Chapter 13: Goron City
Maiku, weakened and still in his Zoran body, awakened with a dry breathed groan; his throat and gills still burned with ashes. He looked around and groaned even louder when a stinging pain shot through his entire body, temporarily disabling him. "Don't move." He heard the voice of a female Zora say to him, "You're still weak."
"What…?" he said weakly, "Who are you?"
"I am a nurse, I was summoned here when I heard a Zora was on Death Mountain. I had no idea that you, such a cute and handsome young Zoran man like yourself, would be here."
"Most people I've met haven't said that I'm handsome…."
"Well I think you do. But I suppose that you'll aim for some one higher in Zora's Domain, am I correct?"
"Maybe…. Just depends if I go there or not….."
"Well, you have to."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because, you're a Zora, Zoras don't live very long in Hyrule during the day."
"And your point is…?"
"I'm just saying that if you want to live longer, you should live in Zora's Domain or Lake Hylia."
"Where there's water basically…."
"Yeah."
"….. Later…."
"Oh… okay…. Just what were you doing here anyway?"
He strained his eyes to see this Zora he was talking to; the faint torches in the room did give off a gentle glow, but nothing good enough to give him good visibility. He felt suddenly afraid of the dark like he had been when he was a mere child years ago at the apartment his family had lived in for a few years of his child life, he wanted to see the Zoran nurse's face, but the gloom of the room had enveloped them both in thick darkness.
He noticed a faint light in a far corner of the room and realized what it was, "Navi!" he yelled out.
"Maiku, you're finally awake I see." The fairy said as she flew towards him, showing the features of the nurse.
The nurse was of a sleek and seductive feminine body structure. The finely shaped muscle structure of her arms and legs was small yet powerful, her face gentle and caring.
He looked at her upper and lower torso, noticing that the nurse's abdomen was partially swollen, probably due to pregnancy; her breast were nice and shapely yet showed no obvious nipple like a human woman would be.
Nice. He thought to himself, I can see why she's pregnant. The lucky Zora that had her…
"So, answer my question." She said impatiently
"Listen, I'm still weakened. If I could heal up, then I'll be okay and probably go to Zora's Domain later on, okay?"
"Okay."
"Good."
She smiled and stood up, he watched her walk out and sighed. "I might just go to Zora's Domain. After I'm done here." He thought back to what Zelda had said about the Stones. There are two more stones left… he thought to himself, one in Death Mountain which I know Darunia has. And the other belongs to Princess Ruto in Zora's Domain. Guess I'll play 'nice guy' with Darunia. He sat up and turned on the stone bed on which he had lain so that his legs can be bent and have his feet lay sturdily on the ground. He rubbed his face with his hands, feeling the smooth and slippery skin of his hands on is smooth and slippery face.
"What's wrong Maiku?" Navi asked him, obviously concerned about him
"I'm just dehydrated, do you know where I can find my bottles of water?"
"Oh yes, they're by your bed."
He reached down and picked up a bottle of water, popped the cork off weakly and put the rim to his mouth, allowing the crystal clear liquid to flow into his mouth. He felt the liquid splash down his throat and down into his body. The water started to secrete from his skin like sweat but wasn't sweat at all. He sighed in satisfaction, "I really needed that, thanks." He looked ahead, "Navi…"
"Yes, Maiku?"
"How did I end up here instead of dying on the trail."
"I left you and headed towards Goron City, where we are now, and had some Gorons bring you here."
"And how did the nurse know where I was?"
"I went to Zora's Domain and asked her to come here."
"How long was I out?"
"Three days. Maiku…. I think we should continue our journey instead of staying here."
"Yeah, of course." He took one last drink of water and glanced at Navi; he grinned at took a swipe at her with the bottle, catching her and placed the cork on the hole.
"Hey! What are you doing?!"
"Relax Navi. I'll let you out when we leave Goron City." He said coolly
"Okay, I think I can trust you."
He held the bottle in front of him at arms length and headed towards the rocky door that served as the only entrance and exit of the small at dark room. "Your must be that Zora we found on the trail." A deep but gentle voice sounded from beside him as he exited the room, it startled him. "Yes, I am." He answered as turned to face the wide and harmless face of a Goron, trying not to sound startled, "My name is Maiku, can you tell me where Darunia is?"
"Of course." The Goron pointed into deeper darkness, "He's down there."
"How deep does this go?"
"There are seven different floors to our city."
"And Darunia just had to be on the lowest one?"
"Yes, but I can give you quick transport to bottom."
"You…. Can?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"You ride on Goron back."
"Kinda like Piggy Back?"
"Whatever that is, yes, I guess."
"Okay."
The Goron knelt before him, "Go on my back, I take you to Darunia."
