Hello faithful readers! Guess who's back from the grave!
Sorry about the incredibly long delay, I have no excuse... hehe. *Sweat drops* Well, anyways, thanks for the reviews, they are greatly appreciated. If you notice I am no longer thanking for them in my AN's because I have heard from some people that it is bothersome, so in the future I will try to reply directly.
Well, enjoy the story!
Adventure 5: Volcanic Expedition Part 1
I looked up the netted climb of the first of the ledges leading to Death Mountain. The large expanse of rock loomed above me as I gripped a fist full of the rope.
"Shouldn't you wait until after I've beaten the Goron?" came a questioning voice from behind me. Turning I looked at the green clad hero before replying.
"Nah, I'm sure it'll be no problem at all." I said. After all, it only took one try in the game… unless you sucked.
"Okay, but are you sure you can make it up on your own?" he asked again. I fixed Link with a withering glare, not even deigning to give his question a response. Reaching up I pulled myself up a couple inches, slipping my foot into one of the rungs. Pushing off I pulled myself up again, gaining more distance as I rose up the face of the incline.
I heard Link sigh before the crunch of gravel announced that he was coming to the wall. Ignoring him I focused on climbing, lifting my body was proving to be more of a challenge than I had originally thought, 'Curse this pitiful body!' I mental shouted, frowning as I had to struggle to get the next foot hold; I wasn't even halfway up the cliff and I was already breathing hard.
Reaching for the next rung a hand shot up on my side, clutching the rope next to mine, Link grunted slightly as he pulled himself up past me. 'What the, how did he get up here so fast?!' Redoubling my efforts I caught up to him and managed to stay with him until nearly the top. Then Link used his superior size to reach the extra distance and yank himself over the top. Three seconds later I yanked myself up after him, rolling onto my back and panting as I tried to catch my breath.
Looking over I noticed that Link was brushing himself off as he stood there, looking like he had done no labor whatsoever.
"What the heck," I groaned out, "How did you manage to beat me and look like you didn't even try!"
Link gave me a surprised look before asking, "You mean that was a race?" I looked at him incredulously for a second before muttering dark things and standing up. This body seriously stunk; it was weak, short, and couldn't do half the things my old one could.
"Hey you!" a loud and gravelly voice cut through the air, startling me and causing me to turn and look up the path. A large, vaguely humanoid beast stood there, looking like a yellow turtle with rocks coming out of its shell, it stood over eight feet tall. Its large body was covered in strange tattoos and the only form of clothing it wore was a large loin cloth.
"No human's allowed by order of the elders!" the beast said as it began to curl into a ball. I felt pressure on my shoulder as I was moved out of the way by Link.
"Stay back for a second, I'll handle the Goron." He said. Link walked forward a step, tapped his heels together and settled into a deep horse stance. Taking a few steps back I was surprised at the way he seemed to sink into the ground.
'He didn't even put on the boots,' I thought, moving out of the way. Suddenly there was a rumbling noise as the Goron propelled its body forwards, spinning at a rapid rate. Link sunk deeper into his stance and braced for impact. With the sound of a freight train coming to a halt, the Goron bashed into Link. As Link strained against the force he was shoved backwards a few feet. Pulling one leg out of the furrow Link twisted and tossed the Goron to the side, a surprised yelp sounded out as it flew off the edge of the cliff.
Link stood up and clicked his boots together again, rising slightly as they seemed to lose weight.
"What the—how the-," I stuttered as I attempted to form my question. Link gave me a confused look.
"The iron boots I got from Mayor Bo," he said, "You're the one who told me to get them."
"Yeah, but you didn't even put them on!" I exclaimed.
Realization dawned on his face, "Oh, you don't know how the boots work," he said, looking at me while I fixed him with a confused expression, "The boots have an enchantment on them, they aren't really made of iron, they just take on the propertied of it when you activated the enchantment. All you have to do it touch your heels together… see?" he demonstrated and I watched as he suddenly sunk into the earth. Another click and he was light again.
