Warning: Shinichi is a bit OOC in this one.
Shinichi exited the forest and looked upon Hyrule field. He remembered the last time he exited the forest and looked upon the field for the first time. He paused when his eyes found Death Mountain, where the Gorons live. "Ai, look at the mountain," he told her.
She whistled, "That's some dark cloud hanging around the mountain. That practically spells out Gin. We should go help; we need the Fire Medallion anyways so we have to go eventually."
Shinichi nodded in agreement and set off for the mountain.
His long legs quickly carried him to Kakariko village and up the trail leading to the Goron city. He noticed the trail was Goron free, but thought nothing of it. Or he did until he entered the city and noticed that it was almost deserted.
"That's strange, I only see one Goron," Shinichi commented. The single Goron was curled in a ball and rolling around and around the city. "Excuse me," Shinichi started but the Goron rolled past him. He waited till the Goron was coming back. "Can I talk to you?" but the Goron ignored him and kept rolling by.
"Throw a bomb at him," Ai suggested.
"What? No way!" Shinichi cried.
Ai yelled in frustration, "His body is as hard as rock, he will be fine. Throw the damn bomb!"
Shinichi glared at her but through a bomb at the rolling Goron. The bomb exploded and Shinichi thought he heard the Goron giggle and stopped rolling. 'Did it tickle? Never mind, I don't want to know,' Shinichi thought to himself.
"How dare you throw that tickling torture device at me! You must be a servant of Gin's. Well here my name and tremble, evil one. I am Shinichi, Hero of the Gorons!" the Goron bellowed at Shinichi.
Shinichi blinked in surprise, "Wow, Shinichi isn't exactly a common name. I never met someone that shared my name before."
The Goron heard, "Wait, your name is actually Shinichi? Then you must be the hero that helped us Gorons seven years ago."
"Uh, yeah that was me, and it was nothing," the hero answered modestly.
The Goron continued, "My father is Hattori, do you remember him? He named me Shinichi after you because you were so brave, even though he tells me you were but a child when you defeated the beast in the Dodongo Cave. It's a cool name and very unusual for a Goron. I like it."
Shinichi mumbled, "It was nothing. Glad you like the name, I guess."
The Goron started bouncing from foot to foot in happiness, "I'm so glad I met you, you are a hero and a legend to us Gorons. Do you think I could have your autograph? You could sign it: To my friend, Shinichi of the Gorons."
Shinichi was now a bit pink and was searching for something to say, "Uh, well, you see, uh…."
The Goron looked down in shame, "Yeah, I guess you are right. Now isn't really the time. Shinichi, I must ask you to help us Gorons again! My dad, King Hattori went to the Fire Temple. An evil dragon has awakened and my dad went to try to stop it. My dad is strong, and very brave, but I still fear that the dragon will eat him."
When he finished that last sentence, Shinichi the Goron began to cry. Ai groaned in annoyance, "You better try to calm him down. Try talking to him some more. Try asking him for some more information about the dragon."
After a couple tries, the Goron began to tell his story, "A long time ago, there was an evil dragon living in this mountain. He was named Volvagia. The dragon terrorized the Gorons, and ate many of them. There is a myth that another hero came to fight the dragon. He used a huge hammer and BOOM! They say that this is just a myth, but I know it's true! I know because my dad is a descendant of the hero."
The young Goron began tearing up again so Shinichi quickly asked about the Gorons. The Goron answered, "Everyone was forced to go to the Fire Temple. When my dad left to confront Volvagia, Gin's minions came and forced the rest of the Gorons to go to the Fire Temple. I fear all of them will be eaten. Hattori, my dad, told me that Gin revived Volvagia, and is using the Gorons as a warning to all others that try to oppose him. So my dad went by himself to the dragon's lair."
Shinichi gave the young Goron a comforting smile, "Don't worry. I will go confront this dragon. I won't let anything happen to your dad, or the rest of the Gorons."
The Goron smiled and hiccupped a little, "Thank you Shinichi, you really are a hero. Let me give you this, it's a tunic, but this one is special. It is heat-resistant. The Fire Temple reaches temperatures to high for anyone but a Goron to survive in, but if you wear this, you will be fine. If you want to get inside the Fire Temple, try moving the statue that is placed in the throne room."
xXx
The Fire Temple was very hot, just like Shinichi the Goron warned him. But he had the special tunic, and was putting it to good use. He could still feel the heat, but it was more like the heat on a particularly hot summer day rather than the scolding heat from lots of lava and fire. He had wondered at first about the rest of his body, the tunic was just a shirt after all, but somehow the magic in the tunic spread and protected his entire body.
