We don't own Zelda. Bite Me.
Chapter 12: The Mines
There was lots of explaining in that small clearing. Rani told Lief about everything that happened on her side of the story, and Lief told her his side. She forcefully tied the two ice fairies to an icicle an hour ago and shut their mouths with alittle magic.
Natalia stubbornly glared at the two, while Tahiri simply sat there not bothering to get into any more trouble with their scary new friend. Lief did, however, listen to what was going on in the mines, and told them that he had to repay them for saving his life. That's when Rani jumped in with the questions, and demanding his story.
Lief eventually convinced Rani to free them. She grumpily did as she was asked, then flew up under the red hat that ended in a point, hiding from embaressment. The gorons said the hat belonged with the tunic and told him it also protected his head from high temperatures.
"Forgive her, and Thank you for your advice and warning. I feel though, that I really need to help this tribe." He explained, his eyes glowed with certainty. Natalia smiled at his look.
"Do you think you could do one more thing for us, Lief?" Natalia asked hesitantly. Tahiri looked at her confused, "I don't think the Fairy Queen gave it to us. I think it might be for a certain person. Do you think you could find them and give it to them?"
"What exactly?" He asked.
Natalia pulled on a branch letting the snow fall. A small music box lay on the ground near a shrine that was beat up from the collision the night before. Lief picked it up, the metal was cold to the touch, but seemed to warm up as he held it.
"How did a music box get here?"
Natalia shrugged her tiny shoulders and pointed to the small inscriptions, "If you make it out alive, i'm sure you could find a person who could read these. We haven't seen anyone who could in years."
Lief smiled still gazing at it, the words seemed to move as he turned it. He put it in his small pouch that was tied to his side.
"I'll find the person it belongs to." He stared into the beautiful eyes of the shrine statue then turned and disappeared into the trees with a mysterious music box, and his friend once again with him.
"i think he's telling the truth..." Tahiri sat on a frozen leaf, "His eyes were so sure." Natalia nodded seeing a glow around him.
"Tahiri...do you remember when Rani said a friend of hers had seen the Great Fairy herself?"
Tahiri glanced at her friend then back up to the footprints in the snow.
Hours past and the goron's mines opened up in front of them, a small gathering of bomb plants sat near the entrance. three large boulders stood in his way from entering, the small knife at his side glinted in the sun. He detached it from his belt and tossed it letting it sink itself into a plant.
The bomb lit up quickly, the small wick sank smaller and smaller until a large explosion sounded and small pebbles from the boulders came flying everywhere. Lief held his hat down so no debris would get to Rani and he hit the ground covering his face.
When he looked up, smoke began clearing revealing a dark tunnel. Sounds came from inside, probably noises from the creatures that lived there. He cautiously took a step in, a small breeze blew through his hair sending a chill through him. His hand touched touched the wall to his left, something clanged to the floor making him jump. A small lantern had fallen from it's hook on the wall, luckily there was still some oil in it.
He twisted the little knob, the flame came to life with a gulp of delicious oxygen, the tunnel lit up. Lief could now see small beady eyes watching him from the celing, he made his way quietly; disturbing the bats wouldn't be enjoyable.
Finally after carefully making his way through the rodent infested tunnel, the area around him opened up. A large lake of lava lay before him, the heat rushed into his face making him gasp surprisingly at how hot it actually was in there.
No wonder they told me to wear this tunic, i'd be a fried fish by now. Large flat stones, that had been formed by the lava were stiffly sitting in the middle of it all. To his left he could see bones of humans, and gorons alike.
Rani sat perfectly still in her safe house, if she took one little step out from under Lief's hat, she'd be fried to a crisp. Lief would probably stand for a few minutes, but she would certainly die.
Both of them felt their hearts in their throats. What next? Lief smiled trying to lighten the mood. The only problem was, Rani couldn't see his reassuring smile, and he couldn't talk in this immense heat to give her a comforting feeling.
He suddenly felt a heavy weight collide with him, a large reptilian beast suited with armor forced a large axe towards Lief's neck, a grin crosses its face. Slime drips through the space between the sharp yellowish teeth.
"What are you doing! Kill it!" Rani yelled clinged to his hat desperately.
"I'm trying! You try putting yourself in my shoes!" He pushes the lizard away slightly. Its weapon goes farther away from him and at a safe distance, but the lizard pushes harder.
"That wouldn't be possible! I'm too small to fit in your shoes!"
"It was an expression, Rani!" He rolled his eyes. Fairies, good heavens what am I supposed to do with them!
He finally shoved the beast off him, but not without a small cut on his cheek. He unsheathed his sword just as the reptile came again clashing against the hot metal. Hot breath rushed into his face making him gag.
That small opening gave the creature a chance and hit Lief with the axe's hilt knocking him to the ground, once again the heavy weight was on top of him. The right side of his face was no forming a bruise from the hit, but he kept his mind all on the deathly sharp edge of the metal curve.
"Get off!" Lief brings his feet up kicking the lizard off, he clutches his sword spinning then thrusting his sword forward right as the armored beast was bringing it's sword down. It made a gurgling sound then topple forward. Lief withdrew his sword, letting the reptile drop to the ground lifeless.
"Well, that took long enough." Rani said, her voice muffled.
"How about next time, I hide under the hat and you fight the giant armored lizards? That sounds real nice."
"You're lucky I don't come out right now and slap the sense into you."
Lief laughed to himself then walked up to the edge of the molten liquid, he took a breath, now used to the hot atmosphere, and jumped to the first stone. The rock began to sink so he quickly jumped to the next one until he reached the other side.
