Having now gained a more sensible shield for scaling Death Mountain and no real inclination to find out if there was anything else in the graveyard worth looking for, I decided I'd had enough of the place and headed back into Kakariko Village. The only thing I had left to do for now was convince the guard at the north end of the village to let me through the gate.
He recognised me, and looked approvingly at the new shield I had. I didn't bother to tell him I hadn't actually bought it, but what he didn't know...
Anyway, without any preamble I took out Zelda's letter and wordlessly handed it to him.
"Hm? What's this? Are you a postman now, boy?" he asked with an amused smile, reading the letter. "Lets see now... 'This is Silver'," he read out. "'He is under my orders to save Hyrule. Signed, Princess Zelda IV'." His expression grew steadily more amused as he read until he was laughing heartily by the time he finished. "What kind of game is our Princess playing now?" he chuckled as the laughter subsided.
"You'll let me through then?" I asked.
The guard nodded, still trying not to laugh again as he rapped his pike on the ground. At that signal, something hidden out of sight caused the gate to start to retract.
"Just be careful up there, Mister Hero," he told me.
"You know Navi, maybe I should have asked Zelda what exactly she wrote before I started waving it around," I muttered as I started up the rocky trail. "Somehow going around advertising that I'm saving the world seems to me like a bad idea."
"It worked, didn't it?" Navi replied. "Now we just have to find the Gorons and ask them if we can borrow their Spiritual Stone."
"I hardly think they're going to just hand it over-" I broke off as a... well, I'd call it a spider-thing but it had too few legs. It was red with yellow legs, one red eye and was jumping toward me.
"Tektite!" Navi told me. "Stab it in the eye, Silver!"
"Easier said than done!"
The stupid thing kept jumping right over me. I'm not sure whether it was trying to ram me or eat me – not that I could see a mouth on it. Rather than aiming for its eye though I stopped trying to stab there and just jabbed at its belly instead. Two wounds there and when it landed it sank down, died then like everything else vanished in that odd fire.
"Well that was fun," I remarked afterwards. "Seems like I'm going to spend half my time fighting off the monster population. Doesn't anyone do anything to keep them down?"
Tails once made a similar observation, as I recall.
I glanced back down to Kakariko Village behind me after fighting the Tektite, then continued up the mountain trail, frequently searching ahead. After two more Tektites I was finally out of sight of the village so I decided there was no harm in cheating a little. Tektites from there on quickly found themselves trying to jump in mid-air, where a few shots from the slingshot finished them off. I chose not to use the seeds that had come with it but small loose rocks instead – no point in wasting ammunition when there's alternatives nearby.
At the top of the first part of the trail there was an immense rock, even larger than the one I'd given to the castle guards, surrounded by a number of smaller ones, and one very odd looking lighter brown rock.
To my surprise, as I approached the rock stood up – it had a face, arms and legs – was this a Goron?
"Oh," it said, seeing me, sounding disappointed. "I thought you might be the one who did that."
"That?" I asked, cautiously. "The rock?"
"It was put there because Big Brother Darunia wouldn't give up the Goron's Treasure to a man in black. Behind it is Dodongo's Cavern, where we used to get the most delicious rocks from to eat."
That confirmed it – this was my first Goron.
"Where would I find Darunia? I think I need to talk to him."
"He'll be up in Goron City," the Goron answered. "But he won't let you in to see him. He's waiting for a messenger from his sworn brother, the King of Hyrule."
Then it yawned and curled back up again, looking like a rock once more.
"How convenient," I murmured. The trail continued upward behind me, almost parallel to the first part of the trail. "It looks like Ganondorf didn't get his hands on the Spiritual Stone. I wonder why they don't just eat the rock?"
"Maybe it tastes bad because of Ganondorf's evil powers?" Navi suggested.
"Why would that have an effect on how a rock tastes?"
"What am I, a Goron or a fairy?"
"Sorry," I laughed. "I guess I forgot you don't know everything."
"I'm working on it though," Navi added.
As I continued to follow the trail up I saw another Goron, or at least it looked like a Goron and when I reached out I felt the energy that suggested it was a living being. It felt slightly different to either a Hylian or Kokiri, but that was about all.
There was an area just beyond him, off the trail that I could have gone up had it not been for more rocks in the way. I suppose I could have moved them, but with this Goron here, even curled up and apparently not paying any attention, I didn't want to seem out of the ordinary.
