Chapter 21
Infernal Dinosaur
KING DODONGO
Suvica hated many things. For starters, he hated weaklings with thin arms but large mouths; all talk but no walk, typical humans with egos. He hated anyone and everyone that messed with his stuff; even his old gang, the Thunder Wings, was smart enough to keep their hands to themselves when it came to his possessions. He hated cowardly humans who didn't know how to fight him face-to-face and always relied on underhanded and crafty tactics; at least Glen of Hyrule had the balls and the muscle to harm him. He hated the mere sight of his ground-ridden cousins; namely, the Dodongos, Dinolfos, and Lizalfos. His three lower relatives were a mockery to the dragon race and deserved to be wiped off the face of the earth.
But if there was absolutely one thing Suvica could not tolerate, it was this: Cretins that disturbed his sleep. He was very touchy when it came to his rest. True, he could go a week without a wink of sleep, so after resting a full night half a day ago, he should have no reason to be angry after rudely being awakened by a sudden montage of screams and roars, right?
Dead wrong. Idiots brainless enough to awaken a sleeping dragon, tired or not, didn't know the meaning of fear (excluding Forest Boy, who constantly got on Suvica's nerves). Why was he so touchy about his sleep? Well, being hunted down for several months by glory seeking humans while relentlessly being ambushed in his sleep helped to promote these negative feelings.
When Suvica didn't want to sleep, he didn't sleep. When Suvica wanted to sleep, he got his sleep. Right now, he wanted his sleep. It was hard enough to bat an eyelid in the collective noise of hammering steel, smashing rock, and rolling stones, but to make matters worse, he only managed to enjoy an hour's worth of slumber before the gobbledygook of roars and yells snapped him awake.
Suvica punched the ground. In the light-less room, he could feel the rock beneath his fist fracture into splitters. His head was muddled, his body erratic, and his eyes dry. In other words, this was not a good time to talk to him. The racket echoing from the hallway to his room, connected to Goron City, refused to cease. He punched the ground again, harder, and his head swaying as incoherent thoughts tangled about inside his brain. He couldn't tell what time it was. He barely remembered where he was. He couldn't even recall his own name until he started banging his head against the floor (the poor solid bedrock sustained more damage than his forehead). Yet there was one thing he did know: Someone was going to die for screwing with his sleep.
Not knowing who or what his target was, but well aware of what he was going to do him or them, Suvica burst out of his borrowed-cave and broke to a stop inside the main Goron City. His five-star villa was at the very top of the city's bowl-like structure, at level with a hanging stone monument suspended above the city by three thick chains attached to the perimeter of the city's inner walls. He looked down, and his anger flared.
Dodongos.
He didn't know what happened during his sleep and he didn't care. Dodongos were flooding the lowest level of Goron City, forcing the occupying Gorons to scamper off to the higher floors of Goron City. For a race that prided itself in strength, it was riotous to see them flee like bugs from a sinking ship. That good humor didn't last very long as his blackened mood deepened in intensity. Not only had his sleep been disrupted, but it had been upset by Dodongos.
In the center of Goron City, at the lowest level, Suvica spotted a pretty large Dodongo burrowing its way into the city, perhaps fifty or sixty times bigger than the average Dodongo. Its large body appeared to be stuck in the hole it was climbing from, but he had the general gist of its shape: Big, silver scales, large horn, green eyes as wide as a curled up Goron, and lots of big teeth. Still, being big didn't give it permission to screw with Suvica.
The Big Dodongo spat a laughable ball of fire from its mouth. Suvica watched the clumsy grease ball totter in the air and explode somewhere around the higher levels of Goron City, opposite from where he was standing. He knew Dodongos could breathe fire, but that was pathetic. His little dragon sister could do better than that, and she was still a baby. Plenty of Gorons were burned from the feeble-excuse of a fireball, and Suvica suspected a handful more died from the resulting flames.
With his wit and senses honed to the extreme by his surging need for blood and death, Suvica could see everything occurring in the Goron City. He spotted Link near the lower levels, using his magic to pierce and destroy several rows of Dodongos at once. His so-called Spear Attack was pretty powerful. A different explosion caught Suvica's attention, and he saw the Princess hurling fireballs into the tide of Dodongos from high ground. Still, only a third of her magical flames did any damage; the rest splashed against the Dodongos' protected heads. Didn't she know the Dodongo's weak spot was their tail? Useless excuse of a princess. He sniffed twice, locating Rail near the midlevel of Goron City by his scent of soil, blood, and sweat. Rail was playing Frisbee Soldier again, flinging his Hylian Shield attached with a rope and targeting the Dodongos while striking them from up high. He was making the same mistake as the Princess, hitting the heads of the Dodongos instead of their tails. Did none of these halfwits learn? At least Link was being smart, having found the Dodongo's weakness and accurately killing them off with well-aimed magic.
Where's Malon? A small voice wondered past his overwhelming killing intent. Suvica shook his head, trying to drown the droplet of worry in his sea of wrath. Malon had been on his mind far too often, much more than usual. He vaguely remembered the overgrown pigeon back at Hyrule Castle talking about how he liked her, but that was absurd. How many times did he have to say it? He was a dragon, she was a human, and there was no way … his nose twitched. He could small fresh grass, strawberries, and hay; his head automatically faced the ledge opposite from where he was. He took another sniff, gratefully locating her position in the upper floors of Goron City, away from the Dodongos. If she was that high up, then she was probably fine. Maybe he should get her out of the city first and then slaughter the Dodongos to extinction afterwards? That was a good plan. He cracked his knuckles, stretched his arms, and located Malon's exact position with his nose.
His stomach turned to stone.
Malon was at the edge of the first fireball's blast radius. Part of her vibrant red hair was still smoking, and her right arm smelled of smoked flesh. Her sky blue eyes were blurred into a deep lake of despair as she leaned over a Goron and cried. That particular Goron's backside had been scorched black, probably from shielding Malon from the Big Dodongo's fireball. But Malon was still hurt, physically and emotionally.
Suvica's vision started to steam as he felt the familiar sensation of unbearable and uncontrollable rage. The last time he felt this murderous was back at Denion City, when he tore at the fake-Hylian guard stalking them with a naked blade. He glared at the Big Dodongo as it opened its mouth again, its throat flaring while it built up another ball of fire. Judging by the angle and direction of its head, Suvica could tell it was aiming for Darunia, the big boss of the Gorons, at the high levels of Goron City. Suvica couldn't begin to care for Boss Goron, but Malon was well within the supposed blast radius, and this time, she wouldn't be able to escape with a few burns.
His sleep had been interrupted, and it was because of Dodongos, and these lowly lizards were attacking Malon, who wanted no part in this war.
It was on.
The Big Dodongo spat out its second fireball, and Suvica flew. His wings and tail tore out of his back as he arrowed across Goron City, coming to a stop in front of Malon before the Big Dodongo's fireball had crossed half the distance to its intended target. He sunk his fingers into the ground, securing himself as he spread his wings as wide as they would allow. Once the Big Dodongo's fireball was passing in front of his face, he surged his wings forward while remaining rooted to his position, buffeting a wall of air against the fireball, dispelling the mass of flame.
