fortunately, the two chains that still secured the platform above the pit were resilient enough to hold up the massive weight, but Link wondered … for how long?
Having fallen to his side from the impact, Link looked up at the now approaching Goron, who had the appearance of an armored and red-painted boulder. “I don’t want to fight you,” shouted Link, a fire in his eyes.
The large sockets of the Goron stared back at him, amused. “No, of course not. Dangoro not let you pass.”
Dangoro rubbed his knuckles together then waved Link to defend himself. Breaking free of his hesitation to bring unnecessary pain to the Goron tribe, Link pushed himself up and drew his defenses, setting his shield just below eyelevel and his sword ready in his hand. Dangoro reared back an arm and pulled his other in close. His fist crashed down, but Link leapt to the side, the hit landing on the platform and rocking it dangerously.
Link slashed at the Goron’s large arm, trying to sever its armor from its body as he had done with the ogre beast so many days ago. His hope was to make certain his strength, prove himself, without causing the Goron mortal injuries. However, the rage Dangoro fought with made Link’s attempts at half-hearted battle difficult.
The Goron pounded once more, narrowly missing the human’s toes and shaking their support terribly. The chains groaned for relief. And as Dangoro’s attacks became more and more aggressive against Link and threatening to the stability of the platform, Link was forced to abandon his battle plan.
But the green clad warrior’s assaults were meaningless; he found himself unable again and again to break through the defensive arm that shielded the body of his foe. It was then reminded of his last lesson with the ancient hero.
… if a foe is clad in armor … the sword will do it no harm.... Link could clearly see the skeletal mouth moving. Open a hole in your enemy’s defenses and strike without hesitation!...
Resigning himself to the technique so that he could open up his enemy to the attack, Link approached Dangoro cautiously, after he had missed his prey once more. While the Goron was momentarily preoccupied with his anger, Link lunged his shield against the weight of the folded arm, and watched in amazement as the large boulder rolled backward onto his buttocks. Link slashed at the exposed rocky flesh, and with a groan, Dangoro balled himself up, crashing down onto the platform.
Link could no longer reach any part of the Goron’s body, for now, the only rock exposed was shelled in metal. However, there was no need for Link to strike again because once Dangoro had forcefully pounded himself into a sphere, the platform had rocked and tipped.
Even with his own magnetism, the Goron’s weight was too much for the armor to hold still, and he slid from the green surface.
Link watched as the Goron fell toward the fires. But Dangoro unwrapped his body and, with a sudden fright at realizing his doom, stretched out a thick arm. He caught onto a ledge but lost his grip and continued to fall until he caught onto another outcrop. He pulled himself up, but with the lava churning just meters below him, one of the shooting sparks landed atop his helm. Dangoro only fleetingly panicked and threw the mask from his face. He then started back up the wall, a deathly stare contaminating his face.
He had every intention to squash Link when he leapt up from a ledge and caught onto the careening edge of the magnetic platform, but when he had lifted his gargantuan body upward only partway, a sword tip met his throat. The blade did not pierce his stone skin, but simply rested there.
Dangoro looked up at the warrior. Link’s cold gaze was just as menacing, perhaps even more so, than the Goron’s. Dangoro realized that his peril was unavoidable, that he had lost. Admitting defeat, the Goron commended Link, his stone eyes softening, “I did not know that humans were capable of such strength.”
Link understood that this was his version of forfeiting and allowed Dangoro to rise and stand opposite him … however, he did not stow his blade just yet. “You are going to see the patriarch, yes?”
“I had intended to, yes,” replied Link, still wary, though sheathing his blade. “As I was trying to tell you earlier.”
Dangoro bowed in shame. It seemed that though he was the guard, most of his strength lay in his pride and not his muscles. Link took the opportunity to convey his need of the weapon of the old hero and of Gor Ebizo’s blessing.
The Goron considered the young man’s request and finally bowed once more. “Come,” said Dangoro, and he led Link off the wobbling platform to a door framed by two torches.
Link followed the Goron into the next room. It was filled with crate upon crate and also was home to many Goron artifacts. Dangoro ushered Link to a corner of the room. Leaning against the wall was a carved wooden box, decorated brilliantly with red stones. Opening the box with Dangoro’s permission, Link picked up a long cylindrical package from its depths. He stripped back the lacings enclosing it at the top and slid out an ornately embossed bow. Dangoro lifted another item from the chest and handed it to Link. A quiver of brightly painted arrows.
Link thanked Dangoro, pushed the bow back into its case, and slid both it and the quiver over his head and shoulder.
“You must save our patriarch,” said Dangoro. When Link nodded, the large man added, “One of our elders is in a shrine just ahead. You should see him.” And with a grunt, Dangoro backtracked into the previous room to repair the damage that he had cause, but Link thought that perhaps he would do so more to mend his shame.
===============
After passing through a crumbling room of pure rock and fire, stalactite threatening to break loose and fall down upon him, Link gladly crossed into the next room. His arm was pulsing from his brief altercation with Dangoro and resented that he would possibly need to use it again to save the Gorons’ patriarch.
A red beam threw itself at Link, singeing his shoulder. With a yelp of pain, Link hopped behind a curved wall. He peered around the corner and saw five statues the same height as him. Their heads rotated, oddly, a glowing device centered on one side of each of them. He could have warned me of a security system, Link grumbled.
Link quickly turned back into his hiding place when the leftmost device spotted him and shot a red shaft toward him. The sparks destroyed a portion of the wall, and Link shielded his eyes from the dust. As the pebbles settled, Link pondered a way to bypass the red eyes of deathly vigilance.
Something rubbed against his back, and when he leaned forward to slap away the disturbance, he felt the case of his newly acquired weapon. Quickly, he removed the bow and retrieved an arrow from his quiver. As he nocked the shaft and pointed it carefully around the corner, he could remember hunting with such a device as a boy, under the instruction of Rusl. He aimed directly at the circling head and waited, just as he had patiently sat all those many years ago when he had his game in sight.
His arrow pierced the red socket and the entire head stopped all movement. The other statues, being inanimate, paid no attention to the destruction of one of their own and continued scanning. Link readied another arrow, shifting himself.
His arrow cracked in two as it struck its intended target.
Link repeated the feat thrice more and moved out into the room, though, casting glances all about the room, preparing himself for any other assault that may surprise him.
