They didn't wait long until Boldon came back out of the stone hut, followed by another Goron. This Goron appeared shorter than Boldon due to the aged curvature of his back, but he looked anything but old and feeble. Instead, this Goron was a massive brute. He was far wider than Boldon in pure muscle. His arms were each easily thicker and longer than Link's own body, and he looked to have hands that could wrap completely around Link's torso. He was bald on top, but a ring of white hair began at the level of his eyebrows and continued down into a long, thick beard that had been tied into four different clumps. He only had one eye—the other was covered by an eyepatch that did not quite cover up old scars.
The Goron Boss, as Boldon had called him, was incredibly intimidating, especially since he fixed Link with a dark, single-eyed stare that didn't particularly look very happy.
"You're the one wanting to go up and see Rudania?" His voice, deep and gravely, seemed to cut through the bustle of Goron City, silencing those around them.
Link took a moment to find his voice and prepare his speech. "Yes. My name is—"
"No." The Goron Boss turned to head back into his hut.
"Wait!"
The Boss stopped, and his shoulders heaved in a sigh. He turned back to Link and a painful wince passed over his face as he did so. "Look," he said, fixing Link with an unreadable expression. "No one can go see Rudania. It's too dangerous, even for Gorons. The best we can ever do is chase it off."
Link took a deep breath, stepping closer to the Goron Boss, looking up at him. "I have to get on that Divine Beast. I can free it and stop it from causing so much instability with Death Mountain."
The Boss snorted in derision. "Death Mountain's a volcano. It's unstable. Rudania just riles it up sometimes—we'll chase it off like we always do."
"It's being controlled by Calamity Ganon and—" Link started, but the Goron Boss waved his hand dismissively again, beginning to turn back towards the hut. Link took a deep breath and took another step forward, placing a hand on the Goron's arm. "I knew Daruk!"
The Boss stopped again, fixing Link with his beady stare. "What did you say?"
Link looked up into the Goron's angry expression. "I knew Daruk. He was my friend." He hesitated for a just a moment. "He called me brother."
The Boss stared at Link, unreadable and dangerous. All of the other Gorons seemed to be listening now as well.
"My name is Link. I am the Hylian Champion charged with defeating Calamity Ganon. These are my companions, Edelgard, Raphael, Caspar, Marianne, and Bernadetta. We're here to finish what we started one hundred years ago. Rudania is being controlled by a creature created by Calamity Ganon, and Daruk's spirit is trapped there as a result. We can free him. I can free both Daruk and Rudania. We already freed Mipha and Ruta, back in Zora's Domain."
The Goron Boss looked at him for a few seconds. He then turned to Boldon. "Boldon. Go find Yunobo and bring him here."
"Got it, Boss," Boldon agreed.
"The name's Bludo," the Goron said. "You said you're Link?" Link nodded slowly, stepping up to stand in front of Bludo. "Daruk mentioned you in his training journal. Even said you saved his life once."
"Did you know Daruk?" Link asked, curious. This Goron seemed older now than he had first appeared.
The Goron elder snorted, shaking his head. "No, but my father did. He was the one that carved that big statue of Daruk out there." He got a far-off look on his face for a time before fixing Link with another stare. "You'd better start from the beginning. I thought all the Champions were dead."
Link gave Bludo a shortened version of the tale of his adventures so far, with occasional input from his friends. When Link finished his story, Bludo pulled at his beard, thoughtfully. Shortly after, another Goron entered the room. This one was younger than Bludo by far. He seemed more round than muscular, with only a small tuft of white hair atop his head. He had bright blue eyes and expressive eyebrows that rose high on his forehead in confusion when he saw Link.
"Hey, Boss, what's up? I was just about to go to the Southern Mine to pick up your—"
"Change of plans," Bludo cut him off. "These six humans say they can do something about our Rudania problem."
