"Elle, don't."
"But I want to."
"Why bother?"
"There might be gems in there."
"Elle, it's a freakin' rock. All you're gonna do is blunt your sword, and I'm gonna be the one who ends up having to fix it."
Linkle stubbornly continued chipping away at the exposed ore vein, making little progress, if any. "Where's your adventurer's spirit?"
"Where's your… fuck, I don't know. Think of something clever for me."
"Where's your fuck?" Linkle repeated, laughing at her brother's accidental nonsense sentence.
"Shut it." Link turned around, hoping Russ and the other adventurers weren't watching his sister's antics. Three of them were sitting by the fire where they had cooked their meal, but Breen was walking towards them, staff in hand.
"What's she doing?" the sorceress asked.
"Being an idiot."
"Am not!" Linkle fervently denied. "I want the rupees in this ore vein." Her sword dinged against the rock, causing her to curse under her breath.
"Rupees don't just come out of the ground, Elle," Link said. "Like, the material for it does, but you can't just hurl a hunk of ruby at a shopkeeper and expect them to give you stuff."
"Well, they probably will if they think you're robbing them or something," Linkle said.
Breen laughed, gesturing back and forth between the siblings. "You two are the worst. Here, step back. Let me try something."
Link and Linkle obliged, backing away from the rock Linkle had been hacking away at, curious as to what the sorceress intended to do.
Breen posed with her staff pointed at the ore vein. Her eyes narrowed in concentration, and a red glow emanated from her staff. A moment later, a tiny ball of fire shot out from the tip of it. When it touched the rock, it disappeared. Link furrowed his brow, thinking the spell had failed. But then, there was a sudden explosion from within the rock.
"Whoaaaa!" Linkle watched in awe as pieces of volcanic earth rained down around them. Amidst the rubble, a few shiny jewels could be seen. "Neat. Thanks, Breen!" The young adventurer set about picking up the pieces, excitedly stuffing them into her bags.
"Don't mention it," Breen replied with a cocky smile, resting her staff against her shoulder. She then turned to head back over to the campfire.
Link decided to follow her. "Where'd you learn how to do that?" he inquired. He'd seen her perform pyromancy before, but only with flames, not explosions.
Breen shrugged. "Dunno. Must've been in one of the spellbooks I've come across. I really only bother with combat magic nowadays, so blowing things up was bound to be in one of 'em." She looked back over her shoulder, observing Linkle scooping up some shards of ruby. "What about you and your sister? Either of you practice magic?"
"Not really," Link said, shaking his head. "My smithing master taught me some simple stuff. Durability enchantments, anti-theft charms, that sort of thing. And Linkle talks to animals, but she can't really control 'em or anything."
"Hmm. Guess that's how it is for most people," Breen replied. "In my village, everyone only learned just enough magic to help with whatever their job was. But I wanted to do more. And I kinda had a knack for it, I guess," she said, holding out her staff and twirling it on the edge of her fingers.
"That's only 'cause you can't actually fight," Fin taunted, having overheard them as they approached the camp.
"Yeah, yeah." Breen kicked a pebble in Fin's direction, and he laughed while raising a hand to protect himself.
"We should get moving again soon," Russ said, sitting against a rock as he ran a whetstone up and down his claymore. "Other parties will be catching up to us, and we don't want to be the last ones to get to Rudania."
"Agreed," Breen said with a nod. "Let's get our stuff packed up, then."
Link and his temporary party members set about grabbing their belongings and stuffing them back into their bags. They were all traveling relatively light, so it did not take long. After kneeling down to tie the straps on one of his bags, Link stood up and found his sister had appeared beside him, holding up a bag full of gems.
"See? Told ya."
Link casually reached out and smacked the bag out of her hand. It plopped down onto the ground, spilling a small amount of its contents.
"Ugh. Dick." Linkle knelt down and began scooping her prize back up.
"Hey!"
Link heard someone shouting from down the road. There were three young men about his age approaching them, one of whom was clad in a familiar suit of armor.
