Oh my cosplay, this chapter was hell to write. I had so many different ideas, but they all failed miserably when I tried writing them. This was the only one that worked out.
Moriko: I wonder what the Gorons are going to do to me when they find out about the Rod...
Me: Don't worry...you'll find out.
Chapter 28: The Goron Ruby
Moriko felt very refreshed this morning. Maybe it was because of the much needed bath last night, or maybe it was just the awesome sleep she'd just had; she didn't know. All she knew was that today she would repair the Rod of Seasons and begin her search for the Temple of Din. But first…the Goron Ruby.
Moriko rolled her way out of bed and shuffled to the bathroom, splashing her face with cold water to wake herself up more. It worked, and by then, she had the drive to head out.
"Navi, Taiki, wake up! We're heading up the mountain!" she said cheerfully. Navi and Taiki fluttered from the windowsill to the bedposts, watching her get ready.
"So how are we going to get up there?" Taiki asked.
"We're using Gorador's Wind to get us up the mountain," Navi replied, fluttering her wings impatiently. "We decided that yesterday, remember?"
"I know, but don't you get queasy, Moriko?"
"I can keep it down, Taiki," she said, pulling her green tunic on. She ran her fingers through her hair and rebraided it. "It's not something that will affect me for a long time. I'll get used to it."
"Yeah, sure," he mumbled, his gaze wandering to the window. "Let's just hurry up, okay? I got a bad feeling about this."
"Just a minute," Moriko muttered, pulling on her boots with a quick tug. She grabbed her hat and hurried out the door, fairies on her tail, and said a quick 'good morning' to Roland before heading to the rocky path that was the trail up the mountain. She just had to get out of sight, so she wouldn't raise any alarm.
Soon the side of the mountain stretched out before her, scalable via the thin trail that wound upward. It was nostalgic, being back there. But there was something missing, not that it was all that bad. Tanner wasn't here to make stupid comments or patronize her, so it was okay, if not better than last time.
Navi and Taiki took shelter in her collar as she summoned Gorador, who appeared sleeping loudly on his cloud, a foot dangling over the side. His snores shook the mountainside.
"Oi! Gorador! I need your help!" she shouted.
The giant frog jolted upright and nearly fell off his cloud in surprise.
"Moriko! How are you?" he asked, scrambling to get a hold on the fluffy mass of white. Moriko grinned.
"I'm fine, Gorador. I just need to get up the mountain as fast as possible."
"Right-o! All aboard," he said as he lifted her up onto the cloud with a swift gust of wind. She settled in and hung on, bracing herself for the sudden ascent into the sky. When it came, it was the same, nauseating experience, but this time it wasn't as bad. Gorador was paddling away, humming a little tune with a smile plastered on his face.
Fiery breath incinerates all,
much to most dismay.
But like the Phoenix of the sky,
All is born again.
"What's that from?" Moriko asked.
Gorador turned to smile at her. "Oh, it's just a simple song I heard once. Nothing much."
"Well, I like it."
"Wonderful! Oh, we're here."
Moriko glanced over the side of the cloud, watching the rocky trail come to meet them. She hopped off when the cloud nearly touched dirt, then turned to wave goodbye to the frog god.
"Thanks for the lift, Gorador!" she shouted over the gusts of wind. Gorador smiled down on her and waved, then disappeared into the huge blue sky.
"So how long do you think this will take?" Taiki asked as the group made their way down the long tunnel that led the Goron City. Moriko shrugged, nudging the fairy out of his place.
"I have no idea. We've got the Selenthium, and we're going to get the Goron Ruby now, so we should be in the Temple of Din by tonight, if we don't rest, which I probably won't do for a bit. I've done it before."
"There's no need to push yourself," Navi said, fluttering ahead. Her blue light illuminated the tunnel nicely. "You've got time."
