Chapter 43: Death Mountain
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Link
The Zora healers' laboratories were a sight to behold – as with most of Zora's Domain, Link was coming to discover. They were situated in a cavern along the shores of an underground pool, in which swam a variety of fish, and strange-looking and colorful plants were swaying gently in the water. There were benches and tables of obscurely shaped glass and silver vials and tools. Link recognized mortars and pestles, but nothing else. It was illuminated, not by the blue-tinted lanterns, but by azure crystals growing from the stone walls themselves.
"Generally outsiders are not permitted within our facilities," the hunched, bespectacled Zora rising from one of the benches said pompously. "But inasmuch as you and your party are guests of Prince Dorphos, an exception can be made, I suppose. What is it you came here for?"
Link eyed the Zora uncertainly, disgruntled by the tone. It seemed as if every Zora they met had an overinflated sense of their own importance. He forced himself to say the compliments he'd initially had in mind. "Your potions worked like a miracle," he said, trying to sound sincere. "I can breathe fine now, and my wound's healing faster than it should. Clearly you're master herbalists here."
"We prefer the term 'elixirs,'" the Zora said snobbishly, shuffling to an ornate silver cupboard. "So you want some for your journey, eh? Easy enough."
"No – well, that'd certainly be welcome," Link frowned. "But I was actually wondering f'y'had any sort f'potion that could help us travel up Death Mountain without that clunky protective gear they make."
The Zora paused, turning around to squint at him through his spectacles. "Elixir, not potion," he huffed. "An elixir to survive Death Mountain, you say? We don't have anything like that. Why would we want to go there?"
"Y'wouldn't," Link said, frustrated. "But couldn't y'try and make something like that? For other people that might want t'go up th'mountain?"
The Zora gave him a pointed skeptical look. "And how many of those people are there, who actually want to climb up the side of a volcano?" he snipped.
Link did a quick headcount in his mind. "T'least five," he answered stubbornly.
The Zora hmmmed thoughtfully. "I'll… see what I can come up with," he answered shortly. "Give me a couple of days. It ought to make for an interesting experiment, at least. Don't blame me if your insides boil."
Link winced at the imagery and saw himself out, returning to the large chamber where the others were resting.
Over the days that followed, they finalized their plan. Skasha departed for Ritala. They decided that three of the sword monks would wait in Zora's Domain until Phaidon's men were ready to depart for the cavern in Lanayru. Those monks would travel with the Zora to Lanayru, and then gather intelligence from the nearby Sheikah villages, gradually working their way to Kakariko. The sight of traveling monks was not uncommon, Inpa and Zah Tori assured them. There were many more orders than just the Order of the Sword.
Link reluctantly decided to send Beira with those three monks. An active volcano was no place for an animal covered in fur. He instructed the monks on her commands, and then spent much of his time playing with the dog, often with Zelda joining in.
"'Bonk?'" Zah Tori asked once. "You're serious? What, were you five years old?"
"It was my sister's idea," Link protested, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment.
He, Zah Tori, Inpa, Zelda, and the remaining two monks would travel to Eldin, the Gorons' capital city. The Zora herbalist brought them a cart bearing vials of a thick gray liquid three days after Link had initially spoken to him, looking quite pleased with himself.
"There was an old recipe in our archives," he said nonchalantly as Link hurried up to him. "Turns out, boiling insides is exactly what I had to do. The insides of a certain lizard, that is. Mixed in with some powdered bokoblin teeth."
Link's stomach turned at the mere thought, and he grimaced. "Don't tell th'Princess," he told the herbalist, even as the others came nearer to investigate. She's better off not knowing.
"And how are we supposed to travel with these?" Inpa asked, frowning at the cart. "Glass vials? Don't you have… I don't know, waterskins we could put this in?"
Link almost snorted. We're lucky they didn't put th'potion in porcelain teacups.
The Zora looked extremely affronted. "I have these all measured out into twelve-hour doses, to the second!" he exclaimed. "And anyway, you're the ones traveling up a volcano, not me. Here's your elixir; the rest is up to you." And he shuffled away, presumably back down to his subterranean laboratory.
