Learning telepathy, as it turned out, was rather difficult for Link. Even though Midna had said it was a simple kind of magic, magic in and of itself was unfamiliar territory for him. He knew the light spirits had magic, but Link?

"It's easier to pick up telepathy once someone else has used it to talk to you. It's like sending someone a letter - it's easier to do when you know where to send it to." It sounded so simple when Midna explained it.

"So here, try responding to me." To Link's credit, he did try.

'Is... it working?' As hard as he could, he tried forcing the thought to leave his mind and go to Midna's.

"You don't need to scrunch your face up so much. Actually, that might make it harder - what you need to do is relax." He hadn't even noticed that he was grimacing.

"Try again." He forced himself to relax.

'How about this?' Again he tried to make the thought go to Midna. And again it seemed not to work. Midna sighed after a few moments of silence. 'Maybe I should just say sorry and get back to opening the door.'

"Should I try clearing my mind...?" He felt silly for asking, once the words were said. Sillier, when Midna looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"When I was little, after..." He fought back the sorrow of remembering. "Bo taught me. He said it helped him when he was sad or worried. And then when Rusl started teaching me how to use a sword, I realized it also helped me with that." Midna stared at him for some moments. Then she snapped her fingers.

"Oh! You mean meditation, don't you?" He blinked, though Midna seemed not to notice. She shook her head, with a chuckle. "Can't believe I didn't think of that."

"So go ahead, meditate, and then try again." Link nodded and closed his eyes. He gently shooed away the thoughts swirling in his mind. Then he focused on the thought he wanted to keep, the one he wanted to send to Midna. A stray thought managed to sneak back in. 'Being able to use telepathy would probably come in handy for when I have to be a wolf, come to think of it.' He shooed that thought back too, and imagined sending the thought-letter to Midna.

'What about this? Is this working?'

"Not bad for a first attempt. A little shaky, but you did it." His eyes still closed, Link felt himself grin.

"Now, try again with your eyes open this time." He took a few moments to focus himself again, and opened his eyes, noticing that Midna was also grinning.

'Like this?' Midna nodded, and his grin came back.

"With some practice you should get the hang of that. For now, though, you have a door to open." Link nodded, and Midna disappeared into his shadow as he turned to look at the door again. He reached out and placed his hands on the door. The stone was rough and battered, though that wasn't the main thing that caught his attention. With a start, he realized that some of the symbols along the edge of the circular door also resembled the symbols he'd seen in Gor Amoto's room. He resolved to ask one of the Goron elders about it once he had helped Darbus.

Even with his shoulder healed, opening the door took great effort. He held back a grimace at the thought of how much more difficult it would have been had the fairy not been there. 'Hopefully I see her again, so I can properly thank her.' Finally, he was able to coax the door to move. It slid to the right, while its apparent twin slid to the left. Link scampered through the door, jumping slightly when it slid shut behind him.

The room he was now in was dark, darker than the entirety of the mines behind him. Several pillars that resembled tall torches stood around the room, surrounding a large beast that somewhat resembled a large man. The beast was chained up, making a noise as if it was sleeping. Link's steps towards the beast were quiet, cautious. 'I... don't see any Gorons in here. Unless this is Darbus?'

Finally he drew close to the beast, allowing him to see what seemed to be its face. It resembled a stone mask, with large fangs jutting out from its jaw. Link took another cautious step forward, only to almost immediately begin stumbling back as suddenly a part of the mask began glowing a bright almost blinding orange. The same color appeared in what looked like the eyes of the mask, and Link's heart sank to his boots as he realized that the beast was now awake and glaring at him. Neither Link nor the beast moved for what felt like ages.

"Um... Darbus?" Link didn't like how his voice echoed in the stillness of the room, and evidently neither did the beast. It growled, then roared, agitatedly shuffling. Link's hand moved by instinct to the hilt of the sword, which the beast took great offense to if the second roar was anything to go off of. Then he noticed that the beast's body had begun glowing a faint orange like its eyes. The beast looked between the chains that bound its hands, growling and pulling at them. It slumped down, for a moment looking as if it had given up. But then its body erupted into flames that lit up the previously-dark room. It roared, and Link noticed that the chains near its arms and legs had begun glowing a bright red.

