Last one for a bit, I have to actually get around to writing chapter five before I can post it :p

Enjoy!

Chapter Five

Heat Exhaustion

Linkle eventually found her way back to Goron City via the same mysterious passageway that they had taken to get to the woods in the first place, and once again was startled by the sudden temperature change.

"Right, let's see if we can change his tune…" Linkle hummed, pulling out the ocarina.

Navi and Gohma exchanged a glance.

"Was that an intentional pun?"

"For the love of Nayru I hope not." Navi groaned. "If she learns how to pun I think she may never stop."

"You again?!" Darunia began, but his voice caught as Linkle began to play the bouncy tune Saria had created. For a moment, he remained stonefaced-

"Hey!" Navi snapped, threatening the Author with a baseball bat.

That wasn't on purpose. Sorry. Anyway, at first, Darunia did not react, but then, his feet began to shuffle a little, and then, before Linkle even knew what was happening, a huge, goofy grin broke out on his face, and he began dancing wildly.

The dance itself was absurd, and honestly a bit atrociously performed, but Darunia looked so cheerful about it that it was hard to care. Linkle awkwardly backed away a bit, the tune continuing to flow from the Ocarina, until finally she drew the ocarina away from her lips.

"Woo! Hot! What a hot beat!" Darunia panted, looking far more at ease than before. "That bad mood I was in is totally gone!"

"G-glad to uh, hear it?" Linkle raised an eyebrow.

"It doesn't solve our problems, but… Bah, whatever, we need all the help we can get, kid." Darunia admitted, shaking his head. "Ever since the Dodongos came back and the entrance to the cavern was blocked, things have been getting worse."

"That's what the other Goron outside said." Linkle crossed her arms a bit.

"That blasted Ganondorf is trying to starve us out. He said "give us the spiritual stone or else you will never be able to go back inside". Fool. Gorons are tougher than that. Even if most of us aren't much for fighting. When danger rears, we can curl up and be beaten about all day. He won't get us to bend so easily."

"Most of the Gorons I've met have been whining about the lack of food." Navi said pointedly. Darunia groaned, punching the wall.

"Yeah, I was trying to talk big. I'm so hungry that I can't believe I could even dance like that without passing out. We're kinda screwed." Darunia admitted sheepishly. "We've been reduced to eating whatever rocks we can and they just aren't cutting it for us…"

"Well… I mean, I did fight Miss Gohma and won, I could probably fight a bunch of monsters in a cave." Linkle offered.

"I can't believe that you actually beat her." Navi grumbled. "This kid is nearly indestructible."

"Ha! Well you've got spunk at least." Darunia smirked. "Hm, take this. It's not a thank-you for cheering me up, but if you really wanna get yourself killed- I mean uh, help us out, then I guess you'll need it!"

Linkle blinked as she slipped the bracelet on. She felt a little rush of energy run through her. "Whoa!"

"That's a Goron bracelet! It's not much but it'll make ya a little stronger!" Darunia slapped Linkle's back lightly, flooring her instantly. "That'll make it so even a squirt like you can pick bomb flowers. Just uh, don't hold onto em."

"Thanks…" Linkle mumbled through a mouthful of busted teeth, pushing herself upright.

"Let's go commit genocide!" Gohma called, raring to go.

Bombing the entrance to the cavern was a near-death experience for sure. Linkle had been sent flying by debris, even though she'd lobbed the bomb flower from above, and moved a good distance away. Apparently, fate simply had it in for her today.

The inside of the cavern was even worse than the outside of the mountain if that was even possible. Linkle was already sweating bullets.

"Oh god it's so hot ." She whined.

Gohma groaned, her carapace clicking noisily against the stone floor. "This is suffering . No wonder only rock people and monsters live up here…"

Navi wasn't doing much better, even fluttering her wings to create a slight breeze to fan herself wasn't helping. "Let's just find these dodongos and wipe them out."

"I wonder if they taste good." Gohma hummed.

Navi nervously wondered where Gohma's mouth was or how exactly eating or tasting even worked, but decided that it was something she never wanted to find out, so she dropped it.

The central room of the cavern was illuminated mostly by magma. Lava? Magma?

"Magma is underground, lava aboveground."

Thank you Navi. Anyway, the glowing heat from a pool of magma provided a surprising amount of light for the room. It made navigating a little difficult- falling into that stuff would cook Linkle instantly for sure, so being cautious was the best choice for now.

"Whoa… Wait, is that giant thing on the other wall a Dodongo head? How the heck can we fight that?! " Linkle yelped.

"It's okay, a Dodongo of that size would be ancient." Navi reassured. "They grow all their lives."