He had entered the temple through the secret passage behind Hattori's statue and was making his way across a wooden bridge to a door that could only be the official entrance. He stopped when he saw a familiar face.
"KID," he whispered the name to himself.
The Sheikah met him halfway across the bridge, "It is something that grows over time…a true friendship. A feeling in the heart that becomes stronger over time. The passion of friendship will soon blossom into something more…a righteous power and through it, you will know which way to go. The song I am about to teach you is dedicated to the power of the heart."
Shinichi smiled, "'Power of the heart?' That's a bit cheesy even for you, KID."
KID's visible eye crinkled in a smile, "You can joke, but I'm willing to bet you have a soft spot for poetry."
Shinichi snorted, "Not really, I do enjoy great literature, but poetry was something I was never able to understand, especially poetry that doesn't rhyme."
KID's eye danced with joy and amusement, "Well I'm touched, Shinichi. So it isn't poetry you like, just my poetry, is it? I suppose next time we meet, instead of talking of friendship, I should be talking about the seeds of love being planted."
Shinichi chocked on air after that statement, "I never said…what the hell are you….I mean I….what?"
KID sighed, "Oh dear, it would seem that I broke him. How will I break this to the rest of Hyrule?"
Shinichi finally found his voice, "I'm not broken! Shouldn't you teach me that song so you can get out of here? I mean, you aren't wearing a special tunic that can protect you from the dangerous temperatures inside the volcano."
KID closed his eyes and nodded, "Hm, yes quite true. I would estimate that at this moment, I have roughly two minutes before the heat will cause me to lose consciousness." Shinichi gave a squawk of surprise and fear for the Sheikah. KID waved his hand dismissing the hero's fears, "Not to worry, not to worry. I will teach you the song now and then take my leave. Listen…to the Bolero of Fire." KID pulled out his lyre and began to play.
Shinichi pulled out his Ocarina and mimicked KID, but he kept his eyes open this time willing himself not to get swept away by the magic the two seemed to be creating. He didn't want KID to pass out without him noticing.
When he finished the song, Shinichi took a step closer to KID, but was forced to jump back as a jet of fire chose that moment to shoot from the lava below up through the bridge. Shinichi on the opposite side of the fire as KID watched as the Sheikah looked at him and backed away, "I will see you again, hero." He threw a smoke capsule to the ground and disappeared.
xXx
Shinichi wondered in the direction that he assumed was the chambers of the dragon. It looked like the temple itself had been carved from the inside of the volcano itself. In some rooms, lava pooled onto the floor forced Shinichi to jump around on platforms to get across the room. Keese were another problem. The annoying bats were immune to the dangers of the lava and would fly right into the fire. Rather than dying, they would fly right back out, there tiny bodies engulfed by flames, and chase the hero. As long as he didn't let them catch him by surprise, they weren't much of a problem.
He knew he had found the door that would lead to Volvagia when he found King Hattori. The Goron King stood at on one side of the room, in front of the boss door, while Shinichi stood on the other side, in front of the door he just came through. The King turned to Shinichi when he noticed him.
"Shinichi? Is tha you? I hardly recognized ya, now that you aren't a pipsqueak anymore," Hattori greeted. They had to shout to each other because the gap between them was too far. If Shinichi tried to cross it, he would fall into the lava pit below. The tunic might be able to withstand high temperatures, but he doubted it would protect him if he was fully submerged in lava.
"Good to see you, King Hattori. Are you alright?" Shinichi asked.
Hattori nodded, "I am, but I can't say da same about my Gorons. They are imprisoned throughout this temple. Once I defeat the dragon, I will release them, or at least dat was the plan. I'm a bit concerned because I couldn't find the hammer the last hero used to defeat Volvagia. I will have to face Volvagia without it. Say, brother, will you release the other Gorons while I face down the dragon? Ya know, just in case something happens and I don't make it back…"
All Shinichi could do was nod, "You're a great king, Hattori. I will release the other Gorons for you, but I will do more than that. I will find the hammer the last hero used and come back to help you finish off that dragon."