Zelda was frowning at them curiously, counting them out with a finger. Her brow furrowed. "There's a decent amount here, but first we need to figure out how much each of us can safely carry. Then… we can figure out how long we can be up on the mountain."
Using rolls of bandages, they wrapped the vials in cloth and carefully packed them into satchels, along with food, water, and the other traveling supplies split fairly among them. Each person ended up with eight vials as secure as they could be, although there was unfortunately a decent amount of the potion left in the cart.
"Eight," Zelda murmured grimly. "So, all told, we have enough for four days on the mountain."
"The first couple days of travel, we should be fine," Zah Tori murmured, spreading his map out on the table and tracing the road going through the province of Eldin. "After we get past the hot springs, we'll rely on the potions to get us through… and it'll be another two days of travel until we reach the city itself." He shook his head slowly, glancing up at Link. "We'll have to save our last two days' worth for the way back. Sorry, Link – it looks like you'll have to deal with the Goron armor anyway."
Link nodded grimly, not at all looking forward to the clunky weight of those Goron-crafted trousers again.
They set out early the next day, before the sun had risen. A Zora led them along the side of the canyon, into a tunnel alongside an underground river flowing south to north. The tunnel cut beneath the Zorana Mountains to the southern shores of Torrin Lake, near the village Ternio at a crossroads where the road turned north to Death Mountain.
It saved them at least a day of traveling back through the winding route down through the ravine they had ascended on their way to Zora's Domain. Link didn't remember much of that initial journey besides cold and pain in his chest, and decided that regardless of the Zoras' snobbish attitudes, he was at least grateful for their medical assistance.
They made it some distance past Ternio on that first day, and camped along the shores of Torrin Lake. The lake itself was frozen but crystalline; the shapes of Zora swimming beneath assured them that Phaidon was keeping his word – he was at least offering them some support while they traversed the river.
Link's dreams were restless that night. A Zonai shaman in the red paint of the Boar, ready to carve his heart out. The misty blue light of the Trial of the Sword – trapped, with no way out. Gotvin's death. Wulkrik's death.
He had gotten better about keeping his nightmares quiet. He snapped awake with no more than a whimper, breathing hard, cold sweat down his spine. He sat up and wearily rested his head in his hands, breathing deeply until his racing heart had calmed, and then he tried to fall asleep again.
On the second day, they started ascending Death Mountain. The mountain was barren, devoid of plants and animals and anything that moved. Link felt a growing uneasiness as they climbed, with nothing but craggy rock formations for cover and the sky wide open above them. He found his thoughts drawn to Khanot's Phantom and replayed the moment where he had struck the creature. I only injured it, he thought, his feet grinding against the stone and dirt of the trail. It's not dead – can't be. It will be back.
Zelda noticed him scanning the sky, and on one of their breaks she took his hand and gently squeezed it. "I know," she murmured, her gaze flitting upwards. "I worry about it, too. I… had hoped we would be more successful with the Zora."
"We'll… we'll protect you, Zelda," Link promised, before realizing that maybe that was the wrong thing to say. If Khanot sent any sizeable force after them, they would all die.
"That's the problem," Zelda said sadly, giving his hand a final squeeze before they moved on.
They reached the hot springs. A smell of sulfur hung heavy in the air, and not at all in the pleasant way that gunpowder smelled. The springs themselves were ominously opaque and steaming, with bright yellow mineral deposits around the shore clashing vibrantly with the deep red stone of the mountain itself. The temperature was almost pleasant, with no sign whatsoever of winter's bite.
"Bottoms up," Zah Tori said, uncorking his first vial of potion and drinking it quickly. Link's stomach clenched as his mind unhelpfully reminded him what it was made of. He gulped it down quickly, ignoring the taste and doing his best not to think about the thick, slimy texture.
"Huh… that doesn't actually taste bad at all," Inpa remarked, licking her lips afterwards. Link's stomach heaved violently at her words and he clapped a hand over his mouth, closing his eyes tightly in discomfort, holding his breath until he no longer felt as though he was going to throw up.
"Are you alright?" Zelda asked concernedly, wrapping her emptied vial back in bandages and placing it back in her satchel.