The sight of him clicking his heels together brought back memory of a film with a certain girl and a pair of red slippers. I felt myself smile as I giggled at the thought of Link in a dress… before slamming my hands over my mouth. 'What the heck? Did I just giggle!?'
"What's wrong," Link asked, seeing my expression of horror.
I glared at him for a second before removing my hands and muttering, "Nothing." I was just glad he didn't notice the giggle, no need to give him something to make fun of… but I'd definitely have to watch out in the future, what if I became totally girlified? I shuddered at the thought.
"Common, let's keep going." I said, marching down the trail ahead of us.
(LINE BREAK)
I gasped as I trudged up the last step, bending over and resting my hands on my knees I gasped for breath. Link did the same to my left, sticking his sword, point first, into the hard soil. I wanted to laugh at the way his face was covered in soot and his pants looked singed but I knew I didn't look much better.
On the way up we, and by we I mean Link, had to stop not only several Gorons, but run past a group of bubblins toting fire arrows. The experience was not one I wanted to repeat, I had narrowly avoided arrows on multiple occasions and several had managed to singe me. They had caught a row of bushes in front of us on fire and we had to jump through them, hence the sooty faces.
"Hey look," Midna's voice suddenly intruded upon our thoughts, her shadowy for directing our attention towards the foot of the mountain. As we watched as Goron got on top of another's back and was propelled into the air and onto the next level. "Looks like we've found a way in." Midna said.
I gulped at the sight of it, what had seemed so harmless in the game now looked very scary.
"Well, we had better get going," Link said, tugging his sword out of the ground. We made our way down the path, jumping down the repeating ledges that lead to the large rocky clearing in the middle. The Goron seemed completely oblivious to our coming and didn't react until we were within feet of him.
"Wahh, you shouldn't be here!" he cried, jumping back a step and pointing at us. He quickly brought his hands into a boxing position, preparing to stop us. Link leapt in with a jab of his sword, contacting the Goron in his stomach. With the sound of metal on rock the sword grated off, knocking the breath out of the Goron and causing him to curl into a ball.
"Quickly," Midna said from Link's shadow, "Onto his back!" Link slid his sword into its sheath and leapt up, grabbing onto the Goron's rocky back and pulling himself up. I raced over to its side and jumped after him, missing the top by inches. As I began falling Links hand caught my arm, pulling me up and holding me to his chest.
The Goron started vibrating and suddenly popped up with amazing force. The next thing I knew the world is spinning and I felt the centrifugal force pushing me back into Link. With a jolt the world stopped spinning as Link slammed into something hard.
My vision was still spinning when he set me down, grabbing my shoulder to stop me from falling over.
"Are you okay?" Link asked.
"Uuh, y-yeah." I said as I clutched my head and the spinning slowly stopped, "How are you not dizzy?" I asked amazed that the trip seemed to have no effect on him.
Link just grinned before releasing my shoulder and pulling out his sword. I was about to follow when the mountain started to rumble, spewing out balls of molten rock. Jumping to the side I took refuge next to the wall, quickly followed by Link.
After a short time the rumbling stopped the flying debris ceased their pounding. Link carefully stepped out and upon not becoming a flaming crater motioned for me to follow.
I stepped out to follow him, coming to a stop as I noticed a whistling noise, sort of like something heavy falling through the air. Looking up I had all of three seconds to notice that a black shape was hurtling towards me.
"CLANG!" with the crashing sound everything went black.
(LINE BREAK)
"Uuun," I groaned as I slowly came to. My head was ringing and it felt like I'd just been bludgeoned. Opening my eyes I looked up to see the concerned face of Link, hovering over me. "What happened?" I gritted out through clenched teeth, even speaking sent sharp jabs of pain through my head.
"Oh great, you're okay," Links relieved voice sounded out, "I was worried for a second, what with all the blood and all."
"Huh, wait, what? Blood!?" I asked, attempting to move I realized that I was being held by Link while he was pressing something onto my head.