Hattori smirked and gave Shinichi a nod. He then turned back to the locked door, the door Volvagia was behind, "Alright I'm here, you great over grown lizard! Come and get me!" A thunderous roar was heard from behind the door, than it opened and a taloned hand reached out and grabbed the king around the waist. Rather than looking afraid, the Goron King laughed, "That's right ya stupid fire worm, take me inside your chambers so I can kick your ass!" The clawed hand pulled the king through the door, the door slammed shut behind him.
xXx
After King Hattori disappeared, Shinichi wasted no time searching for the imprisoned Gorons and the missing hammer.
They found a caged Goron immediately;his cell was hidden from view in the same room that he found King Hattori. Releasing him was easy, the hero simply had to step on a nearby switch that was outside the cell. After the cell door opened, Shinichi moved to speak with the Goron inside, "I'm Shinichi. I agreed to help King Hattori by finding and releasing the Gorons. Are you ok?"
The Goron nodded, "Thanks for releasing me. Maybe I can help you. When I was captured, I overheard Gin's minions talking. They said in order to reach the door of the dragon's room, you have to….to do something to the pillar hanging from the ceiling of this room. I think you have to find a path that leads to a room above the ceiling of this one. I'm sorry, I didn't hear more."
The hero shook his head, "Don't worry about it, I'll be sure to keep my eye out of a path that leads to a room above this one. Leave the rest to me."
The Goron grinned at him, "One last thing, hero. I may not have been able to find a way out of my cell, but I did manage to snag this key and hide it from my captures. I'm sure it will help you, here." The Goron gave Shinichi the key and left to go back to Goron City.
The key opened a locked door that led to a room in the opposite direction of the dragon's room. Soon after going through the previously locked door, Shinichi found another Goron. This one recognized him, "I remember you! You are Shinichi, you saved us from starvation seven years ago. I see you are all grown up now. Saving our asses again, are you?"
Shinichi gave him a friendly grin, "Oh I'm sure King Hattori has the situation all under control. I'm only here to help."
The Goron gave a mighty laugh, "I can see why King Hattori made you his Sworn Brother. Maybe I can give you some advice. Some of the walls in the temple have become weak with age. I'm sure if you used bombs, you could break down the weak walls and gain access to rooms faster. You can tell which walls are weak because if you smack them with your sword, they sound hollow."
"That knowledge will defiantly come in handy, thank you."
"One more thing, I snagged a key from my captures," the Goron began.
"You too?" Shinichi asked in shock, "I never knew Gorons were kleptomaniacs."
Shinichi paid for this comment when the Goron laughed and gave him a friendly pat on the back that sent him face first into the ground. The Goron left and Shinichi dusted himself off before moving on. In the next room, he met a strange new enemy. "It's called a like-like, and don't get to close," the fairy warned.
Shinichi studied the strange enemy, "It doesn't look like much to me, it kinda looks like a tube of spam that came to life." He grimaced in disgust as the tube of puke colored gelatin oozed toward him. The "mouth" of the like-like was at the top facing the ceiling, but as it got closer, it leaned its body so that its mouth was facing Shinichi. To the hero's horror, the creature started making a sucking sound and Shinichi felt himself being drawn toward the creature like a vacuum.
Before he could stop it, he was sucked into the creature's mouth. "Ai, help!" he called from inside the like-like.
"You dummy, you have a sword and you are inside the creature, where it is sure to be vulnerable," she yelled back.
"Well excuse me, princess! I guess I might have panicked a little when I felt myself being digested!" He yelled at Ai. He must have used his sword and pocked a couple vital organs because next moment the creature quickly spit him back out. "Hey, what happened to my shirt? And my shield?" the hero looked down at himself. His tunic was gown leaving just a thin undershirt, and his fire proof shield was also gone.
"I told you to stay away from the like-like. If you hurry up and defeat it, you can get your shirt and shield back before he digests it. And before you turn it down, keep in mind you can't survive for long in the temple without that tunic," the fairy lectured.
Shinichi grumbled but quickly defeated the like-like with the master sword. He wrapped the tunic around his sword and gave the shirt a quick dip in a pool of lava in an attempt to rid it of any germs. Once he put his fire proof tunic back on, he continued through the Fire Temple.
xXx
Shinichi made his way deeper through the temple. He rescued another three Gorons, road across a lake of lava on a block made of rock, and went through a maze where giant boulders chased him Indiana Jones style. After he went through all of that, a Goron gave him a dungeon map that he stole from his captures.
"Not that I'm not grateful, but hasn't this come a little late? After all the rooms I have been in, I must have gone through half the temple already," Shinichi told Ai.
