Chapter 8: Excavation
"So where exactly are we going?" asked Ren.
"..." (Link). He said that they were going to find the Radiating Stone before Lord Grateau does.
"How do you plan to do that? Even he didn't know where it was," said Ren.
"Well, he doesn't have three scholarly people who know almost everything about Hyrule," said Robin.
"You mean that guy at the dungeon who read Grateau's book?" said Ren.
"Yeah, that guy, and his two friends," said Chrom.
"Can't wait to meet them," Ren said sarcastically.
They walked to Telma's Bar, and Shad, Ashei and Auru were outside.
"Link, we were just getting ready to go to you. We looked into the radiating stone like you told us to," said Shad. "A stone with similar qualities appears to be in with the Gorons, and it dates back to their foundation at Death Mountain."
"How fast can we get there?" asked Chrom.
"It's afternoon right now. We should get there before night," said Shad.
"I'll be with you too," said a familiar voice.
Zelda arrived at the alley, not as Zelda, but as Sheik. Just as she looked when they went to Gerudo Desert, she was armed with a knife, needles, and her face was covered except for her eyes.
"Who is this?" Ren asked.
"..." (Link). He answered that it was Zelda's alter ego.
"Umm, nice to meet you, your highness," stammered Ren. He kneeled down. "So, no hard feelings for trying to assassinate you, right?"
"Uh, you're pardoned. Also, don't blow my cover," Sheik responded.
Kakariko Village, sundown
The party of Link, Chrom, Robin, Ren'kir, Shad, Ashei, Auru, and Sheik arrived at the gates of Kakariko Village. The walls stood high, using the sides of the basin as support. Two Gorons were at the top, guarding it. They were an industrial race, having set up the Goron Mines. The Gorons and Renado built the walls after the Shadow Invasion, to ensure that any remaining bulbins could not enter the village easily.
"Who goes there?" shouted one of the Gorons.
"It is Link. Let him through," said the other Goron.
"Okay. Hold on for a few seconds," shouted the first Goron.
The Gorons walked to the center of the wall's top walkway, and each pulled a lever up, perpendicular to the floor. The levers released the door, opening the gate to the village. The party entered. Renado, Luda, and Barnes were all inside, with the only people outside being the Gorons. The sky was getting darker, and the orange light of the village was diminishing.
"Night already," said Ren. "Couldn't we just have Midna warp us through, using a portal?"
"..." (Link). Link said that it might or might not be possible. She's warped a bridge twice, but a normal person might become a spirit.
"I mean, Kakariko Village is a bit ominous at night," said Ren.
"During the Shadow Invasion, yes, but it was much better after Zant and Ganondorf were defeated," said Sheik.
"..." (Link). Link said that the Gorons keep a tight guard, since Link has wrestled with Gorons before.
A Goron approached them, and said "Fellow travelers, how are you faring?"
"We're faring well," said Chrom.
"...?" (Link). He asked if any of the Goron elders were in the village.
"They are all at Death Mountain. Do not go though, it is too dangerous right now, even for a Goron," the Goron said.
"I think we'll be fine. We've encountered worse," said Sheik.
"You certainly look prepared for combat, but invaders aren't an issue. There have been an increase of avalanches, and earthquakes. Death Mountain seems to be active right now," explained the Goron. "It is dark right now, and the Gorons have either hidden by the hot spring in the Mountain or taken refuge here."
"Seismic activity? Seems typical for Death Mountain," said Shad.
"All we can hope for is that no one gets hurt. In the morning, come find me, and I will guide you up the Mountain," said the Goron. "My name is Terro."
"..." (Link). Link said that they can stay in the vacant hotel.
The group entered the hotel, and each found a spot to stay in. Robin, Chrom, Auru, and Shad were upstairs, and Ashei and Sheik were on the bottom. Ren and Link both left the building and went outside. Link was heading to the roof of the hotel, and Ren was going to the spring.
"Why does it seem like the buildings are all vacant?" asked Robin.
"In the Shadow Invasion, the town was attacked by shadow beasts. A lot of the villagers were either killed or turned into shadow beasts themselves. In fact, I think I remember hearing about a house burning down here. Such a pity, since there are now only three human residents: A shaman named Renado, his daughter, and a bomb seller," explained Auru.
On the roof of the hotel, Link sat down, having a view of the sanctuary and the spring. He was again sitting atop, staring off, reflecting about the events that had happened. To think that the connection between the light world and the twilight realm had been fixed astounded him.