"I know…but…"
Moriko trailed off as she stepped into Goron City. She glanced around, a frown slowly growning on her face. The city was…silent! Panic began to rise in her gut. Where had all the Gorons gone?! What had happened here in such a short time? And without anyone taking notice?!
"What's happened to this city?" Navi said quietly. Taiki just gaped, zipping across the room in a frenzied panic.
"Where are all the Gorons?! Where'd they go?!"
"Calm down, guys!" Moriko said, pressing her head into her hand. "They're probably just working in the mines."
"The Gorons wouldn't leave their city unchecked!" Navi shouted.
"Thank you, oh killer of hope," Moriko hissed. Navi huffed.
"I was only stating the facts."
"Yeah? Well, the facts really aren't helping right now!"
"Hey, I see something!"
Moriko and the fairies froze.
"Did you say something, Taiki?" Navi asked. Taiki shook his head, then flew over to the edge of the stone ramp. He froze, then began bouncing happily.
"There're Gorons down there!" he cried, heading down the ramp. Moriko and Navi were on his heals in seconds, hoping for the city's sake that he wasn't hallucinating.
When they reached the bottom floor, they were instantly encircled by smaller Goron children, all holding stones bigger than themselves.
"Who are you, and why are you here?" one demanded, lifting his rock high over his head, as if to challenge resistance. Moriko blinked.
"Children, put those rocks down!"
Gor Cormon approached the small group from a cave entrance hidden behind a tapestry. He looked as if he'd aged a few decades, but he destroyed the large boulders with a few good punches, turning them to dust. He brushed himself off, then turned to Moriko.
"I'm sorry these little ones upset you, miss. We've had a bit of a hard time as of late. Uh…who are you again?"
"I am Moriko. I was here a about a week or two ago, and I have come to obtain a very important item."
Gor Cormon tapped his cheek, then grinned.
"Ah, little sister Moriko has returned to us!" he shouted. "Come into the meeting room, my dear. There is much to discuss."
Moriko allowed herself to be pulled inside by the Gorons children, who decided to encircle her again, but this time they just gawked at her. Apparently, they had been sent away while the Dodongo had been on a rampage, so they hadn't met her. They bombarded her with questions and demanded that she tell them what happened in the fiery depths of the mountain, but she said that the other Gorons could explain. She had to hurry.
"Listen, Gor Cormon. I don't mean to be rude or anything, but I'm in a bit of a hurry. I need a sliver of the Goron Ruby."
The room went silent in a matter of seconds. No, it didn't even take that long. In maybe half a second, every pair of Goron eyes had locked onto her. She suddenly felt very uneasy, with all those eyes on her, and she was having trouble finding her voice again.
"Now, what would you be in need of our sacred gem for, Sister Moriko?" Gor Cormon asked. "We have had very little patience ever since our people have begun…changing, so we can't give you much."
"Changing? How have you been changing?"
The few Gorons in the room, which bordered on twelve instead of sixty, averted their eyes, but the younger ones explained for them.
"We've been turning back into our original forms. We're turning to stone," one of the smallest said simply.
Dead silent. Nothing was moving. Nothing made a sound. The only thing Moriko could hear now was a shrill ringing in her ears.
"The…you're…turning to stone?" she whispered. Gor Cormon nodded, his expression grave.
"Yes. We are turning to stone. It began about two days ago, and we're still not sure what caused it. But whatever it is has turned most of our brothers and sisters into solid rock. We can't communicate with them any longer. We can't hear their voices."
Moriko knotted her hands over and over in her lap, feeling completely ashamed. She was so dead set on fixing the Rod of Seasons that she had completely ignored the Gorons' silent cry for help. It was positively gut wrenching. She didn't know what to do.
"Well, we'll fix it when the time comes. So, what did you need the Goron Ruby for, Moriko?" Gor Cormon asked, quickly changing the subject. Moriko fidgeted uncomfortably.
"Well, I need a piece of the Goron Ruby…for…"
Suddenly she felt as if she'd been hit by a ton of bricks.