"Fine," Link assured her, even as his stomach lurched again.
Boiled. Lizards.
He drew in a deep, steadying breath and let it out slowly, forcing his mind not to dwell on it any longer. There were plenty of other things to think about. Like… like Zelda's kind and slightly worried smile as she glanced back at him, continuing up the road. He jogged forward to fall into step with her.
They came across a small Goron settlement, which was really just a mine. The sound of pickaxes striking stone echoed from deep within the dark doorway of the mine. Carts of ore were piled high on the outside, watched over by a few Gorons leaning casually against the side of the mountain and chomping on chunks of stone – workers on some sort of lunch break, Link guessed. They watched the travelers curiously as they passed by, before heading back into their mine.
The second mine they encountered was a little larger. Link at once recognized the hulking creature harnessed to one of the carts as a Dodongo. He reached for the Master Sword instinctively, his heart racing in his chest, before his mind caught up to him and he reminded himself that, outside of the Illusory Realm, Dodongos were domesticated animals and nothing to fear. Nonetheless he watched the creature suspiciously as they passed, and its Goron handlers placed a chunk of raw meat in front of its face. Its jaws parted and it belched out a stream of flames, searing the meat almost instantly, before snapping it up and swallowing it whole.
"They're harmless here," Zah Tori murmured, slowing down to walk beside him for a few moments. "I promise they're not going to attack you – and even if they did, you know how to handle them."
Link nodded grimly, but he still felt much better when they left the mine and its Dodongos behind.
He doubted any of them got restful sleep that night. The rocky ground of Death Mountain was rough and uneven, and he was convinced that no amount of bedding they could have brought would be enough to make it even remotely comfortable. The smell of smoke woke them only a few hours into the night, coming from the undersides of their bedrolls pressed against the hot rock. Apparently the potion from the Zoras was somehow enough to keep their clothes and satchels from burning, but not quite enough to keep their bedding intact. They spent the rest of the night on bare rock.
He awakened to Zah Tori shaking his shoulder, the sky still dark above them. "Time for the next vial," he said grimly, his voice rough with fatigue. "Glad one of us is getting some sleep."
Link sat up, wincing at the fresh bruises and painful stiffness across his body. "I was a soldier," he reminded the Sheikah and reached for his satchel. "I've learned t'take sleep when I can get it, even f'th'circumstances are…" He gestured to the unforgiving mountainside.
"I don't suppose that's something you could teach us," Zelda said groggily, frustration evident in her voice. "I hate just… just being awake trying to sleep, and getting nowhere."
They all drank their next vial of the Zora's fireproofing potion, or whatever it was. Link didn't think twice about it this time, instead deeply considering Zelda's off-hand proposition. Could I help at all?
He remembered how difficult his first nights had been with the army. It hadn't taken many sleepless nights until exhaustion won out and his body shut itself down at night regardless of the conditions. It had taken time, and he'd had to get through those miserable first nights in order to reach the point now that he could fall asleep naked in a tiny crevice on a mountainside clinging to a dragon's scale for warmth during a blizzard. Or on Death Mountain.
"I… don't think there's anything I can do," he answered regretfully. "I'm sorry."
Zelda merely shrugged miserably, laying back down with a grimace and closing her eyes. Link didn't go back to sleep right away; he studied her with concern, for the first time considering how difficult the past two days must have been for her. How many miles have we gone? She's a princess – has she ever walked this far in her life?
Probably not, he decided. She would be in a lot of pain, and completely exhausted. That she hadn't so much as complained showed her grit.
Link glanced down at himself – at his gambeson, in particular. Layers and layers of cloth with lynel hide on the outermost layer, pressed and quilted together. It was entirely undamaged by the heat, front and back. However the potion worked, it apparently kept clothes that were actively being worn from catching on fire.
He unbuckled his belts and slipped his gun from his shoulders, pulling his gambeson over his head. Quickly he fastened his belts and slung his musket again before they could be damaged by the extreme heat. Then he gently shook Zelda's shoulder. "Try this on," he murmured, holding out his gambeson.
Her eyes went wide as she took in his state of dress, and her cheeks darkened with a blush in the moonlight. "You – you don't have to do that," she said quietly. "Are you… are you sure?"
