Link jogged after Linebeck and Damien, cursing himself for falling behind. Goron City was a tangled web of streets and buildings, and there were no maps to be found. The plan had been just to explore the city a bit, and to see if there were any problems to be solved. Link caught up with them and let out a short cough. "Could you guys maybe walk a little bit slower? I'm not that tall."

"Aren't you fine since you're a robot?" Damien asked. Link opened his mouth to respond but shut it with a huff. "You're the one who asked to come with us. You don't need to trail behind us to find out if the Gorons have problems."

"Well you two might cause problems," Link retorted. "Someone stole my money back in Lurelin, and you're my prime suspects."

"Pickpockets exist," Linebeck sighed, "And you might've just... lost it. We didn't take it. Maybe you should get better at keeping an eye on your money."

Link stuck his tongue out at them. They trudged up a slight incline, passing small huts that they assumed were homes. Many of the Gorons inside were nursing wounds that ranged from dark bruises to deep-looking gashes that oozed blood. Link frowned and quickened his pace, catching up with Linebeck and Damien. "Something's wrong, can't you guys tell?"

"They've noticed," Bellum said, hovering just over Linebeck's shoulder. "Kinda hard to miss an injured Goron. Something's definitely wrong, more so here than with the Zora and Rito. I think you've got your work cut out for you this time. For now, we might as well wander around until the leaders of the Gorons come back from whatever they're doing."

"Who're the leaders of the Gorons?" Link asked, quickening his pace to be adjacent with them. "Is it more than one?"

"It's two brothers," Damien answered. "though they're apparently not related. I... don't know how relations work with the Gorons. Those who the Gorons consider to be close friends and allies are considered brothers to them."

Link nodded slowly. "That sounds interesting. Definitely a far cry from what the other races had. It seems they're dealing with a problem as well. I hope their leaders will let us help. Everyone here has been friendly so far. I wonder what that guard's name is..."

The three of them stopped at the edge of a cliff overlooking most of the city. Much to Link's surprise, he could see a few other Hylians wandering around, as well as a few Gerudo. No Rito or Zora, though, but he supposed that made sense- a Rito would overheat while a Zora would dry out. "I didn't think too many people would visit this city," Link mused. "Especially since we didn't see many visitors in Rito Village or Zora's Domain."

"Ore is abundant around here, so it's people willing to put in the work to get rich," Linebeck explained. "Other towns have ore deposits like that, but the Gorons do nothing with the actual gems- so it's easier to get them while other towns take the gems to sell or use."

"Don't the Gorons eat rocks?" Link asked, glancing around.

"Don't ask us, you're the one with all the information," Damien sighed. "I've only been here a few times."

"You've been here more times than me, then," Link retorted. He peered back down at the group of Hylians walking up the path and crouched by the edge of the cliff. "The other towns trade with Hyrule City, like Zora's Domain and Lurelin trading fish and minerals and Rito Village trading herbs and supplies. I assume that Goron City would also trade stone and gems, right?"

"I think the rumor is that Hyrule City's been trading with Goron City less and less," Linebeck said. "Something about there being a lot of Yiga involvement around here." Link balked and abruptly leapt to his feet. "There were no reports of them being hostile," Linebeck loudly added. "The reports actually implied that the Yiga were helping protect travelers and the Gorons as well as working with them."

"That's not possible," Link snapped. "The Yiga... they're bad, remember? They attacked us and the towns and are currently attacking Hyrule City and trying to kill Zelda..." Link trailed off, seeing the half-amused expressions of Linebeck and Damien. "What?"

"Nothing," Damien chirped. Linebeck looked away. "But we don't agree with you, is all. I've been here a few times, like I said, and the Yiga really do look out for travelers. They saved my life from a bunch of lizalfos during my first trip here."

"Well, they're probably planning something," Link muttered. "We can't trust them, remember? They tried to kill us in Kakariko!"

"If they wanted you dead, they would've killed you when you were alone in that shrine to Farore," Damien pointed out. "They haven't bothered with us for a while, either."