"Oh, don't be such a baby," came a snide remark from Links shadow, "It's just a scratch. Link, just give her a red potion, it should heal in seconds," Link turned to glare at the shadow.
"At least show a little sympathy, what would you do if you were hit over the head with a metal shield? It's lucky it barely clipped her." He said to the shadow.
"Wait, a shield?" I asked, confused. The throbbing in my head accompanied by the strange dialogue was not a good combination. Link turned back to me before responding.
"Yeah, it fell from that crate up there and nicked the side of your head." He said, shifting me slightly so he could point up at the jagged remains of a wooden crate hanging over the edge of the rise.
"It must have been hit by one of those volcanic rocks." Midna inserted, "You just had the bad luck of being underneath it."
"You think you can sit up?" Link asked, bringing my attention back to him.
"Yeah," I said, still a little woozy, "Just give me a second."
Link lifted me up carefully, levering my back so I could lie against the side of the mountain. He took one of my hands and pressed it to the cloth that was against my head, waiting until he was sure I could hold it there. I wanted to complain about how he was babying me but I decided it wasn't worth the headache it would cause.
While Link rummaged around in his pack for something I looked to my side. A large, steel shield was lying there; judging by the tri-force carved into it and the red bird shaped symbol it was of Hylian craftsmanship. The slight red tinting of one of the edges also seemed to speak that it was the same shield that had nearly brain me.
I glared at the hunk of steel for a few moments until Link tapped my shoulder. Turning I saw him holding out an un-corked bottle of red potion, his encouraging grin back on his face. Reaching out with my unoccupied hand I grabbed it around the top and brought it over to drink.
Powering through I drank about half the bottle before I had to come up for air. The thing tasted just as horrible as I remembered, all herby and fermented. Ignoring the taste I felt it take effect, the soothing sensation powering through my body, not only relieving my headache but many of my other little aches and pains.
"Here, let me check," Link said, coming close to me and pulling the bloody cloth from my forehead. He stared at it for a second before reaching up with the cloth and wiping away the blood that had crusted there. "There, it looks all better." He said with a smile.
I nodded and stood up, enjoying the sense of energy I had gained after drinking the potion. I offered the half empty bottle back to Link but he just shook his head and handed me the cork.
"Keep it, it could come in useful later." He said.
"Okay," I said, corking the bottle and reaching around I shoved it into my bag. As I did it I smiled, thinking about how it reminded me of those bank money dispensers. You but your money in a tube and they would vacuum it up and send back what you needed the same way.
"Hurry up, let's get going," Midna's annoyed voice wafted out, "We don't have all day."
"We don't have all day," I mimed childishly. I walked over to the shield and picked it up, grunting under the weight. Stumbling a little I brought it over to Link and held it up. "Here, you can use this."
Link looked surprised for a second, "What for, I already have a shield."
I glanced at him from over the top of said shield, "And where are we going?" I asked.
"Umm, a volcano." Link replied.
"And what is your shield made of?" I asked again, talking like I was explaining something simple to a child.
"Wood?" Link said it as more of a question.
"Yes, now how well does wood mix with what you find in volcanos?"
A look of enlightenment crossed Links face as he realized where I was going, "Oh, yeah… wood burns." He sheepishly scratched the back of his head before reaching around and unbuckling his wooden shield.
Watching him shove a two foot wide shield into a tiny waist bag was one of the funniest things I had ever seen. It was like when you shove a large ball of play-dough back into its container, the container doesn't move and the play-dough doesn't want to go in but eventually gives up and warps to fit the container. Now imagine that but instead of a struggling two year old there was a man in green; and instead of malleable play-dough, a large wooden shield. Let's just say I was hard pressed to control my laughter.
Once Link finally got the shield in he came over and took the metal one from me, fitting his arm into the handles.
"Okay, let's go." He said.
