A/N: Some creative liberties were taken in this chapter, explanations are in the end notes.
Through Flames
"Are you sure about this?"
"I've made up my mind, Navi. We've already been through this."
As the two waited for Darunia to finish speaking with another Goron by the mine entrance, Link shifted his weight from side to side, tugging at the sleeves of the undershirt he had been given. The modified tunic had been made to cover as much of his body as possible: off-white undershirt and tights had been paired with the crimson tunic itself. He had also been given a cap to swap out with his own usual one, a pair of gloves to protect his hands, and even a new, better set of boots to replace the worn ones. His old ragged outfit had been tightly folded and placed in the bottom of his sack, leaving enough space for his slingshot, ammo, the fairy ocarina, and at least a day's ration of food with just a bit of room to spare. His canteen had been strapped to his belt.
He took a moment to glance up at the rising moon, his mind wandering back to the forest. It had been almost two days now since he had last contacted his friends. Surely, they were getting worried for him. As much as he wanted to contact them, however, it would have to wait, as they were in a hurry now. Besides, Darunia had now finished whatever he had been speaking with the other Goron about and had made his way back over to the duo, hammer slung over his shoulder.
"My brothers in the mines spent the day setting up a shortcut so we can access the lower levels of the northern mines easier."
"Darunia talked it over while you were getting dressed," Navi started, turning her attention to her charge. "We came to the conclusion that the best way to tackle things is to take a path through the northern mines to clear out the main work area first so that the other Gorons can get to work, before heading into the depths to tackle whatever beast Ganon has conjured here."
Link gave the Goron leader an affirming nod as he adjusted his bag and shield. He would not let himself screw up this second chance.
The trio made their way through the entrance, passing a group of Gorons taking a break on their way back into the main chamber. Compared to how the room had been when Link had passed through before, the chamber was now a flurry of activity. The beamos that he had ran from had been dealt with; only a pile of smashed bits and parts remained. Metal slabs had been placed between the rock pillars, creating a temporary way across until the more permanent bridge could be rebuilt. And on either side, dirt and rock ramps had been built up and patted down to make accessing either side of the mine easier.
Darunia led the way, taking a sharp left down a ramp around the entrance and up a second one in the direction Link had not taken before. Link made a wide berth of the hot coals lining most of the floor, in no rush to check the limits of his tunic.
The trio followed the cliff up to the far side of the room, stopping once to let a crew of workers carrying a crate of stone through along the way. Despite the difference in size, Link found that he had little trouble keeping up; whether it was because Gorons were not fast on their feet or if Darunia was slowing down for him, he did not know.
At the end of the walkway, Darunia stopped in front of a metal door. For a second, he paused outside, tapping his foot as he considered how to approach the area ahead. He drummed his fingers on the lever beside the door before finally speaking up. "Alright kid. In the next room, I want you to climb up the stairs and check the upper level. I'm going to check another room on the bottom floor, I'll meet you at the top."
Link gave the Goron a nod as the door slid open. As soon as it had raised high enough, he dashed in, ducking to get in without a second thought. Navi zipped in after him, calling out his name.
"Link, please don't just go rushing in like that! What if there are monsters inside? You could get hurt!"
Link gave the fairy a half-hearted shrug, a coy smile on his face. So what if there were enemies, he would just take them all out! As long as they didn't breathe fire. Or explode. Or really anything else that might send him up in flames.
While Navi let out an exasperated sigh behind him and Darunia stepped into the room, Link finally grew more serious and took a good look at his surroundings. Surprisingly, he could see roots and vines hanging down from the walkway above him. The walls had been lined with iron fencing and pillars - supporting the walkway above - and several metal crates lined the corner of the room. If he had to guess, he'd figure that this was some sort of storage. Regardless, the most distinguishable feature happened to be the stairs.
The stairway up to second floor had been created from huge stone slabs, each carved with the same intricate design. What struck him as odd, however was how tall they were, even for a Goron. The steps came up almost to his neck. And considering he came almost up to Darunia's chest, that had to make the blocks about half as tall as the Goron was! What was the point of such abnormally large stairs if even the Gorons would have trouble climbing them?
With the confused thoughts swirling in his mind, he began his ascent, reaching up to wrap his fingers around one of the indentations. Once secure, he lifted one leg over before pulling the rest of his body up onto the platform. Again. And again, a third time, and more until he finally reached the top of the stairs. From here, he took a glance around the upper level.
The upper level was even simpler than the lower one; only a single wood and metal walkway wrapped around the wall, no sort of guardrails protecting from falling to the level below. Link kept himself close to the wall as he began to work his way around.
"This seems really unsafe," Navi mumbled. "But I suppose Gorons don't have to worry as much about dying from a fall... Especially if they land on their back. I wonder-"
"Shh!"
Link held a hand up and waved it to silence the fairy as he slowed to a stop in the corner of the room. As Navi quieted herself, she quickly caught onto what Link was doing: listening to the skittering noise coming from up ahead.
Slowly, the skull kid began to inch forward, his hand reaching back for his sword at first. But as he grew closer it became apparent that the skittering was coming from somewhere above him, so he instead moved to retrieve his slingshot and a few deku seeds from his bag.
He came to a larger platform about half-way across the path, directly across from where he had ascended the stairs. Thin, dried roots and vines formed a curtain in front of him, stretching from the ceiling down to hang a bit below the walkway. And among these vines, he found the source of the skittering.
