Disclaimer: All of the characters in this story do not belong to me. They
are the property of their respective owners. So now you STILL can't sue me,
MAN!!!
Another N64 quote that applies to the day I wrote this: It's just too hot! Guess who said that in your review and you can tell me what other Sonic Character you want me to add to this. No SA2 chars though, since, in this timeline, it hasn't happened yet. I'm already gonna add the Chaotix and Kragok, okay?
Chaos in Hyrule Chapter 5
Fire and ice flew through the air near the cavernous entrance to the Goron city. Chaos was everywhere as erect lizard-like creatures and deformed Gorons poured from the entrance and flung boulders up at the flying pests that were bombarding their home. In the chaos one solitary creature slipped through and into the entrance. Link looked around the city in Goron form and was shocked. The place was in shambles. Bomb plant pieces were everywhere, the paintings on the walls had been scorched or smeared somehow, and for some reason he expected the monsters around here to make an appearance quite soon.
He stomped around grunting at the other Gorons as he passed. Something was definitely wrong with all of them. Each one was strange looking, like hunchbacks with one eye that was bigger than the other. They loped along around him instead of rolling on the ground like regular Gorons did. If they did, they weren't gonna get far with that hump making them jump every time they rolled. The other creatures in the city were nearly unfamiliar to Link. If he hadn't looked into the eyes of one of the smaller creatures he wouldn't have recognized the feral man eating Dodongos. It seemed as if they had somehow become people of thought like any Hylian. But how it happened had yet to be explained.
As he passed the cavern leading to the Lost Woods, Link heard a sad tune being played on an ocarina instead of the happy melody that Saria always played. He felt a pang of sadness at the thought of anything happening to his adopted people. But if something had happened to the Gorons, what horrible fate had befallen the Kokiri?
"Hey, you," someone said from behind Link.
"Wha?" Link turned around and saw who had called him. He was short by Hylian standards, but he looked built. He was a red creature with dreadlocks and these huge metal plated fists with two claws on the ends.
"Shouldn't you be working, pal? Stop staring at me and get moving! The faster we find a way to get that chaos emerald, the faster we can restore the Master and get the island floating again."
"Say what?" Link was confused, staring down at the stocky guy yelling at him.
"Are you deaf or something? I said get moving!" To Link's surprise he actually shoved the huge Goron body he was in back a few feet toward Darunia's room.
"Wait a second!" Link bellowed, trying to hold his ground. "What Master? What's going on around here?"
The red guy flinched for a second and looked up at Link in shock. Something wasn't right with this Goron. He wasn't deformed like all the others. Plus, he saw something wrong with his face, like it shimmered. He spun the huge rock creature around and before he could protest, he backhanded him. The mask on Link's face went flying. The shimmering became this sort of flash as the Goron shrunk down to human size and back into Link.
The hero gave a weak little wave to the stunned crowd around them and said," Heh, uh.hi?"
"It's a spy, get 'im," the red creature bellowed.
Every fully grown Goron and Dodongo around them jumped and grabbed at Link. Even though he struggled with all of his strength, the Gorons matched his enhanced might. It went on for a few minutes before Link was held at every limb by a few burly looking Goron hunchbacks. The red guy looked on contemptuously and snorted.
"When will Ganon ever learn. It doesn't matter how many spies he sends up here, he'll never be able to take this mountain." He walked up in front of the panting and struggling hero. "Now who are you?"
"I'm not a spy, I-" Link screamed as the red guy gave him a gut buster and winded him.
"Don't lie to me," he said. "Overlanders can't make it up the trail with those three thieves occupying the town down there. Now tell the truth! What does Ganon want from us?"
"I-I don't w-work for Gano-agghh!" Link wheezed as he was pummeled again.
The red guy dusted his arms and said," We're not gonna get anything outta this punk. Throw him in the volcano. Maybe that'll make Volvagia happy."
"Knuckles, don't," some husky voice yelled. "He's on our side. You have to believe me!"
Hobbling out of the crowd came a very familiar looking Goron. He stopped only at Link's side and took a good long look in his face.
"Are you sure, Link," Knuckles said. "He looks sort of suspicious. And changing forms like that.I don't know. For all we know he could be Ganon in disguise."
The young Goron looked at Link and sort of smiled, if a deformed grimace of disorderly teeth can be considered a smile. "Positive. This is the hero who saved us all from the Dodongos all those years ago. I was named after him."
Knuckles lifted one of his eyebrows and them waved the rest of the Gorons away from Link. "If this really is the legendary hero, how can we prove it?"
Link thought about it for a second and then started digging into his pockets.
'Hope I didn't lose it somewhere. Because if I did, that crazy red guy is going to have me sacrificed.'
"Ah, here it is," Link exclaimed pulling out the spiritual stone he'd been lugging around for so long. "Here's your proof. As a reward they gave me the Goron's Ruby."
Knuckles looked defeated for a second, but then he started walking toward Darunia's room. "Come with me."
Link complied and strolled along behind the red echidna.
"My name is Knuckles of the house of Edmund, son of Locke, and Guardian of the Master Emarlad that keeps Angel Island afloat above the earth." They walked back behind the statue and into the secret entrance to the volcano where a titanic sight awaited them. "Only right now the Master has been.incapacitated.again. The water creature Chaos and that maniac, Ganon broke it while trying to siphon off it's power. Ganon somehow brought us to this world with the energy he absorbed from the Master. Seven chunks of the emerald have been spread across the land in all directions. I found one here with the Gorons and another up on the floating Island. But all the chunks have done is take away the most of the Island's weight. Take a look."