The beast glared at Link for a moment, its eyes staring directly into his. Then it reached back and dramatically pulled an arm free, before snapping the other chains and roaring again in Link's face. This time Link's hand tightened around the sword's hilt. 'I'm going to have to fight this thing, if I want to help Darbus.' The beast began charging at Link, forcing him to back away to get out of its reach. As Link darted behind a pillar, the beast reached an arm back and effortlessly destroyed the pillar Link had just been behind. Rubble was sent flying in all directions, some pieces flying past Link as he darted behind another pillar. Again the beast charged at him, and again he darted away. 'There's no way I can use my sword, it'd just melt like the chains. The slingshot pellets would probably burn before even hitting this thing, and the boomerang might catch on fire. Which just leaves the bow.' He dodged more debris, then turned and pulled out the bow.

An arrow sailed through the air, striking the beast in the chest. The beast didn't even react, except to growl and begin charging at him again. Another arrow, this time striking the beast in the arm, and again the beast hardly seemed to notice.

"There's some powerful magic coming from that shining spot on its forehead. I wonder..." Link almost didn't hear her, he was so focused on keeping his distance from the beast. He didn't even have the time to think about his next action until the arrow was already sailing through the air to strike the beast's forehead. The beast roared, either in pain or anger, and clutched at its head as it began staggering in place. Link noticed the chains still latched onto its legs. 'It's already unsteady on its feet now. If I pull at one of those chains, maybe it'll fall over and I can get some good hits in.' With that thought he ran over behind the beast and grabbed onto one of the chains that had been dragged along the floor, noticing the blue gleam on the floor as he did. 'Good thing too, I'll probably need those boots to pull this thing down.' As he finished that thought, the iron boots appeared on his feet.

Link grunted as he pulled back on the thick metal chain, stopping once he saw the beast fall to the ground. The flames that coated the beast's body died away. 'Now's my chance!' The beast's breathing was ragged as Link dashed over with his sword already drawn. He was only able to get a couple of strikes onto the beast's forehead before it rose up onto its legs with a furious roar. As Link sheathed his sword and ran away, there was an explosion of light and warmth as the beast's body was once again covered in flames. 'At least now I know what to do.'

The beast turned and began charging towards Link, but it wasn't able to get very far before another arrow struck it in the forehead again. Once again the beast began staggering around while growling, and once again Link darted past its fiery body to trip it. With an angry growl the beast fell to the floor, giving Link an opportunity to launch into a jumping slash towards its forehead, followed by a spinning attack. 'Surely this thing isn't going to keep going for too much longer.' As if to challenge him, again the beast rose up to its legs with a vicious roar as the room was again lit by the flickering flames of its body. This time however, Link didn't have the opportunity to flee and put distance between him and the beast. Its fiery eyes glared into his with a menacing grin as it advanced towards him. Despite this, Link still managed to fire another arrow at its forehead, watching the beast crumple to the ground as the fire on its body again died out. 'Let's finish this.'

This time the sword broke through whatever it was on the beast's forehead that was shining so brightly. The beast let out a roar louder than any of the others it had made during the fight, staggering to its feet as orange light poured out of its forehead. It thrashed around, the chains dragging along the floor, until it grabbed at its face and reared back. The orange light dissipated into the air surrounding the beast, where it then clumped together into a heart-shaped gem. 'Another Heart Container!'

The beast's arms slowly fell to its sides, until its body suddenly erupted into a spray of black particles. Link instinctively covered his face with one hand as he sheathed his sword. When he lifted his hand from his face, he noticed that the beast's body had shrunk considerably, and the black particles were floating ominously in the air above the now-smaller beast. In an instant, the particles rushed into a space above Link, forming another Fused Shadow. It gently floated down to Link, who decided not to reach out to touch it. Behind the Fused Shadow, the beast's body began shaking violently as the inky shadows its body had been made of slowly dripped away from its body, revealing -

'A Goron?!' All at once Link remembered the Goron elders' words. 'I... That was... I was fighting Darbus, just then..." Midna appeared from his shadow, saving him from having to fully think about what that meant. The strange hand appeared from her head and grabbed the Fused Shadow. She frowned, looking towards Darbus.

"Those light spirits said they hid the Fused Shadows to keep them out of the hands of my people, and away from the light dwellers." She scoffed. "Sure seems they've done a great job of that so far, doesn't it? Not that your Zelda has protected them much better..." A growl found its way out of Link's throat, though Midna seemed not to notice.

