A/n: So, the revamped chapter is finally up. I've had this chapter sitting on my computer partially written since the last time I bothered to update this, which was some time in 2012, I'm sure.
Disclaimer: Frogs.
Chapter 21: Medallion of Fire Part 1
The party, still worn out by the aftermath of the Forest Temple, had pooled together their meager resources and had managed to snag a couple of rooms at the inn in Kakariko Village. A pit stop, Navi said, before they began their inevitable trek up Death Mountain, which was bound to be as fun as their last adventure up there. Joey had countered that statement, saying that if the cavern full of evil dinosaurs was bad, then a temple inside a volcano was bound to be even worse. Everyone decided to forget about that for the evening and rest up, though.
"I feel a lot better now." Link said breezily, eating breakfast and looking as if this were just another day at the office. In moments like this, Link's obliviousness was enviable.
"At least you're happy about all of it." Navi grumpily retorted from atop Link's head.
"I wonder if the Gorons are okay." Kaori asked innocently, munching on some bread. She opted for a smooth change of topic to ease the fairy's morning grumpiness. "If Kokiri Village was overrun by monsters, what did Ganondorf do the Gorons?"
"Nothing good, I'd guess." Aya leaned back while responding. "Nothing we've seen has been good so far. I'm not too hopeful."
"The Gorons were so friendly. It's a shame, really." Katara mused, gathering her stuff.
"We shouldn't waste too much time on breakfast." Kurama stood up, brushing grass off of his clothes. Impeccable was one thing Kurama always looked, an effortless feat for the redhead.
"At least we're finally in my element." Joey, now full of food and ready to face the day, jumped up, stretching his arms above his head.
"I just know you're going to be a pain to deal with when we go to find the water sage." Katara rolled her eyes.
"It's not my fault. Water just throws off my groove." Joey said in a whiny voice, waving his hand. As if to curb what would inevitably turn into another world class argument, Kurama simply began walking. He was well past the gates before the rest of the party took notice and actually followed.
"Let's go!" Link pointed cheerfully. Everything on the trail seemed the same, for the most part. The only major differences were the giant boulders rolling down the trail. This wasn't a welcome change, according to Joey, and didn't bode well for whatever the rest of the mountain had in store for them. They stuck close to the edge in an attempt to avoid the path of the boulders, but it still took some well-timed intervention by Kurama and Joey to keep Link and Kaori from getting crushed.
"First I almost get killed by that falling ceiling in the Forest Temple, and how a giant boulder." Kaori's eyes were wide as she clung to Joey, who had pulled her out of the way.
"Jeez, between you and Link." Joey laughed dryly as they continued on. Kaori's only response was a tiny whimper, but she pulled herself together. Everyone decided the faster they got up the mountain, the less they'd have to deal with rogue boulders.
"Every step I take reminds me of how much I hated this mountain." Aya said in an irritable voice, brushing some hair over her shoulder.
"I'll take hiking this mountain if it means we don't have to go inside the belly of a giant fish again." Katara shuddered. "I mean, Dodongo's Cavern wasn't a paradise by any means, but still."
"We'll be bringing up that stupid whale for the rest of our lives." Navi commented from atop Link's head. "Every time we go to cite our worst experience in our travels so far, everyone always goes for the time we went inside that stupid fish."
"To be honest, there's a bit of a black spot where some of that experience is supposed to be." Kurama laughed a bit. "I remember the important things but a small segment has been missing ever since I got slammed into the wall by that octopus."
"You did take most of that hit with your head when that thing knocked you into the wall." Aya tapped her chin.
"I'm honestly not concerned about it, or I would have brought it up sooner." Kurama shrugged. "Like I said, I remember what's important."
"Even when it comes to mild head injuries, you're unfazed." Joey turned to Kurama. "Are you fazed by anything?"
"Don't worry, Joey." Kurama said cheerfully. "I have my moments."
"I highly doubt that." Joey responded. The party left the conversation at that and picked up the pace, managing to make good time to Goron City. While the party was looking forward to seeing the Gorons again, they were met with disappointment when they saw the whole city seemed completely empty.
"Oh, where are all of them?" Link frowned. "I wanted to tell them all about my adventures in Teapot Land." To Link, this was a very big disappointment.
"You don't want to tell them about your adventures in Teapot Land." Navi seemed annoyed. "No one cares."
"Everyone cares about Captain Teapot." Link stated matter-of-factly.
"I'd like 'Captain Teapot' more if he didn't speak in riddles all the time." Joey looked off to the side, rubbing his forehead.