The sight took Link's breath away. A massive landmass took up the sky and blocked the volcano. Hanging from massive chains, the Island's tip almost touched the floor. The lava had apparently risen because of the pressure. The cavern glowed with red and gold light. The heat was stifling, like being in an oven.
"Not long after this happened, Darunia, the Goron's leader, disappeared after going into the Fire Temple. Every couple of weeks, this fire dragon that the Gorons call Volvagia comes outta the temple and tries to climb up on the island. Every time we manage to stop it, but it always killed or incapacitates the warriors I bring with me. I know that if I had all seven Chaos Emeralds that I could become stronger and kill it, but the Gorons need a leader. I'm the only one that qualifies at the moment since I'm the only one who opposes Volvagia. So I can't go out looking for it without sacrificing them all."
"I'm going over there," Link said, limbering up his Logshot at the part of the wooden bridge that hung from the entrance to the temple. "And I'm getting Darunia back."
As Link shot away, Knuckles jumped out above the magma and caught the thermals in his dreads, allowing him to fly after him. Soon enough he'd caught up to the running hero and shot down the entrance to the temple. But instead of the regular archway, it was a huge mural. In front of it were different colored bricks. The picture was incomplete.
"This is the most annoying part of my job," Link said glumly. "Dungeon puzzles.how I loathe dungeon puzzles!"
Knuckles scratched his head and looked at the mural. "What are we supposed to do here then? Finish the picture? It looks sort of familiar."
"Well, then why don't you give it a shot? I have no idea what its supposed to look like."
Knuckles gripped up a few of the bricks and put them in a few of the slots. After about forty or so seconds, the picture was beginning to take shape. That is until a sinister laugh filled the air and the bricks all shoved themselves out of the wall and magically stacked themselves again.
Knuckles looked on agape with his mouth hanging open.
"I forgot to mention that most of the time they have time limits or a guardian spirit resets the puzzle on you. Sort of a gas huh?" Link said as he picked with his nails.
Pissed beyond belief, Knuckles went back to work on the puzzle at a faster pace. But in the end the time limit would just force the bricks back out of the wall. Knuckles tried at least a dozen strategies before he started banging his fists on the wall. Literally. Link chuckled to himself, remembering a similar reaction he had when a few of the puzzles got the best of him.
"Okay, okay," Link said in between laughs. "I'll help you out, alright? You go ahead and take half the bricks for the top and I'll fill in the ones for the bottom. Hopefully we can beat the time limit."
Working in tandem, Knuckles and Link shoved each of the bricks in the appropriate slots and stood back to admire their work. Link was confused about the portrait, it made almost no sense to him. In the picture was a large blue swirling mass with snake heads poking out of it. Around it were three figures, one a spiky looking gold flame, the other was a dark demon looking monster with two swords, and the last was a man encased in gleaming whitish blue armor with a red sword. The backdrop was very gloomy and dark; a wasteland with agonized faces drawn on the hills.
"What does it mean," Link asked.
"It's a prophecy.I recognize the gold character over there. I think I've seen it before, but the rest of them are all alien to me. I'll have to go to the archives back in Haven to figure them out later on."
Suddenly the mural faded away to reveal the dark corridor that led to the fire temple. Both the hero and the guardian were careful where they stepped, the ground wasn't stable and extremely hot. Link unsheathed his sword and held it up like a torch. The end began to glow a ghostly white. The walls were filled with pictures of echidnas and strange looking humans.
"Wait!" Knuckles stopped in front of one of the pictures and grabbed Link's arm. As he pulled the light closer to one of the pictures, it became apparent who had put that puzzle up. The echidna in the picture looked almost human in his gold and blue armor. His dreadlocks were longer and thicker than Knuckles or any of the other echidnas in the pictures.
"Who is it," Link asked, taking a closer look..
For some reason Knuckles' eyes seemed hold a certain pride even though his face was scowling. ".Enerjak. C'mon, we gotta hurry!"
Knuckles rushed down the corridor with Link just behind him. Just as he was about to enter the temple, Knuckles shoved him back. He told him to shut up and take a good look around the corner. When he did, Link was shocked at the incredible change in the place. The Temple had completely changed shape. Instead of a crumbling stone and rusted metal place, it was an elegant place of marble arches and crystal. Milling around the temple were metal Gorons and people in black cloaks.
"Dark Legion. No wonder all of the Gorons I sent up here never came back, they've all been roboticized."
"Who are these guys?" Link reached into his pocket and fished around for something.
"Bad news. Real bad news. They want nothing more than to take over the Floating Island and take the Master Emerald. If they're here, they must be hunting around for the Chaos Emerald. If I had that, the Island could be made to fly again. But how are we gonna get from one side of this place to the other without getting our hides blasted off?"
Link jumped out at two passing Legionnaires and threw out a deku nut. The flash blinded them momentarily, just long enough for him to slink in and slam the hilt of his blade into their temples. He then dragged them back to their hiding place.
Knuckles smirked and said," I could've thought of that."
"Well apparently not fast enough," Link replied as he stripped the cloak off of the mechanized echidna. "Now hurry up. They'll probably find them before we're done, if my luck runs the way it does."
Link looked ridiculous in the cloak made for a stocky creature like Knuckles, so he made himself a stocky looking creature. With the Deku Scrub mask donned, the black attire fit him fine. Soon enough they were walking in an exact copy of the Hidden Palace Zone. Beneath a marble bridge in the main room, the lava pool was still there, being tapped by geothermal generators. In the lava swam a very large lizard-like shape, one that made Link's sap/blood run cold. Volvagia had grown much larger and stronger than the last time he saw him.