"It still appalls me that this world of light is controlled by that princess. A carefree youth, a life of luxury... How does that teach duty?" As much as Link wanted to snap that Midna couldn't know that was how Princess Zelda was raised, he also knew very little of the princess' life. Midna turned away, looking towards the shaking body of Darbus.

"... I guess I shouldn't begrudge her the circumstances of her life. She didn't choose it, after all. And I would never wish harm on her." She sighed. "As long as I get my hands on the other Fused Shadows, I'll... I'll be just fine." Midna was silent for some moments. Then she gestured towards the floor, where a portal appeared.

"Well, just one more left. Shall we?" Link hesitated, before nodding and reaching for the Heart Container. Like with the other one, it disappeared as soon as his hand brushed against it, and that next instant Link felt a rush of strength flow through him. Then, instead of walking over to the portal Midna had created, he cautiously approached Darbus as the Goron slowly raised to his feet. Darbus groaned, rubbing at the side of his head.

"... Hmm? What am I doing here?" He groaned again. "My head, it aches... So much pain, I cannot remember anything..." For a moment Link debated telling Darbus of what happened, but he decided not to. 'Best to just let the elders tell him when he's feeling better.' Instead he walked over to Midna, nodding at her as he stepped onto the portal. She disappeared below Link's feet, and again there was the tingling from the top of his head down to his feet. He was gently carried along an invisible breeze, until suddenly he could feel his feet touch down into water. He held back a grimace. 'I'm back in Eldin's spring.'

"Hero. North of here, across the plain and past the great stone bridge, in the lands guarded by the spirit Lanayru. You shall find one who you seek." The spirit's voice echoed in the spring. For a moment Link was ready to turn and leave, but then he remembered. Then he remembered Colin dangling helplessly from the monster's grip, he remembered the spirit lecturing him on his duty. He couldn't stop the scowl that found its way onto his face.

"Eldin. Why didn't you help Colin? Aren't you supposed to protect the people in this region?" For some time Link's question went unanswered. Then Eldin's voice echoed out once more, this time clearly annoyed.

"I did protect the people of Eldin, little hero. The boy taken by the Bulblins was a child of Ordona." Link's body went cold, despite the warm air of the village. He gritted his teeth, only barely keeping the growl from escaping his throat.

"But he was here, in your region." Link waited for a response, until he heard the sound of a man clearing his throat. He turned, and saw not only Renado, but the children - Colin. The children stared at Link, their eyes wide. He winced.

"... Sorry. Didn't realize you were there..." The apology sounded hollow in Link's ears, and even more so in his chest. Colin offered Link a smile.

"I'm okay, Link." As if to prove his point, the boy took several careful steps towards the spring. Suddenly Colin fell forward, and Link ran forward to help him stand.

"You helped the Gorons, didn't you?" Link nodded, and Colin smiled again.

"Now you can find Ilia!" A familiar dagger of guilt found its way into Link's stomach, but he smiled and nodded at Colin despite it.

"Whenever I thought I couldn't go on, I would think of you and Ilia. You've... you've always been there for me." Colin shakily rose to his feet, a determined expression on his face.

"Remember what I told you back in Ordon, Link?" Link nodded, earning a grin from Colin. "So you don't have to worry about me. Go help Ilia!"

"Leave the children to me. I will watch over them, I swear it."

"Thank you, Renado." Renado nodded, stepping closer.

"Do not let Eldin's words trouble you. Go to those who need you." In Renado's voice, there wasn't anger or disappointment. Renado offered Link a small, rare smile.

"In Hyrule, countless tales are told of the ancient hero. Your deeds bring them all to mind. May the graces of the great goddesses who shaped Hyrule bear you on your way." Renado and Luda bowed, followed by Beth and Talo. Link could only awkwardly smile. 'I'm just helping people who need help, it's the light spirits who call me a hero.'

"Much has happened here, but at last I feel joy beginning to return to this village, thanks to you. Even Talo has at last recovered his good spirits." Renado chuckled. "The boy wanted dearly to help, so he keeps watch from the observation platform now."

"Yeah! It's all the way over there, above Mr. Barnes' bomb shop! C'mon, Link, I wanna show you!" Talo grabbed Link's hand and pulled him to Barnes' shop.

