This is much more popular than my Legend of Fire Emblem fanfic, so basically that one will be on hiatus until I finish this one. Let it be known that after this chapter, there should be about 4 or 5 left depending on how long I decide to make them. So expect more updates when I have days off again. Also, what finally got me off my butt to write again was a PM about how much a certain reader loved this fic. So KNOW THAT YOUR OPINIONS ARE HEARD!
Like I said in the last chapter, if I heard few to no objections with Volga's chapters happening now, I would go with Volga's chapters. As they are also very important to the story, and I'm a troll who will keep you waiting after Lana's confession and Link's kiss. Ooh I wish I could just tell you now what'll happen. But that's no fun! I heard two objections, and I was looking for three! Or am I trolling? You decide.
"We leave, now," said Volga, beckoning for Link and Lana to follow him to the skirmish mentioned by the old Owl. Volga was aware of the heroes he had chosen to travel with, and had no intention of helping anyone aside from the White Sorceress who had saved his life. But he also understood that these two heroes would never refuse to help good people in need, which is why he chose that he must deceive them.
As soon as he noticed that the light in the tunnel to the lake area was gone, he stopped in his tracks, allowing Link and Lana to continue to the fight themselves. I didn't catch all of it, he thought of the lie he told them about the Owl's words. In fact, he had captured every dreary word of the Owl's speech. Link can protect her in my absence. He certainly has taken quite a liking to her already.
The Fierce Deity's Mask. That blabbing Owl had told them exactly where it was, although Volga wasn't about to let Lana risk her life in trying to obtain it. It was simply too dangerous for her to seek in such a place. A place where the gods poured their wrath upon the foolishness of the Terminians. A place where a mask of such a deity could rest without being disturbed by greedy hands.
Volga waited for Link and Lana to be out of his sight before he stepped back to the Goron Village. The old Owl said it was to the East. I will follow the two for now, until I can be sure that the boy can protect her. When I know, that's when I will take my journey. He sat on the icy floor outside of the cave, listening intently to the clangs and explosions that sounded from the battlefield just a few yards away.
His blood began to pump faster through his heart as he pictured the thrill of the battle that must've been ensuing, but held himself back from it. If he were present, the Sorceress would worry too much about his wellbeing instead of her own, and he wasn't about to let her see him as a burden. She would have to focus her attention upon herself, and allow the boy to do the same for her.
An hour passed by, and the sounds of battle quickly died. He stood up from the icy floor and transfigured his shoulder blades into the fiery wings they were meant to be. He flew up just over the cap of the mountain that divided the lake from the Village, the air around him still radiating his fire.
Lana and the boy were following a Goron, apparently a survivor, into another tunnel like the first they had gone through. Volga stretched his wings and completed the full transformation from man to Dragon, and flew speedily over the mountain top and to the tunnel wherein the Sorceress had chosen to make residence.
Volga had chosen to follow this same pattern of following her in the world they had come from, and continued to keep to the shadows and his dragon form as much as possible, to keep his senses sharp and his mind ready to kill any who threatened her.
Days passed, until the couple had amassed themselves a sizable force of Gorons and made their way to the ocean. Volga refrained himself from engaging in yet another violent battle, seeing the boy risk his very life to protect her once again. It was then Volga decided he would take his journey.
He watched as Link was escorted by his former enemies to their base. "You'd better not fail her, boy," he said under his breath, turning towards the South to make his retreat.
He took off in his full dragon form to make his trip as quickly as possible. When he had gone far enough away, he took full flight to the skies, knowing that neither Link nor Lana would see him at that distance from the earth, and even if they did, they had no knowledge of where he'd be going. He also observed that to the South there was plenty of cloud cover in the darkening sky.
Just a few more miles south before I head to the East. He continued to fly over the top of yet another mountain range, and then he saw a large ranch beneath him. There were cows littering the fields where they grazed, and Volga felt his dragon-like instincts urge him to feed upon the them, but he resisted.
He could make out the figures of three humans among them, though from his height they seemed like mere ants, even with the enhanced vision his dragon senses gave him. The clouds began to engulf him. He quickly realized these clouds were the kind to bring heavy rains along with them. In fact, the change they underwent so quickly began to worry him. The once white clouds were now a dark gray, and thunder began to sound all around him in the air.
Not here, not now! he thought, changing his course directly to the East, hoping he could outrun this deadly force which was now upon him. The rain began to condense all around him, making the powers of his flames somewhat useless.
He opened his mouth and let out a breath of flame that extended for about a hundred feet to try and clear a path through the clouds, but it was quickly put out by the surrounding wetness. Steam began to rise around his form as the water evaporated from his heat.
"You were a fool to follow me here," said a cool voice from every direction. "After what happened to you last time you faced me, you still felt in your heart to try and defeat me alone?" Volga spewed his fire in every direction he could, looking for the source of the voice.
