Ch. XVII
Racing against time
Link looked up in surprise and was shocked to see an entire crowd of Gorons standing outside of the entrance to the Great Fairy Fountain. A sea of rock colors surrounded Link and his companion fairy, and an elderly Goron stepped in front of him. It was Rhyolite!
"Brother Darmani, you have done the impossible! You have stopped this torrential blizzard! Look! Even now, the snow is melting off the mountain!" True to the Elder's word, Link saw small rivers of water running on the ground and downhill. The grass was showing underneath the melting snow, and Link saw several small burrows that looked like they had been recently made. It looked like even the smaller residents of the Snowhead mountains were out and about. Link grinned and followed the old Goron chieftain to the Goron Village.
When he and the rest of the excited Goron crowd reached the village, the excitement was palpable. An air of happiness and excitement was filling the once silent village, and Gorons began retrieving massive stone tables from storage rooms. A feast had been called for, and the Goron population could hardly complain. Rock sirloins were dug out of a massive storage pantry, and soon the smell of heated rock and ore filled the air. As all of this happened, Link kept looking up at the sky. He knew that it was the second day, but the sun had just set. Surely, he could wait to travel back in time.
The sudden sounds of drums filled the air, breaking Link's melancholy thoughts. A group of gorons had brought out several enormous drums made of thick, scaly hides, and were beating a fast-paced song and singing in their rough voices, with Gorons dancing in a clumsy jig. Link smiled as he looked over the excited crowd, and he made his way to the table that had been laid out. A feast of different ores and minerals filled the table. With access to the heat of the lava deep within the mountain, the Gorons had heated the rocks to "cook" them. Link took a massive Rock Sirloin that looked like it was almost glowing with heat. He had tried rock sirloin before, while he stayed with Darunia, the chief of the Hylian Gorons, but he had almost broken his teeth trying to eat it. When he had eaten a piece(By using a chisel to cut a piece off), he had also almost choked. Hesitantly, Link put the roasted sirloin to his lips.
"Uh, Link?", Tatl asked nervously "Please tell me you aren't going to actually eat that, right?". Link paused for a moment. He did have some food in his pack, but he was getting tired of eating only dried fruit and jerky. He shrugged in response to Tatl's question and took a bite out of the small boulder in his fist. To his surprise, his wide Goron teeth crunched through the rock with ease. When he finally tasted the sirloin his eyes widened in surprise. It tasted, unsurprisingly, like a rock, but it also had an underlying taste that was savory and almost spicy at the same time. Link grinned his Goron grin, and he knew that day was going to be fun.
A few rock sirloin and Goron Fire Ales later, Link stumbled towards the racing track. He was feeling tipsy from the strong alcohol made of sulfur and mud but was still able to see and think straight. A race had been decreed in his honor, and Link couldn't well refuse it. He walked unsteadily under an arch in the mountains and saw a waterfall of snow runoff falling downhill. Link stuck his head into the water, then pulled it out with a gasp. The frigid water helped to clear his head, and he could see much sharper now, including, he noticed with a smile, Tatl's disapproving look.
"You are going to be late because you drank yourself silly! Don't be angry at me if you're late to the race.", she said with a harumph.
"Oh come on, Tatl, it's not that bad, I'm fine. I'll just roll the rest of the way.", Link replied. Tatl harrumphed again and muttered something about
"Stupid Hylian… He's gonna fall off the mountain… savior of Termina? Ha! Yeah right...". Link pointedly ignored her grumblings and rolled the rest of the way to the racetrack.
What greeted Link was a wide, dusty track with dozens of Gorons stretching and curling into balls, with dozens, if not hundreds more Gorons sitting in stands and standing on either side of the path. After seeing Link, the crowd of Gorons let out a mighty cheer, and a Goron with a red flag in his hand stepped forward.
'Darmani! You were almost late, but we had faith in you. We're about to start the race! Line up with the rest of our Brothers." Link stepped towards the line drawn in the dirt and cracked his neck with a sound like a boulder snapping in half. Things were about to get hectic.
"Three, two, one, RACE!", the crowd cheered. And, with that, Link and the other racing Gorons sped out of the starting line, rolling like boulders down the path. Link could hardly believe how fast some of the racers were, and he began to get nervous. He knew little about Goron racing and had rolled only at a casual speed, except for when he fought GOHT. Now, he wished he had practiced more, but his magic would have to do. He began to will a trickle of magic into his rolling body, and he sped up, but not by that much. He tried willing more magic into his body, and then he began to shoot past several Gorons who had passed him. He sped up at the right time, too. An angled ramp led to a drop in the path, with the path continuing on the other side. With his speed, he launched off the ramp and sailed through the air like a cannonball. Hearing only the whistling wind around him, Link hit the ground on the other side, several meters past the edge of the path. He sped ahead at a shocking speed, and dirt and gravel were flying around him as he plowed ahead.