"I wouldn't be so sure. We haven't even seen any particularly strong enemies yet. I doubt Gin left just a couple flaming Keese and a like-like or two to guard this place," she answered.
"Don't forget Volvagia," he reminded her. Ai rolled her eyes.
Shinichi found and released another Goron. The grateful Goron of course had to share some knowledge with the hero, "Somewhere in this temple, Gin released a monster that dances as he attacks. Your sword and arrows will not hurt him while he dances, you must find a way to stop his movement. I heard talk that only the Goron's crop could stop the dancing beast."
"The Goron's crop? They must mean the bomb flowers, and I bet my bombs would work. Thank you," Shinichi told the Goron. The Goron nodded and began walking to the temple's exit.
The hero did find the map useful eventually. After studying the map and then the room he was currently in, he noticed there were extra doors in the room that were not marked on the map. He gestured to one of the door that wasn't on the map, "Ai, can you see anything suspicious about that door?"
The fairy examined the door he was pointing to. After a moment, she answered, "That's not a door at all, it's a Door Mimic."
"You mean that's an enemy that disguises itself as a door?" he asked her, clearly confused.
"I didn't notice it until you pointed it out, but I'm sure of it now. If you tried to open it, the Door Mimic would fall on you and crush you," she told him.
Shinichi paid much more attention to the map after that.
A couple more rooms, a couple more freed Gorons, and Shinichi eventually found the dancing enemy that one of the Gorons was referring to.
"That's a Flare Dancer! I should have known that's what that Goron was referring to," Ai told her partner.
The room was circular and had a pedestal in the center, the top of which was on fire. When the Flare Dancer saw Shinichi come in, he rose from a crouched position to his full height, his body moving with grace like his limbs were simply floating through the air. The Flare Dancer was humanoid in appearance, its body a bit thin and limbs a bit long, but that's not what drew Shinichi's attention. The first thing Shinichi noticed was that the dancer's body was completely covered in flames. The flames didn't seem to burn or consume its body, but rather hung from the dancer's body like a long coat and a pair of trousers. It didn't have hands or feet, but instead long sharp stakes. The only part of the creature that was visible was its black face and the features that looked carved into it, like a jack-o-lantern.
The enemy lifted a leg and extended its arm, than began twirling in circles. As it twirled, it flew from the flaming pedestal onto the ground with Shinichi. It began to skate around the room on its stake feet, throwing the occasional fire ball at the hero. Shinichi dodged that fire and threw a bomb at the Flare Dancer. The Flare Dancer easily ducked, but Shinichi anticipated this and shot an arrow at the bomb causing it to explode when it was still within range of the enemy.
The bomb caused the Flare Dancer to lose control of its flame, and the fire on its body went out. What was left behind was not so beautiful. It looked a bit like a big ball of coal and was roughly the size of a human head. It had a tiny head and tiny legs that were disproportionate with its body. It was probably no more than a half a meter (19-20 inches) in height.
The tiny creature gave a tiny shriek of terror and began to run. Shinichi gave chase and was able to hit it with his sword a couple of times, but he didn't do much damage. The flameless dancer jumped back into the flaming pedestal and restored his fire as well as the body Shinichi originally saw it with. There was one small change, instead of its flaming body being the traditional color of fire, it was blue.
"I think the blue flames means you weakened it. Use a bomb again," Ai suggested.
Shinichi did as she instructed and the miniature coal monster was back. He was able to get a few more swings in this time before it jumped into the fire on the pedestal and restored its flaming body. This time, the flames were a sickly green, and Shinichi noticed that its movement was less graceful.
One bomb later and the Flame Dancer was done. Once the enemy was gone, the fire on the pedestal went out and Shinichi was able to climb atop it and ride it like an elevator. The elevator platform took him to a new room that held a treasure chest.
Shinichi opened the chest and found a large hammer inside, "This must be the legendary weapon that was used to defeat Volvagia." He gave it a practice swing and nearly dislocated his shoulder, "It weighs a ton!"
Ai spoke up, "Do you think that's why they call it the Megaton Hammer?"
Shinichi rolled his eyes, "The Gorons would name it something like that, wouldn't they? Either way, with this we can face the dragon. We just need to find a way to cross that pool of lava."
"Yeah, about that…take out your map, Shinichi," Ai commanded. Shinichi did so and the fairy looked it over. "It's just as I suspected, we are directly above the room that you talked to the Goron King in. There should be a pillar around here somewhere."