The skultulla was different from the ones he normally encountered back in the woods. Instead of the typical bone-white color, this one was a metallic gold, its exoskeleton glimmering in the light that he, Navi, and the dim torches in the corners of the room gave off.
Slowly, silently, steady, he raised his slingshot readying a shot, and released.
The seeds struck the spider-like creature directly on the face, catching the creature's attention. The skulltulla hissed and shrieked, turning around to focus all its eyes on the skull kid in front of it, who - after realizing how little his slingshot had done - fumbled for his sword.
He had expected the skulltulla to come down and rush at him, like many of the wall varieties did. But instead, it sprang from the vines, knocking him to the ground with a startled cry, his sword knocked away in the scuffle.
Link reached up to grab hold of the skulltullas abdomen, struggling to keep the monster away from his face as it struggled to push forward, fangs clicking menacingly. The skulltulla would push forward, inching closer to his face, and he'd push back, able to keep it away but unable to free himself. But slowly, the spider was winning.
In a panic, Link's leg jerked, knocking a knee into the monster. Again, the monster shrieked.
"Link! Do that again!"
Link let out a gasp before kicking upward, hoping to hit it again. His blow connected to the underbelly. As the skulltulla was knocked backwards, it managed to bite into his glove, pulling it loose as it was knocked away.
Link wasted no time scrambling to his feet, head whipping back and forth in search of his sword. There, just a few feet away! He dove, sliding to a stop with the sword in his hand, and rolled, barely avoiding another attack from the skulltulla, who had thrown his glove to the side letting out a frustrated hiss. It turned before rushing again.
This time, however, Link was better prepared. As it rushed at him, he hopped to the side before spinning to strike the spider between the abdomen and thorax.
The bug screeched as the attack cut deep into its flesh, green blood oozing out around the blade, sputtering as the wrenched the sword free. The skulltulla tried to drag its nearly-bisected body forward, reaching up a leg to attempt striking the skull kid even as it grew weaker.
Link let out a relieved sigh, took a few steps back - out of the creature's range - and turned his attention to the vines to their side, using them to wipe some of the blood off his blade. His gaze shifted to the side, the discarded glove catching his gaze. He moved to collect it as well. Surprising to Navi, he seemed shockingly undisturbed by the creature's death. Much less than he had the lizalfos the other day, at least.
As the sounds of the struggling monster quieted, Link finally turned his attention back. The golden skulltulla's remains laid crumpled in a small puddle of blood. Link cautiously inched towards the body, lightly poking at it with his boot. When it did not respond, he crouched down by the body, grabbed hold of one of the legs, placed one foot on the body, and tugged, ripping the leg free.
With his trophy obtained, the skull kid moved to sit down against the wall, waiting for Darunia to return.
Navi gave one last disgusted look at the bug's remains. "Well, that was a waste of time," she grumbled. "Don't you think Li-"
She cut off as she turned back towards Link, just in time to see the skulltulla leg hanging halfway out of his mouth. The light in his eyes flickered.
The skull kid ripped a chunk free before giving Navi a sheepish grin, mouth half full. The fairy fluttered erratically for a second before letting out a frustrated huff and fluttering to settle down on the skull kid's shoulder. Why couldn't the hero be some nice normal Kokiri kid, that usually listened to her advice and did not find ways to get into trouble?
"So, insects are your kind's food of choice huh?"
Link's eyes flickered up to see Darunia making his way around the corner of the room. He gave the Goron a shrug and responded in a quiet voice. "Insects, nuts, and wild plants. Anything you can find out in the forest." He stuffed the remainder of his snack in his bag, before stretching and standing. He darted over to the arachnid's and make quick work of removing the rest of the legs for later snacks as well.
Darunia approached as he busied himself, inspecting the spider's body before stooping down to peel something from his abdomen's exoskeleton, handing the item to Link once he finished his chore.
"Here kid, I believe this belongs to you."
Link took the golden item and flipped it over in his hands. It had a skull-like appearance, complete with holes for the eye-sockets.
"What's this for?"
"Just something I thought you might want to keep. The Hylians have a story that says that you should always take those skull shaped plates after killing one of these things as a sign of bravery."
"Oh, I know that story," Navi chimed in. "The Kokiri believe in it too. They even say that if you have enough of them, they'll give you the power to break curses. I don't know how true that is, but it never hurts to keep it, right?
Link gave a smiling nod before stuffing the token into one of his new tunic's pockets. His attention then turned to the hall behind them, and the iron door at the end.
Darunia led the way through the walkway, pausing to tug the lever by the door, and immediately raised his hammer defensively as they passed through. Link, too, grabbed hold of his sword, before a hand blocked him from progressing.
"Hold up kid; look up there." Darunia tilted his head upwards. Link's gaze traveled with it. The ceiling almost seemed to be held up by a large white structure embedded into it and the walls. Eight curved spikes spread out from the central cylinder, tapering almost half-way down the wall. But the odd structure was not what Darunia was referring to; he could see two off-white keese hanging from the white… thing.
"Fire keese," Darunia muttered. "They'll light up if we disturb them. You a sharp shooter kid?"