"Did I just witness you disrespecting this lady's property?" asked the young man in the armor, gesturing to Linkle as she stood up with her bag in her arms.
"Oh gods, it's this cunt again…" Link muttered under his breath, crossing his arms standoffishly.
"What did you say, cretin?"
"I said 'Hey, buddy! How's your shoulder?'"
"What?" The newcomer looked at Link in confusion for a moment, then recognition dawned on him. "You!" he said in an accusatory manner. "You have much to answer for, coward!"
"Huh?" Linkle looked the man up and down until she recognized him, too. "Oh. This cunt."
The young man looked hurt by her response. "My lady, I have merely attempted to defend your honor."
Linkle, standing on an incline, rested her arm on her brother's shoulder and leaned against him casually. "Yeah? And how'd that work out for ya last time?" She looked at least half as irritated as Link was.
The young man was at a loss for words, then he shook his head and turned his attention back to Link. "You! You still owe me a proper duel," he declared, drawing his sword.
"Whoa, whoa, Dayto!"
"Calm down, ya stupid git."
His two companions stepped forward and put their arms in his path, attempting to push him back.
"Silence, knaves! Let me at him!"
"Is there a problem here?" From beside Link, Russ appeared, holding his claymore to his shoulder. Fin stepped around from Linkle's side, while Breen and Gaile joined in behind them.
The young adventurer called Dayto looked frightened, especially by Russ. He and his companions took a step back, but he kept his sword raised. "W-Well, yes. There is a problem. This man has slighted me and this maiden. I demand satisfaction!"
"Oh, I'm no maiden," Linkle pointed out.
"Elle…"
"What?"
Link sighed, but turned his attention to Dayto. "Didn't we settle this already down in Kakariko?"
Fin snapped his fingers, pointing at Dayto. "Oi! You're the little bugger that got stabbed, yeah?" He laughed, then gestured to Link with his spear. "Well, this oughta be easy, then. Go on. Give 'em another thrashing."
"Fin," Russ said disapprovingly.
"Fellas, come on," one of Dayto's companions said disarmingly. "We don't want any trouble. "Let's just keep heading up the trail."
"Yeah, let's go kill the dragon and all that."
"No!" Dayto declared. "I must defend my honor, and hers." He pointed his sword at Linkle briefly, then trained it on Link.
"Oh, fuck off," Linkle said, waving her hand dismissively. "Leave my brother alone already, will ya? When he does something to piss me off, I'll deal with him. Believe me."
Link could tell the man with his sword drawn was not happy with the way this was going. He almost certainly wanted Link to draw his own sword so he could fight him and prove something, either to himself or to those watching.
Maybe if I never draw my sword, he'll just get pissed off and leave.
After all, Link doubted the trick he'd previously pulled with this guy would work a second time. And with Dayto's companions obviously unwilling to back him up, there was no way he would risk attacking Link while Russ and the others were standing right there.
Dayto stared daggers at Link for a few moments more, then seemed to have gotten fed up with the situation. "Fine," he said in frustration, sheathing his sword. "A coward like you is not worthy of my time." With his companions sighing in relief, the three of them stepped past Link and the others, returning to the trail to continue up the mountain.
Russ and Fin lowered their weapons. "Well that guy was a bit of a prick, eh?" Fin stated, watching Dayto walk off.
"Do you know those people?" Russ asked the siblings.
"No," Link replied, shaking his head. "That time he tried to pick a fight with me in Kakariko was the first time I met that guy. And I've never seen the other two."
"I still think you should've just dueled him properly the first time," Linkle said, sliding her arm off of Link's shoulder and stepping away to collect her things. "Maybe he'd stop bothering us if you did."
"Or maybe I'd be dead. Ever think about that?"
"Every day, Brother."
"Goodness," Gaile said indignantly.
Breen laughed at her reaction. "I can tell you've never had siblings."
Russ grunted. "Well, those three are our enemies now. Being our rivals for a bounty this big was reason enough for them to want to kill us. Keep an eye out for them as we continue."
