"King Dodongo, huh?" I asked as I followed my escorts, Gorko and Roko, through the mines. "Well, that's not good. What about Volvagia?"

"What in the world are these names?" Midna asked.

"Creatures the Fused Shadow may have interacted with."

Gorko shuddered. "No, thank the mountain. Everything was going so well; we had just breached a huge deposit of rock sirloin when we found…"

"A dark magical artifact left behind ages ago?"

'… Right. Our patriarch, he touched it and… transformed into a monster."

"Yeah, that's usually the story. So, he turns into this big fiery thing, resurrects King Dodongo, and goes on a rampage. I'm guessing your elders managed to seal him inside some large room deep in the mines?"

Roko shuddered this time. "Not exactly."

"Not exactly meaning…?"

We came to the central tower but even from that far away, I saw machinery peaking over the top of the cliff behind the tower.

The mines were huge, easily bigger than Kakariko and Ordon put together. And that was just what I could see! Expanses of big magnets, pulleys, carts, ore deposits, tracks… and exposed lava?

"Our elders tried to seal Darbus inside a large chamber, but… it was the same room as had been inhabited by King Dodongo centuries ago. Once it was resurrected, they escaped and wreaked havoc."

Gorko and Roko escorted me to an opening at the base of the tower. The air was hot, sticky, and choked with ash and dust. The heat made me dizzy, and the constant pummels and strikes on hard surfaces had my ears ringing.

"So where are they now?" I asked, wiping my brow. "Also, do you have any water?"

"We already passed the hot springs, goro. You can relax after you speak with the elders if you want."

"Oh, no worries," I said, almost slurring. "Just… hey, you guys happen to have a Goron Tunic? Something that'll make this heat a little more… tolerable?"

Gorko rubbed his chin. "Hmm, nope. Sorry, human guy. The elders might have something useful, we're almost there."

"Hey, you okay?" asked Midna. "You don't sound so good."

"'m fiiine… Just gotta keep my head…"

"Do you have any spring water left?"

"No, I drank it after moving that rock…"

"Oh, Zach…"

"It's fiiine…"

I trudged on, following the two Gorons to an elevator in the tower. Gorko—or Roko, it was getting harder to tell them apart—stepped on the button and the elevator lurched to life. We ascended the tower and the air… actually cooled down. Not as much as I wanted, but at least my head wasn't swimming.

We exited to the top of a large cavern. The room was circular and deep, with a passageway along the left wall and a single platform hanging in the center of the room, held aloft by a series of ropes. It was the spitting image of Ocarina of Time's—

"Ahh, Goron City!" I declared, clapping my hands. "All right!"

Gorko chuckled. "I see you know your Goron history well. Yep, this is our home, human guy. The elders are on the bottom floor."

Nothing really happened on the way down besides my escorts convincing the guards to let us through. We entered the room at the bottom that used to be Darunia's room in Ocarina of Time, only it was much larger. Most likely to accommodate the four Goron Elders that sat in their own rings around the room.

"Oh Great Goron Elders," announced Roko, bowing his head, "we have come here with one who wishes to aid us in this hour of need!"

One of the elders, his skin wrinkled and back hunched, stamped his walking stick against the ground. "No human," he said with a croak, "is to help us! These are Goron matters!"

"Here here," cried another, this one short and stout with several tiny smoking geysers sticking out of his back. "This is an outsider! You should be banished for bringing it here at all!"

The third elder cleared his throat. His skin was much darker than the other Gorons, with tattoos bringing splashes of color. "My fellow elders, you must be reasonable, goro. Perhaps he can help us."

"Agreed," said the final elder. He seemed the most physically fit, with his arms and chest still reasonably buff compared to the others. "Human, come forward so I may examine you."

I shrugged and stepped away from my escorts, marching right up to the edge of the elder's ring. "Hello."

The elder chuckled. "Hello. Come closer, boy."

Oh, great… I nodded and moved into the ring, my heart beating faster. I walked right up to the elder and stood before him… or rather below him, as even in his age he was a good foot taller than me.

"Hmm, yes, you seem young, strong, and eager to prove yourself," he said, circling me. "It is no easy feat to make it this far, even when escorted by our fellow Gorons. I trust they would not let you pass without a test?"

"No, I had to, um, move a giant stone that fell when the mountain erupted."

