The chest naturally contained the missing bomb bag, completely empty of bombs. Since the bars were gone on the only door, this gave me the perfect chance to see if Ledd would let me borrow it for a bit, in case I ran into any more places I needed to blow up stuff and there weren't any bomb flowers around.

"Borrow it?" he exclaimed when I put this to him. "Oh, yeah – you're looking for that human girl, aren't you? Yeah, you'll probably need it to get deeper into the volcano. Well... I guess I can always make another one. You keep it, Knuckles, and take care you don't blow yourself up now!"

"As if I would!" I snorted. "You sure you don't want this one back? I might not need it again once I'm done here."

"Nah, take it – symbol of friendship, generosity, and both our interests in treasure hunting!"

Then Ledd went underground, leaving me to trek on once more. I rolled the stone over the lava some more to reach another blue paved area with a bird statue and two bridges.

The right bridge was where the stone bullseye switches waited, the left had a large chunk of rock blocking my path. I quickly rolled the stone back to some bomb flowers to stock up the bag, then on my return, heaved a bomb up on top of it. A few moments later it was blown up and destroyed.

Another Lizalfos had been hiding on the other side, startled by the sudden explosion of rock. There was no way for me to push that advantage, it noticed me leaping the gaps before I'd got half way. I didn't bother with the sword this time, punching high and low instead. The first chance I got to grab hold of it, I picked it up and threw it into the lava instead. And with it out the way, I could at last find out what was on the other side of the door it had been guarding.

Another room (big surprise!) of course. Another one with lots of lava and large stone platforms. Lava geysers too. Some of the stones formed a ring around a curious creature that looked like a frog, but was content to swim in the lava instead and sometimes spit rocks at me. The iron shield, while it started to glow under the heat, reflected their attacks back well enough to defend me.

There were also a few Bokoblins, but Bokoblins being what they are they were stupid enough to miss the gaps between the stones and charge themselves into the lava. I used one stone that was on a lava geyser to find three more on an upper level, these ones not quite so stupid, but at least stupid enough that the fight with them was short and very one-sided. And defeating them let me open the chest containing the map.

Like the last one, there were marks for doors and bird statues. Two chests were waiting to be found in areas I hadn't yet been to, one just outside what appeared to be in a winding cavern that both started and finished in the room I'd just left. Heading north from there would take me down a long, curved corridor, to a larger room. South from there was a second room with the second chest, north was the familiar sign for Zelda.

New on this map, chests I'd already opened were also visible, though darkened to show this. The stone ball I'd been rolling around was also clearly marked so I couldn't lose it. So by the looks of this map, I had very little left to do, and my eye for treasure chests had ensured I hadn't missed anything yet.

So, with nothing else in this room I headed back a room, planning to catch the nearest remaining treasure chest first. Access to it was inconveniently blocked by stone formations for now, so I went looking instead for the entrance to the winding cavern beside it – which wasn't there.

There was, however, a small crack in the wall. One bomb widened it. Two made it spread further. Three finally blasted a huge chunk of wall away, allowing me to roll the stone through as long as I ducked under the debris.

A dragon-headed sculpture on the other side was spewing out fresh lava almost immediately ahead, making for a narrow gap to get through. The stone was immune to the lava, which was helpful – it didn't even heat up just being sat in the stuff. Whatever it was made of, it was tough stuff!

Next a cavern opened on the right that allowed me to add a few more bombs to the bag, and beyond it another dragon head presented an even tighter gap to try and get through to reach a platform blocking my way. Oh, and another Bokoblin that had a bath in the lava. Bokoblin flambé, anyone?

This was something of a puzzle. On the other side of the platform there was clearly more lava, and the stone was of the variety I wasn't going to be climbing along anytime soon. Not to mention I really didn't feel like trying that when there's nothing underneath me but a superheated lava bath.

The map was consulted, and the puzzle was immediately solved. One of the reasons this cavern wound around so much was a route of lava that curled around, allowing me to roll the stone that way. But out where I could see, there was nothing but stone walls-

And another crack. Once again, three bombs blasted my way through. It also got me a sudden attack of Fire Keese, quickly beaten off. Also seen just inside was another dragon head, but this one wasn't spewing lava. Now, I didn't mind that – but it also seemed a little suspicious. So I sent the Beetle flying down the narrow area behind. At the end there was some evidence that rock had cooled and sealed off this one, but there was also a silver rupee.

And in keeping with the way that Beetle is, I almost dropped it when it returned. Which would have been a Bad Thing with all that lava around. Still got the rupee though – a whole hundred rupees? Even I'll take that, no matter how much Link's dungeon's get me!

Once back out on the main path again, I had to stop once more. This time because there was a massive gate blocking the way in red, blue and gold. A helpful platform nearby allowed me to stop to examine it from afar, which meant once more the Beetle was needed to see it up close.

As it flew close I saw there were another pair of gears held in place by ropes, like the drawbridge earlier, one on either side. Snapping the one on this side brought the Beetle back to me and caused the gate to rise only a little bit. To get to the other side, I needed a chicken.

Oh wait. That's roads. Sorry.

I actually needed the higher archway off to one side that I wouldn't have been able to reach even with the stone ball. Down that way were also several Bokoblins, who actually ran from the Beetle in terror. Eventually of course it came out on the other side and cut the other rope, raising the gate fully and allowing me to continue on once again.

The next dragon head did spew lava, but sometimes it also stopped for a time. That was hardly a challenge, I just had to wait until it started to slow to cross, avoiding the lava entirely. Beyond it is what, were it not for the presence of magic and gods in Hyrule, should be an impossibility.

The lava flowed on into a wider cavern, but the lava didn't widen out – there was just a weaving line of lava that looked as if it was touching unseen sides, reaching down into the black depths below, completely supported by absolutely nothing.

Nothing visible, at least. I came to the conclusion that either there was something hidden underneath, or the stone ball was floating on the lava's surface. In either case, I didn't have to worry about it suddenly sinking beneath the lava. No, now I had to worry about not steering it off that invisible edge holding the lava in its snaking lines!

I did pass it eventually, and took out my nerves over it on a hapless Lizalfos that happened to be nearby. Once I threw it too into the lava – it was convenient, at least – I finally got the chest I was looking for. It only got me rupees though, but every little helps.

Apparently something I'd done along the way had also trigged the bridge I'd raised earlier, now raising it even further so I could reach the northern door. Only one part of the Earth Temple left and the Temple's boss. Oh, how I fervently hoped that would be Ghirahim again so I could give him a piece of my sword!