Link's eyes darted between Darunia, his hand, and the keese hanging above them. But then his mouth twisted into a lopsided smirk. He quietly moved his hand to his bag, shifting items and skulltulla legs arounduntil he found his slingshot again. Wasting no time, he took hold of a handful of seeds, pulled back, and released with a sharp snap, hitting one of the bats.
The keese gave out a cry as it fell to the ground, unsuccessful in its attempts to right itself. The second one, now aware of the danger, took flight, flames rippling to light along its back. It flipped in air once before making a dive directly for Link. He winced and raised up the slingshot, planning to attack at the last second. But before he could, the keese was knocked out of the air by a heavy hit from Darunia's hammer. It let out a shrill cry before hitting the ground hard and did not get up.
Link turned his ammo instead on the one he had shot first - which had by now managed to take flight. It screeched when one of the pellets ripped a hole in its wing and turned tail.
"Do you think that might have been a little unfair?" Navi asked. "They're just bats."
Darunia huffed as he returned his hammer to his shoulder. "Maybe if the kid wasn't flamable."
"I thought that's what the tunic was for?!"
He waved a hand dismissively. "Of course it is, but I would think you of all people would want us to take things the safe way after last time. Keese are very territorial, you know."
Navi hummed in thought before conceding and diving into her resting place under Link's hat. His point was fair enough.
The point made, the trio continued through the room, leaving the wounded (and possibly dead) keese behind.
They continued on in silence through a walkway, Link darting ahead before turning back to wait for his companions, then doing it again a couple times more until they finally came out on a small cliff.
They had journeyed back into the main room yet again. But this time, they were high above the activity buzzing below. Gorons darted back and forth carrying crates. Some had been filled to the top, while others were totally empty. And a few were right in between. None had bothered to look up to see their leader and the skull kid watching them from above.
Darunia gave a satisfied nod after watching for a moment. His people would have food for a while, even if this trip were to end in failure.
He pointed to a cliff across the room, speaking quietly so as to not disturb the workers. "We keep heading forward for now. See that skull down there?" He turned to the other end of the room at a ninety degree angle to point at a jutting skull just visible in the room's haze.
"We need to open it. And the only way to do that is to access the other bridge."
Link turned his attention first to the skull, then to the bridge in front of it. Then to the bridge in front of them. It was… kind of flimsy looking, honestly; wood slats had been joined together by metal chains, suspended by the wall by more chains. There were no guard rails, and not enough space for even two people to walk side-by side.
"Goron's don't seem to worry about safety," Navi mumbled.
"To be fair," Darunia interjected. "We Gorons do not really have to worry about falling. A fall like that would be a few nasty scratches or maybe a burn at worst, if we fell in the coals."
"Are you sure about this Darunia?"
"Not really. But we have no time to waste!"
Navi sighed in response before ducking back into Link's hat, only to peek back out as she felt the skull kid cautiously move out onto the bridge. Still, she had the sense to stay quiet as he inched his way along, stealing cautionary glances at the ground far below between making sure his steps landed on the wooden slats.
He was about halfway across now, halfway to the safety of mostly-solid ground. Then the bridge rocked. He froze in place before slowly turning his head to look back to Darunia, who had taken a step onto the bridge, only to step back once he realized that the skull kid had stopped.
As soon as the swaying came to an end, Link darted along the rest of the bridge as quickly as he safely could. Darunia came along a moment later. The bridge rocking under him as he made his way along. His pace was in no way leisurely, but not rushed either. Just slow and steady. His footing was steady too, from years of experience in the mines.
A moment to rest and recover was given. But not a long one.
"C'mon," The Goron said with a quick huff. "We would do well to keep moving. Ganondorf could come back at any time. I can't risk my people's lives should he return while we're gone."
With a curt nod, Link let out a breath and followed the Goron on further into the cavern.
For a while, the trio continued their expedition into the caverns with little incident. Their route took them into through a room dug into a pit, rock pillars and walls creating narrow, twisted walkways. Some spots were straightforward, while others twisted back in on themselves. Even with Darunia's expertise, they still made a wrong turn once, leading to a tense backtrack as Darunia sped up their pace.
How long had they been down here already, with little to show? It could not have been more than an hour or two, could it? Out in the main chambers, the Gorons working would be keeping time by guards watching the sun, or perhaps an hourglass, or even one of the fancy clocks the hylians were so fond of. Most of the time, the Gorons worried little about keeping time, preferring to take life at a leisurely pace.
But work was an exception. And clearing their food source of monsters on a time limit was an exception. A few times, Link found himself having to run to keep up, much to his and Navi's surprise.
Eventually though, the ladder out of the hole was found, the team climbing out and scrambling on through the dungeon with a sense of urgency.
The hall beyond opened into a small chamber, a rock walkway leading to the other side, with shallow ditches on either side. Although it sounded simple in theory, there was one significant issue that kept the trio from advancing. Or rather, kept Link from advancing.
At the center of the walkway, a ring of fire blocked the path, bursting up from vents in the stone.
"A defense mechanism, my friend," Darunia explained. "We don't have to use it often, but it's meant to keep monsters that may have crawled up away from the main parts of the mine. Hold on, the shut-off's on the other side."
Link gave a nod to signify his understanding. Satisfied, the Goron took a moment to roll his shoulders, cracking his knuckles before dashing forward head-first, seemingly unaffected by the fire as he passed through it.
