Chapter Eight: Spider Guts
Zelda returned to Link's house to fetch the lens of truth. She then teleported straight to the doorway to the goron city. "Wow that's quite a handy trick!" said Mema looking around.
"C'mon, let's go talk to Darunia and see if he knows anything about this floating island." said Zelda as she jogged into Goron city. Goron city was dim, which was highly unusual. The thunder outside the cavern echoed inside the walls of the cavern. The few spots on the walls that bore light looked like twisted demons screaming in the night. When suddenly, they heard real screams coming from the bottom of the city. "What was that?!" shouted Zelda as her adrenaline began to flow. The entire city shook as a blood-curdling roar erupted from the place of the screaming Goron.
"Well it cant be any worse than that!" shouted Mema. Zelda slowly edged her way forward, since she could not see where the edge of the road was. She stopped and peered into the darkness. In front of Zelda's face, a red oval, about the size of her head, appeared out of nothingness. Zelda gasped and leapt backwards. "We need some light!" shouted Mema. Zelda raised her hands above her head and clapped them together and a spark of pink energy was released. Instantly all the torches and lamps of goron city were lit. The red oval was revealed to be merely the eyeball of a parasitic, armored, arachnid Gohma. "Oh no! Not a Gohma!" shouted Mema. The Gohma jumped up to the ceiling, flipping upside down to do so, and all the while kept it's red eye focused on Zelda.
"W-what should I do?" asked the panicked Zelda.
"Quick hit it's eye while it's still red!" said Mema
"Hit it's eye?!" she panicked "You want me to get that close?" suddenly the Gohma jumped at Zelda hissing wildly. Zelda instinctively leapt over the beast high into the air and did three, consecutive tight flips in a row, then landed gracefully on the second street down.
"Where did a princess learn to do that?" asked Mema. Zelda, still in her graceful landing pose, said,
"My nursemaid Impa taught me the warrior ways of the Shiek-uhnf!!" said Zelda as several smaller Gohmites landed on top of her. She rolled over to get them off of her. She hopped to her feet just as they hopped at her. Zelda blocked and dodged with a dizzying array of kicks and punches. Unfortunately, Zelda could do no more than just keep the little monsters at bay. She did not have the strength, endurance, or anywhere near the courage that Link had. She reached back and drew Link's sword and shield. The monsters leapt at her once again. This time Zelda advanced towards them, hacking and slashing. Her form wasn't anything like Link's but it got the job done. The instant the last gohmite was killed, Zelda had whirled around with the hookshot cocked and aimed right at the spot the Gohma was. She looked from side to side frantically. "Wh-where did he go?" she asked in a panic. Somehow by asking that question, Zelda answered it for herself, since she whipped around knowing the Gohma was right behind her. As she saw the red of it's eye, the monster spit something at her. Zelda jumped and rolled out of the way. The spot she was standing on previously, however was melted through to the lower level. Zelda looked down the hole and grimaced at the thought of what it would have done to her.
"Well that's new." said Mema. Taking advantage of Zelda's distraction, the monster tried it's leaping tactic again. This time Zelda nailed the monster right in it's red eye with the hookshot, much to the creature's surprise. It flipped around in mid air and landed on its back squirming and kicking in pain. The squeal that it shrieked echoed off the walls, sounding twice as loud as it really was.
"Now what?" shouted Zelda over the monster.
"It's weakened! Now cut it up with your sword!!" Mema shouted back. Zelda looked at the squirming parasite and leapt at the monster brandishing the gilded sword and let out a scream.
"YAH!" she shouted as she swung and chopped at the monster. The only reactions she got from the sword were impact sparks and loud clanging sounds. Zelda wasn't strong enough to do damage. She turned to Mema in a panic. "It's no good! Its armor is too thick!"
"Try this!" shouted a voice from below. Zelda turned to see Darunia throwing something to her.
"A Goron bracelet!" she said as she jumped into the air and caught it. She slipped it over her wrist and ripped a bomb from the ground heaving it at the squealing monster. She flipped over the guardrail and landed on the first level street. The bomb exploded as her feet touched the ground. Pieces of the monster flew over the side landing all over Zelda. Darunia approached Zelda while she tried to wipe spider guts off of herself.
