Chapter 21: Death Mountain Ascent
When Link and his unit arrived at Kakariko village two days after the decision to mobilize for war had been announced, they found that the main body of the Hylian army had already arrived and turned the small Sheikah settlement into the staging area for the attack on the mountain that loomed above. The narrow pathways between buildings were crowded with soldiers young and old, some relaxed, some anxious, but all of them sharing the same expectant tension. Everybody knew that by tomorrow, some, if not many of them would be dead. Link idly wondered whether the old or the young were more likely to survive; whether the experience of age was a more valuable asset than the fitness and strength of youth or vice versa.
I hope it's the latter, he thought dryly, considering the age of the nineteen men following behind him through the village's main entrance: None of them was older than twenty, at most, and some of them perhaps even younger than their sixteen-year-old commander. The fact that they had been sent to war after only a week of training was a travesty, as far as Link was concerned. But of course nobody had asked him, and orders were orders.
Everybody was busy, even if it was only checking their weapons for the umpteenth time or having hushed conversations under the overhanging roofs of the Sheikah buildings, and the arrival of Link's men was not acknowledged by anybody. They took the opportunity to sit down in one of the few alleyways that still offered some free space and catch their breath after the long march across Hyrule Field.
"I'm going to find the person in charge," Link told his men, "so we can get proper orders and know what to do. You just stay put. If the army moves out before I'm back, don't blindly follow but wait for me."
"Yes, mother."
"We're not starting the war without you."
"Bring us some candy when you come back!"
After a week as their instructor and commander, a temporary arrangement that somehow had persisted so far, Link was long past the point where their casual irreverence bothered him much; he simply chose to interpret it as a ass-backwards show of respect, which was probably not too far from the truth.
Maybe I'm a little bit overprotective. But just a little bit. And it's not like I don't have a reason for it.
While the young soldiers dutifully obeyed his instructions during training and picked up new skills every day, their eagerness to risk their lives in battle continued to upset Link. On the very next day after their ordeal in Gadrin village, they had already idealized it as a glorious battle against the forces of evil. Link had tried to talk them out silly romantic notions, but the sentiment proved too strong for even his vulgarity-laden tirades to uproot. As far as his men were concerned, they had proven their mettle on that day and were now veterans ready for war.
They have to learn the difference between courage and recklessness. And live long enough to apply that knowledge.
Leaving his soldiers behind, Link asked around and was pointed to the village's main square, where the leaders of the Hylian forces had supposedly set up their command centre. He slowly made his way through the crowded streets, probably stepping on more toes than ever before in his life, until he finally saw the flags showing the kingdom's crest flying in the wind.
The Triforce. Everybody knows that it's real by now, thanks to Darion's announcements.
The command post was situated in the village's town hall, surrounded by a cordon of Hylian soldiers, and the only entrance was guarded by two black-clad Sheikah Elites. Wondering for a moment whether they would even let him in, Link stepped up, reported the arrival of his small unit and asked to meet somebody higher up in the chain of command.
"Well, well, look who's there," a derisive voice suddenly sounded to Link's right. He slowly turned his head and looked into the eyes of a Sheikah warrior who had been standing in the shadows between the town hall and the neighbouring building, blending in with the darkness as Sheikah were wont to do. Unlike his comrades, he was not wearing a black mask, but when Link inspected the pale features of the young man, he drew a blank.
"Pardon me, but... do I know you?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" the Sheikah snarled. "We have crossed blades before! Or are you trying to insult me by pretending you forgot?"
Perhaps it was his condescending tone, or the fact that Link had only ever fought one Sheikah before; at any rate, he now recognized the soft voice as that of the masked fighter he and the other fresh recruits had fought on their first day in the barracks' courtyard. The man he had beaten in a training fight, but who refused to acknowledge that because Link had not been stupid enough to try and actually kill him.
And that's why he's sounding so irritated? Man, get over it. Everybody loses sometimes.
"I am Ashra, of the Sheikah."
"Yes, I remember you now. I am Link. Pleased to meet you again." He was not particularly pleased. In fact, he greatly disliked it when people held irrational grudges, which only served to make life miserable for everybody.