"OF COURSE!!" she shouted, standing up abruptly. The Gorons looked at her with curiosity.
"Of course what?" the Goron elder asked, cocking his head to the side. Moriko pulled out the Rod of Seasons and held it up. The Gorons nearly keeled over.
"What has happened to our sacred relic?!" half of them shouted. Moriko forced back a grin at her realization, and put on a grim face.
"It's because of the Rod of Seasons that your people are turning to stone," Moriko declared. "It has to be! My sister, in an attempt to get my attention, stole the rod and tried to destroy it. I got it back before that happened, but this was what she'd done before I'd gotten to her. I have Selenthium, so I can repair the rod as soon as I can get a sliver of the ruby."
Gor Cormon had his gaze locked on the rod. His shoulders shook slightly, and he seemed to shrink a little, but then he turned his sights on Moriko.
"You were careless enough to let your own sister handle the rod?" he asked through gritted teeth. "That was irresponsible and idiotic! How could you let this happen? If the rod can't be fixed, then what will happen to the world?! If even one of the Sacred Items is damaged, the balance of the world could be destroyed! How would you plan to fix it?!"
Moriko stood there, stunned into silence by Gor Cormon's outburst. No one had ever yelled at her like that before, except for Simeon, but he was doing it to protect her. And how could she have known about the Sacred Items and the balance of the world? No, that was her fault. She should've known it. It was common sense. Common knowledge. She should've known better than to leave the Sacred Items alone.
"I admit that I was irresponsible. I know I was a fool to think they'd be safe, even for a few minutes. Now I know full well what my foolishness could've done to the world. But there's a way to fix the rod, and I plan to do whatever's necessary to fix it. I'm going to take responsibility for everything. I'll handle the consequences."
"Really?" Gor Cormon said skeptically. "And what would you be willing to stake on fixing the Rod?"
"I would stake my life on it."
"Your life? But why would you do that?" he asked, urging her to continue.
"I caused it, so it would be unfair for anyone else to take the punishment."
The Gorons discussed her words amongst themselves, but Gor Cormon was the only Goron to keep his eyes on her. His gaze bored holes into her, but she stared right back, unwilling to take no for an answer. They stayed like that until the Goron elder finally let up, snapping his fingers. One of the largest Gorons began pushing on a rock that was stuck against the wall, slowly revealing a dark tunnel.
"Your determination is truly that of the hero, but you cannot win on determination alone," he explained. "The Goron Ruby resides deep within this cavern. If you can find it, then you may take a sliver of it. If not, you cannot return to Goron City. You understand our reasons, do you not? We cannot just hand things over to you for nothing. The Rod of Seasons was thanks for ridding the mines of the Dodongo menace. But now, you must once again prove yourself worthy of our gifts."
"Of course," Moriko said, hiding her feelings of dismay as she walked over to the door. What was down here? Was it some kind of labyrinth, like the Forest Temple? Or maybe something she'd never encountered before? Who was to know?
She was quickly surrounded by darkness, losing sight, and the light, of the entrance in seconds. She followed the tunnel down, deeper into the seemingly endless black. She slid her hand carefully along the wall, keeping her eyes trained on the slightly illuminated floor. Navi and Taiki flew silently alongside her, watching the path ahead, as well as behind. No one wanted to be taken by surprise down here.
The tunnel stretched on for a long time, and Moriko was losing her strength. She had started yawning a few minutes back, and now she was being assaulted by them. Even the fairies had begun yawning. Eventually, they sat down on the stone floor, too tired to keep moving.
"Let's take a quick break," Taiki said, plopping onto Moriko's lap with a flutter of his wings. Navi happily obliged, joining the other fairy on Moriko's lap with a graceful landing. They fell asleep, but Moriko stayed awake, but only slightly. She sat there, leaning against the wall, her eyes glassy. Her limbs felt so heavy now, and she could barely keep her eyes open.