"How… do you know all this?"

"Fairy magic!"

Gohma chose to walk along the wall, rather than trust the narrow path with her bulk. "I already miss the woods."

"I do too, but the forest also has Saria there." Linkle mumbled nervously. Even mentioning the name sent a worried shiver through the group, and they hurried along. The trio made their way into a side tunnel, and Linkle was nearly knocked back when something began surfacing from under her feet.

"Whoa!" Linkle yelped as the little green critter pushed out.

"Watch out! Baby Dodongos!" Navi warned sharply. "They bite! Also they-"

Linkle had picked them up by the tail and was casually beating them against the wall.

Navi backed up a little, nudging Gohma. "Might not wanna be too close for this bit."

Gohma blinked, backing up as well, wondering what was about to occur.

The room was rocked by a violent explosion.

"Dodongos explode upon being killed." Navi explained dryly. "Well, unless they're full size, and there's no way that there's a full-size one here already."

"I don't like that you've said that twice now." Gohma hummed.

Linkle yelped as the Lizalfos lunged at her, blade whipping forward, slamming into her shield. She staggered back.

"Ooh, that looks alarming." Gohma hummed, skittering up the wall. The floor didn't really have many safe places to stand for a beast of her bulk. Luckily, only one of the Lizalfos had leapt out to lunge at Linkle, so Gohma could just drop on the second, crushing it. "You got this kid!"

It was one thing to fight the monsters that only had teeth and claws to do battle. It was another to fight ones with actual weaponry, and the skills to use them.

"I very much don't got this! " Linkle yelped, as the lightning-quick reptile thrust and swiped its blade at her with a giggle. She ducked behind her shield and rushed forward, bashing it in the face. The Lizalfos staggered as the hunk of wood slammed into it, nursing a broken tooth. Linkle pressed her advantage. She wasn't skilled in the slightest with her blade, but she was fast and the sword was sharp.

The Lizalfos gurgled in surprise as the blade sank into its midsection, and it crumpled to the floor.

"We have got to find someone who can teach you how to fight." Navi sighed, giving Linkle a reassuring little bop on the head as the small girl gasped for breath.

"YOU DIDN'T SAY THE ADULTS COULD BREATHE FIRE!" Gohma wailed, rolling back and forth as she tried to extinguish herself, her carapace protecting her from the worst of the burns, but it was still obviously very painful. Navi sheepishly fluttered above her.

"I would have but you DID sort of just jump right in and try to attack it before I could warn you…"

Luckily, despite their flame-breath, their armor made them slow, so Linkle was able to harass them from behind until each Dodongo had been blown up.

"Oh no." Gohma and Navi both chorused, as Linkle opened the leather bag, revealing it to be packed full of bombs. Linkle hummed, pulling one out. She blinked in shock as the fuse lit the moment she held it up, and with a panicked little yelp, she tossed it hard as she could, diving behind cover to avoid the blast.

The hole that the bomb left in the wall was a pretty good testament to its power, and Linkle sheepishly rubbed her head as her two travel companions glared at her.

"...Sorry." She mumbled. "I thought you had to, like… actually light the fuse…?"

"...that is a good point. Whoever designed this was clearly brainless because what the hell keeps them from just lighting up in the bag?"

"I'll just be glad the bag seems fireproof and heatproof."

"Well, yeah!" Navi bobbed. "It's made of leather from a Dodongo stomach!"

"Ew! Ew ew ew!" Linkle grimaced, but tied the bag to her belt nonetheless.

"I think I hate this place." Gohma hummed, her eye flitting about as she observed the flaming Keese darting about the ceiling, watching the trio, plotting an assault. They were small, but they were on fire.

"Doesn't that hurt?" Linkle pondered as she looked up at the burning bats.

"We're totally fireproof!" One crowed, dive-bombing her. Linkle casually ducked, avoiding the attack.

"Yeah, but does it hurt ?"

"Oh, more than you can imagine. My every moment is one of ceaseless agony. I- awk! "

Linkle silenced the Keese by firing her slingshot at it, striking him down instantly.

"Wow, cold." Gohma hummed, attaching herself to the wall, rather than risk the narrow bridge that Linkle was carefully crossing. Navi fluttered thoughtfully.

"Hm, we're back in the main room, huh?" She mused, looking down at the entrance below them. She wandered over to a tablet against one wall.

"The pathway will open when the Dodongo sees red. Uh…" She glanced around the room, where the glow of the lava below made everything seem to be red.

"Magma." Navi corrected. "Well, that's not very helpful. What are we supposed to-"

Linkle was giggling as she raised a bomb above one of the giant skull's eye sockets, and Navi groaned.