The skull kid was left to wait anxiously on the other side for a moment, nervously waiting for something to change. Then the sound of roaring flames died away; the fire itself died out shortly after. Link wasted no time darting across to catch up to Darunia, who stood at the end with a hand pressed against a switch.
At the end of the room, Link paused, noticing more of the white structures he had seen before. Navi poked out and, following his gaze, spoke up.
"What's with that anyways?"
Darunia followed their gaze to the ceiling, moving his hand away from the switch. The flames started back soon after. "Oh, those?" Darunia asked. "You hadn't noticed? Most of the Dodongo Caverns have been dug out around the remains of ancient Dodongos, from a time before the Hylians returned to the earth."
"Re…turned to earth?"
The Goron raised a brow. "You don't know the story? You seem to know so much Navi, I'm kind of surprised."
"I only know what the Deku Tree chose to share with me, I'm afraid."
"Well, that's quite alright. I'll tell you what I know." He began to walk, motioning for the duo to follow. "According to our people's legends, there was a time when Hylians did not rule the land. In fact, there were no Hylians in the whole world! They say they had disappeared centuries before."
"Really?" Navi asked, entranced. "Well, was there any truth to it?"
"The story goes that a pair of Hylians descended from the heavens. One, a goddess incarnate, hoping to restore her people. The other, a young man destined to become a hero looking for his friend." He paused for a second stopping in his tracks.
"What's wrong?"
"You know, it's an odd coincidence, kid," he started with a shake of his head before continuing his gait. "If I remember our oral history correctly, you actually share a name with the hero of the story. Link."
The skull kid paused for a minute, caught off guard, but shrugged and continued to follow behind.
"Anyways, after a long journey, and after the goddess and her chosen hero defeated a terrible, evil demon, they brought more Hylians down from their home, an island in the sky, and established the kingdom of Hyrule."
"That's… and interesting legend," Navi responded after pondering it for a moment. "But not entirely farfetched. The Deku Tree once told me that some Hylians believe that the Kokiri are just young Hylians that were spirited away by other forest dwellers. There may be some truth to it. I mean, it's not that outlandish to assume that some of the Kokiri may have been Hylians once upon a time, or that Hylians may have lived with the Kokiri at one time. But I find it hard to believe that they're all Hylians. I think that the Hylians might just be afraid of what they don't know."
Darunia chuckled. "Your thoughts aren't unfounded, my fairy friend. It sounds like the Kokiri have a lot of stories of their own. They should get really come out of the forest and tell their stories more."
"Oh, that might not be so easy," Nave responded. "The story goes that Kokiri will die if they leave the forest. But between you and me, I'm not so sure about that."
The Goron shrugged. "That's too bad. But maybe it's for the better. I don't know their history, after all."
The trio began their walk again, continuing in silence for a moment as they passed through a long, empty hallway. Darunia was first to break the silence.
"What about you kid. Got any stories about your kind?"
"Oh, um…" Link found himself suddenly shyer than usual around the adult. "I actually… don't spend a lot of time around the other skull kids usually. Just Skully."
"Well," Navi coaxed. "Has Skull Kid ever told you any stories?"
Link perked up a bit, "Oh, Skully has all sorts of stories." A pause, his brow knit as he chose his words. "I don't know if any of them are true."
"That's okay Link," Navi chimed in. "That's what's so special about legends. They may or may not be true, but they make for a fun story to tell."
"Yeah," Darunia agreed. "Why not tell us one?"
"Well…" Link started, looking away, and then back for a moment before letting out a breath of air.
"Okay. I really don't think this story is true but… Skully likes masks. He really likes masks. One time, the Kokiri were making a play to celebrate the Deku Tree. One where they made their own painted masks, carved from the wood of fallen trees. Skully stole one of those masks, but Saria made him give it back, with the promise that he could have hers after the play."
"Oh, I remember that play," Navi chimed in. "And I remember the mask going missing. Mido was so upset that he turned red in the face. And Fado told him that it was a sign that the spirits of the Lost Woods were mad at him. So that was you guys that took it?"
"Well… Skull Kid took it, and he brought it to show me. And then he told me a story about humans, like the Hylians. About how somewhere out there, there was a group of humans that held a festival of masks, everyone bringing their own that they spent the year creating and perfecting.
"He claims that they think the masks will trick their goddess into thinking that the residents are all out working their fields until late into the night, so that she'll let them have a bountiful harvest. But he says that it's a load of hooey, and that their goddess is probably fake."
"It… really isn't nice to call someone's goddess fake," Navi sighed, before continuing. "I wonder where he even got that story? Hylians – let alone foreign humans – don't come through the forest often. And many that do never make it back out. Besides that, the Deku Tree never told me anything about a festival like that."
"I've never heard of any humans holding a festival of masks myself," Darunia chimed in. "Still, it sounds like the kid has an active imagination. Why do you guys call him Skull Kid anyways? Isn't that what you are, not your name?"
"Skully doesn't remember his name," Link responded. "And he never decided to give himself a new one. I just call him Skully."
"Isn't that a little weird though? Why would he just call himself Skull Kid? That would be like if my name was Goron."
Link shrugged. "He's been around for a long time. I guess it just stuck."
"Fair enough I guess," Navi mumbled.
As the trio finished rounding a corner, another door came into view. The group approached, Link nearly recoiling from the heat that radiated off of it.
