Fire. Fire as far as the eye could see. Groose, Fi, Link, Cheeb, and Ghirahim stood on a ledge, overlooking the lava fields of Eldin from the side of Eldin's landmark volcano. For miles and miles across the surface below Eldin Volcano, a sea of lava covered the ground. Scattered patches of hardened rock floated across the lava's surface.
"It's out there. I can sense it." Ghirahim said, pointing across the fields.
"Master, my dowsing abilities can confirm the presence of the last available piece of the Triforce." Fi added.
"Wait, you can dowse on your own?" Groose asked while staring across the fiery sea.
"Yes, Master."
"Then why the hell did you make me do it with the sword!?" Groose yelled.
"I found entertainment in watching you hold out the Master Sword in an action one might liken to what you humans refer to as, 'a buffoon'."
Groose grumbled something under his breath about throwing the sword in the fire, but nobody paid him any attention. Link picked up a small rock and tossed it to the ocean, watching it slowly disappear under the waves of liquid flame.
"Well?" he asked. "How are we going to get across?"
"I could just make a platform and fly us across." Ghirahim suggested.
"Ghirahim, I do not believe you are at full strength as of right now. I would not suggest pushing your powers too far. The suggested activity may overwhelm you and could cause harm to Link and Cheeb, which would be a tragedy." Fi responded, surveying the situation.
"I'd say that our Loftwings could fly us across, but Ghirahim and Cheeb would have to hitch rides, and I don't think my Loftwing could handle that much stress combined with the heat in Eldin." Link rattled off aloud.
"What if we just, you know, swam around it?" Groose asked.
Everyone exchanged glances of disappointment, but no words were spoken. None were worth responding to him with.
The ground shook. There was a loud, thunderous boom. The group turned around to see smoke falling from the volcano.
Cheeb let out a panicked scream and ran for protection behind Fi. Link pulled the faded blue edge of his undershirt up over his face to block the oncoming smoke from entering his lungs. Groose shielded his face with his arm, and Ghirahim formed a small transparent disc in front of his face with a snap of his fingers. The smoke rushed past the group, trailing the ground. Ash poured down on the group.
Able to talk through the onslaught of polluted air, Fi began to speak. "Master Groose, my calculations indicate that the average human will be able to sustain roughly three minutes of breathing in this air before succumbing to the ash building up in their lungs. I suggest we find shelter. According to my readings, the nearest cave is roughly two minutes west from here, on the side of the volcano. We should proceed with caution."
Groose nodded at Fi. Link, taking note of Fi's words, turned west and used his spare hand to signal to the group. Groose picked up Cheeb in his hand and sat him atop his shoulder. Ghirahim began to feel the effects of the smoke take toll on his own powers. He began to feel weaker. There was no worry of death, as it was impossible for sword spirits to die. Well, it was impossible for them to die by inhalation, at the very least. Regardless, Ghirahim dropped his shield and simply used his arm to cover his face. The group began to march on in the direction Fi had motioned towards as the ash continued to close in on them.
"They're close to the sixth piece of the Triforce, aren't they?"
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"So you think so, too…"
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"You know, it's quite funny, actually. I never expected the two of us to have such chemistry. And yet here we are, a mere few steps away from victory."
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"Indeed. I suppose this is what it feels like to play the antagonist, isn't it..."
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"...thank you. You're correct. When everything is said and done, I swear… I'm going to make it right. Now, I believe we have a visit to pay a few certain people..."
The cave entrance was shrouded by the continual fall of smoke. Because of this, the inside of the cave was dark, the only light coming from a small lantern Groose had kept from Coarstle's Cistern, the faint illumination of the Master Sword, and a small glowing diamond that Ghirahim was moving around in the air with his mind.
Cheeb had fallen asleep next to the Master Sword, gripping the hilt in his sleep, although due to his stature, it more resembled a hug. Fi lay dormant within the Master Sword, not doing much. Groose sat, staring at the flame of his lantern. Link, using a scrap of torn cloth and his own spit, was polishing up his sword and shield. The weaponry was covered in ash, smudged all over the blade of the sword and surface of the shield. Link choked up another glob of saliva and rubbed it into the face of the shield. Everyone was relatively silent, but a tension hung in the air, an unspoken rope that everyone knew would be cut.
"Do you think you can beat him again?" Link was the first to speak up since the silence befell the group.
"Pffff…" Groose scoffed before thinking some more. His tone had changed very quickly. "...Maybe."
Link continued swabbing out the dirtied grooves of the shield. "You'll have to defeat him again, you know that, don't you."
"Yeah. I think I can." Groose responded.
"And what of the inevitable? We've got five pieces, and two on the way, likely. We're nearing the end. You can't simply wish on the Triforce like the first time. This'll be like the second time." Link proceeded.
"Wait, first and second time?"
"Yeah, remember? We technically saved the world when you wished on the Triforce in Skykeep that one time, but then Ghirahim no-sold it and came back and kidnapped Zelda, then he went to the past and you had to beat Demise there."
"Oh my goddesses, that was so long ago. It feels like it's been forever since that all happened. It's been such a long time since we started this adventure, even. It's all just taken so long, and we're still not finished." Groose looked at a fictional camera and winked, proud of his potshot at the author's inability to write in a consistent manner. His attention was immediately refocused back on the flame in the lantern.
"Well, no matter what, we're in this together. All of us." Link said, standing up and resting his shield and sword against the wall of the cavern. Ghirahim mumbled under his breath.
"All we really have to worry about now is getting those final pieces of the Triforce. We've got those two third party characters, Demise, and whatever Demon Chief holds the final piece." Groose counted out the numerous threats that posed themselves to the group out loud.
"So," Ghirahim asked, "which one do you think is going to pose the biggest problem?"
"Probably us."
Groose, Ghirahim, and Link all turned to face the entrance of the cave. The blackened skies of Eldin created a backdrop to the masked villain and the Robokoblin. As Ghirahim fizzled out his glowing diamond, the third source of light became the Robokoblin's glowing red eye. Link especially felt a small shock run down his spine. There was certain terror in that eye.
The Robokoblin let out a few mechanical clicks and high pitched screeches before holding up his arm. Groose, who was at his feet now, saw the Robokoblin's arm go up. His eyes widened. Without hesitation, the Robokoblin fired off a small, metallic canister. Acting quickly, Groose held out his Coarstle's Glove. The magnetic powers of the glove began to take effect, and the shield lying up against the cavern's wall shot towards Groose. He ran forward, catching the shield in mid-air, and holding it up against his chest with both hands. The metallic canister, which had begun emitting a high pitched beeping, bounced off of the shield and hit the ground with a thud. Groose landed next to Ghirahim, nearly sweeping the Demon Lord off of his feet.
The beeping stopped. Link sprinted towards the back of the cave, away from the canister. Groose and Ghirahim both braced themselves. Cheeb was about to experience quite the rude awakening.
The explosion was deafening.