Descending past the cloud barrier into the Eldin region was nothing like Faron. For one thing it was above a clearly active volcano, the heat reaching up to me even before I'd completely passed the clouds. Air currents and eddies caused by the heat threatened to blow me off course for the only decent-looking landing point I could see from this height. From above I got a brilliant view of the region, and I'm sure I spotted one or two bird statues beyond the blatantly obvious one I was heading for, but they were close to magma, and with the trouble I was having just keeping myself on course, I wasn't aiming for them.
Fi, of course, gave me her usual area overview, which told me a lot of things I already knew. But she felt it necessary, so I let her go on.
"Master, we have arrived in Eldin Volcano. It is an active volcano, rich with the power of the earth. Readings indicate that at least sixty-five percent of the region is covered by lava, and you should exercise caution around it. Most monster activity in the region appears to have adapted to the environment. I will continue to offer guidance toward Zelda's present location as readings become available."
"Don't worry about me, Fi – fire burns, but Knuckles rocks," I told her. Yes, I know, that was terrible. It was also completely lost on her.
It was true enough though – rocks were everywhere. Rock walls, rocks floating on lava, cliff faces – in other words, plenty of places for me to climb along and not need to worry about the lava. Now I was down on the ground the effects of the air that had troubled my descent would now help me stay in the air for longer. This place was going to be easy.
I activated the local bird statue, which appeared to be similar to the first one in Faron – I assumed it activated all the local ones, and I'd have to do the same everywhere else too. Immediately afterwards I met a glob of lava that was just a lava ChuChu, and like their green cousins, sliced apart in short order.
There were Keese here too, but not like the ones I'd seen before – these were on fire, the first appearance of Fire Keese. I don't recall meeting any Ice Keese, but there were a few other variants that tried to trouble me later.
Also immediately visible was the next Goddess Cube, just lying partially buried in some scorched earth. I sent it skyward then started on getting around, often ignoring the clearly obvious routes to climb or glide around instead.
After going above several floating rocks I didn't trust the looks of, I ran into some locals that weren't monsters. They dug themselves out of the ground ahead, looking relatively humanoid, just with long digging claws and sandy skin – the Mogma.
"Hey, you mess with our turf and you're gonna..." one started, then frowned. "Pay?"
The other picked up, "Whoa, you're not – Yo, Ledd, I don't reckon this is one of them red creeps. I mean he's read, but he don't look like 'em."
"Red creeps? You mean Bokoblins?" I asked, getting a quick nod. "Yeah, I'm not with them. I'm just Knuckles, a friendly passing adventurer."
"Yeah, but... No reason to scare the hair off us though!" Ledd said fervently.
"Don't mind him," the other... creature told me. "He's just on edge, what with the creeps moving in and messing with our turf."
"Messing with our turf, screwing up things, stealing the treasure... steer clear of them, mate. They ain't worth the trouble if you're after treasures."
"What about people?" I asked instead. "I'm looking for a friend who might have come this way."
Ledd looked thoughtful. "Guess that must have been your pal earlier. Ran past without so much as a look this way. Didn't see in detail though, but I know it weren't one of them red creeps. Just keep on goin' up this way, you'll see."
It hadn't been the most precise direction, but it helped.
Up beyond them where the useful rocks petered out a bit, lava geysers arranged it so that I had to wait for them to subside and the lava to retreat before I could progress. While I waited, quite naturally, the local flock of Fire Keese attempted to mob me. They don't fly so well after you smash them in the face with the shield, did you know that?
Past the lava was a cavern with blue flowers in, and a nearby Mogma introduced me to the Bomb Flowers. After once again making sure he knew I wasn't one of 'those red creeps', I let him – at least I assume he was a him – go on about rolling bombs or throwing them. I'm sure I'd have thought of them eventually, but maybe this was Link trying to be thorough about it.
Like all Bomb Flowers, as soon as they were picked, they lit, and a new one grew in its place. How that worked, I don't know. Blame Link. I used them to blow up several large rockfalls, revealing a massive Lava ChuChu that had to be cut down into four, then four more smaller ones before they were finally defeated.
It also got me some more rupees, but like other Heroes, I never really seemed to go wanting for them. I rather suspect Link has never got the hang of economics.
"Will you stop complaining about me?" Link burst out. "I know I'm not perfect, and I know I wasn't back then, but seriously!"
"You wouldn't want me to give a bad idea of what happened, would you?" Knuckles said, grinning broadly. "I'm just making mention of all the little things I noticed and such. It wouldn't be accurate if I didn't include them."