A tall door stood before him, ancient writing was inscribed on the edges and on the walls surrounding it. They were very similar to the music box, but Lief could understand a few of the modern ones that the gorons had written recently.
"What's with all the doors?" Rani was peeking out from under her shelter. She was right, there was more than one door. Others looked quite similar to the first, but at the top there was a single picture, different from all the others. One had a bulls head, another was a goron's face. One close to that looked somewhat like a dragon's serpent like body, and the last he couldn't exactly identify.
"Which door?" He asked more to himself.
"Do the goron one, perhaps theres some one in there that can help us..." Rani pointed to the door that had the carving of a goron face.
"That makes sense, a goron living in the mines and actually staying alive from all the darkness monsters."
"Enough of your sarcasm mister comedian, just go in." She disappeared under the hat again. Lief sigh and stepped forward placing a hand on the rough rocky door. Surprisingly it opened easily.
He stepped into a large room, the floors were some kind of blue mineral, and pillars outlined the circluar area. As he came farther in the door swung shut, sharp electric wires barred the door instantly. When he turned back around an enormous cloud being stood chained before him.
"No way..." His voice was only a whisper, but Rani heard it loud and clear. she looked out from under her hiding place and gasped.
"It looks like..."
"Darbus!" Lief ran forward touching the large goron's hand, instantly he was forced away as Darbus lit into terrifying flames.
"I am Fyrus! Keeper of the Fused Shadow!" He yelled, a large red glowing eye shined in the middle of his forehead.
Lief ducked as a ball of fire flew at him, it smashed into the wall behind him making a loud clap sound. He rolled behind the closest pillar and took in several deep breathes.
"Rani, what's wrong with Darbus?"
"I don't know, something happened in the short time that you were away." She buried herself under many locks of hair on his head.
He looked around desperately, the only weapon he had was a sword. He wouldn't be able to get close enough to attack, and he didn't want to hurt his new friend. Something moved slightly to his left, an old bow had tumbled to the ground from a dead skeleton's body from the trembling footsteps of Fyrus.
Lief glanced behind him and dread washed over him as Fyrus broke one of the chains on his wrists, then the other. He had to get that bow quickly; he glanced back to where it was and also noticed four arrows in a rusty quiver. It was his only hope. He dashed forward just barely missing another flaming ball of heat, his hand felt the bow and gripped it tight while his other hand reached for the quiver.
He raised it high pointing it at the red stone and let the arrow fly. It missed. How could it have missed! he had practiced with bows and arrows before and they were his second best weapon he learned how to use.
Fyrus roared and charged him, Lief quickly fumbled with another arrow and shot it without thinking. It hit its mark, The flaming goron shrieked and tumbled back. His back hit the floor hard, and his head slammed on the blue mineral floor causing the strange red stone to crumble then shatter into a million pieces.
Darbus's body lightened, and shuddered. Lief ran quickly to him bending down and making sure he was still alive. The goron's chest moved, proving he was still ok. Lief smiled with relief, the room became cooler, the heat not as intense.
"Lief..." Rani muttered.
He turned around and saw a small platform rise up in the middle of the room, a dark object was settled on it looking like a shard of some kind. It was about his height and before he knew it he was standing right in front of it. His hand reached out slightly then stopped, something wasn't right about it.
"We should leave it here." He said quietly forcing himself to divert his eyes from it.
"Good idea..." she smiled and patted his forehead, "Good job rookie!"
"Save your comments, Rani." He smiled glad for a little mood lightening.
"Y-you did it..." Darbus sat up holding his head and staring at Lief, "You weren't killed by my hands..." Tears swelled in his eyes, "I've killed so many...I regret so many things I have done...I found that strange object here and touched it wondering what it was...next thing I knew I was watching myself kill my own brothers."
"That wasn't your fault my friend. You saved my life, you proved to yourself that you still had control of your good side. That thing was controlling you, and you didn't know what power it held, please don't blame yourself for it." Lief said calmly, "I must ask though Darbus...what is behind those other doors?"
"Other horrors. Worse than I in fact, even though I wish to keep you safe, I must ask you to free their souls and save our mountain."
Lief smiled and and nodded, he had already promised the goron tribe that he'd bring spring to their beautiful home and empty their mines of the darkness that infested it. However, if Darbus is right and the beasts are worse than what he had just faced, he didn't know if he'd be able to defeat them. He would end up failing them all.
"Don't worry Darbus, I'll try my best."
Darbus nodded with understanding, "If you don't survive, I will venture here and find your body."
Lief smiled awkwardly, shouldn't they be thinking positively and not about him dieing. I mean come on seriously, positiveness would be very encouraging at this point...
"Can you find your way out of this place? He asked the partriarch.
"Yes, I do believe so."
He took off his hat scooping Rani into it so she was still protected from the heat, he sealed the opening so she couldn't get out, "Would you mind taking her with you? I don't want to put her in any more danger."
"Lief! You idiot, let me out! Don't you dare let us seperate!" She yelled at him from her little prison, Darbus took it and accepted.
"I won't let her come after you either, if that is your wish." He added.
Lief shook his head and gave small hand signs so Rani wouldn't hear his plan, if he were to die, (yes, i know, again with the negativity) he didn't want her to be trapped in these mines without food or water. It would be better if she stayed in a moist atmosphere in safety.
After a few moments, Darbus left Lief alone in front of the three remaining doors. Once they were out of sight, Lief stepped up to the door with the serpent looking dragon above it and pushed the door open.
Now it was life or death, either way, he had protected his friends.
PLEASE R&R!