Darunia paused at the lever by the door. "We'll try to pass through here quickly. This is the upper level of our biggest magma flow chamber. It's useful for farming fresh stone, but it would be best if we don't spend long in there for… obvious reasons."
Link gave him a nod of understanding, prompting Darunia to pull the lever.
The door groaned open with a blast of heat. Link winced at the blast of hot air, before his pride got the better of him. He clenched his fists and dashed into the room.
Rock platforms rose above the magma flowing below in this room, joined by metal platforms. Or at least, they looked like they used to, as a few still had them, but others had sharp, jagged metal edges on either side, and others had nothing entirely.
Darunia shut the door behind them, taking in the room's damage with a frown. "I'll have to send repair workers up here later. For now, we should-"
He was cut off by a shrill cry from above. The trio froze before all looking up at once. On the ceiling, hanging upside down and clinging to the rocks, were two lizalfos, each with their head tilted sideways, staring at the group below them.
Darunia stiffened, his grip on his war hammer tightening. Link slowly began to reach back for his sword, eyes watching the lizards cautiously.
"Whatever you do," Darunia muttered under his breath to the skull kid, "don't-KCH!"
Whatever advice Darunia was about to give, it was cut off as one of the lizalfos dropped from above, knocking him back against the wall. Rocks and pebbles rained down on the two from the impact.
Link's attention was drawn to the attack. He didn't have long to dwell on it, however. Navi called his name out of alarm, causing him to jump, but not in time to avoid being knocked to the ground by the second lizalfos, his sword clattering to a stop several feet away on the edge of the platform.
Jaws snapped dangerously close to his face as he panicked, trying unsuccessfully to knock the lizalfos pinning him down away. It drew back, maw opening wide as it sucked in a breath of air. He could almost swear he saw a glow emanating from the back of its throat.
For a second, he froze. The fire, he was going to burn. He was going to die here, and Saria and Skull Kid might never know what happened.
…
No, he could not give up now! Gritting his teeth, he struggled and shimmied and finally managed to wrench an arm free and swung blindly, slapping the lizalfos in the face.
The lizard recoiled, its fire breath going off in the wrong direction. The distraction gave him what he needed; he tensed, then kicked with both feet, the blow connecting with the lizalfos' exposed belly. His attacked knocked the lizalfos away, if only for a moment. But it gave him enough time to scramble to his feet, springing out of the way as the lizard charged him again.
Taking his eyes off the monster for only a split second, Link glanced over to where his sword had been knocked to, and made a dash for it, the Lizalfos turning and charging behind him.
He reached down as he ran, hands connecting with the hilt, the lizalfos gaining by the second. Sword now in hand, he jumped to the next platform before turning on his heel, raising the sword up just in time to defend as the lizalfos sprang, bringing a knife down on his blade. The force of the blow knocked Link off balance, and for a terrifying second, he feared that he was going to fall back, possibly into the lava.
The lizalfos lashed out again. Link ducked, barely avoiding the swipe. Then he sprang backwards a few inches, standing tall before springing forward again with a thrust of the blade.
His blow connected, a thin, shallow puncture wound on the lizalfos' stomach. It let out an unholy, angry screech before sucking in air again.
Link let out a cry of alarm and turned, jumping to the next platform as a burst of flames licked at where he had been standing a second ago.
He whipped around, glancing nervously at the lizalfos. The monster, realizing it had found a weakness, spat another burst of flame. Link turned and ducked behind his shield, waiting for the flames to stop. Hoping they would stop.
Across the room, he caught a glimpse of Darunia locked in battle as well. His lizalfos seemed worse for wear but was still standing. It would dash in, trying to strike at the Goron's softer, exposed belly. Darunia would raise his hammer with both hands, using the handle to knock the lizalfos back, and then try to swing back. But his movements were slower than the lizard, and it managed to dance out of the way before he could connect. So far, he had managed to protect his stomach, but several shallow cuts and scrapes lined his arms, blood slowly oozing.
Were they losing?
As soon as the flames stopped, Link sprang to his feet. The lizalfos was still on the other platform, content to attempt to blast him from its location. He had to try and stop it before it could attempt roasting him again. He turned and dashed forward, jumping at the edge with his sword held high, and came down with a two-handed blow.
He only managed to knock a nick in the monster's armor, leaving himself exposed. But on the other hand. He had managed to knock it off balance.
Swinging his sword in an upwards arc as he recovered, he turned and put some distance between them to buy him a few seconds. This time, the blow connected, a thin slice appearing across the monster's left cheek.
The monster let out a screech before charging again, knife raised high. Link ducked, covering himself with the shield, and felt a harsh blow along his back with a metallic clang.
He tightened his grip on his sword. What was it the fairy said?
Think of your blade as an extension of your arm. If you focus your magic into your arm, you can channel it into your blade, and strike those that would harm you with more power.
That might work! But… how does he access his magic?
He sprang up and scrambled, jumping to the next platform, then the next. He needed a minute to think. To breathe. The lizalfos let out an angry screech, eying him cautiously.
His sword… his arm… He sucked in a breath of air, thumb rubbing the swords hilt.
Skull Kid always told him to imagine his magic as something like honey, oozing through his body, slowly spreading through, enveloping him in his entirety. Teleportation required a concentration of magic throughout the body. But this.
He focused on his left arm, imagining honey flowing into it, strengthening it, protecting it. For a second, he swore he felt a small spark of energy.