(LINE BREAK)
Four words for the people who designed the path to Death Mountain's summit, Die-In-A-Hole! I swear, not only do they put angry Gorons at every corner but they make them the only way to get up, not a single staircase…anywhere! Plus someone decided it would be fun to try and crush players under balls of fiery granite; I mean seriously, what could you possibly do to make it more frustrating?
By the time we reached the summit Link was cradling a bruised arm from all the Goron strikes he had to block and I was smoking from a very close encounter with rocks of a flaming kind. Taking a minute to catch our breath we both walked into the rectangular doorway cut in the side of the mountain.
When we entered the room I noticed two things, first, it was quite dim because it's only source of lighting were torches placed sporadically throughout it and second, we were being surrounded by a group of very scary Gorons.
"Stay back," Link said, pushing me slightly behind him, a fairly useless gesture considering the Gorons were on all sides.
"Halt!" came a shout from farther into the room. The Gorons suddenly stopped, backing up slightly and coming out of their crouches. Two of them stepped even farther out of the way, allowing for a small, and much older looking, Goron to pass though. He was only about Links height with spikey tufts of white rock shaped like hair jutting out of his head and what looked to balding spot in the center.
"Humans," he said, "Why do you come here? The mountain is closed to visitors, as you can see we are in a time of crisis." He indicated around us as the mountain shook from another series of tremors.
Link stepped forward and replied, "We are here to stop the spread of Twilight, and we believe that this place holds one of the keys to doing so."
"Hmm, we do not care much for the Twilight, it has not affected us, but we do have a problem," the Goron began, "Evil has spread through our tunnels, polluting the mind of our once great Patriarch. We have been forced to seal him deep within the caverns… but perhaps you can help. The only thing I can think of that you would be searching for is the weapon of the hero; an item that has been guarded by our people for generations." He looked sternly at Link, "I would not part with that item easily, but if you can free our Patriarch from the evil that binds him then it is yours."
Link looked the Goron in the eye before replying, "Deal."
The Goron smiled, "Very well, but first you must prove your strength. I am Gor Coron, one of the elders of our tribe. If you can beat me in a feat of strength, I will deem you worthy of this quest."
Link nodded and the Gorons around us parted to reveal a ring in the center of the room. Raised above the ground it had small stone steps leading up to a rock platform. Two strips of stone marked out the starting points for the contestants in the center. Link and Gor Coron stepped up and took their places on either side of each other.
"Let us begin," intoned Gor Coron, slapping the ground with both palms.
Link tapped his heels together, digging into the ground with his heels he sunk into a crouch and began circling with Gor Coron.
The elder suddenly lunged forward, attempting to take Links feet out from under him. Link leapt to the side, showing surprising agility for someone wearing steel boots. Shifting he rammed into the Goron, shoving him backward while Gor Coron attempted to regain his balance.
As they neared the edge the elder dug his heels in, placing both his hands on Links shoulder he shoved, causing Link to stumble back. They were circling again, this time Gor Coron was on the defensive as he tried to move away from the edge, but Link moved to block him every time.
Suddenly the Goron struck out, slapping Link across the side and causing him to lose concentration. Gor Coron took advantage and rammed into him, attempting to shove him backwards. Luckily Links boots caught into the dirt and after a couple of shoves he was able to get the elder off of him.
Link crouched low, darting to the side he slammed into the Goron, shoving with all his might. The previous attack had shifted Gor Coron too far to the right, now with Links point of leverage and his poor position he was in trouble. The elder made a valiant effort but he was in too bad of a position and Link shoved him off the edge.
With a thud the Goron landed on the ground outside the ring. Link clicked his heels together and walked down the steps to the elder. Gor Coron picked himself up and dusted himself off, turning to Link he said with a smile, "Amazing, I haven't seen such strength in a human in years. You have my respect, and permission to pass, the best of luck in your quest."
Link smiled back and said, "The same to you."
Gor Coron turned to two burly Gorons with folded arms guarding a doorway. "Let him pass." He said. The Gorons both shifted sideways, out of the way of the door. It looked sort of comical because of the way they kept their arms crossed.
