Chapter Seven: On to Death Mountain

"Okay, now try and steady yourself on the horse. Get to where you feel like you're not going to fall off," Link instructed. Today was the day that they were heading up to Death Mountain and just as he had promised, he was teaching her how to ride a horse. So far, she wasn't having that much difficulty at the moment.

She adjusted herself in the saddle a few times before saying "Okay! I think I'm ready to actually ride now."

They were both wearing their heat resistant armor. Link's was a red tunic that had a mask of gold over the face. He wasn't wearing it at the moment, because he claimed that it was too uncomfortable. Ruto's armor was more a platinum armor, with orbs set in it to provide a heat shield, as she refused to have a helmet built for her. Link was given a new sword as well, an ice blade that would prove very effective against the fire creatures inside Death Mountain.

Link said, "Okay, if you think you're ready then follow my example."

Link kicked his horse in the sides to urge it forward, but Epona reared instead, nearly knocking Link off. It then began running off towards Death Mountain, with Link hanging from the saddle. Ruto laughed and followed his example perfectly. Her horse began running forward and she didn't lose her balance. She watched as Link regained his balance and kept it well, despite the shaky start.

The ride took them up a mountain path that was covered in dried lava. All around them, the walls rose up and formed a small canyon as Link and Ruto rode through. She noticed that the walls had strange carvings on them. They weren't made by anything normal, and when she looked more closely, she could have sworn that they resembled claw marks. She didn't notify Link, for fear that he would delay and perhaps risk failing their task. Death Mountain could erupt at any moment, and Link had taken what Darunia might have called and unnecessary delay to show her how to ride a horse.

They reached the entrance to Death Mountain and found two Gorons waiting patiently outside. One said, "There they are! What took you so long?"

Link got off his horse and said, "Sorry, we had a new recruit in the ways of horse riding."

Ruto dismounted as well and asked, "If you knew that we were going to be late, then why did you choose this time to teach me?"

Link began rubbing his hand through his hair and said, "Well, I just thought that it would be more convenient to have you learn while we were riding up to the mountain. I guess I was wrong."

The goron said, "Hurry inside. Darunia said he wasn't surprised when you were late, but he was slightly disappointed as well. You'd best get yourself in gear or the monsters inside the dungeon will kill you."

Link walked past and said, "I'm well aware of that..."

He walked in and found himself inside the Goron city. It was a place that he had never thought he would ever get a chance to go. The seemed to be made of lava, but Link had read that they used an extremely durable glass to hold it there. The walls were stone, with carvings of their different heroes throughout the city. It was basically like a huge cylinder that was a small alcove down at the bottom. However, Link could not see what was inside because it was sealed off from above. He guessed that it was the king's chamber. Then, he noticed that everything seemed to be strangely still.

"Where are all of the Gorons?" Ruto asked.

Link replied, "I don't know. They must be in hiding because of all of the monsters. That's the only thing I can think of anyway."

Ruto watched as he leaped down from level to level until he reached the bottom. She followed his example and wondered how he wasn't hindered by the falls at all. Every time she landed, her knees buckled and she almost fell to the ground face first. She reached the bottom and followed Link down to the bottom chamber. She felt a strange chill suddenly surround her, and then it leveled out as they walked down into the sealed off chamber. There was the throne room, and it didn't look like much.

There it was, the throne gone, and the whole place filled with lava. There was a stone bridge floating on the lava currently, allowing Link and Ruto to walk to the opening that had once been where the throne stood. Link felt warm as he walked out, and then his face began to burn. He remembered the mask and quickly put it on to keep his face from burning off.

That worked, and his face now felt cool instead of burning. He walked onward with Ruto and before long they found themselves standing inside Death Mountain itself. The crater around them was blazing hot, and Link thought, Thank the Gorons for these heat resistant armors.

Darunia stood a little ways away on a single platform overlooking the rest of the crater. Link and Ruto walked forward. He turned around when he heard them approaching and asked, "What took so long, hero?"

Link said, "She wanted to learn how to ride a horse, so I was teaching her. It took a little while for to get a horse that she liked, though."

He seemed startled, as the voice that came out of the mask was not his own. He asked, "What did you do to this mask?"

Darunia grinned and said, "That is our little secret. If you can figure it out, then you can design a mask of your own to give you a unique voice. For now, let us proceed."

Ruto asked, "Where are we going, though?"

Darunia turned around and said, "Simple. The source of the eruption is because the spirits of Fire are not pleased. We will have to enter the temple of fire and cleanse it of the darkness that lies within."

He lifted up his hand and pointed a finger straight outward. Suddenly, fire leaped up in front of him for at least a minute, and then when it cleared, there was a obsidian bridge in front of them that was leading up to a huge door set in the side of the crater. Link asked, "Is that it?"

Darunia replied, "That, hero, is the temple of fire. When we go inside, it will be our duty to cleanse the evil inside there. I don't know what exactly lies inside, but I am not afraid of the evil."

He turned and asked, "Are you both ready?"

Link was the first to say, "Yes, I'm ready."

Ruto replied after him, "I am ready, Darunia."

Darunia said, "Then follow me. Inside, there are two packs. One belongs to Ruto, and the other will go to you, hero. You may not think that the iron boots inside of your pack will come in handy, but truth be told that they will have many uses inside this temple."

Darunia stepped onto the bridge and said, "Come! Let us face this evil and purge it from our temple forever!"

Next chapter will be the first major action one. The temple won't be nearly as big as the ones in the games, but then it will be just large enough that the battles will be very open. As usual, please submit your reviews and tell me how I did for this chapter.