The danger averted, Suvica pulled his fingers out of the rock floor and faced Malon, grabbing her shoulders with both hands. "Malon! Are you okay? Say something!"
Malon hiccupped, noticing she'd been saved. "S-Suvi?"
"Yeah, that's me! Come on! I'm getting you out of here!" He stepped forward to wrap Malon in his arms and fly her to safety, but she flinched when he got close. He accidentally pressed himself against the burn on her right arm, causing her to whimper. That one gasp of pain made Suvica's throat parched with an intolerable desire for blood.
Malon saw the murderous intent on his face and hid her wounded arm from view, focusing her moistened eyes on the burnt Goron at their feet. "N-No, I can't leave, I can't leave Groudus here! He needs help! He needs healing!"
"Malon, don't argue with me! I'm getting you out of here even if—!"
"Here comes another one!" a Goron shouted.
Suvica whipped his head around, glowering down as the Big Dodongo prepared another fireball. Its maw was stretched wide open, fire dancing at the end of its heavily serrated tongue. This time, it was aiming for Suvica.
The next instant, Suvica was diving towards the Big Dodongo a hundred feet below him.
"A lowlife like you … DARES TO ATTACK ME?" The Big Dodongo was mere seconds away from finishing its preparations, but Suvica wouldn't let it. His body was completely vertical, diving like a black spike. He summoned his black dragon scales on his right arm and felt his left undergo an identical transformation. Black scales burst from both limbs, coating his arms from the tip of his fingers all the way to his elbows; another part of the witch's seal had been undone, but he didn't care. There was only one thing on his mind right now, and only one desire: Death and destruction.
The Big Dodongo's mouth reached the limit, and the flames began to rise forth.
"DON'T GET COCKY!" Suvica's two scaled fists struck the tip of the Big Dodongo's mouth. With a collective force of gravity and brute dragon strength, Suvica slammed the Big Dodongo's mouth shut the exact moment it shot its fireball. The result produced a loud boom as the fireball ruptured within the giant lizard's mouth, causing wisps of fire, puffs of smoke, and a cry of pain to slip past the big lizard's clenched teeth.
Suvica raised his fists for another strike, but the Big Dodongo jerked its massive head upward, shooting him into the air. That wasn't a problem; Suvica opened his wings and rebalanced himself in midair.
He snarled at the Big Dodongo's petty rebellion, intertwining his reinforced fingers and clenching his hands together so he could better hammer the Big Dodongo to death. He folded his wings and dove. The smaller Dodongos moved to protect their leader, crowding close to the Big Dodongo and opening their jaws. All together, they fired numerous jets of flame at Suvica, trying to ward him away with quantity instead of quality. If the Big Dodongo's fireball was a boulder launched by a catapult, than these streams of piss were pebbles fired from slingshots; neither would have hurt a dragon. Suvica plowed past the flames brushing his body, torching his clothes, and heating the chain around his neck, yet failing to burn his skin.
"WEAK! WEAK! WEAK!" He roared, sledge hammering the horn in the center of the Big Dodongo's head with his fists. The Big Dodongo sunk several feet back into the tunnel from which it was crawling from, and a crack formed at the base of its horn.
Suvica opened his own mouth to release a lightning bolt, feeling the electricity crackle in his throat, but a wave of Dodongos suddenly jumped into the air, aiming for him. He lashed out with his tail, smacking several of the incoming lizards back towards the ground. It wasn't enough to deflect all of them; one Dodongo managed to sink its teeth into his tail while another one clawed at his wings, ripping the membrane. Ignoring the discomfort, Suvica dispatched the nuisance chewing on his tail with a bolt of lightning and ripped the Dodongo at his wings in half with his hands. As soon as he killed those two, several more were already pouncing for him.
Suvica positioned his feet on the Big Dodongo's horn and braced himself for the coming wave, but there was one danger he was not prepared for. The Big Dodongo raised one large paw and smashed him off its head. When it struck, it felt like a mountain had stood up and sat on him; Suvica's body buckled beneath the blow, sending him flying towards the ground and crashing into a Dodongo-infested wall. Before he could recover, the Big Dodongo raised the same foot over him in an attempt to grind him into dust.
Outraged that a lower life form actually believed it could defeat him, Suvica jumped to his feet and flew straight into the Big Dodongo's colossal limb. He rammed into the bottom of the paw, jabbing his dragon-clawed-fingers into its flesh and causing a rain of thick blue blood to seep from the punctures. The Big Dodongo's roar of pain grated his ears, yet the overfed lizard didn't back down. Instead, it gathered all its might and weight to fight back, shoving him back into the solid rock floor. He braced his hands against the Big Dodongo's foot and his feet against to floor to fight back. Against the full weight of the Big Dodongo, he was dropped to one knee, almost breaking his leg and his pride. His black wings fluttered weakly as the oversized lizard relentlessly flattened him.
Somewhere above him, past the gnarling of the Dodongos, he could hear some of the battling Gorons yammer. "Look! The King Dodongo is returning Earthquake to the earth mother!"
"It was reckless of him to fight alone! He merely paid for his arrogance!"
"He fights as if the father sky presses down on him! He cannot win!"
Even in his situation, Suvica barked a laugh. "Reckless?" His muscles bulged, fighting to keep the rest of his body standing. "Arrogance?" His tail twitched as a nearby Dodongo scratched at it. "If this is the sky … THEN IT'S PRETTY DAMN LIGHT!" Summoning all of his available strength, Suvica fought against the odds and threw the Big Dodongo's bleeding foot back. Visibly stunned and off balance, Suvica shot a barrage of lightning bolts from his mouth, striking the vulnerable Big Dodongo's face in rapid succession. None of them caused the giant lizard any harm.
While the Big Dodongo struggled to regain balance, the smaller Dodongos surrounding Suvica converged on him. The first was brave and stupid enough to try and take him head on; Suvica punched the Dodongo's face so hard its head was reduced to a smashed plump. Three more attacked him from behind, easily repelled after he brushed them aside with a flap of his wings. Another succeeded in closing its teeth around Suvica's right leg, sending several nails of pain up his limb. Undeterred by a love-bite, he grabbed the Dodongo's horn, ripped it off, and shoved it into the lizard's eye. He never got a chance to yank his leg out from the dead Dodongo's slack jaw; another lizard pounced at his left wing, holding it down with its teeth and pinning it to the ground. Suvica planned to crush that lowlife's spine with a lash from his tail, but two more chomped down and held onto it before he could strike. Howling, Suvica wrenched his body in a sharp circle, throwing off the Dodongos latched onto him. Temporarily freed, he grabbed the nearest Dodongo carcass by the tail and swung it in a horizontal sweep, battering aside the green lizards rushing towards his front but leaving his back exposed. He hissed as another Dodongo crunched at his tail yet again. More pissed off than before, he turned around and grabbed the Dodongo's upper mouth with his left hand and lower jaw with his right, killing it by tearing its mouth in half, throwing the upper and lower jaw in two separate directions with a blood curling wrench.