"So they actually put you in charge of these neophytes from back then? I hope they've learned to swing a sword by now, or they'll just endanger their comrades." Ashra smiled an arrogant smile. "Lucky for me that I won't be fighting with them or you, since I have actually been given an important mission – the most important one! You and the other grunts are just there to lure the Gorons away from my men."
"Yes, great, whatever," Link said. He had not time to waste talking to this red-eyed peacock. He turned to the guards at the door and repeated his request to be shown to his commanding officer.
"It's no use asking," Ashra spoke behind him, unbidden. "The plague has wiped out most of the officers, so you'll answer to General Lohgrimm directly. And he's currently putting the finishing touches on our strategy with Shaz and Thallius. They're not even letting me in, so don't get your hopes up."
The guards at the door confirmed Ashra's words, and Link decided to simply wait until the generals were finished and came out, which they had to do eventually. But like all things in life, there was a downside to that, and in this case, it was named Ashra. For all his 'important mission', the young Sheikah seemed to be in no particular hurry to go anywhere and simply remained where he was, gracing Link with a smug smile as if waiting for something.
"So, what's that important mission of yours?" Link finally asked in an attempt to be amicable.
"I thought you'd never ask," Ashra replied happily. "You see, it's not just because of my natural leadership qualities that I was entrusted with this, but also because I have in my hands the one item that will open the path to victory."
"Your hands are empty," Link could not help but point out.
"I know that, you fool. I was speaking figuratively, if you know what that means. The item in question will be delivered momentarily." He lifted his head and looked around, overseeing the main square. "Ah, there it comes," he said and pointed into the crowd of soldiers.
Although he could stand Ashra less and less with each word he said, Link mechanically turned his head and saw an old Sheikah male walking on a cane, slowly making his way through the throngs of soldiers, cursing and berating them every step on the way.
"Grandfather, this way!" Ashra shouted.
"Yes, I know. I can still see very well!" the old man shouted back. He soon arrived at the town hall and planted himself in front of the two young men standing there in wait. In spite of his physical frailty, he was still taller than both of them. He was almost completely bald and wore a black eye patch over his right eye.
"Did you bring it?" Ashra asked.
"Of course I brought it." The old man produced an item from a bag that was slung over his back and held it into Ashra's face. Link recognized it as some kind of magnifying glass with a purple frame and a red imprint on the lens that made it look like the pupil of an eye.
And this is supposed to open our way to victory? I am not impressed.
"Don't break it!" the old man cautioned his grandson. "If you do, I'll... I'll..." He struggled for words fit to describe the magnitude of such a calamity, but eventually gave up. "You won't break it," he stated matter-of-factly.
"I won't," Ashra confirmed and bowed before the old man. "Thank you, grandfather. I will return it immediately once our mission is successful."
So he's only nice to people who have something he wants? What a charming character.
"You better do. Or else..." The old man lifted his cane and waved it around, hitting another soldier and promptly cursing him for being in the way. "I'm going back home and try to get a nap. Of course that'll be impossible with all the noise you soldiers are making. I swear I'm just lending this to you so you can win your stupid war and get out of my village."
"I'll be happy to oblige," Ashra murmured as his grandfather took his leave and parted the throngs of soldiers with his cane. "Anyway," he turned to Link, his expression once again cocky and arrogant, "this little family heirloom is actually a magical item of great potency."
"Yes, I can tell because it's purple."
Ashra frowned. "That's not funny. It is called the 'Lens of Truth', if you care to know, and with its help one can see through any veil of deception, magical or otherwise."
"And how is that supposed to help us?"
"Oh, it's simple: You see, while the Gorons live in the tunnels in and below Death Mountain, they didn't actually dig most of those themselves. There's a huge network of caves and tunnels there, most of them unused, and there are multiple exits and entrances around Kakariko village. Do you understand the implications?"
Link thought he understood them fairly well; actually, they were kind of obvious. But Ashra clearly loved the sound of his own voice, so Link simply shrugged and let the Sheikah continue.
"Now, the Gorons aren't totally stupid. They know that leaving a backdoor to their capital isn't the smartest thing in the world, so they filled up most of the tunnels with boulders long ago, and camouflaged the ones that weren't blocked so the untrained eye couldn't tell them from the rock of the mountain. And this," he triumphantly lifted the Lens of Truth into the air, "is where my item comes in!"
