Ah, blacksmiths. Where would society today be without them?
Probably in roughly the same place, though we wouldn't have a lot of the cool things we have now.
But who cares, she makes stuff for us, and that's nice.
Chapter 12
Sparks
Link had quite the time to kill. Three day's worth of time, to be exact, before he received his next piece of equipment for his quest, that being a new set of weapons.
So, he asked himself, what would be the best way to spend that time?
The answer to that lay within the fiery depths of Death Mountain, home of the Gorons.
Link was currently nearing Kakariko Village on Epona, Marze resting comfortably on his shoulder.
"So, where are we headed to next?" asked Marze, as Link had merely saddled up and headed off after leaving Petra's forge.
"Death Mountain. I wanna check out the Goron Mines about that monster that invaded them. It might have another Starlight Coin. Maybe the other 5 problem-having areas have monster bearing Starlight Coins... Well, I guess if I'm going to fight God-like beings, equipping myself properly using those wouldn't be a bad idea..."
"Just be careful," said Marze. "Starlight Coins can be very dangerous if used improperly."
"Them I'll just use them properly," Link said with a smirk.
Marze rolled his eyes. Kids these days, he thought.
And with that, Link continued on his way to Kakariko. After all, he needed to gear up before heading to Death Mountain, an active volcano of all places.
Riding into town, Marze hid under his cloak, as he always did. No one needed to see that little Stardrake, as that would raise too many questions and attention to himself. Stopping near the entrance, he dismounted and took a look around town. It seemed... quieter there this time around. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye, up on the cliffs that surrounded the town. He looked, only to see a huge horned figure do what looked like laughing before exiting the area.
Marze saw the figure from the depths of Link's cloak, and he felt the little dragon tense up.
"What's wrong?" Link asked.
"That was one of the Five Generals..." Marze said quietly in fear. "The Earth Shaker."
"'The Earth Shaker,' huh?" Link asked, looking up to the cliff. "I might just have a better look at him myself..."
"But no, you ca-!" Marze yelled, though Link cut him off.
"Don't worry, I won't fight him. If push comes to shove, then I'll run. I known I can't face him yet," Link said before heading off to the cliff this 'Earth Shaker' had been standing upon, scaling it quickly thanks to some rather conveniently places vines. Reaching the top, he didn't see anyone standing there, only a strange statue standing near 12' tall, not including the large pedestal it was resting upon.
"Who in Hylia's name would leave a statue here?" remarked Link as he approached the colossal statue, reading the inscription left there.
Hehe. Not today kid. But soon, I'll take pride in ending your life as slowly as I wish. Until next time, Hero.
"So," Link said in mild horror, "that happened."
"Not only is his raw physical strength preposterous," said Marze, "but he also possess command over the earth that defies reason."
"Right," said Link. "Anyway, we should head back down to the village, see what leads we can get on what in Hylia's name is going on in the Goron Mines."
"Agreed," said Marze as Link made his way back down to the main village via the same vines as before. Remembering which house belonged to Remono, the village Shaman, he knocked on the door, awaiting an answer. It took a little while, but he eventually heard locks being undone, resulting in the door opening to reveal a young girl, likely in her early teens, maybe around 14.
"Who..." she said quietly, "who are you?"
"The Hooded Demon," Link responded, bowing a little to show his respect. "Might I ask why the town is so... quiet?"
"That's not the concern of those not from town," she replied, trying to close the door, though Link held it open.
"Is something wrong? Maybe I can help," Link assured, though the girl shook her head.
"We don't need your help!" she shouted, and she was about to slam the door, but another voice from within stopped her.
"Cisia, let... Let him in *cough cough*," said a familiar voice, though weak unlike before.
The girl, Cisia, moved to the side to allow Link through, and he was surprised to see Remono bedridden. He had seemed to be quite a resolute man, but here he was, stuck in bed and ill.
"Remono?" Link asked, kneeling next to his bed. "What's going on in town? Where is everyone? Not only that, but what happened to you?"