Ren sat down in the spring water, facing the rest of the village. He was thinking about how he was trapped as a Noth Grashta for months, and he was free, because Lord Grateau sent him to assassinate Zelda. Both him a Link, dragged into a conflict.
Base of Death Mountain, Morning
The group met with Terro at the base of Death Mountain in the morning. If the constant vibrations in the ground weren't unsettling enough, there were also the occasional falling rocks. They slowly trudged their way up the mountain, often stopping while Terro shielded them from a small avalanche. Robin even had to stop a rock with his magic a few times, and have Terro push the rock away. Eventually, at the spot where the land caves into an empty basin, they found a Goron, sitting against a wall of the mountain. He appeared to be exhausted. He saw the group and Terro, and called out for him.
"Terro! Thank the light spirit that you are here," he said.
"Garkoff, what happened? You look like you spent too much time in the hot spring," said Terro.
"No, the opposite. I can't get to the hot springs. The path over here was crushed by these avalanching rocks, and I can't climb up to get there," replied the Goron named Garkoff. "I tried to move them, but alas, only Darbus could do such a thing."
"I wonder if I could warp us up there," said Ren.
"..." (Link). Link replied that there was still the possibility of the rest of them turning into spirits.
"You can try it with me," said Auru. "I'm growing old anyways."
"Auru, I know death is inevitable, but why invite it early?" responed Shad.
"Hey, I won't be dead, will I?" Auru said.
"Well, I'm not entirely sure about that part," said Ren. "Although, if you agree to do so."
Ren grabbed Auru's arm, and they dismantled into black squares. Their squares warped up on to the passage that would lead to the Hot Spring. The squares reassembled into their bodies, and to the group's surprise, Auru and Ren were reconfigured normally. Auru didn't turn into a spirit.
"It worked! I'm still alive!" exclaimed Auru.
"Great, I can warp the rest of you guys up!" shouted Ren.
Ren warped them up, including Terro and Garkoff. They proceeded to traverse the path to the hot spring, with more protection from Garkoff. They walked until the found the Hot spring, where the Gorons were. They were either lounging in the spring, or sitting with a low morale. There was a shop set up, where a Goron made use of an opening in the rocks. There, the group found the leader Darbus and the four elders.
"...!" (Link). He called out to them.
"Link! Oh, how fortunate it is that you've come!" said Gor Coron, one of the elders. "The mountains are shaking, more than usual. Something has upset it. For that, we've closed off the mines."
"..." (Link). Link suggested that it might have come from the mines.
"Oh, we thoroughly checked, and survived this time. No Gorons lost either," said Gor Amoto, another elder.
"It seems that the source of the earthquakes comes from beyond that abandoned path, next to the path that leads to the mines," said Gor Liggs, another elder.
"What's beyond the path?" Ren asked.
"The old Goron sanctuary. We haven't gone there for decades. After Darbus was trapped by darkness, the path was blocked up by an avalanche. No one felt the need to unblock it, since we don't use it. Let me tell you brudda, there isn't much in that place anyway," explained Gor Ebizo, the last elder.
"Well, there is an old orange stone," said Gor Liggs. "It isn't useful for much though. I tried picking it up once, and it almost shattered from just touching it. We don't even have traps set up to protect it."
"That's definitely the Radiating Stone," said Shad.
"Terro and I can unblock the path for them," said Garkoff.
"Alright. Be careful at the sanctuary. It could easily crumble," said Darbus. "I advise that only two of you go in, incase the floor crumbles from too much weight."
"Thanks. That's very reassuring..." Ren said sarcastically.
As with before, Terro and Garkoff led the group to the sanctuary, and they crumbled the blocking boulders into pebbles. Their arms moved in slamming motions, breaking the rocks. The ground shook violently when they moved closer to the sanctuary. It had to be the source of the seismic activity.
"The path is clear. Go in, but be careful," said Terro.
"Who's going in? Darbus said that only two of us could go in," Sheik mentioned.
"I should go. I can warp out easily," said Ren.
"..." (Link). Link said that he'll go in with Ren.
"Alright," Ren said.
The two slowly trekked into the sanctuary, fearful of the ground collapsing beneath them. The sanctuary itself was not too large. Probably the same size as the one in Kakariko Village. This one was more dome-shaped, but the roof had jagged stones as the material. It was a lot like a Goron. The arch entrance was empty, with no door. The only light was from what managed to leak inside.
"It had to be made with jagged rocks..." said Ren.