"You're sidetracking yourself just to point out I don't do things right! It's hardly important Knuckles!"
"Beats just a plain version that's just a tedious 'and then, and then, and then' though. Anyway, I didn't see you complaining about them. Maybe Manic a bit, but none of the others. It was your idea to join in and try to correct us."
Link stared, then sighed. "I'm not gonna win this one, am I? Maybe making you the first Hero wasn't such a good idea. If Fate hadn't insisted it had to be you..."
"Who coulda done a better job than me though?" Knuckles asked.
"No one, that's the problem. You can't really argue with Fate when She decides it must be you. Tell the story Knuckles, and try not to keep calling me out on stuff?"
"Only if I haven't mentioned it before."
Behind one of the rockfalls was also a dug out cavern I followed as it led back outside. Interestingly, several ruined pillars seemed to be half-buried in the rocks around, cracked, worn and burnt. Something had once been built here, much like Faron. Another bird statue gave me – hopefully – another safe landing point, and another way up.
More lava was here naturally, leaving several clear-cut paths I could take. One of them saw another Goddess Cube sent skyward. Along another I met another Mogma, who told me the figure he'd seen had gone into a cavern and was wearing something blackish. Probably not Zelda, but it also didn't sound like anyone else either. Ghirahim was too pale to be considered blackish, even with his cape.
Past him there was a far stranger creature. It looked like a red seal, moved like a seal, and as soon as it spotted me it fled into a small hole in a rock face.
"Fi. What was that thing?" I asked.
"I am unable to ascertain, Master Knuckles. Perhaps it would be wise to back away, in the hopes the creature will re-emerge sensing no further threat."
I did just that, staying just in view. The creature poked its head out cautiously, looked around, then slowly edged back out.
"Now?" I murmured.
"This appears to be a Pyrup. This skittish monster prefers to hide in small holes or inside the skeletal remains of deceased creatures. Once the cowardly Pyrup finds a small space from which to spit flames, it becomes unapproachable. You will need to employ a clever strategy to defeat it. Inflicting damage from a distance may be the only option at this time however."
I moved back to the edge, causing it to flee back into the hole again. Down below, hidden in a clump of rather dry looking bushes, was a bomb flower.
"Like one of these, maybe?" I suggested, but Fi had already disappeared, and did not return to remark.
I picked the bomb flower and tried to aim, but it wasn't surprising that rolling it across the rough terrain didn't exactly make it easy to roll it into the hole. Fortunately the things grew back quickly enough to keep trying, and eventually a bomb rolled in. There was some frantic squealing, then it detonated.
And only then did I realise the rocks here could have allowed me to climb up and over the hole without once putting myself in danger of the flames. I felt like a bit of a fool after that.
Up beyond there was a familiar sight – a red Bokoblin. The rocks on either side formed a natural channel, probably carved by lava flows, and he was staring right down it. So I went back a bit, climbed up on top of the rocks and went along the top instead. He completely ignored me, as did his friends waiting in ambush just around the corner.
They carried on ignoring me until I dropped down behind them. I can't mask the tell-tale clinking of the chain-mail, and they noticed that. By that time though, it was too late. Two of them had their heads smashed together, the third caught my fist in his chest to send him stumbling into the fourth, who in turn knocked over the first one I'd seen. By that time I had my sword drawn, and busy trying to disentangle themselves from each other, they were quickly defeated.
Past them was a larger basin, partly filled with lava. The rocks visible showed signs of having recently under lava themselves. Two large and charred skulls lay on the ground, each one up against a rock, and each one missing front teeth. Both of them had a little blue antenna sticking out of the top – just like the Pyrup I'd seen before.
Like rolling the bomb flowers, throwing the nearby ones with any aim also didn't come so easily. But once I did get a bomb in a skull there was the satisfying sound of frantic squealing and the skull jerking about as the Pyrup tried to get rid of the bomb, then the detonation finished it.
Two more Pyrups up ahead had the same idea, only the skulls they hid in had no gap on the top. The gap between the teeth remained though, and even though I was rolling bomb flowers up a slope for these two, I soon had them blown up too. A bit of skill and a bit of fun watching their reaction to the bombs. Only Bokoblin stupidity did any better than that.
Right beyond them was yet another Heart Crystal, putting me half-way to another full one. That was all I could do from this route, but there were plenty of other routes. Without the forest covering that Faron had, I'd seen a lot of Eldin on the way down, enough to know I was nowhere near out of options just yet.