The lizalfos charged.
No time left. He spun, swinging his sword in a wide arc around himself.
He hit something with his sword. Hard. Almost hard enough to wrench it free of his grip.
As he turned back to his opponent, he could see the deep gash he had inflicted on the lizalfos across the stomach. It let out a garbled cry before stumbling and lurching forward in a last-ditch effort to finish off the skull kid. He sidestepped just as it dove, barely avoiding the outstretched claws, and watched with some relief and some horror as it slid over the edge and into the lava below them.
He refused to watch as it let out a final, terrified, pained cry, before falling forever silent.
A distressed screech let out behind him.
Registering the unfamiliar voice, Link looked back only to see that the other lizalfos had stopped fighting, having watched its teammate fall to their death. At once, it turned its attention to him, giving a hateful gaze as its eyes narrowed into slits.
But just as it prepared to jump, Darunia bellowed out a war cry, and a blow from his hammer managed to connect to its side with enough force to send it flying across the room and over a cliff into the haze blocking the lower level from view. Distantly, Link could hear a Goron let out a startled yell.
Darunia turned to look at Link, seemingly undisturbed by the events that had just passed. He was not much worse for wear than he already had been when Link last saw him, wiping the back of his hand across his brow before hefting up his hammer once again and beginning to make his way to the other door, gesturing for Link to follow.
Link gave one last look in the direction the lizalfos had fallen, gagging at acrid smell of burning flesh, and quietly realizing how close he had come to having the same happen to him. Then he turned to follow after Darunia, suddenly even more eager to leave this death trap.
For some time after the fight, the trio's journey was uneventful. Almost quiet, even. They had traveled on through another room guarded by flames, stopping only after they reached the other side to check their wounds. Link had been fortunate enough to get out with little more than scrapes on his arms and upper back from when he had been knocked over. The only worse injuries were a couple of shallow punctures from the lizalfos' claws, sticky sap already covering and protecting the wound.
Darunia too, had been injured. But his wounds were not severe either. Several small cuts oozed along his arms, and a few more marred his face and shoulders. But each was treatable. They were dabbed with a red gelatinous poultice that Navi claimed was related to red potion, then the two fighters downed a shared red potion to help with their strength.
Then they were on the move again, traveling through the quiet tunnels in near silence.
This time, their journey was less jovial, much more tense. The close shave with the two lizards had reminded the group all too well of their morality.
"Dodongos would have made sense," Darunia had grunted, breaking the silence. "It's rare for them to come this far up, but they are native to this area, to the caverns. But lizalfos? They were driven to the other side of Death Mountain generations ago. To find more than one wandering the mines is no coincidence. Someone brought them here."
"Ganondorf," Navi had responded.
"I can't think of anyone else that could have done it," Darunia agreed.
Silence returned as the group continued on, Link trailing just a little behind, then running to catch up, then falling behind again, lost in thought. So lost, that he almost ran into Darunia's backside when the Goron came to a stop.
They were in a large room again, the one with the pillars they had been in before. But this time, they were crossing up on higher ground on a metal bridge. Darunia had paused, before continuing across and coming to a stop by an iron-lined entryway.
"Hold, on kid," he started. "I'm going to get something."
He leaned his hammer against the wall before grabbing hold of and hoisting himself up a ledge. There was a sound of things being shifted around. Then he returned, dusting himself off before depositing an odd, handmade leather-like sack into Link's hands.
"What's…"
"It's a bomb bag," Darunia explained before reaching for his hammer. "One of our finest types of crafts. Thought it might be useful." He began to walk through the hall, Link quickly following behind. "There should be five or so in there. They're a little bigger than your hand and can be lit without a match. We make those bags from dodongo stomachs, as they're surprisingly good at containing a blast."
Link paused to look inside the bag. Sure enough, there were a few inside, each an almost navy blue in color.
"Much more convenient than finding a bomb flower to use, don't you think?"
He nodded slowly before attaching the bag to his belt for later use.
With his new arsenal safely stowed away, Link scurried down the hall after Darunia.
They came out on a ledge lined by the ribs of an ancient dodongo, overlooking the main entrance they had come through before. Link took a moment to look down at the busy Gorons and the red-hot coals below before inching away from the ledge. Then he took note of the tablet in front of him.
"Navi?"
"Hold on Link, I'll read it for you."
The fairy crawled out from under Link's hat, fluttering closer to the stone. "Giant dead Dodongo… when it sees red, a new way to go will be open."
Link turned his gaze to the far side of the room. That did kind of look like a skull. He scurried down the walkway to get a better look.
There was another bridge down this way, hanging just over the skulls eyes.
"Oh, I get it!" Navi called out. "We're supposed to turn the eyes red. Maybe by dropping bombs in them?"
That made sense!
"Hold on!"
Link paused, hand half-way into the bag, as Darunia called out, catching up.
"There's no need for that. It wouldn't be safe to go dropping bombs while people are working, now is it?"
The skull kid considered for a moment before shrugging, eliciting a groan from Navi.
"No, Link. It is not safe nor polite to drop bombs on people."
Satisfied, Darunia turned to shout down to the workers below, cupping a hand over his mouth. "Hey, we could use a lift down!"