"I don't know if I can trust you, but I guess I'll do it." He mounted the Goron's back like it were a horse or any other transportation animal, "Oh yeah, why is it so dark in here?"
"Night." The Goron replied as it leapt slightly towards the lowest level, into the deepest and darkest depths of the quarry-like city of stone. He hopped off of the Goron's back when he reached the bottom, and walked forward, but bumped into a wall, he heard the sound of broken glass and a tiny squeak, "Navi?" he said with some concern that is makeshift lantern had fallen
"Don't worry, I'm okay." Navi flew up to meet his face.
"It's so dark down here, even with you as my light I can't even see my own hands in front of my face."
"Can you still see me?"
"Partially."
"Okay, follow me." She flew ahead of him and she stopped when she found herself in front of a door, "Maiku, come here."
He followed her voice and felt the skin of his feet touch a mat. He remembered the song that Impa had taught him, "Navi, is there a Triforce symbol on the ground?"
"Yes."
"Okay." He searched in his satchel and felt the smooth surface of his ccarina, a gentle red aura emanated from the instrument that illuminated the area around him. He placed the mouth piece of the ocarina to his lips and played Zelda's Lullaby. The doors slowly opened and slipped through the crack effortlessly because of his wet and smooth Zoran skin. The sound of deep snoring filled the hallway beyond the doors, and thunderous snore that seemed to shake the walls and the very ground on which he stood. He continued through the darkness and stopped at another set of doors. He pushed on the doors and pushed through into the chamber.
He was surprised to find that the chamber was well lit for its massive size, torches were lit in each corner on the ground and roof. The chamber was different than its game counter part, and a lot bigger. The large figure of a Goron lay in the center of the room, sleeping and snoring. He did not want to wait for morning, but he also didn't want to be killed by the Goron for waking it up, but he had to do the latter. He tapped the Goron's side, and saw its eyes snap open. He took a step back, and flinched when the creature yelled out in anger. "Y… you must be Darunia, right?" he asked.
His arms and legs contained a visibly larger amount of muscles that seemed to ripple with tightened veins, particularly his arms, which possessed hands larger than Maiku's head while he was still human. While other Gorons possessed a small potbelly, this Goron's belly protruded from his body like an uncontrollable growth, but it definitely didn't display any signs of sluggishness or lethargy. Stiff hair-like growth sprouted around the creature's face like a scruffy mane, and the Goron's face displayed a countenance of anger and sorrow blended into a dangerous concoction.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Darunia said as he glared at the odd Zora before him, "What is a Zora doing here?" his tone became furious and demanding. "This is unacceptable! Does my Sworn Brother the King really think this low of the Gorons so as to send a Zora as his Royal Messenger? I have enough problems already!" He then glared down at Maiku, who couldn't move at all. "Very well, Zora. What is the message from the King of Hyrule? Has he agreed to send help in ridding our mine of Dodongos?"
"Actually, no."
"Then what? Out with it!"
"I… I am sent here by Zelda, Princess of Hyrule, to receive the Spiritual Stone which is a key to the Door of Time." He answered
"Why would she not send a guard?"
"Beats me…"
As Maiku finished speaking, Darunia's voice took over in a tone even more overpowering than before. "Again someone asks me for the Goron's Ruby! What is the world coming to? Is everyone trying to take advantage of the poor luck of the Goron Race? It's unacceptable! Completely unacceptable! So the King wants the Goron's Ruby, does he? Tell him no! I will not give him the sacred treasure of our race, even if he does come to help us get rid of the Dodongos! Tell my Sworn Brother that, 'Royal Messenger!' Now get out of my sight before I throw you out myself!"
"Hey calm down. I mean no harm."
Darunia reared back his arm, "If you don't get out now, Zora, then I will be forced to escort you out myself with a broken arm or worse."
Maiku stood ready for the hit, actually making himself prone for an attack.
Darunia yawned put his arm down
"So, what do you mean by again someone asked you for the Goron's Ruby?"
"Oh, someone hailing from the desert."
"Ganondorf?"
"Yes. Anyway, he demanded that I give him the Goron's Ruby or else he'd destroy the entire mountain and take the jewel from our corpses."
He was shocked at the answer, mainly because he was expecting the game response of the blockage of Dondongo's Cavern. "So let me guess another problem…" he started, "…. Dondongo's Cavern is sealed as well?"
"Yes."
"And your mine for a precious rock is in the cavern?"
"Yes."
"I should also destroy King Dondongo, also?"
"Yes."
"Might as well…." He began to walk out.
"If you do liberate the cavern, then I'll give you the jewel."
"Sounds like a deal. I'll keep that in mind." He walked out of the room, through the darkness of Goron City, and onto the moonlit trail.