Chapter 18

It had been a half hour since Link had used the Sleepstone to venture into the Dreamworld, and Scarlett was growing antsy. She peered down the dark tunnel into the ponderous abyss below and wondered. The Dreamworld was a legend among the Shiekah, a place where sages and demi-gods walked among the sleeping, delivering the portents of prophecy and the demands of the gods themselves. Dreams had always been important to the Shiekah. They were a source of guidance when no clear direction was known in the Waking World.

Usually it would take a powerful magician to accomplish what Link had managed with the Sleepstone. It was curious to say the least that a mere boy would be entrusted to such power. It hadn't made sense, until she had seen the mural on the wall of the Goron caves firsthand.

The Cycle of the Goddess was a legend as old as Hyrule itself. It spoke of a holy trinity of beings, imbued with the sacred power of the Golden Triforce, a relic of supreme authority in the world of Hylia. The concept was that once every cycle three beings of unmatched power would rise with the ability to wield the incredible strength of the Triforce. If what the Gorons supposed was actually true, that would make Link one of these three, and Zelda another… but what of the third?

Nyarlath's power had been something of an enigma in its own right, but now Scarlett thought she understood. If it was true, if Nyarlath did possess the Triforce of Power, then the situation was graver than the pirate had initially suspected. She couldn't allow that to change anything though. Scarlett didn't really care about the Triforce, or about Hyrule. She had her own reasons for seeking out the power of the ancient relics, and she wasn't going to let the legend of the Goddess Cycle dictate her actions. If Hyrule needed saving then someone else could do it. For her, all that mattered was finding a way to subvert Nyarlath's power before it took from her the things that really mattered.

Zelda was sitting nearby, gently stroking Link's hair as he slept fitfully in her lap. The Princess was different than Scarlett. She didn't just care about her own life and loss, she cared about everyone. The thought of it was exhausting to Scarlett. How could one expect anything other than disappointment when their expectations were so high? Scarlett knew the truth; you simply couldn't save everyone, no matter how hard you tried. She sympathized with the girl. It had been at least thirteen years since Scarlett had felt that kind of idealism. In another life, in another time, she and Zelda could have been friends, but it was too late for that. One day the princess would learn how cruel the world really was, but by that time she and Scarlett would be acquainted no more.

Footsteps echoed from the cavern entrance. Scarlett drew her cutlass and turned to face the intruder.

"Captain!" said Gwendolin, coming into the room with Zig and the baby Gorons at her heels. Zig was pushing a wheelbarrow, which was stacked with shining tunics of crimson and sacks of dark leather stuffed to the brim with round objects the size of bowling balls.

"Ms. Gwendolin, I see that you were successful in retrieving our supplies," said Scarlett.

"Oh, it was easy," said Toro, "There's a whole storeroom full of these! At first I was worried cause we didn't have the key, but Mr. Zig is really good at breaking locks!"

"Any word from the little bug?" said Gwen, glancing at Zelda and the sleeping Link.

"No," said Zelda, "I am starting to get worried. He has been down there for at least a half hour."

"Well, nothing we can do about that," said Scarlett, "He'll wake up when he wakes up. The little runt knows what he's doing. Goddess knows we've seen him get out of tighter spots than this."

There was a sudden, earthshaking rumble from somewhere deep below. The entire mountain seemed to shudder with the force of the quake. Dust and rocks came falling from the ceiling above, but the cavern held its integrity.

"What was that?" said Scarlett.

"It's the dragon!" cried Toro.

"Awaken!" shouted Link, suddenly sitting bolt upright.

"Link!" cried Zelda.

"We have to go, now!" said Link, standing, "Nyarlath! I saw him. He's down there, and he knows we're here. The heart… the temple… the shard is in the heart! We have to go now!"

"Woah, boy, slow down," said Scarlett, gripping Link's shoulder, "One thing at a time. You say you saw the Wizard?"

"Yes."

"And he knows we're here? You're certain?"

"Yes!"

"And what do you mean, 'the shard is in the heart'?"

