Chapter 48: The Lava Run
The battle began as the four Cannon Soldiers began to unleash their spiked cannonballs to the group, while the cannon directly in front of the group was firing regular cannonballs at a relatively slow fire rate. But this didn't make it any easier as the group was moving about, just to avoid those cannonballs and spiked cannonballs while at the same time making sure none of them would have a one-time lava bath.
"That cannon ahead doesn't have something to disable it!" Zelda said, imitating Link's behavior of strafing around to prevent being hit while keeping an eye on the targets.
"Then ignore it for the time being while still avoiding those Cannonballs. Concentrate your firepower on those Cannon Soldiers to relieve some pressure instead! I'll try to strike at the target with that blood-red gemstone." Link said.
"Right." Zelda said, firing one Silver Arrow at one of the Cannon Soldiers, defeating it instantly, leaving three more to deal with.
Saria fired a Silver Arrow at a second one, only to intercept its spiked cannonball, before Darunia came to her aid by lambasting one with one of his own fireballs. Link managed to fire a Silver Light Arrow at the target he was aiming for, raising a red object within the central bar for a moment. Firing a second Silver Light Arrow raised it even further, but the third one was intercepted by one of the cannonballs fired from the main cannon. While Ruto and Nabooru kept the third Cannon Soldier at bay, Zelda aided Link by firing a Silver Light Arrow of her own at the target, raising the red object even further upward, approaching the top of the bar, just as Rauru disabled the third Cannon Soldier and Impa and Nabooru helped in taking out the fourth one. This now left only the central cannon and the primary target to deal with. Darunia caught one of the cannonballs with his bare hands and tossed it back, effectively intercepting another cannonball which was aiming for Saria, while Link scored another hit on the target with a Silver Light Arrow, bringing the red object to the top. This caused an alarm to go off, the pointer on the wheel to spin and the cannon itself ceased firing.
"What's going on?" Zelda asked.
Impa turned her attention to the machine in the far background, noticing that its motions had slightly increased, before the pointer stopped, landing on an image of lizard-like creatures… just then, the twin doors on the platforms of the machine opened up and a total of six Lizalfos came out, taking positions as two of them were poised to land on the platform Link and the Sages stood on to engage them in close quarter combat. Nabooru engaged them both, while Link, Saria, Zelda and Ruto took out the four ones who remained at the back with Silver Fire Arrows, effectively slaying the lizard-like fighters within less than half a minute.
Now, two more Cannon Soldiers appeared to engage the group, while the main cannon fired again, this time with a slightly increased fire rate, making things a bit harder for the group.
"Oh man, I have a feeling that this may take a while…" Ruto said, avoiding a spiked cannonball which had her name on it.
"I agree, but we should be able to best it somehow; we now know its primary weakness." Link said.
"Right." Ruto said, just as Zelda fired a Silver Light Arrow at the target, shortly followed by Saria, while Nabooru used a Golden Sword Spark to take out the first of the two Cannon Soldiers and Darunia lambasted the second one, removing those threats for the time being, letting the others focus on avoiding the regular cannonballs and striking the primary target. After two more Silver Light Arrows, courtesy of Link and Ruto, struck the target, the sirens blared again, repeating the procedure it did the first time, but now instead of Lizalfos, Dinolfos appeared. They had no armor, but it was the variety that utilized the Fire Breath as a secondary weapon. Initially attempting to immolate the whole group with their Fire Breaths, the Dinolfos were dismayed that Ruto cast a Water and Ice Barrier to cancel the stream of fire out, before Link and Zelda used Silver Ice Arrows to freeze two of the Dinolfos solid, after which Ruto and Saria lambasted two others with Silver Fire Arrows. The two last Dinolfos hopped on the platform to strike at the group with their blades, only to be knocked into the lava by Rauru and Darunia, both Dinolfos howling in agony as the lava burned and melted them alive. Ruto used her Nice Boomerang to strike at the two frozen Dinolfos, breaking the ice and stunning the two creatures which also made them fall in the surrounding lava, ending them. This time, four Cannon Soldiers once more appeared as the main cannon fired as well, again with a slightly faster rate of fire than before, while the Cannon Soldiers began to fire in alternating order instead of all simultaneously. This made it in effect harder for the group to properly engage the machine and the soldiers altogether. Link aimed at the main target, only to receive a spiked cannonball in his side by one of the Cannon Soldiers, with Saria receiving a similar treatment, although she managed to take out the Soldier whom shot at Link before she was hit. Ruto and Zelda managed to take out two of the other Cannon Soldiers along the way, before Zelda was hit by another Spiked Cannonball from the final Cannon soldier, who was promptly taken out by Impa, allowing the group to concentrate on the central target. While the Cannonballs were now easier to avoid due to it being the only things shot at them, the group still had it a bit more difficult due to the increased fire rate. Despite this and their injuries, Link and Zelda both managed to hit the target with their Silver Light Arrows, before Saria hit her mark, before Ruto made it reach the top again, causing the sirens to go off once more…
"How many times have we done this procedure now?" Ruto asked.