"Hey now, bud!" Link barely kept himself from scoffing. 'He doesn't realize I heard what he said about the kids.' Thankfully Barnes didn't notice, instead excitedly gesturing to the counter next to him.

"How 'bout this, now? I finally managed to get my numbers together and open up shop again! Well, sort of. I guess I've only got one type of bomb, but hey, that's more than none, right?" He sighed. "If only my storehouse had survived... But hey, ain't as bad as all that. I'll add more as I go. For now, have yourself a look-see at what I've got so far!" Link gestured curiously at the only bomb sitting on the counter.

"You got a bomb bag to carry 'em in?" Link shook his head, and Barnes grinned. "I've got a special offer goin' right now: my bomb bag premium kit, which comes with bag and bombs, just 120 Rupees! How 'bout it?" Link pondered for a moment, before shrugging and nodding. He reached into his wallet and pulled out the Rupees, placing them on the counter in front of Barnes, who eagerly grabbed the Rupees and counted them.

"Now you'll get to taste the true height of perfection with my finely-crafted bombs!" Barnes studied Link for a moment, before grinning again. "Oh, you've got a bow! You can combine bombs and arrows to make bomb arrows, for when you need ranged explosions." Then he handed Link an odd bag that was roughly the size of the bomb on the counter. Link raised an eyebrow.

"This bag holds multiple bombs...?" Barnes nodded.

"It might not look like it, but that bag can hold 30 bombs!"

"How? It's barely big enough for one." Barnes chuckled.

"Now that, I can't tell ya, bud. Trade secret - I'm sure you understand." Before Link could react, Talo tugged at his arm again.

"C'mon, Link, let's go!" Talo led Link up the rusted metal stairs that led to the roof of Barnes' shop, past the still-destroyed storage room, and up the cliffs to the lone building at the very top of the village. Talo didn't allow Link the time for sightseeing, however, instead pushing him into the building and nudging him to climb the ladders.

Outside on the lower deck, Link frowned as he saw Eldin's spring at the other end of the village. He turned sharply and climbed up the ladder to the roof of the building, Talo excitedly climbing up after him and pointing at the village below.

"Look, Link! You can see the whole village from up here! Isn't it great?!" Link smiled and nodded.

"It's quite the view."

"I can keep watch for the whole town from up here." Talo's face became oddly stern. "Monsters won't attack the village again, not with me watching." He pouted. "If only I had a bow, then I could just sit up here and shoot the monsters..." Link frowned. 'Don't even think about it, Talo.' As if on cue, Talo's pout turned into a wide grin.

"Oooh! I know, Link! You can show me how to use one!" Link raised an eyebrow.

"As long as you don't ask me to give this one to you. It isn't even mine, after all. The Gorons are just allowing me to borrow it." A stretch of the truth, perhaps, but not terribly far from the truth either. Talo shook his head.

"Nuh-uh, I'm not." The boy's grin again shifted to a more somber expression. "You need that, to go help everyone else." Link sighed.

"Alright, I'll show you how to use a bow." Talo cheered, likely loud enough for the villagers down below to hear.

"Malo's down there in front of the spring! Go down there and find him, you can show me from there!" Link slowly closed his eyes with a long sigh. 'Are you kidding me. You dragged me up here, just so you could tell me to walk all the way back down?' He opened his eyes to a still-grinning Talo.

"What?"

"You couldn't have told me to stay at the spring, and told me to talk to Malo?" Talo paused, his grin then becoming an awkward smile.

"Oh. Yeah, I probably could've done that. But then I wouldn't have been able to show you this awesome view!" Link sighed again, this time with a slight smile.

"Yeah, the view is pretty cool, isn't it." He patted Talo's head. "Stay safe up here, kid."

The trek back down to the spring gave Link plenty of time to reflect. 'It's probably good for the kids to stay here for the time being. Renado can keep them safe and out of danger here, and once I find Ilia I can bring them back to Ordon. Midna can do whatever it is she plans to do with the Fused Shadows, and I can go home.' For a moment he felt a pang of some kind of emotion, at the thought of him parting ways with Midna. But then he shrugged to himself.

"Having a fun conversation with yourself?" Link nearly jumped at the suddenness of Midna's voice. He took a moment to calm his breathing.

'Just thinking that it's good the kids can be safe here.' Midna was quiet for some time.