As I was watching this I walked over to Link, looking over at Gor Coron, I waved and asked, "How ya doing?" Gor Coron started and turned to look at me, seeming to notice me for the first time.
"Oh, I did not see you there, and who are you?" he asked.
I fumed a little bit at that, "I'm Skyler." I said.
"And what are you doing here?"
"I'm making sure this guy doesn't do anything stupid and kill himself." I said, pointing to Link.
Gor Coron looked disbelievingly at Link for a second, "You are bringing a pup with you?" he asked.
'Oh no he didn't,' I thought, face turning slightly red, "Hey, I'm not a pup!" I shouted, walking up to Gor Coron, "I can handle myself and take on any challenge you could throw my way!" I said, jabbing him in the chest with a finger, "I could even beat you in your stupid challenge of strength!" I stood panting next to him, glaring up into his eyes as I felt my anger slowly dissipate.
Gor Coron's face seemed to darken for a second and I got a foreboding feeling; then, suddenly, "HAHAHAHAHAHHAA!" He burst in to raucous laughter, bending over and clutching his stomach. "I like this one, she's got a fiery spirit." He gasped out between chuckles.
I just stared at him disbelievingly.
"Well, it looks like you've got your hands full," he said, speaking to Link, "I didn't think humans still attempted the trial of strength, let alone at such a young age; but I must say you chose an interesting time and place to do it. No human has used the mountain in decades."
I looked at him for a second, confused before asking, "Trial of Strength?"
Gor Coron turned to look at me, "Yes, a trial where younger generations prove their worth through a series of test of challenges… but surely you already know this?"
"Umm, oh, yeah… Trial of Strength. We, uh- call it something different where I come from." I stuttered out, trying my best to sound convincing. The elder smiled.
"Well then, the best of luck to you both." He said, indicating the path to the caverns. "May the goddesses be with you."
I stood there for a few seconds, trying to get my thoughts in line, before turning to walk towards the door. Link was already there waiting, standing slightly to the side and away from the giant Gorons who guarded the opening. I couldn't make fun of him for it though, they were big… especially from my view point.
When I reached the green clad hero he reached down and patted my shoulder, giving me an encouraging smile before walking into the cavern. Taking a deep breath I followed.
Gasping I staggered forward a few steps, instantly sweating from the intense heat. The door must have been enchanted to keep the heat out or something, the temperature must have risen thirty degrees as soon as I walked through the doorway.
Looking over I saw Link tugging at the neck of his shirt, attempting to cool off. I walked over the cracked dirt to him, carefully avoiding the places where it had split into crevices far enough for me to fall in.
"Hey, let's get moving. I want to get out of this heat as soon as possible." I said to Link. He just nodded and began walking down the path. Following him I took notice of how although it was dim there was still light in the room, it surprised me because we were in the center of a mountain… where does it come from?
My question was answered as we rounded a bend, a huge pit of lava coming into view, casting a reddish glow on its surroundings. As we neared the lava I groaned, the heat was intensifying, something I was definitely not happy about.
The large pool of molten liquid sluggishly rolled around, the only way across seemed to be a bunch of platforms coming out of the lava. They were spaced in such a way that you would have to jump to get to any of them.
Suddenly a geyser of molten rock shot up into air in front of us, and just as quickly Links hand jutted out to stop me from going even further. He watched as the geyser fell back into the rest of the lava, remaining silent for a second.
"Dang," he said, "I can't see any other way across. The only way is to jump." He turned and looked back at me, "You should stay here, I'll come back and get you when it's all over."
It took a second for me to full realize what he was suggesting, and then I puffed myself up to my full three and a half-foot height and said, "No way! I've come with you this far and there's no way I'm stopping now!"
"But -," He began.
"No buts," I said, cutting him off. Link sighed and then Midna decided to insert her two cents.
"Just let him come, if the princess fries then it's his own fault. Let's just get a move on; monsters to beat and fused shadows to collect you know!" she said.