"This is the third time, if I'm not mistaken." Link said.
"It is the third time indeed." Saria said.
Just then, the pointer stopped again, before the twin doors opened up, unleashing four Bomb Soldiers, whom instantly took position and began to toss their Bombs at the group! Link, Saria, Zelda and Ruto used their shields to protect them from the most part of the bombs' detonations, while Darunia tossed a Nice Bomb back at them, instantly killing two of the Bomb Soldiers as the greater explosion of the Nice Bomb gave it an area-of-effect blast radius, coupled with greater splash damage when compared to regular Bombs. Nabooru repeated this procedure with the two remaining Bomb Soldiers, before two Cannon Soldiers appeared again, while the main cannon began to fire as well, this time at an even faster rate than before.
"What's the deal?!" Ruto asked, avoiding a cannonball while Link and Saria managed to take out the Cannon Soldiers before they could deal any damage.
"I believe we're inflicting some serious damage to this machine, perhaps it reacts to the damage it has received so far." Nabooru said, hopping to the left to avoid another incoming cannonball.
"What's the matter, Impa? You seem concerned… we will defeat this machine." Zelda said as she successfully hit the target with a Silver Light Arrow.
"This isn't my main concern, dear," Impa said, managing to get a strike in herself using a bow she took from the armory in the firing range, "it appears that the machine in the background is also working faster, in correspondence to this machine…"
"That is weird…" Link said, managing to strike the target again with another Silver Light Arrow, before Nabooru hit it again, letting the sirens go off for the fourth time, the two hatches opening to reveal a total of four Aeralfos, two from each side!
The Aeralfos roared first at the group as they took positions to surround them, while Link, Saria, Zelda and Ruto took out their Clawshots, getting ready themselves.
"Get behind us; this is getting tricky!" Link said to the others, getting ready to aim his Clawshot to fire and pull the Aeralfos he targeted in.
"Right." Nabooru said, nodding as she stood behind Link.
Impa took position behind Zelda, Rauru stood behind Ruto and Darunia went behind Saria, right before the four Aeralfos raised their shields, giving the group the signal to attack, as the four children pulled the flying lizards in using their Clawshots, before the adults clobbered them several times, straight into the lava as the four children stunned them with their shields first.
Again, four Cannon Soldiers arrived to attack the group, while the main cannon itself began to fire at the group with half a second between shots, making it increasingly difficult for the group to properly retaliate. This time, Nabooru and Impa were hit by shots from the Spiked Cannonballs, while Darunia grunted as a regular cannonball hit him. Both Link and Saria were able to take down two of the Cannon Soldiers, only for them to be hit by the two remaining ones about a second later, which prompted them to retaliate, although they couldn't prevent Ruto and Rauru from being hit as well by them, effectively wounding the group as a whole now that all of them sported injuries. Ruto got her revenge by taking down the third Cannon Soldier, while Zelda killed the final one using her own Silver Arrows, allowing the group to concentrate on the main cannon and its target again. Rauru, Impa and Darunia managed to get hits in together, with Nabooru managing to strike it back to the top, making the sirens appear for the fifth time. This time, Assault Spear Soldiers came out to strike at the group, tossing the spears at them, only to be defeated instantly with the Silver Arrows by the group. Once more, four Cannon Soldiers appeared to strike at the group while the main cannon attacked with once more a higher rate of fire, making things harder for the group. However, Darunia grabbed the Cannonballs and tossed them at the Cannon Soldiers, helping in defeating them this time with Link and Saria aiding him, before the group could focus on the main target once more. Zelda and Ruto managed to get in a hit with their Silver Light Arrows, before Nabooru got the third hit in and Rauru finished it off with a Silver Light Arrow of his own, finally causing the machine to cease its operations, falling silent while a hatch to the far right opened up, revealing a path.