"The temple," said Link, "It's like… I dunno how to describe it… like a big, living thing! It has a heart and a mouth and everything. A big heart, the size of a boulder, and it pumps lava like blood! I saw the runes on it, I think it's the container that the shard is in, but I couldn't get close to it. It was too hot!"

"I see," said Scarlett, her brow furrowed, "And what was Nyarlath doing? Why had he not taken the shard himself, if it was there?"

"I don't know," said Link, "He didn't seem interested in it. He had something, like a big silver hammer and he was…" the boy gave a worried glance to the baby Gorons. The truth seemed like a horrible burden to put on creatures so small and so young, but there was nothing for it. They had to know. "He was smashing Gorons with it, and feeding their hearts to the thing. It seemed like it was getting stronger from them."

"Oh no, Doro!" gasped Toro, "It's worse than we thought. It isn't the dragon…"

"No, Toro, it can't be! He's not real, Dad just made him up to scare us," said Doro, "There's nothing in the mural hall about him. He's just something they tell us kids to make us eat our sandstone and go to bed on time!"

"No, it's gotta be," said Toro, "Biggoron."

"What are you two prattling about?" said Scarlett.

"Biggoron," repeated Toro, "Dad tells us about him when we're bad. He was a Goron a long time ago, but he got too big! When Gorons eat certain kinds of rocks they get bigger and bigger. Some people say that a long time ago there were Gorons the size of mountains. But when Gorons get that big, they forget about being people, and they act more like mountains. They get wild, and they don't know how to talk anymore. But since they can't find the right rocks to eat they start to slow down until finally they stop moving and become real mountains! At least, that's what dad said."

"Yeah," agreed Doro, "But Biggoron is even worse than that. He didn't want to stop moving, so he started eating other Gorons. It took the power of the ancient sages to put him to sleep, and seal him under the Eastern Mountains where he couldn't hurt anyone. But dad says that when little Gorons are bad it wakes Biggoron up, and he comes to eat you!"

"So that's it then. Clever," said Scarlett, "Everyone knows about Goron hearts. They're the most precious gems in all of Hylia. Infused with the power of Din herself. However, since only a living Goron heart contains that power, one would have to murder a Goron to obtain it. Aside from the obvious difficulty of killing such a hearty creature as a Goron, harvesting Goron hearts has been illegal in Hyrule since the first age when the original King of Hyrule became sworn brothers with the Goron patriarch. Since then, harvesting Goron hearts has been unheard of."

"So that temple is the body of an ancient Goron?" said Link, "Then why is Nyarlath feeding it the Goron hearts?"

"Simple," said Scarlett, "He intends to bring the beast back to life."

"If that thing wakes up it will upheave the entire mountain!" exclaimed Zelda, "That would kill everyone in Kakariko village!"

"Not to mention ourselves and any Gorons that remain trapped," said Gwen, "What do we do, Captain?"

"The only thing we can do," said Scarlett, "We go inside, and we take that heart apart before Nyarlath can wake the beast up."

"You cannot be serious!" said Zelda, "It is far too dangerous to go down there. We will not survive."

"I don't see that we have a choice if we want that shard, princess," said Scarlett, "Zig, get up there and hail the Stalfos. I want all guns standing by and ready. If that thing does break through to the surface, I don't want it taking us any nearer to Hyrule Castle. Gwendolin, Zelda and Link, you're with me. We're going down there and putting a stop to this."

"Aye, Captain!" said Zig before disappearing down the cavern hall.

"What about the pebbles?" said Gwen, already slipping into a Goron tunic.

"You should have sent them with Zig!" said Zelda, "This is too dangerous. We cannot involve them too."

"Excuse me, Ms. Zelda," said Toro, pulling at the hem of Zelda's shirt, "Our dad is down there. We want to go too."

"Yeah," said Doro, "We can't just leave him."

"Toro, Doro…" said Zelda, pleadingly, "You must understand, it is very dangerous. What if something happened to you?"