The tides of lizards refused to relent, and Suvica fought back with equal animosity. He lost track of his actions as his body moved on its own, driven by his searing rage. Cracked Dodongo scales, ripped lizard limbs, and gushes of blue blood flew around him as Suvica threw himself onto one Dodongo after another, breaking their heads with his fists, tearing out their throats with his teeth, and ripping them apart with his hands. He was determined to eradiated them all into extinction as he bellowed in outrage.
"Suvica! Behind!"
That was Rail's voice, but Suvica didn't need to see in order to know what was coming. A shadow loomed over him as the Big Dodongo regained its balance and resumed the attack, raising its uninjured leg and swinging it down towards him. In one hasty motion, Suvica spun in a circle, slapping all the nearby Dodongos with his tail to stun them, folded his wings as close to his body as possible, and mustered all the strength in his legs to jump towards the incoming foot. He held both hands forward, keeping his fingers straight as a spear instead of balled up into fists. With his dragon nails sharper than a sword, he tore into the Big Dodongo's foot, entering the bottom, tearing his way past the fibers of flesh and muscle, and emerging from the other end. At least, he half-emerged. Everything above his waist, bathed in goblets of blue blood, had successfully impaled and broken past the Big Dodongo's paw, but his legs and tail remained stuck within the thrashing limb. Before he could pull himself free, the Big Dodongo slammed its leg and Suvica into the floor, burying him several feet down into solid stone. The damage left him dazed, but it was nothing compared to what the monstrous beast did next. Keeping its foot and Suvica inside the rock floor, it began to drag its mighty limb through the stone to dig up a deep trench, almost crushing Suvica flat with overwhelming pressure. He couldn't breathe while he was being squashed alive, his sturdy body shredded against layers of mountain granite. The Big Dodongo dragged him around half of Goron City's bottom floor before hauling him out of the upturned groove of shattered stone.
The damage was horrific. Almost all the bones in Suvica's upper body were either fractured or smashed, numbing all his limbs like molten steel. Much of his bare skin was scrapped off, and although Suvica protected his head with his dragon-scaled arms, his mouth was still filled with dust, rock, blood, and bile. His wings were bent out of shape and torn in several places, and the scales on his arms were crooked and dented. Though his body was incinerated by great pain, his anger was greater. He jerked his body forward and sunk his teeth into the back of the Big Dodongo's foot, tearing out a chuck of flesh and scales. The Big Dodongo roared, using its free paw to swipe Suvica clean out of its wound. The blow hurled him into the walls of Goron City, somewhere around the midlevel and above the heads of several surprised Gorons.
This lizard … is tough … Suvica groaned, his body and mind shaking. He peeled off the cratered wall and slipped to the ground, landing on all fours. His broken fists thumped against the floor, and the blaring in his ears blocking out all other sounds. He couldn't muster the strength to reopen his eyes, keeping him locked in the loser's darkness. If only this stupid seal wasn't in my way, if only I was at full strength, if only I was a full Thunder Dragon! I could kill this thing in a heartbeat! Then he smirked at his own whining. If, if, if. All these "if" statements coming from me … Ha! I really have gotten weak. The strong eat the weak! That's always been the law! It doesn't matter if I'm sealed away or not! Excuses don't matter in the face of death, that's always how it's been for me! I survived because I've always been stronger, and I'll keep on surviving! That Big Dodongo, no, that King Dodongo is strong, but I'm still stronger! Suvica shoved himself to his feet, ignoring the chain reaction of pain that mutilated his body. "I'll win, I'll win, I'LL WIN!" He bellowed, tossing his head back and roaring.
Someone punched him.
Putting all his injuries together, this one punch felt like a meteor thrown by the Goddesses, smacking him dead in the face. Forcing open his eyes, he found Link standing in front of him, his fist wet with Suvica's blood. There was disappointment filling the Forest Boy's eyes.
"Calm down and face it, you can't beat that thing alone," Link said, stepping out of Suvica's line of sight and pointing downward. The King Dodongo pulled the remaining half of its body from the tunneling hole in the ground, bringing its entire figure to light. Unlike normal Dodongos, the Infernal Dinosaur had rear legs, a row of giant spikes on its back, and one short but scale-protected tail. The King Dodongo was different from its underlings, because it had no evident weakness. Freely prowling the bottom floor of Goron City, its large bulk took up almost the whole area, and a fresh wave of hungry Dodongo gushed forth from the unplugged hole it emerged from. A few of the defending Gorons on the lower levels were armed with weapons and fought to push the Dodongos back, but their defenses were frail.
"I can beat it anytime, anywhere!" Suvica shouted back, wincing as he used his rock-torn tongue.
"No, you can't. Admit it, that thing is stronger than you."
"Nothing is stronger than me! I'm the strongest! I'm going to tear that giant lizard a new one!"
"By doing what? Charging at it like a blinded fool? You'll be overrun by Dodongos before you're able to do any serious damage. Look at them all!" The mass of lizards, which previously occupied only the lowest level the city, now covered a fifth of the lower area. The King Dodongo, seeking another adversary, used its injured front legs to climb up the ledges of the city; a fraction of Goron City's warriors fought to push the Dodongos back, swinging their big swords and spears at the advancing tide. The rest of the Gorons were taking care of the injured, preparing more weapons, or searching for ways to make themselves useful. Boss Goron Darunia was trying to bring order into the chaos engulfing his people at the top-most level, but with little success.
"So what are you suggesting we do?" Suvica asked snidely, leaning against the fractured wall to let several Gorons roll by him. "Step back? Watch the show? Escape and let the Gorons become dinner for the Dodongos? I don't give a dragon's heap about the Gorons, but I'll never run!"
"We're not going to run. We're to fight, and we're going to win."
Suvica barked with mocking laughter. "Win? You take care of a few little Dodongos with your fancy magic, and you think you can win? I'm the only one who can defeat the King Dodongo! I'm the only one with the strength, the power! If all you can do is howl at the moon, then get out of my way before you start jumping!" Suvica pushed forward, trying to shove past Link.
His efforts were rewarded with Link's fist slamming against his face. Suvica was knocked back against the wall, barely standing and eyes spinning. "Don't get conceited, Thunder Dragon." Link snarled, stretching his fingers and pulling out his sheathed sword. "I know you're strong, but in this situation your power is nothing! When someone throws a rock at you, you always respond by throwing a bigger rock! You never try to dodge, and you never try a change in tactics! That's why you can't win when you fight something with more brute force than you!" Suvica didn't bother to snap back; behind Link, the King Dodongo was preparing another one of its fireballs, and it was a special gift meant just for Suvica. Only he could stop it, and he didn't have time for Forest Boy's rambling. He redoubled his efforts to get past Link, but Forest Boy refused to yield and continued with his lecture. "You can't beat the King Dodongo alone, not with your way!"