I needed to talk to Darunia anyway, and after struggling with a sign along the trail I figured I wasn't going to find him up there. The sign pointed ahead to Goron City once I started to get my head around the language again.
The trail wasn't much longer after that. A raised area with a circle of rocks marked the entrance to Goron City, the gates beyond looking almost as if they'd been opened once then never touched again. A short and clearly man-made – sorry, Goron-made – tunnel led inside the mountain to the vast cavern that was Goron City.
It was arranged in flat descending rings, the only accesses to lower levels through side corridors. Several times I came across a corridor in progress with Gorons around either resting or digging, often eating the rubble as they went along. I guess that's one advantage to hiring them as diggers.
Rather inconveniently, the Gorons didn't put up any signs, and since the Gorons were all hungry and therefore either trying to sleep until food became available or digging just for the sake of being able to eat something, I couldn't even ask them for directions. I was more or less obliged to wander the city until I found what I was after.
During that exploration I found a massive Goron who was named not Biggoron – who lived outside because of his even bigger size – but Medigoron, who had apparently failed to take into account his considerable size when finding his workshop, and so whoever entered said workshop only ever got to see a massive Goron head resting on his arms.
He was friendly though, and also not bothered by the apparent shortage of rocks from Dodongo's Cavern.
"It's not often we get visitors up here," he rumbled after I'd introduced us. "The King keeps people away because of Death Mountain."
"I had special permission to come up here," I told him. "I've got to speak to someone, Darunia I think, about getting the Spiritual Stone of fire."
"You definitely want to talk to Darunia then, but he won't see you."
"So I've heard. If I could prove I've got some connection to the royal family though, would he let me in, do you think?"
"Probably," Medigoron replied after a moment to think. "He's in a bit of a bad mood though. I don't envy him for all the problems he's got right now. Even his distant cousin, the Goron Elder of the Goron colony in Termina, can't get a message in to him right now. The messenger Goron has all but given up entirely."
"I guess I can't blame him, but I really do have to see him. Where did you say he was?"
"Down on the lowest level – just look for the carpet. It's the only one in Goron City, so you'll know it when you see it. Be careful of the bomb-flowers growing around the city though, they're prone to blowing up when disturbed." Then he peered closer at me, spotting my sword. "Say, that's a tiny little sword you've got there. If you were just a bit bigger I'd be able to sell you a sword I've been working on. I could re-forge that one for you, but I'm a little short of materials with Dodongo's Cavern closed off."
"Thanks anyway, Medigoron. If it gets reopened anytime soon I'll be sure to stop by so you can work on it."
"You're welcome, little friend. If you happen to see my brother Biggoron, tell him I'm still ahead of him, will you?"
"Will he know what you mean?"
"Of course!" Medigoron laughed, the small cavern shaking slightly. "It's a bit of professional rivalry. I've almost perfected my sword, but the last I heard he was still forging his."
I promised to pass on his message then left him to what work he could do with his limited supply of materials now I knew where to go. It had been an interesting and useful conversation, and I learned from it that Medigoron was often a good source of gossip. Other Gorons knew he didn't get around much so brought the local news to him.
Just as Medigoron had told me, there was a carpet in front of a very rocky wall. It was dusty and rough, probably from heavy Goron feet, but I could make out the by now familiar Triforce symbol on it.
Zelda's lullaby gained me entry, the rocky wall shuddering aside in a shower of dust to reveal another short tunnel, at the end of which was a chamber that, by Goron standards, you'd call well furnished. There was a Goron there who looked considerably different to other Gorons. While he did not have the massive size of Medigoron he was bigger than most, with a rocky kind of mane and markings on his heavy shoulders that I assumed was some kind of hereditary mark of the Goron leader. This had to be Darunia.
Before I'd even had the chance to say anything, Darunia let loose a great roar of, "What the heck! Who do you think you are, coming in here?"
"I'm-" I started, but he was already going on without a care for what I said.
"I heard the song of the royal family and thought their messenger had arrived, but you're just a little kid! Have I really lost so much status to be treated like this by my sworn brother, the King?"
"No, I just-"
"Now I'm really angry!" he bellowed, growing even louder than before. "Get out – before I throw you out!"
"Now wait just a moment," I protested, backing away from this furious Goron. "Why are you so angry at me?"