"Ha!" He slapped his belly, grinning ear to ear. "Good lad! A show of strength, that's the Goron way!"

The first elder stamped his walking stick again. "Enough pandering, Gor Coron! He has intruded on our business!"

"Perhaps it is his business to help, Gor Ebizo," said the black Goron. "I am Gor Liggs. Tell us, do you have evil intentions?"

"I'm Zach, and no. I'm just here to get rid of that dark magic artifact, the Fused Shadow."

"That sounds evil to me!" yelled the final unnamed elder. "The Fused Shadow is a dark, powerful magic! No human, good or evil, can withstand its power!"

I held up my hands in a peaceful gesture. "I'm not the one handling it. I happen to have someone with me who can properly hold and store the Fused Shadow where it can do no harm to anyone."

"Oh, Zach, no…"

"Come on, this'll be easy with your help."

"You are terrible at diplomacy." Even so, Midna popped out of my shadow and stood between me and Gor Coron. Everyone but he and the elder who defended me balked and yelled out random obscenities, which lasted until Gor Coron curled into a ball and slammed into the floor.

The ensuing shockwave silenced all of us. The elder stood back up and stared hard at me. "This is a bold claim, boy," he said, stroking his rocky goatee. "To enter our inner sanctum and declare that this creature will take the Fused Shadow… bold, but not very wise. How do you intend to earn our trust?"

I smirked, cracking my knuckles. "A test of strength. Isn't that the Goron way?"

Gor Coron smiled from the corner of his mouth. "Well, we cannot dismiss a challenge such as this. I hereby make my statement: If you face our second strongest warrior in battle, we will allow you to help. What say my fellow elders?"

"…" Each of the other elders nodded their heads, some more slowly than others.

"Then it is decided. Face Dangoro, and you have our trust." He slapped my back, knocking me off my feet. "Ha! Good luck, 'Brother'."

I clambered to my feet and shuffled to the tunnel on the far side of the room. The two Goron guards stepped aside, I entered the tunnel, and the sweltering heat returned. "Fuck, why did I have to drink that bottle?"

"For crying out loud," Midna said. "Give me a bottle, I'll go get you some before this heat kills you."

After Midna headed off, I emerged into an antechamber bridging the space between the council room and Death Mountain Crater. There was no lava around, for which I was thankful, but steam geysers lay strewn about the room instead. The door slammed shut behind me, and the torches dimmed. "How do they do that? Is there some big cosmic director who whispers to the techs to dim the lights for drama scenes?"

THUD! I saw a faint outline on the other side of the arena, and it was big.

"Oh boy…"

THUD!

"Um… hello! I'm Zach, I was sent here—"

THUD!

"Oh… um, I'm here to help, the elders want me to defeat you so I can help with your patriarch, and—"

"SILENCE!" His voice was like thunder, rumbling around the arena and shaking my footing. "A human? They send a human to me, as if I am not worthy of defending our great mountain!"

By then, Dangoro was right in front of me. He leaned down and took a deep breath through the nose. "You smell funny."

"I smell funny?"

He raised his fist and slammed it down, but just slow enough that I jumped out of the way. "Fast. Good. Use that speed to get back to your little village."

"And turn down the fight of a lifetime?"

Dangoro spat a pebble at me. "You're no warrior. You're not even a man! You're just a boy—" Whatever else he was going to say was drowned out by my fist in his gut. A punch from the Silver Gauntlets had to hurt no matter how big you are! "Not bad, boy."

… or so I thought. When he brought his knee into my chest, I knew several ribs cracked. The sheer force sent me to the floor, gasping for air. That gasp turned into a scream when Dangoro stomped his foot down and crushed both my legs at once.

"Still awake? I'm honestly impressed, boy."

"'m gon… ll you…" Tears streamed down my reddened face. My jaw clenched so tight I thought my teeth were going to break. Blood dribbled from my mouth and nose.

The Goron bent down, his face inches from mine. "Speak up, boy."

"… gonna… you…"

"What?"

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" I swung my arm, catching Dangoro in the lip. With his awkward position and the strength of three men at once, the blow knocked him off his feet. "… Midna… help me…"

"I'm on my way. Are you okay?"

"Can't move… can barely breathe…"

"What the hell is happening up there?!"