The King Dodongo's mouth was open; it could fire at any time. "Move it, Forest Boy! Get out of my way!"
"But what makes me even angrier—!" Link shoved Suvica back, raised his sword to eye-level, and turned around. His blade flashed with brilliant orange energy before shooting a Spear Attack twice its normal size, gouging out the King Dodongo's left eye. Withdrawing, the King Dodongo misfired its ball of flames, shooting it into a herd of its own Dodongos and cremating them into ashes. Suvica was rendered speechless at Link's improvised approach, but even more dumbfound at what he said next, "—what makes me even angrier is that the dragon who I've considered my rival is in such a pitiful state! I respect your strength and determination, Suvica, I really do. You're annoying, and you anger me more times than I can count, but I know I can count on you when it matters! But now look at you! You say you want to kill me? You don't even look like you can kill Navi!"
"Hey!" an angry ring shouted from Link's hood.
"Sorry, just a figure of speech." He apologized, and then glared back at Suvica. "You want to kill me? Fine! But I'd die in shame before I let something as weak as you kill me! You think you're strong? You can barely stand! I know you value your own strength over everything else, but that's not going to cut it today! You want to win against the King Dodongo? Become better than yourself, stronger than yourself! Stop thinking with your fists, and trying using this—" Forest Boy jabbed a finger at Suvica's forehead, "—for a change!"
Suvica didn't know what to say. This wasn't like him; he didn't take smushy speeches or human pep talks from anyone. If someone annoyed him, he hit them. If someone insulted him, he bit them. If someone dared to take what was his, he killed them. But when someone spoke the way Link did, he didn't know what to do.
"Damn you, Forest Boy, always making things so confusing! Fine! You want to start using heads instead of brawn, I'll see what I can do! But let's get something straight!"
Behind Link, a Goron picked up a Bomb Flower and tossed it into the fray of Dodongos. The explosion that came five seconds later made everyone duck for cover, everyone but Link; he acted like he hadn't noticed the bomb. "Sure, what is it?"
"We're not friends."
"That's for sure."
"You're not going to get all buddy-buddy on me."
"No way."
"You're not going to start some sick speech where you spout nonsense about protecting friends and that dried up talk."
Link laughed. "You're not even a friend."
"We're rivals, and that's the end of it."
"Exactly. I hate you, and you hate me. You're the one who's going to kill me, and I'm the one who's going to beat you to a messed up pulp. After I take Ganondorf down, you're next. I'm going to beat you senseless, drag you in front of Pinky, and make you beg for forgiveness."
Suvica bawled in hilarity, gathering the attention of many unwanted eyes. "Rivals, eh? Sounds corny out loud. You want to beat me up, and I'm going to kill you? Simple as that? I like it!" He grasped Link's open hand with his own bloody and broken fingers. "Thanks for reminding me, Forest Boy! I'm the one who's going to kill you! Once Ganondorf is dead at your feet, I'll be there to end your life! I can't have some lowly Dodongo putting me out of commission before then!"
"Once I take Ganondorf down, I'm bringing you to your knees! Don't forget that! Until then, I better not see anyone or anything beat me to the chase!"
Suvica sneered. "Until then, you better keep your neck clean and washed! Nothing is going to kill you, not a monster, not the King Dodongo, and not even Ganondorf! I'm the one who's going to eat your heart from your chest!"
Link grinned, and Suvica smirked. Together, they turned their heads and stared down at the King Dodongo, which was being repelled by a volley of giant metal spears.
"Now then—"
"—let's get this party started!"
The party was delayed.
This was one of those times where Suvica had to say, "I hate you Forest Boy, I really do." After he was all fired up and ready for the second round with the King Dodongo, Link ruined the moment by telling him to fall back. It took Suvica ten agonizing minutes to bend his pride enough to scurry away to the higher levels of Goron City.
Boss Goron Darunia finally had his warriors organized and under control, ordering them to create metal barricades to stall the Dodongos. He also had several currents of lava redirected from the smith centers and poured onto the unsuspecting Dodongos below. As the fortifications were being made, the warrior Gorons were dressing themselves for battle, bolting heavy sets of metal armor onto their chests, arms, legs, and heads. Weapons were distributed, ranging from double-edged swords taller than the adult human to spears twice that length. A few equipped themselves with steel bows and metal arrows a normal human couldn't dream of using. The more Suvica watched the Gorons suitably dress themselves for all out war, the more his broken arms longed to rip the King Dodongo's head off.
"Come on!" He complained, his tattered right arm slung over Link's shoulders. Having Link help him walk up the inner stairs of Goron City was more painful than having a live Biri stuck up the wrong area. "I can walk, and I can fight! Let go of me already!"
Link only held onto him tighter. "Shut up and walk. You're going to be more useful to me healed than injured."
"Just what kind of plan are you plotting in that green hood of yours?"
"One than ends up with both of us seriously wounded. That's why I need you as healthy as a fig tree right now."
"Wonderful! I've lost my right to be compared with a living creature!"
Their sly exchange of gibe lasted until they reached the second-highest level of Goron City, where long rows of wounded Gorons were being cared for. Malon, the Princess, and Rail were also there, resting and having their own individual wounds and burns treated. The Princess had a bandage wrapped around her head, covering most of her hair, Malon was poking at the burns on her arm, and Rail suffered from several cuts across his whole body. The Princess, between pauses for air, was also healing the wounds of the injured Gorons with magic, causing their bloody lacerations and ugly burns to disappear beneath the pink light exuding from her hands.
Suvica found this highly offensive. "Princess!"
She looked up from her healing, looking a little pale from the effort. "What is it that you would so rudely disrupt my healing for, dragon?"
"You know healing magic?"
"You must have suffered a grave injury to your eyes, dragon, after so recklessly attacking the King Dodongo. Can you not see it without asking, or are you truly so daft?"
Suvica ignored the Princess's chilly demeanor. "Did you learn healing magic now, or did you always know?"
"I mastered the art a few minutes ago."
"Wait, a few minutes ago? Are you saying you didn't know healing magic before, but you could've learned it whenever you wanted?"
"Indeed, it appears so."
"So why did you heal me back at Denion? If you could've learned healing magic whenever you pleased, why didn't you patch me up after the witch thrashed me?"
"I enjoyed watching you suffer, lizard. You deserved it." The Princess hissed, healing her patient and receiving the revived Goron's shower of thanks. After she took ten seconds to replenish a little strength, she turned to Link and kindly asked, "Are you alright, Link?"
Suvica shouted over Link's response. "Why am I getting the cold shoulder?"
"Why do you think?" Link sighed, releasing Suvica and letting him flop to the ground, aggravating all his cuts and breaks; his wounds were too numerous and harsh for his own natural regenerative abilities to fix. "Zelda, can you heal him?"