A couple of the Gorons stopped what they were doing, staring up at the trio for a moment before giving a friendly wave and rushing off to the side. Moments later, a small, metal container was hoisted up on a pulley. Darunia lifted Link up – though not without an indignant protest - and placed him in the box along with his hammer before giving the signal for him to be lowered down. Then he jumped down after the box, curling into a ball and hitting the ground with a thud, but no worse for the wear.
As soon as he brushed himself off, he began to give out orders. "We're headed into the depths! Brother Blugoro! Open up the dodongo's maw. Keep guards stationed outside; we don't know what's in there."
At once, the room was a flurry of activity - even more so than it already had been. Some Gorons continued what they had already been doing. While others busied themselves getting stationed in the middle of the room or scrambling about the sides. One went rolling across the hot coals to somewhere Link could not see. Then, after a few seconds, the skull's jaws began to creak open, a cloud of dust spreading into the air as it moved.
When the movement finally groaned to a halt, a path had been created by the skull's lower jaw, a doorway nestled into the wall beyond. Dauria took the first step onto the bone, before motioning for Link to follow, then continuing on to open the door. Link dashed to catch up, hurrying on through the door ahead of Darunia, his footfalls quick and light.
The room beyond was surprisingly plain; the floor and ceiling made of dug out stone, the only decoration being a few carved stones in the floor. Three other exits lined the room, two open and one sealed by a door.
"We haven't used this area in recent times," Darunia explained, headed for the closed door. "My brothers and I mostly use it for storage. However, our harvests have been poor this year, so there has been no need for the extended space, unfortunately. The other two paths just loop together, by the way."
Link nodded slowly, pretending to understand, but these were adult problems. Problems for non-forest dwellers. Things he had never needed to worry about.
The door slid open, bidding Link and Darunia to enter. The room beyond was similarly plain and empty, something that seemed to surprise Darunia. He began to slowly move into the room.
"This can't be it," he muttered under his breath. "There's no way that so many monsters would be active in the front but nothing back here…"
Then the ground creaked under him. Before he had a chance to register it, the rock beneath gave out.
Darunia let out a scream as he tumbled down to the depths below.
Link scrambled back as the ground crumbled beneath him, barely avoiding falling into the pit that had opened up int he centers of the room. Once the floor quit crumbling and the dust settled, he inched forward towards the hole on his hands and knees.
It was a straight drop from here, a rough hole in the center of the room leading down to a room below. The floor was not too far away; he could make it without too much trouble if he jumped.
But the red glow made him nervous.
He could just barely make out the silhouette of Darunia climbing to his feet, groaning. He looked up, just barely able to make Link's glowing eyes out above him, and then froze when suddenly the ground seemed to rumble. Link clung to the edge as tightly as his fingers would allow.
"Link!" Darunia called without moving. "I need you to jump down here. Now."
The skull kid stared for a minute, bewildered, before his need to do what he promised struck. Slowly he backed away from the edge, before turning and easing himself down so that he was hanging off the edge, before finally letting go, hitting the ground with a tumble, holding tight to his hat. Navi fluttered down effortlessly behind him.
As he stood, he could now see that the glow in the middle came from a pool of lava, bubbles occasionally rolling to the top and popping, sending a small splatter of the molten rock flying. Honestly, he thought it the scariest thing in the room, although Darunia's eyes were on something else that probably should have scared him more.
At the far end of the room stood a blue-green scaly beast so large, so bulky, that it took up the entire walkway. Vibrant gemstone-like growths grew along its front shoulders, tapering off down the back. A single curved spike protruded from its head, with several more tapering down its spine. Its three-toed feed ended in long, wickedly curved claws, at least as long as his sword!
"A King Dodongo!" Darunia shouted back to Link. "This is far more dangerous than anything else you've fought so far, be careful kid!"
It began to lumber forward. Darunia lifted his hammer and planted its feet firmly in the ground.
Until it stopped, starting to suck in air.
The Goron's eyes widened. At once, he abandoned his position in favor of knocking Link to the ground and curling around him, the skull kid letting out a startled cry.
Flames licked around them seconds later.
Darunia grunted as flames licked at a more sensitive exposed spot, the blast seeming to last almost a minute before dying away. But as soon as it had, he hopped to his feet, turning back towards the beast with his hammer already raised. The dodongo too was ready, already lumbering closer once again.
"Kid, get back! That sword of yours won't do any good unless you manage to get under him. I'll try to distract him for you."
With only those words to go off of, the Goron ran charging forward with a battle cry, raising his hammer to swing with momentum behind it at the king dodongo's face.
Link backed away a little with his hand on his blade's hilt, watching as the fight unfolded in front of him. Darunia would go in for a blow, then roll out of the way just in time to avoid the claws that swept at where he had just been. His movements were surprisingly fluid for someone his size, signs of a life of training and fighting.
But he still did not have an opening to strike himself. And most of the Goron's blows seemed to not even phase the dodongo.
The dodongo caught sight of him.
Link froze as the dodongo ignored another blow from Darunia, instead turning its attention to the smaller, wooden kid staring at him from across the room.
"Oh no."
Link turned and bolted down the walkway as he noticed the Dodongo begin to suck in air again.
Fortunately, Darunia noticed too, and managed to interrupt the attack with a swift blow to the monster's jaw.
This was no good, Link realized with dismay. The dodongo had him on the run, and was barely bothered by Darunia's attacks, despite the power behind them.
Even Navi seemed at a loss for the moment. "There has to be something we can do!" She cried out.