He looked at Link as if expecting applause. Link did not oblige, but Ashra still droned on.
"We – and by we, I mean a small team of Sheikah Elites led by none other than myself – are going to enter the cave network via an old tunnel near the village entrance, and, using this marvellous item, find the hidden path to Goron City! We'll clear away the boulders with explosives and appear in their city like vengeful ghosts, and accost the villain who tried to murder our prince!"
"You make it sound so easy," Link said, thoroughly unconvinced that the plan would work as smoothly as Ashra hoped. "Then why is the rest of the army even here if you Sheikah can handle it yourself?"
"That should be obvious," Ashra smiled. "Even we Sheikah Elites would be outmatched if we had to fight all the Gorons within their city – quality against quantity, you understand – so you foot soldiers will provided the necessary distraction. To put it bluntly, you are nothing but decoys."
"Lots and lots of decoys, and pretty well armed," Link said defiantly and made a sweeping gesture with his arm to indicate the hundreds of soldiers around them. "Maybe we'll beat you to the city and make your little infiltration unnecessary."
"You're welcome to try," Ashra said and giggled. "But don't get your hopes up. There's no way you'll defeat the Gorons in an uphill battle." He looked up at the colossal peak rising beyond the village. "Make that 'up-mountain'. The best thing you can hope for is that you're still alive once we've finished our mission."
As much as he disliked Ashra, Link had to admit that his prediction was not without merit – the Gorons were going to have several natural advantages, not least of all the steep and narrow trail leading up to Death Mountain proper.
If the Gorons are smart, they won't face us at all. They'll just wait at the ledge of the mountain and gently push us down once we climb up.
Then again, they probably won't be able to resist the bait walking up to them on a platter, and will try to take as many soldiers out as they can.
Thinking about the situation as if he was not even involved helped Link fend off the queasy feeling stemming from the realization that he was going to be part of that bait. Strategically speaking, the plan was probably sound – assuming the cocky young Sheikah did not foul it up. Then again, he might just be lying about being in command of the party entering the tunnels in a pathetic attempt to impress Link.
This strategy definitely has a better chance to succeed than a simple head-on assault. Although it really makes me feel expendable.
Wih a sad sense of nostalgia, Link remembered Thallius' words that their small kingdom avoided wars whenever possible.
I guess he was wrong. I really hope Darion knows what he's doing. Or at least his generals.
"I'd love to tell you more," Ashra interrupted Link's musings, "but I think they're coming out."
The young Sheikah was right: The guards at the town hall's entrance were stepping aside, and three tall and imposing men walked out of the building. First came Thallius, girded in polished white armour and with his longsword slung over his back, looking every bit as a knight as when Link had last seen him three days ago.
Behind him walked a lightly-armoured man with a pale face and short, ashen hair, clearly recognizable as a Sheikah. Link had never seen him before, but he knew it must be Shaz, commander of the Sheikah Elites.
The commander of the regular army, a stout old veteran named Lohgrimm, came in last, belying his seniority over his two peers. Link had only seen him once from afar, two days ago during exercises in the barracks' courtyard. Since he and his men were part of the regular army, they ultimately answered to him, not Thallius, even if the Knight Commander had taken a bit of a liking to Link. The gold-plated helmet on Lohgrimm's hairless head bespoke his authority, but it also stirred unpleasant memories of the Stalfos leader who, according to Thallius, was still at large.
"Generals!" Ashra stepped forward and drew their attention on himself before Link could ask about his orders. "I have procured the item as promised!" He handed the lens of truth over to Shaz, who inspected it with scrutinising glances.
"You damn well better have," Lohgrimm said. "But I'm still not quite comfortable with relying on this thing as the linchpin of our strategy..."
"Do not worry," Shaz answered. "The owner is a crazy coot, but the Lens of Truth has been proven to work time and time again." He handed the lens back to Ashra, who bowed graciously, ignoring the comment about his grandfather.
"I will take your word on this," Lohgrimm said and addressed Ashra. "We only have this opportunity," he cautioned the young Sheikah. "If you fail for any reason, the Gorons will collapse the tunnels permanently, and we'll have to raise a ramp in order to lead the main army up the mountain. That would take weeks, not to mention huge casualties. The prince demanded quick results, and he shall have them."