"What about when you shrugged?" Before Link could think of an answer, he was approaching the spring where Malo stood.

"Talo told you to come down here, didn't he?" Link nodded. "Can you really use a bow? I've never seen you so much as hold a bow back in Ordon..."

"I had to learn, to help the Gorons." Malo shrugged, gesturing past the building where the children had hidden with Renado. "First off, shoot through that." Link smirked and pulled out the bow, drawing back an arrow that easily crashed through the target. Malo huffed.

"I guess that one was a bit on the easy side... Fine. How about THAT?" The boy pointed at a further target, along the path he had taken into the inn when he had first come to the village. 'This one might be a bit more difficult.' He nocked another arrow and drew it back, steadying his breath as he aimed at the target. The second arrow soared through the air, unfortunately falling short of the target and embedding itself in the roof of the building below the path. Malo didn't say anything, though Link could swear he saw a smirk on the boy's face for a brief moment. Another arrow, but this time Link aimed just slightly higher, grinning when the target exploded into splinters.

"HEY! UP HERE!" Link could just barely see Talo waving his arms from the observation platform. "TRY TO HIT THIS POLE!" He had to squint to truly see it. 'I don't know, that seems a little far away... I don't want to accidentally hit Talo.' As if Talo could hear Link's concern, the boy sidled away from the pole. Link sighed.

"Having confidence issues? If you've got doubts about your bow skills, you should test out the Hawkeye in my shop." Link tilted his head to one side. "It's a mask I found, it lets you see things from really far away - like a hawk. Only 100 Rupees at my shop right now, I'd say it's a bargain." Link looked back up at the observation platform. He grinned at the scene that began to play out in his mind.

"If I hit the pole, can I have the Hawkeye for free?" Malo let out the smallest of laughs.

"Sure." Another arrow nocked, and another arrow went soaring through the air until Link could no longer see it. 'Did I hit the pole?'

"WHOA! THAT WAS SOOOOOO CLOSE! JUST A TEENSY BIT OFF!" Link huffed. This time Malo definitely smirked up at him.

"Only 100 Rupees." Link rolled his eyes, adjusting the bow's aim for another shot. 'This one, this one for sure.' The arrow flew through the air, and again Link lost sight of it.

"YOU ALMOST HAD IT LINK! C'MON, ONE MORE TRY!" Link frowned. 'Focus, Link.' He closed his eyes, allowing himself to ignore everything else around him. He saw himself shoot the pole, saw Talo cheer. He opened his eyes, adjusted the aim of the bow, and let another arrow fly. Talo's excited cheer could be heard throughout the village, and quite possibly outside of it too.

"YOU HIT IT! YOU HIT IT!" Link smirked and turned to Malo.

"Oh. I guess you have a little bit of skill when you concentrate." Malo closed his eyes. "Looks like you've left some battles behind you... Impressive." The boy opened his eyes after some moments of silence.

"Stay here while I get the Hawkeye." Malo slowly walked to the general store.

"Had fun showing off?" Link almost shrugged.

'It's good practice for the bow.'

"The bow you said you're just borrowing from the Gorons?" Midna giggled. Link didn't know how to answer. Thankfully, Malo walked back over, holding something in his hands. He reluctantly held it up to Link, who carefully picked it up. It was, as Malo had said, a mask. The mask sort of looked like a hawk, though definitely not like Link's. For some moments he admired the detail on the mask. Then he gently slid the mask into one of the larger pouches.

"Thank you, Malo."

"Yeah. Just... don't tell anyone I let you have it for free, alright?" Before Link could answer, Malo walked back into the general store.

It was then that Link noticed Epona, napping in the shade of the egg-like building. He smiled as he walked over to her.

"Well it's good that at least one of us was able to get some rest." He chuckled softly. He almost reached out to wake her up, to head to where Eldin had claimed Ilia was, before remembering the bow and the earrings. 'The Gorons would probably want me to return these to them.' He set off towards the entrance to Death Mountain.

"What are you doing? You need your horse to jump over that gate!"

'I need to return the earrings first.' Midna huffed.

"Can't it wait until you've gotten the last Fused Shadow?" He could've answered, could've told her that he didn't want to keep a priceless artifact from those who protected it. But instead he just continued along the path to Death Mountain.