The remainder of the journey to Rudania was less eventful than the previous day. Other than a swarm of flaming Keese and one immature Dodongo, Link and his party did not encounter any more monsters. They came across a few other adventuring parties along the way, but none of them were hostile, nor did they volunteer any help.
"Whoaaa!" Linkle cried in awe as the gates of the Goron capital city came into view. The walls were solid iron with a stone base carved from the mountainside. The ends of several large cannons lined the top of the wall, and armored Gorons patrolled back and forth along it. On either side of the gigantic gate sat a large brazier, crackling with dancing fire. A moat of freely flowing lava surrounded its base, with the only access point being a drawbridge in front of the gate.
"By Din," Link proclaimed. "The walls are larger than the ones surrounding Hateno."
Fin laughed. "Well, the walls around here are meant to keep out bigger things than you'd find in Hateno," he pointed out. "You should see a fully grown Dodongo."
Linkle gasped. "Can we?"
"Not now," Link said. "Let's head inside."
As they approached, the gates were already open while the guards let in another group of adventurers. "Are you here for the dragon, brothers?" a Goron called down to them from atop the wall.
"Aye, brother," Russ called back to him.
"Then hurry inside. You'll want to head to the Gor Council Chamber."
"Gore council chamber?" Linkle repeated in confusion.
"A Gor is like a Goron elder," Breen explained. "They counsel the chieftain."
"Ah. That makes way more sense," Linkle replied.
As they walked across the drawbridge, Link began to feel lightheaded from the heat. Even with the protection offered by his armor, it had been getting more and more difficult to stay cool as they climbed the mountain.
"It's too hot," Linkle complained, tugging at the collar of her tunic.
"Oh, yeah. Good point," Breen said, reaching her hand into her carrying bag and rifling through its contents. "Here, everyone take another dose," she commanded, holding out some vials of red liquid. The fireproof elixirs they'd consumed earlier in the journey must have been wearing off, or perhaps the increasingly high temperatures meant they needed to drink more than they already had. "It should still keep us safe up here. Just don't actually touch any lava, or walk through a fire."
The priestess walking beside her winced. "Do you have anything that wasn't made from slug slime?"
"Trust me, Gaile. This isn't even in the top ten grossest elixirs I've ever made," Breen replied.
Everyone took a vial and drank the elixir as instructed. Link did not enjoy drinking the elixir, but it seemed to have done what Breen had promised. The heat of the lava beneath them now felt no hotter than a sweltering summer day.
The Goron capital city was nothing like any Hylian or Sheikah city Link had ever seen before. All the buildings appeared to be carved from solid stone, and there was scarcely any wood to be seen. The roads were rough and irregular, and most were not paved by more than some sparse cobblestone. Both the buildings and the streets were larger than expected, likely to accommodate the Gorons of larger sizes. The entire city sloped uphill, which Link could see the Gorons took advantage of by rolling through the streets like living boulders. Rather than horses, bizarre beasts of burden like Kodongos and ostriches pulled wagons and carried supplies. And, perhaps oddest of all, while some street vendors in the marketplace sold meat, milk, or spices, most of them sold rocks, chunks of metal, and other minerals as if they were normal food.
"Greetings, brothers!" a Goron vendor greeted Link and Linkle when they stopped by his booth. "Care for a tasty rock roast?"
Link stared at the ten foot tall rock man through half-lidded eyes. "Thanks, but I'll pass."
Linkle put her hand to her chin and stared at the area in the back of the booth. Another Goron was spinning a skewered hunk of rock over a pot of lava as if it were a piece of meat cooking over a fire.
"You're not actually considering it, are you?" Link asked.
"Hmm? What? No. I'm not a moron."
"You say that…"
"Shut up." Linkle looked back up at the Goron vendor. "Hey, why do you sell rocks when there are rocks all around you?" She gestured down at the ground and stomped her foot against the rocky mountainside to demonstrate her point. "Can't you just eat them from the ground?"
The Goron didn't seem fazed by what was probably a common question from foreign customers. "Hylians eat plants. Why don't you just eat the grass from Hyrule Field?"
