After a bit more exploration outside of Eldin, I found a cavern entrance that looked more like it had once been a lava chute. For anyone without the sailcloth I was using as a parachute, or anyone who couldn't climb walls like I could, this meant it was a sheer drop with only a few rocky spires and jutting edges to make it more interesting for and stupid person who decided to jump.
I kept to the walls instead, picking up a chest of metal ore chunks – probably useful to someone up in Skyloft – a few patches of earth I dug up to get a few more rupees, and the next Goddess Cube, the light of which bounced around the top of the chute before it found its way outside.
Conveniently placed at the bottom was a bird statue that, unlike other ones that weren't outside, provided a handy gust of wind to get back up again. Not far away, another Mogma was busily muttering to himself about 'red creeps' who'd muscled in on their territory. Beyond him, a Bokoblin was visible.
He hadn't noticed me, at least not until I pushed past him. I suspect for a moment he mistook me for yet another Bokoblin, at least until I started beating up that one ahead, who'd appeared to be alone until his friends came out from various hidden, out of sight areas, and more kept coming. It wasn't until I spotted a Bokoblin on an upper ledge that was hanging back and blowing on a horn I realized why – he was calling every Bokoblin around to here!
Bokoblins are stupid though, and these were no exception. Switching from sword and fist to both fists appeared to puzzle them, and running away to climb a wall definitely made them start wondering. More importantly, I'd picked a wall that the horn-blowing Bokoblin couldn't see me from, and he wasn't intelligent enough to realize this meant I was still around. He went on thinking that until I came round the corner and smashed his head in.
With him out the way I made use of a different ledge nearby that had bomb flowers on, and tossed them down into the masses, causing instant mass panic and even a few short and ugly fights to break out in the confusion. A few helpfully placed shots from the slingshot added to the confusing and encouraged their own fights until I dropped back down and finished them off.
When I'd got rid of them all, the Mogma I'd surprised dug into the ground only to re-emerge nearby, quickly looking around.
"They're all gone," I told him. "I made sure of that."
"What are you?"
"Oh, no one important, just a friendly passing Echidna. Call me Knuckles. I'm sorta looking for a friend of mine that came through this way. Possibly," I added, since I wasn't certain. Fi took that as a cue to make my sword jolt slightly toward a higher area. Zelda had been here.
"An enemy of the red creeps is a friend of ours," the Mogma decided. "Can't say about any friends though. Been too busy with them guys. But I tell ya – dig up any patches of earth you see in these rocky caverns. Y'never know what you'll find! There's one just up where you came from. Was gonna dig it up before them creeps showed up, should have a blast of air that'll get ya up to that corridor up there."
"Not a problem for me," I told him, winking. "I'll show you what I mean."
Do I really need to explain? The walls might have been rock, but there aren't many kinds I can't climb up. The Mogma did helpfully dig out the earth after me, just in case anyone else needed the air jet.
I carried on, uncovering a couple more air jets and finding a Bokoblin encampment – after the call to arms that had happened earlier, it wasn't surprising to find it had only a handful of them left. Once they were out the way there were only two options – take one of three tunnels that appeared to lead back to where I'd fought the Bokoblin masses, or backtrack slightly to another cavern. I did check the battle cavern to see if I'd missed anything, but my sense for treasure wasn't off – there was nothing there.
The other cavern however was another story. The stone here was not the sort I could climb, the floor was dotted with large pillars, and in the base of the nearest two there were holes that made the same kind of sounds as Pyrups. Some handy bomb flowers put a stop to those sounds, only to find almost all the others had Pyrups too. I got a plenty of practice bowling with bombs in there.
Past them, a smaller cavern with more scrubby bushes. I uncovered a small air jet here that took me up a level to a great pit that had a massive geyser of air blasting up from it that undoubtedly lead outside, I hoped to an area I hadn't been before, or at least to take me to a height where I could glide safely to such an area.
My hopes weren't in vain either. This was a place far above where I'd started. As soon as I landed another Mogma, who apparently wasn't up to date on the news of my arrival, turned and gave a startled cry.
"Now there's a green one!" he exclaimed, then paused. "And red? Wait, you're-"
"No, I'm not one of the creeps," I said, trying not to sigh wearily. "I'm going round beating them up if that's any help. And trying to find a friend too."
"The one in black? Came charging through here just a few moments ago. Went to the left. You go up there and you'll see a bridge. 'course it's not much of a bridge, what with the bridge missing and all, but this character just up and danced right over it!"
"Wonder if I can make it," I mused, more to myself.
"You gotta be crazy! Jumping that gap? When I saw it happen my jaw just hit the dirt!"
