Excalibur's comments: Sorry for not updating fast enough, but my computer go coo coo and I couldn't log in.
Chapter 9: Out of the frying pan, into the volcano.
Sol galloped gracefully across the Hyrule Field, carrying it's owner to a
place he had missed a lot since his last visit, Kakariko Village. Link stopped the horse in front of a set of stairs that led to the entrance of the village and kept on going on foot. At the top of the stairs, he saw a
group of people walking towards him, everyone with a frightened look in their faces. The old lady from the potion shop rushed to Link's position
and spoke desperately.
Old lady – Finally, you came!
Link – What's going on?
Old lady – Somethin' satrange's happenin' at Death Mountain.
Link – What is it?
Old lady – Look!
The old woman extended her arm straight at the old volcano and pointed with
her finger the cloud that normally surrounded its peak. Link placed his
vision over the grayish cloud, but didn't see it. Instead, there was a flaming circle surrounding the volcano, which was now erupting unstoppably.
Link – ...? That's odd
Old lady – Odd? It's terrible! What if the volcano's eruptions become so
strong that the lava it expels reaches the village, hmm?
Link – Guess you're right. Don't worry; I'll go check it out.
Old lady – Thanks. I really hope not to end up like the kokiris did.
Link – What?
Old lady – Haven't you heard? A mysterious tornado wiped out the Kokiri
Forest. Don't you know anythin' about it?
Link - ......No! Sorry, but I gotta go.
With that, the hero left the huge crowd and ran swiftly through the gate at the north part of the small town, entering the grounds that served as home
for the gorons. As he ran through the slopes that led to Goron Village, Link noticed a large amount of sphere shaped boulders rolling down the same slope that he was climbing. He quickly jumped to a wall on his left side
and stabbed it with his two giant swords and held on to them, so the boulders wouldn't hurt him. While the large stone-like figures were passing
by, one of them actually spoke.
? – Look guys! It's Link!
They all stopped and took the shape of the ones that were used to live Death Mountain, the gorons, strange creatures that live in mountains and
caverns and eat things such as boulders and volcanic stones.
Link – Gorons?
Tiny goron – Remember me?
Link – Umm...
Tiny – Don't tell me...
Link – You're Link, right? Darunia's son?
Goron Link – Yup, that same guy. So, how are ya?
Link – Well, I'd be very well if any of you would help me to GET DOWN!
Goron Link – Sure.
Goron – Lemme do it!
Goron Link – Okay.
The large being punched the wall where Link was hanging from and it collapsed, along with the Hero of Time. Link came out from below the chunks
of stone that fell on his body. From among the remains of that wall, in
front of him, he saw the Guilded Sword that he's been holding since his visit to the gorons on Termina. By his side he saw two stones that had the Biggoron and Great Fairy swords stuck right through them. He placed the old sword inside its sheet and took the other two with his hands. With a strong strike against the floor, the stones shattered, releasing the giant blades
from their grasp.
Goron Link – You become quite strong, haven't you?
Link – Kind of.
Medium sized goron – Is this yours?
Link gazed at the goron and saw a black colored sword with rubies etched
all around it. The moment Link stared at it, a feeling of familiarity filled his mind and fear struck his heart. It was indeed, the dark blade,
the Evil Excalibur.
Link – Where did you...find that?
Medium sized goron – It was right by your side when you fell.
Link – Right...by...my... (How can it be? Didn't I leave it at the forest?).
Goron Link – Somethin' wrong?
Link remained silent trying to figure out what was happening, until he realized that the sword would never let him go. He putted away his gigantic
swords and before he could say anything, a fierce eruption took place.
Large stones flew over the mountain's paths and rolled down the slopes
towards Link and the others.
Goron Link – Damn! Another one!
Goron – There's no escape!
Link – Yes there is! (Farore, please help me on this one).
He grabbed tightly the evil blade and used Farore's Wind in order to teleport to where the large stones there. At that moment, he became Dark
Link once again and began to destroy the boulders falling towards them
unstoppably. The gorons could barely see Link's movements as he used Farore's Wind several times in order to break the rocks faster. He kept on doing this for a while, until something strange happened. Once the rocks
had vanished completely against Dark Link's rage, he stood still for a moment; he returned to his normal state but fainted before being able to
say anything.
? – Wake up, Hero of Time.
Link – Hmm?