Linkle held up a finger and opened her mouth to respond, but then she froze, looking confused. "Oh."
Continuing on through the city, they entered what seemed to be an industrial district. Every building had smoke billowing from it, and every outdoor workspace had a Goron hammering something on an anvil or pouring liquid metal into a mold.
Linkle gasped, grabbing her brother's shoulder and hopping up and down. "Goron smiths! I hear they make the best weapons. We've gotta-"
"No way, Elle," Link denied. "You think we're made of money? Take it from a blacksmith. Goron craftsmanship is out of our price range."
Linkle pouted. "But we're about to slay a dragon, brother!" Reaching behind her back, she pulled out her sword and held it aloft. "You want me to do it with this old thing? It'll probably snap the second it hits the dragon's scales. Besides, think of all the money we'll get from the reward. We'll be swimming in rupees by the time this is over."
Link considered it.
She can't actually expect us to succeed on this quest, can she?
He had known from the start that they stood no real chance against a dragon. This whole quest had just been an excuse to get them out of Kakariko before the Impa Family had them killed for asking too many questions. As tempting as the reward sounded, it could never truly be theirs.
But we've teamed up with four pros, haven't we? As long as we help out, we can still get our share of the reward if the others manage to kill it…
Link and Linkle certainly stood no chance, but the others might. "Alright, fine. We'll look. But we're not buying anything we can't afford." He knew his sister didn't have the greatest understanding of money, so he would be the judge of that.
"Yippee!" Linkle cheered, leaping into the air. "Hey! Guys!" she shouted at Breen and the others. "We're going shopping. Catch up with you later."
Fin nodded, then examined his spear. "We might as well too, eh, Russ?" he suggested.
"I suppose," the other adventurer agreed. "Heavy weapons are the Gorons' specialty, so I'm sure I'll find something I can use."
Breen rolled her eyes. "Alright, ya brutes," she said. "Gaile and I will go on ahead. Meet us at the council building. We'll see what the other parties are up to."
"Good luck, friends," Gaile said before leaving with the sorceress.
Linkle clapped her hands together, then pivoted in place, glancing at all the shops in the area. "Let's try this one," she declared, pulling her brother by the arm. She led him into a stone building with a big sign on top of it depicting an anvil, the universal symbol for a blacksmith's shop. Naturally, almost all the buildings in the area had some variation of such a symbol, but Linkle had chosen this one for some reason.
"Hilsener, brødre!" The Goron standing behind a counter greeted them when they stepped inside. "Hvordan kan jeg hjælpe dig?"
Link and Linkle stared at the rock man blankly. So far, they hadn't met any Gorons who hadn't spoken to them in Hylian, although Link recalled hearing some Gorons shouting in their native language during the battle in the vault.
The Goron shook his head, apparently realizing the situation. "Oh, that's right. Welcome, brothers!" he declared with a heavy accent.
"Greetings," Link said in return. "We'll just be having a look at your wares. Don't mind us." Linkle was already passing through the rows of shelves, each of which had several finely crafted weapons on display. About half of them were made for Gorons, and clearly much too large for any human to use. However, there were still plenty made for smaller folk.
"Oohhh, look at this one, Brother!" Linkle said, waving him over. She was standing in front of a sword sticking out of a metal stand. Reaching forward, she wrapped her hands around the hilt of it. "It's like I'm pulling the Master Sword out of the stone!" She gave it a yank, but it didn't budge. She tried it again, and again, grunting in annoyance each time.
Link chuckled. "It appears that not even the great Sword of the Random Blacksmith's Shop deems you worthy. What chance do you have with the real Master Sword?"
"Oh yeah?" Linkle asked, stepping away from the sword. "Why don't you have a go, then?"
"Well, I already know I'm not worthy."
"Damn right." Linkle stepped over to another sword that was being displayed on the wall. This one didn't appear to be stuck in anything, so she lifted it up and gave it a few practice swings. "Ooh, I like this one."