However, the room seemed still now, and Link lowered his arm and began gathering the arrows that were still intact. Sparks flew about his head sporadically as the statues’ last attempts at life failed. However, there was one statue that truly seemed to spring to life, for it moved forward, creeping toward Link as if every inch taken was torture to its rattling stone body.
Link raised his bow, nocked an arrow, and pulled back on the string in one swift motion.
But the stone ceased movement in the next moment, and a thick, rocky powder swam through the air, settling around the sculpture.
An intricately tattooed and painted body appeared from behind the statue. Red beads danced about on a chain surrounding its neck, and an oddly shaped hat seemed glued to its head. It approached Link, and Link aimed higher when he realized the strange beast stood taller than him. Yet, its blue-painted lip uttered friendly words, “Ah, how you remind me of the old hero, standing there, holding the ancient weapon we Gorons have protected throughout the ages.”
Squinting through the hazed room, Link lowered his bow only slightly, the man stopping before Link and bowing.
“I sensed you would be arriving,” the Goron spoke in a smooth, peaceful voice—not at all like the Gorons with whom Link had spoken. The Goron frowned when he saw the burn mark on Link’s shoulder. “I must apologize.” Then he turned back to Link, who had now tilted his weapon down completely; though, the arrow remained loosely nocked.
“I am Gor Liggs,” he introduced.
“Link,” the young warrior offered, still unsure.
Gor Liggs paid no attention, and stretched out his hand. “I believe this is what you are searching for. Take it.”
Link accepted that the Goron was one of the elders and that he posed no threat, and though his nerves were still aflame, he returned the arrow to his quiver and leaned the bow against his leg. Gor Liggs shoved his hand further toward Link, and the young human lifted the final shard of the key into his hand. After marveling at its elaborate carvings, Link removed the other two from his dangling hat.
“Combine them,” commanded a mystical tone from the Goron.
Link located each groove on the pieces and overlapped them onto one another until finally, the three pieces became whole again.
“A word of caution!” hissed Gor Liggs, and Link’s head snapped up. “We elders do not know how powerful Darbus may have become in his grotesque form. I lay my trust in you, however, for your power has brought you this far.” He looked gravely down at Link. “The locked door is just beyond the next room.”
Link nodded and gazed at the key again, yet at a scuttling noise, he looked upward. Gor Liggs had turned and retreated back into his concealment.
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Link entered a room which boiled at the highest intensity he had yet experienced within the mines. There were two levels to the room; Link stood on the elevated end. Yet, a path sloped and curved about the right side. Link quickly scuttled down the metal planks and was seared immediately by the blazing heat. Lava swam only an inch below the edge of the now rocky plain. Sweat dripped down his face, and he could feel his white undergarments sticking to the flesh of his legs and arms and chest. Breathing deep, Link wiped his forehead and turned from the edge.
His bow was still at hand, ready at any moment to jerk an arrow from behind him. In his left hand he held the newly reconstructed key.
Sunken into the stone, a massive door echoed the pain within it. A representation of the Goron’s most sacred jewel loomed above it: the ruby. Chains as thick as Dangoro’s arms made entry impossible, however, Link set his bow against the door, behind the restraints, and slid the key into the central lock at which all the chains were connected. Link turned the device about slowly, and with each slight twist, the metal ropes fell to slap against the wall or floor. When the last chain fell, its descent to the floor rang through Link. It was the last link that had protected him from the horrors waiting beyond the mass, and now, there was no longer an excuse for him not to cross the threshold.
Link dropped the key to the floor and picked up his bow. He returned the weapon to its case but did not lace it lest he need it. He drew his saber, took a deep breath, and pushed in on the central piece of the door. It creaked inward.
The circular chamber had an eerie dark tint. With his enhanced vision, Link could make out beautiful white pillars encircling the area. It appeared to be another of the Gorons’ shrines that had been built into the mines. Glittering objects caught his attention and he looked to the floor.
More chains. These, however, were attached to the walls and led out to a figure standing dormant in the center of the shrine. Link brought his gaze upward and followed the figure’s shape until he saw two more identical chains hanging down from the walls and circling the wrists of the body.
The darkened figure stood nearly as tall as the pillars, meters above Link, claws inched out of every tip of each finger and toe. Its head hung down, as if sleeping, and bore a carapace of hard tusks. Rough rasps of breath came from its lungs … breathing that soon took on more life.
A brightness shimmered on the top of its slumped head. Link took a step toward it to see that its red eyes were now open and gazing outward. At the smell of the tiny human, the mouth spread wide in a deathly roar, echoing long weeks of isolated torture. Teeth as long as Link’s arms sprung wetly from its gums, desperate for sustenance. The creature began to calm, and Link took a step backward.
“…Darbus?” asked Link.
At the mention of the name, the beast began to writhe and tug on its restraints, and it screamed at Link, its face stretching down just inches from him. Its bottled anger burst forth from it to ignite itself. Fires raced up and down its body; though, its flesh seemed oddly protective from the deadliness of such an affliction. The flames bouncing around its frame, a new light pierced the room and gave wicked life to the bare walls.
With another few yanks, the chains about his hands broke free, one at the wrist, the other at the ceiling. It stomped forward and the chains in the walls gave way. The flares toying with Darbus laughed cruelly at Link, and immediately threw a clawed hand toward him, sending him sideways into a pillar. Link picked himself up quickly, holding his hip, and dashed behind the white column. Desperately, Link tried to think as Darbus roared again, wandering toward him slowly.
He tried calling out to Darbus, but the blazing redness made two words combine when he spoke, “Fire—us! Stop!” But once Darbus reached Link’s hiding place, he slashed out again, the pillar crumbling to the floor.
Link had rolled away and run behind another pillar, stalling for time until he decided what he was going to do. He peeked around the beam and watched as it sniffed at his trail. Then he noticed something odd about the headpiece it was wearing and was reminded suddenly of Midna. A part of the carapace was made up of a Fused Shadow, what he and Midna were truly after.
But there’s no way I can get to it! Link shouted at himself. But then the thought occurred. Not with a sword anyway....
Link sheathed his sword and pulled his bow out, nocking an arrow. He aimed at Darbus the moment the creature had spotted him. Growling, it drew nearer, but Link pushed away all fear and kept his position. Once the monster was close enough, he let his shaft fly.
Darbus’s forehead was struck by the blast, and momentarily blinded with pain, Link climbed the pillar next to him, and once he was perched on the top, he leapt for the dangling chain to which Darbus had once been attached. He seized the rope of metal links and swung straight for the creature’s head and released his grip once he was directly overhead.