"You won't be disappointed," Ashra assured Lohgrimm.
"I hope so, but I'm always prepared for the worst," the general said dryly. "Take your men and assume your position at the tunnel entrance. Be ready to move out the second we give the order."
"Yes, Sir!" Ashra saluted and was on his way, not without gracing Link with another condescending smile. "Meet me in Goron City," he called after him, "if you want to earn my respect!"
Tell me again why I should be interested in your respect?
"Oh, Link, I didn't see you there," Thallius took note of him. Link gave him a short nod, but decided not to play on his familiarity with the Knight Commander, as that might make him look bad in the eyes of his colleagues.
"Sirs! My unit arrived late, and we don't have our orders yet," he said.
"And why did you arrive late?" Lohgrimm demanded.
"We received our marching orders one day after the other units, Sir!" It wasn't our fault, that's what I'm trying to say.
"He's the one I talked to you about," Thallius intervened. "From the unit of fresh recruits."
"Ah, yes, now I remember." Lohgrimm gave Link a critical stare. "I am to blame for your late orders. To be frank, I had intended to leave you rookies back at the Keep, but General Thallius had spoken so highly of you, I changed my mind later. I hope you prove worthy of his accolades." He smirked. "Still, I trust you won't be offended when I tell you that you'll be kept among the reserves during the first assault."
Offended? Gods, no, I'm happy we won't get massacred during the first two minutes!
"That's quite all right with me," Link hurried to assure his supreme commander. "No matter where you put us, we'll all do our best."
"You see the battle standards over there?" Lohgrimm pointed at the flags in the middle of the main square. "The reserves assemble around the green banners. The red ones will be carried to the frontlines. If you get attack orders, that's where you go. War is chaotic, as you'll soon find out, so it's usually best to keep things simple. Any questions?"
"Uh... not about the standards, but..." Link hesitated, because his question might be considered impertinent. But he had to ask it, anyway. "Why not just besiege the Gorons? I admit that as a footsoldier I'm pretty biased, but wouldn't that reduce losses greatly?"
The bald general's eyes narrowed and he looked at Link as though he had suggested to surrender before the battle had even begun.
"Are you having second thoughts, soldier? I hope not, because it'd be a little too late for that."
"No, Sir! It was an honest question, nothing more. Really."
I know I signed a binding contract. I'm not going to desert or anything, so there's no need to stab me with your gaze.
Thallius rolled his eyes. "It was also a stupid question," he said. "In case you didn't know, the Gorons eat rocks. Trying to starve them would be kind of idiotic."
"And besides," Lohgrimm added, "the losses won't be so harsh as long as you soldiers move in formation and follow orders. We just have to occupy them long enough for the Sheikah to do their job. If we're lucky it'll be over in a matter of hours."
"No," Thallius interjected. "If we're lucky, King Grangus will still see reason and the fighting won't even start at all."
"We have been over that," Lohgrimm said. "There's no sign that he's changed his mind after the last messenger returned." Thallius muttered something in reply, but it was only to himself.
Shaz, who had followed their conversation with ill-concealed disinterest, thought it was time to take his leave. "I'll be at the tunnel entrance," he said, "and oversee the infiltration from there, as planned. We'll stay in contact via messengers."
"Very good," Lohgrimm said. "Best of luck to your men."
"And to yours."
"I'll be leaving then, too," Thallius said. "My mounted troops won't be of much use on the narrow trail," he explained in Link's direction, "so we'll guard the rear and make sure no Zora relief forces ambush the army from Hyrule Field."
"It's not the most glorious task for your knights," Lohgrimm admitted, "but the one the situation calls for."
"Just one more thing," Thallius said earnestly. "Please have one more talk to the Goron leader when you face them," he implored Lohgrimm.
"They sent away all our messengers, and Grangus has denied everything," his fellow general answered. "It's not likely he'll change his mind now." Link thought he sounded uncomfortable with the prospect of calling off the entire operation due to a last-minute extradition
"I only ask that you try. May the goddesses watch over you." Thallius looked at Link. "Try not to get yourselves killed," he told him, "or you'll make me look stupid." With that, he turned around and swiftly made his way across the crowded square toward the village entrance, and the masses of soldiers parted before him as readily as grain in a field.
