When we last left our heroes, Link's group found Darunia and Maasai Moran unconscious in the Death Mountain Crater- home to the savage fiery dragon, Volvagia. What'll happen next? Find out now on "Medabots and Hylians- a New Generation of Heroes".
Credit where it's due, Jedediah and Casey are mine, and reviews are greatly appreciated.
Chapter 23- The Sage of Fire Reawakened
Link and Sonic lifted Darunia off the ground and moved him next to a small rock to rest against. Darunia had been burned in a couple spots due to fighting Volvagia, and parts of his clothing showed evidence of him being nearly roasted alive. But thankfully, he was in one piece and still breathing. Maasai Moran was a different story. Though he was still in one piece and still functional, his armor had melted slightly on his left shoulder and thigh, and thus discoloring the affected armor pieces. Metabee and Rokusho tended to him nearby as Darunia groaned in pain. "Darunia," Link asked, "Can you hear me?" "Ugh," He grunted, "You seem familiar, who are you?" "I'm Link," The green-dressed boy returned, "We go to school together." "Yes, that's right," Darunia replied, "I remember you know." He then held his arm, "What are you doing here?" "It's a long story," Sheik answered, "But in short, we came to help you fight Volvagia." The warrior boy's face suddenly grew stern, "I must reject your help." "What? Why?" Zelda inquired. "Volvagia has attacked my village," Darunia retorted, "So it is therefore my problem to deal with." "But you don't understand," Metabee cut in, leaving Rokusho to tend to the lion type, "It's our problem too." "How?" The warrior asked, giving Metabee a confused look. So after about ten minutes of explaining what's been happening to Hyrule, Darunia now understood what Link and Metabee were saying. "You mean," The warrior boy pondered, "That Volvagia has been revived by Ganondorf?" "That's right," Link nodded, "So ultimately Ganondorf's to blame for the attack on your village. And that means that we're in a way fighting the same enemy." Darunia stared at Link for a minute, and then struggled to rise to his feet. Maasai Moran came to and immediately got up to help is medafighter to a standing position. "Regardless of if what you have told me is true," Darunia continued, "The ancient dragon is still a problem for me to deal with." He walked over to where his weapon, which was a powerful hammer, was lying and used the handle for support while the head rested on the ground. "Hey now," Sonic started, "Just look at yourself Darunia. You're barely able to stand on your own as it is. How can you fight Volvagia in that state?" "Enough," Maasai Moran interrupted, "My medafighter may be wounded, but his spirit is what will carry him on." Darunia smiled at his medabot as he walked towards him and continued, "And even at the cost of my own medal, I will fight with him to the end."
Meanwhile, Jedediah's group was still navigating through the dark caverns in hopes of finding a way out. Unfortunately though, no such entity has made itself known to them yet. "Um, Jed?" Tails asked, "Is it just me, or is it getting darker and darker the farther we go?" "I reckon I'd agree with you Partner," Jedediah agreed, "It's getting to the point I can't see my hand in front of my face." It had been about twenty minutes since the group first started trying to find their way through the cave, and fear was beginning to grip the teens and tween. Tails had used his mini-flashlight as much as he could, but it became almost useless after a while. Malon had wrapped her arm around Jedediah's as fear gripped her more than either Jedediah or Tails. Jedediah still held strong, but the darkness was beginning to worry him as well. Casey and Brown Bison felt the same As the Texan, but continued to march ahead as Casey shone his headlight into the dark tunnels ahead. And of all luck, Casey's headlight was beginning to dim. "Uh, Jed?" The locomotive type worried, "My headlight's burning out from keeping it on too long. What do you suppose we do now?" The cowboy thought hard as he tried to look into the tunnel, and saw nothing but black. "Well, I reckon we head back and find another path up the mountain." Jedediah said at last, with his voice echoing through the caves. However, just as they started back, Casey's headlight finally gave out, leaving the group stranded in the pitch black darkness. The teens and tween held close together as the medabots did the same. All of a sudden came a crushing sound from the rock wall ahead of them, but not knowing what the sound was or where it was coming from in the darkness caused the group to quiver in fear. The sound got closer and closer, until it finally stopped. A burst of rocks and pebbles flew out from the rock wall as light from the outside shone on the group. Though it was fairly dim, the group found no reason to argue. And the two there to greet them were none other than Knuckles and Gokudo, who had searched for them and promised to bring them back safely. "Got lost in the tunnels I see." Knuckles jested as he helped the teens and tween onto their feet. "Boy Knuckles," Tails sighed, "Are we glad to see you." "No kidding," Casey added, "Let's get out of here."