"NOOOOOO!" Majora wailed, as if it had observed the fight of the group with the machine.
"Too bad for you." Link inwardly snarled.
"Link! You and your pesky friends aren't getting off that easily. If the factory goes, you go with it!" Majora said, clearly agitated, before the group went off into the now-revealed path, which was a corridor with wooden planks and metal walls around.
"Oh man, he sounds like he's lost it!" Saria said.
"And that's what scares me about him; if Majora goes nuts, he's more dangerous than ever." Link said, looking around with extreme caution.
The group entered the next area, which was leading to a path upstairs, but as they went on, a crate fell down into the lava and the bridge they went on before collapsed, effectively preventing them from going back! To make matters worse, the area was shaking at random intervals…
"What the-?! The whole place is coming apart!" Nabooru said.
"Not only that, but the lava appears to be rising at an alarming rate…" Darunia said, seeing it almost reached the platform they stood on.
"Oh no! EVERYBODY RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" Link then shouted, making sure his weapons were tucked away as he made a run for it, Zelda and Saria close behind him as the Sages followed right away, the lava now reaching the platform they just stood on as they made their way in a circle to a higher area.
"Careful, don't drink more than you can handle! HAHAHAHAHAAAA!" Majora's voice cackled across the area, revealing that he was the one who was deliberately causing the place to begin to fall apart, as more debris and crates fell in the lava at the sides…
"CURSE YOU, MAJORA!" Link snarled as he and the Sages managed to reach the higher path in time.
A Sword and Shield Soldier tried to block their paths, only to be clobbered aside by Darunia, while the others went around it, hopping across a gap to a broken path at the other side, moving then to the left, hopping over two platforms before reaching a crevice in the wall where they climbed up rapidly to a higher part with grating close by, while the paths the group just had been on vanished below the surface of the lava. Being in full-panic mode let the group run as fast as their legs could carry them, climbing up the grating quickly before moving to another set of platforms, with Saria summoning a bit of wind to give the group a speed boost to prevent them from falling in the lava. Hopping from the platforms swiftly to reach a straight path to the left, Link smacked a Sword Soldier away to continue his way, while the path below him began to creak, shake and crumble already, before he hopped on wooden platforms onwards, smacking another Sword Soldier to the side along the way, while the Sages weren't far behind, while Darunia was already making plans of his own.
"THIS IS INSANE!" Zelda exclaimed as she climbed higher in another crevice after Link, with the former already hopping on platforms that acted like a stairway upward towards another grating.
"YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN!" Saria said, seeing as the lava was rising rather rapidly.
"DON'T LOOK BACK OR DOWN, JUST GO!" Darunia exclaimed.
Link was already making his way on other platforms, moving as fast as he could to stay clear ahead of the lava, while smacking another Sword Soldier away as he waited for a little bit. The others arrived within a matter of seconds, the heat of the rising lava already becoming prominent as it kept rising, as if it was chasing the group. As they went onward, Zelda smacked yet another Sword Soldier to the side herself, not wanting them to hinder her and her friends as they reached another grating…
Link climbed his way up the grating as fast as he possibly could, already beginning to sweat as he moved rapidly. However, it kept him occupied for a moment as suddenly what appeared to be a stone hit him on the head, causing the young hero to yelp in pain as it hit him, but he quickly recovered and climbed on to a higher path. He was alerted to another yelp, this time coming from Saria and Zelda both as they too were hit with similar debris, before reaching Link's position with the others just as he hit another Sword Soldier, defeating it.
"STOP THEM! THEY MUST NOT REACH OUR TOWER!" Majora screamed throughout the tower as Link and the Sages scaled the last staircase, of which the platforms were already beginning to shake and crumble, the lava now rising rapidly as the entire place was falling apart!
Smacking a final Sword Soldier away, Saria helped Link further up as he was hit by one strike of said Soldier, reaching the top in time before the platforms they just scaled collapsed and fell in the rising lava, with the group heading for the final bridge where they stopped, seeing that there was a large abyss underneath them…
"Good grief, he has gotten completely mad." Impa said, while Saria and Zelda tended to Link.
"Are you okay?!" Saria asked in worry.
"I'm fine, it's not as bad as it looks." He said, seeing that his shield blocked most of the strike at his right side.
Just then, the place shook a bit, a rumbling sound coming from below.
"Huh?! What was that?!" Nabooru asked.