Landing hard on the uneven surface, Link immediately started pulling at the section of the helm that he needed and which would likely free Darbus from his terrible fate once freed from its menace. However, once Link had obtained a firm grasp on the Shadow, Darbus tossed his head, and Link was thrown off.
Link crashed hard against the floor and a spurt of blood shot from his mouth. But he did not yield to the pain; he propelled himself backward as Darbus approached … even more furious than before. Frantically, Link righted himself and leaned against a pillar. He racked his brain for an answer, and only one solution presented itself.
If you can’t stop the big fiery monster, destroy things like the big fiery monster ....
Link wound around the back of the column and pushed his back up against it, and since it was so near to the wall, Link utilized its help and pressed a foot to it. He rammed all his strength into the pillar and finally heard the satisfying skid that told him it was beginning to tip. He pushed harder until he could assure himself that it would fall the rest of the way on its own. He stowed his bow back into its container and slid out his sword.
“What are you doing?” screamed Midna angrily, reading Link’s intentions and jumping out of his shadow. “You’re going to end up killing him!”
“Since when did you care about anything except yourself?” Link shouted in return before he could stop himself.
Darbus had fallen face down onto the floor, pressed underneath the enormous white shards. With a leap from the broken pieces of the pillar, Link landed onto the large carapace. Ignoring the countless boisterous objections from Darbus, Link steadied himself on the swiveling head. He stabbed his saber as carefully as possible into the headpiece as he could and began working the Fused Shadow free.
After minutes of impatiently weaving his blade about the ancient piece, the Shadow broke off into his opposite hand. Immediately, there was a low grumble, and the walls began to quake. Link leapt off the monster and tucked the precious artifact against his chest. He could feel a darkness emanating from within it, and a strange coldness crept up his breast. He was broken free of the oddity when Darbus stood and began struggling against an unknowable force.
All at once the eyes stopping glowing in rage, and the body was reduced in size, toppling over in the shape of a Goron. Link knelt at his side.
“Is he …?” started Midna.
“He’s alive,” returned Link, but then he rose, turned on Midna, and glowered at her. “I think it’s time you told me exactly what these Fused Shadows are,” he demanded, still holding the newly acquired piece tightly within his folded arms. “Faron said the spirits locked them away, said it was a forbidden power. I don’t understand why you need this power. Look at what it did to Darbus!”
Midna gazed down at the unconscious patriarch, but she caught her sympathy before it consumed her eyes when she turned back to Link. “I’ll tell you a story,” she sneered. Then her eyes clouded. “Zant....” Her voice shook with anger at the name. “That is the name of the King of Shadows who has cast this pall of shadows over your world. He’s quite strong.” Midna approached Link and grinned ominously. “You would be nothing to him in your current state. But Zant … will never be my King! I have nothing but scorn for his supposed strength.”
She turned her back on Link. “Not that your Zelda is much better. It still appalls me that this world of light is controlled by that princess. A carefree youth … a life of luxury....” Her voice trailed off. Though her thoughts were unknown to Link, he could feel a well of misery undulating from her tone, as if she were … envious.... “How does that teach duty?” she asked, trying to snap herself free of whatever emotions had raged into her.
Midna partly turned back to face Link, but still did not look him in the eye, for she had been unsuccessful in liberating her strange emotions from her outward appearance. “But I guess I shouldn’t begrudge her the circumstances of her life. She didn’t choose it, after all. And I would never wish harm on her....
“No, as long as I can get my hands on the Fused Shadows,” Midna looked at him, “I’ll be just fine.”
They shared a glance then. It was the first time that they had truly looked at one another, and though Midna had not directly answered his inquiries, he understood. She sympathized with Zelda, with the light world, but she still only had an eye for helping herself. She wanted the Shadows to dismiss Zant from power, the king that she resented. And although she was outwardly selfish, Link saw something in her in that moment. Something foreign to her. A sparkle of courage.
They were beginning to become more like one another than they had realized. While Midna had taken on new perspectives of the light world and its inhabitants, Link had become more independent and rebellious. Neither of them were sure that they liked these new faces of themselves, but they could not remold themselves into what they had been before their first meeting.
In that moment they truly became … partners. Though they still did not absolutely trust each other, they had reached a common understanding, one that led them both to take another step forward.
Facing Link, Midna lowered her gaze, and a hidden pain overtook her. Link stretched out an arm and took her hand in his. She blinked, looking up at his hand and then to him. He was holding the Fused Shadow out to her.
She accepted it and then looked back at him. His stare was blank, but she could see beyond the plain façade. He was devoted to the same cause. They both craved the destruction of Zant, King of Shadows.
At long last the tunnel began to widen, opening up into a large cavern inside the mountain. Parts of the rock walls were melted away, the lava falling into pools below from the intermittent cracks. The pressure in the chamber was so great that in a few spots, geysers of lava had formed, the red liquid spewing into the air every so often, splattering the crags that were still a part of the ground. Where the lava had eaten away the rock, the Gorons had constructed platforms of strong—but somewhat rusting—metal. Link cautiously made his way across the rock and metal floor until one metal pathway exited. Link followed it through a tunnel, lava churning below him and rock looming above him.
The path dove out into an even larger area. He stood ever so still as he took in every detail of the gigantic operating room. There were no Goron workers to speak of; however, huge cranes, turning wheels, and other heavy machinery were still working in the mines as if their creators were still present and controlling their every movement.
Link continued on his way across the many tiered platforms, finding his way to the nearest doorway. He traversed the area quickly, assured that if he remained in any one spot for too long, the heat would eventually wear on him. Down the slope of one metalwork platform, Link came to a door carved out of rock. He slid the door open and stepped into the next room.
Without any time to think, his reflexes were already taking action. A lizard beast, called a dodongo, had leapt out of its pocket of rocks and steam to intrude on the invader, but Link had already leapt into the room and away from the beast before it had scuttled anywhere near to him. It reared back its green head and blew flame from its snout, giving Link barely any time to roll out of the path of the blast. The lizard tossed its head, looking for its prey, but Link then came down upon its body, sword drawn.
But the sword only clanked against its green scales, and fatefully realized that the rough armor was too hard for his blade to pierce. Dancing around the creature and evading its explosions of flame, Link tried to locate some area of the beast that was not protected so well by the dull scales. When the creature turned about, searching, Link found its vulnerable area and grinned.