"Navi? Taiki? Are you two awake?"
She received a few snores in reply, and she smiled.
"Right…I feel so tired," she mumbled, closing her eyes for a second. "Hey…why were we down here again?"
"Too tired to remember," Taiki mumbled, turning over. Moriko nodded, her sight becoming blurred.
"Yeah…I can't…remember either."
A soft melody echoed from deeper in the tunnel, lulling Moriko until she was very close to sleeping.
Sleep, little one, a calm voice cooed, and dream of a place where everything is peaceful.
Moriko smiled at the thought, completely oblivious as a soft hand touched her face.
A place where there's no hunger. A place where everyone is happy. A place without war. A place where everyone can get what they want. Where no one is discriminated or hurt. A place where everyone is exactly the same.
Moriko smiled at the thought, but wiped her expression blank at the last part. She snapped her eyes open and slapped the hand away, startling its owner, which was the spirit of a beautifully frail looking woman. She illuminated the tunnel with her eerie grey light, which flickered with her emotions. She flared blue with fright at Moriko's actions.
"What the hell are you?" she hissed, stuffing her fairies into her hat. "You must be either really insane or completely evil, to think of something so horrible! Everyone the same?! It would be a disaster!"
Really? the spirit asked, her expression full of pain. How would it be so bad? Everyone would be at peace with each other. Would you deny them that happiness?
"They wouldn't be happy at all. Everyone is happy to be different, no matter how much they may protest it," Moriko said, standing up. "If everyone were the same, then no one would have fun anymore. There'd be no color to the world. And people would find reasons to fight anyway. There's always a leader, and there are always those against the leader. Conflict emerges and people are put in danger. No one can ever truly be the same."
The spirit was silent, then smiled slightly.
Well put, little one, but you have forgotten one thing.
"And that is…?"
Free will can be easily removed.
"No it can't. You can't mind-control someone into killing themselves, for instance. Everyone wants to live, and the will to survive outweighs the hypnosis or mind-control. If you tell someone to kill another person, the people close to the victim will demand the death of someone in return. Then the killing takes over."
But that would go away if free will was taken away.
"Not a chance. Eventually, people would wake up, and they would rebel against those in command. That is the true nature of humans."
You liked the thought of it a minute ago.
"Before you mentioned everyone being the same. That disgusted me. I like being myself, and things would be thrown out of balance if everything was the same."
Moriko paused, realizing the true importance of balance. If there was too much of one thing, that would tip the scales, causing massive damage to the world. The opposite was also true. Too little of one thing would also throw off the balance. Light and dark, good and evil, the elements, time; everything had a perfectly balanced system. You mess with that, and you destroy the world, along with everything in it.
So, you've figured it out, the spirit said with a smirk. It morphed into a ball of light, then shifted into the shape of a man. Blonde hair, blue eyes, green tunic-
"Link!" Moriko cried, stumbling backwards. "That was you?!"
"Yeah. I figured you might need a push in the right direction, so I did that. Sorry if I scared you, but you needed to figure that stuff out for yourself."
"You mean about balance? Yeah, thanks for that. I really get it now."
"Good, now let's go."
They continued down the long tunnel for a few more yards, then Link turned to Moriko.
"You haven't figured it out yet, have you?"
"I just told you I did!"
"Not that!" he said. "I mean the tunnel! You haven't figure out the secret yet?"
Moriko went silent.
"I take that as a definite no."
"Well then, you tell me!" she suggested, throwing her hands up in the air. Link shrugged, his movement casting shadows on the walls.
"What good would that do? It's like asking me to do your work for you. You don't learn anything if someone does it for you."
Moriko's shoulders slumped, silently admitting defeat. She had no idea what to do.
"Think about it. How long have you been wandering down here?"
"Um…at least thirty minutes? Maybe more?"
"Yeah? How can that be? You would've hit the side of the mountain about twenty eight minutes back."