"What if something happens to our dad?" said Toro, "Dad always says that family is the most important thing. All Gorons are brothers, we're all family. If we refused to save our family just because it's dangerous, then what kind of Gorons would we be?"

"But you do not understand…"

"They're coming with us," said Scarlett, sternly, "They have every right."

Zelda caught the look in Scarlett's eye, and something about the fire that burned there told her that she should not try and argue this point. Scarlett went passed the Princess and approached the edge of the pit.

"There's a platform down there?" said Scarlett.

"Uh, yeah," said Link, "It was on fire in the Dreamworld, but I don't think it is in the Waking World yet. I think it might start up once Nyarlath has fed that heart enough though. It seems like the Dreamworld makes things look the way they can be in the real world. It shows you dead things the way they used to be when they were alive."

"Good enough," said Scarlett. She unhitched the hookshot from her belt and pointed it to the ceiling. The little hook discharged with a 'kachink' and found a place to grip the stone. "Come on, baby boulders, grab a leg. We're going down. Ms. Gwendolin, I trust you and Mr. Hero know what to do?"

Toro and Doro hugged Scarlett's legs, and the pirate stepped off the ledge, dangling by one arm from the hookshot's hold on the ceiling. She clicked the release button on the handle, and slowly the chain began to extend, lowering them down the dark tube of stone.

Gwen used some clips on her belt to latch some of the bomb bags onto her before following suit. Link and Zelda were the last ones left. The boy drew his own hookshot and fired it into the ceiling beside the other two.

"You ready Zelda?" the boy offered the princess his arm.

"Link," said Zelda, "I do not like this. I do not want the lives of all of those Gorons on my hands, the same as all of the Zora. If things go on like this, what will be left of Hyrule to save?"

"Zelda, you can't blame yourself for what bad people do," said Link, "Nyarlath would be hurting Gorons and Zoras and all kinds of people whether you tried to stop him or not. Now if we want to save anybody we have to work together. I promise I won't let anything bad happen if I can help it. You can count on me. Now can I count on you too?"

"Link," said Zelda, staring into the boy's blue eyes. She took a step forward and hugged him to support herself on the descent, "Never change."

A moment later they were zooming through the darkness, the only sound the echoing click of the unfurling chain of Link's hookshot. The air as they went deeper became thick and full of the stink of sulfur. They could feel the heat radiating around them, and Link suspected that they would be unable to survive it if it weren't for the protection of the Goron tunics they had both slipped on.

At the bottom of the pit, the platform that had been the writhing magma brain in the Dreamworld was now a steaming mass of volcanic rock, which baked with some internal fire. From vents on the top of the thing, thick jets of sulfuric gas were spouting. The walls were still aglow with volcanic veins, but the light was much dimmer, and the throbbing beat of the distant heart below was nowhere to be heard.

Gwen and Scarlett were already distributing the bombs between them. Toro and Doro were peering over the side of the smoldering platform, into the dimly lit dungeon below.

"Okay, runt," said Scarlett, "Which way now?"

"We have to keep going down," said Link, "Below this platform is the mouth, and down below that is the heart chamber. That's where Nyarlath and the Gorons are."

"Okay, lead the way," said Scarlett.

Zig was climbing the steppes of the Goron quarry by the light of a blood-red moon. An angry haze of crimson clouds had gathered ominously above the mountaintop, and the sky shone with eldritch stars from the void of the universe. He hoped the Stalfos was in range as he flipped open the panel on his clockwork arm which contained Zelda's communication spell.

"Ziggardun to Crimson Stalfos, come in Crimson Stalfos!"

"Zig," came the crackling response. The little gemstone flickered brighter as Kef spoke, "What's up buddy? You guys ready for an extract?"

"Negative," replied Zig, "There's a big problem. Nyarlath's got some kind of giant Goron monster inside that mountain. It could be coming up any moment now, and the whole mountain will go with it. We need the Stalfos standing by to hold it off. Scarlett and the others are inside, and we can't let that thing take them to Hyrule Castle."

"A giant Goron?" said Kef, "You've gotta be kidding me."