"Hey, watch it, Elle." Link took a step back, lifting an arm to shield himself from the sword's swinging edge. "What do you want a longsword for, anyway?" he asked curiously. Her weapons of choice so far had been her crossbow and her shortsword. "You've never wanted a weapon like mine before."
"It's for practice, numbskull," she said, thrusting the sword at an invisible enemy. "We're heading south to Kokiri Forest after we slay this dragon, remember? When I claim the Master Sword, I wanna know how to wield it properly."
Link rolled his eyes. He didn't expect her to actually be able to pull the Master Sword from its stone, but he couldn't believe she really wanted to go on an even longer journey after this one.
Well, maybe we can settle in Faron afterwards…
Sighing, Link scanned the weapon racks. Finding a longsword that looked like what they needed, he picked it up and checked its weight and balance. It was definitely well-made, and it seemed light enough for his sister to wield. "Here, try this one," he said, carefully handing her the weapon.
"Thanks." Linkle took it in hand and gave it a few flicks through the air. "Whoa, this feels so much better!" she said, striking a battle pose.
"I can teach you how to wield it," Link offered. "It's not meant to be used like a shortsword."
She smiled at him gratefully. "So I can buy this one, right?"
Link knew it would be expensive, but he knew she would probably bug him about it every time they stopped in a town until she got what she wanted. "Sure. You'll want a shield, too," he said, taking one off of the wall. "Here, try this."
Linkle held out her left arm at first, but she quickly pulled it away before Link could attach the shield to it. Then she held out her right arm instead.
Link smiled as he helped affix the shield to her right arm, knowing exactly why she was insisting on that one. Whereas Link himself was naturally left-handed, his sister was naturally right-handed. However, when she was younger, she had trained herself to be ambidextrous because she'd read that most incarnations of the Hero were left-handed. That was why she always used her weapons and tools with her left hand, even though she could use either.
Linkle posed with the sword and shield, imitating common depictions of famous Heroes. "This is so great," she said. "I'm definitely Farore's Chosen. I can feel it."
"Yeah, yeah." Link waved his hand. "Come on. Let's talk to the blacksmith."
"Aren't you gonna get a new sword, too?" Linkle asked, following behind him.
"After we get paid for this quest." If they really ended up with a share of the dragon bounty, he'd be able to afford much better equipment. And even if they didn't, they'd surely get something from the other spoils along the way.
When they walked out of the smithy, Linkle was standing tall. Wearing her new sword and shield on her back just like Link did, she certainly looked more like the Heroes from the stories.
I wonder if I ever look like that, too.
The Goron council building was only a short walk from the industrial district, so they were able to catch up to Breen and Gaile not much later. When the siblings arrived, Fin and Russ were already there as well. The four of them were standing outside of the entrance, while continuous streams of Gorons and Hylians went in and out, many of them armed.
"Ah, there they are," Breen said, waving Link and Linkle over as they climbed the stone steps.
"Welcome back," Gaile said in greeting. "Have you purchased any new equipment for yourselves?"
"Sure did!" Linkle declared, drawing her new Goron-made longsword. "Check it out."
"Ooh, nice!" Fin said. "That'll cut a Bokoblin's head clean off."
Russ nodded in agreement.
"What about you?" Link asked.
Russ shook his head. "Not worth it after all."
Link could understand that.
Probably more than he could afford, too.
"I didn't get anything either," Fin said. "But I got punched in the face," he went on, pointing to the bump on his head.
Link furrowed his brow. "What? Why?"
"Oh, don't worry. I had it coming."
Link and Linkle still looked confused, so Breen stepped in. "Trust me, he probably did. Anyway, we've got news."
"Is it about the dragon?" Linkle asked hopefully.
"Yep," the sorceress confirmed. "The Gorons know exactly where it's nesting. It's in an abandoned mine just north of the city, along with a bunch of those Lizalfos that seem to serve it."
"The Gorons are raiding it in a few hours," Russ continued. "They're offering a reward to any adventurers who join in, so we better get moving if we want to take part."
Linkle gasped excitedly. "Din be praised! Of course we wanna take part. Let's get going before someone else slays the dragon first."