"Let's ignore that for the time being." Kurama began to make his way down further into the city. He called over his shoulder to the rest of the party. "There is one Goron running around."
"There is?" Aya ran forward to catch up with him.
"Right down there." Kurama pointed to the level below them. He was right. Rolling in an endless loop around one of the middle levels was a small Goron. "If we stop that Goron, perhaps they can tell us where everyone else is."
"I want to say hi!" Link ran past everyone else, clearly excited to see this one lonely Goron. Link let out a goofy grin, waving his arms around eagerly. He caught the little Goron's attention, causing it to skid to a stop in its rolling.
"I-I'm not falling for your tricks!" the Goron said in a muffled voice, refusing to uncurl for them. "You're probably Ganondorf's minions! Go away!" With that, the Goron rolled off in the opposite direction. Link looked positively heartbroken.
"I thought we were friends." Link lowered his hands. His eyes were big and sad, like a puppy's. "I don't look evil, do I?"
"You're the farthest thing from it." Katara responded, placing her hands on her hips.
"How do we get him to listen to us? He didn't listen when we waved him down." Kaori turned to Kurama and Navi, the group's designated problem solvers.
"Blow a bomb up in his face." Navi said bluntly, plopping herself down on Link's head again. The party stared at Navi with varying levels of uncertainty. "What?"
"I'm all for blowing shit up, Navi, but is it okay to blow a bomb up in this kid's face?" Joey asked.
"Gorons eat bombs." Navi lifted a finger. "He'll barely feel it."
"Be my friend!" Link ripped a bomb out of his bag in newfound determination. Joey lit the fuse for him and Link went running down the path, tossing the bomb with all of his might towards the oncoming Goron. There was a small silence as the group waited to see the outcome. Sure enough, the bomb went off and the Goron was stunned, uncurling from his rolling position in a daze.
"I am not an evil minion." Link seemed offended, crossing his arms as he walked towards the Goron. "I am a friend. A friend who only wants to tell you stories about Captain Teapot and his great adventures in Teapot Land. How am I supposed to tell you my stories if you call me an evil minion and roll away like that?"
"I can't take Link seriously, even if he is supposed to be scolding this guy." Aya rolled her eyes.
"Link!" Navi yelled out from atop his head. "No one here wants to hear about Captain Teapot."
"You don't know that." Link lifted a finger in protest.
"Who are you guys?" the little Goron seemed angry more than anything. "You're not welcome here!"
"But, we're friends with the Gorons, I thought." Kaori stepped forward.
"Here my name and tremble in fear!" the Goron threw a fist forward. "I am Link, champion of the Gorons! Get out now and don't come back! Ganondorf and his servants have done enough damage here!"
"Link?" Link cocked his head to the side. "I'm Link! We were meant to be friends!"
"Wait, what do you mean?" the Goron seemed surprised by Link's reaction.
"We're not here to cause trouble, we promise." Katara put her hands up.
"Link is a special name!" the Goron pointed. "There is no way you could have that name by coincidence. Dad gave me that name after the Dodongo Busters…You can't be…"
"If by 'Dodongo Busters', you refer to the children who defeated King Dodongo and ended the food shortage five years ago, then, yes, we are the ones you are talking about." Kurama explained simply, taking a step forward himself.
"And I'm Link!" Link lifted a hand enthusiastically.
"Oh my gosh, you are the real Dodongo Busters!" Goron Link jumped up and down excitedly. "I can't believe it. The stories everyone talks about are real. I never could have imagined I'd run into you guys like this! Dad was right! You guys are amazing in person!"
"Who is your father, anyway?" Katara blinked.
"Darunia, big brother of the Gorons!" Goron Link smiled, turning to Link. "He named me after you! A strong name, he said. He says when he has more children; he'll go down the list!"
"Flattering, I suppose." Aya shrugged her shoulders, crossing her arms.
"But now isn't the time to go into fan mode, I guess." Goron Link looked down at his feet. "You….came here to help, right?"
"How can we say no to that?" Joey walked over to the smaller Goron and knelt down. While the Gorons were a bulky, muscular race in the first place, Joey still towered over the child Goron. Goron Link looked up and Joey with watery eyes. "What's up with the city, squirt?"