I glared at the shadow for a second before turning to see Link still looking unsure. Huffing I saw the geyser separating the main mass of land and the first stool fall down. Sprinting forward I rushed past Link, reaching the edge of the land I jumped, clearing the distance with nearly a foot to spare.
"Common, hurry up!" I shouted to Link, already waiting for the next geyser to fall. I was hoping from one foot to the other because of how hot the rock underneath me was, trying my best to keep my feet from frying.
With a hiss the next lava spurt fell down, clearing the way and I jumped, clearing the distance a little more shakily this time. Moving quickly I jumped the last edge, landing on the other side of the pool of lava. Turning I saw Link quickly following me. Jumping across the distance he made it look easy.
As he jumped the last distance the rock gave way beneath his foot. I watched as he nearly missed the edge, landing with one foot hovering above the lava. I rushed forward as I saw him pin wheeling his arms to maintain balance, grabbing his belt I threw myself backwards and pulled him to safety.
"Thanks," he said, looking back at the lava with revulsion.
I nodded and started walking, wiping sweat from my brow as I did. Turning around I noticed that the only way to continue was a large, rusted red-iron frame leading down the path. The entrance was blocked by large boards.
"Stand back," Link said, leveling his sword with the barrier. Gathering his breath he leapt forward and struck at them in a downward strike. His sword melted through two of the boards before getting stuck in the third, wrenching it out he began hacking at them, splinters flying everywhere. About a minute later and the opening was large enough for him to get through.
As I walked through after Link I noticed the large column of fire that was blocking the area ahead of us. Walking around a grated corner I noticed the large rectangular lever in the floor.
"Hey Link," I called out, causing the green tuniced Hylian to turn, "I think we can stop the fire with that." I indicated the panel.
"Let me check," He said, he walked around the corner, carefully stepping past the flame. I watching in exasperation as he began pushing futilely on it, sweat pouring down his face.
"Stand on it dummy!" I exclaimed. Link spared me a withering glance before standing up and stepping on it. Looking back he fixed me with a look that seemed to say, 'What now kid genius.' I face palmed before hurriedly whipping my now sweat covered hand on my shirt.
"The iron boots!" I exclaimed, exasperatedly.
Link flushed with embarrassment for a second before tapping his heels together, pushing down on the large contraption and causing the fire to hiss to a stop. A large ticking noise started up. Link seemed to realize what it indicated.
"Hurry, before the fire starts up again." He said, running down the rickety framework with me hot on his heels. The chinking sound of boots on metal faded into the clomp of boots on dirt as we ran onto the hard packed soil on the other side.
Link turned in a slow circle, scoping out the room. "This way," he said, walking down the sloping path to a concealed ladder. He indicated that I go first so I complied and pulled myself up the warm wood, quickly coming to the top and shaking my hands to cool them. I was slightly amazed the wood wasn't on fire considering the temperature it was at.
Link quickly followed me up, but by the time he was there I was already continuing on. Memories of the game were coming back quicker. I hoped over a large drop between a pillar and the top of the cage before leaping again onto the relative safety of a ledge on the opposite wall. I looked down my left and saw another flaming barrier.
A thump sounded behind me as Link landed as well.
"This way," I said, indicating the opposite direction of the fire. I saw a thin ledge leading to another platform and was about to cross it when a hand suddenly snagged the back of my shirt, pulling me back.
"Hey, what gives," I called out angrily as Link yanked me to his side.
"Quiet," He said, looking at me, "Look up there," he pointed to a place a little past the ledge where, on the ceiling, were several fire slug things. "You have to be more careful, you can't just run around willy nilly, you could get hurt. Stay here; I'll go check it out."
I opened my mouth to protest but Link was already gone. He leapt over a gap, completely ignoring the small ledge. Landing he reached into his pack and pulled out a wooden sling shot. Standing up strait he took aim and released a projectile at one of the slugs.
The force of the contact propelled the beast into another, knocking them both off the ceiling and into the lava below. Three shots later and all the enemies were gone.