A Goron stood in front of the mesh ladder that led up the cliff. After a moment Link recognized him as the Goron he had thrown from the cliff. He smiled awkwardly as he greeted the Goron.

"The other day, I chased you off without listening to what you had to say. Please, accept my apology Brother." Link shook his head.

"You didn't realize I was here to help Darbus, you just knew that humans weren't allowed up the mountain."

"Still, if I can make it up to you, I would like to." The Goron scratched at his chin. Then he grinned. "If you are going up the mountain, I can give you a lift!" Link thought about the offer, then nodded. The Gron's grin widened.

"All right! Get up on my back, Brother!" He curled up much like the Gorons on the way up the mountain had, and Link cautiously climbed up onto the Goron. Suddenly Link was launched through the air, with just enough time to tuck into a roll as he neared the top of the cliff. He turned and looked back down at the Goron, who was smiling and waving up at him.

"Thank you, Brother!" The Goron nodded and turned back to face the entrance to the mountain.

The walk up Death Mountain was a notably easier walk, without Gorons rolling down from the cliff tops towards him. Many offered to help him as he climbed, though he opted to climb up on his own until he reached where the large rock had crashed into the ground. It seemed to have cooled off, even if only slightly. 'I'm surprised the Gorons haven't moved this yet.' He pondered this for a moment. 'Maybe they're busy helping Darbus?'

The Gorons who had attacked him on his first journey up the mountain now grinned and waved as he passed. He mused to himself about how quickly word must have spread once Darbus was no longer cursed by the Fused Shadow. The thought brought an involuntary shiver. 'I'm glad Midna's taking them so I don't have to touch them. Don't even want to imagine what they'd do to me...' The Gorons lounging in the hot spring smiled and waved up at Link as he passed the spring and continued up the mountain. The guards now offered to help him climb the mountain, an offer he accepted - while he could climb the ladders perfectly well on his own, he would rather not try to scale the mountain without the Gorons' help.

In the room where he had met Gor Coron, Darbus and the other elders stood talking amongst themselves. A guard nodded at him as he walked in.

"Thanks to you, the mountain paths are open and safe again, Brother. Darbus is sending some Gorons to check on Kakariko Village." Link smiled and nodded, walking over to Darbus and the elders.

"Young warrior!" Gor Coron beckoned him closer, likely so Darbus wouldn't hear. "Darbus wandered back as if nothing had ever happened. It seems he remembers nothing of the events in the mines. You deserve his thanks, but... give him time. We will honor our debt to you, though. If you find trouble, we will do our part to help you. That is a promise!" The other elders nodded.

"We owe you much. When things calm down a bit, I will travel to Kakariko and help, too." Gor Amoto smiled up at Link. Gor Liggs laughed.

"Indeed! Now it is our turn to show you gratitude!"

Gor Ebizo smiled as he turned to look over.

"Looks like the Hero's weapon came in handy." Link nodded, reaching for the bow to hand it back to Gor Ebizo, who shook his head.

"The world does not appear to be peaceful enough for us to store it away and not use it. You are on a journey with purpose, young human, so you should bring it with you." Gor Coron nodded.

"Yes, and keep the earrings as well. You might well need them on your journey." Darbus made a noise something like a cough.

"You gave him the Fireshield Earrings?!" Gor Coron turned to Darbus, again nodding.

"The young warrior needed to journey through the mines." Darbus huffed.

"Why did you not give him one of the tunics?"

"They were locked in storage after your... distraction." Darbus sighed.

"Well, I am here now." Link nodded, unclipping the Fireshield Earrings from his ears and carefully handing them to Gor Coron, who in turn gave them to Darbus. 'At least this means I can put my earrings back on.' Despite them not offering any magical protection, having them on his ears again brought him comfort. Darbus walked out of the room, leaving Link with the elders and the guards. It was silent for a time, before Gor Coron cleared his throat.

"In time, he will remember how you helped him. Darbus is a Goron who honors his debts. I am certain that should you ever need his aid, he will offer it." Link nodded, not entirely certain what to say.

"Is your companion here with you? I don't believe I had the opportunity to thank her."

"Yes, she's here. She's in my shadow right now, though." Gor Coron blinked in clear surprise. 'I guess I've gotten so used to it that I forgot how weird it is.' Link was pulled out of his musings by Midna appearing from his shadow, startling Gor Coron.