Linebeck glanced around for a moment, fidgeting, then murmured something to Damien, who nodded silently. Link could hear Linebeck quietly whisper, "Thanks. Just making sure." More loudly, Linebeck said, "I'll head back to the inn. Nothing's really caught my eye." He gently kissed Damien on the cheek and murmured something extra before walking off.

Link watched Linebeck trudge back down the path before turning his gaze on Damien. "What were you guys whispering about?"

Damien raised his eyebrows. "None of your business."

"Hey, I'm a part of this group like you guys, too! I have a right to know!"

"Yes, well, it's not a matter between the group, just the two of us. I don't care enough for you to share with you." Damien smiled. "But it wasn't anything that you should be worried about. If you'd like, we could find someone to tell us where Daruk and Darunia are."

"...Who?"

"The two leaders of the Gorons."

"I thought you said-"

"Who cares what I said? Let's head back to the inn and wait for the leaders to return from what they've been doing. It's too hot out here."

Link was restless as he waited in the inn room. He wanted to go back outside and run around and find one of those Yiga and demand to know their plans. But he was stuck inside with the others. He decided to go back through that history book that they'd stolen. Ghirahim wordlessly handed him the book, then went back to inspecting his daggers.

Midna looked half-asleep, laying on her own 'bed', occasionally watching the others. For once, Linebeck and Damien were separate, Damien idly working on a wood carving that somehow hadn't burst into flames, and Linebeck was pacing the room in the middle of a quiet conversation with Bellum. Link laid on his side, facing away from everyone, idly kicking his feet while he read, more interested in the pictures than the words.

Link came across an interesting page in the history book, near the end. It was a brief article on the Yiga Clan's evolution, starting as a vicious, cutthroat cult of murderers and thieves dedicated to dismantling the Sheikah and resurrecting an embodiment of evil, then to a more foolish shadow of itself, until it slowly died away into a covert rebellion, hiding from public eye and operating with a vague goal in mind. Link shuddered, wondering just how dangerous the original Yiga Clan had been.

He set the book at the edge of his bed and watched Damien for a few minutes. He deftly cut away small chunks of wood, turning the block over in his hand, carving different spots up. The wood shavings fell onto a small pile on the rock, slowly growing larger as what Damien was carving became more apparent. It was a small, detailed carving of a cat. With a sigh, Link rubbed his face and looked away. That carpenter made no sense, seemingly supporting the Yiga, coming along for weak reasons, always harboring some veiled emotions behind a smile. It almost seemed like he was only honest to Linebeck, and even then, Link wondered how much Damien kept to himself.

Midna caught him staring and got off her bed to sit by him. "It's rude to stare, but I can't tell if you're looking at his carving."

"Something about him is weird," Link mumbled. "Have you ever thought that? Like he's keeping something from us?"

Midna shoved Link. "Everyone has secrets. Still, I'm personally curious about why he's sticking with us even though he can't continue his work. I understand sticking with us to support Linebeck, but he hasn't... contributed. He's in danger he doesn't need to be."

Link frowned. "He's nice and all, but there's... something. Damien's a nice guy, I won't deny it." He tilted his head to the side. "He seems to know a lot."

They were quiet for a few seconds, the rasp of the knife against the wood being the only thing to fill the silence. Midna finally sighed. "Maybe you're just paranoid. If Damien had something against us, he'd have had plenty of opportunities to act on it." She got up to leave and paused to hear what Link said next.

"Linebeck seems to be in on what Damien knows, too. Maybe that means that it's nothing too dangerous. At the very least, if Damien did want us hurt, he'd most likely leave Linebeck out of all of it, or give him an upper hand compared to us."

"Now's not the time to spread rumors of a traitor," Midna hissed. "Maybe after you get the Master Sword, eh?"

The Goron inn keeper told the group that the Goron leaders had returned, and they made their way up to the highest point of the city. Ghirahim was once again saddled with the task of carrying their shared bag, filled with more fireproof potions if needed. Link found himself grateful that Ghirahim rarely whined about that task.