Link had to circle the track only once, but the track held curves, ramps, and even drops in elevation. Link had to complete a lap of the entire track, and finish first in able to win. Rules were relaxed in Goron racing, so almost anything was allowed. Ramming, avalanches, and attaching spiked to Gorons backs were, if not allowed, then only discouraged. Link rolled past a Goron who had attempted to attach short spikes to his back. One of the spikes had gotten stuck in a crevice in the track, and the Goron was trying to roll off of his back. Link didn't have enough time to help the stranded Goron as he zipped by at now blinding speeds-passing Goron after Goron until there were no more left to pass.
Link rolled as fast as he could. He passed by streams of icy cold water, rolled through the dusty track, and saw Gorons cheering him on either side of the trail. There must have been hundreds, no, thousands of Gorons watching the race. Many cheered for him, although there were some boo's mixed into the general roar of the crowd. Link swerved around a rolling boulder that was in his way and saw in the distance a row of banners on a beam crossing the small gorge where the finish line was. He was almost there! Link had almost lost track of the time of how long he had been racing. Before he could roll over the painted line, a Goron slammed into him, intending to send him flying to the side. Link did fly, but he corrected his course in midair and landed feet away from the line drawn in the brown dirt. He rolled forward a meter more, and he had finally crossed the line!
With a mighty roar of Goron applause, Link stood and raised his arms in excitement, and grinned his wide Goron grin. A group of more elderly gorons walked towards him and the other contestants who had come behind him. Almost in a daze, Link accepted a bottle of…. Gold dust? It was supposedly an excellent material to add to blades to sharpen their edges to a razor point forever, although Link doubted its effects. Still smiling, and with Tatl trailing behind him, Link rolled to the smithy where he could use his newfound prize.
Link pulled the mask off in relief when he came close to the small smithy. He had gotten used to the feeling of being a Goron, but his human body felt more natural, less forced. He opened the door to a blast of hot air coming from the inside of the hot forge and saw Gabora swinging an enormous hammer down on a sheet of metal. A startled Zubora twirled around from working on a wooden handle, but he smiled when he saw Link.
"Ah, a customer! Hello again. Ever since the ice melted, we've been working on all of the backlogs of orders that we've been unable to craft. Do you need anything?". Link looked at the bottle in his hand and raised it to eye level to examine the fine gold powder inside. At seeing the bottle, Zubora's face lit up like the glowing forge behind him.
"Is that gold dust?! It's been a long while since I've seen that crafting material! You must have gotten it from the Gorons, but how…? It doesn't matter. I can upgrade that dinky sword for you, free of charge! With this, your sword will never lose its edge!" Link blinked in surprise at the exited smith. Was this dust worth so much as to get a free sword. He saw no downside, and he handed over the bottle, along with his sword.
Now having nothing to do for the rest of the cycle, Link wandered around the clearing that the Mountain smithy was in. It had trees surrounding it, with green grass showing under the still melting snow. Birds flitted overhead, freed of the snowy curse that had laid upon the Snowhead Mountains for so long. Link breathed in the clean air, enjoying the serenity of the scene until the moment was shattered by Tatl.
"Hey, Link, what are we doing now? We've freed two giants, but there must be two more. Hmm… Swamp. Mountain. Ocean. Canyon. That's what Tael said. We still need to find the giants in the ocean and the canyon." Link nodded in agreement, but a question formed on his lips.
"What's an ocean?" This made Tatl pause.
"You don't know?", she said. Link shook his head. Tatl looked into the distance as if she was picking her words carefully.
"Have you ever seen a lake before?", at Links affirmation, she continued.
"Well, an ocean is like a HUGE lake. It lies to the east of Termina, and it stretches to the horizon. You can't see anything except for water as far as the eye can see. The water is salty too, so we can't drink it." Link was baffled at Tatl's description of the ocean. Sure, he had been to lake Hyla, but it was only a few miles across. He had thought then that it was the largest body of water that he'd ever seen. Shrugging the question off, he simply said thanks to Tatl and walked over to a clump of moss on the ground.
"What are you doing, Link?", Tatl asked. Link only answered with one eye open.
"I'm trying to sleep. I've stopped a curse, killed a robot, and almost froze to death. I think I deserve a nap." With that, link wadded up his hat and placed it under his head. A few seconds later, he fell into a deep sleep.
Link was riding Epona in the Lost Woods. Mist swirled around him, and he only heard the soft clopping of Epona's hooves and the faint jingle of his saddlebags. He'd been riding for hours, searching and searching. Why was he searching? He struggled to remember. He heard a faint voice in the silence of the woods. It was calling to him. Where was it coming from? Shapes seemed to form in the white mist surrounding him, blocking his vision. There were faces forming around him. Who were they? The faces whispered to him, calling for his attention. Face after face passed him, and all felt familiar. A man with a mustache and a bald head. A woman with red hair and blue eyes. A girl with blonde hair and a pink headwrap. All of the faces were familiar, yet out of his reach of memory.