The Princess stumbled over to Suvica, kneeling until her face hovered over his. There was a clear look of distain in her eyes. "Must I?"
"I need his help."
"Very well, then. Keep still, lizard." The Princess placed both her hands on Suvica's ruined chest and allowed her magic to work. He bared his teeth as the cracks on his bones snapped together. The pain eased away after his ribs popped back into their proper place, but then his muscles spasm as they stitched together, and his skin itched like a thousand ants as it grew back. He was pretty sure healing wasn't supposed to be this painful; he was willing to bet the Princess was purposely tormenting him. "I cannot believe you were thick enough to attack the King Dodongo and its children by yourself, without support! Do you realize your unneeded presence prevented the Gorons from continuing their long-ranged attacks in fear of striking you? Honestly, I wish one of their spears did pierce your hearts!"
Suvica remained deathly silent; for many reasons, the Princess was not to be trifled with at the moment (especially when he was at the mercy of her magic). At the very least, Rail answered Suvica's most pressing question: "You're acting pretty cold there, Zelda. Something wrong? You usually speak with a bit more delicacy, even to Suvica."
"Delicacy? We are being attacked by the creatures of old, the Dodongos and their legendary King!" The Princess cried, intentionally slapping Suvica's face with a full palm, causing him to see stars. "Yet when order and ranks are needed for the sake of survival, this fool rushed off on his own to spur more chaos! Lives are at stake! The fate of the Gorons depends on our actions! We cannot afford to have a dragon too busy to satisfy his own desires bring in his own method of pandemonium! Link, please promise me Suvica's aid will be worth it, or I will stuff a Din's Fire down his gullet!"
Link coughed, then covered his mouth with his hands to fight down his laughter. "Don't worry, he'll be worth it. There's something only he can do, other than wreck everything."
"Your words fail to inspire confidence, but I shall believe in you," The Princess replied. Suvica saw it only because her head was right above his, but there was a loving smile of admiration on the Princess's lips, if only for a second.
"Are you two dating?" He asked.
The Princess slapped Suvica so hard he started seeing fairies; oh wait, it was only Blue Fluffy snickering over his dazed eyes. "Aw, dragon got a boo-boo?" Suvica tried to squish Blue Fluffy with one of his healed hands, but missed.
"You're healing is complete," the Princess sighed, tumbling away from Suvica's restored body. "By the Goddesses, your injures were by far the most severe I've healed today. Your vitality astonishes me."
"Thanks," Suvica mumbled, pushing himself back up, rather amazed his broken body was mended in a matter of moments.
"Who's dating?" Rail butt in as Blue Fluffy flew back to Link's hood.
"The lizard is only trying to annoy me, that is all," the Princess sighed, blaming her reddening face on Goron City's dry air. "Now if you shall excuse me, there are others who require my attention."
"Can't they just lick their wounds and get over it?" Suvica joked, pleased to find all his prior injuries gone. He experimentally extended his wings and tail; they were remarkably intact.
The Princess shot him her most vicious glare; he actually flinched. "I know not the properties of dragon saliva, but should it have any healing capabilities, perhaps you should lick their wounds for them!"
"I'm good, thanks."
Rail started to suffer a fit of giggles. "I wouldn't let you lick me, even if you paid me a king's fortune."
Malon had the opposite reaction. "Your spit can heal wounds? That's so cool, Suvi! Can you lick my wound too?" She asked, holding out her lightly burned arm.
"L-L-Link!" Suvica stuttered, pushing Malon away, "S-So what's the plan? Y-You said you wanted me in top shape? Well here I am!"
Link made a smile so wry and curly he almost thought Forest Boy was one of those human aristocrats. "What's wrong, Suvica? Don't tell me the mighty Thunder Dragon suddenly got shy?"
"Forest Boy!"
"Young Link! Mighty Earthquake! So this is where I find you both!" Darunia boomed, stepping past his wounded brethren and hustling armored warriors. He, like his battling Gorons, was coated in armor thicker than Suvica's arms. Iron gauntlets, shoulder pads, greaves, breastplate, and a helmet with the Triforce chiseled on the front; the Boss Goron came with the whole army package.
Suvica found their armor to be heavy and burdensome; why couldn't they grow scales like him? "What do you want?"
"No need to be so cold, Mighty Earthquake!"
"The name is Suvica, get it right!"
"We Gorons only speak your name in respect, Mighty Earthquake."
"An earthquake happens because the earth is breaking a bone. Why would I want to be named after that?" Suvica demanded.
Boss Goron Darunia blinked past his iron helm. "You certainly are a strange one, Dragon Suvica."
Suvica turned back to Link. "You said you have a plan, so speak! My scales are getting rusty here!"
"I'll tell you about it, but I wish I had the strength to use those Bomb Flowers," Link said, crossing his arms. "I've tried, but their roots are harder to break than I thought, and it would help the plan a lot if I could use them freely,"
Darunia's face brightened. "That reminds me, young Link! I have a gift for you, so please accept it!" The Boss Goron's large hands rummaged inside his armor; in due time, he pulled out a band of gold. It was of simple design, with three prongs on the top and the shadowed engraving of a diamond. It was large enough to fit around Suvica's head, yet too thick to be a necklace.
"Seriously?" Suvica said, staring hungrily at the gold band. "We're about to fight a war we don't know if we can win, and you're giving us gold we might never be able to use? You've got terrible timing. But if Link doesn't want it, I'll take it."
Darunia laughed, slapping his breastplate with his armored palm. "This is no ordinary gold, Dragon Suvica! I had this made for you, Link, soon after our discussion together. My finest smiths used the last of our Heart Gold to forge this, so we cannot create any more. However, I know you shall put this to good use!"
Link opened his hands, and Darunia place the gold band into Forest Boy's palms; he almost dropped it. "What is this?"
"This is the Goron's Bracelet!"
Suvica crossed his eyes. "Dude, Boss Goron. That's a lame name."
Darunia was unsettled, but continued his explanation. "Eh-ehm. Smithed from our last supply of Heart Gold, the Goron's Bracelet possesses the innate ability to strengthen its wearer! Should you don this bracelet, you shall have the strength of the Gorons in your fists and arms!"
Suvica took another look at the "bracelet." Maybe it could be considered a bracelet to a Goron with large muscular arms like Darunia, but for humans like Link, it was more like a headband, a heavy one at that.
"Your gift is a kind one," Link said, struggling to keep the "bracelet" a lift, "But I seriously doubt I'll be able to wear it."
"Ah, fear not! This bracelet is enchanted! Here, place it on your wrist and see for yourself!" Darunia offered; Link did just that. He placed his left arm through the center of the armlet, and once it was in place, the Goron's Bracelet shrunk, diminishing in size until it fit snuggly around his wrist. "There, you see!" Darunia said proudly. "And it fits you well! And fear not, for no hungry thief can steal this treasure from you! The Goron's Bracelet is now yours and yours alone! Your enhanced strength is now a part of you, regardless if you wear the bracelet or not!"
