Chapter 12

Link scrambled to his feet, taking care not to hit his head on the bar of the chandelier. Tael's soft glow illuminated a small circle of the ceiling far above, and everything else was pitch black. The commotion of the crowd had intensified, and Link worried that he would be caught and killed. Suddenly, Tael flew down in front of Link, lighting his way as best he could.

The boars were both impaled on the decorative spikes of iron, Link could see. He also spotted a broken piece of the chandelier, and quickly wrenched it off. It would make a good makeshift weapon.

"Quick, Tael...to the gate!" Link yelled, trying to get his message through one foot of air swarming with noise. Tael seemed to get the message, and started flying off to the side. Link ran after him. Suddenly he caught a glimpse of the woman a few yards to his left, and skidded to a halt.

He couldn't just leave her there! And what about the other guy? Then, Link realized the flaw in his plan. There was no way he could get them both out by himself. He had only one good arm, and Tael couldn't lift either of them. It was either leave them, or get killed. But it just seemed so wrong to leave them there!

There was a clank ahead, and a frantic ding. The gates were opening and the guards were rushing in to check the situation. Tael was flying around in front of them, trying to get Link's attention. Link quickly ducked into the shadows and waited.

An iron bar came smacking down on the larger Moblin's head, and he slumped to the ground. The other one jumped and frantically scanned the darkness, trying to locate the source of the attack. It was the one who had taken Link's sword. Link waited until the Moblin's back was turned, then charged at him. It heard the sound of his thumping footsteps and spun around, a spear extended.

Link's eyes grew, and he skidded in the dust, flailing his arms as he flopped on his back underneath the spear shaft. His feet lay in between the Moblin's. Before the creature could react, Link kicked his legs to the side, causing the Moblin to fall over. He then scrambled upright and plunged the pointed end of his chandelier weapon into the Moblin's abdomen, wrenching it in different directions until he was satisfied.

"Link! Just get out of there!" Tael yelled through the darkness.

"I'm getting my stuff," Link yelled back, quickly bending to retrieve his blade from the fallen Moblin. If he stuck around any longer, he would be killed. There was no way he could save the two humans. Suddenly his eyes fell on a ring of keys attached to the Moblin's belt. Maybe he couldn't save those two...but if he was able to get away, he could do something about the others...

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Amathar Plains, year 131

Brownish chunks of overweight rock-like creatures crowded together in the blistering heat at the entrance of their glode mines, celebrating the new year as the Gorons always did, back before the country of Myrennia had even been organized. The old miners would be released, and they would select new ones. Every year they held a ceremony in which the previous workers were raised from the shaft, proudly walking down the aisle, and the new ones took their place, stepping onto the elevator.

When all the new workers were in place, it was lowered back down, and the miners were not seen again until the next year. This method had been questioned by the Goron elders multiple times, but they had decided it was more productive to have workers down there 24/7. Fresh glode rocks were hauled up every day, to be sold to the humans or used for lighting their magnificent city.

Pyrobia...just hearing the name put those who had seen the city into a trance. Though underground, it was just as bright as outdoors, especially the great hall. Brilliant shafts of light cut through skillfully excavated windows and skylights. Hundreds of glode rocks lined the walls, covered the yard-thick marble pillars, stood on posts along the main street.

Bright orange lava surrounded the great hall, almost like a lake with a big island in the middle. Arched bridges spanned the distance from the island to smaller roads. Of course, this created a very warm environment, which, although uncomfortable for humans, was perfect for Gorons and the tall, twisted Pegasus trees they grew.

At the end of main street, the entire wall was built of red, irregularly shaped stones. Twelve thin, pointed windows and huge brass doors decorated the face of the wall...it was their king's palace. King Dakami was attending the new year's ceremony at the moment, shaded by a purple velvet awning fringed in gold and held up with four wooden posts.

Right then, the population was getting restless. They had been waiting three hours for the old miners to arrive. Finally, someone had volunteered to lower himself down to see if anything was wrong. That had been an hour ago. Dakami's eyebrows crinkled as he bit the inside of his lip. He would have to settle down the Gorons somehow.

Finally, he got up and strode to the front of the crowd, right next to the mine shaft. As if by magic, the ropes started squeaking through the pulleys, and the city obeyed his hand motion to be quiet. There was complete silence, but for the slow clicking, squeaky sound made by the elevator. Dakami backed away from the pit, ready to congratulate the workers on being released.

The elevator platform rose into view, and the silence was broken by an explosion of screams, gasps and weeping. Resting on the lopsided, battered elevator platform was the mangled body of a Goron, almost beyond recognition.

After that day, the Gorons avoided the mines like the plague. They were forced to mine for glode rocks elsewhere. Unfortunately, they never found a suitable location during the short year before destruction rained down on their subterranean metropolis.

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There stood only one guard at the humans' cell. Link quickly took him out by hurling his sword at the Moblin from the shadows.

"I'll bet you're having fun," Tael commented, noticing Link give a quick smirk before attempting to hide it by biting the inside of his cheek.

"Am not," Link's frowned as he replied, swiftly crossing the hall and pulling his sword from the Moblin's head. He wiped both sides on the creature's vest and slid it back into its sheath. The humans' eyes were wide, and they looked even worse than before. Their eye sockets were like black holes, their skin like gray parchment.

"Admit it. I saw you killing the guard back in the arena. You enjoyed it," Tael continued to taunt.

"Look," Link said, taking on a lower, rougher voice, "you would enjoy it too if he captured fairies and fed them to wild animals in front of his city for 'entertainment.'" He shoved a random key into the lock and twisted it. The vibration of the mechanism unlocking created a grinding noise, and then with a click, it swung outward. The group of bony, dirt-covered people sat there, staring at him like he was crazy.

"Come on! You're free!" Link yelled, flinging his hands into the air.

"Link..." Tael sighed.

"What! I'm just - " Link threw down the keys and stormed off down the tunnel into the darkness. Tael froze in place dejectedly for a few seconds, then shot after him, leaving the humans to stare after them in confusion.