"Just a little farther," Link said as they crossed over to the other side of the bridge.
Right there was the door leading to the Boss chamber. Above the stone slab that was the door was the Fire crest. But instead of the normal one it seemed to be a mix, it was slowly changing from one crest to another. It had a strange lizard head with flames at the edges. Darunia's sage powers were failing, soon the transfer would be complete and the Chaos Emerald would be fully powered.
Knuckles sidled up next to Link. "You get up to that door, I'll make a distraction."
Knuckles ran off in the direction of a crowd of Legionnaires and gripped two of the around the neck. Soon enough there was a fight going on with Knuckles in the middle. The hero saw the red echidna slowly melt away into the crowd with a smirk on his face just before he disappeared entirely. Link walked up to the door and then felt around behind the groove between the door and the wall. Soon enough his twiggy hand found the key he had hidden there so long ago when he left the temple the first time. He was about to open the door when somebody tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned around he saw Knuckles standing over him without the disguise.
"Wha-What's going on," Link said as he was suddenly surrounded by echidnas in black. "Knuckles? What are you doing?"
"Nothing you need to worry about for too much longer," Knuckles said as he snatched the key away from him. "Finally, we'll be able to kill that annoying Goron in there. When we invaded the temple, he locked himself inside. Since then we've done nothing but devise ways of getting that door open." He snorted. "This damn world is drowning in magic. The blasted crap has even overwhelmed our incredible technology, and that can't be allowed to continue. That's what protects that door from us and our attempts to open it. Lasers, cutting tools, tank blasters, mortars, and jackhammers for days on end have done nothing. In the end we settled for reviving the temple's boss and using magic against magic by using Volvagia to drain the energy from the idiot holed up in that room and into that dead Chaos Emerald."
"What? Argh, I thought these stooges were your enemies!" Link yelled as he was gripped up yet again at Knuckles' command. "Or did you lie about that too? Like you lied to Link and all the rest of them back in the city! You make me sick! When I get these goons off of me, I'll rip your head off with my bare hands." Of course, the threat lost it's effect because of the small squeak of a whispery voice that Link had as a Deku Scrub.
"You're not exactly in any position to make threats," a deep voice said from behind the crowd. He steadily walked through the parting crowd. Each of the Legionnaires knelt down as he came near, yet kept their weapons at the ready in case their leader came under attack from the little hero. He was a head taller than most of his minions. His body seemed comprised mostly of armor instead of flesh. One of his eyes if not both were artificial, as well as one of his arms and legs. His head was covered in gadgetry and circuits all the way down to his dreads.
Knuckles knelt in front of him and said," All is in preparation, Great Uncle. We have the key, and soon the Emerald below will be fully charged and we can begin the restoration."
"What restoration? And what the hell are you supposed to be," Link asked, looking Knuckles' mechanized relative over.
WHACK! WHAM! CRACK! WHUD!
Lightning fast, a foot, a spiked fist, and two rifle butts collided with Link's chest and head. The pain was fleeting, since his skin was mostly bark, but still a reminder that the fanatics around him would not tolerate any disrespect to their leader. The metal monstrosity smirked and bent down to the slumped Scrub to get a good look at him.
"I am Dimitri, soon to be empowered yet again with the might of the Chaos Emeralds. I am leader of the Dark Legion and master to my misguided descendant over there." Dimitri sneered. "It was actually pretty easy to manipulate him into thinking that he's always worked for me. I guess he must have gotten some sort of brain injury when he was trying to defend the Master from Chaos and Ganon. When we found him, he barely even knew who he was." He laughed out loud and started to walk away. "Knuckles do away with the intruder and do something about that annoying sage. I want that Emerald in my possession by 900 hours tomorrow." He then looked over his shoulder. "He found us the key, so make it quick. Nothing too gruesome."
Knuckles snapped his fingers and cursed under his breath. "Yes, sir. Alright, you heard him. Let's unlock that door, I want blasters trained on that Goron the second that door opens. I don't want a piece of him left when we're done here. Then we'll kill the hero."
One Legionnaire walked up by Knuckles and took the key as a few others gathered around him and limbered up their blasters at the door. As the guy turned the key in the lock, something didn't seem right. Wasn't that Legionnaire next to the turncoat echidna a little taller than usual?
'No time to worry about that now,' Link thought. 'I've got to stop them from killing Darunia. No one's holding my legs, sooo.'
One of Link's wooden legs flashed up and hit one of the Legionnaires holding him in the gut with a loud swishing sound. With his arm free he pulled the mask painfully from his face and put it away. He swung the echidna holding his arm over his shoulder and slammed him into the ground. He pulled out the Megaton Hammer and activated Nayru's Love. He ran all out for the lava pools as the dark echidnas blasted him with their energy weapons. He hopped off the edge and into the pool without any sign of faltering.
"Forget about him get the-"
"Now!"
The Legionnaire next to Knuckles cracked him over the head with his blaster and shot him with it on stun as he lay on the floor. The other three around him started shooting all the other echidnas in the chamber. Knuckles seemed to just levitate off the ground and float away toward the exit. As he drifted into the dark corridor something could be seen in the shadows carrying him over it's shoulders. The legionnaire that knocked the guardian out took something from his head and pointed it at the ceiling.
"Into the boss room!!"
The thing in his hand let off a shock wave that sent boulders and rocks from the ceiling raining down on top of the entrance to the chamber. With the entrance sealed off they were all safe. After looking around, they saw that there was nothing in the chamber aside from a boulder and some lava pools.
"Man, oh, man," the tall one said as he lifted off his cowl. "It's hot up in this jawn, yo."