Link nodded. "Believe it or not, I've slept on worse ground," he said with a chuckle.
She got to her feet, and he helped her pull the gambeson on over her other clothes. Then she lay back down again, her head on her satchel, and sighed in relief as the gambeson provided some padding against the unforgiving ground. "That's much better," she murmured, her eyes slipping closed. "Thanks, Link."
In the morning, he almost regretted it, seeing the myriad of indentations the rough stone had pressed against his skin on the side he had slept on.
"Well, that's one way to get a souvenir," Zah Tori snorted, as Link brushed dirt and little pieces of rock from his skin.
They kept going. Link noticed today, more than he had the prior two days of travel, the steel in Zelda's gaze as they walked, her gaze fixed on the road ahead of them. Her tenacity was inspiring; he only worried about how her feet were handling the trek. He took notice of her pace every once in a while as they climbed, watching warily to see if she would start limping.
He also maintained his watch on the sky, and at noonday he saw exactly what he dreaded – the dark speck moving against the wind at impossible speeds, the silhouette of its horns unmistakable.
Zelda followed his gaze and uttered a quiet gasp.
The Phantom hovered a moment in the sky, still quite a distance from them. But Link knew it was staring directly at them. He drew the Master Sword, a silent challenge. Then the specter turned tail and retreated, flying southwest towards Hyrule Castle. Link swallowed thickly, his eyes narrowing as he watched it.
"Khanot will know about us soon enough," Zelda said quietly, as they all stood watching it disappear in the distance. "We must press on, and get to Eldin as fast as we can. We need reinforcements."
They each took their third potion and continued up the rocky path. They reached another mine, much bigger than the last several. There were multiple tunnels leading deep into the mountainside, and a fleet of carts loaded with ore and smelters with smoke drifting from the openings. There was a large number of Gorons hard at work here – the air rang with the sounds of pickaxes and light, cheerful chatter. Some worked at the smelters, others at anvils, others loading the carts or tending to the Dodongos.
Zah Tori quickened his pace to fall into step next to Link. "Here's a challenge for you," he whispered. "Spot a guard. A soldier."
Link took a closer look at the Gorons around them. He'd learned that soldiers carried themselves with a certain vigilance – the look of a wolf in the wilds, always with an ear open, and eyes alert, a weapon at hand. But among the Gorons here… certainly, they were all in excellent physical shape from their difficult manual labor. But Link could find not a single one armed with something other than tools, nor could he find one with the watchful eyes of a warrior. His gut clenched in anxious anticipation.
"There aren't any," he muttered back to Zah Tori. "These are all civilians."
"Strange, isn't it," Zah Tori said, his voice tense. "This is the biggest of the mines we've encountered, and yet there's not a guard in sight. I remember what you said before we left – that the mountain itself is the guard, the deterrent to attackers. With the Dodongos domesticated, there is nothing on this mountain that could pose a threat to them. At the moment."
Dread pooled in his gut, and he glanced around with something close to horror at the Gorons happily working in their element as he remembered the volcanic levels of the Trial of the Sword. Fire-breathing lizalfos. Fire wizzrobes. The jelly monsters that, according to Zah Tori, were ludicrously called 'chu chu.' "We both know that th'Calamity has th'power t'summon other monsters," Link said quietly. "Things that could pose a real threat t'th'Gorons here. And now th'Phantom knows where we are – hang it all, Khanot himself probably knows by now."
Zah Tori nodded grimly. "Best case scenario, Khanot hasn't figured out how to summon demons yet and we're fine," he murmured. "Worst case, he attacks us. Be prepared to fight."
Link put his hand on the Master Sword's hilt and nodded.
They reached Eldin, the city of the Gorons, in the evening. It was the opposite of Zora's Domain in perhaps every way, not built for beauty, but rather for stability and practicality, an observation that brought a grim smile to Link's face. The rosy light of the setting sun brought out the red hues of the jagged stone and glinted off of dark iron, along with the angry orange glow of lava oozing lazily through the city. There was iron everywhere, used to reinforce structures and form bridges over lava flows, some active and others empty. Most of the city consisted of rock huts, each with slight variations in design to make them unique, but unified in purpose and function. There were several outdoor grills, but instead of meat, they seemed to be cooking… rocks. The city was filled with the clang of iron on iron from the numerous smithies, the rasping grunts of Dodongos as they pulled carts of ore and ingots, and lively chatter from the Gorons themselves.