"Many thanks stranger. I was having trouble with the monster. Had you not come along, I fear it would have..." Darunia stopped and squinted at Zelda. Her mask had come slightly undone during the fight and most of her face was visible, so Darunia could see who it really was. Zelda still hadn't looked up from grooming herself to see that Darunia knew whom she was. "Princess Zelda?" Zelda looked up at Darunia with a start. "What do you think you're doing here?" he asked with anger. "You shouldn't be away from the castle without an escort! Let alone fighting monsters!" Zelda knew Darunia's anger and stubbornness went hand in hand. If she didn't do something special, he would never give her what she wanted. He would just send two Gorons to escort her home. She decided to take a chance and combat Darunia's grumpiness with some anger of her own. Zelda took a deep breath, then got right in Darunia's face, making him recoil in surprise as she said in a deep angry voice,
"A fierce deity named Charantanatah has possessed Link and is threatening to unleash Ganondorf on this world! I've come to summon you to attempt a ritual cleansing of the mask with myself and the other sages!" Darunia stared at her with a look of shock on his face. He blinked a few times and said,
"Well why didn't you say it was serious?" Zelda sighed a breath of relief. Then the full meaning of her words hit Darunia. "My sworn brother Link is in trouble? I'll not stand for this!" he said shaking his fist in anger.
"Calm down Darunia, I need to ask you about something else. Have you ever heard of the 'rod of enrichment'?" she asked. Darunia looked down from his fit of anger, which seemed to vanish in a flash.
"No." he calmly stated. Zelda sighed and turned away from him.
"Then I guess you don't know anything about the invisible floating island either."
"You mean the one right above us?" he asked in the same calm demeanor as he pointed up.
"You've heard of the island?" she whirled around in surprise.
"Well, it floats right above me. How could I not notice it was there?"
"This is great!" Zelda shouted with enthusiasm "Do you know how to get up there?"
"Well, I've never been there. But I know that it takes a certain crystal sphere that is in two pieces. One in gerudo valley, the other is in the Zora's domain." Zelda, deciding to push her luck asked,
"I don't suppose you know there exact locations do you?"
"Well, Nabooru has one piece and Ruto has the other. The sphere was broken into two pieces and given to two people who could be trusted with it." Zelda gazed with astonishment.
"How do you know so much about...about..." she was too flabbergasted for words.
"I'm the one that broke it. I can't stand people going back and forth like that. It drove me nuts!" he shouted. "Well, if your asking about it I guess that means you're going up there. You have a lot of fire in you Zelda. I don't remember you being so dangerous. So I guess I cant stop you from going up. But let me give you something...From one sage to another. This spell will enable you to summon up fires hotter than the lava in death mountain crater!" Darunia performed the same ceremony that Saria did, only with a red aura instead of a green one.
"Thank you Darunia." said Zelda. "I'll see you later." Zelda clasped her hands together, and vanished in a ray of green light.
Zelda returned to Link's house to fetch the lens of truth. She then teleported straight to the doorway to the goron city. "Wow that's quite a handy trick!" said Mema looking around.
"C'mon, let's go talk to Darunia and see if he knows anything about this floating island." said Zelda as she jogged into Goron city. Goron city was dim, which was highly unusual. The thunder outside the cavern echoed inside the walls of the cavern. The few spots on the walls that bore light looked like twisted demons screaming in the night. When suddenly, they heard real screams coming from the bottom of the city. "What was that?!" shouted Zelda as her adrenaline began to flow. The entire city shook as a blood-curdling roar erupted from the place of the screaming Goron.
"Well it cant be any worse than that!" shouted Mema. Zelda slowly edged her way forward, since she could not see where the edge of the road was. She stopped and peered into the darkness. In front of Zelda's face, a red oval, about the size of her head, appeared out of nothingness. Zelda gasped and leapt backwards. "We need some light!" shouted Mema. Zelda raised her hands above her head and clapped them together and a spark of pink energy was released. Instantly all the torches and lamps of goron city were lit. The red oval was revealed to be merely the eyeball of a parasitic, armored, arachnid Gohma. "Oh no! Not a Gohma!" shouted Mema. The Gohma jumped up to the ceiling, flipping upside down to do so, and all the while kept it's red eye focused on Zelda.
"W-what should I do?" asked the panicked Zelda.
"Quick hit it's eye while it's still red!" said Mema
"Hit it's eye?!" she panicked "You want me to get that close?" suddenly the Gohma jumped at Zelda hissing wildly. Zelda instinctively leapt over the beast high into the air and did three, consecutive tight flips in a row, then landed gracefully on the second street down.
"Where did a princess learn to do that?" asked Mema. Zelda, still in her graceful landing pose, said,
"My nursemaid Impa taught me the warrior ways of the Shiek-uhnf!!" said Zelda as several smaller Gohmites landed on top of her. She rolled over to get them off of her. She hopped to her feet just as they hopped at her. Zelda blocked and dodged with a dizzying array of kicks and punches. Unfortunately, Zelda could do no more than just keep the little monsters at bay. She did not have the strength, endurance, or anywhere near the courage that Link had. She reached back and drew Link's sword and shield. The monsters leapt at her once again. This time Zelda advanced towards them, hacking and slashing. Her form wasn't anything like Link's but it got the job done. The instant the last gohmite was killed, Zelda had whirled around with the hookshot cocked and aimed right at the spot the Gohma was. She looked from side to side frantically. "Wh-where did he go?" she asked in a panic. Somehow by asking that question, Zelda answered it for herself, since she whipped around knowing the Gohma was right behind her. As she saw the red of it's eye, the monster spit something at her. Zelda jumped and rolled out of the way. The spot she was standing on previously, however was melted through to the lower level. Zelda looked down the hole and grimaced at the thought of what it would have done to her.