"Go back to your unit now," Lohgrimm told Link. "When you hear the sound of a horn, lead them through that gate over there up the trail. Remember, you assemble around the green banner."
"Understood, Sir," Link saluted, and was on his way back to his men. In spite of his overtly respectful attitude, he was filled with misgivings about the battle plan – being used as a diversion did not sit well with him at all. He had joined the army to protect helpless people, not to lose his life as a pawn in a stupid war.
I simply have to fight as hard as I can to get out of this alive.
After all, I can't let Kari work my parents' farm forever, right?
Thinking of his lifelong friend, who, if it had been up to him alone, should have been more than that, filled Link with a sudden urge to drop everything and go home to Valhart at once. Even though he was surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of people, he suddenly felt very lonely.
There's no going back now, he chided himself. And I mustn't get distracted once the fighting starts! Kari would definitely hate it if I died because I thought about her.
Link forced his thoughts to return to the here and now and continued struggling through the throngs of soldiers. When he reached the alleyway where his men were waiting, they had already grown impatient.
"Just who or what have you been doing?"
"We thought you were going to desert!"
"Oh yes, I could totally use a dessert right now!"
"Shut up, you dumb brick."
Whenever his men went like this on with their jeers and stupid jokes, without a care in spite of the fact that war was just around the corner, Link felt the undeniable distance between himself and them. Perhaps they subconsciously felt the same as him, and were afraid of the coming battle, and only acted so casually because of peer pressure. That idea was incredibly frustrating, though: If all of them felt the same, then why were they here? Link decided that he would rather think of them as honestly looking forward to war, even thought that filled him with both pity and contempt for them.
Who's the bigger idiot: The one who goes to war happily, or the one who does it unhappily?
I have no idea. But I definitely feel like an idiot right now. Perhaps both are the same.
Link shook of his now useless thoughts and vociferously informed his soldiers that they were irredeemable halfwits who must be suffering from stunted brain growth; only after that did he tell them what he had learned. They booed when he mentioned that they would be part of the reserve, but he referred them to General Lohgrimm in case of complaints, which shut them up quickly.
He had barely finished relaying his information when the sound of a horn coming from main square alerted Link and his men that the time to march had come. He told them to stay put until most of the soldiers had left the crowded streets of Kakariko, then had them fall in line at the rear. Perhaps a hundred men other than them were flocking around the green banner, and together, the reserves followed the main army at some distance through the iron gate leading to the Death Mountain Trail.
The path was so narrow that no more than six men could walk next to each other, although it seemed to widen considerably further up ahead. The army came to a stop a short way up the trail, and Link managed to catch a glimpse of Lohgrimm's golden helmet among the troops near the forefront of the formation. He was oddly reassured by that.
At least he puts enough stock in his own battle plan to lead us from the front.
"Make way!" a muffled, but still loud voice sounded behind Link, and the clanging of metal quickly approaching from behind told him that it was a good idea to heed the command lest he be run over by the juggernauts trudging up the narrow trail. He pressed himself against the rock of the mountain, as well as the other soldiers that constituted the reserves, and stared at the six bulky figures that trudged up the trail. They wore black cloaks and capes over heavy suits of armour, and their helmets were covered by hoods and masks of the same colour. In sharp contrast to their heavy armour, their armament consisted only of shortswords that might as well have been toothpicks compared to the huge frames of their owners.
The strange knights – if they even were knights – continued past the reserves and, repeatedly shouting at the soldiers to get out of their way, hurried toward the vanguard. Link narrowed his eyes and saw that they had come to a stop next to Lohgrimm, received orders and then spread throughout the formation.
"Who are these guys?" several of his men asked after resuming their positions on the mountain path, and Link could only mirror their question.
"Don't you rookies know anything?" one of the older soldiers who were also part of the reserves answered. "They are Sheikah battle mages."
"Why do they give the best armour to them?"
"Because they're more important than you or me. You'll see soon enough," the middle-aged soldier replied and turned his back to Link's men. Link did not know much about magic, but he it was common knowledge that only a very limited number of people were ever trained in its arcane arts. Some said that was because the king did not trust his people with that knowledge, but most people held superstitious beliefs against magic and were quite fine with never learning the least bit about it. At any rate, there were at most two dozen upper-tier magic users in service to the king, which included the Six Sages, most of whom were old women and men unsuitable for combat.