Moriko snapped to attention, then pressed her fist to her mouth as she worked out the problem. If they hadn't hit the wall yet, that means they must be going in circles. But that would be impossible, since the path was straight.
"Is it possible…that we just keep ending up back at the beginning of the tunnel, no matter how far we go?"
Link nodded, jabbing his thumb in the direction they'd come.
"Now, if that were true, what would we do to change that?"
Moriko pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to think of something.
"Uh…if it's some kind of magic trap, then we just counter it with magic…right?"
"Good. But you don't know any magic, so what then?"
"Uh…"
Moriko had a flaring headache now. Her mind was being pulled in so many directions at once that it was almost physically, as well as mentally, scarring. She needed a solution fast.
"Um...let's see. A seal usually has something that can break it, like a key of some kind."
"And what key would that be?"
"Er…um…well, there's no keyhole of any kind, so it's got to be magic that will break it, that's for sure. The only real magic I have is…"
Moriko blinked as the solution dawned on her.
"OF COURSE!! The key to the seal is the Master Sword!"
She unsheathed the sword to see it glowing bright red, as if it had been heated to its melting point. She pointed it in front of her, then looked at Link.
"Is there a manual for this?"
"No. Just cleave the barrier in half."
Moriko nodded, pulled her arm back, then brought it right down the middle of the tunnel. There was a high pitched ring, which was followed by a loud splintering sound. Several large cracks appeared in front of her, then began forming smaller cracks until the entire barrier was shattered. Moriko covered her face, but felt no tears in her skin.
"What happened?" she whispered. Link offered her a hand and led her into the next room. It was as big as the Gorons' conference room, but there wasn't a large, stone table. Instead, there was a small stone altar near the back, with a bright red gem on it. It glittered brightly, even though the only light sources in the room were two torches on either side of it.
"You shattered the barrier separating you from this room. That," he said, pointing to the red gem, "is the Goron Ruby."
"Great!" Moriko said. "Now I just need a sliver of it for the rod."
"Right," Link said. "Just carve off a small piece, and then we can get out of here. The Gorons won't last forever."
Moriko gulped down a few breaths of warm air, then stepped up to the altar, the Master Sword vibrating in her hand. She took the large ruby in her hand and, with careful precision, sliced off a thin piece. She stuffed that one in her pocket and placed the stone back on the altar before rejoining Link near the entrance.
"Good. Now let's go."
Moriko, Link, and the now-awake fairies emerged from the tunnel, expecting to be greeted by the Gorons from before. Unfortunately, it was dead silent. All around the room, large boulders surrounded the stone table. They looked like normal rocks, but when Moriko got a closer look, they proved to be the Gorons themselves.
Moriko stumbled back, nearly tripping over something huddled on the floor. She turned to see one of the Goron children sitting there, gripping his arm to his hard body as he rocked back and forth.
"Are you alright?" Moriko asked, touching the Goron's shoulder. The Goron flinched, then looked at her with the saddest eyes imaginable.
"I'm gonna die, aren't I?" he asked quietly. Then Moriko saw why he was so scared. His entire right arm was turning to stone, slowly but surely. He was probably the last Goron still moving.
Suddenly, something in Moriko's brain snapped.
"No, you're not!" she said, picking him up. He wasn't light, but she could still run with him. "I'm taking you to the village. The Light Spirit can fix this!"
The Goron child shook in her arms as she raced up the ramp, tears slowly running down his sandy colored cheeks. He must've seen his friends and family turn to stone right before his eyes. It had probably been the scariest thing he'd ever seen. To watch your people slowly dying in front of you and not being able to do anything about it; it had to have been terrifying. And to know that that would also happen to you…
Moriko shuddered as she stepped out into the midday light. She set the child down and summoned Gorador, knowing full well she wouldn't make it if she didn't fly. The Goron's entire arm was stone, and its foot was beginning to change as well.