Very little of the city was solely decorative, but it was visible from a long ways off. At the top of a crag in the middle of the city was the Goron crest, the three-toed triangular print of a reptile. The heel pointed down to a small opening in the stone, surrounded by banners likewise bearing the Goron crest.
They walked through the opening, which after a short entry hall opened up into a wide, circular cavern with multiple levels. Torches burned throughout the room, illuminating colorful paintings of Dodongos and dancing Gorons on the walls, some that looked quite ancient. Link noticed one of what appeared to be a small Hylian child facing off against a particularly large Dodongo, with Gorons cheering behind him. Another one seemed to show a massive dark Goron with teeth bared in a terrible snarl, looming above a group of Gorons with another Hylian in their midst. He felt a strange twinge in his heart, and his hand flickered green for a moment. Interesting, he thought, glancing at his skin. Twilight… I wish I could ask you about that.
More pressing, Link noticed, was that there were still no guards to be found. This was evidently a structure of great importance – and it went unprotected? Not a single soul had tried to stop them from coming here, and had kindly pointed out directions when Zelda asked. It would be unnervingly easy for an enemy to breach this place, he realized anxiously.
They descended to the lowest level of the cavern and walked through a small tunnel into what seemed like a sort of throne room. There was a great statue of something that could easily be either a Goron or a dragon, flanked by two torches. At the base of the statue was a woven carpet, and sitting cross-legged on the carpet was a surprised-looking Goron with a thick craggy beard.
"Gor Dakorik," Zelda greeted with a curtsy. "It's good to see you."
"Princess Zelda!" the Goron exclaimed, getting to his feet. He was not actually much taller than them, Link realized – just much, much broader, and far more muscular. "We heard you died! Thank the Goddesses it wasn't true – how have you been?"
"Erm… well, it's… quite the story, actually," Zelda stammered. "I… I'd like you to meet some people. You've met Lady Inpa, of course, and this is Link of the Zonai, my knight, and this is Zah Tori of the Order of the Sword and some of his companions. I owe my survival to their strength and courage."
She went again through the explanation of all that had happened after the peace conference. Gor Dakorik listened intently, his dark eyes curious and thoughtful. By the end, he was shaking his head slowly. "Never would've expected something like that from Khanot," he said sadly. "He can be a bit shady, but… trying to kill you… we all thought he liked you."
"As did I," Zelda answered gravely, and Link could hear the pain in her voice. The Gerudo's betrayal still stung. "But it gets worse. He's displayed some… unsettling and powerful magical abilities, and of course he's allied with Yagamura now, as well. His power continues to grow, and at the moment I don't have exactly what I would need to face him – to take Hyrule back."
"And Yagamura's a dark guy if there ever was one," Dakorik agreed, stroking his beard contemplatively. "So what's your plan?"
"Well," Zelda began hopefully, "I've spoken with King Phaidon, and he's agreed to lend me some assistance. There's a cavern in Mount Lanayru that he says I'd be welcome to use as a base. He's sending some craftsmen and masons over there now, to get started on making it a functional fortress, but there's really no one that can match a Goron's ability to work with stone. I was hoping that you might be willing to lend me some of your workers. And…" She swallowed, and gestured behind her. "As you can see, I have only these warriors with me. We've been fortunate so far not to be attacked, but unfortunately, Khanot knows where we are. I'm certain he'll be planning to send something after us as soon as we leave Death Mountain. I could really use some soldiers."
Gor Dakorik suddenly looked very uncomfortable. "Oh," he said. "I… I see. That's… aww, Princess, you see – I'm sorry about this, but… with orders coming in from the Gerudo and the Sheikah, I need every worker I've got in order to keep the ore coming. I wish I could help you, but I've gotta look after my own."
Zelda nodded, taking the disappointing news diplomatically in stride. "And… what about soldiers?"