"No one's told us their name," Link finally stated as they neared the top of the city.

"No one has needed to," Damien responded. "We haven't asked, and I don't see why strangers should bother giving us their name." He jogged up a few paces and grinned at Link. "Maybe you're just nosy, and that's why you're confused about it." Link scowled at him as he smiled smugly.

"Let's not start an argument," Ghirahim snapped, getting their attention. "We are about to meet the Goron leaders, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, sorry, I almost forgot," Damien sighed. "Their names are Daruk and Darunia, by the way. I've met them once or twice. Nice guys. Touchy-feely at times, I'll be sure to tell them about your aphenphosmphobia, Linebeck. Other than that, you guys are alright with the occasional spine-cracking hug, right? They're pretty strong."

"I've never really liked the Gorons," Linebeck muttered. "I don't care much for all that honorary fraternal shit. Seems like a big waste of time to me."

Midna stifled a short laugh. "You don't have to like it, just don't be rude."

The highest building in the city was surprisingly modest, just a bit larger than most of the residential houses, presumably to house two Gorons rather than one. Link made sure to hold his head high, deciding to now carry himself in a more dignified manner now that he was becoming more known as a hero.

It was surprisingly cool inside the building, and Link spotted a number of dimly glowing runes carved into the walls. He'd never seen runes before, as far as he knew, but recalled some in the Zora prison. A stone lamp in the middle of the room made it easier to see that it was mostly empty. Two doorways led to two different rooms, dim light streaming from inside as well. Link was the only one who decided to walk over to the lamp; the others lingered by the doorway.

There came a muted shuffling from both rooms, the sound of metal being placed on stone. Link backed away from the lamp, suddenly worried that he might get in trouble for touching it. He quickly clasped his hands behind him, shuffling back a few steps. Two Gorons, the leaders, Link assumed, walked out into the main room. Unlike most of the other Gorons, they had manes of white hair, the one on the right with more hair than the other. The older of the two, Link guessed. He offered a friendly smile to them.

"You must be Link, right?" the right Goron asked, smiling brightly. "We've heard a lot 'bout you from the Rito and Zora. You're a pretty reliable lil guy, huh?"

Link shrugged meekly. "Well, I'm the hero, so it's my duty." He held out a hand. "I'm Link. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, Link. You can call me Daruk." Daruk took Link's small hand in both of his larger ones, shaking his hand hard enough to make the robot worry about his shoulder popping out of place.

The other Goron stood forward and snatched up his other hand, shaking just as vigorously. "And I'm Darunia. We're the Goron chieftains, my brother and I." Link slowly rolled his shoulders as Darunia kept talking. "'Course, we're not really brothers, but we may as well be. You little guys are here for our Pendant of Power, right?"

Link nodded. "Yeah. Of course, we wouldn't just take it- we know it's a treasure among the Gorons. Right?"

Daruk nodded, crossing his arms. "Of course. We'll gladly give you a chance to earn it, though. We've had some problems, if you haven't noticed. We're not goin' to talk around the problem like the Zora or the Rito might- we need your help."

"I'm sure you saw that some of our people are injured," Darunia added. "I'm personally hesitant to accept help from you little Hylians, but you've got a reputation and the trust of the others."

"I also have an alliance with the queen," Link added. Neither Gorons reacted in a way that implied surprised or that they were impressed. He could've even sworn that he heard Bellum snicker before fizzing back out of existence. "Has she offered to help? Have the Sheikah?"

Daruk shifted. "Those Sheikah guys don't bother with us. They'll help the other races, but they don't help us for some reason or other. They helped in the past, but once them Yiga guys started showing up around here, they just cut themselves off from us."