Once Link opened his eyes, he found himself in a place he had never even imagined in his entire life. It was a large, grassy field, where there was nothing but grass wherever he could see. The Hero of Time walked endlessly across the place, but did not find anything, no animals, no trees, no water
nor food, nothing.
? – Welcome, Hero of Time.
Link startled, looked everywhere he could, searching for the one who spoke
to him, which appeared to be a young woman.
Link – Who are you?
? – I am the one that summoned you here, answering to your prayers.
Link – Prayers? What're you talking about?
? – The ones you have made, begging for help.
Link - ...Where am I?
? – In a small part of heaven.
Link – (Hmm, quite an answer) How about you? Where are you?
A few seconds later, a sudden wind blew around Link's body followed by a
chilly and gentle gust that surrounded the area.
? – I'm right here!
Upon hearing her voice closer than before, Link turned around almost instantly and saw a woman standing just behind him. She wore a green, long dress adjusted perfectly to the shape of her body and her hair was as green
as grass.
Woman – Hello.
Link – Who the heck're you?
Woman – I am Farore, Goddess of Life.
Link – F...Farore?
Farore – The one and only.
Link could not speak, shocked because he could not believe that he was
actually talking with one of the three goddesses that created Hyrule.
Farore – What? Cat got your tongue?
Link – [shaky voice] N...not actually.
Farore – Then calm down, it won't take long.
Link – [shaky voice] I'll try.
Farore – Do you know why I have brought you here?
Link – [still a bit shaky] Answering to my prayers?
Farore – Exactly.
Link – [not so calm] Sorry for the imprudence but I must ask you, what
prayers?
Farore – When you asked me for help.
Link – Oh, now we understand each other.
Farore – Since you have been good to us goddesses in the past, I though
that it wouldn't hurt to help you a bit.
Link – What kind of help?
Farore – You hold the Triforce of Courage, don't you?
Link – Uh huh.
Farore – Did you know that the Triforce part that you hold has the power of
wind, the green element?
Link – Really? (That explains the tornado thing).
Farore – I was thinking of giving you the power of that would allow you to
control wind as you may please, it will also enable you to fly at will.
Link – Control wind? Isn't it a little dangerous?
Farore – I know you can do it.
Link – But how am I supposed to do it?
Farore – Do not worry, you will know next time you wake up.
Link – Uh huh, right (what?).
Farore – Now, can you please leave?
Link – Which way?
Farore – You'll find a short path if you walk straight in the direction you
are facing.
Link – Fine, see ya then.
Farore – One last thing.
Link – What is it?
Farore – Do you remember what happened the last night you stayed at Hyrule
Castle?
Link – It's impossible to forget it.
Farore – As the goddess of life I can tell, something new is growing as a result of what happened back then, something that might change your life,
forever.
Link – Do you really mean it?
Farore – Bet your head on it! Now go.
Link left, running swiftly in the direction Farore had sent him, but instead of a short path, he found a large cliff in which he fell. After a few seconds falling, he suddenly opened his eyes, and found himself lying
on the item shop's floor at Goron City.
Link – Huh? Where am I?
Goron Link – Yer at our home.
Link – (Your home)...Goron City?
Goron Link – Yup!
Link – What happened?
Goron Link – After ye saved us from that avalanche ye fainted so we brought
ya here until now.
Link – How much time has it been since?
Goron Link – Almost a day.
Link stood up and grabbed three of his swords, leaving the Evil Excalibur
on the floor.
Link – I was going to ask you, can you lend me the Goron's Ruby?
Goron Link – I would, but...
Link – But?
Goron Link – A dragon came the other day and tried to eat us all.
Link – So. Goron Link – When it tried to eat me, I threw the stone into it's mouth and
it chocked, leaving our city at peace.
Link – And taking the stone as well, right?
Goron Link – Right.
Link walked with large steps towards the exit, but something stopped him
from going any further.
Farore's voice – Link! Take the sword with you!
Link – What?
Farore's voice – Its evil power has been sealed away, you may use it as you
wish now.
Link – You sure?
Farore's voice – Bet your head on it!
Goron Link – Who yer talkin' to?
Link – No one. Can you open the shortcut to the Death Mountain Crater for
me? There's some stuff I've to take care of.
Goron Link – Yer gonna look fer that damn dragon, right?
Link – Bet your head on it!
While the goron went to the royal chamber in order to move the statue that
blocked the way, Link took up his sword and bough a red potion, just in case. After that, Link walked hastily with large steps into the shortcut's
entrance, which was already open.