"… Big Goron…"

"Ha!" Dangoro stood up, nursing his swollen lip. "I admire your spirit, boy, but I think this fight is over."

"Not over…" Even staying conscious was a fight in itself. All I wanted to do was go to sleep. My legs didn't hurt anymore, at least. "Not over until… the fat Goron sings…"

Dangoro sat beside me, looking more like a giant kid waiting his turn at a game than a Goron warrior. "You are broken, boy. You cannot walk, you cannot breathe. Where is my disadvantage?"

I tried to roll onto my side, but the many thousands of pain needles stopped that quickly. "Why aren't… you the patriarch?"

"Ah, a good question." The Goron stood up and paced nearby. "I am the stronger Goron, but Darbus has proven himself wiser… recent events notwithstanding. Despite our pride in strength and power, I understand that there is a place for wisdom. Perhaps it was that boy who changed our ways. Link, I believe. So young, but willing to risk his life to help us in our time of need."

Midna popped up and poured the entire bottle down my throat. "I got healing water. Glad I did?"

"Definitely."

"What were you thinking taking this guy on all alone?!"

"I have to beat him so the elders will let me go further into the mines."

"You see, boy, there was once a man named Ganondorf. He tried several heinous means to get our sacred Spiritual Stone, including blocking up Dodongo's Cavern, but to no avail. Even after his arrest and execution, we had no way of accessing our precious rock deposits. Link selflessly volunteered to clear out Dodongo's Cavern, and even when we offered the Goron Ruby, he only asked for a bigger bomb bag.

"… And now, in our time of need once again, a boy shows himself and selflessly volunteers to help our patriarch…"

"Funny how things work out… I don't want anything… just to help…"

Dangoro scooped me up with one hand, carefully placing me on his enormous shoulder. "I'll take you back to the elders. They'll decide if you should still attempt this."

"Yeah, about that…" I cracked my knuckles and rammed my elbow into Dangoro's cheek. He crashed into the nearby wall, and I brought my foot up to his nose. "I still haven't kicked your ass."

"Quite a miraculous second wind," he grumbled, wiping lava-like blood from his nostril. "I applaud you, boy!"

He reached for me, so I climbed down his back. He grabbed for me but his arms couldn't bend the right way. His legs proved stronger than I thought as he jumped into the air and aimed his back to the ground.

A giant orange hand snatched me away just before impact. "I should have let him crush you, but I doubt spring water can heal death!"

"Gee, thanks." The giant Goron charged at me. I slipped beneath his legs and he hit the wall headfirst. He rubbed his head, moaning and groaning, and I tried attacking his legs with my sword, but Midna vanished the sword into particles. "Hey, I kinda need that!"

"That's basically solid stone! You'll break that sword before you deal any real damage!"

"Great, got any ideas?"

"Zach, you're really scaring me. This is extreme, even for you!"

"Heh, this is only the second dungeon. This kind of stuff is going to get even more extreme."

"I'm not talking about the things happening to you, I'm talking about YOU!"

"Hey, any chance you could surrender?" I called. Dangoro swung his arm around in response, and the blow knocked the wind out of me. "… Guess not…"

"Zach, stop this!"

"I got him on the ropes!"

"You can't beat him!"

"Maybe if YOU helped me, I could! The elders won't let me help unless I beat him!"

"Did they actually say that?"

"Pretty much!"

"What did they actually say?!"

"They said, 'Face Dangoro and you have our trust,' okay?"

Midna popped up and grabbed my face, forcing me to look her in the eye. "Zach, you've faced him. You've lasted longer than a normal human should, now please, go back! You don't have to do this!"

"What the hell is your problem? We can beat him!"

"We don't have to beat him! You've made your point!"

"But…"

"Zach, it's not worth it! You don't need to prove anything more than you already have. What will more violence do?"

"Midna, sometimes, violence is the only solution—"

"There's ALWAYS another solution!" Was she… was she crying? Oh no, she was. "Zach, you can't solve everything with violence and hatred and anger, you just can't!"

I clenched my fists and yelled, "Why is this so important you? Why do you care?"

"Because you don't! I've been worried for you ever since we got to Kakariko, and no offense, but I shouldn't be worried for you! I shouldn't have to be scared if you're going to get yourself killed! I shouldn't be wasting time tending to you because there's enough on my mind already and you should be taking care of yourself!"