"Then deal with it, Vector," a female echidna said as she lifted off the heavy dark robes. "We just might be here awhile."
"I can barely take it in here," the other said as he tossed the robes off of his armored back. "I hope we find this sage soon, Julie-su, 'cause I don't know how much longer I can sit in here. This heat's making me weak."
"Find somewhere to relax for a while, Mighty. You'll be fine, you're stronger than all of us put together," Julie-su said, wiping the sweat off of her brow.
Mighty flopped down on the boulder and groaned. "Just means there's more of me to cook."
"Maybe I should bring it down again and rock us a way outta here," Vector said as he began to remove his earphones.
"NO!!!" Mighty and Julie-su yelled at the top of their lungs.
"You could end up bringing, like, tons of lava down from the ceiling," Julie-su said.
Vector kicked the boulder, it shuddered a little from the force. "Well we gotta find some way to get outta here, man. If the witch's friends hadn't messed wit' Knux's head we wouldn't be in here lookin' for some guy who's obviously found a way out himself! I bet he don't even exist, man!"
Suddenly the floor began to buck and quake. Out of one of the pools came Volvagia roaring his heart out. The Chaotix members were too shocked to react as it reared it's head back and then.fell on it's side. There was black oil and blood leaking from it's eyes and the back of the head. Apparently the beast had a machine connected to the back of it's head. Soon enough out of the lava came Link, in a rapidly fading Nayru's Love crystal. The spell collapsed and Link was left defenseless. He pulled out something from his pack and the threw it over at the dying beast.
"That oughta put it out of it's misery," Link muttered, turning his back on the beast as the bomb exploded.
Looking on from his seat, Mighty thought it heartless to overkill it the way he did. Julie thought it necessary after seeing what it had done to the Gorons over the last couple of weeks. All those poor souls had finally been avenged.
Link strolled up to where Mighty sat and said," Hey, Darunia! Big bro, you okay now?"
"Say what," Mighty said as he fell off the moving boulder.
The boulder unfolded itself to reveal a tired and hunchbacked version of the powerful sage. Slowly, yet steadily Darunia morphed back to his rightful form. As he stood up to his full 6'5 height.
"Never felt better, brother Link," the huge Goron said. "Soon enough, my fellow Gorons will feel the same way. Now, where's that traitor, Knuckles? He tricked me into walking into a trap. In my own temple too!"
Julie-su chuckled at the thought. 'Knuckles actually tricked someone? Hahahahahaha!' She thought, remembering the story of the first time he met Robotnik.
"Oh well, doesn't matter," He said. "Let's just get out of here. The sound of that lava bubbling, and the heat are both driving me crazy!"
Suddenly, the place seemed to flash out of sight. Soon enough Darunia and Link were in the Sacred realm, floating in the diadem of Hyrule's Temples. The Chaotix were all frozen in time in those shocked poses they had when they were teleported.
"Hyrule has been wounded.It's bad out there Link. I sense such suffering and evil almost everywhere I look," Darunia said. "You've got to do something about it. But first."
In front of Link flashed the fully charged Chaos Emerald that Volvagia had charged with what was left of his life energy.
"Maybe you can make some use of it." Then the world once again flashed out of existence.
When Link got his sight back he was sitting in the Goron City. Everything was back to normal again. All of the Gorons had returned to their original form, but for some reason the Dodongo people were still around. Instead of lingering on that point, Link got right back on track with his next mission. Right into the Lost Woods.
The Chaotix didn't seem to be anywhere in sight. But Link knew that they'd been put where they were needed most, just like he had every time he visited that realm. As he started heading toward the path to the woods, he heard an explosion. He looked up and pulled his shield around just in time. The impact sent him flying back into a wall where he slumped down for a second before unsheathing his sword for battle. Right in front of him with his arms crossed was the lightning fast blue hedgehog.
"You're fast, pal," Sonic said. "But I'm much, much faster. Now we can do this the hard way or the easy way. I don't really want to hurt you, man, I just want the emerald you're packing."
Link stood ready with his charging sword behind him. "Too bad. I've already grown attached to it."
Sonic seemed to disappear just as Link was slammed in his side with a spin- dash. "Why do they always do it the hard way?"
The hero pulled up his shield to his side as the hedgehog tried to follow up on his last strike with a flurry of kicks and punches. The Mirror shield wouldn't hold up much longer after that kind of rapid punishment, it was denting inward. Finally the thing buckled and broke when Sonic decided to cut through it with a Triple Spin. Link went on the offensive, slashing and cutting at the hedgehog as fast as he could.
As far as Sonic was concerned, Link was moving in thick molasses. When the hero tried to flip over the speedster, Sonic jumped straight up and head butted him in the gut. When he landed on his head, Link was immediately set upon by the hedgehog. He tossed all of the items out of his magic pack and then pulled out the emerald. Sonic admired it for about a millisecond before flying off yet again. Only this time to the Lost Woods.
Link finally sat up and rubbed his head while looking up at the ceiling of the City. "Why me? 'coff' Why me?! Why are you punishing me?" He seemed to sob for a second and then he said something that will live in infamy(and possibly get me so many flames).
"I HATE THAT HEDGEHOG!!!"
To be continued.
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How was that, MAN!!!? I'll have the next chapter up in about a week or so. Be sure to stay wit' me. I've got me little surprises cooked up for the Kokiri, the Gerudo, and the Hylians. Read and Review, MAN!!! I wanna know what ya'll think.
Now onto the serious part of this crap. I kinda forced the end of that chapter, so bear wit' me. Longer means ya usually get less quality, aiight? And don't worry about Knuckles and the Chaotix, I'll do something about them soon.Yeah and I know I ain't right, MAN!!!