"No, that's not it," said the voice, growing closer all around him. "You wouldn't be that foolish, the girl must be around here as well." Volga flew as fast as he could to escape this invisible foe, but the voice continued to surround him no matter how far he flew.
"And if she's here, that means that he must be here as well," said the voice, before a bolt of lightning flashed towards Volga, missing him by mere inches. "And yet I find you alone." As he flew the voice followed, but directly in front of him appeared the imp. He was still wearing Majora's Mask, which had jagged lighting dancing around it. There was a strange aura of darkness which reminded Volga so much of Cia that he felt a shiver run down his draconic spine.
"You're the fool for showing yourself to me," said Volga, materializing his spear in one of his claws and charging directly at him. The spear was stopped as if it hit an invisible steel barrier inches away from Vaati's masked face. Reacting quickly, Volga breathed his flames as powerfully as he could at the sorcerer. He transfigured himself back to his human form for which he was more familiar with hand-to-hand combat, keeping only his wings to keep him airborne.
When his flames finally subsided, Vaati floated panting, the tips of his purple robes now singed and withering away. "You've improved? How is that even possible?" yelled the sorcerer. "It's been no more than a week!" A bolt of lightning launched from his hand, but Volga quickly flew out of the way taking another lunge at Vaati, who deflected the spear with a wave of magic.
Volga let another breath of fire escape his lips, and noticed Vaati quickly disappear behind him. He brought his spear to meet his predictable foe in the air, just cutting along his outstretched arm, and heard his foe gasping in pain. "HOW?!" shouted Vaati in his confusion.
"I'll tell you how when I'm clawing that despicable mask from your hideous face!" Volga brought his spear back into both hands, readying himself for Vaati's next attack, which came from below. It was a gust of wind so thin and powerful it would have no trouble slicing through a tree trunk, but Volga again had anticipated his move. He surrounded the tip of his spear in the hottest flames he could produce and beat the wind until it diluted.
Four bolts of lightning flew in at him from every angle, but he quickly flew up out of their way. He transfigured one his free arm into his draconic claw and flew right up to Vaati. He felt the same barrier of protection covering him, but forced his arm through it, which caused many of the scales on the claw to be ripped from it. Volga closed his claw around Vaati's throat and felt the barrier lift.
In his panic, Vaati attempted one last attack on Volga's mind. The powers of darkness began to fill his thoughts, and he lost his grip around Vaati's throat in his anguish. Serve me. Serve me. Serve me! SERVE ME! LET THE DARKNESS REIGN IN YOUR HEART AND SERVE ME! The same words echoed in his mind when Cia had overtaken his soul. Volga pushed the thoughts away from his mind, and began to think of Lana, her light, shining in his heart. It was the light he had chosen to protect, and he wasn't going to let it burn out.
"RRRRRAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH!" shouted Volga, banishing the curse from his mind, and regaining his composure before Vaati had a chance to strike at his mind or body once again. The rains were still heavy around him, but his flames felt hotter than ever, even to him.
"I… I tossed you aside so easily in Hyrule," panted Vaati, his hands placed on the Mask. "Even without the power this Mask possesses, I did so."
"Do you think I'd really allow myself to be defeated by the same enemy twice?!" shouted Volga through the rains and thunder. "I know I have no power to kill you, there is not enough light within me, but I can ensure you will be no threat when he can!"
"Ugh, I can't believe you can't even take care of a simple dragon," a new voice spouted out of nowhere. It was childish, and had a slight echo to it. "And here you wanted to rule the dimensions of time with my power?"
It was coming from Majora's Mask. Volga was dumbfounded that the Mask had a consciousness enough to speak to its bearer. "Blast! I thought I had control over you already!" shouted an angry Vaati, shaking his head in misery as the Mask taunted him.
"Not quite yet, I'm afraid," said Majora. "I'm not even at my full strength yet, how can you hope to control my power for yourself?" Volga grew angry that the Mask was painting this as Vaati's own weakness rather than attributing it to Volga's own strength.
"Shut up and fight me if you think it to be a simple task!" shouted Volga, charging his spear with fire and going straight for Majora's Mask. Before reaching his target, he was immediately swallowed by a floating ball of water. His vision foggy, he saw that Majora's Mask was now floating in front of his new watery prison. The ball of water was immediately charged with lightning, completely immobilizing Volga and sending jolts of pain throughout his body.
The water dispersed, but he had no strength left to fly. He fell like the rain to the ranch below him. The last thing he saw before he passed out was the Mask floating away from Vaati as he followed it. It was black before he hit the earth.
"Sister! He's waking up!" It was the beautiful voice of a woman that was reaching his ears. Volga tried to sit up quickly, but felt no strength within his body to do so. He opened his eyes and saw a wooden roof, and the bed he was lying in was made of straw. His armor and helmet had been removed, which made him feel uncomfortable and unprotected.