The lizard was beginning to turn back in his direction, but Link kicked a loose rock and the dodongo instead twisted around and blew its raging fire on it. As it was distracted, Link threw himself down onto the beast, landing his blade into the red tail. Stunned by the sudden pain, the lizard writhed under the pressure of the sword, turning onto its backside. With the underbelly exposed momentarily, Link shook his weapon free of the bleeding extremity and plunged it straight into the reddened stomach. With a squealing twist, the dodongo writhed no more.
Now Link could observe his new surroundings in peace. The area was covered in gaps of metal, lava surging upward from the holes. Obviously, the direct heat of the flares below had worn away the metal encasing the red liquid, and it seemed that the Gorons had left it in a state of reconstruction, pieces of metal sticking up in different places. The only moderately safe zone was a small rock path to the side, a faded green color emanating from the wall that rose up beside it. Another door had been fashioned at the other side of the pit.
Link lifted his sword free and started for the narrow path, but not even halfway to the safe patches of rock and metal on the other side, a piece of stone gave way from the weight of his foot, and Link leapt back against the wall, watching as the rock was engulfed. He wiped the sweat from his brow; he did not like being so close to such a threat. Yet when he tried to set on his way once more, he could not move; his back was glued to the wall.
Stunned at the impossibility of this, Link held his panic at bay. The ground beneath him was beginning to crumble. He flung an arm back to find to source of his predicament and soon realized that his shield was the item holding him in place; however, it was not stuck on any rock along the wall. He tried moving backward to the ground that he knew was safe, but he could only inch along at a slow pace, the shield shrieking as it scooted along the wall.
He at last returned to stable ground, ripping himself from the wall with tiring effort. He had cleared the rock path, which nearly completely shattered into the fiery pit beneath him. Bringing himself up, he removed his shield and found it scratched in many a place. Link frowned, seeing the triangles dented and feeling ashamed somehow. But then an idea came to him.
Link jerked off a piece of the damaged metal floor and threw it at the green-tinted wall. Shock consumed him as he saw it slap the rock but remain in place. A tiny spark fizzled between the wall and the object intermittently. A smile then crossed his lips, and he peeked again toward the ravaged floor. He set down his shield and moved out to the platforms.
The task of ripping four identical slabs of metal from the floor had been far easier than Link had expected. The heated state of the material made it less tedious to tear and form it to his particular need; though, his fingers did receive a few burns. He brought the chunks—and a clump of hot rock—back to the safe zone where he had slain the dodongo beast and sat down beside his shield. He disrobed his feet and set to work.
Link placed the metal pieces and the rock down and removed his cap. Holding a boot upside-down between his legs, Link grabbed a piece of metal and positioned it at the toe of the boot. His opposite hand covered by his hat, he scooped up the hot rock and ran it across the edges of the metal several times until it had been seared onto the shoe. Smiling at his work, he attached another piece to the heel of the same boot and then repeated the steps to his other leather boot.
When Link had finished he threw the stone down and looked at his hat; scorch marks had been embossed upon it. Shrugging, Link decided he was too hot to return it to his head anyway, and he tucked it in his belt for safekeeping.
“I hope you know that you just ruined a good pair of boots,” snorted Midna, as Link stepped back into his boots, and he was propelled to send an apology through his thoughts to the warrior of old who had once walked within their leather confinement. He tested his new soles and satisfied with his rushed work, decided to try them at their true purpose.
Link threw the shield over his back again and headed for the path. He lifted a foot tentatively to the greenish wall and felt the powerful suction vibrate through his foot as it was pulled to the vertical surface. He tried pulling it loose, and though he had to exert an incredible amount of strength to manage the feat, he was pleased. The shoes would serve their intended function.
Stepping onto the wall, one foot behind the other, he adjusted himself to the new style of sideways walking, feeling as if the higher side of his body were squishing into his lowered half. The heat from the pit below beat at his cheeks, and he propelled forward, awkwardly moving toward the other side. When he jerked one foot up, he had to continually correct his stance, for when he stood on one foot, his body arched downward.
By the time he reached the opposite side of the room and had removed himself from the wall, his calves ached and his thighs screamed. He took a few seconds to rub away the tightness, but quickly reminded himself that pain could not slow him down. He stamped over to the door and opened it.
The room within looked like a shrine, nearly mirrored to the room in which he had met Gor Coron, but this one was much smaller and more cluttered. Books, statues, and wall carvings littered the high walls, and in the center of the room, a sumo mat had been built. Yet within that ring, a little clump of rock sat, smoke steaming out of its top. As Link stepped further into the room, however, the stone took another shape—that of a tiny Goron. It’s back was the formation that had been spouting jets of fog, and at the top of its pointed head gushed more smoke from another hole. The Goron’s minuscule legs made Link wonder how the rock man could even stay upright without his cane supporting him.
His old, bleary eyes looked up at Link, “I thought I felt a presence,” the Goron’s ancient, cracking voice spoke. “But what a surprise to find a young human. Yet … why have you come?”
Link conveyed his audience with Gor Coron to the old Goron and told of his mission to help Darbus.
“Ah,” the steaming man exclaimed with new life. “If Gor Coron has faith in you, then your heart must be true. I am Gor Amoto, one of the four Goron elders. If you are to lend this tribe your power, you will need this.”
Gor Amoto passed a disassembled device into Link’s hand. It was comprised of a long bluish body and half a golden ring at the top.
“We elders had to lock our patriarch in a room deep within these mines,” the Goron said, a watery sadness seeping into his words. “That is a shard of the key that, when merged together, form the key that will open the door. There are two other pieces of the key that you will need to obtain from the other elders within the mines.”
“Thank you,” breathed Link, stowing the key shard in the cap now hanging from his belt.
Gor Amoto nodded to the young human then turned about and slowly paced over to a corner. He sank back down into his lumpy form and made no noise except the low hum of the smoke rising from his cratered back.
===============
Link finally worked his way back to the room with the large cranes hanging from overhead. Their flat surfaces had been engineered with the same green magnetism as many of the walls. While some of the swinging arms were dormant, most of them were actively collecting crates from moving pathways and turning about to deposit the cargo to a higher level. And without realizing where he was standing, Link was pulled upward along with a few crates. It was he—pulled by his shield—who hit the crane first, and after shaking himself from his daze, he quickly pulled himself upside-down onto the soles of his feet and leaned as far out as he could, hands over his head. The crates that had been sucked up below him, smacked into the crane, missing Link by a foot.