Of course they get the best protection possible. You can't easily replace highly-trained wizards, unlike fresh recruits who a week ago couldn't swing a sword without hurting themselves.
Once again, Link pushed the unsettling awareness of his own dispensability aside and tried not to wonder how well his own slightly rusted chain mail would fare against a Goron weapon. He almost wanted to join those of his men who were going on about how unfair it all was, but he knew better than to complain at this stage. He wanted to tell them as much when the booming sound of General Lohgrimm's voice was carried to their ears by the harsh mountain winds.
"Brave soldiers of Hyrule! Defenders of the realm!" he began what was bound to be an inspirational speech. "Remember why we are here today, risking our lives, proving our courage. We are here because a member of the Goron race tried to murder our rightful ruler! We cannot let this crime go unpunished."
Cheers erupted when Lohgrimm mentioned Darion, and the soldiers around Link vowed to bring justice to the villain who had tried to kill their prince, even though few of them had probably ever met him in person.
"We are not here to conquer the Gorons," Lohgrimm continued, "or occupy them. We will fight, and win, and walk home at the end of the day. And we will take the assassin with us, dead or alive, it matters not. Now go forth. For his majesty! For Hyrule!"
Link took the liberty not to join the soldiers as they repeated the battleshout "For Hyrule!" half a dozen times, and nobody seemed to take notice or care. Working themselves into a frenzy would only lessen their chances to survive the battle, he knew, although he could see how Lohgrimm would rather have frenzied than apathetic or even unwilling soldiers.
"Liar!" a new voice sounded from above, echoing through the cliffs. The soldiers raised their heads and looked up as one man, and this time, Link did the same. He did not like what he saw, although it was not really unexpected. On a rocky ledge many feet above them, dozens of Gorons had taken position and looked down on the Hylian invaders, contempt clearly visible in their faces even at this height. Chestplates hanging on chains over their shoulders covered the soft bellies that were their kind's only weak spot, and they wielded heavy warhammers and axes that most Hylians would have been unable to lift. To Link, who had never seen one of their kind before, they all looked the same: equally furious and equally dangerous.
Several arrows flew up the ledge, but none came even close to hitting their mark. There were only few archers among the Hylian troops, and not even a master marksman could have hit a target that high in this wind. Lohgrimm barked at the bowmen to cease fire immediately, since he had not given any orders to attack yet, and Link recalled Thallius' urging him to have one last talk.
Please let their spokesman be well-spoken and convincing, he prayed, but did not allow himself any real hope.
"You are a liar," the Goron closest to the ledge repeated, brandishing a spiked mace, completely ignoring the flimsy missiles that had been fired at him. Even though he was clearly trying to control his temper, his deep, underlying anger could not be mistaken. "And your prince is a liar." He did not pause when the soldiers shouted insults up the ledge, defending their ruler, but simply raised his voice even more. "I did not try to kill him. He tried to kill me. And you are fools to the last if you sacrifice your lives for a liar."
"Silence!" Lohgrimm shouted. "Do you speak for King Grangus?" he asked. If the Goron's accusation had angered him, he concealed his feelings well.
"For him, and for myself. For I am Kokron, the dragonslayer!"
"We can still avoid fighting," Lohgrimm shouted and was promptly booed by his own men; something Link found particularly stupid. "Surrender yourself, and you will spare the lives of countless of your kinsmen."
"Didn't you listen to me?" Kokron replied. "There's no reason for me to surrender. There's no reason for us to fight. Walk away, or you'll learn why this place is called Death Mountain!"
"I didn't expect an assassin to know anything about honour!" Lohgrimm shouted. "I try to reason with you, and you add insult to injury by calling our prince a liar? You are scum, and if your people are too foolish to see this, they will pay a heavy price for not casting you out!"
So much for a peaceful solution, Link thought, and remembered his own experience with Darion one week ago. The prince had been nice enough, but clearly prone to irrational acts, as his performance in their duel had proven. Perhaps the assassination attempt had never really happened? Perhaps this Kokron truly was innocent?
But even if he was, he clearly could not prove it, or he would have presented such proof. And besides, Link had to remind himself once again, it was really not the time or place to be distracted, or he might lose his head before he knew it.