"See, and… that's just the thing," Gor Dakorik said awkwardly. "We… don't have any."
Link exchanged a glance with Zah Tori, his hopes plummeting. Here it was – confirmation of what they had observed, of what they had dreaded.
Zelda couldn't hide her shock this time; her eyes were wide with dismay. "You – you don't have… any?" she asked faintly. "You don't have… any protection here?"
"Well, no," Gor Dakorik shrugged. "The Mountain protects us. No one's dared to attack us in… well, not in my lifetime. Lava has a funny way of deterring non-Gorons." He chuckled. "And anyway, there's only two ways for non-Gorons to make it up here – protective clothes, or potions. The clothes come from us. So there's no chance of anyone we don't like getting hold of them. And most people don't have the stomach for the potions, since they're made of lizard guts and all. Plus it's hard to make them in large enough quantities for an army."
Zelda exhaled shakily, her composure lost. "Khanot is allied with the Sheikah," she said firmly. "They have their guardians – autonomous weapons with terrible destructive capabilities. They won't care about the temperature."
"And they can get through stone?" Gor Dakorik asked doubtfully.
The sound of guardian canons. The terrifying feeling of being blasted clean off of his feet as the ground beneath him was ruptured. The ruins of Uhlenom – stone buildings, crumbling and destroyed. A sharp hiss of breath escaped through his teeth. "They can," Link said grimly, stepping forward. "I've fought them – I know they can. And what's more, Khanot has gained th'allegiance f'a branch f'Zonai warriors, who have these."
He slipped his musket from his shoulders and held it out for Gor Dakorik to see. The Goron's brow creased heavily. "I… I've heard of Zonai firearms," he said slowly. "Not much, but I've certainly heard of them."
"They were made t'match th'guardians' power," Link said solemnly, and even as he spoke, a yawning pit of horror welled within him. "An army that has both…"
Zelda turned to face him slightly, her eyes wide with the same horror, and he knew they'd come to the same conclusion. If Khanot managed to convince Yagamura's Sheikah to work together with the Boar Tribe warriors, very little could stand before him.
We must get Sheikah and Zonai on our side. As soon as possible. Before they all go t'Khanot.
"Production of materials for the various factions in the war isn't what matters most now," Zelda said quietly. "What matters is stopping Khanot. And from the sound of it, your people need protection just as much as I do."
Gor Dakorik looked worried, and perhaps a little afraid, as he glanced between the two of them. For a moment he seemed convinced – for a moment, Link was certain he would come around to their reasoning.
Then he straightened. "From the sound of it," he echoed, "you would not be able to offer my people such protection. Perhaps we have made a mistake in trusting too much in the volcano, but an army can't be built in a day. We're better off staying here on Death Mountain, together, continuing to keep both sides happy by supplying them with ore. If Khanot has no reason to attack us, he won't, right?" He clapped his hands together, looking considerably more cheerful, and abruptly changed the subject. "Now, allow me to show you to your quarters. You and your companions are welcome to stay just as long as you like, to recuperate from your travels. Before I was even born, we had a Hylian guest house made, just in case anyone ever visited. Of course, people rarely do, but it's still there!"
Looking as though she was biting back a sigh, Zelda followed him from the room. Link moved to join her, but was stopped by Zah Tori's hand on his arm. "This is far worse than we thought," the Sheikah murmured. "And the Gorons will be attacked, soon, if Khanot learns how to summon monsters. But we can't very well say that – they may well blame us for giving Khanot a reason to attack."
"What do we do, then?" Link muttered back.
"We might start, after a good night's sleep, by seeing if we can train any of them," Zah Tori answered quietly.
Link chewed on that idea as they walked, frowning thoughtfully. Training Gorons? How would that work? They were built completely differently from Hylians and Sheikah. They were slower but far stronger. Would they even be capable of the same moves?
Gor Dakorik led them to a windowless iron door on the upper level of the cavern. A blast of cool air rushed out at them when he opened it, revealing a large room with a hot spring in the center, several beds along the back wall, and a table next to what appeared to be a small kitchen.