"A monster has recently *cough* made its nest in the Goron Mines. Not only has it *cough cough* made it nearly impossible for the Gorons to actually mine, but it has also *cough cough* made going near the mines themselves nearly fatal, some kind of... airborne pathogen that is deadly even to the *cough COUGH* Gorons... *COUGH COUGH COUGH*!" managed Remono before breaking into a coughing fit. Link gave him a moment before he managed to continue. " Many of the villagers had tried to go and help, but those that returned could barely walk. And I heard you say you wanted to help, but I fear that might not be possible. *Cough* The pathogen is almost instantly fatal to Hylains, and even the *cough* Gorons cannot be exposed to it for long before suffering the same fate..."
"Then I'll just find a different way in then," said Link, patting Remono on the shoulder. "Thank you. The information I have now is invaluable."
Remono nodded, coughing once again as Link stood back up. Cisia merely stood in front of the door, scowling as Link walked towards it.
"We don't need your help. I'll fix this all on my own," she said coldly before stepping out of the way, Link leaving. However, before he closed the door, he stared at her with his cold blue gaze.
"I've heard that before. I'm the reason the person who said it still alive," said Link, referring to Abel before he joined him when he blazed Skyview Temple.
Cisia merely glared at him before she closed the door, Link merely rolling his eyes.
"Kids these days," he said before heading off towards the direction he remembered Death Mountain to be in. Making his way up the path, he saw that a large amount of the Goron population had shifted their homes to there, making it mildly difficult to weave his way through.
"Turn back," said an elderly Goron as Link passed him. Link merely shook his head and continued up the slope to the volcano. When he came to the top, he looked around to see some kind of green haze covering the area, and it actually covered every visible entrance to the mines. In fact, it came pouring out of the main entrance, though it was slight darker there.
"So, this is that airborne pathogen Remono was talking about," Link said as he looked around.
"Indeed it is," said Marze as he shifted to Link's shoulder.. "Any ideas?"
"My best guess is that it might be flammable, but I don't have anything to maintain a good fire."
"I might have the solution to that," said Marze.
"What, can you breathe fire?" Link asked.
"No," Marze said, almost offended. "What gave you that idea?"
"N-Nothing..." Link said, still thinking about the Dragon the Hero of Twilight had fought, Argorok, a cataclysmic being capable of spewing flames as breath.
"What I can do is teach you how to make Starfire, though it may require you to use magic if you can't find the ingredients," Marze said.
"Well, which one would take less time?" Link asked.
"It all depends," said Marze. "Which one would you prefer?"
"Honestly, I'd prefer magic just in case I need to use it again without needing to find the materials," Link responded after a little bit of thought.
"Well, sit back and listen, as this could be more difficult than necessary if you miss even a single detail."
OOO
"So..." Link said mildly confused, "I pretty much just have to snap my fingers while concentrating?"
"Well, without a specific Rune, all you'll be doing is, well, snapping you fingers," Marze explained.
"Well, what about this Rune?" Link asked.
"Take off your glove," Marze said, Link first taking off his left glove, only to remember the mark upon it.
"Oh, right," Link said with a slight laugh before putting his glove back on, taking his right glove off, holding out his hand. "Here."
Marze took his hand, holding out a single claw. "This might sting a bit," said Marze before he started branding a Rune onto the back of Link's hand, Link cringing a little as he did so. It only took a few minutes, but eventually Link looked at Marze's handiwork, an intricate emblem emblazoned upon the back of his hand with a small star at the bottom.
Link poked it, cringing a little. "That kind of hurt," Link said as he put his glove back on, experimentally opening and closing his hand. "Huh. I don't feel any different."
"Well, all the Rune does is focus your body's natural magic such that it can be utilized," Marze said. "I haven't done all that much but give your magic a way to be more easily harnessed."
"Well, I'm going to give it a try," said Link as he stood, turning towards the haze that was covering the area. Lifting his hand, he snapped his fingers, nothing happening. He tried a few times, but with each time he tried, nothing happened.
"You have to focus," said Marze, though Link sighed loudly.
"I am, but," he snapped again with the same result, "nothing's happening!" he shouted, snapping once again.
"Well, what are you thinking about?"
"Fire. Just igniting the gas," Link responded as he kept snapping.
"That might be the problem. Think about what's important to you. Think about your sister, Ryla."
That really got to Link.