Back with Link and the others, they continually tried to convince Darunia to change his mind and accept their help, but to no avail. Darunia agreed on the fact that Ganondorf is ultimately to blame, but he remained adamant about taking care of Volvagia by himself. And Maasai Moran stood by him loyally. Link saw no purpose in arguing further, but as he began to leave, a lava bubble popped. Everyone looked over at the spot, only to find something disturb the surface, as well as a rumbling that gradually rose in force. "I don't like where this is going." Metabee called through the rumbling as Link drew the Master Sword and Hylian shield, and Zelda her Sacred Bow. Darunia readied his hammer as all the medabots followed their medafighters in preparing for battle. Then all of a sudden, the rumbling died down. Everyone looked at each other confusedly, until a roaring dragon shot out of the lava and into the black sky above them. The mighty dragon was long and slender, much like that of a Chinese dragon. It had two arms that stretched out from its torso and fingers that ended in very sharp claws. Its scales were that of a dark lava red in color, and had a long, fiery mane that stemmed from its armored skull. Link and Zelda's ancestors spoke in their descendant's subconscious; saying, "Subterranean lava dragon: Volvagia." Don't worry Link," Navi bravely spoke out loud, "Your ancestor fought it once, and I still remember how he did it." "That's great Navi," Link answered, "Now it'd be great if you told us how." Just as Navi was about to speak, Darunia ordered Maasai Moran to aim his rifle and try to shoot it down. Volvagia had remembered this very same attack from a few minutes ago and got smart. The dragon flew close and grabbed the lion type, making a plan to drop him in the lava pools. Volvagia flew skyward a ways and then dropped Maasai Moran to his demise. "Rokusho." Zelda gasped, but the stag beetle type was already on it as he made a power leap off the edge of the cliff and soared over the lava pool, catching the lion type in the process. Rokusho then pushed both feet into the wall on the other side and used it as a launch pad, landing safely on the ground as he released Maasai Moran. "Many thanks to you." The lion type spoke up. "No thanks necessary." Rokusho answered as he and Maasai Moran dashed back into the fight.
Zelda had aimed a shot on her Sacred Bow, but Volvagia was moving around too much to secure it. "I can't hit him," She finally said to Link as everyone decided to move around and make things difficult on the dragon, "He's moving around too much." "You can say that again," Metabee called from nearby, "And none of our attacks are doing anything." After that had been said, Volvagia took a deep breath; and Navi knew where this was going. "Everybody get down!" She shouted. Everyone ducked and hugged the warm ground as Volvagia released its breath into a raging flamethrower the sailed over everyone's heads. After, Volvagia dove into a lava pool as everyone rose from the ground and looked around. "Is it over?" Sheik asked, breaking the silence. But it wasn't over, as the dragon shot its head out and stared everyone down evilly. "Its head," Navi called, "Its head is its weak point." Darunia heard this and dashed ahead, with Maasai Moran following. Volvagia tried to make a grab for the Chief's son, but Darunia hopped onto the dragon's arm and used it as extra reach as he slammed his hammer into Volvagia's head. "Talk about giving someone a headache." Metabee pondered out loud as the dragon dropped its head to the ground. "Well regardless," Link replied, "This is our chance." Link dashed ahead and gave Volvagia a few good slashes to the head with the Master Sword as Darunia slammed it once more with his hammer. Volvagia shook off the two attackers and began raising its head slowly, as it was still a little shaken up. Sonic saw this and immediately sped for a vertical wall to his right and spring-jumped off of it, preparing for an attack. Just was Volvagia fully stretched its neck from its bent position, Sonic came with a downward axe-kick to the dragon's skull and pushed Volvagia's head back down. "Not bad Sonic." Link smirked. "Thanks, now you best make the most of your chance before it gets back up again." Sonic returned. Link nodded as he dashed forward again, but was stopped by Darunia. "This is my fight," He sternly said, "Don't interfere." "But Darunia," Link reasoned, "Don't you- "I said don't interfere!" The warrior boy shouted, "I don't care if Ganondorf is to blame for Volvagia's revival or not, defeating the dragon is my conflict; not yours." However, as Darunia turned around to face the dragon, Volvagia was gone and nowhere to be found.
As everyone looked around cautiously, Zelda set up another arrow in case while Link and Darunia watched the lava pools for movement. "Why are you so adamant about not letting us help you?" Link asked. Darunia remained silent as he walked away. Link followed as turned the warrior boy around by his shoulder, "Tell me." "Link," Navi interrupted, "Maybe we should- "Please Darunia," Link continued, paying no regard for the fairy, "I want to help you." Darunia stared into Link's face and broke down emotionally as he knelt on the ground. "My family." He finally said over small tears, "My family was attacked in that fire, as were all my friends. I fight to protect them, and I will not let this go unpunished." Zelda heard this as she walked over to where the warrior boy was and knelt next to him. "But you don't need to do it alone," She said, "You have people that want to help." Everyone then followed the motion as the all knelt next to or nearby Darunia and smiled. Darunia noticed that Maasai Moran was standing directly in front of him as he held out his hand. "Come on Darunia," The lion type began, "We're not alone anymore." Darunia smiled as he and everyone else rose to their feet. "You all have my thanks," The warrior boy concluded, "And you're earned my respect." He picked up his hammer as Link and Zelda followed with their weapons. Metabee and the other medabots readied for battle and watched for any signs of Volvagia making an attempt to attack. After a few minutes, Volvagia soared for the black skies once more as Zelda, Metabee, and Maasai Moran aimed for a unified shot. The beetle and lion types fired their chain guns like no tomorrow and successfully grabbed the dragon's attention. "Let's do this," Metabee shouted as the dragon flew straight for him, "Missile launch!" He fired two homing missiles towards Volvagia and both projectiles were strong enough to slow down the dragon long enough for Zelda to have a clear shot. Zelda took the opportunity and fired a light arrow straight for Volvagia's armored skull and nailed the target, completely immobilizing the enemy onto the ground. Link, Darunia, Nin-Ninja, and Rokusho then teamed together to land a fury of sword slashes and hammer poundings as a small crack where the light arrow hit made itself known. "This is it," Link shouted, "Time to finish this!" He then thrust the blade of the Master Sword into the crack, shattering the armor as well as fatally wounding the beast.