"Gorador! I need to get down to the village now! There's no time!" she shouted when the giant frog appeared.
Gorador opened his mouth to ask questions, but saw the shaking Goron at Moriko's side. He swallowed his questions and lifted them onto the cloud, then set off down the mountain, sticking as close to the ground as possible, but high enough so they wouldn't crash into any rocks.
The Goron child continued to shake in Moriko's arms as they made the final descent into the village. Moriko, unwilling to be distracted, hopped off the cloud and into the large circle people had made around the giant frog and his flying cloud. They watched her run to the spring, but many failed to see the small, brown and grey bundle in her arms. They were too curious, as well as frightened, of her escort.
Moriko stumbled into the spring, her hand shaking as she produced the ruby shard and the Selenthium from her pocket. The little Goron dropped from her hands and into the spring water with a loud splash. It surfaced a few seconds later, the petrifaction process hindered by the healing waters.
"Quickly, Moriko!" he said hoarsely. "Fix the rod!"
Moriko nodded and pulled the Rod of Seasons out.
"Eldin! I seek your aid! Please help me!"
The Light Spirit appeared in a flash of light, gazing at Moriko with saddened eyes.
"I see you have the rod, as well as the items needed. I heard from Ordona what has happened. Let us begin."
Eldin lifted its head to the sky, the three items in Moriko's hands following his gaze. They floated there, spinning faster and faster until they were just a blur. A soft melody pervaded the air, almost wrapping itself around the items. The air around them changed colors in the blink of an eye, going from pale pink to deep blue in brief flashes.
Suddenly, they crashed together, and a bright flash of red light exploded from every angle. Moriko and the fairies were temporarily blinded, but when their sight returned, the Rod of Seasons was levitating in front of them.
"You did it, Moriko!" Taiki shouted as he flew around her in circles. "You saved the Gorons!"
"I did…?"
Moriko's gaze went from the rod in her hand to the Goron at her side. He'd stopped shaking, and his rough skin was the normal sandy color.
"Are you alright?" she asked, placing a hand on the child's shoulder. It looked up at her slowly, then locked its rocky arms around her waist in a blur.
"You saved us!! You did it, Moriko! You saved my people!"
Moriko smiled warmly, patting the child's head before turning back to the spirit.
"Will the Gorons return to normal now?" she asked, taking the rod out of the air. Eldin nodded.
"As you thought, the Gorons began turning to stone ever since the Rod of Seasons was damaged. When you repaired it, the bond between the Gorons and the Goddess Din was restored. You see, they live off the warmth given off by the mountain, but they also share the Goddess Din's life. If that fire were to be cut off from the Gorons, they would turn to stone like you saw. That is what their first form was. Din carved them out of the mountain herself, in ancient times."
"Oh…I see," Moriko said. "So what will happen to those who've been turned to stone already?"
"They have not died, since there is still one bond between them and the Goddess," Eldin explained, lifting a feathered wing towards the mountain. "If you bring to them the repaired Rod of Seasons, they will change back, just like the little one here."
Moriko looked at the Goron child and nodded.
"Right. Let's go, little one," she said firmly, holding out her hand. The Goron child took her hand immediately and began leading her back towards Gorador. Moriko turned back to Eldin as he spoke one last thing.
"Be wary, chosen hero. The Temple of Din lies far below Death Mountain, and the guardian of the temple will not be as easy as Gorador of the Wind. Good luck."
The Light Spirit left as elegantly as he'd come, but Moriko's mind was already heading up the mountain. She had been lucky to find the Goron child. If she hadn't, then she might not have made it. Everything had worked out, thanks to that little child. Thank the Goddesses for him!
"Ready to head back up the mountain?" Gorador asked, once Moriko had rejoined him. She nodded and helped the Goron up onto the cloud before climbing on herself. The giant frog raised his paper fan up and ordered the cloud to fly upwards, then began paddling back towards Goron city entrance.
