Chapter 59: Zora Prison
Link was stunned as he saw Ghirahim and the Watchman Goshawhk approach him and Darak. So in one swift motion Link grabbed Darak by the neck and activated Farore's Wind. The spell caused Link and Darak to warp to a point Link had set up earlier which was near the front entrance to the Goron Prison. After that, Link dragged Darak behind the boulder where he hid Tin-Kan which Darak looked at with a perplexed expression.
"What's a deactivated Clockwork Policeman doing here?" Darak asked.
"I used him to sneak in," Link said climbing back into Tin-Kan's body. "Now I have a plan for getting us out of here."
Once Darak listened to Link's plan, however, his brow furrowed. "What about my imprisoned brothers? Shouldn't we set them free?"
"We don't have time for that," Link said. "If we don't leave now, Ghirahim and that Watchman will catch up to us."
Darak folded his arms. "I'm not leaving this prison until my brothers are released."
Link looked at Darak's beady eyes sternly and then he sighed. "All right, but how are we going to accomplish that?"
"Leave it to me," Darak said confidently. "During my time here, I've heard the guards talking about a switch near the top of the mountain that'll open all the prison cells inside this mountain in case of a need for evacuation. So we'll need to create some kind of distraction that's big enough to give us time to find the switch and activate it manually."
"Like what?"
"A jailbreak at the Zora Prison, for example, would suffice."
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After defeating the two Clockwork Policemen guarding the front entrance, Link and Darak made their way out into the frozen wasteland. Darak led the way by rolling himself into a boulder while Link ran behind. They eventually made their way to the other mountain and encountered two more Clockwork Policemen. Once they were down, Link and Darak made their way into the Zora Prison which consisted of an icy floor with cell blocks made from solid ice. In each block stood a frozen Zora, making Darak grimace.
"Those monsters!" Darak growled. "Have you got any fire, lad?"
"No," Link said shaking his head. "I'll go see if I can find anything."
While Darak stood watch, Link went further into the mountain which got colder and slipperier as he went. But to his surprise, at the mountain's center was a Fairy Fountain where a Great Fairy lived. Like her sisters, she was gigantic and barely clothed but her hair was red as opposed to blue or green.
"Never thought you'd see me in a place like this, did you?" said the Great Fairy coyly. "I'm the Great Fairy of Power, and you must be the Hero of Infinite Possibilities."
"Yep, though that doesn't explain how you got here," Link said, trying to hide the confusion in his voice.
"I was originally in the Goron District, but it was foretold by the Great Fairy of Wisdom that you would need my help here so I moved the Fairy Fountain to this place," explained the Great Fairy. "Now how may I help you?"
"I need something that'll melt the ice in this prison, like fire or maybe a spell."
"What about both?" the Great Fairy showered Link with golden sparks.
In Link's hand appeared a clear crystal that was similar to the spells the other Great Fairies had given him only this one had a bright red fire glowing inside it.
"That is called Din's Fire," the Great Fairy explained. "Once activated, it detonates a huge ring of fire around the wielder incinerating everything in its grasp. But like all Great Fairy spells, it requires a lot of magic to use each time."
"Thank you," Link said nodding. "You and your sisters have been very helpful to me."
"May the Goddesses see you through to the end." The Great Fairy said as she vanished back into the fountain.
Wondering what she meant, Link made his way back to Darak only to find him fighting against Goshawhk who kept appearing and disappearing constantly.
"Come on, Goron Leader!" Goshawhk pestered. "Try to at least hit me once!"
Angered, Darak used his fists to smash the ground which caused the floor to shatter beneath him. Sinking into the freezing water, Darak flailed his arms around helplessly and called out for Link to help him. But in a matter of seconds, Darak's body became completely frozen allowing Goshawhk to pull him out without too much difficulty.
"If you want to see the Goron Leader alive, come to the Ice Caves at the top of Goron Prison," Goshawhk said as he vanished. "I'll be waiting for you there."
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A little while later, Link found a machine that was pumping cold air into the Zora Prison and used Din's Fire to destroy it. Once this happened, a chain reaction caused several explosions that melted the ice in every cell block freeing the Zoras trapped inside. They rallied together with Link leading them and attacked the Goron Prison in full swing. With the Clockwork Policeman and Moblins fully distracted, Link snuck up a path that ran up the mountain leading to a door guarded by a pair of men in black armor carrying large broadswords on their backs.
"Darknuts!" Proxi said nervously. "Lana and Impa encountered them during their travels across Hyrule. They can be nasty and relentless once they've set their eyes on a target."
"Then we'll need to make one," Link said and looked at Proxi.
Proxi shuttered. "Are you kidding? They'll kill me once they catch up!"
"I know you can outfly them, Proxi. Just lead them far enough away from the door so I can enter it and then fly back."
"Fine," Proxi said reluctantly. "The things I do for you."
Once the Darknuts spotted Proxi flying around, they immediately chased her down the mountain path while Link hid behind a nearby boulder. Then he got up to the door and pushed it inward. Inside he found a metal wheel and figured it was the switch. Turning it, he heard several clicks echoing throughout the mountain before Proxi reappeared.
"Don't ever ask me to do that again," Proxi said sounding breathless. "I was really scared."
"Sorry, Proxi," Link said apologetically. "I'm really grateful to you, though. Now let's find the Ice Caves and save Darak."
To be continued…