"I wish I were," replied Zig.

Suddenly, another mighty tremor shook the mountain, causing the pirate to nearly lose his footing. He looked back to the mouth of the mining cavern down at the end of the quarry. He gave a prayer to the Goddess under his breath, hoping against hope that they were not too late.

Inside the temple Scarlett and the others were descending from the extinguished brain. The pillars and statues of the entry hall stood silently at them as they landed on the floor. Nearby was the tube of the throat which Link had traveled to reach the heart chamber in the Dreamworld.

"It's down this way," said Link, pointing to the tunnel, "Just down there, that's where the heart and all the Gorons are."

There was a sudden tremor, causing them all to stagger to keep their feet. As if the lights in a giant warehouse had suddenly been switched in, the spine of the massive creature sprang to life with the fire of a thousand suns. The tubes of magma began to sear with burning fire, and the veins of magma in the walls began to glow bright and vibrant. Link watched in horror as the temple around them began to come alive, changing into something closer to what he had seen in the Dreamworld.

"It's waking up!" shouted Link, "We're too late!"

"Astute observation, boy."

The voice was Nyarlath's. They all turned in unison to see the old wizard. He was perched atop the entrance to the mouth-like cave Link had seen before, waiting like a watching gargoyle. Link, Gwen and Scarlett drew their swords automatically.

"It is far too late," said the wizard, "And once again you have walked right into my trap. The lot of you really are too predictable. This game we've been playing is growing dull. Allow me to put a stop to it. I will end your miserable quest here, and I will take Zelda and reclaim the rest of the treasure without your meddling."

"You talk big, Wizard," said Scarlett, "But I see right through yer black words. We've got ya scared, and we know it. You know what the boy is and what he can do, and it has you worried."

"Is that what you think?" the wizard chuckled evilly, "The delusions which hope can feed in the minds of the weak never fail to astound me. Very well, if that is what you must believe in order to face your grave with your head held high then so be it. I will take my leave of you. You're as good as dead in here anyway. I have others to punish. Like your insipid crew of Shiekah miscreants, for example. Enjoy your last moments alive, for they will be brief."

The wizard jumped down from his perch and flew like a demon from hell towards the mouth of the temple and out into the caverns beyond, his evil laugh echoing menacingly off the stone walls as he went.

"Captain," said Gwen, urgently, "The Stalfos will be vulnerable! There's no way they can stand up to Nyarlath alone!"

"I can!" said Link, "But I have to go into the Dreamworld to do it. I don't know if I can beat him, but I can at least give you guys more time to save the Gorons. You have to keep going, get down to the heart and find a way to destroy the thing from the inside."

"We have enough bombs here to level a mountain," said Gwen, "If Zelda can protect us from the blast, we should be able to detonate them inside the beast's chest and that might make us a way out. As for damaging that heart, I'm not so sure, but at least it would give us an easier route."

"That's the best we can do for now," said Scarlett, "Okay, kid, we'll give it a shot. If we have to do all this and lug you around while you nap though, you best not let any harm come to my ship!"

"I'll do my best," said Link.

"Okay then, off with ya," said Scarlett.

Link took up the Sleepstone and prepared to return to the Dreamworld. Zelda took his hand.

"Be careful," she said, "And remember what you promised me."

"Don't worry, Zelda," said Link, "I won't forget. Slumber!"

The sickening kaleidoscope had him again, and he felt the momentary sensation of falling as he slipped into the Dreamworld. There was no need to react, the dragon knew his purpose and was with him at once. He leapt astride the thing, only glancing momentarily back at Zelda and the others before flying out of the tunnel at top speed. They cleared the jagged teeth of the mouth-shaped cave and sped forth into the darkness of the caverns beyond.

As they careened through the caverns, Link's mind was full of nothing but the desire to stop Nyarlath. The dragon seemed urged by this, taking corners and forks in the tunnel as if it knew precisely where to go. Link didn't need to question it; he knew he could trust the beast to carry him to the wizard. This was their purpose. He and the dragon existed to stop Nyarlath, and stop him they would.