Link grit his teeth and clenched his sword as he began to carefully inch his way back towards the fight.
An attack of Darunia's missed. As he attempted to regain his footing, he was swatted, sent arcing through the air.
Now the dodongo's eyes were on Link. But it did not open its maw to breathe fire on him this time. Instead, it began to… curl into a ball?
"Run!"
Navi's call made Link flinch before turning to dart away. Behind him, the Dodongo had begun to roll towards him, far faster than it had walked before. Link could feel it gaining on him as he turned a sharp corner and kept running. The dodongo, too, turned, continuing its pursuit.
Link swore he could feel the monster right on his heels as he continued to run, rounding another corner sharply at the last second, diving to avoid being rolled over.
This time, however, the dodongo did not turn in time, sending it crashing into the wall. With it winded for a moment, Link scrambled to his feet, finally having a chance to charge in and jab it once. It let out a pained howl before climbing to its feet, forcing Link to retreat.
Darunia was back on his feet now, rushing the beast from the other side with a yell, slamming his hammer down on its tail.
"We can't bet on that working a second time!" Navi shouted to Link, fluttering to catch up to him. "We need another plan, and fast."
Link gave the fairy a nod, and began to dash towards the monster again, when he suddenly stopped as he felt his bomb bag slap against his leg, and an idea overcame him.
"I have an Idea!" He shouted before dashing off with his sword in one hand, and his other dipped into the bag.
The dodongo had turned around to face Darunia directly, continuing to swipe and snap at the Goron as he danced just out of range. Link ducked and ran under the monster's belly, jabbing it on the way across to draw its attention, then rolling out from underneath, springing to his feet just out of the monster's range.
The king dodongo roared in anger and in pain, gaze set on the skull kid. Darunia took notice and turned to shout to Link. "Get back!"
Link did not retreat. Though he did sheathe his sword. The dodongo began to suck in air. Darunia rolled forward and attempted to dive in front of Link, but the skull kid sprang out of the way, pulling one of the bombs from his bag. He yanked the string from the top of the device, then immediately hurled it into the beast's mouth with as much force as he could, and dove.
The monster gagged, its attack interrupted, and then suddenly shrieked and fell as the bomb went off inside. At once, Link sprang to his feet and dashed forward, reaching for his sword, and began to hack and slash at the dodongo's throat. Darunia, catching on, followed up, delivering a crushing blow to the beast's windpipe with his hammer.
The monster screamed and thrashed. One of the blows caught Darunia, knocking him back with a nasty gash in his arm. Another hit Link, sending him flying across the room, his sword wrenched free of his grip. He hit the ground hard, the wind knocked from him. He was vaguely aware of a cut in his thigh oozing sap, a hole ripped through his pants. For a several seconds he laid still, dazed and groaning, trying to will himself to move. But finally, he pulled himself to his feet and limped over to where Darunia had landed, also disarmed.
"How many… more times…" he rasped, hoping Darunia would catch what he meant.
"I think we may have got it, look." He pointed to where the dodongo had finally climbed to his feet. It tried to roar, letting out what sounded more like a choked cry, and curled as if planning to roll into them again. Link tensed, uncertain as to if he'd be able to outrun the monster this time.
But as it tried to charge at them, the monster's roll faltered, and instead of rolling towards them, it veered into the lava, sending flecks of molten rock flying before it finally dropped on the edge of the pool. It let out a final shriek, then stilled, leaving the two fighters breathing heavily in the silence.
Darunia was the first to break it, letting out an excited whoop and raising his fist in the air. Link found himself letting out laughter of relief and joy in the same spirit of celebration.
But finally, the moment of victory subsided, leaving the injured pair to go about and collect their weapons. Still, there was a bit of joy in the air, the high of a close shave victory.
Until Link realized something, voicing his concerns to his fairy.
"We won… But…" Link began, tilting his head towards the celling, towards the hole in the roof. "How do we get back up there?"
"I don't think we'll have to worry about that," Navi responded. "If this is the work of Gannondorf, like the Deku Tree, then I think we might be able to get out the same way we did there."
"Warping?"
"That's right." Navi bobbed up and down twice before turning back towards the dodongo's remains. "And there's our way out now." Just beyond the body, a small circle of light had formed, just like the one in the Deku Tree.
Wasting no time and in a hurry to get out of the fiery depths, Link, waved Darunia over to the spot before limping ahead into the light, relaxing as the warm, cozy feeling of being transported out enveloped him.
Notes regarding creative liberties:
- Although the lizalfos in Ocarina of Time cannot breathe fire, there are lizalfos in other games that can, so I chose to have the lizalfos in this story have that ability
- I wrote the group discussion stories to break up the action a little and to try to get a bit of the other game's lore in the story. Darunia's story obviously comes from Skyward Sword, where as Navi's story is loosely based on the explanation for Kokiri from the Zelda Encyclopedia, albeit told as a legend or theory rather than as fact. Link's story is similarly based on the story of the Carnival of Time from Majora's Mask, as retold by Skull Kid with some parts mixed up or just plain incorrect.
- The line regarding how bombs work come from me trying to figure out a way they could work without being lit.
I feel like I may not have captured Darunia's voice and character as well in this chapter, so it may be edited more at a later date. That said, I wanted to get this chapter out since it had been finished other than editing for almost 2 months.