They reached the inside, which was not as bad as expected. Aside from the walls and the roof being cracked, the only turn off was the darkness. Link pulled out his lantern and lit it, and as they walked to the center, he placed it down. The room lit up, revealing many cracked pots, vases, and other forms of pottery. In the room was also an anvil, a hammer, and a small pile of ores, all covered in cobwebs. Directly across from the entrance was a stone, cylindrical pedestal. Atop it was the Radiating Stone.
"There it is," said Ren. He was about to take a step, but Link held him back.
"What? The elder said that there were no traps," said Ren.
Link pointed to where Ren was about to step. There weren't any stones there. There was a gap that was too risky to jump, since the floor on the other side had jagged edges.
"For a place that has no traps, it's very well protected," said Ren.
Ren dismembered into black squares and warped to the other side. He reformed right next to the pedestal. Without hesitation, he grabbed the Radiating Stone. Just as he took it, the ground shook into a violent earthquake. The floor of the sanctuary started to crumble. Link was running back so he wouldn't fall in. Ren hastily warped to Link and grabbed him, and then warped them out. The sloppily reassembled, staggering for a bit. The sanctuary collapsed completely, and all that remained was rubble.
"Good thing Ren went in there," said Robin.
"Uh, sorry about the sanctuary," said Ren.
"Do not worry. We never used it. Not even for tribal items," said Terro.
"Now that we have the stone, what do we do with it?" asked Robin.
"..." (Link). Link said that they were going to prevent Grateau from getting it. They were going to Ylisse and storing it there.
"In Ylisse? That's very...clever actually. He won't be able to go there," said Robin. "Wait, do you hear that rumbling?"
Another Goron bolted to them, and his weight upon the ground caused the rumbles. His face had a look of distress.
"Terro, Garkhoff!" he cried out. "Attackers, they're here for the stone."
"How far up have they come?" asked Garkhoff.
"We've held them at bay at the entrance, by the climbing grid," said the Goron.
"Great, just what we need," said Chrom. "Shad, Ashei, can you two protect the stone and Auru?"
"Yeah, we can do that," said Ashei.
"Alright, everyone, head to the springs! That's where we've prepared," said the other Goron.
Goron Springs
The Gorons stood in a wall formation, holding a battle stance. They built a wall of rocks with various boulders that they broke off from the surrounding rocks. In regards to their above average size, the rocks were big enough to delay the Twili Risen. Garkoff, Terro, the other Goron, and the party arrived before the Twili Risen stormed in. Shad, Auru, and Ashei took the stone and went to the back of the springs, in the shop that one of the Gorons owned. Darbus stood in front of the shop, guarding them. His massive size blockaded the entire store, blocking out the light from shining into the store. Sheik stood farther in the back with Darbus as well.
At the moment of the Twili Risen's entrance, they hurtled through the paths with no organization. Their shouts could be heard before the party could even see them. Link observed them as they ran, ready with his shield and the Master Sword. The attackers were wielding swords, knives, and spiked clubs. A lot of them were dual wielding swords, though none of them dual wielded with knives or the spiked clubs.
"Can your bodies withstand a sword or a knife?" asked Chrom.
"Yes. But the club, I'm unsure of," said Gor Coron, who had rallied up with Link and the party. "But here goes nothing!"
The group stood as the Twili Risen tried to climb over the rocks. Robin took higher ground, and used Arcwind to blow them off the rocks. Robin alone was not enough, as their numbers managed to climb over the rocks. Chrom, Link, and Ren'kir charged forward and countered the Twili Risen as they leaped down from the rocks. Gor Coron, Terro, and Garkoff charged forward to assist Link.
On the other side of the rock barrier were half a dozen Twili Risen with spiked clubs. They struck the rocks with the clubs, and they cracked. Another one, and another swing. The rocks broke and crumbled. Link, Ren, Chrom, and the three Gorons retreated down to the springs.
"Kill the ones with the clubs first!" shouted Gor Coron. He delivered a swift punch to one of the club-wielding risen. The hit was powerful enough to incapacitate him, and break his rib cage (assuming that he still had a skeletal structure as a Noth Grashta). Gor Coron grabbed another two risen and hurled them to another Goron. That Goron quickly punched them. The overall fighting style of the Gorons was just punching, though, given their strength and their resilient bodies, they were fine against blades. However, a club wielder caught a Goron off guard, and went behind him. The Risen swung his club into the Goron's rocky back, cracking it, and leaving the Goron to fall down while screaming in pain.
Ren quickly noticed the Goron, and he jolted to the club wielder and swiftly impaled him. Ren warped the Goron to the back by Darbus, and he told him to stay put. Robin noticed the damaged Goron, and he observed the battlefield from the higher ground. There were at least a dozen Noth Grashtas wielding clubs. He jumped down and brought out the Levin Sword. He ran through the field of clashing Gorons and Grashtas, and aimlessly swung his sword at every Grashta he saw. In this surge, he killed at least a dozen of them.