They passed through a wide cavern, and Link became aware of a pair of dark shapes which dropped into the air behind them and gave chase. The shadowy figures pursued on wings of midnight blue. One of them suddenly lit up like a candle, and its horrible bird-like face became illuminated momentarily as the blast of eldritch magic shot forth from its gaping beak.

The dragon rolled. The wall of the cavern exploded into debris as the projectile missed them.

"It'll take more than that to stop us, right boy?"

The dragon dipped low, decreased its speed, and came up right on the tail of one of the attackers. The dragon opened its stony jaws and spewed a jet of magma on the monster with all the pressure of a spouting geyser. The unfortunate attacker was singed away to nothing in an instant.

The other monster was on their flank now, and Link ducked low to avoid it as it blasted glowing energy at them. Up close, he could see the monster more clearly. It was like an evil raven had fused with the cloak of some ancient, eldritch necromancer, creating a horrible harpy of magic and midnight feathers. The wizrobe squawked menacingly at him, firing another volley of magical energy.

Link drew his sword and swung it in one quick motion. The blade sliced through the ball of energy, reflecting it back towards the creature. It struck the thing full in the face, dazing it and singing its terrible beak. Link leaned toward it, causing the dragon to pull that direction, and when he was close enough he swung the sword with a triumphant battle cry. The little blade cleaved a swath across the thing's belly, and the monster tumbled lifeless to the cavern below.

"Okay, let's catch up to that wizard!"

"Look at them all!" said Gwendolin, her eyes wide with amazement at the sea of motionless Gorons which crowded the platform below. They were descending on their Hookshots from the floor above, Gwen carrying Zelda and the Sleeping Link strapped to her back. Not far overhead, Scarlett was carrying the bombs and the baby Gorons, and the combined weight was causing her face to turn red from the strain.

"What are they doing?" said Scarlett, observing the Gorons.

The whole group of them was standing like zombies, their beady black eyes glazed over and their cavernous mouths agape. If she hadn't known better, Scarlett would have supposed them statues.

"Dad!" cried Toro, "Doro, I see dad! Let's go!"

The two baby Gorons let go of Scarlett's legs, plummeting like dropped stones to the ground below.

"Hey, wait!" cried the pirate, but the two little rock-men paid no mind. They hit the ground with a thud, but it was barely audible over the pounding beat of the giant, magma pumping heart.

"Dad," said Toro, running up to one of the Goron's in the crowd. Boro said nothing, his eyes staring lifelessly at the throbbing magma heart above. Doro ran up to join his brother, and the two of them began pulling at their father's arms desperately.

"Dad! Wake up!"

"It's like they're in some sort of trance," said Scarlett, coming to rest on the raised dais at the center of the platform. No Goron's were on the dais, although an ominous pile of dusty rubble was resting at its center. Gwen had set Zelda down, and immediately the two pirates began to unload the bombs from the bags.

"Toro, Doro!" called Zelda, "Get away from there!"

"Why won't he wake up?" cried Toro, desperately.

"Come on, Dad!" shouted Doro.

"It's no use, princess," said Scarlett, "They're completely catatonic. Our only chance is to blow this place and get outside. We need you focused so that we don't get crushed when this place come down. Gorons are tougher than rock and fire; they should do fine even if we set the bombs off."

"Okay," said Zelda, trying to remember what Link had said about counting on her, "Okay, fine. I am ready."

Suddenly the entire room shifted violently, sending many Gorons off the edge of the platform and into the unknown depths below. Toro and Doro screamed, clinging to their father desperately. Luckily, Boro was near the center of the group of Gorons, and they were able to stay on the tilting platform.

Gwen grasped desperately at the bombs, but many rolled away from the Dais and into the crowd of Gorons.

"Dammit!" shouted the pirate, "There goes half our payload. What now?"

"We have worse problems than that, Ms. Gwendolin," said Scarlett, grimly, "This temple is on the move."