The road leading north out of Rudania was a lot like the trail leading up the mountain. It was hot, rocky, and filled with dangerous animals that had adapted to the harsh environment. The only real difference was that the rocky cliff face of the mountain was only on one side of them. On the other side was a steep cliff, over which was a long drop down to a fiery lake of lava.
Apparently, the abandoned mine that the dragon was nesting in was located on an island in the middle of Lake Darunia, which was a massive volcanic lake named after an old Goron Chieftain; the one who met the Dodongo Buster. The lake of lava was large enough that the entirety of the Goron capital city would've been able to fit inside of it six times over. It was almost as if they were heading into the peak of Death Mountain itself.
"This is absolute insanity," Link pointed out.
"What is?" Linkle asked.
"...Really?"
"Oh, you mean all the lava?" Linkle asked, gesturing over the cliff's edge. "Yeah. Crazy how it's not even that hot, right? Guess Breen's elixir really works."
"Damn right," Breen said proudly.
"Not just that. Look at this!" He pointed forward, indicating a group of Goron warriors marching in front of them further down the road. "We're practically going off to fight in a war at this point."
"The real war's going on right now in Akkala," Russ pointed out. "We're just doing a job."
"Yeah, yeah, sure," Link said, waving his hand dismissively. "But we're here, not there. We're not gonna die in Akkala, but we might die here."
"You worry too much, kid," Fin said, walking casually with his spear over his shoulders. "We're just fighting monsters, like always. Only difference is we got others backing us up this time, just like in that vault."
In the distance, there were loud, booming noises that caused Link, Linkle, and Gaile to flinch in surprise. "Were those cannons?" Gaile asked, a hint of worry in her voice.
"Sounded like it," Russ agreed. "That or bombs. The Gorons must be bombarding the mines; probably trying to draw out the dragon."
When they rounded the corner to the other side of the cliffs, they were greeted by the presence of a true warzone. Along the shores of the fiery lake, the Gorons had set up barricades with cannons behind them. They were currently shooting at the nearby islands, on which the Lizalfos had constructed a series of watchtowers and other primitive-looking structures. As the cannons fired, the Lizalfos returned fire with flaming arrows. Between the shore and the nearest island, there was a long metal platform that had been placed over the lava to create a makeshift bridge, which Gorons as well as adventurers were currently using to invade the Lizalfos islands.
"Oh, shit," was Fin's eloquent reaction.
"What do we do?" Linkle asked, already placing her hand on the hilt of her new sword. Her face showed a mixture of fear and excitement.
"We cross the bridge and join the others," Russ replied simply. "Find the nearest entrance to the mines and fight our way to the dragon's lair."
"But what do we do if we get there?" Link asked, struggling to keep up with the others as they ran past the Gorons in the encampment. "How do we kill it?"
"If we get it while it's still underground, then it can't fly," Russ replied. "It'll be no different than hunting a Dodongo."
That answer didn't inspire much confidence in Link. Dodongos were normally hunted using bombs, but they didn't have any on them, as far as he knew.
And even if we did, what then? Like killing a Dodongo is supposed to be easy?
Crossing the makeshift bridge over to the Lizalfos-controlled islands made Link think of the pirate stories he'd heard from the sailors who traveled between Hyrule and Holodrum or Labrynna. Monsters or even other humans would drop a plank of wood between the two ships and use it to board the other one. However, right now, Link and the adventurers were the pirates, and the monsters were the ones being boarded.
When they reached the rocky shores of the volcanic island, Link spotted a flaming arrow headed towards them. "Hey!" He shouted, unable to think fast enough to say something more useful. His body reacted more quickly, pushing his way to the front of the group and blocking the arrow with his shield. A couple hundred feet away, there was a wooden tower connected to a cliff higher up. A Lizalfos with a bow was standing on top of it. "We gotta take out that one," Link suggested, pointing to the tower.
"No," Russ said, speaking loudly to be heard over the noise of the battle. "Keep away from there."
"Why?"