"Are you having problems with the Yiga?" Link exclaimed, almost excited. "Are they attacking people? Killing them? Stealing? If you want, I'll happily clear them out-"

"Those Yiga guys have been helping us with monsters," Darunia interjected. "We are wary of 'em, yeah, but they've been all kinds of helpful." He crossed his arms, fixing Link with a steely gaze. "I understand why you'd hate 'em, but it seems to us that they're not all bad. They've been helpful with our most pressing problem."

Link gritted his teeth. He did his best not to show any anger and frustration, fighting to keep a blank face, to not show the extent of his hatred. It didn't make any sense- the same people with the intention of dismantling the Sheikah and killing the queen of Hyrule were at the same time protecting the Gorons? As far as he was concerned, they were no better than the bokoblins, despite the passive meeting at the shrine to Farore. Still, he kept quiet and forced himself to hear the two Goron leaders out.

"Death Mountain is an active volcano, and it has been for generations," explained Darunia. "Our city is protected, since it's encased in stone, and the hole in the top is too high for lava to reach. Normally, around the times of eruptions, we're given a time of peace as the monsters are driven away. Recently, we had another eruption, but the monsters didn't stop attacking- and now, they're constantly attacking us. It's a near-constant siege, at this point, with short periods of peace."

Link frowned. "The monsters are working together to attack you?"

"Yeah, that's what it seems to be. They keep coming down a certain path from the volcano itself. The Yiga have been helping us keep them from reaching the city. If you hate the Yiga, then you will have to set that aside if you want to help us."

Link let out a long sigh. "I'll gladly help you, but just keep the Yiga away from me. Do you know where the monsters are coming from? Have you tried cutting off the source?"

"We have tried," Daruk answered, "but we can never get close enough. They seem to come from a cave at the base of the volcano, but it's a small opening. There are always some monsters lingering around it and protecting it, so we know it's important to them."

Link shifted his weight, thinking for a few moments. He hadn't been in a large-scale battle before, but, looking through his reserves of information, tactics and blurry images surfaced. "I'd be happy to help you fight, and I might be able to get close to that cave," he offered. "We could all help, if you'd let us."

Daruk glanced past him, eyeing the others. He seemed to be sizing them up, and a smile broke out across his face when he spotted Damien. Darunia must've spotted the carpenter at the same time, and they both walked over towards him. "Damien, brother, we didn't think that we'd see you again so soon!" Daruk declared, taking the sheepish-looking man's hand and shaking it. "Didn't you say you had work to do in the city, and that you'd be gone a while?"

Damien responded as Darunia shook his hand next. "Yeah, well, things came up, and I ended up following this lot around for a bit. I've told you guys about Linebeck, right?" he asked, gesturing to the now confused and anxious engineer.

Daruk grinned at Linebeck, who flinched away when he spoke. "Yeah, we've heard about you. Damien has mentioned you a few times- he's a trusted brother of ours, of course. We might have some work for you, and we'll spread word and let our people know to avoid touching you."

Darunia patted Damien on the shoulder once and nodded. "We Gorons can be a bit touchy-feely, as you little Hylians like to say, but we'll be careful."

Linebeck grimaced, not bothering to hide his clear distaste. "...Alright... What... kind of work do you have for me?"

"We've had a number of injured warriors recently," Daruk began, his smile melting away and his expression turning somber. "Some of our brothers' injuries have been worse than others. And, well, not many of us are good with robotics and such, y'see?"

Linebeck nodded slowly. Link spotted Bellum hovering by his ear, peering around, presumably whispering.

Daruk scratched at his head. "So, the problem is that we've got a lot of Gorons missin' arms and legs." The Goron paused, and Link could see a new gleam in Linebeck's eye. He looked more interested as Daruk continued. "We were thinkin', since Damien here tells us that you have some prosthetics of your own, and that you might be able to make some, that you could make some new arms and legs for the Gorons missing them."

Linebeck hesitated, frowning at Daruk. Darunia shifted, then asked, "It's alright if you can't, we've asked both travelers and some of the Yiga if they can help, but-"

"Of course, I can help!" Linebeck snapped. "I'm the best damn engineer you'll find, even counting those Sheikah. 'Course, it'll cost you, since I'll need materials and time and all that..."