"Eh… the food's probably bad by now," Gor Dakorik said with a laugh. "And I'd wager you wouldn't really want to try a rock roast. But we do keep meat up here, even though we don't eat it – it's for the Dodongos. Feel free to grab whatever you want. If there's anything else in here that you could use, have at it! Oh, and we keep it nice and cool in here – Gerudo sapphires are really something else! You won't have to worry about the heat."
"Thank you," Zelda said sincerely.
"Have a good night," the Goron responded cheerfully, letting the door close.
"How does the leader of a nation get away with not having a standing army?" Inpa burst out at once, anger written plainly on her face.
"By living on a volcano," Zah Tori answered wryly. "That does tend to discourage invaders."
Inpa made a frustrated sound, storming to the back where the beds were, then evidently changing her mind and walking back to the kitchen. Then it became clear, as she turned aggressively around and kept walking, that she was merely pacing very angrily.
"Inpa," Zelda said wearily, rubbing a hand over her face, "just watching you do that makes me feel more stressed."
Inpa stopped walking and crossed her arms over her chest instead. "Sorry, Zelda," she sighed. "But seriously! They're made of rock but they're not invulnerable! And sure, whatever, about the volcano – it's still not a good excuse! Especially since the whole reason we came here was to gather reinforcements!"
"No, this isn't going well," Zah Tori agreed. "But we're all tired and sore and frustrated. I propose we utilize the resources here for us – have a hot bath, get something to eat and a good night's rest, and then tackle the problems tomorrow with clearer heads." He gestured towards the hot spring. "Ladies first, of course. We'll go out and find some food."
Dusk had well and truly fallen when they emerged outside once more. The outdoor grills Link had seen on their way in were now packed with Gorons having dinner together, chowing down on roasted rocks. Juvenile Gorons, miniscule compared to their elder brothers, tucked themselves into little balls and rolled around the city, giggling wildly. Occasionally they bumped into each other, which seemed to be all part of the fun.
With the communal dining areas, the children all playing together, the well-crafted and practical buildings all around, Link felt a sudden painful wave of homesickness. They're almost like th'Zonai this way, he realized. He remembered feeling the same sense of community, the same love and joy, before the war had started, with Azrun and the other villagers of Lohsitho. People he could barely stand to be around, the last time he was there. People that had been changed by the war, albeit in different ways than he had. How lucky th'Gorons are, t'have managed t'stay out f'it so far.
They don't know the danger they're in.
Apparently, Link discovered when they returned to their room in the center of Eldin, communal baths were traditional among the Sheikah. Zah Tori invited him to join, and he did so, raising an eyebrow as the Sheikah removed everything but their masks.
"So y'thought we Zonai ran around naked all th'time, and meanwhile this is something you do?" he asked, slipping into the gently steaming water of the hot spring.
"Of course," Zah Tori answered. "The bathhouses of the Sheikah have been an integral part of our communities as long as anyone can remember. What do you do, then?"
"Same as you, but not inside – th'waters f'Faron are plenty clean enough," Link shrugged, leaning back against the rough edge of the spring. "And th'region is nothing f'not full f'water. It's never hard t'find a river."
"Even in the winter?" Zah Tori asked incredulously, and Link smirked.
"Usually just as a dare," he admitted, thinking back on the time Groose had challenged him to jump in the frozen river – which he did, and promptly leapt back out and sprinted hell for leather back to the nearest fire. Azrun had laughed, and then at once scolded him for his recklessness, all while Groose stammered that he hadn't actually thought Link would go through with it.
His smile faded. Groose was Boar tribe. Would… would he be swayed by Khanot's evil power? Surely not. His best friend…
A sudden splash from Zah Tori jolted him from his thoughts and he glared good-naturedly at the monk, shaking his wet hair from his face. "What was that for?"
"All in good fun," the monk chortled. "It's been a long day for everyone – someone's got to do something to lift our spirits, eh?" He sighed contentedly, leaning back against the side of the pool. He gestured to Link's shoulders, where the symbol of Din was painted in green. "Although, I am genuinely curious – how is it that your warpaint doesn't wash off in water?"
