Ura Zelda 64: The Goddess's Ocarina
Enki Gor, the Obsessed Goron Scholar
The Goron tribe was never truly known for being much more than mountain dwellers with strong fingers that were adept at making blades and bombs. They led very simple lives, preferring to roll down the mountain as a test of strength and eat rocks. Their mining in Dodongo's Cavern gave them the food they loved and they were happy to supply other tribes with materials they found within the mountain, materials that Gorons themselves saw no worth in keeping. Iron, gemstones and their supply of bombs gave the Gorons a booming economy.
But where did Gorons originate from? Not even they knew.
One Goron, whose father would always chastise him for being so curious, was determined to find out the history of their tribe. The Gorons didn't really care much about the past but he went from being curious to obsessed.
Enki Gor soon found himself the butt of many Goron jokes and gossip but his discoveries were astounding. The lone Goron had traveled deep into the mountain and kept finding etchings in the walls. The etchings of old Goron script were very worn out but one word was always consistent: turtle. Enki Gor concluded that Gorons may have once been turtles that lived in the mountain and had their forms changed when the Triforce still existed within Hyrule. With permission from the king, he was granted more studying material from Hyrule Castle's own collection of books. He learned that he was correct, that Gorons a hundred years ago not just evolved from turtles that used to dwell on the mountain but they still retained many characteristics that Gorons kept today. The way a Goron curls himself up and can take heavy hitting blows on his back was reminiscent of the way a turtle curls itself into its protective shell.
Yet, despite these discoveries, no one in his tribe cared.
One brief passage in a book described the Gorons as not only being born from turtles originally, they actually used to WORSHIP the form of the turtle. Gorons of old described the form of the turtle as being "god-like" and Enki Gor felt his blood pump with excitement when he learned there was another cavern somewhere on Death Mountain. A sacred place called Turtle Rock Cavern was once a place where Gorons worshiped and held rituals for young Gorons to go from boy to man. It was even thought that this was where new Gorons were born, as their tribe had no female members. New Gorons were still born but the process was much more complicated now and it seemed only the leader ever cared about reproducing.
Enki Gor's obsession grew. He HAD to find this cavern! Perhaps his tribe could steadily repopulate and grow just as well as Hylians and Zoras could! The Goron numbers had been steadily waning over time. Mountain living was dangerous. The Gorons were hardy but there was not a creature alive that could survive a fall from two hundred feet in the air. Some younger Gorons had been pushing the definition of "true strength" a bit too far and that resulted in untimely deaths.
The Goron scholar was ready to scope the entirety of the mountain to find where this cavern was buried. But before he could even begin his expedition, he was sacrificed by Twinrova.
Enki Gor fell into a deep depression when he arrived in the Dark World. He had little interest in eating or helping to build the village for survival. He was still hyper focused on Turtle Rock Cavern and wished he could get home. Unfortunately, his heart was so chaotic from the depression, his wish on the Triforce could not be granted.
Only a few years later and Enki Gor hadn't succumbed to his depression yet. Zeth approached him and told him he had another idea on how Enki Gor could return home. Help Zeth become a god and Zeth would give him anything he wanted. Enki Gor was so desperate, he readily accepted Zeth's offer.
Nothing would stand in his way. Even if the other people had to die, Enki Gor had to live and return home.
The power of earth was far greater than fire was. Mud, rocks and even pools of quicksand made for deadly traps. He knew the path wasn't impossible to cross but it would be difficult. Those twins may have beaten Notus but Notus was a loud and spoiled child. He was better. He was smart, calculating and cunning. He was also as strong as a rock and enforced his skin with tougher plates of metal. He never was good at blacksmithing so his armor was simple yet shoddy.
The monsters he controlled were more terrifying than anything Notus had. Geldmans, Deadrocks, Devalants, even a group of Club Moblins. Enki Gor preferred relying on his terrain traps more than monsters but the monsters were a nice help.
He was prepared. Those children were going to die and his palace would bury them.
The trek over to Rockfall Mountain was even more dangerous than the walk to the forest. Linika and Rythern had to find a path through Thunder Plains without disturbing the monster that lived there. The constant lightning strikes unnerved them both. Rythern kept both of them safe with a constant Nayru's Love being cast as they moved through the charred landscape.
"I'm going to hate coming back here," he grumbled.
"Yeah, I'm not a fan of all this lightning, either," Linika agreed. "I'm glad you decided to save your magic for this instead of trying to cast a barrier over the village. I don't think you or I would survive without your spell."