"Yeah, I'm not just your average passer-by though," I told him absently, heading up that way. Something started grinding and rumbling, and it turned out to be the bridge – a large decorated slab of stone emerging from the far side.
"Hey guy, up there – on your left!" the Mogma called to me. "It's the one in black!"
And there was indeed a figure in black, stood on top of a tall pillar. Despite her clothes making it hard to tell anything distinguishing about her, it was clear enough she was a woman, and she had white hair – beyond that, clothes and distance made it impossible to say.
"You're the Goddess's Chosen Hero?" her voice echoed down.
"Just tell everyone why don't you," I grumbled. "It's not as if I was keeping it quiet, no, not at all."
"Oh don't be silly," she called. "Zelda is ahead. You'd better hurry." And without waiting for a reply, she turned and leapt out of sight.
Before I took that advice I took a quick look back at the other route I could have taken behind that Mogma, bombing a rockfall to find it just made a handy shortcut back a bit. It hadn't been necessary, but maybe sometime it'd come in useful.
One more bird statue awaited on the other side of the bridge, a place I'd be able to use as a safe landing spot now I knew the area better. The air currents on the descent would still be a pain, but knowing where's safe to land makes a difference.
The ascent up the volcano continued here, a narrow path that looked more it had once been a place lava flowed down, leaving the rocks on either side to just up to almost make this a tunnel, but not quite. It did obscure a pair of Fire Keese that managed to set me on fire briefly, chittering as I burned. It wasn't a serious fire though, something I could put out just using the sturdy gauntlets I had. And then to stop it happening again, I punched both of them. It didn't achieve anything, but I felt better for it.
The rocks opened up just beyond them. A lava flow coursed through here, with a large rock bobbing in the sluggish currents. It was held in place only by a thin rock spire glowing red. I made use of the rock to get to the other side, and almost as soon as I landed the spire gave way and the larger rock carried on its way down the flow. I hadn't needed it as such, it was just convenient, but it did suggest I shouldn't expect to come back this way.
Ever notice that happens a lot? Link's Dungeons always seem to be designed to be a one-way affair. I still had to find a way back out again since I never got a lift like the others. Still, at least having already cleared out the puzzles and such made it a bit easier to get out.
Anyway, before I get us sidetracked again. Beyond the lava flow was a steep hill that looked more like it was covered in grey sand, which was actually volcanic ash. No surprises at finding that here. Part way up, half covered by the ash, was a charred wooden frame that had similarly blackened metal gratings over it. One lone Bokoblin kept a rather poor lookout up here. I say poor because despite the sound of my ascent, he'd remained completely oblivious to me. So I amused myself by shoving him off the frame and watching him scream and roll down the slope. A helpful turn up at the bottom launched him flying into the air, screaming even more frantically, then dumped him into the lava.
Just slightly further up was a rock jutting out where a lone bomb flower grew. From here I had a good vantage point of the area below, and I spotted another rockfall that could be blown up to make another useful shortcut, something I did while I recovered from the first climb. Ash isn't quite the same as sand, but trying to get up a steep slope covered in it is exhausting. And remember I had that extra weight to think about too.
Also while I recovered I looked further up and spotted a more observant Bokoblin that was watching me. And also holding a rock over his head. It wasn't a large rock, but it was large enough that if he threw it while I tried to carry on up, I wouldn't be able to avoid it easily. For some reason the idea of smashing it apart on the way up didn't occur to me. Heroing is bad for me. Maybe good for the others though.
"What makes you think Heroing is bad for you?" Tails asked, surprised.
"It gets you into thinking in certain ways," Knuckles explained. "You see, what I did then was what any of you would probably have done, except maybe Silver, but he cheats all the time."
"I know," Silver grinned. "I can only imagine what Link might have said to me if he'd ever talked to me the way he did you and Manic."
"Nothing good," Link muttered.
"I thought you might say that," Knuckles murmured. "Anyway, what I did was take out my slingshot and shoot him. Anything to make him drop the rock. I managed, by pure luck, to hit one of his arms and the rock fell on top of him before it went down that great hill. Saved me from having to defeat him. But what I'd probably have done if I hadn't been busy being a Hero was just let him throw it and smash it when it got to me."
"Think I know what he means," Manic put in. "I'm a thief, we all know that, but how much did I actually do? I spent more time running around beating stuff up and irritating Vaati than actually stealing stuff."
"Could be seen as a good thing, you know," Scourge told him, immediately flinching back as Manic reached for his sword. "Can't you make him stop doing that?" he demanded plaintively.
"Just don't make remarks like that," Sonic shrugged. "Common sense – if you had any, that is."
Scourge just glared at him, but prudently didn't say anything else. With five Heroes around, all armed with swords, it wouldn't have been a good idea.