Link leapt over the remaining gap and began to study what was on the platform, he looked up and gestured for me to move towards the fire. I looked nervously towards the flames and back, but Link was already looking down again. Making up my mind I began walking towards it, carefully keeping well away from the edge that dropped off into the lava.
A rumbling suddenly shook the place and chips of stone fell from the ceiling. I looked down at the shaking ground and steadied myself. Suddenly a ticking noise began to emanate from in front of me, looking up I saw the flames had gone out.
"Hurry, run!" came Link's voice from behind me. I leapt forwards into a sprint, speeding past the soot blackened walls and onto the walk way. The metal echoed underneath my feet as the ticking picked up tempo and I pushed myself faster.
A green blur flew past me and suddenly I wasn't on the ground any longer, but whistling through the air. The ticking reached a new crescendo and Link dived around a corner, dragging me with him as a tongue of flame lanced out of the pipe behind us.
"Too…close," I panted, staring at the flame with wide eyes. Link picked me up, setting me back on my feet before fixing me with one of his trademark smiles.
"That was fun, the adrenaline is really something isn't it?" he asked cheerfully. I sweat dropped* at that and watched as he turned to continue on. We walked off of the iron struts and onto ground again, coming to a ledge with several crates stacked on its side.
I monotonously walked over to the crated and began to lower myself off when I heard a grunt of exertion. Looking up I saw that Link had jumped from the ledge and onto a large, metal lever coming out of the wall. He regained his balance before looking around thoughtfully. I watched for a second before continuing to lower myself off the crates. 'Crazy, hyper athletic hero's. They do too much jumping.' I thought to myself.
As if in response to my thought I heard a clanging sound and looked up to see Link jumping up and down on the lever, trying to move it. After five of six jumps he stopped and scratched his head before a look of realization crossed his face. He clicked his heels together and, with a moan that only old metal can make, the lever sunk to the ground.
A rumbling sound emanated from a large metal wall that I hadn't noticed before. With sparks flying from the tracks on the floor, it slid open, revealing a wall of dirt with what looked to be a circle carved into the middle.
I looked at Link for a second, then at the door, then back to Link. 'I really am out of it,' I thought to myself, 'How didn't I notice that before?!' I saw Link start towards the wall and hurriedly jumped off of the last crate and ran up to his side. Nearing to wall I realized that the circle was not a carving in the wall, but and actual slab of stone that had been fitted into it, it reminded my vaguely of a door.
We walked up to it and Link went forward and pushed it… then the oddest thing happened. Instead of him pushing futilely against a large slab of stone, a loud rumbling sound emanated from it and it rolled to the side, a second one behind it vanishing similarly but to the opposite side.
"Whoah," I stated.
"What?" Link asked, looking at me strangely.
"Nothing, let's go," I replied. Walking forward I went through the doorway and out into a large cavern, the molten rock from before was still around but covering less of the area, filling up not much more than half the room. A large, circular, steel girder hovered above the lava in the center of the room, its large central pillar disappearing into the lava.
"Hurry," came Link's voice as he began to walk along a stone sidewalk, leading to what looked like another cave entrance.
"I'm coming, geeze…" I grumbled to myself, speeding into a jog to keep pace with Link's long strides.
A skip, hop, and jump later found us in front of the door, staring at the large and menacing lock that sealed it.
"Dang, we need a key," Link said. Turning to look at me he asked, "Got any ideas?" I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head, heck if I could remember every key location in the game… even my memory wasn't that incredible.
"We should probably head back and ch-," I was cut off when I noticed a slinking shadow sliding over me. A chill ran up my spine as I slowly looked up.
A scream caught in my throat as I noticed something falling towards me at great speed, leaving no time to react. With the force of a train the object slammed into my shoulder, pulling me down and under it. Pain split through my head as it crashed into the ground and my vision swam.