"Aginah insisted they didn't need my help so I listened. Decision making isn't done by just one person, you know. That's why Mother and I have a small counsel to help us. Ultimately, the final word rests with us but we still listen to everything that people like Chancellor Arn, Banzetta, the steward and the other tribes' leaders have to say," Rythern said. "You know, Father sits in on those meetings as well. Even if he hates it, he knows that his word has some power."
"Yeah, I know..." Linika said wistfully. "But Dad always told me he feels out of place during those meetings. The last one he went to, Mother and Chancellor Arn just talked over him and completely made him feel like he wasn't even in the room."
"That must have been the one I had to miss because I drank some bad milk..." Rythern recalled. "Father must have tried to sit in for me. I always try to make sure everyone is included in the conversation at hand and everyone is talking. If what you said is true, that's really uncharacteristic of Mother and our chancellor."
Linika shrugged. "Dad would never lie to me, Ry. And the way both of them tend to treat me and Dad...yeah, I believe him."
"The chancellor is just worried, Linika," Rythern said. "I think he feels some personal responsibility for Mother because he and Impa essentially raised her after our grandfather was killed. But no matter what, he was never a king so making sure Mother became the queen she was meant to be must have been stressful and worrying."
"Mmmm, I dunno...I feel like-" Linika was interrupted by another lightning strike. "Yikes!"
"Lin..." Rythern stopped and looked around. "I'm sensing something approaching."
"Ry, don't stop!" Linika grabbed him. "We need to keep moving! If we stop, we're putting ourselves at a huge risk for being struck!"
Rythern tried to keep up with his sister as they rushed forward. A loud screech interrupted the sounds of thunder and Rythern's head shot up. In the air was a massive, disfigured bird-like being. The monster had no beak but it was covered in feathers and had large wings flapping madly. When it opened its mouth, a large set of fangs glinted down at the twins. Rythern felt himself tremble at the very sight.
"That has to be Thunderbird..." Linika whispered. "Maybe we can end it right here and now! Rythern, try your arrows! Get it to come down and I'll finish it!"
"I...I..." Rythern's hands shook as he tried to grip his bow.
"Ry, come on! Have courage!" Linika urged. Sparks started to crackle around Thunderbird and it screeched. "Hurry!"
"I...I can't get a grip!" Rythern said, unable to stop himself from shaking. His nerves were causing his magic to slip and Nayru's Love was beginning to flicker.
"SHIT!" Linika threw herself and Rythern to the ground as Thunderbird blasted a powerful force of lightning at them. The ground where they stood began to smoke. "I can't reach it from here! Come on, Ry, you have to do something!"
Rythern tried to steady himself as Linika stood up and pulled him to his feet. Taking a breath to try and calm himself down, he raised his bow again and shot an arrow at the monster. The arrow stuck itself into Thunderbird's body but it didn't even flinch. It just screeched more and began to crackle again.
"Can't you use a spell or something?!" Linika was beginning to panic.
"If I stood here and tried every spell I knew, I'm either going to die or exhaust my magic again! We need to run! We'll ask Aginah about it later!" Rythern grabbed his sister's hand this time. "Let's go!"
Unable to think of a counterargument, Linika quickly followed. They rushed for the mountain ahead of them. Thunderbird started to follow them but it stopped when it saw all the sliding mud and tumbling rocks. With a disapproving noise, Thunderbird retreated back to its palace.
"That thing is nasty-looking...Rauru said that was once a Zora that transformed himself into that monster," Linika said in awe.
"You have to have a lot of mental scarring to turn yourself into something like that," Rythern said. "Something must have happened to that Zora to have turned himself into something so horrific."
"All the Evil Sages seem to have something Zeth must have used against them to convince them to help him...Notus was a spoiled brat who wanted to be a Goddess," Linika said.
"Enki Gor mentioned something about everyone in the village standing in the way of his life's work when he was threatening Rala and the children," Rythern mused. "He must be desperate to find a way back to Hyrule. Zeth must have known that and convinced him helping him was the only way out of this world."
"And that...thing..." Linika said, referring to Thunderbird. "I don't think its got a mind left, Ry."
"We'll figure Thunderbird out later. Enki Gor's waiting for us to scale the mountain."
"I think you mean die on his mountain," Linika deadpanned. "So let's prove him wrong." She took the Hover Boots out of her pocket and restored them back to their normal size. As she changed boots, Rythern cast the Jump spell on himself. "Are you sure you'll be able to make it by just jumping?"
"If I can't, I have a different spell I can use...I just don't like that spell much." Rythern made a face just from thinking about it.