Looking behind him he was thankful the cargo had not impacted with him. Yet, then they were on the move, and he grabbed onto a side of one of the crates to brace his swaying body. They stopped meters above another level, and Link no longer felt the vibration at his feet. He pushed himself back from the crate as he and the boxes fell toward the pile of cargo below. Hopefully, he could land on the rock beside the containers, for it would be smooth compared to the rough metal that he would make contact with otherwise.
Unfortunately, Link crashed into the side of a crate and the sharp edge ripped a small but deep cut along his upper left arm. Link spun from his collision and landed face-down on the rock. The crates that had been snatched up with him fell a safe distance away.
“That was graceful,” giggled Midna.
Link picked himself up with a moan. He leaned against a crate, first holding his stomach. He then recognized the searing pain in his arm, and his hand flew to the wound where blood ran slowly down his skin. A hole had been worn into his green and white clothes and chain mail undergarment. Grimacing from the gash, he had nothing with which to bind it, and resolved that he would simply keep pressure on it with his hand until he found something else … or until he had to use it to defend himself.
Link limped a few meters away from the deposit until the pain in his foot had ebbed away. In front of him was another door, which he gladly passed through. On the other side was a room quite similar to the previous chamber, yet it expanded more outward rather than upward. He noted that this crane room was obviously older than the one now behind him, for there were some pathways and slopes built with wooden planks.
He made his way through the maze of wide, twisting platforms until he came to a chained door, having crossed decaying planks to reach it. With a shrug he lifted his blade from its sheath, a painful throb echoing through his arm, and cast the blade down upon the metal bindings. They fell loose from the sharp cut, and Link batted them aside and pushed open the door.
Darkness pervaded the next room, but to Link’s lupine eyes the space was merely dimmed. He hardly paid any attention to his blue orbs’ ability any more, for though he still feared the thought of transformation into the beast, he had admitted to himself that the talents that he had received as a human in return were far worth the pain. He needed every asset, every strength, if he was going to continue on his journey to rid Hyrule of the unnatural darkness.
He noticed a frail figure lurking in the corner of the room, another Goron shrine, and as he stepped toward the slumped frame, it turned to him. This Goron was also small in stature, but only due to his back doubled over. A large rectangle face with a long and nearly toothless mouth looked up at Link’s scratched face. “Oh…. A young human? Why have you come this far into our mines?”
Again Link explained his presence, and showed him the key shard that Gor Amoto had gifted to him.
The Goron squealed in delight. “I am Gor Ebizo. If you truly are here to help our tribe, then you will need my piece of the key.”
Gor Ebizo handed Link a piece similar to the first.
Thanking the Goron, Link turned to leave, tucking the two shards into his hat. But at the quaking voice of Gor Ebizo, Link stopped. “There are dangers that line your path to reach the last elder. There is a weapon, left by an ancient hero, hidden up ahead in a cargo room. We have protected it through the generations, and it would help you on your way. But you will first need to speak with the guard.” Gor Ebizo returned to his musings then, his back to Link.
Tilting his head as he watched the Goron, Link was slightly reminded of Midna. She also had a tendency to give him a piece of information and then disappear from conversation immediately afterward. Link wondered whether he should say anything or simply depart, and he soon opted for the latter, leaving the slouching Goron to his mumbles.
===============
Link marveled at the engineering of the next room, which had been carved cylindrically. Lava poured from the many cracks along the encompassing wall, creating a pit of fire below. The two sides of the chamber were the same, catwalks protruding outward from the opposing doors. They met in the middle by a large magnetic platform shaped in curves, the bottom doming downward. It looked almost like a crane head, only upside-down. Four massive and durable chains connected the platform to the ceiling that loomed high overhead. Crates of ore were stacked at one side, making the platform yield only slightly to that side. Link assumed this was the storage room of which Gor Ebizo had told him. He could have stared in awe at the ingenuity of the Gorons for ages, to learn their ways of construction.
However, he had to move on.
Upon taking his first step onto the large ring, his feet buzzed to life and became more difficult to move, but he had become accustomed to exerting the necessary power for lifting them one step at a time.
“What business does a human have coming here?” a deep voice boomed across the chamber.
Link stopped all movement, and while he slowly reached for his sword—his arm squirming on the inside from its wound—he cast his eyesight all about the room, looking down, up, and into every corner and crack.
“No business, I say!” the voice reverberated.
“I have come to help your tribe,” argued Link, being sure to project his voice in a deeper octave. His eyes continued to search.
“This is a forbidden place!” the cruel tone echoed again.
“Gor Coron sent me,” Link tried to reason. “Gor Ebizo told me—”
A laugh bellowed from the voice’s hiding place, and a body emerged from the shadow of a boulder on a short cliff just about Link. The Goron’s arms, back, and head were vastly armored, its hunks of metal casings making it seem twice the size of a normal Goron at its distance from Link, whose left hand now crept up the scabbard at his back upon locating the mass of moving rock. “Puny talk from a puny human,” the Goron said from behind a rusted silvery helmet.
The Goron then leapt from his perch and landed heavily onto the magnetic platform, and it immediately quaked beneath his profound weight. Two opposing chains snapped causing the platform to collapse slightly, just above the deposit of fire and lava. The crates toppled, many falling into the abyss of fiery death. Fortunately, the two chains that still secured the platform above the pit were resilient enough to hold up the massive weight, but Link wondered … for how long?
Having fallen to his side from the impact, Link looked up at the now approaching Goron, who had the appearance of an armored and red-painted boulder. “I don’t want to fight you,” shouted Link, a fire in his eyes.
The large sockets of the Goron stared back at him, amused. “No, of course not. Dangoro not let you pass.”
Dangoro rubbed his knuckles together then waved Link to defend himself. Breaking free of his hesitation to bring unnecessary pain to the Goron tribe, Link pushed himself up and drew his defenses, setting his shield just below eyelevel and his sword ready in his hand. Dangoro reared back an arm and pulled his other in close. His fist crashed down, but Link leapt to the side, the hit landing on the platform and rocking it dangerously.
Link slashed at the Goron’s large arm, trying to sever its armor from its body as he had done with the ogre beast so many days ago. His hope was to make certain his strength, prove himself, without causing the Goron mortal injuries. However, the rage Dangoro fought with made Link’s attempts at half-hearted battle difficult.