Just then, the faint sound of a massive explosion was heard from below, as the machine they had just fought against suffered from too much pressure and exploded. This resulted in a fireball spreading around in every direction, killing the troops that were looking after the machine itself or tried to run away from it.
"It's coming from below!" Impa said.
Right as the group looked down, all they could see was a fireball heading into their direction as it was looking for a way to disperse as more and more machines were annihilated throughout the whole underground headquarters. In utter horror and fright, the entire group tried to shield their eyes and quickly prayed for a quick, swift end… only for a gust of wind emanating from the shockwave of the explosion itself blast them right into the air, just ahead of the fireball that was chasing after them. Whether it was desperation or determination, Saria and Ruto both combined their powers and created a water spout that was enough to let them keep their speed and distance ahead from the fireball, just as the group was literally blasted out of the air chute they were in, sending them in the direction of the final tower of where Ganondorf and Majora resided. The last thing they saw before losing consciousness, was that they approached the ground at the tower's base at high speed, unaware of Ruto, Saria and even Nabooru trying their best to cushion their landing as best as they could…
Leia and Reimu were with their troops inspecting the area the group had just traveled through, when they felt the ground underneath them shake.
"What the-?! Is it an earthquake?" Leia asked.
"LOOK! OVER THERE!" A Gerudo shouted, spotting an explosion in the far distance, although it looked like a fireball being blasted from the ground…
"Good grief!" Leia said, appalled at seeing the explosion.
"EVERYBODY MOVE BACK TO THE SHIP AND UNLOAD THE AIR FIGHTERS! WE'RE GOING IN NOW!" Reimu then barked, intent on investigating this, causing the resident group to abandon their current tasks and fall back to the ship at the dock to do as their commander has ordered them to.
Reimu herself saw her sister looking on, who was terribly shocked.
"Sis, we need to go back to get the air fighters." Reimu said softly to her sister.
"Are you sure they will work? These motorized air ships haven't been tested thoroughly… " Leia said.
"Now is a better time than never. We managed to take some stuff from the enemy's camp after all and the prototypes were a success, so now's our chance to repay our debt to Nabooru and her friends and help them out as they had helped us out." Reimu said.
"I understand, sister. Let's go." Leia said, nodding.
Nabooru briefly woke up from her unconsciousness, looking around. She immediately held her head as she felt pain shooting up at the side of it, making her hold it, wincing a little as she felt a fresh wound there, which was obviously bleeding. Trying her best to regain focus, she tried to get a good look in of her surroundings. She saw Impa, Darunia and Rauru lying at a short distance to her left, still out cold, before looking to her right. There, closer to her, she found Link, Saria and Zelda close together, with Ruto behind Zelda, also out cold. Each of them were lying in a very shallow puddle of water, to which she mused that this water was probably Ruto's doing in her attempt to cushion their fall as best as she could, since any normal collision with the ground from such a fall would have killed them all instantly. She gently stroked Ruto's face, before looking up. She could see that they must have landed in a stone cavern, while the humongous tower that had dark clouds bellowing around the top was directly ahead. The Tower's height almost resembled Ganon's Tower in the Future That Almost Was, but now much taller and more menacing looking, with numerous high towers and what appeared to be dark fog around certain levels. Bolts of lightning were visible in the dark sky at regular intervals, coupled with an occasional rumbling in the air. But there was no rain…
"This… this is it… this tower…" Nabooru said to herself, "this is where Ganondorf and Majora are… we reached their fort."
Just then, she saw three small balls of light coming her way. It were Navi, Tatl and Tael!
"You three… you made it… as well…" she said.
"Where have you been? We lost track of you during that snowboard thing!" Tatl said.
"Tatl!" Navi then said.
"Wow, you look awful! What happened?" Tael asked.
"We… we managed to… reach Ganondorf and Majora's headquarters… and… and messed up their plans there…" She said with a pained chuckle.
"We heard an explosion not too long ago…" Navi then said.
"That… that was from the headquarters… we… we destroyed its main power generator… and Majora tried… to take us with it… we… barely escaped in time…" Nabooru said, trying to stay awake, finally also spotting the thing that was generating the barrier in the first place in a deactivated state.
"Good grief!" Tael said.
Nabooru then chuckled, before her eyes rolled to the back of her head, passing out once more as she fell over, her face close to Link and Saria's.
"N… Na…. Nabooru?!" Navi asked, alarmed.