A moment later, a cannonball crashed into the cliff next to the tower, sending rock debris flying and knocking some of the tower's support beams loose.
"That answer your question?" Fin asked.
"We should get to the other side of the island," Breen suggested. "Out of the range of the cannons."
"Right," Link agreed.
Great. As if it weren't bad enough that the monsters are trying to kill us, we gotta worry about getting blown up by the Gorons we're trying to help, too.
Before they got much further, they ran into another group of adventurers doing battle with a group of Lizalfos. It was three Hylians with swords against five green- and red-scaled monsters wielding axes and daggers. Linkle stopped to ready her crossbow, then let loose a bolt, spearing one of the Lizalfos through the head. Gaile stopped beside Linkle as well.
Guess we'll help out these people.
Link started to move to join the other adventurers, but Fin's voice called to stop him.
"Don't waste time," he said. Fin, Russ, and Breen hadn't stopped running at all, and they were now several meters ahead of them.
Fuck, really?
"Right," Link called back, stopping in his tracks. Looking over his shoulder, he gestured to his sister. "Let's go."
Linkle looked at him like he was insane, then completely ignored him. She went back to shooting at the Lizalfos, and Gaile raised her staff to begin casting some spells.
Link was about to try to appeal to the,, but he saw the others disappearing behind the cliff. He sighed, realizing he was better off trying to help here first.
The sooner we do this, the sooner we catch up.
One of the Hylian adventurers got knocked to the ground. The dark-red scaled, axe-wielding Lizalfos he was fighting stomped on his chest, then held up its weapon to strike him. Link charged at the monster, ramming it with his shield. He collided with the monster as the axe swung down, but only the handle smashed against his shoulder "Augh!" he cried in pain as both he and the Lizalfos tumbled to the ground.
Turning over onto his back, Link was forced to hold up his shield to block an incoming axe-tail from one of the other monsters. He tried feebly to swipe at it, but he could not reach. Luckily, one of the other adventurers stabbed the monster from behind before kicking it to the ground. The Hylian man offered Link a hand to help him up while one of his comrades finished off the Lizalfos.
"Thanks," Link said in gratitude as he regained his bearings. There were still two Lizalfos left. One was dueling with the third adventurer, but the other was hopping towards his sister. "Linkle!"
His sister was busy shooting bolts at the other monster, but Gaile heard Link's shouting. She turned and pointed her rod at the Lizalfos, and a barrier appeared between them. The hopping Lizalfos ran right into it, screeching in frustration as it hopelessly banged against the magic wall. It didn't even notice Link coming up from behind and slashing it twice in the back. It quickly fell over dead.
Gaile lowered the barrier, and Linkle took one last shot at the final monster. She only managed to wound its arm, but the distraction was enough to allow the other adventurers to finish it off.
"Victory!" Linkle cheered, pumping her fist into the air. The other Hylians cheered as well, but their cries were soon drowned out by a Goron cannonball crashing into the ground only a few meters away from them.
We gotta move.
"Come on." Link grabbed his sister's arm and pulled her along. Gaile followed suit as they continued the way Russ and the other's had gone.
"Wait! But the loot. And those other adventurers-" Linkle complained along the way.
"They'll be fine," Link replied. "But the others might not be if we don't catch up to them." He let go of her, but kept running.
"How is your arm?" Gaile asked him.
"What?" Link tried moving his arm. "Ow!" He hadn't realized it, but his shoulder was still hurting from the Lizalfos's axe handle smashing against it.
"Stop for a moment," Gaile said. They were standing in a secluded, narrow pathway between the rocky cliff of the island and a steep drop into the lake of lava below. They could still hear the battle all around them, but no one else could be seen from their position. Gaile put her hand on Link's shoulder and held up her rod with her other hand. The rod glowed with white light, and then her hand did as well. "How is it now?"
Link rolled his shoulder a few times experimentally. "I don't feel a thing," he said. "Thanks."
Gaile smiled and nodded. "Excellent," she said, the mild poshness in her voice still clear even from one word. "Shall we continue?"
"Right." Linkle was the first to keep moving, and the other two followed behind her.