Another N64 quote that applies to the day I wrote this: It's just too hot! Guess who said that in your review and you can tell me what other Sonic Character you want me to add to this. No SA2 chars though, since, in this timeline, it hasn't happened yet. I'm already gonna add the Chaotix and Kragok, okay?
Chaos in Hyrule Chapter 5
Fire and ice flew through the air near the cavernous entrance to the Goron city. Chaos was everywhere as erect lizard-like creatures and deformed Gorons poured from the entrance and flung boulders up at the flying pests that were bombarding their home. In the chaos one solitary creature slipped through and into the entrance. Link looked around the city in Goron form and was shocked. The place was in shambles. Bomb plant pieces were everywhere, the paintings on the walls had been scorched or smeared somehow, and for some reason he expected the monsters around here to make an appearance quite soon.
He stomped around grunting at the other Gorons as he passed. Something was definitely wrong with all of them. Each one was strange looking, like hunchbacks with one eye that was bigger than the other. They loped along around him instead of rolling on the ground like regular Gorons did. If they did, they weren't gonna get far with that hump making them jump every time they rolled. The other creatures in the city were nearly unfamiliar to Link. If he hadn't looked into the eyes of one of the smaller creatures he wouldn't have recognized the feral man eating Dodongos. It seemed as if they had somehow become people of thought like any Hylian. But how it happened had yet to be explained.
As he passed the cavern leading to the Lost Woods, Link heard a sad tune being played on an ocarina instead of the happy melody that Saria always played. He felt a pang of sadness at the thought of anything happening to his adopted people. But if something had happened to the Gorons, what horrible fate had befallen the Kokiri?
"Hey, you," someone said from behind Link.
"Wha?" Link turned around and saw who had called him. He was short by Hylian standards, but he looked built. He was a red creature with dreadlocks and these huge metal plated fists with two claws on the ends.
"Shouldn't you be working, pal? Stop staring at me and get moving! The faster we find a way to get that chaos emerald, the faster we can restore the Master and get the island floating again."
"Say what?" Link was confused, staring down at the stocky guy yelling at him.
"Are you deaf or something? I said get moving!" To Link's surprise he actually shoved the huge Goron body he was in back a few feet toward Darunia's room.
"Wait a second!" Link bellowed, trying to hold his ground. "What Master? What's going on around here?"
The red guy flinched for a second and looked up at Link in shock. Something wasn't right with this Goron. He wasn't deformed like all the others. Plus, he saw something wrong with his face, like it shimmered. He spun the huge rock creature around and before he could protest, he backhanded him. The mask on Link's face went flying. The shimmering became this sort of flash as the Goron shrunk down to human size and back into Link.
The hero gave a weak little wave to the stunned crowd around them and said," Heh, uh.hi?"
"It's a spy, get 'im," the red creature bellowed.
Every fully grown Goron and Dodongo around them jumped and grabbed at Link. Even though he struggled with all of his strength, the Gorons matched his enhanced might. It went on for a few minutes before Link was held at every limb by a few burly looking Goron hunchbacks. The red guy looked on contemptuously and snorted.
"When will Ganon ever learn. It doesn't matter how many spies he sends up here, he'll never be able to take this mountain." He walked up in front of the panting and struggling hero. "Now who are you?"
"I'm not a spy, I-" Link screamed as the red guy gave him a gut buster and winded him.
"Don't lie to me," he said. "Overlanders can't make it up the trail with those three thieves occupying the town down there. Now tell the truth! What does Ganon want from us?"
"I-I don't w-work for Gano-agghh!" Link wheezed as he was pummeled again.
The red guy dusted his arms and said," We're not gonna get anything outta this punk. Throw him in the volcano. Maybe that'll make Volvagia happy."
"Knuckles, don't," some husky voice yelled. "He's on our side. You have to believe me!"
Hobbling out of the crowd came a very familiar looking Goron. He stopped only at Link's side and took a good long look in his face.
"Are you sure, Link," Knuckles said. "He looks sort of suspicious. And changing forms like that.I don't know. For all we know he could be Ganon in disguise."
The young Goron looked at Link and sort of smiled, if a deformed grimace of disorderly teeth can be considered a smile. "Positive. This is the hero who saved us all from the Dodongos all those years ago. I was named after him."
Knuckles lifted one of his eyebrows and them waved the rest of the Gorons away from Link. "If this really is the legendary hero, how can we prove it?"
Link thought about it for a second and then started digging into his pockets.
'Hope I didn't lose it somewhere. Because if I did, that crazy red guy is going to have me sacrificed.'
"Ah, here it is," Link exclaimed pulling out the spiritual stone he'd been lugging around for so long. "Here's your proof. As a reward they gave me the Goron's Ruby."
Knuckles looked defeated for a second, but then he started walking toward Darunia's room. "Come with me."
Link complied and strolled along behind the red echidna.
"My name is Knuckles of the house of Edmund, son of Locke, and Guardian of the Master Emarlad that keeps Angel Island afloat above the earth." They walked back behind the statue and into the secret entrance to the volcano where a titanic sight awaited them. "Only right now the Master has been.incapacitated.again. The water creature Chaos and that maniac, Ganon broke it while trying to siphon off it's power. Ganon somehow brought us to this world with the energy he absorbed from the Master. Seven chunks of the emerald have been spread across the land in all directions. I found one here with the Gorons and another up on the floating Island. But all the chunks have done is take away the most of the Island's weight. Take a look."