"Too bad there's no metal on this mountain. The magnet gloves would have been helpful. Oh well, let's try and find a way to the top. This mountain is obviously Death Mountain's counterpart so I think we're going to need to find a way inside the mountain. I just hope this one isn't a volcano, too," Linika said.
"Too?" Rythern questioned as they started to move forward.
"You didn't know? Death Mountain is an active volcano. The inside of it is filled with lava. Though it only ever erupts when evil is plaguing the mountain so it's harmless most of the time," Linika said, going from solid ground to solid ground and dodging the slippery mud. "Honestly, dear brother. You're going to rule Hyrule someday. Shouldn't you know everything about your own country?"
"I only ever knew Death Mountain as just a mountain. Not a volcano." Rythern's excuse was weak and he knew it.
"Well, that aside, it'll be tough for us to resist heat. I did make sure to pick up a pair of Goron-made clothing that's suppose to help with that. Still, I really hate sweating so I really hope it doesn't come to that," Linika said. "Rock!" The twins got out of the way as a massive boulder rolled past them.
"How far do you think we need to go?" Rythern asked worriedly.
"I'm not sure. I guess we just need to follow the path until we find a way into the mountain. Sometimes I wish I had some kind of ability to fly," Linika grumbled. Rythern paused and looked down at his sister from a higher point. "What? For a mountain like this, going up would be easier with wings!"
"I know...I was just...alright, fine." Rythern started chanting another spell. He gave Linika a scornful look before his form changed into a much smaller being with wings.
"Rythern...did you just turn into a fairy?" Linika stared at the tiny Rythern who now sported wings in his small form. Rythern folded his arms angrily.
"I REALLY hate this spell but yes. I discovered this old spell that allowed Hylians to transform into fairies in one of the old forbidden books that Arn wouldn't let me read. I let my curiosity get the better of me and I found this. I think it was discovered by an old hero who married our ancestor," Rythern said.
"Why do you hate it? That's so cool!" Linika exclaimed.
"Because I HATE being a fairy!" Rythern huffed. "Look, this magic takes a lot out of me so I don't have much time. I'll fly up higher and see if I can spot some entry point."
"Too bad you can't carry me," Linika teased.
"Shut up." Rythern flew off, leaving Linika by herself. She continued to move forward as mud slid over the solid ground. The mountain seemed to rumble and Linika looked up in horror to see a huge rock slide coming down at her. She quickly looked around and spotted a small nook in the path.
"Time to hide!" she yelped and ducked into the nook as the rocks tumbled by. Minutes went by and the rocks began to slow down. Through the crashing sounds, she could hear Rythern calling for her.
"Linika! Where are you?"
"In here!" Linika called back. The rocks finally stopped and she was able to peek out. Rythern was on a ledge on the other side of the path they were on, back to his full size. "I had to get away from the rocks. They started coming down after you had left."
"I'm glad you're okay. I saw the rocks tumbling when I was in the air and...well, never mind. I found a wall that I think you can scale up. It goes deeper in the mountain. That's likely where the palace is hiding," Rythern said as Linika left the nook.
"A wall that I can scale? What about you?"
"What do you think? I'll fly up, of course!" Rythern said.
"I thought you said that it'll drain your magic," Linika retorted. Rythern gave her a sly grin and took a flask out of his robe. He drank the contents and whispered the spell to turn him back into a fairy. "WHY YOU-!"
"See you at the top, Sis." Rythern flew off, leaving Linika fuming.
"Damnit, I wish I could fly, too...stupid Rythern," Linika grumbled and started forward. She glanced up the mountain and groaned. Walking long distances was one thing but climbing walls was another. Linika had a feeling the tables had turned and she would be the one needing a break once she got to the top.
The twins are really starting to grow closer. Or so I'd like to think.
Everything about the Goron lore was made up by me. Well, most of it. The part about Gorons mining gemstones that they believed were useless until they discovered Hylians would pay top price for them (taken from the wiki, sourced from Creating A Champion: Although they eat rocks they do not enjoy the taste of gemstones, and once considered them worthless before learning that other races will spend money to buy them.)
The spell Rythern uses to turn into a fairy is another spell taken directly from Zelda 2. Interestingly enough, the Space World 97 demo of Ocarina of Time also includes a spell that turns Link into a fairy. My guess is they cut it out because that kind of freedom in a 3D space would cause a lot of gameplay problems at the time. It makes exploring those maps really helpful, though.
Thunderbird is one of the two final bosses in Zelda 2. This incarnation of him has a backstory I'm giving him but the monster is exactly the same as the one in the game. If you look up his official artwork, you can see how creepy it looks.
That's all for now! Hope you enjoyed this!