"We can pay you with excess gems our miners come across," Daruk decided. "There's an empty house near here, but it's large enough for you to work and live for a few days. We can give you materials and all that. If you want, we can provide the stuff so that Damien can be with you as well-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Linebeck interrupted, waving his hands. "I'll take it, just make it so I can get started as soon as possible, got it?"

Link zoned out of the brief conversation, mildly disgusted, and looked over at Midna and Ghirahim. Midna looked a bit perturbed, arms crossed, while Ghirahim actually looked interested. Link sidled over to them. "At least he'll be too busy to have a chance to be rude."

"He'll be dealing with injured Gorons and, let me tell you, his bedside manner is borderline hostile. Damien will hopefully do all the talking." Midna rolled her eyes. "We don't really even need the money. What we won from the tournament should have us set for at least a full year."

"Let him have his fun, that way we can prepare for helping in that fight," Ghirahim declared, an amused smile on his lips. "I expect Damien will fight, too, and I bet that Linebeck is going to want to test out those new arrows at some point" He looked back over at the conversation, which was winding down as Linebeck was clearly doing his best to leave.

Eventually, Damien jumped into the conversation and provided a window for Linebeck to back out and shuffle over to the others. "You're going to fight those monsters with the Gorons, huh?" Linebeck asked in an undertone, scrutinizing Link. "At least this time you got straight to the point rather than screwing around for a few days."

Link rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I doubt you'll even help, so you might as well leave now."

"No, I'll help, I want to test out those arrows. There wasn't much written about them in the blueprints, only that they could also be used as daggers. I will probably spend the rest of today working, though, so, don't worry, you don't have to look at me all day."

Link rolled his eyes and swept his gaze back over to the Gorons as they asked for him. "We'll gladly help you," he said. "When's the next battle supposed to be?"

"Sometime tomorrow," grunted Daruk. "It's a daily problem. The quicker we can stop it, the better. I trust that you little guys can be ready so soon? You might have to stay for a while until things calm down."

Link nodded stiffly, and they were all dismissed, their moods slightly dampened. Back at the inn, Linebeck and Damien collected their things, and left for the workshop that had been offered to them within the hour. Midna spent that same time talking to the innkeeper about the layout of the city, and about the usual siege path. Nearby, Ghirahim kept notes of what he overheard.

There was a sizable area of empty space in the middle of the city, which the innkeeper told them was often used for training of any sort. They gathered up their weapons and made their way through the city to those grounds.

Metal fences lined the perimeter of the training grounds. Midna lined their things up against the fence, counting how many potions they'd brought. Ghirahim swung his sword around a few times, looking around. "I'd like to fight a Goron," he declared. "I've only fought Hylians and the like; I have yet to face off against a Goron and their strength. I'm sure I'd be faster and more skilled, as demons and sword spirits are recorded to be, but would I be strong enough...?"

"I doubt any of us could manage to be physically stronger than a Goron," Link chirped. "They're some of the strongest known creatures, counting a number of monsters. Midna, I know you're strong, but I doubt you could come close to what a Goron can manage without the use of magic. I'm a robot, but there are limits to what I can do. Ghirahim..." Link paused, watching the demon glance over at him. "You're pretty muscular, but I doubt you could surpass a Goron."

"Pretty muscular?" Ghirahim stopped to inspect himself with a thin smile. "I'm lean, yes, but..."

Midna scoffed. "I mean, you're muscular enough that Linebeck uses you for muscular anatomy reference. There's a reason he doesn't show you that sketchbook of his."

Ghirahim crossed his arms, jutting his chin out. "Well, are they good pictures at least?"

"Obviously. He probably had a thing for you before meeting Damien. You are his type."

"You have the same taste in people as him, then. I was there when you met Urbosa for the first time."

Midna's cheeks reddened and she leapt to her feet, spear in hand. "W-well, that doesn't matter now, does it?! We came here to spar, so let's spar already! No point wasting time."