The sight took Link's breath away. A massive landmass took up the sky and blocked the volcano. Hanging from massive chains, the Island's tip almost touched the floor. The lava had apparently risen because of the pressure. The cavern glowed with red and gold light. The heat was stifling, like being in an oven.
"Not long after this happened, Darunia, the Goron's leader, disappeared after going into the Fire Temple. Every couple of weeks, this fire dragon that the Gorons call Volvagia comes outta the temple and tries to climb up on the island. Every time we manage to stop it, but it always killed or incapacitates the warriors I bring with me. I know that if I had all seven Chaos Emeralds that I could become stronger and kill it, but the Gorons need a leader. I'm the only one that qualifies at the moment since I'm the only one who opposes Volvagia. So I can't go out looking for it without sacrificing them all."
"I'm going over there," Link said, limbering up his Logshot at the part of the wooden bridge that hung from the entrance to the temple. "And I'm getting Darunia back."
As Link shot away, Knuckles jumped out above the magma and caught the thermals in his dreads, allowing him to fly after him. Soon enough he'd caught up to the running hero and shot down the entrance to the temple. But instead of the regular archway, it was a huge mural. In front of it were different colored bricks. The picture was incomplete.
"This is the most annoying part of my job," Link said glumly. "Dungeon puzzles.how I loathe dungeon puzzles!"
Knuckles scratched his head and looked at the mural. "What are we supposed to do here then? Finish the picture? It looks sort of familiar."
"Well, then why don't you give it a shot? I have no idea what its supposed to look like."
Knuckles gripped up a few of the bricks and put them in a few of the slots. After about forty or so seconds, the picture was beginning to take shape. That is until a sinister laugh filled the air and the bricks all shoved themselves out of the wall and magically stacked themselves again.
Knuckles looked on agape with his mouth hanging open.
"I forgot to mention that most of the time they have time limits or a guardian spirit resets the puzzle on you. Sort of a gas huh?" Link said as he picked with his nails.
Pissed beyond belief, Knuckles went back to work on the puzzle at a faster pace. But in the end the time limit would just force the bricks back out of the wall. Knuckles tried at least a dozen strategies before he started banging his fists on the wall. Literally. Link chuckled to himself, remembering a similar reaction he had when a few of the puzzles got the best of him.
"Okay, okay," Link said in between laughs. "I'll help you out, alright? You go ahead and take half the bricks for the top and I'll fill in the ones for the bottom. Hopefully we can beat the time limit."
Working in tandem, Knuckles and Link shoved each of the bricks in the appropriate slots and stood back to admire their work. Link was confused about the portrait, it made almost no sense to him. In the picture was a large blue swirling mass with snake heads poking out of it. Around it were three figures, one a spiky looking gold flame, the other was a dark demon looking monster with two swords, and the last was a man encased in gleaming whitish blue armor with a red sword. The backdrop was very gloomy and dark; a wasteland with agonized faces drawn on the hills.
"What does it mean," Link asked.
"It's a prophecy.I recognize the gold character over there. I think I've seen it before, but the rest of them are all alien to me. I'll have to go to the archives back in Haven to figure them out later on."
Suddenly the mural faded away to reveal the dark corridor that led to the fire temple. Both the hero and the guardian were careful where they stepped, the ground wasn't stable and extremely hot. Link unsheathed his sword and held it up like a torch. The end began to glow a ghostly white. The walls were filled with pictures of echidnas and strange looking humans.
"Wait!" Knuckles stopped in front of one of the pictures and grabbed Link's arm. As he pulled the light closer to one of the pictures, it became apparent who had put that puzzle up. The echidna in the picture looked almost human in his gold and blue armor. His dreadlocks were longer and thicker than Knuckles or any of the other echidnas in the pictures.
"Who is it," Link asked, taking a closer look..
For some reason Knuckles' eyes seemed hold a certain pride even though his face was scowling. ".Enerjak. C'mon, we gotta hurry!"
Knuckles rushed down the corridor with Link just behind him. Just as he was about to enter the temple, Knuckles shoved him back. He told him to shut up and take a good look around the corner. When he did, Link was shocked at the incredible change in the place. The Temple had completely changed shape. Instead of a crumbling stone and rusted metal place, it was an elegant place of marble arches and crystal. Milling around the temple were metal Gorons and people in black cloaks.
"Dark Legion. No wonder all of the Gorons I sent up here never came back, they've all been roboticized."
"Who are these guys?" Link reached into his pocket and fished around for something.
"Bad news. Real bad news. They want nothing more than to take over the Floating Island and take the Master Emerald. If they're here, they must be hunting around for the Chaos Emerald. If I had that, the Island could be made to fly again. But how are we gonna get from one side of this place to the other without getting our hides blasted off?"
Link jumped out at two passing Legionnaires and threw out a deku nut. The flash blinded them momentarily, just long enough for him to slink in and slam the hilt of his blade into their temples. He then dragged them back to their hiding place.
Knuckles smirked and said," I could've thought of that."
"Well apparently not fast enough," Link replied as he stripped the cloak off of the mechanized echidna. "Now hurry up. They'll probably find them before we're done, if my luck runs the way it does."
Link looked ridiculous in the cloak made for a stocky creature like Knuckles, so he made himself a stocky looking creature. With the Deku Scrub mask donned, the black attire fit him fine. Soon enough they were walking in an exact copy of the Hidden Palace Zone. Beneath a marble bridge in the main room, the lava pool was still there, being tapped by geothermal generators. In the lava swam a very large lizard-like shape, one that made Link's sap/blood run cold. Volvagia had grown much larger and stronger than the last time he saw him.
"Just a little farther," Link said as they crossed over to the other side of the bridge.