"What are you doing?! "

"I see a hole, I'm gonna stick a bomb in it!" She replied cheerily, dropping the explosive down below.

Incredibly, the flashing boom seemed to permanently change the color of the skull's socket, making it a nice red. Navi groaned.

"I hate dungeon logic." She griped as Linkle bombed the second eyeball. Slowly, the huge head began to shudder, the mouth dropping open and revealing a tunnel.

Linkle cheerfully entered the mouth as if it were a regular door and not the horrific, gaping maw of a corpse.

"Oh this is unsettling." Gohma paused, glancing back out of the mouth.

"First time you've been in a giant mouth?" Navi asked dryly.

Linkle groaned. She had fallen a solid distance, and was flat on her face.

"You okay down there?" Gohma called down dryly. She couldn't see how Linkle had missed the hole there. Not that she could follow; the gap was a bit too small. "I'll see if I can find a way to pull you out."

"No need." A voice that rumbled the earth replied. "I can… remove her myself."

Linkle looked up and found herself staring into a slowly opening maw, the sounds of air rushing into it past her.

"Oh." She squeaked, scrabbling backwards. "Oh dear-"

And then, out came a massive jet of flames. Linkle squealed, diving aside, cursing as she was forced to hurl away her flaming Deku shield.

" That thing cost me forty rupees! " She whined, turning to face the massive reptile, easily twice the size of Gohma.

INFERNAL DINOSAUR

(AKA: BIG DAMN LIZARD)

KING DODONGO

Linkle watched as the massive creature began lumbering towards her.

"NO TIME FOR THERE TO BE A FULL SIZE ONE, HUH?!" She shrieked up at Navi.

"Lord Ganondorf was kind enough to bring my people back from the grave." Rumbled the massive reptile, a frighteningly toothy smile gracing his face as he dragged himself towards Linkle, a mocking gleam in his eyes. "The least I can do for him is terrorize the descendants of our destroyers into submission! But if a nice snack falls down here, I'll gladly indulge!"

Linkle, not seeing many other options, leapt forward with a slash.

Her sword bounced off the scales like a fly off a castle barricade.

"How adorable." The King chuckled, raising a huge foot above Linkle, slamming it down. She rolled forward swiftly, ducking under his claws and scrambling under his body behind him. He grumbled, the narrow path a bit too difficult for turning his massive bulk around in. Even a Dodongo probably wasn't keen on taking a stroll through a pit of magma.

Instead, he went the long way.

Very, very slowly. Linkle snorted in amusement, until he rolled into a ball, beginning to hurtle much more quickly.

"This blows!" She squealed, her legs pumping as she found herself being pursued by a rolling mass of dinosaur. "Damn it!"

"Language!" Navi scolded from above.

"Bite me!" Linkle shouted back. "You're not my mom!"

"I'm the closest thing you got, kid!"

"What does that make me?" Gohma mused.

"You can be the cool aunt!" Linkle shouted as she pressed herself tight into a corner, as Dodongo hurtled into the wall, barely missing her.

"Sweet! The kid thinks I'm cool." Gohma preened.

"I'm feeling rather disrespected right now." The Dodongo King growled, facing Linkle down, mouth beginning to open slowly.

He stopped when Linkle chucked something down his throat.

"Glkh! Urhg!" He stumbled, before being forced to swallow, lest he choke. "You really- what the hell was that?"

"A bomb!" Linkle cheerfully waved the bomb bag in the air.

"That thing is made from the stomach of my kin!" He roared, angrily, before Linkle's statement fully registered in his brain. "A… A bomb."

"Yep." Linkle turned, grinning. "Three… Two… One…"

The explosion was muffled, but it clearly had an impact. King Dodongo flopped to the floor, mouth half-open, gurgling as smoke erupted from his gullet.

"Linkle! His throat! It doesn't look as armored as the rest of him!" Navi shouted. Linkle lunged, whipping her blade forward, sinking it deep into the King's throat.

The air was filled with light.

"Wha…? Again?" Navi bobbed in confusion. The air hissed and crackled, magma beginning to cool.

"Hm, this girl's got somethin special to her." Gohma mused, watching King Dodongo. The heavy reptile was shuddering, black smoke pulsing out of his body. Linkle stumbled back, dragging her sword out with her.

"Blurgh…" The King groaned. "I have the worst headache… I feel like I chugged eight bottles of Chateau Romani…"

Linkle glanced at her left hand, still clutching her sword, weirded out.

"Do I have like, anti-evil powers in my hand?" She mumbled, visibly weirded out.

"If she does, this adventure might have just become a lot easier." Navi mused.

That's all for now! Goodnight Everybody!