"That's what this is about?! Because I forgot to get some water?!"

"No, you idiot!"

"Stop calling me that!"

"Then stop being an idiot!"

"What am I doing?"

"YOU'RE ACTING LIKE GANONDORF!"

"…"

"…"

"Excuse me?"

Midna sighed, rubbed her face. "I spoke with the elder in Kakariko. He told me… that you were showing a lot of the same behaviors of someone named Ganondorf. He was tried and executed, and I don't want to see that happen to you. For better or worse, I'm trying to consider you a friend. That means I'm your friend too, and as your friend, I refuse to let you destroy yourself!"

Midna held her breath. Zach stared at her, and so did Dangoro. She was very, very thankful the Goron had decided to watch the altercation rather than try to finish the fight.

Would Zach be as wise?

Midna's heart pumped furiously in her chest. The air smelled of smoke and fire. Sweat dribbled down her and Zach's cheeks. Her eyes stung, both from tears and the hotness of the air.

"… Dangoro," said Zach at last, "you win."

Midna's shoulders drooped in relief. "Thanks, Zach."

"Can't let my friends down, can I?" He marched past her, but at least he did not shove her on his way. "I give up, you win. I'll talk to the elders now."

Midna followed him while Dangoro remained behind. She opened her mouth, but no words came. She did just yell at him, compare him to someone very bad… Yes, perhaps silence was best for now. Well, except for one thing…

"Hey, you should have some more water," she said, holding out another bottle for Zach.

"Oh, thanks." He took a sip and passed it back. "You should drink some too."

"I did, I'm good."

"Hm."

The tunnel returned them to the chamber of the Goron elders, where the lead elder cheered and applauded Zach's return. "You have bested Dangoro!"

"I didn't win. We fought, we talked, I came back."

The lead elder—Gor Coron, as Midna would later learn—shrugged. "It takes strength to face great enemies, but even greater strength lies in facing your weaknesses."

Midna stayed silent. She had little desire to feel any sense of victory. Instead, she watched as Gor Coron stomped his foot and a compartment opened from the ceiling. From it, a chest dropped right in front of Zach, who nearly fell on top of Midna in surprise.

"This looks just like the other chests we've seen," said Midna. "Is there some big warehouse that supplies the world's chests?"

"Probably." Inside was a simple article of red cloth emblazoned with several golden triangles, but different from the mark on Zach's hand. "Huh, the Goron Ruby symbol on a… scarf?"

Midna rubbed the fabric between her fingers. It was soft, but more importantly, a wave of cold washed over her the moment she touched it. "Hm, it seems to repel heat. I think it's a headband."

"This is the Goron Sash," Gor Coron said, "cut from the last Goron Tunic on Death Mountain. This will protect you from the heat of the mountain as well as direct contact with fire."

Midna pouted. "You get all the good stuff."

"There's another one in here," Zach said, holding another sash up.

"Ooh, mine!" Midna grinned as she tied the cloth around her waist and nodded at the successful fit. "Now what?"

"Now we go and find the patriarch and get that Fused Shadow." Zach gave the Gorons a nod and headed back to Dangoro's chamber, where the mighty brute let him pass through.

"Any ideas on how to do that?"

Zach sighed and wiped his face. "No, without the Iron Boots, I have no idea. Which means there's no chance."

"Whoa, what? How does that equate to no chance?"

"Well, do you have any ideas?"

Midna tapped her chin just as they exited the cavern and came upon a great open area filled with machinery and glowing red water. "Whoa! What kind of place is this?"

"It's a volcano. A mountain filled with lava and magma."

"…"

"Okay, so when rocks get very, very, very hot, they melt and go from a solid form to a semi-liquid form," said Zach as he walked along the path. "When all of that melted, molten rock is underground, it's called magma. When it is exposed to the open air like you see here, it's called lava."

Midna peered out at the 'lava', which looked even brighter now that the sun had gone down. "Wow, it's… it's really beautiful. I've never seen anything like it."

"I've seen it on TV and movies, but I've never seen it up close like this either."

"So, what do you think?"

"You can get excited for it, but I'll pass," he said curtly.