"It's made t'resist water," Link explained, letting the use of the term 'warpaint' slide. "Sweat and blood can wear it away, but water doesn't. Usually it's time that wears it down th'most. Just as well since it's meant t'be worn by warriors, as a symbol f'our ancestors' protection." He studied the monks' masks thoughtfully. "What about your masks? Y'don't ever take them off?"
"Never," one of the other monks answered. "They represent our status as members of the Order of the Sword. Not all Orders have the same access or privileges in Sheikah society. Masked monks have all access to the secrets of our people."
Link frowned, looking again to Zah Tori. "And… what does that mean for th'masked soldiers of Yagamura?" he asked grimly.
"Yagamura has forsaken so many of our traditions that it's difficult to say," Zah Tori answered darkly, a hint of bitterness in his tone. "But there is a certain higher order monk that has been known to work with him. Kona Yaga is her name, as I recall – always had a foul feel about her. I wouldn't be surprised if she has shared some secrets that she shouldn't have."
"I thought we weren't talking about any of the bad things anymore today," Inpa said grumpily, coming out from a small side chamber with Zelda in tow. Link did a double take, looking at them – instead of their simple Hylian clothing, they were both wearing ornate gowns of red cloth, set with sapphires along the collars and sleeves. Zelda noticed him staring and her cheeks reddened in a blush, but remembering previous encounters he wasn't sure if that was because she was self-conscious about the robes or his own state of dress, or lack thereof. The water was opaque enough that nothing was visible from his chest down, but he supposed she still might feel embarrassed.
"Bad things have a way of cropping up everywhere they're unwanted," Zah Tori sighed remorsefully, looking up at them. "What is it that you're wearing? They look Gerudo in style…"
"They are," Inpa nodded. Link noticed with dread that she and Zelda were both carrying bundles of the cloth, and set them down alongside the hot spring – one for each of the men. "The cloth is Goron-made, and basically fireproof. But the robes themselves were made by Gerudo, who used magical sapphires throughout to keep the wearer cool. We'll have to wear them until we leave, to save enough potions for the way back."
She looked about as enthusiastic as he felt about wearing something so gaudy, Link thought. But somehow the gown didn't look nearly as garish on Zelda. Hopefully th'male version is less… well, less everything.
Inpa and Zelda continued their exploration of the room's various cupboards, occasionally making disgusted comments about the state of some of the food that had, indeed, been left behind. Link and the others climbed out of the pool and began getting dressed in the Goron robes. Link ignored his own bundle of red cloth until he had finished putting his gambeson back on.
"I'm not going on without armor," he said firmly to Zah Tori, when the monk tilted his head questioningly. "I've learned that lesson well." He pressed a hand against his side for a moment, lightly testing the freshly-healed wound from Skeldon. It felt, miraculously, entirely back to normal.
He pulled the robe on next and cinched it around his waist with its accompanying bejeweled belt, curling his lip slightly in disgust. In the Gerudo style, it draped over one shoulder and wrapped underneath the opposite arm. There were glittering sapphires across the garment, distractingly catching the orange torchlight and flashing in the corner of his eyes. He looked down at himself, raising his arms out to the side and examining his appearance – the result of putting a Gerudo robe over a Zonai gambeson. I look ridiculous.
Zah Tori snickered, performing a sweeping bow. "Your Highness," he said with a barely-stifled laugh, straightening.
Link folded his arms crossly. "What?"
"You do look fairly regal in that getup," Inpa said, coming back from the kitchen and giving him an appraising look up and down. Behind her, Zelda looked oddly startled, her eyes wide and her face pink. "The armor underneath, the robe on top, all the jewels…"
Link felt his cheeks heating up self-consciously under their stares. "They're impractical," he growled, stalking over to the nearest bed. "I generally try not t'be seen by my enemies from a thousand feet away."
"It's a good thing there aren't any enemies within a thousand feet, then," Inpa chuckled, returning to the kitchen.
Yet, Link thought darkly. His gut squeezed with dread as he lay down, turning his gaze to the rugged stone ceiling above. Spending a night underneath sturdy stone with people he cared about… just like the Winter Hall of Lohsitho. Yet another thing just like home.
He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the dread enough to find some sleep.