Link waved his left arm with caution, almost as if he were afraid of his own hand. "Thanks, Darunia. This'll be a big help to me. But I won't take off the Goron's Bracelet, because it's your gift to me."
Darunia beamed. "You are your father's son. Your words are too kind."
Suvica mused to himself. "I don't know, Forest Boy. Boss Goron here could be yanking your tail. I can't tell if you're stronger or not."
"Only one way to find out," Link chuckled, raising his left hand and holding it in front of Suvica's face. He understood Forest Boy's meaning and sneered. If Link was going to challenge him, then there was no way Suvica was going to hold back. He summoned the dragon-scales on his left right hand and accepted the invitation. When their palms clasped together, the brutal arm-wrestling began. Betraying Suvica's expectations, Link initially gained the upper hand, welding his fingers into the back of Suvica's scaled hand and almost dropping him to his knees. Boss Goron Darunia hadn't lied; Forest Boy's strength had increased tenfold. Nevertheless, dragons defeated Gorons in strength, and now was no exception. Suvica fought back with every fiber of muscle in his body, standing straight and pressuring Link with an equal, if not greater, amount of power.
Right as Suvica was about to break the stalemate and turn the contest to his favor, Rail stepped forth, grabbed both their heads, and slammed them together. Something soft cushioned their skulls, but it still stung a little. "What are you idiots doing?"
"W-W-W-What do y-y-y-y-you think y-y-you're doing, R-R-Rail," Navi weakly tripped as her tongue rolled in her mouth, slipping out of Link's hood and falling into his hands. "S-S-Smashing m-m-me like t-t-that … I thought w-we were on the s-s-same side as Suvica h-h-haters."
"Oh, sorry Navi. I forgot you were in there." Rail said sheepishly. "But you two! We've got a battle to fight, and you're both playing around! Zelda would slap you two silly for wasting time like that!"
"I must also return to fight by my people's side," Darunia announced, readjusting his gauntlets. "I wish you all good fortune in battle. With the King Dodongo as my foe, I know I cannot win. But as your foe, Link and Suvica, I cannot tell the outcome. May the earth mother protect you both!" Darunia bent his short knees to his belly, wrapped his large arms around his chest, and rolled away into battle as a giant metal bowling ball.
Link drew his toothpick sword and wooden shield. "Let's go, Suvica. We've got a Dodongo to kill."
Suvica cracked his knuckles. "Think you can make some pancakes out of it once we're done?"
"That's disgusting."
"Thank you."
Navi weakly wobbled to Forest Boy's hood. "I-I-I'm with you all the way, Link. I'm not scared of any Dodongo, even if it can't be k-k-killed. I'm going to get you for this R-R-Rail."
Rail folded his hands in a prayer-like fashion. "Sorry Navi, really. Anything I can do to help?"
"With the Gorons organized and distracting the normal Dodongos, we're going to attack the King Dodongo directly," Link replied.
"About time," Suvica growled, letting sparks dance on his tongue. "Since you were talking smack about me fighting it like a fool, you probably have a smarter plan, right?"
"Plan? Yes. Smart? Not really." Link shrugged. "Suvica, you've made it clear attacking the King Dodongo from the outside won't get us very far. In that case, we just need to attack it from the inside. Zelda had the right idea."
"The Princess?" Suvica said. "What'd she say?"
"She talked about ramming a fireball down your throat, remember?"
"Oh yeah, that."
"We'll do the same." Link confirmed. "But instead of fireballs, something with a little more bang."
Suvica felt an involuntary grin tug on his lips. "A Bomb Flower. We're going to force feed that sucker a Bomb Flower!"
"As many Bomb Flowers as it takes," Link nodded. "That's the plan. There are still a few Bomb Flowers left in Goron City. The moment the King Dodongo opens its mouth, one of us needs to throw in a Bomb Flower. Simple, right?"
Rail looked down at the King Dodongo. The Infernal Dinosaur was shooting fireballs like rain, and was surrounded by a legion of Dodongos which filled half of Goron City. To make matters a little more interesting, the foreign tunnel puncturing the bottom floor continued to introduce new Dodongos into the city with no signs of stopping.
Suvica laughed. "Yep, simple!"
He jumped, invigorated by his healed body and fresh knowledge of how to put an end of the King Dodongo once and for all. Link and Rail dove after him, skydiving by his side as the three of them fell. Link attacked first, allowing his sword to hum with its normal blue energy and unleashing a Spin Attack. He stopped in midair while his Spin Attack expanded outward, striking a circular row of Dodongos scaling the walls of Goron City. He landed on the horn of the King Dodongo, ramming his blade into the ivory spike to prevent the Infernal Dinosaur from shaking him off.
Rail was next. He fit his foot onto the Hylian Shield's handle, using it as a sled to slide down the walls of Goron City. He surfed across the walls, ramming into whatever Dodongo got in his way until he jumped, soaring towards the King Dodongo and landing on its colossal back
Link jumped down from the King Dodongo's horn and rolled beside Rail. He raised his sword and stabbed it an inch into a gap between the Infernal Dinosaur's scales, barely penetrating its hide. Then, Rail lifted his Hylian Shield and hammered his sword downward, nailing the blade and burying it hilt-deep into the flesh. The King Dodongo roared in pain, spreading its mouth wide open.
Suvica seized the opportunity, locating a Bomb Flowers on a nearby ledge. He ripped the explosive from its roots, igniting an automatic fuse and beginning the five second countdown until detonation. He plummeted towards the King Dodongo with the Bomb Flowers in tow, dodging two streams of flames fired from different Dodongos. When there was a second left on the Bomb Flower, Suvica tossed the explosive into the King Dodongo's open mouth, down its tongue, and into its throat. The explosion was massive, momentarily inflating the Infernal Dinosaur's sides like a balloon and jutting masses of smoke from between its teeth and nostrils.
An eruption of cheers assaulted Suvica's ears as the Gorons witnessed the King Dodongo suffer a fatal blow. Many Dodongos turned their enormous heads to see their elder cough up smoke and blood.
"Spear throwers!" Boss Goron Darunia bellowed, somewhere between the line separating defending Gorons and invading Dodongos. "Give them cover! THROW!" A wave of giant metal spears descended from the higher levels of Goron City, sending black rain to impale the unwary Dodongos. None of the spears were directed towards the King Dodongos, probably in fear of hitting Link or Rail.
The King Dodongo, in pain but now fully aware of their winning tactic, clamped its mouth shut and convulsed its body, trying to throw Link and Rail off its back. Link grabbed his sword anchored into King Dodongo with his left hand and grabbed Rail with his right, holding both of them onto the Infernal Dinosaur as the beast bucked and brawled.