"Ganondorf and his minions came here not too long ago and screwed everything up." Goron Link began. "Dad wouldn't listen to his demands and Ganondorf got angry. You see, long ago, there was a big, evil dragon named Volvagia that lived in the crater of this mountain. It was so powerful that it was sealed away in the Fire Temple by a brave hero with the legendary hammer! It was an epic battle, everyone says. Smack! Boom! The dragon was gone. I know this is a true story because Dad's a descendant of that hero."
"What does the dragon have to do with this?" Katara asked hesitantly, having a feeling they all knew where that explanation was going.
"Ganondorf brought back the evil dragon Volvagia and captured everyone in the city. He dragged them all off to the Fire Temple." Goron Link sniffed. "He said he planned to feed everyone to the dragon to make an example out of us. During the raid, Dad and I managed to hide in the shop with the shopkeeper, but after it was all over, Dad marched off the Fire Temple by himself."
"Is Darunia okay?" Link looked worried. He knelt in front of the goron, too. "Darunia is our friend! Why'd he go off all alone?"
"He's bound to fare better in the Fire Temple alone then Saria did in the Forest Temple alone." Navi stated, fluttering around the group. "Darunia is a trained warrior, after all."
"He said that he was going to save everyone." Goron Link had big tears in his eyes. "I'm worried about him, though. You have to save Dad! Please, help him!"
"Of course." Kurama said, turning to the group. "No was never an option, right?"
"Nope!" Link stood up again, turning to the group with a determined glint in his eyes. "Let's go!"
"Hey, hold up!" Navi flew in front of Link's face to stop him. "The only one here who could actually march off to help Darunia in your current state is Joey, and that's because he's heat resistant!"
"What?" Link's clueless expression signaled to Navi that he didn't catch a word of what she said.
"The Fire Temple, I'm pretty sure, is at the heart of an active volcano." Navi rolled her eyes, trying her best to calmly explain. "The heat in the crater is unbearable. You'll burst into flames after only a couple of minutes, at best."
"Oh." Link stopped to consider that. "And that's bad, right?"
"Yes."
"So, does Joey have to do this alone?" Link blinked innocently.
"Joey is not doing this alone." Joey raised a hand in protest.
"Here!" Goron Link began walking. "I can help you all with that! Come with me!"
Goron Link began leading the party in silence through the pathways of the city. Goron City in their youth had been full of life, even if they were facing a food crisis. There was something haunting about the lack of voices in the air. Goron Link had a serious look on his face as he walked down the empty stairs, leading the group. It was clear by his face that he was just as unsettled by the lack of people as everyone else was. After a few more minutes, though, he stopped in front of a sealed off door at the very bottom level of the city, close to where Darunia's room was, which was also sealed up by a big stone door. Goron Link rolled up and opened and pounded the ground, causing both the door in front of them and the door to Darunia's room to open.
"This is the shop that I hid in." Goron Link gestured for the group to enter. "I'm sure the shopkeeper has no problem helping you all out."
"Thinking about it, we never came to the shop that last time we were here." Kaori tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I guess we never had the time."
"Who did you bring with you?" the shopkeeper walked up to the counter hesitantly.
"It's the Dodongo Busters!" Goron Link said happily. "They've come to help Dad and save us!"
"No way!" the shopkeeper stepped out from behind the counter and inspected the group. "Though, descriptions match, I guess. You all must really be the Dodongo Busters I've heard so much about."
"You all make me feel happy." Link smiled. "I can't wait to gather everyone up again and have a huge group hug."
"The last time they tried to hug us, it didn't go well." Aya pointed out.
"Hugs are always a good thing." Link said. "Even Captain Teapot likes hugs! And so do bears! And those spider things that chased us when we were climbing the mountain!"
"Bears never want hugs." Aya retorted. "And those spiders didn't want hugs. They wanted to kill us. And while I'm not personal friend of Sheik, I'm pretty sure he doesn't seem like a hug guy."
"You don't know what that spider was feeling." Link frowned.
"Anyways." Kurama turned around to the shopkeeper. From off to the side, Navi muttered to herself that nothing would ever get done if Kurama didn't have the talent to ignore the chaos and get something accomplished. "Do you, by chance, know a way for us to endure the heat in the crater? It seems we won't be able to help at all if we can't survive that heat."
"Of course!" the shopkeeper walked off to a back room. From inside, he called out to the group. "We have a special kind of fabric we created for our Hylian allies that's super resistant to heat. All I have are tunics, but I can make it work. As long as you all wear these, you should be able to handle whatever the crater throws at you."