Memories of his sister quickly entered Link's mind, though they were quickly replaced by the memory of Dark Link taking her.
Angry now, Link snapped again, this time releasing a sizable golden blaze from his fingertips.
"Whoa!" he said in surprise, staggering back as the fire exploded from his hand. He watched as it traveled forward, though it stopped before reaching the gas that surrounded the area.
"Well, that was disappointing," Link said as he got a little bit closer, though the disgusting scent of the gas prevented him from getting too much closer. With another snap, he sent another wave of flames at the gas, and though he was sure it reached it this time, there were no signs that the gas ignited at all.
"Damn it," said Link as he snapped a few more times, his fire still doing nothing except creating little pockets in the gas. "Well, there goes all of my ideas," said Link as he sat down. "You got anything?"
"Well, though the fire was still a good idea, you might need something new," said Marze as he returned to Link's shoulder.
"And what might that be?" Link asked, sending a few random sparks off to experiment with his new spell. "Hehe. Sparks," he said, inadvertently naming his new technique.
"Something known as a Crest. They're relics from the Land of the Stars that might be helpful in this situation. In particular, you might want the Tempest Crest. It should purify any polluted air you come across, letting you breathe without worrying about being poisoned."
"Where is the Crest, then?" Link asked.
"Well, you might not like this, but the Tempest Crest was with Petra last time I checked, so you'll have to head back to her forge to get it, and it might not be cheap."
"I guess I'll just have to deal with that then," said Link as he turned back towards the exit to the area, once again walking past the Gorons, who marveled at the fact that he was still alive and well.
Making his way back to Epona, he rode back up through eastern Hyrule Field and through Castle Town. Luckily, even though he saw Virtus as he rode through town (Riding through Castle town was allowed yet frowned upon if there was no good reason), Virtus didn't notice him, so he went without an altercation. Reaching the spot for Petra's shop, he saw that instead of the boulder, it was now a well-built shop with a sign that read 'Mistress Reinhart's,' Link remembering Petra's last name to be Reinhart.
Knocking of the counter, it took a moment before Petra made her way up some stairs in the back, holding a bundle over her shoulder.
"Welcome to Mistress Reinhart's, how can I he- Ah it's you," she said with a small smile. "I know I just saw you yesterday, but it's good to see that you're still well. So, what can I help you with? Here to check on the progress on your sword and shield?"
"No, actually," Link said as he lowered his hood and mask. "I might need something from you."
Petra was slightly confused. "What do you mean?"
"I need something called a 'Tempest Crest' in order to help some people out. There's a large amount of some poisonous gas surrounding the Goron Mines, preventing anyone from entering. I need to Tempest Crest to enter and see if I can't fix it."
"The Goron Mines?" she asked. "In that case, of course!"
"What?" Link asked. Was it really going to be that easy?
"Yeah!" she responded, rather cheerful now. "The materials from the Goron Mines are like nothing that I've seen before! They make the hardest yet lightest weapons I've ever crafted. Even the gear I'm forging for you is made of Goron-mined metals. Even then, they mine so much of it that it's actually pretty cheap, so it's very nice. I might even permanently set up shop here, as ever since I opened the store, people have been willing to spend quite a great deal even for my more mediocre works."
"Oh, so you're selling your weapons now?" Link asked, surprised.
"Well, I have you to thank for that. I thought that if you were willing to risk so much for my world, then... maybe Hylians truly are a nice people. Especially you. I'm glad I got to meet you, Link," Petra said, smiling.
Link merely blushed. "But, um, uh, so, uh, what about that sword of mine?"
Petra laughed a bit at his response. "Hehehe, I'm just teasing. It's going fine. I'll go grab it and the Crest from my main forge downstairs. You can come with me if you want- I remodeled!"
Link shrugged and followed Petra into her shop through the side door and down the stairs, as now there were stairs.
"I wasn't even gone for a day," Link said as he marveled at the now presentable area- it looked like the inside of a house now instead of a cave. "How did you possibly manage this?"
"You think Marze and I were the only ones to escape? A friend of mine, a stonemason, managed this thanks to some magic. Speaking of which, can you use any magic? Just curious."