Suvica flew to the Gorons, swiped a pair of spears from two startled Gorons, and dived. Pointing both metal spears straight down, he used the weapons to impale the King Dodongo's right foot and pegged the protruding spear heads into the rock below, securing the beast into place, stopping its frantic movements. At ground level, a handful of Dodongos tried to attack Suvica with tooth and claw, but he jumped back into the air and glided above the Infernal Dinosaur.
"Link! Let go of your sword!" Suvica shouted, throwing his head back and feeling his lungs sparkle with gathering electricity. Link released the hilt of his sword and pushed Rail back as Suvica shot a pillar of lightning directly at Link's buried sword. The blade conducted his electricity and spread it throughout the King Dodongo's body, inducing a seizure of spasms; the Infernal Dinosaur refused to open its maw.
Link yanked his sword out of the King Dodongo's back and shouted a few words to Rail. Suvica was unable to hear what he said over the activity within Goron City, but Rail did; he ran up the length of the King Dodongo's spine, stopping when he was right above the Infernal Dinosaur's uninjured right eye. He swung his Hylian Shield, smashing the King Dodongo's pupil and taking away its sight. Its pain and fury ripped a howl from its mouth, giving Suvica the opening he needed to track down another Bomb Flower and hurl it in. The explosive rolled into the King Dodongo's throat and exploded, mimicking the first Bomb Flower in result and damage. The Infernal Dinosaur staggered, its shoulders slumped as its insides were being blown to pieces.
Another storm of applause almost knocked Suvica out of the air. The Dodongos, after witnessing their leader endure another fatal attack, halted their invasion against the Gorons. Instead, they pulled back and congregate towards Link and Rail. The King Dodongo remained motionless as its children clambered up its massive legs, slumped tail, and bowed head to approach and surround the two of them.
"Archers! Supporting fire!" Darunia ordered; the Boss Goron shoved his way past his warriors, trying to get his Gorons to stop cheering and start helping. "Spear throwers! Don't just stand there! THROW! Give our comrades some backup!" Steel arrows and metal spears came as a downpour of death, piercing thick Dodongo scales and penetrating vulnerable tails. Many Dodongos fell to the first volley and even more perished in the second. Their carcasses were beginning to pile into mounds, yet their reinforcements continued to surge forth from the tunnel at the bottom most level of Goron City, right beneath the King Dodongo's belly. Link was already fending off several Dodongo with his Spin Attack and Rail was defending against numerous jets of flames with his shield.
Suvica knew what he had to do. Knowing the risks and tossing them out the window, he located a stray Bomb Flower, plucked it, and flew for the tunnel. He had to avoid two misfired arrows and four poorly thrown spears, but managed fly below the King Dodongo and dive into the tunnel with the Bomb Flower wrapped against his chest. For one second, darkness was all he saw, and snapping Dodongo teeth was all he heard. Then the Bomb Flower detonated. The underground channel brimming with Dodongos was illuminated by an initial flash, and then wiped out by the following explosion. It blasted Suvica backwards, pressing a wall of air against his wings and flinging him out of the collapsing tunnel. His ears buzzed from the aftermath, but he watched in triumph as the tunnel caved in on itself to seal away all further back up. The Gorons were probably cheering their heads off again, but the noise was lost to the blaring screech which remained in his ears.
Suvica stayed dazed a moment too long; precariously struggling to stay aloft with his strained wings, a Dodongo below him jumped up and chomped on his dangling tail, dragging him back down to the ground. His back and wings slammed into the ground hard, and before he could say "My-Daddy's-A-Barnacle" a mountain of Dodongos was pilling up on him. They were randomly scratching and biting at him and at each other, cutting open his clothes and skin, poking open gashes in his arm, and clawing at his wings.
Link's Disk Attack cleaved through the mound, lessening the burden on Suvica's body and allowing him to free himself. He threw off the remaining Dodongos bearing down on him, punching two in the face, snapping the spines of four more with his tail, and shocking three to death with his lightning. A Dodongo scaling the Infernal Dinosaur's leg bound off and tried to flatten Suvica in a body slam; he stepped to the side, let the Dodongo crash into the ground, and then finished it off with several merciless heel stomps to its skull.
"Dragon Suvica! Take these!" Darunia shouted from above. Three giant blades came spinning towards him; Suvica caught one with each hand and the third with his tail; they were all double-sided steel swords more than eight feet in length, weighing more than ninety pounds each.
Suvica went to work with his new toys; each swing from his new giant swords fell one Dodongo, and the blade wielded by his tail covered his back from cowardly surprise attacks. When a Dodongo spat a stream of fire at Suvica, he let the flames splash against the blood-ridden steel swords and then sliced the attacking Dodongo in half with the heated blade. He got careless with the sword in his tail, letting it dangle for a second too long and allowing a Dodongo to snap the blade in two with its teeth.
With one sword down, the remaining Dodongos around Suvica converged all at once. He had to borrow a technique from Link's book, holding his remaining two swords parallel to the ground and spinning in a wide circle. Although there was no magic involved in his spinning attack, he did manage to kill five Dodongos in one sweep while warding off the rest. After coming to halt, Suvica threw one sword at the nearest Dodongo and the other into the air above the King Dodongo's head. He flew after it, successfully grabbing the hilt in midair and pointing the tip of the blade at the King Dodongo's back. He aimed his giant weapon at the small sword wound inflicted by Link and dove. Link, Rail, and even the Dodongos scurried aside as Suvica plunged all eight feet of sharpened steel into the King Dodongo. The Infernal Dinosaur arched its back, but clenched its jagged teeth even tighter.
Suvica, fuming at the beast's persistence, pulled against his sword's protruding hilt to yank the blade out, but Link and Rail were right beside him; both of them were gripping the sword's hilt, and neither of them was pulling.
"PUSH!" Link ordered as he and Rail shoved. Suvica, understanding what Forest Boy was intending, joined in, digging his feet into the King Dodongo's back and throwing his might and weight into the buried sword. Inch by inch, the massive blade crawled forward. The Dodongos scampering about the King Dodongo's back realized what the three of them were up to, but were too slow to stop them. After another inch, the three of them were sprinting forward, carving a trench of flesh into the King Dodongo's back. The Infernal Dinosaur could not withstand the new abuse, opening its mouth and letting a wail of torture reverberate from its ragged throat.
Suvica took off, spreading his scratched up wings and flying in front of the King Dodongo's wide open mouth. A Goron threw a Bomb Flower to Suvica, but his aim was almost as terrible as Suvica's. The explosive flew past the tips of Suvica's fingers, over the King Dodongo's head, and headed straight for Link and Rail. Before he could chase down the fleeing Bomb Flower, Link noticed the incoming explosive and punched it once it was within his range. The explosive darted back towards Suvica, who was still positioned in front of the King Dodongo's open jaws. He quickly lashed out with his tail, knocking the Bomb Flower into the King Dodongo's mouth before the Infernal Dinosaur had a chance to close it. The third explosion brought the King Dodongo onto its stomach, with barely a whisper of life remaining.