The mists swirled around him more fiercely, and more faces appeared. Women, children, and men flashed before his eyes. All visible, yet no memories fit them. Faces. Only faces. Who were these people? Why were they only shadows, masks of who they were? All of a sudden, the faces disappeared. Darkness blanketed the woods, enshrouding everything in shadow. Only one form could be seen now. A heart-shaped mask, Majora's Mask, floated before him.
"You cannot defeat me. My power is immeasurable, my time is endless. You cannot hide forever, boy. I will bathe the world in fire, and bring about darkness. Only then will I kill you, knowing that you have failed. Failed Zelda. Failed Navi. Failed your precious Hyrule. All will be mine!" At the crescendo of Majora's speech, creatures burst forth from the ground around him. Redeads wearing the faces of the forms in the mist, Stalfos wearing the Clock Town guard armor, and Poes with pale blue fire dancing in their lanterns surrounded him. In the distance, Link saw the form of a bestial man rising higher than the dark trees, with boars tusks and a red mane of hair growing wild in his head The world shook around him, and Majora stared at him in the face with its eerie bloodshot eyes.
"Hyrule shall BURN!" it screamed in a mad tone.
Link jerked awake, covered in a cold sweat. He was breathing heavily, and the stars were visible in the sky. The stars weren't alone. Hovering closer than ever was the moon, its sneer almost pointed at him, laughing at his weakness. Tatl was trying to get his attention, and Link turned to her.
"Link, listen to me! The moon is about to fall! You need to grab your sword now, and play that stupid song before we both die!" Link flinched at her harsh tone but ignored it as he gathered his gear and hurried to the Smithy. The forge was cold inside of the small building, and Gabora and Zubora looked somberly towards the moon. At seeing Link, Zubora silently handed him a long red scabbard. It was slim, with red leather covering its surface. A silver crossguard poked out of it, with a red handle matching the scabbard. Link pulled the sword from its scabbard and admired its fantastic workmanship. It was much longer than his Kokiri Sword, but it was light enough that he could still wield it in his child form, and also as an adult. Its surface was polished to a gleam, and a pattern of gold had been forged into its surface. It was masterfully made, and Link felt a surge of gratitude towards the two smiths. He looked up to thank the two, but Zubora had raised his hand to stall the coming thanks.
"Kid, there's no need to thank us. We both decided that if this is the last thing that we craft, that we'd put as much effort into it to make it our best work." Gabora nodded his massive head and said
"Guh, augh rauugh."
Link looked down at the new blade then looked up at the two smiths once more.
"I have a question" Zubora looked surprised but nodded his head to grant Link's request.
"Is Gabora your brother?", Link asked. Zubora stiffened but relaxed as he gazed into the looming moon. He sighed then rubbed his head.
"Yes. I might as well not hide it anymore. It's not like there will be anyone to gossip about it once that damned moon falls. He was my brother, but not anymore. One winter, Gabora fell while he was carrying supplies to the Gorons in a blizzard, and he fell off the cliff trail. I found him two days later, and I did everything I could to bring him back. Yet, I found it impossible. Soon afterward, before I buried him, a mask salesman came to me, and he offered me his wares. He noticed my melancholy, and he offered me a mask at a discount, claiming that it would "bring Gabora back". What he didn't specify is that he would come back as a monstrous undead… creature. He knows how to follow commands, but otherwise, his intelligence is limited to the basic commands that I've managed to teach him. I've taken care of him ever since. I couldn't let other people know about him, otherwise, customers would be scared away. I can't get rid o him either. He's my brother. In addition, he has incredible strength and stamina in this form, and I can't keep up with the demand for weapons and items that customers want to be crafted." It was then that Zubora looked even sadder.
"Even with how I act sometimes, I miss the big guy. I looked up to him, and now he's just a mindless puppet that I use for my own benefit."
Zubora's short monologue left Link speechless. The smith's story led Link to tears. He didn't even know how to react. Suddenly, Link stepped forward and hugged Zubora. Looking surprised, Zubora awkwardly hugged him back, then stepped back.
"Well, it's no use now. The moons' gonna fall. I suggest you take shelter in the Goron Shrine if you want to survive." Link sook his head.
"I'm sorry, I have to go somewhere else… Good luck, Zubora." And with that, Link began to purposely walk away from the Smithy, gilded sword in hand. A somber silence surrounded Tatl and Link, but as soon as they were out of eyesight from the Mountain Smithy, Link pulled out his ocarina.
Link played the song that he'd learned so long ago, in Hyrule. He wondered if he'd ever see its beautiful grasses and forests ever again. The Song of Time flowed through the air, and everything around Link and Tatl seemed to freeze. As Link played the last few notes of the song, he fell into the familiar white of the endless pit of time.