"That's good news." Katara smiled. The shopkeeper came out with a stack of dark red tunics. They had a leathery feel to them, feeling smooth. The fabric was heavy and stiff. "Six Goron tunics! No charge, though. Saving the others will be more than enough to pay me back." The party, minus Joey, began fiddling with the tunics, each finding ways to fit them comfortably over their clothes.
"What about you, young man?" the shopkeeper turned to Joey, as did Goron Link.
"You'll burn up to!" Goron Link whined.
"Nah, I'm good." Joey waved a hand nonchalantly. "I've got this whole fire thing covered. No worries, folks."
"Joey is fire resistant!" Link turned while he was fastening his belts back in place. "He's amazing like that!"
"Amazing not the first word that comes to mind." Katara said sarcastically, pulling her braid over one shoulder.
"I don't need to hear that from you." Joey frowned at Katara, pointing an accusing finger in her direction.
"Jeez, so touchy." Katara smirked. "At this point, you should see these comments coming."
"Anyways." Joey turned to the shopkeeper. "I'm fine. I've got this handled."
"Alright. If you say so. I trust you." The shopkeeper nodded.
"If you want a fast way to get to the crater, you can pull the statue out in Dad's room. It's a shortcut to the crater." Goron Link explained. "I'll stay here and continue hiding with the shopkeeper, but that's the fastest way to Dad and the others!"
"Thanks!" Link waved. The party, still sort of uncomfortable with the odd fabric of the Goron Tunics, made their way to Darunia's room. It was the same as they last remembered it. It took the team effort of Joey and Link to pull the statue out, but some working got it far enough out that they could all squeeze through. They walked through a pitch black tunnel before being hit in the faces with a wave of piercing heat.
"Okay, I hate this and we haven't even actually set foot in the crater yet." Katara blinked back tears from the onslaught of heat.
"This is certainly going to be a challenge." Kurama said, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand."
"It's like an oven!" Link smiled; seemingly unaware of the sweat that was already hanging on his brow. "It's like we're in a bakery!"
"No. We're not in a bakery." Aya said. "If we were, I'd be eating delicious food in a cool place, not making my way to the heart of a semi-active volcano." No one could really argue with that logic and they finished traveling through the tunnel, ignoring whatever rant Link was going on about bakeries. Joey swore he heard Link say something about finding his long lost goat, but no one knew what he was talking about and chose to ignore it.
"This place just looks…great." Aya struggled to find the right adjective, just going for something sarcastic. The dark ground and heavy clouds high above acted like a barrier, trapping what little sunlight behind it, leaving the only real light the angry glow of the magma below them. The crater was cursed with uneven landscapes and a dreadful black color scheme that only made the place seem more imposing. The red and orange glow made everything seem ominous, reflecting brightly in everyone's eyes and discoloring everything around them. Careful not to fall over, they made their way to an edge, where they saw a broken bridge that was meant to be a path for two parts of the crater.
"Hookshot go!" Link pulled out the hookshot and held it up, sticking his tongue in concentration as he found the perfect shot. Grabbing Kaori by the waist out of nowhere, he launched himself and Kaori across the platforms to the other side, landing in a graceless heap on the ground. "We made it!" Link lifted a fist in the air from his place on the ground.
"Toss that thing back over here!" Joey waved. "Carefully!" He added. Link stood up and threw the thing, taking heed of the "careful" part and Joey, height on his side, caught it. He offered to piggy back Katara and the two shot themselves over, landing less gracelessly than Link and Kaori had.
"The usual?" Aya turned to Kurama, who looked at the gap in front of them with his usual calmness.
"You know me well." Kurama turned to Aya. "Ready?"
"Yep." Aya nodded and let herself get scooped up by the redhead. In seconds, Kurama had made the jump and put Aya down.
"You cheat every time jumping is involved." Joey gave Kurama a skeptical look. "Whenever we're supposed to use the hookshot or climb or jump platforms, you do it like a freaking ninja and leave us all in the dust. And Aya always gets airlifting-by-Kurama privileges."
"Well it isn't as if I can give you an airlift, Joey." Kurama responded, brushing some hair out of his face. "And Aya is usually one of the last to make a move, like me."
"What's a ninja? Does that have to do with oranges? Or snakes?" Link asked.
"No." Navi answered. Before the group could take another step forward, they heard footsteps behind them. While Link and Joey gasped in shock at the sight of their familiar Shiekah ally, everyone else just stared with blank expressions, waiting for Sheik's cryptic words to confuse them all again.
"Captain Teapot!" Link threw his arms open in a welcoming come-on-hug-me motion.