Right there was the door leading to the Boss chamber. Above the stone slab that was the door was the Fire crest. But instead of the normal one it seemed to be a mix, it was slowly changing from one crest to another. It had a strange lizard head with flames at the edges. Darunia's sage powers were failing, soon the transfer would be complete and the Chaos Emerald would be fully powered.
Knuckles sidled up next to Link. "You get up to that door, I'll make a distraction."
Knuckles ran off in the direction of a crowd of Legionnaires and gripped two of the around the neck. Soon enough there was a fight going on with Knuckles in the middle. The hero saw the red echidna slowly melt away into the crowd with a smirk on his face just before he disappeared entirely. Link walked up to the door and then felt around behind the groove between the door and the wall. Soon enough his twiggy hand found the key he had hidden there so long ago when he left the temple the first time. He was about to open the door when somebody tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned around he saw Knuckles standing over him without the disguise.
"Wha-What's going on," Link said as he was suddenly surrounded by echidnas in black. "Knuckles? What are you doing?"
"Nothing you need to worry about for too much longer," Knuckles said as he snatched the key away from him. "Finally, we'll be able to kill that annoying Goron in there. When we invaded the temple, he locked himself inside. Since then we've done nothing but devise ways of getting that door open." He snorted. "This damn world is drowning in magic. The blasted crap has even overwhelmed our incredible technology, and that can't be allowed to continue. That's what protects that door from us and our attempts to open it. Lasers, cutting tools, tank blasters, mortars, and jackhammers for days on end have done nothing. In the end we settled for reviving the temple's boss and using magic against magic by using Volvagia to drain the energy from the idiot holed up in that room and into that dead Chaos Emerald."
"What? Argh, I thought these stooges were your enemies!" Link yelled as he was gripped up yet again at Knuckles' command. "Or did you lie about that too? Like you lied to Link and all the rest of them back in the city! You make me sick! When I get these goons off of me, I'll rip your head off with my bare hands." Of course, the threat lost it's effect because of the small squeak of a whispery voice that Link had as a Deku Scrub.
"You're not exactly in any position to make threats," a deep voice said from behind the crowd. He steadily walked through the parting crowd. Each of the Legionnaires knelt down as he came near, yet kept their weapons at the ready in case their leader came under attack from the little hero. He was a head taller than most of his minions. His body seemed comprised mostly of armor instead of flesh. One of his eyes if not both were artificial, as well as one of his arms and legs. His head was covered in gadgetry and circuits all the way down to his dreads.
Knuckles knelt in front of him and said," All is in preparation, Great Uncle. We have the key, and soon the Emerald below will be fully charged and we can begin the restoration."
"What restoration? And what the hell are you supposed to be," Link asked, looking Knuckles' mechanized relative over.
WHACK! WHAM! CRACK! WHUD!
Lightning fast, a foot, a spiked fist, and two rifle butts collided with Link's chest and head. The pain was fleeting, since his skin was mostly bark, but still a reminder that the fanatics around him would not tolerate any disrespect to their leader. The metal monstrosity smirked and bent down to the slumped Scrub to get a good look at him.
"I am Dimitri, soon to be empowered yet again with the might of the Chaos Emeralds. I am leader of the Dark Legion and master to my misguided descendant over there." Dimitri sneered. "It was actually pretty easy to manipulate him into thinking that he's always worked for me. I guess he must have gotten some sort of brain injury when he was trying to defend the Master from Chaos and Ganon. When we found him, he barely even knew who he was." He laughed out loud and started to walk away. "Knuckles do away with the intruder and do something about that annoying sage. I want that Emerald in my possession by 900 hours tomorrow." He then looked over his shoulder. "He found us the key, so make it quick. Nothing too gruesome."
Knuckles snapped his fingers and cursed under his breath. "Yes, sir. Alright, you heard him. Let's unlock that door, I want blasters trained on that Goron the second that door opens. I don't want a piece of him left when we're done here. Then we'll kill the hero."
One Legionnaire walked up by Knuckles and took the key as a few others gathered around him and limbered up their blasters at the door. As the guy turned the key in the lock, something didn't seem right. Wasn't that Legionnaire next to the turncoat echidna a little taller than usual?
'No time to worry about that now,' Link thought. 'I've got to stop them from killing Darunia. No one's holding my legs, sooo.'
One of Link's wooden legs flashed up and hit one of the Legionnaires holding him in the gut with a loud swishing sound. With his arm free he pulled the mask painfully from his face and put it away. He swung the echidna holding his arm over his shoulder and slammed him into the ground. He pulled out the Megaton Hammer and activated Nayru's Love. He ran all out for the lava pools as the dark echidnas blasted him with their energy weapons. He hopped off the edge and into the pool without any sign of faltering.
"Forget about him get the-"
"Now!"
The Legionnaire next to Knuckles cracked him over the head with his blaster and shot him with it on stun as he lay on the floor. The other three around him started shooting all the other echidnas in the chamber. Knuckles seemed to just levitate off the ground and float away toward the exit. As he drifted into the dark corridor something could be seen in the shadows carrying him over it's shoulders. The legionnaire that knocked the guardian out took something from his head and pointed it at the ceiling.
"Into the boss room!!"
The thing in his hand let off a shock wave that sent boulders and rocks from the ceiling raining down on top of the entrance to the chamber. With the entrance sealed off they were all safe. After looking around, they saw that there was nothing in the chamber aside from a boulder and some lava pools.
"Man, oh, man," the tall one said as he lifted off his cowl. "It's hot up in this jawn, yo."
"Then deal with it, Vector," a female echidna said as she lifted off the heavy dark robes. "We just might be here awhile."