Link and Chrom were running out of energy to fight. They both each had to have killed two dozen Grashtas.
"How many of them are there?!" shouted Chrom. It was four people, and two dozen Gorons (including the injured one, the four elders, and Darbus), against what seemed to be one-hundred Noth Grashtas.
In the array, a few Grashtas managed to reach the store. Darbus seamlessly did away with them. They eventually all just started to run to Darbus, ignoring Chrom, Link, Ren, Robin, and the other Gorons. Despite Darbus's strength and resistance, he was overwhelmed. He fell aside in exhaustion, opening the entrance to the store. Sheik pushed them away with three of her pellet bombs. This gave Ren and Robin a chance to push them even further away with their magic. Ren shot a barrage of ice shards, impaling the Grashtas, and Robin conjured a barrage of Arcthunder. The efforts drove them away, leaving them open to attack by Link, Chrom and the Gorons. The Gorons charged in their spiral roll, killing off and knocking down most of the Grashtas. Link and Chrom quickly came and finished the rest off.
"That's all of them," said Chrom.
"All these dead bodies... what to do with them?" said Ren.
"More importantly, the wounded Gorons, and Darbus," said Robin.
"Darbus is still alive, I can feel a pulse. He must have been exhausted," replied Sheik. "Wait, there's a crack on his legs from a club wielder."
"How fast can you guys heal?" asked Chrom.
"A wound like this, about two weeks. However, with magic, it could be healed quicker," said Gor Amoto.
"If only Libra was here. He'd be able to heal all of these Gorons in a snap," said Robin.
"What about Renado?" asked Gor Coron.
"Renado could- oh, no the village, it must be torn by now," said Sheik.
"..." (Link). Link told them to tend to the wounded Gorons, while he investigated Kakariko Village.
"Be careful Link!" Robin yelled as Link left.
Kakariko Village, Afternoon
Surely enough, there were half a dozen Noth Grashtas loitering around the village. Link hid behind the wall of the mountain, and looked with the hawk eyes towards the sanctuary. Two of them were trying to break down the entrance. Over, closer and to the right, was one trying to get into a bomb shop. The other three paced around by the hotel.
Atop the roof of the bomb shop, a man emerged, wearing a metal mask used by blacksmiths and a brown suspenders. Link immediately recognized him as Barnes, the bomb maker. He yelled out to the Grashtas.
"Hey, over here!" Four of them approached the building, standing a few meters away from the awning. "Eat this!" He threw a bomb down to them. It exploded, killing the Noth Grashtas. The two by the sanctuary ignored it, and continued trying to break in. Link pulled out his bow, and aimed for the head of the Noth Grashta. His aim was enhanced by the hawk eyes mask. He shot the arrow, and it pierced the Grashta, right in its temples. The other Grashta quickly reacted with shock, aimlessly looking around for the attacker. With a rush of adrenaline, Link quickly aimed another arrow and fired. Again, right in the chest. Shortly after, Link ran to the sanctuary and knocked. He called out Renado's name. Renado responded and opened the door. Link affirmed that there weren't any more.
"That army that went to Death Mountain too?" Renado asked.
Link assured him. He then told Renado about Darbus and the wounded Gorons.
"A wounded Goron? That isn't something I've heard of in a long time," said Renado. "Though, I do remember how to treat them."
"..."(Link). Link asked if Luda was okay.
"She's fine. A little bit shaken though," he answered.
Death Mountain, Before Sunset
Link made the journey back to the Goron Springs. He found that the bodies of the Noth Grashtas were piled up, and the wounded Gorons were sitting against the far wall. There were four piles, each about the height of a human and as wide as three Gorons standing side-by-side.
"...?" (Link). Link asked Ren if they counted the bodies.
"Huh- Oh, you're back. Was starting to think you got attacked," said Ren. "Oh, right, the bodies, yeah. They counted. There were eighty of them."
"..." (Link). Link said that Renado could assist with the wounded Gorons. He asked Ren if he could warp them down to the village.
"But there are like, five of them and Darbus. That many trips?" he responded.
"... -_-..." (Link). Link said that if he wanted to carry all of them down, they could.
"Okay, when you put it that way," said Ren.
This is actually the longest chapter I've written, with about 3,600 words (previous was chapter 5 at about 3,200 words). I'm going to try and post more frequently, but right now, I'm busy with standardized tests for school, on top of my other school work.
-Kaz