Before long, they found themselves at the northernmost tip of the island. Two crude bridges were set up nearby - one leading to another island further north, and one leading to a larger island to the west. "Do you see the others?" Link asked, looking out across both bridges.
"No." Gaile shook her head. "They must have covered considerably more ground than us by now."
"Fuck," Link muttered. "And after they gave us shit about not splitting the party…"
Gaile tilted her head downward ashamedly. "Perhaps we shouldn't have stayed behind?"
"Fuck that!" Linkle replied. "We're heroes. We don't just leave people to die."
"They were adventurers, too," Link pointed out. "They could've handled themselves."
"Gods, you're so selfish sometimes, you know that?"
"Well, we fell behind because of something you wanted, so who's the real selfish one here?"
"Um," Gaile said, holding up her hand. "I chose to stay behind and aid those travelers as well…"
"Ha! See?" Linkle gestured to the priestess. "I've got the gods on my side."
Link sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Whatever. We're only wasting more time." Turning back to the two bridges, he tried to figure out which way the others would have gone. "The dragon is probably beneath the largest island, right?" Link suggested, pointing west.
"Why's that?" Linkle asked.
"Because dragons are big," Link replied.
"But surely if the dragon had entered the mines through an opening on one of these islands, we would be able to see an entrance that large," Gaile pointed out. "It more likely tunneled in from somewhere else in the mountains, or submerged itself in the lava."
"Ah, good point," Link admitted, scratching his chin. "Well, you've been traveling with those three for a while now, right? How would they decide which way to go?"
Gaile eyed the bridges and the other islands they connected to, considering their options. "They may have figured out that most of the other adventurers would have chosen to head straight to the main island," she said. "Thus, perhaps they hoped to get there first by taking a less guarded entrance on the smaller island?"
"Ah!" Linkle smiled brightly, sounding like she thought it made sense. "You're a clever one, Gaile."
"Yeah, see, this is why you should've finished school," Link said to his sister.
"Bite me."
Gaile looked half amused and half bewildered by the way the siblings spoke to one another. "Um, well, shall we?" she suggested, gesturing to the north bridge.
"Don't mind if I do," Linkle replied, taking the lead.
After crossing the bridge over the lake of fire, Link and his companions traveled across a crude pathway that led up a slope, coming to a plateau higher up on the island. From there, they had a good view of the larger central island. Since most of it was out of range of the Goron cannons, there were several Lizalfos towers left standing throughout the island. Flaming arrows rained down from them, attempting to hit the Gorons and adventurers scurrying around below. At several places, smaller skirmishes could be seen between the invaders and the Lizalfos.
"We're not going over there," Link stated firmly, continuing to walk along the path by the cliff's edge while Linkle and Gaile watched the chaos.
"But surely we could-" Linkle began to say.
"They'll be done fighting by the time we get there," Link interrupted, pausing to look over his shoulder and gesture for them to follow him. "Besides, our friends probably need our help more than those people do. You planning to abandon them?"
Link's words seemed to have the intended effect. "You're right," Gaile agreed. "We must find Breen, Fin, and Russ as soon as possible."
"Good," Link said, glad they were in agreement.
It was your idea to come this way anyway.
Compared to the main island, the one they were exploring was nearly abandoned. They came across a few Lizalfos bodies, as well as a few fallen Gorons and Hylians, whom Gaile gave a short prayer for. Clearly someone had been through there already, and Link was hoping it was Gaile's companions.
After passing by a tall cliff on the other side of the island, Linkle stopped and pointed at something. "Look, Brother!" she said.
"What is it?" Link asked, keeping his sword ready in case of danger.
"Doesn't that look like the entrance to a mine shaft?"
Link peered over the edge. On a lower level of the cliffs, he could see she was right. There was a Goron-sized hole carved into the rocky wall, complete with support beams inside the mouth of the cave. "You're right," he said. "Good eye, Sister."
"Do you think perhaps the others went in there?" Gaile asked hopefully.
"Only one way to find out. Let's go."