"I can barely take it in here," the other said as he tossed the robes off of his armored back. "I hope we find this sage soon, Julie-su, 'cause I don't know how much longer I can sit in here. This heat's making me weak."
"Find somewhere to relax for a while, Mighty. You'll be fine, you're stronger than all of us put together," Julie-su said, wiping the sweat off of her brow.
Mighty flopped down on the boulder and groaned. "Just means there's more of me to cook."
"Maybe I should bring it down again and rock us a way outta here," Vector said as he began to remove his earphones.
"NO!!!" Mighty and Julie-su yelled at the top of their lungs.
"You could end up bringing, like, tons of lava down from the ceiling," Julie-su said.
Vector kicked the boulder, it shuddered a little from the force. "Well we gotta find some way to get outta here, man. If the witch's friends hadn't messed wit' Knux's head we wouldn't be in here lookin' for some guy who's obviously found a way out himself! I bet he don't even exist, man!"
Suddenly the floor began to buck and quake. Out of one of the pools came Volvagia roaring his heart out. The Chaotix members were too shocked to react as it reared it's head back and then.fell on it's side. There was black oil and blood leaking from it's eyes and the back of the head. Apparently the beast had a machine connected to the back of it's head. Soon enough out of the lava came Link, in a rapidly fading Nayru's Love crystal. The spell collapsed and Link was left defenseless. He pulled out something from his pack and the threw it over at the dying beast.
"That oughta put it out of it's misery," Link muttered, turning his back on the beast as the bomb exploded.
Looking on from his seat, Mighty thought it heartless to overkill it the way he did. Julie thought it necessary after seeing what it had done to the Gorons over the last couple of weeks. All those poor souls had finally been avenged.
Link strolled up to where Mighty sat and said," Hey, Darunia! Big bro, you okay now?"
"Say what," Mighty said as he fell off the moving boulder.
The boulder unfolded itself to reveal a tired and hunchbacked version of the powerful sage. Slowly, yet steadily Darunia morphed back to his rightful form. As he stood up to his full 6'5 height.
"Never felt better, brother Link," the huge Goron said. "Soon enough, my fellow Gorons will feel the same way. Now, where's that traitor, Knuckles? He tricked me into walking into a trap. In my own temple too!"
Julie-su chuckled at the thought. 'Knuckles actually tricked someone? Hahahahahaha!' She thought, remembering the story of the first time he met Robotnik.
"Oh well, doesn't matter," He said. "Let's just get out of here. The sound of that lava bubbling, and the heat are both driving me crazy!"
Suddenly, the place seemed to flash out of sight. Soon enough Darunia and Link were in the Sacred realm, floating in the diadem of Hyrule's Temples. The Chaotix were all frozen in time in those shocked poses they had when they were teleported.
"Hyrule has been wounded.It's bad out there Link. I sense such suffering and evil almost everywhere I look," Darunia said. "You've got to do something about it. But first."
In front of Link flashed the fully charged Chaos Emerald that Volvagia had charged with what was left of his life energy.
"Maybe you can make some use of it." Then the world once again flashed out of existence.
When Link got his sight back he was sitting in the Goron City. Everything was back to normal again. All of the Gorons had returned to their original form, but for some reason the Dodongo people were still around. Instead of lingering on that point, Link got right back on track with his next mission. Right into the Lost Woods.
The Chaotix didn't seem to be anywhere in sight. But Link knew that they'd been put where they were needed most, just like he had every time he visited that realm. As he started heading toward the path to the woods, he heard an explosion. He looked up and pulled his shield around just in time. The impact sent him flying back into a wall where he slumped down for a second before unsheathing his sword for battle. Right in front of him with his arms crossed was the lightning fast blue hedgehog.
"You're fast, pal," Sonic said. "But I'm much, much faster. Now we can do this the hard way or the easy way. I don't really want to hurt you, man, I just want the emerald you're packing."
Link stood ready with his charging sword behind him. "Too bad. I've already grown attached to it."
Sonic seemed to disappear just as Link was slammed in his side with a spin- dash. "Why do they always do it the hard way?"
The hero pulled up his shield to his side as the hedgehog tried to follow up on his last strike with a flurry of kicks and punches. The Mirror shield wouldn't hold up much longer after that kind of rapid punishment, it was denting inward. Finally the thing buckled and broke when Sonic decided to cut through it with a Triple Spin. Link went on the offensive, slashing and cutting at the hedgehog as fast as he could.
As far as Sonic was concerned, Link was moving in thick molasses. When the hero tried to flip over the speedster, Sonic jumped straight up and head butted him in the gut. When he landed on his head, Link was immediately set upon by the hedgehog. He tossed all of the items out of his magic pack and then pulled out the emerald. Sonic admired it for about a millisecond before flying off yet again. Only this time to the Lost Woods.
Link finally sat up and rubbed his head while looking up at the ceiling of the City. "Why me? 'coff' Why me?! Why are you punishing me?" He seemed to sob for a second and then he said something that will live in infamy(and possibly get me so many flames).
"I HATE THAT HEDGEHOG!!!"
To be continued.
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How was that, MAN!!!? I'll have the next chapter up in about a week or so. Be sure to stay wit' me. I've got me little surprises cooked up for the Kokiri, the Gerudo, and the Hylians. Read and Review, MAN!!! I wanna know what ya'll think.
Now onto the serious part of this crap. I kinda forced the end of that chapter, so bear wit' me. Longer means ya usually get less quality, aiight? And don't worry about Knuckles and the Chaotix, I'll do something about them soon.Yeah and I know I ain't right, MAN!!!