It had been only a few minutes since Moriko had returned to Goron City with the repaired Rod of Seasons in tow, and already the entire mountain was in an uproar! Many were happy and praised both her and the Goron child, whose name turned out to be Dane.
As Dane's friends surrounded him and carried him off to play, Gor Cormon approached Moriko. His eyes looked tired, but his posture was dignified.
"Moriko, the chosen hero," he said loudly, his voice silencing the celebrations, "we placed the Rod of Seasons in your care nearly two weeks ago. In that time, the rod was damaged so much that it began affecting my people. We are appalled by such a horrible display of responsibility!"
Moriko bowed her head in apology, but the Goron Elder was not finished.
"You somehow found the nerve to come back to us and show us the damage that had been done. That was foolishness! You then sought out our other prized possession, the Goron Ruby. We placed you with the challenge of finding the ruby for yourself, which you did, but by then it was nearly too late. Your idleness almost got us erased! We are very disappointed in you."
Moriko's self confidence was taking a nosedive.
"We are also in your debt."
Moriko squeezed her eyes shut, but opened them a second later to star disbelievingly at Gor Cormon.
"You…what?" she asked. Gor Cormon had a small smirk on his face.
"We are in your debt, Moriko."
Awkward silence.
"Wait, what?" Moriko repeated. "How are you in my debt?"
Gor Cormon let out a loud laugh.
"If it had not been for your bravery and undeterred drive, we would not be here. Had you simply left little Dane here, he would have turned to stone in minutes. But since you kept him close, he was able to keep the link the Goddess, even if it was a weak one. For that, we thank you."
Gor Cormon bowed his head slightly, causing Moriko extreme distress.
"No! Don't d-! You don't ha-! I-uh…please stand up straight."
Moriko fussed with the hem of her sleeve until he stood.
"Look. I don't deserve your gratitude. If I hadn't let…that person get a hold of the rod, none of this would've happened. I'm still indebted to you, so you can't be indebted to me."
Gor Cormon clapped her on the shoulder with his huge hand.
"Moirko, you saved our lives."
"But I nearly killed you," she reminded him. He sighed.
"That may be true, but you did save us. Everything evens out."
Moriko was silent as she brought out the Rod of Seasons, turning it in her hand. The damage had been completely repaired, and the rod looked fine, if not better than before.
"I guess so…but I still have to help everyone else." She gripped the rod tightly, then looked the Goron elder in the eyes. "I need to get to the Temple of Din."
"I knew you'd ask about that. It's in the most unstable part of the mine."
"Go figure," Navi grumbled from her place in Moriko's tunic collar. Moriko placed a hand over her, not taking her eyes from Gor Cormon.
"The only way to the temple is through that column in the heart of Goron City. If you follow that all the way down, you'll find a lava pit. No Goron has ever gone that far down before, except for myself."
Moriko looked towards the huge pillar of rock a few feet away. It went all the way to the top of the city, almost two levels above the entrance, and was about ten feet wide.
"You should hurry, Moriko," the Goron elder said. "It's not just us that are in trouble."
Moriko bowed her head to him, then stood up straight.
"I won't disappoint you again, Gor Cormon," she said. With that, she turned and ran up the ramp, and the cheers of the Gorons rang throughout the entire mountain. Every Goron was urging her forward, and with a heart full of praise, she reached the top of the center column and began her descend into the fiery mountain once again.
I hope you liked it! I'm beginning to go all out with the story, so it's hopefully going to go a lot faster now than before!After the next chapter, two or three chapters will be Zora's Domain, and then the next five or so will be the final stages. Oh, I wonder what has happened to Takeshi...? You'll find out in a bit, maybe four chapters! XD Psych! Just messing with ya! He'll show up soon. Actually, next chapter, to be precise.
Moriko: I wonder what will happen when Suzume wakes up...
Me: All in good time, dear heroine. All in good time! XD GOOD DAY/NIGHT TO YOU ALL!