Link could hear the tunnels behind him caving in, and it was like a horrible wave of thunder following him through the echoing caverns. Suddenly, he could see the blood-red moon glaring at him from an opening ahead, and he willed the dragon to push on with all its strength. They came rocketing into the nighttime sky just as the cave behind them crumbled away. Now they were out in the open air, soaring high above the Goron quarry. In the Dreamworld, the mountain was like an island in a sea of clouds, and down below the sparkling mosaic of Kakariko shimmered like a phantom drifting on the ocean of rolling mist.

Link scanned the skies for Nyarlath, or any sign of the Crimson Stalfos.

The pirate ship was there, barreling through the cloudy veil, its shadowy silhouette dark and undefined like all the shadows cast by waking things in the world of dreams. He piloted the dragon nearer to the ship, scanning the deck to see that all was well. The vessel appeared unharmed.

Suddenly the mountain shook and trembled as if gripped by a massive quake. Hills of tumbling rock slid down the sides of the thing, engulfing the valleys below in thick clouds of blooming debris. The open cavern of the Goron mine began to shift and crack and the floor stirred with the dust of crumbling caves and tunnels. From the tumult of falling rocks and sediment, a massive hand the size of a building came bursting forth. It reached up to grip the cliffs above the quarry, pulling itself free from its subterranean prison.

"Oh no," said Link, "It's coming!"

"And you won't stop it," said a voice behind him.

The dragon wheeled around with a snarl, its glowing eyes locking on the wizard. Nyarlath hung in the air before them, his wicked-looking bull skull gazing deadly at Link.

"Now we end this, Hero of Dreams," said the Wizard, "You are foolish and weak. I will force your hand. You cannot save those pirates or the people of Kakariko if you turn away from me, and you cannot save your princess or the doomed Gorons if you stay. You are beaten, and I will bring the whole world down around you like a crumbling mountain."

"No," said the boy, "No! I will stop you!"

He drew his sword, narrowed his eyes, gripped the back of his dragon.

"Do you know what this is?" said Nyarlath, holding up the silvery object he had been using to crush the Gorons. By the blood-red light of the terrible moon Link could see the shining shape of a silver hammer.

"It's the Megaton Hammer," announced the wizard, "Forged in the fires of creation by the Goddess Din long ago, this hammer favors only strength, and can crush any kind of rock to dust in one fell blow. It is a mighty weapon, and proved a valuable asset in harvesting the hearts I needed to awaken my sleeping giant. But do you know what my favorite thing about this hammer is?"

Link readied himself to charge. He'd had about enough of the wizard's self-satisfying banter. It was now or never. If he died, at least he would die fighting.

"No idea?" said Nyarlath, delighted in his own wickedness, "It kills dragons."

In the belly of the massive Goron, Gwen was struggling to recover the lost bombs from the sea of catatonic Gorons. She ducked and dodged in between the rock-men, trying to avoid being smashed as the motion of the moving temple caused the things to knock together.

"Ms. Gwendolin!" cried Scarlett, "I have these charges nearly set, where are the rest of them?"

"I'm on it!" cried Gwen. She scrambled towards the nearest bomb, reaching to pluck it from between the legs of a nearby Goron, but the powerful creature suddenly reached down to block her. She glanced up in a panic, seeing anger seething in the creature's once dead eyes, and it swung at her with a powerful fist. She rolled to the side, feeling the impact tremor as the rock-man's mighty fist struck the floor of the platform with a heavy thud.

"The Gorons!" cried Gwen, "They're attacking!"

All around the rock creatures were suddenly stirring, but gone was the docile intelligence of the gentle miners Gorons were reputed to be. The rock-men began thrashing and flailing violently, slamming into one another, and all the while groping for Gwen. Some nearby the dais began to try and climb up to attack Scatlett and Zelda. The pirate captain ran to the nearest one and planted her boot in its face, sending it falling back into the crowd.

"What the blazing hell is wrong with them?"

"Dad, stop!" cried Toro, clutching Boro's arm as tight as he could. The bigger Goron ignored the little boulder entirely, trudging towards the dais with evil purpose in his beady eyes.