"I didn't even want to talk to you, you know," Kokron called down from the precipice. "I just wanted to smash as many of your soldiers as it takes for you to turn tail and run. But the king made me try to find a peaceful solution, so I did my best." He paused, and perhaps he smiled, but he was too high up for Link to tell. "I think I like it better this way."
Having said that, he turned around and vanished from the Hylians' sight, and his fellow Gorons did the same. Confusion broke out among the soldiers who had been expecting the beginning of hostilities, and Link's own men were no exception.
"Where did they go?"
"What are they doing?"
"Well, for starters, I don't think they're going to hug us," Link said. "The smartest thing to do would be... uh oh..."
The Gorons reappeared above them, rolling huge boulders toward the precipice, looking like oversized dung beetles, as Link could not help to note. Except that the rocks they were pushing would kill many of his comrades and quite possibly himself. Nervous murmurs broke out all around him as the other soldiers realized the same thing. The Gorons pushing the boulders had stopped at the very edge of the precipice, and it would take only a gentle nudge to send the rocks crashing down into the Hylian army trapped on the narrow path between the mountain and a deep chasm.
"Don't panic!" Lohgrimm's shout echoed from afar, clearly aware of the danger that his men might simply stampede back into Kakariko. "We got this covered!"
"Oh yes?" Kokron mocked him. "I'd like to see that." He gave a sign to his fellow Gorons, and they pushed the first wave of boulders over the edge. The rocks came crashing down the mountain, and the soldiers screamed in terror, but before Link could decide whether to scream as well (he did not want to because it was useless, but the urge was very strong), the boulders were suddenly stopped in mid-air, as if hitting an invisible barrier. Sparks flew, and a short blue flicker appeared wherever one of the rocks was deflected. They bounced up again and rolled over the soldiers' heads before plummeting into the chasm beyond.
"What foul trickery is this?" Kokron shouted. "Throw more!"
I, for one, am very happy about this foul trickery, Link thought.
As the second wave of boulders came crushing down, it was caught by the invisible barrier as effectively as the first one, doing no damage at all to the Hylians. Like Link, most of the soldiers were dumbfounded, but relieved and cheered every time a rock was propelled into the chasm off the trail's right side. Only some of them did not seem surprised and allowed themselves gloating smiles.
"Now you see why I said the mages were important!" the soldier from before shouted at Link's men. "Of course the generals expected this and prepared for it!"
Link nodded, more to himself than the soldier who had already turned around again. He could not see them, but somewhere among the soldiers, the six Sheikah battle mages must be performing their magics in order to protect the army from the death that rained from above. It was not the first time he had seen magic come in useful, but it was definitely the most impressive occasion thus far.
Remind me to thank those Sheikah personally after the battle. But I'll probably have to wait in line for that.
"Your magics won't save you!" Kokron shouted, not even trying to hide his frustration. "You still have to follow the trail and circle around the whole mountain to face us, and we'll be raining rocks on you every step on the way. Let's see how well your shield holds up." He paused for a moment. "And if it does, you'll have to face me. Do you have the courage for that?"
He's certainly full of himself...
"Men, form ranks and advance!" Lohgrimm shouted. "Spearmen to the front, archers in the rear, and the reserves keep close behind the main army! We'll follow the trail around the mountain and meet them head-on! Protect the mages at all cost! For Hyrule!"
"For Hyrule!" the soldiers shouted in reply and like an avalanche that had gotten its direction wrong, they charged up Death Mountain Trail, barely keeping formation in their eagerness to join battle. Link silently shook his head as his men advanced behind the main force, because he completely failed to comprehend his comrades' enthusiasm for the bloodbath that lay ahead.
I just wanted to help people, he thought not for the first time today. How did I get myself into this mess? The urge to turn around and flee was stronger than ever. But even though he was marching at the very back of the army, there was no way to turn around now, not without being noticed by his own frenzied comrades or stopped by the Sheikah guards at the village exit, and he would certainly be executed on the spot for deserting.
There was no way to avoid this, Link knew, and resigned himself to that knowledge. In his sixteen years, he had already encountered Death more often than he preferred. Now he would be introduced to his older brother, War.
I really could have done without this. But that's fate for you.