With a hoarse, short laugh, Ghirahim gripped his sword with both hands. They began sparring before Link even had a chance to try and join. He sat down by their stuff and played around with his new sword, watching them two of them out of the corner of his eye.

The glow of his sword's blade a soft, like his other mechanical sword. The biggest difference was the narrow slab of material up against the blunt side, which would made sparring easier, as he wouldn't need to worry about breaking weapons. Link deactivated the sword and watched the blade fold in and curl up. He set it by his side and stretched, feeling the wires in his arms shift around. Why he had tactile awareness for the inside of his arms, he didn't know.

Seeing Linebeck walk over, dragging his feet, was a bit of a surprise to Link. "I thought you were going to get started?"

"I've got some free time," Linebeck said, shrugging and sitting down next to Link. "Damien said he'd set everything up. I'll get started in an hour or something." He let out a long sigh and peered at Link. "Any problems since we fixed you up?"

"Nothing that I've noticed."

"You're still not concerned about the heart and brain? The organic material in you? The unnatural shit that really shouldn't still be alive?"

Link rolled his eyes. "Nope. It concerns you guys more than it concerns me. The thing that I'm still curious about is the eye-flashing thing. That hasn't happened in a while."

"It happened while he was fixing you," Bellum chirped, joining the conversation. "He was checking on your eyes while repairing you and that flashing thing happened. 'Course, we still have no idea why it happens."

Link sat up, drawing his knees to his chest. "If it helps... I always feel a bit of a shiver down my spine afterwards. It's a cold feeling, almost like fear or shock. That's all I can say in the matter."

Linebeck frowned, clearly pondering what had been said, and Bellum muttered, "What, no kind of déjà vu? Nothing that can help us with this stuff? On our end, there's a wave of déjà vu, and then it's over. Course, nothing comes to mind, but I can tell that something about you reminds him of something in his past. While for him, there's nothing, he'll try and access past memories and hit a wall, I can actually reach a void area. What about you?"

Frowning, Link shrugged. Thinking back, he sifted through his memories, ignoring the preexisting information. Each memory was pristine and recalled as if they had just happened, persevered perfectly in his memory logs. Going further, Link found the moment when he'd first woke up, a lizard having crawled into his chest cavity, and then he hit a wall of nothing. "There's a wall for me, too. Like a mental block or something."

Bellum narrowed his eye, floating closer to Link. "You get a wall? Like Linebeck and Midna and Ghirahim do?"

"Yes."

"Hm. Well, like I said, I find a void of sorts. Like a black ocean- I can see the surface of the memories, get a hazy, extremely fuzzy and distant feeling from them, but I can never break the surface to see the memory itself. The déjà vu he experiences from the eye-flash-thingy rouses specific memories all across that void ocean, and allows strong emotions to seep through, but only for a few quick moments." With a heavy sigh, Bellum swiveled back over to Linebeck. "Speaking of, we haven't had time to discuss your most recent bout of déjà vu."

Linebeck waved a hand. "We can do that tonight." He looked past Bellum, at Link. They maintained eye contact for a moment, and Linebeck shifted his gaze to slightly above Link's eyes. "I've talked to the others about it, too. Ghirahim has the same wall, but he has a feeling that there's something beyond it, and Midna has expressed that same opinion. Based off of that and what Bellum and I have come up with, it's safe to assume that our memories were not erased, but perhaps locked away."

"I've got a wall too, so do you think my memories are locked away, too?"

"Probably. We only recently came to this conclusion, so this is the first time we've really talked to you about your memories. We're in agreement that you come from 200 years ago, and that Midna and Ghirahim and I are from the same time- so why would all four of us have our memories locked away in such a similar manner?"

Link pursed his lips. "What if the same person locked away all of our memories? Or it was the same magic or something?"

"That's an idea..." Linebeck mused, leaning back until he lay on the ground, his arms crossed behind his head. "An interesting idea."