Link – Wasn't that a bit too fast?
Goron Link – You kidin'? A cucco weights more than this thin'.
Link – Okay, now let's get going.
Goron Link – Let's? I thought you were goin' alone.
Link – Fine. I thought you might want to come with me, but if you insist.
Goron Link – Okay, see ya!
Link – [humph] (Didn't work; guess I'll have to go on my own).
And thus, the Hero of Time parted his way into the fiery inside of Death
Mountain, once again.
Link – Okay, let's see if this really works.
He folded his hands over his chest and a strong gust followed. The wind surrounded Link's body, blowing away everything nearby. Suddenly, a green light engulfed Link's body and by the time it disappeared, Link's abilities along with his outfit had completely changed. He now wore the same tunic, the difference was that his tunic was as white as a cloud, and his tights were forest green. A gentle wind remained blowing around him, keeping his body a bit cooler than anything else. He ran towards the entrance to the
Fire Temple, the home of the legendary dragon, Volvagia, but he forgot about the broken bridge that stood right in front of him, resulting in his falling into the magma pit, or at least that's what Link thought. When he
fell on the large pool of molten rock, instead of feeling what he was
expecting, he felt a cold wind that held him over the lava.
Link - ...? What is this?
Farore's voice – Don't you remember? You can fly now.
Link – You're right! I totally forgot.
Farore's voice – Now go, get the spiritual stone.
Link – Why are you helping me so much?
Farore's voice – Because you asked for it.
Link – I just needed your help back then.
Farore's voice – I want to help you, okay?
Link – Okay.
The Hero of Time entered the Fire Temple cautiously. It was really dark, and quiet. The bats that were usually there had gone and there were neither
lit torches nor any other source of light.
Farore's voice – You should use your magic.
Link – Wasn't it supposed to be for controlling wind and flying?
Farore's voice – Of course, but the glow that comes out from your sword and
hand might be helpful, besides, it will help you stay a bit cooler.
Link – Hey, you're good at this.
Farore's voice – Thanks.
And just as Farore said, Link used his magic and lighted the whole room with his sword. There were no signs of life anywhere nearby. Suddenly, a
loud roar came out from the room where Volvagia used to be when Link
destroyed it as the Hero of Time.
Link – What? It can't be...
Farore's voice – What is it?
Link – That's definitely Volvagia, but it's supposed to be dead, since long
ago.
Farore's voice – Then what do you plan to do?
Link – Finish it for good.
Farore's voice – Without the hammer?
Link – I have my swords, not to mention my magic.
Farore's voice – Guess you are right.
Link – Of course I am.
He walked up the stairs and entered the door at the left. This one was also dark, but he could feel the heat of the lava below. With a short leap he
began to fly towards the other side of the room and entered through the large door. Inside he saw a large hole on the platform in the center. When Link flew over it and attempted to investigate a dragon rushed out of the
hole, almost smashing against Link's head.
Link – Volvagia?
Farore's voice – Indeed.
Link – But how?
Farore's voice – I don't know but you should finish it before it finishes
YOU.
Link – Guess ya right.
Link turned back and noticed that the dragon was flying towards him at
lightning speed and before he could even move, it grabbed him with its mouth. Fortunately one of Link's swords damaged the dragon, forcing it to open its mouth, releasing the Hero of Time. Link fell on his feet in the
platform at the center of the room and took out the Biggoron's Sword, assuming a fighting position. The fierce animal turned back and stared at
Link for a moment, with a fiery look full of hatred, as if it knew Link after all. Link glared with the same look and rode the wind created by his
magic attempting to slice Volvagia's head of. The dragon moved his head
down, resulting in the loss of part of its tail. There was blood everywhere, even on Link's angered face. From within the dragon's screams of pain a large line of fire came out and pursued Link all around the room.
Link – That's it, this ends here!
A huge tornado spun around Link, making the fire spin in circles as well. With a slow lifting of his right hand, the whirlwind became stronger and stronger; it even began to pull up the lava that lied in the bottom of the room. When the dragon began to get pulled by the strong wind, it felt that the wind's direction changed and now was heading towards it, engulfing the animal in its own fiery breath. A while later, the Hero of Time check on the remains of the fire dragon and from deep within the bones, the Goron's
Ruby waited for a new holder. He picked it up and left, without even
thinking of what lied inside that hole in the center of the room.