Midna rolled her eyes but chose to keep the conversation amicable. "All right, so a mountain filled with all this super-hot magma and lava is a… volcano?"

"Yep. That's probably why this is called Death Mountain."

"Charming." Midna paced back and forth, her eyes closed. "Okay, so we need to cleanse the patriarch, destroy this King Dodongo thing… how was it done before?"

"Well, they're from two separate games, but King Dodongo was fed bombs and then Link struck it when it was stunned. Fyrus was enchained in that chamber, so Link used the Iron Boots to weigh himself down and he pulled on the chains around Fyrus' feet so he fell over, then Link whacked the Fused Shadow on his head."

"Hm… have there been other fire-based big enemies in the games?"

"There's Volvagia, the boss of the Fire Temple up in Death Mountain Crater. Link needed the Megaton Hammer to crush its armored head."

Midna opened her eyes and turned to Zach just as he turned to her. "Are you thinking…?"

"Maybe if we go to the Fire Temple—"

"We find this hammer—"

"Use it on Fyrus—"

"We'd still have to find a way to handle King Dodongo—"

"I don't have any bombs—"

"But maybe we don't need them. If I understand the Fused Shadow, and I like to think I do, then destroying its hold on the patriarch will undo it having resurrected King Dodongo."

"And if it doesn't?"

"Then I'll have absorbed enough power from this Fused Shadow to undo the spell myself."

"And if you don't have enough power?"

"Then we'll improvise."

Zach managed a smile. "Well, that's better than nothing. So, we gotta get into the Fire Temple… but that dungeon is a big labyrinth. Would we even be able to find it in time?"

Midna narrowed her eyes. "These Gorons are an industrial people. They must have more than one hammer around here, right?"

"Oh, that's a good idea. I'll start looking, you go try and find the boss."

"Whoa, what?"

"Don't engage," said Zach, "just verify his location. Maybe stall him if you can."

Midna nodded and went on her way, leaving Zach to venture into the mining facility. It reminded her of the various construction projects on the outskirts of her own kingdom, though they were built to find and process clean water, not all this molten rock.

"Hey, Zach, do you think the Gorons would let us borrow some schematics of these mines?"

"Err… I dunno. Why?"

"I was thinking of bringing them back to the Twilight Realm once all this is over, their techniques could improve my people's own. The Gorons would receive suitable compensation, of course."

"I'm sure the Gorons will be happy to share one or two blueprints after we're done here."

"That would be nice," said Midna as she leapt up to a nearby ledge. The ground was warm beneath her feet, though she was sure it would be burning her if she did not have that fire cloth. "So, how are you holding up?"

"Haven't found a hammer yet, just a bunch of pickaxes, some shovels, and a lot of cannons."

"Cannons?"

"Mhmm. Looks like they use them for long-distance mining. I guess they aim at a wall, flip the switch, and the cannon shatters the wall."

"Hm. That could be useful too, but that's not what I meant."

"Oh. What did you mean?"

Further up the cliffside, several giant footprints left glowing marks in the mountain. "How are you holding up with all this new information? If I recall correctly, you were expecting the Iron Boots, not those gauntlets and these fire-proof clothes."

"Oh… I'm okay."

"You sure?"

"Yep."

"… You're not okay."

"I'm extremely stressed, but I just have to shove it deep down inside and hope for the best."

Midna rubbed her forehead as she followed the footprints up the side of the mountain. From the looks of it, the creature that left them was of a gargantuan stature, far greater than Diababa. "Zach… That's not what I had meant before… I just feel that there are better ways to express your frustrations…"

"I'm confused. You've lashed out in frustration before."

"… I promise I'll never do that again. Not at you, anyway. I'm very sorry that I did, and I realize that isn't healthy either."

"… Midna?"

She reached the top of the ridge and turned to face Hyrule itself. It was beautiful, even at night with the curtain of Twilight far in the distance. "Yes, Zach?"

"Do you… do you really consider me a friend?"

"I'm not a liar, Zach. I do honestly think of you as my friend. Maybe not my best friend, but a friend all the same."

"… I… I think of you as my friend too."

Midna allowed herself a smile. She did not come here to make friends, and at the start she had serious reservations about interacting with someone like Zach, but it was nice to have a friend. Someone to watch her back, and for her to watch theirs. "I'm glad."