This time, the cheers and praises of the Gorons were so deafening Suvica was certain Death Mountain was shaking. Link and Rail slid down the barely moving sides of the King Dodongo, and Suvica folded his wings to meet with them on ground level. The surviving Dodongos, now only numbering in the low thirties, ignored the three of them as they crowded around the front of the King Dodongo, making pitiful wailing noises to mourn for the fallen Infernal Dinosaur.
But it was a short lived victory. Suvica, Link, and Rail watched the King Dodongo feast on the smaller lizards to survive, consuming their flesh for vitality. The Dodongos tried to flee for their lives, but the King Dodongo scooped all of them into its ravaging jaws, using them as a final source of energy.
With all the Dodongos digesting in its traitorous stomach, the King Dodongo brought itself back onto all fours and roared; this one was filled with the dying will of destruction. The King Dodongo pulled its spear-pegged foot free from the ground and sent a raging fireball towards Suvica, Link, and Rail. Suvica grabbed the two of them by their collars and jumped, straining his wings to take flight. It was a struggle, but Suvica managed to fly the two of them above the fireball and out of danger before dropping them onto higher ground (He could only carry one person while flying? Screw that! Today was the day where limitations were burdens).
"I thought that thing was dying!" Rail exclaimed, watching the Gorons futilely throw their spears and shoot their arrows at the Infernal Dinosaur; their projectiles bounced off its hardened hide. "Three Bomb Flowers! Three! How can it still have so much strength?"
"It's a last stand," Suvica replied, grudgingly giving the King Dodongo some credit for its resilience. "It knows it's going to die, so it ate the rest of the Dodongos as food so that it'll have enough strength to bring down all of Goron City with it."
"Then we need to take it down before that happens!" Link declared, right as the King Dodongo blindly barreled towards them. Suvica grabbed the two of them again and dodged, feeling the muscles in his wings strain against the overburdening flight load. He dropped them onto the next ledge up, panting at the effort it took to save them both. "Suvica! Fly around the city and see if you can find anymore Bomb Flowers! We're going to use every last one to finish off the King Dodongo for good! Rail! The two of us will keep the King Dodongo busy until then!"
There was no room for argument as Link and Rail dashed away, heading for higher grounds. Suvica concentrated the last of his will power and strength into his wings, twitching as the strain threatened to break him. He took off despite the pain, jamming his teeth past every iron-rod of agony his wings gave off with each flap. The King Dodongo was in a state of frenzy, randomly thrashing its body while colliding into the walls of Goron City. All the while, it kept its mouth sealed. That one fireball from before was the last time it parted its teeth. The Infernal Dinosaur knew what would happen if it opened its mouth, even for a moment, and would not risk that again.
One problem at a time! For now, Suvica needed to find and locate more Bomb Flowers. He circled the Goron City several times, carefully leering at the top and bottom most levels. The good news was that he found three Bomb Flowers near the mid-section of Goron City, growing from a stray ridge. The bad news was that these were the last three Bomb Flowers in Goron City; if these three were wasted, they'd lose their last chance to save the city.
Suvica, despite all the pain from past and present injuries, smiled. Look at him, bearing all this pain to save a race he could care less about. He landed at the tiny ridge, stumbling as his wings buckled. He stood there, with three Bomb Flowers at his feet, yet with no way to put any of them to good use. He didn't want Link's advice or his smart-talking words of wisdom; Forest Boy had done enough, and Suvica had long passed his limit for following someone else's orders. Now he was going to finish this fight his way, with his methods. If the King Dodongo refused to open his ugly mug, then Suvica would go with the next best option. He grabbed one Bomb Flower in each hand and wrapped his tail around the third, plucking them all simultaneously. As the five second countdown began, Suvica flew upward, towards the roof of Goron City.
He soared above the stone monument suspended above the city, supported by the three thick chains each latched to equidistant corners of Goron City. Using his hands and tail, Suvica threw the three Bomb Flowers three different directions, each aimed for the tips of the three chains keeping the large stone monument in the air. As the three Bomb Flowers approached their faraway targets (and Suvica marveled at his miraculously good aim) he collapsed onto the head of the stone monument.
I don't know what Goron this stone slab is honoring, but I'm not apologizing for what I'm about to do now! Suvica thought as the three separate Bomb Flowers exploded, destroying the three links keeping the monument afloat. With nothing to keep it in the air, the two-ton slab of decorated stone fell towards the ground, straight for the unaware King Dodongo below. The stone meteor crashed against the Infernal Dinosaur's back with mountain-splitting force, rupturing everyone's ears in a thunderous crash. The stone shrine shattered into a million fragments while splintering the King Dodongo's armored hide and spine. The beast crumpled, its mouth stretching open wider than ever before. There was no roar of pain or howl of agony, only a silent expression of the unendurable suffering wrought by Suvica's attack.
Yet even then, it refused to die. Even now, as Suvica slowly glided down towards the King Dodongo with his powerless wings, he could see the Infernal Dinosaur flailing its forelegs while quivering its massive head from shock. The last of the Bomb Flowers had been used, and in spite of Suvica's creative method of attack, the King Dodongo continued to cling to life.
"SUVICA!" Link's shout wiped away every stray though lingering in Suvica's head. He looked down to see Link leaping from the ledge from where he stood, with his sword and shield abandoned in Rail's arms. Knowing Forest Boy couldn't save himself with a Spin Attack without his sword, Suvica dipped downward, grabbing Link's shoulders before he hit the ground with a splat.
"What do you think you're doing?" Suvica demanded.
"We're finishing this!" Link snarled. "Fly into the King Dodongo's mouth! We're ending this, right here, right now!"
Suvica didn't have time to protest or extract a reason from Link; the two of them were already gliding for the King Dodongo's open mouth. His wings were locked into place, barely functioning after all the abuse he put them through. They couldn't change course; all they could do glide past its rows of teeth and soar over its tattered tongue. As the King Dodongo's wet throat constricted around them, Suvica looked back down at Link to see the Forest Boy holding his hands out in front of him, inches apart from each other.
Hovering between his hands was a Fountain Fairy.
A squall of questions suddenly gushed forth in Suvica's mind, but none of those mattered now, because what Link did next proved you could never anticipate anything he did.
The Fountain Fairy transformed into a sphere of red magic, coated in transparent diamond of blue. As they flew deeper into the King Dodongo's body, Link shouting a one phrase:
"DIN'S FIRE!"
EDIT: Chapter 21 of the FanFiction Three Spiritual Stones is out. I think it's been a small while since my last update. Sorry about that.
ADDED 5/13/11: Hi! Sorry to say, but there will be no updates for a long while. I broke my arm and a few fingers on the other doing something very stupid. Needless to say, typing has become an issue. I can only type by pressing one button at a time with my pinky, and writing stories that way hurts even more than the breaks. Sorry.
EDIT: Wow, it's been more than a year? I almost feel bad. Either way, I'm back. The King Dodongo finally makes an appearance! Woot! And then he dies, poor sap. Thank you for reading. (7/4/12)