He looked for the source of the voice, and only saw a flash of red hair escaping from the room. It was a dainty place that smelled of cow manure. He began to feel the pains all throughout his limbs, remembering the lightning that flashed all around him in the water before he passed out.
"Romani, I told you not to get me unless he was actually awake this time," said the voice of an older, yet equally beautiful voice.
"Romani—er—I mean it this time!" shouted the younger voice, the sounds of footsteps announcing their arrival in the room. "Roma—I saw his eyes open!"
"Are you ever going to get over that habit?" said the voice of a man from a distance within the house. "Is it really that hard to say 'I or me'?"
"Well, I still don't like you," said the young voice, now inside of the room. Volga thought the conversation was simply too petty for his liking, and tried to sit up again to no avail.
"Like me or not, I'm still in charge of this ranch now!" Volga looked to see the new arrivals in the room and saw two extremely similar-looking girls, albeit one was probably ten years the senior of the younger one.
The young girl was likely in her late teens or early twenties, and her red hair shined beautifully in the light of the lantern which sat on the table. She had big blue eyes and a round, yet thin face. Her body was slender, but she looked strong.
The older girl was clearly her sister, as she looked nearly identical to her, but her hair was not as smooth and a bit more frazzled. She stood a bit taller than her younger sister as well, but apart from those small differences and few tiny wrinkles, they were indistinguishable. Although the looks on their faces, the young one being twisted with rage and the older a look of concern, also told Volga they were very different in their personalities.
"Cremia is still in charge, you moron!" shouted the young girl who had called herself Romani earlier. "Just because you're a MAN doesn't mean you automatically own the Ranch we built!"
The man in the other room didn't reply, nor did any footsteps announce his arrival. "I don't think he meant it like that, Romani," said Cremia, trying to cool her sister's anger. "But he has been here for over five years now, and we've gotten quite a lot of business since he's been around."
"We all know that's why you married him, anyways," said Romani, walking to Volga in his straw bed. "You never actually loved him, and neither does Romani." Cremia didn't reply to such hurtful words that, if they were true, Volga approved of. Though he was no romantic, he saw no reason in marriage apart from love. It was a useless gesture he had never considered before.
"Anyways, you see, he's up!" Volga realized that they had been the ones to bring him in and at least tend to whatever wounds he had ended up with.
"Where am I?" said Volga, impatiently. He had no time to be there.
"Romani Ranch!" said Romani. "As you can see, Romani—er—I was named after it!"
"I can't be here," said Volga, trying and succeeding to sit up, however much pain shot through his body as he did so. "I need to go to the Stone Tower Temple."
"Why in Termina would you want to go there?" asked Cremia, stepping next to her sister. "And no, don't even think about leaving yet. It's only been a day, and when we found you, you had broken arms, broken back, and there was blood coming from your nose and your ears. You're staying right here until you completely heal up."
Volga transfigured his arms slightly to his dragon claws, which set his bones in place and mended them, however extremely painful it was to do so, but he didn't let a yelp escape his lips. The girls leapt back in fear at the quick transformation, but Romani quickly ran back to him with her eyes gleaming. "There, my arms are better, and there's no blood coming from my nose or ears now. I can leave then I imagine." He transfigured his spine beneath the sheets, and this time let himself roar in pain, letting a small light of fire escape, but constrained himself so that it wouldn't burn the place down. "Aaand that was my spine."
"That's it, I'm definitely calling you Dragonfly!" shouted Romani in awe. "And you definitely can't leave until you show me more of that! Or at least until you can walk to the edge of the Ranch without my help."
"Romani…" started Cremia in a worried tone. "I think he can go if he wants to."
"What are we going to just cartwheel him out and drop him on the ground outside of the Ranch?" said Romani smartly, grabbing Volga's hand and pulling him straight from the bed. He was grateful for the garments that still covered him from the waist down.
He only stood for a few moments before he collapsed from exhaustion and pain. It was too much for him. In this state, he would only be a burden on the White Sorceress. At least he could recover over the next few days before he could go.
"See!" shouted Romani in triumph even though Volga was in pain. "He can't go anywhere like this. Let alone the Stone Tower Temple. The last person I knew to actually make it there was Grasshopper, and we haven't seen him in forever!"
"Could… someone get my armor for me?" asked Volga. "I feel better with it on." Romani ran from the room to go and get it while Cremia tenderly helped him get back into bed.
"Sorry about her," said Cremia, laying him back on the straw. "She's a bit eccentric. But I don't quite trust you yet, so I'll be the one keeping an eye on you for now."
Volga made no protest and laid back in the bed, resigning himself to recover while Link and Lana continued their adventure.