"I see it," Shinichi pointed. He climbed atop the pillar and pulled out his new hammer from God knows where. "I sure hope this works," he prayed. He raised the hammer high above his head than struck the pillar he was standing on. The pillar shook than came loose of the ground holding it and began to fall. Down, down, down the pillar fell with Shinichi atop it. With a splash it landed on the floor below into the pool of lava, Shinichi barely holding on.
"That was the scariest thing I have ever had to do in my life. Hyrule had better be grateful for this! After I defeat Gin, I want a holiday! With a parade held in my honor every year, and a feast! A huge feast!" Shinichi ranted as he tried to slow his racing heart.
"You're fine, you big baby," Ai interrupted, "Look, your plan worked, we are now in the room that leads to the dragon's chamber door, and the pillar is acting as a bridge that we can use to get across."
Shinichi nodded, "I guess it's time to face down the dragon, Volvagia." He hoped from the pillar to the platform he last saw King Hattori on and opened the door.
xXx
Shinichi entered but unfortunately saw no sign of King Hattori. He was standing on a platform with a huge mass of land a short hop away. The huge mass was octagonal in shape and of course surrounded by lava. (Because what kind of boss fight in a Fire Temple would it be if there wasn't plenty of lava?) Shinichi hopped to the octagon and saw that it had a couple small pools of lava here and there on the land.
The island Shinichi was standing on began to shake, and as Shinichi watched, the pool of lava directly in the middle of the rock he was standing on began to bubble. Out of it came Volvagia. The dragon had a serpent like body, to two clawed forearms. It had a fiery mane going down its back and it wore an armored helmet over its muzzle. Despite the fact that it was wingless, the dragon took to the sky and flew around the arena before diving back into the pool of lava it came from.
Shinichi noticed another pool a short distance away began to bubble. He cautiously began to make his way closer, and just as he suspected, Volvagia popped his head out. The dragon kept most of its body concealed in the lava pool and took a couple of swipes at the hero with his talons. Shinichi got an idea and pulled out the Megaton Hammer and hit the dragon right on its armored head. (A/N: Anybody else picturing whack-a-mole right now?) The dragon shrieked in pain and dived back beneath the lava's surface.
The worm-like dragon popped out of another pool and flew to the ceiling. He nudged his head on the rocks at the top and shook a couple loose. The rocks fell toward Shinichi, but some quick movement kept the hero safe.
The dragon roared in rage and tried to blow some fire balls at Shinichi, but the hero easily dodged. Eventually the dragon dived back into the lava and pocked his head back out, which of course gave Shinichi the perfect opportunity to hit him with the hammer.
Shinichi did this a couple of times and eventually the dragon roared in defeat. It took flight and its body withered as if in pain. The body burst into flames and burnt till nothing was left but its skeleton, which fell lifeless at Shinichi's feet.
xXx
Outside the temple, the people of Kakariko village were watching Death Mountain with curiosity and amazement. The dark clouds were disappearing at an unnatural speed. The volcano gave a small burst that knocked a couple of the people in the village down below off their feet, and then remained quiet.
It would seem that the mountain had been purified of evil.
xXx
Shinichi closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them again, he was in the Temple of Sages. Across from him was Goron King Hattori.
The king was smiling at him and looked very proud, "Thank you, my brother. I really appreciate what you did, I think you on behalf of the entire Goron Race. Ya turned out to be a real man, just as I thought ya would be. And after you defeated the dragon, I discovered that I am actually the Sage of Fire. Can ya believe it? Well this must be what they call destiny."
Shinichi smiled, "It's really not so surprising, I should have guessed it before. I don't know who would make a better Sage of Fire."
Hattori chuckled, "Yeah, I'm going to be the best damn Sage of Fire Hyrule has ever seen. I want you to have this, Shinichi. This is the Medallion that contains the power of the fire spirits, as well as my friendship."
King Hattori raised his arms and summoned the Fire Medallion for Shinichi. The medallion was crimson red and of course had the Triforce on one side. On the other side was a trident-shaped flame.
Shinichi felt his body being transported back, the last thing he heard before he left the Temple of Sages was Hattori, "Don't forget…now you and I are true brothers."
xXx
Alright guys, the Temple of Fire is done. Any thoughts on this chapter? I'm particularly interested to know what you have to say about "King" Hattori. I did include an inside Zelda joke in this chapter, but I wouldn't expect anyone that is unfamiliar with Zelda to understand it. If you did catch it, let me know because I am a nerd and it will probably make my day.
See you guys soon.