The Goron pounded once more, narrowly missing the human’s toes and shaking their support terribly. The chains groaned for relief. And as Dangoro’s attacks became more and more aggressive against Link and threatening to the stability of the platform, Link was forced to abandon his battle plan.
But the green clad warrior’s assaults were meaningless; he found himself unable again and again to break through the defensive arm that shielded the body of his foe. It was then reminded of his last lesson with the ancient hero.
… if a foe is clad in armor … the sword will do it no harm.... Link could clearly see the skeletal mouth moving. Open a hole in your enemy’s defenses and strike without hesitation!...
Resigning himself to the technique so that he could open up his enemy to the attack, Link approached Dangoro cautiously, after he had missed his prey once more. While the Goron was momentarily preoccupied with his anger, Link lunged his shield against the weight of the folded arm, and watched in amazement as the large boulder rolled backward onto his buttocks. Link slashed at the exposed rocky flesh, and with a groan, Dangoro balled himself up, crashing down onto the platform.
Link could no longer reach any part of the Goron’s body, for now, the only rock exposed was shelled in metal. However, there was no need for Link to strike again because once Dangoro had forcefully pounded himself into a sphere, the platform had rocked and tipped.
Even with his own magnetism, the Goron’s weight was too much for the armor to hold still, and he slid from the green surface.
Link watched as the Goron fell toward the fires. But Dangoro unwrapped his body and, with a sudden fright at realizing his doom, stretched out a thick arm. He caught onto a ledge but lost his grip and continued to fall until he caught onto another outcrop. He pulled himself up, but with the lava churning just meters below him, one of the shooting sparks landed atop his helm. Dangoro only fleetingly panicked and threw the mask from his face. He then started back up the wall, a deathly stare contaminating his face.
He had every intention to squash Link when he leapt up from a ledge and caught onto the careening edge of the magnetic platform, but when he had lifted his gargantuan body upward only partway, a sword tip met his throat. The blade did not pierce his stone skin, but simply rested there.
Dangoro looked up at the warrior. Link’s cold gaze was just as menacing, perhaps even more so, than the Goron’s. Dangoro realized that his peril was unavoidable, that he had lost. Admitting defeat, the Goron commended Link, his stone eyes softening, “I did not know that humans were capable of such strength.”
Link understood that this was his version of forfeiting and allowed Dangoro to rise and stand opposite him … however, he did not stow his blade just yet. “You are going to see the patriarch, yes?”
“I had intended to, yes,” replied Link, still wary, though sheathing his blade. “As I was trying to tell you earlier.”
Dangoro bowed in shame. It seemed that though he was the guard, most of his strength lay in his pride and not his muscles. Link took the opportunity to convey his need of the weapon of the old hero and of Gor Ebizo’s blessing.
The Goron considered the young man’s request and finally bowed once more. “Come,” said Dangoro, and he led Link off the wobbling platform to a door framed by two torches.
Link followed the Goron into the next room. It was filled with crate upon crate and also was home to many Goron artifacts. Dangoro ushered Link to a corner of the room. Leaning against the wall was a carved wooden box, decorated brilliantly with red stones. Opening the box with Dangoro’s permission, Link picked up a long cylindrical package from its depths. He stripped back the lacings enclosing it at the top and slid out an ornately embossed bow. Dangoro lifted another item from the chest and handed it to Link. A quiver of brightly painted arrows.
Link thanked Dangoro, pushed the bow back into its case, and slid both it and the quiver over his head and shoulder.
“You must save our patriarch,” said Dangoro. When Link nodded, the large man added, “One of our elders is in a shrine just ahead. You should see him.” And with a grunt, Dangoro backtracked into the previous room to repair the damage that he had cause, but Link thought that perhaps he would do so more to mend his shame.
===============
After passing through a crumbling room of pure rock and fire, stalactite threatening to break loose and fall down upon him, Link gladly crossed into the next room. His arm was pulsing from his brief altercation with Dangoro and resented that he would possibly need to use it again to save the Gorons’ patriarch.
A red beam threw itself at Link, singeing his shoulder. With a yelp of pain, Link hopped behind a curved wall. He peered around the corner and saw five statues the same height as him. Their heads rotated, oddly, a glowing device centered on one side of each of them. He could have warned me of a security system, Link grumbled.
Link quickly turned back into his hiding place when the leftmost device spotted him and shot a red shaft toward him. The sparks destroyed a portion of the wall, and Link shielded his eyes from the dust. As the pebbles settled, Link pondered a way to bypass the red eyes of deathly vigilance.
Something rubbed against his back, and when he leaned forward to slap away the disturbance, he felt the case of his newly acquired weapon. Quickly, he removed the bow and retrieved an arrow from his quiver. As he nocked the shaft and pointed it carefully around the corner, he could remember hunting with such a device as a boy, under the instruction of Rusl. He aimed directly at the circling head and waited, just as he had patiently sat all those many years ago when he had his game in sight.
His arrow pierced the red socket and the entire head stopped all movement. The other statues, being inanimate, paid no attention to the destruction of one of their own and continued scanning. Link readied another arrow, shifting himself.
His arrow cracked in two as it struck its intended target.
Link repeated the feat thrice more and moved out into the room, though, casting glances all about the room, preparing himself for any other assault that may surprise him.
However, the room seemed still now, and Link lowered his arm and began gathering the arrows that were still intact. Sparks flew about his head sporadically as the statues’ last attempts at life failed. However, there was one statue that truly seemed to spring to life, for it moved forward, creeping toward Link as if every inch taken was torture to its rattling stone body.
Link raised his bow, nocked an arrow, and pulled back on the string in one swift motion.
But the stone ceased movement in the next moment, and a thick, rocky powder swam through the air, settling around the sculpture.
An intricately tattooed and painted body appeared from behind the statue. Red beads danced about on a chain surrounding its neck, and an oddly shaped hat seemed glued to its head. It approached Link, and Link aimed higher when he realized the strange beast stood taller than him. Yet, its blue-painted lip uttered friendly words, “Ah, how you remind me of the old hero, standing there, holding the ancient weapon we Gorons have protected throughout the ages.”
Squinting through the hazed room, Link lowered his bow only slightly, the man stopping before Link and bowing.