"Toro, what's happening!" shouted Doro, "What are they all doing? Brothers, you must wake up!"

Gwen had no choice; the rock-men were too powerful for her. She leaped and bounded through the group of them, narrowly dodging hammer swings as she made for the safety of the Dais. She and Scarlett and Zelda retreated to the center of the platform, back to back, watching in horror as the tide of angry Gorons rose around them. Their scramble to climb the dais sent the planted bombs falling onto the lower platform, out of reach for them to detonate.

Scarlett gritted her teeth.

"What do we do now, Captain?" yelled Gwen.

"I don't know," said Scarlett, "I don't know! We just have to hang on as long as we can."

The wizard swung the hammer wildly, like a man possessed. The dragon dipped and dodged each strike, firing plumes of magma into the air, but never striking the crafty sorcerer.

"Give it up, boy," said Nyarlath, "To struggle is only to suffer more. Can't you see? That's all there is to life, pain and suffering. Allow me to take it all away!"

The dragon twisted to dodge another attack, but Nyarlath caught the tip of its stony wing. The dragon screamed in pain, sparks went flying, and part of its rocky wing crumbled away at the hammer strike. For a moment they were falling, but the dragon regained itself, beating its wings painfully against the dire wound it had suffered. Link could feel it in his mind, the pain and fear of the beast soaking into him through his empathetic connection. He could not allow that hammer to strike true, not even once!

He willed the beast into a dive, striking low towards the crumbling mountain. As they dove, he caught his first clear glimpse of the horror rising from the depths of the Goron mine. It was like the twisted image of a Goron and a demon melded into one. Vile, mountainous shoulders of obsidian, and arms the size of stone towers rose up above the ruins of the Goron mine. The head of the thing was a monstrous range of tiny mountains, crowned by the crater of a miniature volcano. The creature screamed, and its voice was like thunder echoing off the distant mountains. From the crater on its head a jet of angry fire erupted to the nighttime sky. It swept its arm to the side, crumbling one of the massive ridges of the mountain. The resulting landslide went tumbling down towards poor Kakariko, the boulders and rubble landing haphazard all across the unsuspecting village below.

Link and the dragon dove towards the thing, the wizard hot on their tails as they dropped in towards the massive, rocky head.

"Let's see him hit us with his precious pet in the way!"

The dragon landed on the slopes of the giant's massive head. Nyarlath came after them like a speeding bullet. The dragon leapt aside at the last moment, and the wizard hit the mountainside like a cannonball. –BOOM! Chunks of rock went flying as the hammer swing gouged a massive crater in the giant's forehead. It screamed like a rumbling landslide.

"Clever boy," said Nyarlath, "But you won't trick me twice!"

The wizard lunged forward, swinging again. The dragon backpedaled, barely dodging the powerful swing. It opened its jaws and blasted lava at the wizard. He threw up his free hand, deflecting the attack with a shield of magical energy.

"We can't keep this up forever," said Link, "I hope that everyone else is doing okay…"

Aboard the Stalfos, Kef could barely believe his eyes as the giant Goron hefted itself out of the pit of the dark mountain.

"There it is!" screamed Kef, "All hands on deck, fire at will! We have to keep that thing from moving."

The Stalfos came in low, positioning itself for a broadside attack. The beast was in range. Boom! BaBoom! Boom! The guns sounded their fury to the night. Explosions peppered the arms and chest of the raging giant, and it threw its arms up to shield itself from the onslaught. The cannons barely seemed to scratch the thing! It wailed monstrously, lumbering through the ruined Goron quarry toward the airship, which seemed miniscule in the shadow of the hulking beast.

"Load up another volley!" cried Kef, "Keep firing!"

Link felt the tremors of the explosions as the Stalfos' guns unloaded on the beast. The rocky giant turned towards the airship, regarding it as a person might regard a bothersome mosquito. He hoped that Kef could keep clear of the monstrous arms.