"Well that's new." said Mema. Taking advantage of Zelda's distraction, the monster tried it's leaping tactic again. This time Zelda nailed the monster right in it's red eye with the hookshot, much to the creature's surprise. It flipped around in mid air and landed on its back squirming and kicking in pain. The squeal that it shrieked echoed off the walls, sounding twice as loud as it really was.
"Now what?" shouted Zelda over the monster.
"It's weakened! Now cut it up with your sword!!" Mema shouted back. Zelda looked at the squirming parasite and leapt at the monster brandishing the gilded sword and let out a scream.
"YAH!" she shouted as she swung and chopped at the monster. The only reactions she got from the sword were impact sparks and loud clanging sounds. Zelda wasn't strong enough to do damage. She turned to Mema in a panic. "It's no good! Its armor is too thick!"
"Try this!" shouted a voice from below. Zelda turned to see Darunia throwing something to her.
"A Goron bracelet!" she said as she jumped into the air and caught it. She slipped it over her wrist and ripped a bomb from the ground heaving it at the squealing monster. She flipped over the guardrail and landed on the first level street. The bomb exploded as her feet touched the ground. Pieces of the monster flew over the side landing all over Zelda. Darunia approached Zelda while she tried to wipe spider guts off of herself.
"Many thanks stranger. I was having trouble with the monster. Had you not come along, I fear it would have..." Darunia stopped and squinted at Zelda. Her mask had come slightly undone during the fight and most of her face was visible, so Darunia could see who it really was. Zelda still hadn't looked up from grooming herself to see that Darunia knew whom she was. "Princess Zelda?" Zelda looked up at Darunia with a start. "What do you think you're doing here?" he asked with anger. "You shouldn't be away from the castle without an escort! Let alone fighting monsters!" Zelda knew Darunia's anger and stubbornness went hand in hand. If she didn't do something special, he would never give her what she wanted. He would just send two Gorons to escort her home. She decided to take a chance and combat Darunia's grumpiness with some anger of her own. Zelda took a deep breath, then got right in Darunia's face, making him recoil in surprise as she said in a deep angry voice,
"A fierce deity named Charantanatah has possessed Link and is threatening to unleash Ganondorf on this world! I've come to summon you to attempt a ritual cleansing of the mask with myself and the other sages!" Darunia stared at her with a look of shock on his face. He blinked a few times and said,
"Well why didn't you say it was serious?" Zelda sighed a breath of relief. Then the full meaning of her words hit Darunia. "My sworn brother Link is in trouble? I'll not stand for this!" he said shaking his fist in anger.
"Calm down Darunia, I need to ask you about something else. Have you ever heard of the 'rod of enrichment'?" she asked. Darunia looked down from his fit of anger, which seemed to vanish in a flash.
"No." he calmly stated. Zelda sighed and turned away from him.
"Then I guess you don't know anything about the invisible floating island either."
"You mean the one right above us?" he asked in the same calm demeanor as he pointed up.
"You've heard of the island?" she whirled around in surprise.
"Well, it floats right above me. How could I not notice it was there?"
"This is great!" Zelda shouted with enthusiasm "Do you know how to get up there?"
"Well, I've never been there. But I know that it takes a certain crystal sphere that is in two pieces. One in gerudo valley, the other is in the Zora's domain." Zelda, deciding to push her luck asked,
"I don't suppose you know there exact locations do you?"
"Well, Nabooru has one piece and Ruto has the other. The sphere was broken into two pieces and given to two people who could be trusted with it." Zelda gazed with astonishment.
"How do you know so much about...about..." she was too flabbergasted for words.
"I'm the one that broke it. I can't stand people going back and forth like that. It drove me nuts!" he shouted. "Well, if your asking about it I guess that means you're going up there. You have a lot of fire in you Zelda. I don't remember you being so dangerous. So I guess I cant stop you from going up. But let me give you something...From one sage to another. This spell will enable you to summon up fires hotter than the lava in death mountain crater!" Darunia performed the same ceremony that Saria did, only with a red aura instead of a green one.
"Thank you Darunia." said Zelda. "I'll see you later." Zelda clasped her hands together, and vanished in a ray of green light.