“I sensed you would be arriving,” the Goron spoke in a smooth, peaceful voice—not at all like the Gorons with whom Link had spoken. The Goron frowned when he saw the burn mark on Link’s shoulder. “I must apologize.” Then he turned back to Link, who had now tilted his weapon down completely; though, the arrow remained loosely nocked.
“I am Gor Liggs,” he introduced.
“Link,” the young warrior offered, still unsure.
Gor Liggs paid no attention, and stretched out his hand. “I believe this is what you are searching for. Take it.”
Link accepted that the Goron was one of the elders and that he posed no threat, and though his nerves were still aflame, he returned the arrow to his quiver and leaned the bow against his leg. Gor Liggs shoved his hand further toward Link, and the young human lifted the final shard of the key into his hand. After marveling at its elaborate carvings, Link removed the other two from his dangling hat.
“Combine them,” commanded a mystical tone from the Goron.
Link located each groove on the pieces and overlapped them onto one another until finally, the three pieces became whole again.
“A word of caution!” hissed Gor Liggs, and Link’s head snapped up. “We elders do not know how powerful Darbus may have become in his grotesque form. I lay my trust in you, however, for your power has brought you this far.” He looked gravely down at Link. “The locked door is just beyond the next room.”
Link nodded and gazed at the key again, yet at a scuttling noise, he looked upward. Gor Liggs had turned and retreated back into his concealment.
===============
Link entered a room which boiled at the highest intensity he had yet experienced within the mines. There were two levels to the room; Link stood on the elevated end. Yet, a path sloped and curved about the right side. Link quickly scuttled down the metal planks and was seared immediately by the blazing heat. Lava swam only an inch below the edge of the now rocky plain. Sweat dripped down his face, and he could feel his white undergarments sticking to the flesh of his legs and arms and chest. Breathing deep, Link wiped his forehead and turned from the edge.
His bow was still at hand, ready at any moment to jerk an arrow from behind him. In his left hand he held the newly reconstructed key.
Sunken into the stone, a massive door echoed the pain within it. A representation of the Goron’s most sacred jewel loomed above it: the ruby. Chains as thick as Dangoro’s arms made entry impossible, however, Link set his bow against the door, behind the restraints, and slid the key into the central lock at which all the chains were connected. Link turned the device about slowly, and with each slight twist, the metal ropes fell to slap against the wall or floor. When the last chain fell, its descent to the floor rang through Link. It was the last link that had protected him from the horrors waiting beyond the mass, and now, there was no longer an excuse for him not to cross the threshold.
Link dropped the key to the floor and picked up his bow. He returned the weapon to its case but did not lace it lest he need it. He drew his saber, took a deep breath, and pushed in on the central piece of the door. It creaked inward.
The circular chamber had an eerie dark tint. With his enhanced vision, Link could make out beautiful white pillars encircling the area. It appeared to be another of the Gorons’ shrines that had been built into the mines. Glittering objects caught his attention and he looked to the floor.
More chains. These, however, were attached to the walls and led out to a figure standing dormant in the center of the shrine. Link brought his gaze upward and followed the figure’s shape until he saw two more identical chains hanging down from the walls and circling the wrists of the body.
The darkened figure stood nearly as tall as the pillars, meters above Link, claws inched out of every tip of each finger and toe. Its head hung down, as if sleeping, and bore a carapace of hard tusks. Rough rasps of breath came from its lungs … breathing that soon took on more life.
A brightness shimmered on the top of its slumped head. Link took a step toward it to see that its red eyes were now open and gazing outward. At the smell of the tiny human, the mouth spread wide in a deathly roar, echoing long weeks of isolated torture. Teeth as long as Link’s arms sprung wetly from its gums, desperate for sustenance. The creature began to calm, and Link took a step backward.
“…Darbus?” asked Link.
At the mention of the name, the beast began to writhe and tug on its restraints, and it screamed at Link, its face stretching down just inches from him. Its bottled anger burst forth from it to ignite itself. Fires raced up and down its body; though, its flesh seemed oddly protective from the deadliness of such an affliction. The flames bouncing around its frame, a new light pierced the room and gave wicked life to the bare walls.
With another few yanks, the chains about his hands broke free, one at the wrist, the other at the ceiling. It stomped forward and the chains in the walls gave way. The flares toying with Darbus laughed cruelly at Link, and immediately threw a clawed hand toward him, sending him sideways into a pillar. Link picked himself up quickly, holding his hip, and dashed behind the white column. Desperately, Link tried to think as Darbus roared again, wandering toward him slowly.
He tried calling out to Darbus, but the blazing redness made two words combine when he spoke, “Fire—us! Stop!” But once Darbus reached Link’s hiding place, he slashed out again, the pillar crumbling to the floor.
Link had rolled away and run behind another pillar, stalling for time until he decided what he was going to do. He peeked around the beam and watched as it sniffed at his trail. Then he noticed something odd about the headpiece it was wearing and was reminded suddenly of Midna. A part of the carapace was made up of a Fused Shadow, what he and Midna were truly after.
But there’s no way I can get to it! Link shouted at himself. But then the thought occurred. Not with a sword anyway....
Link sheathed his sword and pulled his bow out, nocking an arrow. He aimed at Darbus the moment the creature had spotted him. Growling, it drew nearer, but Link pushed away all fear and kept his position. Once the monster was close enough, he let his shaft fly.
Darbus’s forehead was struck by the blast, and momentarily blinded with pain, Link climbed the pillar next to him, and once he was perched on the top, he leapt for the dangling chain to which Darbus had once been attached. He seized the rope of metal links and swung straight for the creature’s head and released his grip once he was directly overhead.
Landing hard on the uneven surface, Link immediately started pulling at the section of the helm that he needed and which would likely free Darbus from his terrible fate once freed from its menace. However, once Link had obtained a firm grasp on the Shadow, Darbus tossed his head, and Link was thrown off.
Link crashed hard against the floor and a spurt of blood shot from his mouth. But he did not yield to the pain; he propelled himself backward as Darbus approached … even more furious than before. Frantically, Link righted himself and leaned against a pillar. He racked his brain for an answer, and only one solution presented itself.
If you can’t stop the big fiery monster, destroy things like the big fiery monster ....
Link wound around the back of the column and pushed his back up against it, and since it was so near to the wall, Link utilized its help and pressed a foot to it. He rammed all his strength into the pillar and finally heard the satisfying skid that told him it was beginning to tip. He pushed harder until he could assure himself that it would fall the rest of the way on its own. He stowed his bow back into its container and slid out his sword.