Tael immediately went over to her, flying over to examine her.
"She's still alive, just unconscious. We need to find something to heal their wounds, otherwise they will perish at the sight of the finish!" He said.
"Right." Navi said.
"But where can we find some fairies here?!" Tatl then asked.
"We'll try to look around, or otherwise donate a bit of our energy to AT LEAST ensure they'll stay alive." Tael said.
Navi immediately caught on to this and began to fly around Link, Saria and Zelda, being in close range. Tatl moved over to Ruto and Nabooru, while Tael sought out Darunia, Rauru and Impa…
"Link… please… stay with us… we can't lose you again like we did before…" Navi said as she flew over to Link, right before she heard him grunt a little.
Moving closer to his mouth, Navi tried to check his condition there. She could hear him breathing. It was slow, a little labored, yet stable. This gave her the confirmation that Link was very much alive, just out of commission for the time being. But how long he would stay out cold like that was something that not even she knew… she also failed to notice a faint orange glow around each of the unconscious group…
Link shot up as he found himself in a white void, blinking as he looked around.
"What the-?! Where is this? Where am I?!" He asked.
"Link? Is that you out there?" Saria's voice then said.
Link then looked to his right, seeing Saria appear beside him, followed by Zelda, Ruto, Nabooru and finally Impa, Darunia and Rauru.
"What happened?" Ruto asked.
"I guess you could blame me for this," Nabooru said, "in my efforts to aid you in at least softening the fall, I must have pulled us into the Spirit Realm by mistake."
"It wasn't a mistake, Nabooru." A feminine voice then said, which Rauru immediately recognized.
"What the-?! Venus, Your Highness!" Rauru then said.
Just then, the faint image of Venus appeared in front of the group, floating gently.
"If anyone would be responsible for taking you here, it would be me. I have sensed your distress and when I felt Nabooru invoking her Spirit powers, I reacted accordingly, as the landing on the ground would have likely separated her body from her spirit by violent means, which would not only kill her, but also left her unable to be revived, despite her good intentions." Venus said.
The group blinked at this.
"What?! I… I didn't know! I…" Nabooru said, trying to explain.
"I know you tried to soften the blow for yourself and your friends during that fall. It was very brave of you to do so. I merely aided you in this." Venus said.
"I… I understand. Thank you." Nabooru said.
"There is something you must know, however. Ganondorf and Majora both have been working together on this tower and are planning to use the top of it as a site of what will likely be the final battle against you. While you have gained a vast number of new skills and weapons, you must remain cautious. If Ganondorf and Majora would, by any chance, combine their powers properly, they would be a force that can breach the fabric of dimensions with their sheer power alone. It is this that should be considered your greatest danger, as this could give him the opportunity to give you a fate worse than death; a banishment to the void between dimensions." Venus then said.
"The Void between dimensions?!" Link and the Sages asked.
"Yes. If that happens, you would still be alive, but you would have vanished from the face of Hyrule and Termina, leaving both lands and beyond unchecked and unprotected against their might, dooming them to a Kingdom of Eternal Darkness and Evil, where the friends you have left there will also likely suffer an unjust or cruel demise."
The group gasped at this, apparently appalled by this revelation.
"There is a chance however that this fate can be avoided. If both Ganondorf and Majora would be lured in this inter-dimensional void along with you for a showdown without restrictions, it would take them away from the face of the world as well. The only way to return to these lands safely is through the acquisition of the complete Triforce." Venus then said.
"So, it would require us taking Ganondorf's Triforce of Power, or Ganondorf taking my Triforce of Courage and Zelda's Triforce of Wisdom then." Link said, nodding.
"Indeed. Just remember that, if the Triforce is used to take you back, the ones whose powers have been taken cannot return. This is the risk that one has from traveling between dimensions." Venus said.
"At least we have a chance to FINALLY get rid of Ganondorf and Majora once and for all." Zelda said.
"True, but Majora's insanity and power alone might still do considerable damage and perhaps render all our efforts in vain. So I suggest we strip Majora of his mask and destroy it so he won't have that power again." Link said.
"A very wise suggestion." Venus said.
"But we… we aren't dead, right?" Ruto then asked.
"No, each of you is very much alive. You were knocked out by the fall, but what Saria, Ruto and Nabooru did ensure your survival. Give it a while and you should be back on your feet." Venus said, smiling as she casted a warm glow around the group, before she and they vanished from sight, as everything turned back to normal for the group…