"Only a spell Marze taught me a little bit ago. A little bit of Starfire."
"He already trusts you that much? You really are something, Valion."
"No, I'm nothing special," said Link, blushing once again, Petra laughing once again.
"Wow, you don't have much experience with girls, do you?"
"Only my sister," Link responded.
"Oh you have a sister?" Petra asked. "I think I'd like to meet her sometime."
"I- You can't," Link replied sadly. "She was abducted by Dark Link."
"Oh! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-!"
"Petra, it's fine," Link said as he put a hand on her shoulder. "You had no way of knowing. You have nothing to be sorry for."
"It's just," she said, "I feel really bad now... I'm really sorry."
Link rolled his eyes and walked past her. "I told you, it's fine. I'm going to get her back someday. No matter what, I'll protect her like I always have."
Petra found herself becoming even more fond of Link. He truly was a man who would protect what he loved with everything he had.
She felt her face grow hot. She wasn't blushing... was she?
Quickly catching up with Link, they entered the main forge, what Petra claimed was for her real projects; the forge on the ground floor was for standard sword for standard people. Grabbing a golden blade from the forge, she held it out to Link. He saw that the shield was next to the forge as well, and it was going along smoothly as well.
"They look good so far, Petra," Link said as he grabbed the blade. Though It didn't have a cutting edge to it yet, he could tell the sword was going to be fantastic. The balance was nearly perfect, and it was longer than his current sword, meaning his reach was going to be improved.
"Glad you think so!" she said with a smile. "Oh, yeah, the Crest!" Let me go grab it for you!"
Link smiled and sat down at the table she had set up in the forge, looking around the room. It truly looked nice in there now with the addition of the walls, floor, and ceiling, and even some fine art that really tied the room together alongside some decorative blades.
Petra came back a few moments later with a emerald relic that glowed with a subtle green light much like the Starlight Coin did in gold, though the Crest looked more like it was infused with a variation of the Hylian Crest. Taking it, he strapped it to his belt, as Marze had explained that it needed to be exposed to the polluted air to function.
"Thank you so much for all you're doing to help me, Petra. I don't know how, but I'll do my best to repay you someday."
"Just keep your promises," she said, smiling. "Do that and I'll help you as much as I can."
Link smiled and gave her a short hug before turned back towards the stairs. "You're the best!" he said before running back up the stairs.
Petra merely stood there, a heavy blush on her face.
OOO
Returning to Death Mountain, Link experimentally held out the Tempest Crest to the haze, and to his relief the green air quickly grew clear. Putting the Crest back to his belt, he made his way around the area, clearing as much of the toxic gas as he could, finally making his way to the top of the mountain where the entrance to the mines was.
"Well, here we are, Marze. The Goron Mines. I wonder what In Hylia's name is going on to cause this poison though..."
"We'll find out soon enough," the Stardrake replied before landing on his shoulder, Link taking a deep breath of the (thankfully) clean air.
"Here goes nothing," said Link before heading into the Goron Mines.
In the distance, a familiar little girl was angrily looking at the entrance.
"I'll show them," Cisia said, grabbing a knife from her pouch. "We don't need these foreigners to deal with our problems for us," she said before climbing up to the mines after Link.
And so, we come again to the end of the chapter. But forgive my fangasm about to happen, but...
OMG The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild looks so goddamn BEAUTIFUL! If any of you have yet to see the trailer, YOUR LIFE HAS YET TO BE COMPLETE. I had goosebumps (Chicken Skin as it was so wonderfully named at E3) the whole time... Nintendo, shut up and take my money!
Link's little fire spell, Sparks, is basically Igni from Witcher 3 at this point. It will eventually get stronger, but right now it's just a little bit of fire with mildly limited range.
Also, if at any point any of you guys were reading my stories and you were a bit confused about my explanations for how certain characters looked, I've tried to fix that by posting the links (Hehe) to the original images on my profile. So far, you can see the originals for:
Crazed Blade Oni from Courage of the Earth,
Human Majora from Courage of the Earth,
Minora Terminus from Courage of the Earth,
Kage from Courage of the Earth,
and Sebastian Steele from pretty much everything I've written so far.
OniHelix out!