"…" Sheik stared at the hero, but made no effort to accept the hug being offered. "I have been waiting for you all. Every time I see you, you seem to have grown stronger. Your friendship grows at every turn."
"It has to grow with Link around." Aya turned. "With all the times Kurama or Joey save him from death, they should all be best friends by now."
"The power of the heart is a wonderful thing. That friendship will forge a deep connection within all of you. These bonds will form into deep passion and the strongest sense of trust, and from that righteous power, you will know which way to go." Sheik said, his garnet eyes scanning over everyone in the group. The glow of the magma reflected almost menacingly on the deep red of Sheik's eyes, but there was softness to the tone of his voice. He was mysterious, but not harmful. "Link. Pull out your ocarina."
"Okay!" Link fumbled through his bag for an awkward minute before pulling out the ocarina. "Teaching me another nifty song, Captain Teapot?"
"Yes. Let me teach you the song of the heart, Link. This melody reflects the power these bonds!" Sheik, in a golden light, summoned his harp. Plucking a couple of strings as a test, he turned to face Link completely. "This is the 'Bolero of Fire'!"
Link, in an unusual move, made no effort to respond and, instead, placed the ocarina to his lips and waited for Sheik's cue. Knowing that Link was a fast learner, Sheik went straight into the song, playing the first round of notes swiftly, his fingers seeming to glide over the strings of the harp. Link followed almost effortlessly, keeping up with the fast pace of the song. It was a song with a commanding presence; it's quick and forceful notes demanding a sense of control over the wild, hellish crater surrounding them. The fast pace of the song contrasted the slow, swirling magma and there was a sense of urgency about it. Just as quickly as the song started, though, it had reached its conclusion and Link had removed the ocarina from his mouth, taking a few deep breaths.
"That song was hard to play!" Link said, looking up at Sheik as he put his ocarina away.
"I will see you all again." Sheik took a few steps back.
"No, Captain Teapot!" Link ran forward but was cut off by a wall of fire. When the wall of fire was gone, so was Sheik.
"I'd really like to know how he does that." Katara sighed.
"So, where is this place with the evil dragon thing?" Link asked, his eyes wide in cluelessness. "I don't know where I'm going."
"Over here, I think." Kurama pointed to a secluded area. They walked over and found a ladder leading far down to an underground area.
"Is this it?" Aya looked up at Navi.
"I'm not sure." Navi was honest. "I've never actually been to the Fire Temple. I assume that's what we're looking for, though. Nothing else seems to scream Fire Temple to me."
"Before you even think it, girls are going down first!" Katara glared at a smirking Joey.
"Come on, I didn't get a good chance to do anything last time there was a ladder since we had a kid with us." Joey couldn't contain his laugh.
"Ever since we became adults, your mind has been in the gutter!" Katara elbowed Joey.
"Hey!" Joey responded indignantly. "We're adults now! I'm just…taking notice. Besides, how can you resist the Joey?"
"Oh, I can resist 'the Joey' just fine." Katara rolled her eyes and began climbing down the ladder.
"You're no fun, Kat!" Joey glared down at her as she climbed.
"I think I can live with myself!" Katara yelled back up at him.
"Right." Aya started climbing. "Just gonna get in the middle of this little argument now." Kaori nodded sheepishly and followed suit. Soon the rest of the party had made their way down the ladder.
"I didn't cheat there, Joey." Kurama placed his hands in his pockets, not even looking at Joey as he made that sarcastic quip.
"Oh, wait." Joey blinked in surprise at the redhead. "You didn't. You usually do."
"Not all the time. I recall a couple of points in the Forest Temple where I didn't 'cheat'." Kurama smiled.
"Blah, blah." Joey continued walking, looking over his shoulder at Kurama. "The point is you do it seventy five percent of the time."
"Hm." Kurama continued to smile, but there was an air of sarcasm around him. "Whatever you say, Joey."
"Quit talking about Kurama's jumping skills and let's get a move on." Navi barked. "We're on even more of a time limit with this temple."
"I'd like a temple without a time limit." Aya said dryly.
"Not going to happen." Navi responded as Link led the group, almost too enthusiastically, straight to the entrance of the Fire Temple.
A/n: So, I know that not a lot of people pay attention to this anymore. Really, I'm sure no one does. I'm not guaranteeing any frequency with updates. A lot has happened since the last time I revamped a chapter. I am now a college graduate with a full time job. This story is now off hiatus and more on a "when I get it done" status.