Link cried out in surprise from somewhere near me and the dark shape darted off of me, crashing into him and knocking him away. I shakily pushed up from the ground, reaching for my dagger as I got into sitting position. Scanning for the enemy I was stopped short by what I saw, a large, bluish black hand scuttling towards me on its fingers.
My weapon wasn't even halfway out of its sheath when it reached me, latching onto my body and pinning my arms to my side. The breath hissed from my lips as its grip tightened, squeezing the air from my lungs and pressing my ribs in an uncomfortable direction.
With a jerk I was pulled backwards, the hand dragging me into a dark portal on the ground. Suddenly we were free falling, the hand seemed to be pulsing in a general direction but I could feel the space flying past us.
"Let…Go!" I gritted out as I managed to release one arm, reaching over I gripped the fraying hilt of my dagger and yanked it out.
"Gwrahh!" I cried as I plunged the blade into the flesh of the creature. A pained hiss quickly turned into a squeal of agony as the hand started convulsing, disintegrating from the point of contact.
Suddenly, I was free, and the blade no longer stuck in the hand. The breath was knocked out of me for the second time in the past minute as my decent stopped abruptly, quickly changing directions and I was suddenly sliding to the side towards a bright light.
Shooting out of the portal I rolled a couple feet before coming to a stop, lying there, stunned for a second before life caught up with me and I realized I had to breathe. Coughing I dragged in air, clutching at my chest as I tried to regain composure. Breathing deeply I slowly rolled onto my back, staring in a daze at the rocky ceiling.
I suddenly noticed wheezing that was not my own coming from the side of me. With a start, I spun onto my side, pushing myself into a crouch facing the wheezing. Coming to an abrupt halt I stared at the hunched form of the most shriveled, decrepit, Goron I had ever seen.
He stared back at me, clutching his chest as he inhaled and exhaled deeply. I just stared at him dumbly, sitting back on the ground as I too continued to try and regain my breath.
As the Goron finally regained his breath a smile split across his shriveled, stony face, followed shortly by booming laughter that caused me to wince.
"Bwaahahah! You gave me quite the scare little one, popping up out of nowhere like that!" the Goron continued to chuckle to himself as he levered himself up on his cane and dusted himself off. He walked over and grabbed my shoulder, showing surprising strength he hoisted me onto my feet so was were now staring at each other at eye level.
"But if that's the best the young'un's can come up with to scare me they've got another thing coming!" the Goron continued to rant in a good mannered fashion about revenge, and 'The pranks in my day.' As soon as I was able to form coherent thought I decided to ask the obvious question.
"Who are you?" my voice came out sounding pathetically meek.
The Goron turned and fixed me with a searching look before his twinkling eyes locked on me, "Why, my name is Gor-Ebizo."
(LINE BREAK)
Far away in a dank cavernous room a black portal popped into existence, spewing out the dusty remains of a creature of shadow. A soft sigh echoed from the large, stone throne dominating the center of the room. The large man sitting in it clenched his fist in an irritated fashion.
"Another failure," he said darkly, deep voice echoing off the walls. He fixed the form kneeling by his throne with a cold scowl. "Very well, you have my permission to go," he said to the cloaked figure.
"Yes mi' lord," came the soft voice from the figure. The figure leaned back, hood falling off and revealing a shock of blonde hair and two blood red eyes. Although a mask covered the bottom part of its face a menacing grin cracked across the expanse, a grin which would have made anyone who saw it shudder. The figure intoned in a deceptively light voice, "I shall not fail."
It stood up quickly, cloak twirling around it as it vanished on the spot, leaving the large figure brooding on his throne.
*- This is for those not commonly acquainted with manga or anime. The sweat drop is a sign of disbelief/surprise, usually in to case of someone doing something outrageously unexpected and/or stupid. I couldn't think of another adjective to put in place of it, so while it doesn't have the same effect as a visual one it at least expresses the emotion. So, no, it was not a typo.
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Hopefully the next chapter will come out in a more timely fashion. Well, drop a review I'd love to hear what you guys thought!
Guppy out.