“What are you doing?” screamed Midna angrily, reading Link’s intentions and jumping out of his shadow. “You’re going to end up killing him!”
“Since when did you care about anything except yourself?” Link shouted in return before he could stop himself.
Darbus had fallen face down onto the floor, pressed underneath the enormous white shards. With a leap from the broken pieces of the pillar, Link landed onto the large carapace. Ignoring the countless boisterous objections from Darbus, Link steadied himself on the swiveling head. He stabbed his saber as carefully as possible into the headpiece as he could and began working the Fused Shadow free.
After minutes of impatiently weaving his blade about the ancient piece, the Shadow broke off into his opposite hand. Immediately, there was a low grumble, and the walls began to quake. Link leapt off the monster and tucked the precious artifact against his chest. He could feel a darkness emanating from within it, and a strange coldness crept up his breast. He was broken free of the oddity when Darbus stood and began struggling against an unknowable force.
All at once the eyes stopping glowing in rage, and the body was reduced in size, toppling over in the shape of a Goron. Link knelt at his side.
“Is he …?” started Midna.
“He’s alive,” returned Link, but then he rose, turned on Midna, and glowered at her. “I think it’s time you told me exactly what these Fused Shadows are,” he demanded, still holding the newly acquired piece tightly within his folded arms. “Faron said the spirits locked them away, said it was a forbidden power. I don’t understand why you need this power. Look at what it did to Darbus!”
Midna gazed down at the unconscious patriarch, but she caught her sympathy before it consumed her eyes when she turned back to Link. “I’ll tell you a story,” she sneered. Then her eyes clouded. “Zant....” Her voice shook with anger at the name. “That is the name of the King of Shadows who has cast this pall of shadows over your world. He’s quite strong.” Midna approached Link and grinned ominously. “You would be nothing to him in your current state. But Zant … will never be my King! I have nothing but scorn for his supposed strength.”
She turned her back on Link. “Not that your Zelda is much better. It still appalls me that this world of light is controlled by that princess. A carefree youth … a life of luxury....” Her voice trailed off. Though her thoughts were unknown to Link, he could feel a well of misery undulating from her tone, as if she were … envious.... “How does that teach duty?” she asked, trying to snap herself free of whatever emotions had raged into her.
Midna partly turned back to face Link, but still did not look him in the eye, for she had been unsuccessful in liberating her strange emotions from her outward appearance. “But I guess I shouldn’t begrudge her the circumstances of her life. She didn’t choose it, after all. And I would never wish harm on her....
“No, as long as I can get my hands on the Fused Shadows,” Midna looked at him, “I’ll be just fine.”
They shared a glance then. It was the first time that they had truly looked at one another, and though Midna had not directly answered his inquiries, he understood. She sympathized with Zelda, with the light world, but she still only had an eye for helping herself. She wanted the Shadows to dismiss Zant from power, the king that she resented. And although she was outwardly selfish, Link saw something in her in that moment. Something foreign to her. A sparkle of courage.
They were beginning to become more like one another than they had realized. While Midna had taken on new perspectives of the light world and its inhabitants, Link had become more independent and rebellious. Neither of them were sure that they liked these new faces of themselves, but they could not remold themselves into what they had been before their first meeting.
In that moment they truly became … partners. Though they still did not absolutely trust each other, they had reached a common understanding, one that led them both to take another step forward.
Facing Link, Midna lowered her gaze, and a hidden pain overtook her. Link stretched out an arm and took her hand in his. She blinked, looking up at his hand and then to him. He was holding the Fused Shadow out to her.
She accepted it and then looked back at him. His stare was blank, but she could see beyond the plain façade. He was devoted to the same cause. They both craved the destruction of Zant, King of Shadows.
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REVIEWS FOR THIS CHAPTER:
~Blueninja57 Aug 17, 2007 An amazing chapter here, I like what you did to include the iron boots into the story, as well as the fight against Fyrus.
~Wolves101 Aug 18, 2007 Its better than the real thing. This is my favourite chapter so far.
*xelaalex Aug 18, 2007 I really like the way you describe Link's pain, it helps describe exactly what he is going through, continue like this and you should receive a medal from Nintendo!
~ZeldaFanatic92 Sep 13, 2007 I liked how you added the Iron Boots. I would like boots like those... Keep up the good work!!! I like the comment Midna made, "I hope you know that you just ruined a good pair of boots,” snorted Midna. That was funny. You're also doing a good job of how Midna changes from being selfish to actually cariong about Link. Keep it up!!!
~Rapndash May 18, 2008 I love this chapter. Link making his Iron Boots is brilliant. And getting pulled onto the crane by his shield...that was hillarious! I am LOVING your story.
~nasanerd09 Apr 10, 2012 Good job on this chapter, I like how you reworked the iron boots. In all honesty, Link shouldn't be able to pull his feet free of the magnetic pull with his other ones, they're just too big! I don't have too many other comments, although I did like that part at the end where they realize they're becoming like one another. As I pointed out to my boyfriend, when you care about someone or spend an awful lot of time with them, you start adopting the other's traits without even realizing it. It really is true!
~Wolves101 Aug 18, 2007 Its better than the real thing. This is my favourite chapter so far.
*xelaalex Aug 18, 2007 I really like the way you describe Link's pain, it helps describe exactly what he is going through, continue like this and you should receive a medal from Nintendo!
~ZeldaFanatic92 Sep 13, 2007 I liked how you added the Iron Boots. I would like boots like those... Keep up the good work!!! I like the comment Midna made, "I hope you know that you just ruined a good pair of boots,” snorted Midna. That was funny. You're also doing a good job of how Midna changes from being selfish to actually cariong about Link. Keep it up!!!
~Rapndash May 18, 2008 I love this chapter. Link making his Iron Boots is brilliant. And getting pulled onto the crane by his shield...that was hillarious! I am LOVING your story.
~nasanerd09 Apr 10, 2012 Good job on this chapter, I like how you reworked the iron boots. In all honesty, Link shouldn't be able to pull his feet free of the magnetic pull with his other ones, they're just too big! I don't have too many other comments, although I did like that part at the end where they realize they're becoming like one another. As I pointed out to my boyfriend, when you care about someone or spend an awful lot of time with them, you start adopting the other's traits without even realizing it. It really is true!