"Ah! So she was!" Gor Coron bowed his head towards Midna. "I thank you for getting our attention so we could help the young warrior." Midna shrugged.

"I need his help to collect the Fused Shadows. Can't have Mr. Important Hero dying on me." Gor Coron frowned.

"You said you intend to use the Fused Shadows to fight the king of twilight." Link noticed Midna clench her fist at that. "What do you intend to do with them after that?" Midna was silent for some moments as she floated in the air next to Link. Then she shrugged again.

"To be honest, I'm not sure." She scoffed. "I'll make sure to not repeat those light spirits' mistakes though. Leaving them in the care of light dwellers hasn't seemed to work well, so far." Gor Coron's frown deepened.

"And is it any less dangerous remaining in the hands of your people?"

"Unlike the rest of you, I can handle touching magic. I'm holding onto the pieces, after all."

Any further conversation was cut off as Darbus returned, carrying a dark red bundle of cloth, and Midna ducked back into Link's shadow. Darbus handed the bundle to Link, who unfolded it to reveal an adult-sized tunic, embroidered with a repeating pattern of the symbol in the Goron Mines around each opening.

"So this tunic has the same effect as the Fireshield Earrings?"

"It does. Some time ago, we tried to copy the protections of the earrings. While we managed to, we couldn't squish it any smaller than a full shirt, so we sold them in our shop for humans who came up the mountain but couldn't stand the heat outside. When humans stopped coming up the mountain, they all got stuffed in a storeroom with other unused products."

"Thank you, sir- Brother." Darbus didn't respond at first, simply staring at Link. Then he nodded.

"Is there anything else you need, little human?" Link shook his head.

"No, I just wanted to make sure I didn't forget to return the earrings before I went north."

"Lanayru? Is that where your journey is taking you, young warrior?" Link nodded.

"Eldin told me that someone I'm looking for might be there." He was careful to keep the scowl from forming on his face when he said the spirit's name.

"If that is the case, you may take the elevator on your way back down the mountain." Link blinked. 'Elevator?' His confusion must have been obvious to Darbus, who gestured towards a guard standing near the entrance to the room. The guard grinned at Link.

"This elevator leads straight to the hot spring, Brother! Just use your weight to activate the switch!" The guard stepped aside, revealing what looked like a large metal cage. Stepping closer, Link noticed another of the metal plates that he'd seen in the mines. 'Are those things called switches?' It sat on a wooden structure, which seemed large enough to support even Darbus. He stepped onto the switch, and just like in the mines the iron boots appeared on his feet.

Suddenly the wooden structure shifted beneath his feet, slowly falling until it reached a rocky cave with wooden support beams holding up the ceiling and walls. To his right was a large tunnel with a large rock at the end, with the same symbol as the tunic carved into it. The dirt around the rock showed that it had been moved recently. 'Is this... a door?' To his left, the cave was larger, though he couldn't see much of the floor from where he stood.

It took considerable effort to move a boulder to the side, but once he did, he found that the large tunnel curved around before leading into the hot spring, just as the guard had said. The Gorons were still comfortably lounging in the water, offering another friendly wave to Link. 'So then... where does the other side go?'

As it turned out, the other side had a sloping walkway carved out of the rock, leading to a nearly identical boulder-door. Again he strained to push it out of the way, and again he found a large tunnel behind it. This tunnel ultimately led to an area Link didn't recognize at first, stopping at a metal platform in front of a large cliff face. He stepped out, looking to his left, and only then did the area look familiar. 'Oh. It leads back to the entrance.' He looked up at the sky, startled to realize that it was now quickly approaching nighttime.

"What? Planning on taking another nap?" Link scoffed.

'I'm not tired, so no.' Almost immediately after the thought had left Link's mind, he suddenly yawned. 'Okay. Maybe I am tired.' He could hear Midna scoff, and he could almost see her rolling her eyes at him.

"Go get your beauty sleep, Mr. Important Hero." Link huffed. 'What's that supposed to mean?' For a moment he thought about falling asleep against the rock wall like he had on the initial trek up the mountain. Then he remembered the inn. 'It'd be nice to sleep in a bed again.'

In what almost felt like no time at all, Link found himself standing in front of the Elde Inn. The inside of the building was pleasantly warm, something he only barely noticed as he drowsily climbed the stairs. He was probably asleep by the time his head hit the pillow.