"And I'm sorry… for causing you so much stress…"

"I appreciate that. If you get stressed and frustrated like that again…"

"I know, I know. Ignore it and—"

"No. Don't ignore it. Just talk to me. It doesn't have to be about whatever is stressing you out, it can be about anything. Just… just talk. That's what my mother taught me, and I'm ashamed to say I am only now listening to her advice."

"… okay. I will."

Further ahead, the moonlight reflected off several pools of steaming water. As Midna approached, the steam rolled over her skin and soothed the aches in her muscles. "Ooh, another hot spring! Man, these Gorons have everything! When I go on vacation to Hyrule after all this, I'm spending most of my time here."

"Well, I'm sorry to say there's no time for a bath right now."

"Oh, I know. I think I'll take some hot spring water, though. Even if it cools, water tastes good."

As she filled a bottle, Zach cheered. "I found a hammer! Here, lemme show you." He sent her a mental picture, and she gaped. The hammer was huge! Easily as tall as Zach himself, the hammer looked more like a sword, only made of solid stone rather than tempered steel. The 'blade' had no sharp edge nor pointed tip but it was as wide as Zach's torso. In the center was a symbol; it resembled a footprint but with very sharp angles and three toes along the top.

"Zach, are you sure that's a hammer?"

"… Pretty sure? It's got a flat edge and it's huge, so why not?"

Midna could not help but laugh. "Eee hee! Can you even lift that?"

With a mighty heave, Zach grabbed the 'hammer' by the hilt and lifted it over his head. "See?" he said, his mental voice strained. "Nothing to it!"

"Heh, good job. I haven't found any sign of the boss. Hey, why are they called bosses?"

Zach ceased his mental projection, and Midna's eyes focused back on the mountainside. "If I remember right, they called them bosses because they boss around their minions or something."

"Then this guy is a poor boss. He doesn't have any minions! What was this supposed to be like?"

"Ah, well, it was mostly underground. Lava flows, torch slugs, the bow was supposed to be here instead of the marsh, and lots of magnets."

Midna chuckled, climbing up a nearby cliff. She could have used her magic, though she felt that was best saved for later. It was good to keep her body in shape, anyway. "After this, maybe I'll play the game myself. See just how wrong they are."

"Not wrong," said Zach. "Just different. They got the look down, at least. You look pretty much exactly like the game depicts you."

"Well, I'm glad for that." She wiped sweat from her brow and resumed tracking the giant footprints. They were made by something with four legs, that was certain. "Does it show my people at all? Zant excluded, of course."

"Yeah, a few of them. I don't really know if they're accurate, haven't seen another Twili yet."

"You will soon, but that makes me wonder. What other races are in Hyrule? There are these Goron people, your kind, and the monkeys from way back in the marsh, but that can't be all of them, can it?"

"Nope, there's a lot of different races. Do you want all of them or just the ones presented in this story?"

"Let's start with this story."

"Well, there's the Zora people. Basically fish humans."

"… What's a fish?"

"Oh boy. Animals that live under water. Slimy, disgusting, things. I hate seafood."

Midna rolled her eyes. "So they're the only things under water?"

"Oh no. There's as much of a variance in the underwater creatures as there are on land. Sharks, barnacles, jellyfish, scallops, eels… a lot of animals."

Finally, the trail led to a large pool of lava on the other side of the mountain. Surrounding the pool were enormous jagged pillars of rock and stone, the nearest of which bore a large handprint that dragged down the side of the stone.

"Zach, I lost the trail. It goes into a lake of lava, but I doubt the beastie is just going for a dip."

"Damn! It might be looking for a way into the core of the mountain. Why did it go all the way up there?"

"From the size and width of these tracks, it might have needed the space to get inside."

"Why?"

"No idea. I'm heading back around; I'll be there soon." As soon as she finished speaking, the ground rumbled. It trembled and quaked, forcing Midna to fly. Ash and smoke choked the air, stinging Midna's eyes. "Zach, what's going on?!"

"I think it's another volcanic eruption!" he said. Midna's blood chilled in her veins. "Oh no… Oh shit!"

"What is it?" she asked as she flew over the lava lake and the ridges around it.

"Well, the good news is Death Mountain isn't erupting, or at least not yet. The bad news is that Fyrus is clawing his way out of the ground… right next to me."