Nyarlath flew up into the sky above, preparing to dive for another assault. The dragon braced itself, rearing up to blast magma into the air. The belch of fire met the wizard head on, but he plowed through it as if it had been no more than a gentle breeze. The hammer met the dragon's shoulder, rending one of the flaming wings clear off. Link listened in horror as his faithful guardian screamed in pain.

"You're done boy," said Nyarlath, "Your beast is wounded, your friends are lost, and here you die!"

The wizard raised himself back into the sky, readying to plummet down on them one final time. There was no way to avoid the attack; the dragon was too badly injured. Link stared up into the evil bull-skull that was the wizards dreaming face. This was it, his last stand. He buried the hopelessness he felt deep down inside and replaced it with rebellious rage.

"Don't give him an inch, boy," said Link to the injured dragon. He could feel the beast in his mind, its soul awash with pain and steadfast determination. It hefted itself up, vaulting into the air on powerful legs in one last-ditch effort to retaliate.

Link jumped up out of his saddle, running up the dragon's neck and vaulting off the top of its head in a mighty jump. The wizard threw the hammer like a javelin, the heavy weapon speeding like a falling meteor towards him. Link twisted in the air, feeling the powerful rush of the object flying past him. The hammer struck the dragon in the chest, crumbling the valiant guardian to scattered embers on the Giant's head. Link was in the air, only mere feet away from Nyarlath. The wizard came rushing at him like a greedy vulture. Link swung his sword.

Golden light erupted from the triangle on the back of the boy's hand! He felt the centrifuge of power flowing through him into his sword, just like when he'd fought the Lizalfos in the Mural Cave. His sword flashed with blue fire, his body spun like a hurricane.

The tip of the blade carved a thick gash in the Wizard's chest, and for an instant time itself seemed to freeze.

"It cannot be," said Nyarlath, his voice the only sound in the void of sudden silence all around them, "That power… there's no way a mere boy can wield it!"

Purple flames began to curl from under the wizards robes. The bull skull cracked in half, and the wicked man began to crumble into ashes before Link's eyes.

"I underestimated your strength yet again, but I will not make that mistake another time," said Nyarlath, "What you have defeated is but a mere shade of my true power. I am Nyarlath, the Undying Lord of Dreams, and I will see this world snuffed out. You… cannot… win…"

Then the wizard was gone in a puff of purple smoke, and suddenly the world was moving once again. Link was falling through the nighttime sky of the Dreamworld, the mountains below rushing up to meet him with deadly force. He struggled to reach his pocket, to draw the Sleepstone, to reawaken before he hit the ground. He grasped the stone in his hand and brought it out, gripping it white-knuckled against the rushing wind. He was nearly to the ground when he held the thing out in front of him and shouted, "AWAKEN!"

In the belly of the giant Goron, Zelda, Scarlett and Gwen were crowded back to back around the sleeping form of Link. The Gorons were closing in around them, and any moment now they would be overtaken entirely. The Pirates swords could scarcely impede the progress of the rock-men, and only their slow and zombie-like movement had let them live this long.

"If only we could ignite the bombs!" said Scarlett.

"Captain," said Gwen, "It can't end like this. There must be something we can do!"

"Take my hand!" cried Zelda.

"What?" said Scarlett.

"Trust me, just do it!" she grabbed the pirate's hand and gripped it tight, "Gwen, take Scarlett's other hand."

"You had better know what you are doing, princess!" said Gwen, letting her cutlass fall and taking Scarlett's other hand in hers.

Zelda reached down, grasping Link's hand in her own. The Princess closed her eyes, did her best to block out the horrible noises of the attacking Gorons, and whispered her prayer to the Goddesses above.

"Din, Goddess of Power, who cultivated the world from mere dust with the fire of her powerful arms, I beseech you, lend me your strength!"

The princess's eyes shot open, revealing blind orbs of fiery red. From the center of her chest, a wall of fire erupted in all directions, like a globe of pure immolation. The Gorons were thrown back. The fiery wave washed over the crowd, and the scattered bombs ignited one by one.

BOOM!