"You're asking me why I'm angry? You?" he stopped and seemed to get control of himself with great effort, then still clearly in a foul temper he went on, "Ancient creatures have infested Dodongo's Cavern! We've had a poor harvest of the Goron special crop, the Bomb Flowers! Starvation and hunger because of the rock shortage! But these are Goron problems, and we don't need any help from outsiders!"
"So... why are you waiting for a messenger from the King if you don't need help?"
Darunia glared at me then with a vast shout, "Get out, you little brat!"
Redeads might have scared me, but an enraged Goron up close is even more terrifying. I didn't want to find out just what he'd do to me if I stuck around, so I fled back into the city.
"Maybe I shouldn't have asked him about the messenger," I conceded once my heart had stopped racing. "But now what am I going to do? I can't do anything with him like this, and we need the Spiritual Stone."
"We could ask Saria," Navi suggested. "She and the Great Deku Tree used to talk a great deal. Maybe she's heard something that could help."
"It's a little late in the day to be trekking all the way back to the forest, Navi."
"Did you forget already? She taught you her song so you could talk to her wherever you were."
I felt a little foolish for not thinking of that, so stood near the entrance to Darunia's chamber I lifted the ocarina again and played Saria's song.
"Silver?" Saria's voice came in the air. "Is that you?"
"Yeah, I... need to ask your-"
I was interrupted by a roar from Darunia's chamber that was undoubtedly him.
"What was that?" Saria asked.
"The problem I'm having. That was Darunia, the Goron leader, and I need to talk to him, but he's in a foul mood."
Before Saria could say anything else, Darunia stomped into view.
"Get back in here, little boy!" he roared.
"I'll call you back after this," I whispered to Saria, cautiously following Darunia back in.
"What was that song you just played?" he demanded.
"It's a special song I was taught by a friend," I explained quickly. "It lets me talk to her wherever I am. If it offended you I'm sorry, I'll go somewhere else and-"
"No – play it again. Right here."
This surprised even me. "You said what?"
"Play. It. Again," Darunia repeated, emphasising every word. No way I was going to ignore that!
So I played Saria's song again. I'm not entirely sure what happened next, but I'm fairly certain it was part Saria's doing and part magic, because after I finished playing the song started again, coming from all around us as if some phantom musicians had started to play.
Darunia's fury faded as he cocked his head to listen to the music playing, then quite suddenly he started to dance, arms flailing around. He may not have had much grace, but he managed to keep time with the beat.
I just backed warily away. Not just because of his reach, but because this was quite possibly the crowning moment of strangeness so far. A dancing Goron... well isn't the kind of thing you expect to see every day.
When the music finally faded away and Darunia's jig finished, there was a broad grin pasted on his face.
"What a brilliant tune!" he exclaimed, the volume having dropped significantly. "Just like that, my depression is gone! I don't know what came over me, but I felt like dancing like crazy all of a sudden. As thanks for that, I'll be happy to listen to what you have to say, little man. What brings you to I, Darunia?"
"Well, not to upset you again, but... I'm after the Spiritual Stone of fire," I answered.
"You're after it too, huh? The Spiritual Stone, also known as the Goron's Ruby is our hidden treasure, so I can't just give it to you, not even for lifting my worries. If you want it so badly..." he paused to consider. "Yes," he finally said to himself. "Why don't you destroy all the monsters in Dodongo's Cavern and prove you really are a man? You should be able to destroy the rock at the entrance with a bomb-flower from the cliff just outside our city – but don't waste them, we only have a few bomb-flowers sprouted right now."
"So if I clear out the cavern, you'll give me the Goron's Ruby?"
"I'll be happy to! We'll have access to the rocks in the cavern, and the prime Bomb-flowers inside to get our crop back in order again! Everyone will be happy again if you do that. You'll need this though," he told me, handing me a small golden bracelet from a shelf nearby, adorned with an engraved symbol matching the ones on Darunia's shoulders.
"What is it, exactly?"
"The Goron's Bracelet – with this, even a little guy like you will be able to pluck a bomb-flower from its roots, and even lift heavier things than before!"
"Thanks, Darunia – I guess I owe you for this?"
"Nonsense! Chalk it all up under repaying you for the song!"
It was almost a disturbing change to see him go from one extreme to the other, but it had been productive. I wasn't too happy about having to clear out the Dodongo's Cavern, but at least it would be worthwhile.