Volvagia began screaming and roaring in pain as it tried to escape into the black skies. But as it did so, Volvagia's internal temperature was so hot that it disintegrated its body from the tail up to the head; leaving nothing but charred bones as the remains of the dragon fell to the ground and shattered. The lava dragon known as Volvagia was no more. The group was ecstatic, but Link didn't feel like himself as he collapsed onto the ground suddenly. "Link," Metabee called, being the first to get to him besides Navi, "Dude, speak to me." "It's the heat," Midna explained, "He's been in here too long, and his body's overheating." Zelda felt like collapsing, as did everyone else, but she knew that she couldn't at this crucial moment. She looked around to find Knuckles and Jedediah's group safe and coming their way, but Darunia, Maasai Moran, or Maddy were nowhere to be found as a blue light like that at the Forest Mansion appeared. A cool air swept through the crater as the black skies changed to reveal the clear blue skies hidden by the black clouds. "Guys," Zelda called, pointing at the blue light, "Get him over there, I can feel cool air flowing." Sonic helped lift Link onto Sheik's back and he carried him into the light, with everyone following. When Link came to sometime later, he found himself staring into everyone's faces. "Hey pal," Sheik greeted, "How're you feeling?" "Ugh," Link moaned as he came to a sitting position, "Better now that I'm somewhere cool." "We thought we lost you man," Metabee continued, patting him on the back, "Glad to see you're doing better." "It certainly is." Darunia finished. Everyone gasped in shock and turned around to find the warrior boy and his medabot standing on a ruby colored platform, next to the emerald platform that Saria stood on. "You're the Sage of Fire?" Link asked as he got up shakily. Darunia nodded as he looked at Maasai Moran and then continued. "Link, Zelda, everyone." Darunia began, "It was because of your united strength in overcoming Volvagia that I was awakened as the Sage of Fire. And even more so, I thank you for your friendship." He looked at Link, "Strength is something that is honored in my village, and it's the sign of a true man. You showed tremendous strength when you chose to never leave me alone in that fight and stand by me. And for that, I now know you as a brother; not by blood, but by spirit." He crossed one arm over his chest and bowed, with Link following the motion.
Maasai Moran looked at Darunia as the Sage of Fire continued. "And so, with the obstacles here overcome," He said, "It is Maasai Moran and I's honor to bestow upon you the Fire Medallion and our powers as the Sages of Fire." Both Sages raised their hands skyward as a red colored medallion slowly fell into Link's hands, and Metabee subtly glowing a bright red. "One thing I'm wondering," Metabee started as Link put the medallion away, "Why is it that I glow a color when we get a medallion?" "You are being bestowed with the power of the Sages Metabee," Maasai Moran answered, "Ambiguous 2 and I are sharing our power with you to aid in vanquishing your foes." "One thing I must warn you of," Darunia continued, "That girl you rescued before you went into the crater. Do not trust her; I feel immense dark energy from within her inner being." "Who? Maddy?" Sheik asked. "Yes," The Sage of Fire nodded, "I fear that she may be working with Ganondorf, but I'm unable to tell why." Link nodded, "I felt the same, what do you suppose we do then?" "Sever her from your travels," Darunia finished, "She must not follow you any further than she has already." He took a look at everyone. "You must head for Lake Hylia next," He stated, "It is there that you will find the next Sage." A bright light caused everyone's eyes as they were transported out of the Chamber of the Sages. When everyone woke up, they found themselves outside the crater as the thick black clouds were nowhere in sight, showing that Death Mountain has been freed from Ganondorf's grip. "Well," Link started, "How about we get going?" "I'm with you pal," Sheik replied, "But what do you suppose we do about Maddy? I mean, what if she is working for Ganondorf?" "Well if she is, then we'll give her a Metabee-bopping that she can take back to Ganondorf when we send her packing!" Metabee stated. "Well first we need to find out what her connection to Ganondorf is and how she got it." Link finished, "But before we do that, we need to stop by that village and tell the leader what happened to Darunia." With that said, Link and the others started down the mountain with intentions of taking the path to the village, and from there, finding out just who Maddy is.
So now as Darunia and Maasai Moran are awakened as the Sages of Fire, thus concludes the Fire Sage Saga. When I return, Part 3 of Link and Metabee's adventure will begin- the Water Sage Saga.
Reviews are appreciated.