Exploding Reptiles and Jumping Statues
The oversized lizard stomped about, pivoting towards Link.
He didn't stop walking. Determined. Vengeful.
The Dodongo heaved, slowly rearing his head as flames swirled. Link rolled past the unleashed fire, felt only the heat before getting up and swinging wildly. The Dodongo gasped, falling onto his belly. The beast flinched, struck again!
Link aimed for another strike but the monster pivoted, smacking Link back with his tail before gulping more air. Link jumped sideways, then Jump Attacked from an angle—tnnk! Bright sparks flew, impact recoiling Link's sword off the monster. Link backflipped, the beast's tail swiping where he once was.
"FFFNIHHHIHHHHHHHHH—"
Link leapt forwards, twirling mid-air; landed flat on his back just under the Dodongo's raised head. "Hyyaahhh!" He thrust his blade into the beast's throat, wrenched the blade. Blood sprayed.
The Dodongo reared, holed throat spewing blood as his bellyful of fire blasted into the air, some cinders out his split neck.
Link shut his eyes as redness spattered over him. He got up, wondering what happened."Hm?"
The lizard flopped over, gargling blood and twitching, body flashing red—PFFFFFEWWWWWW!
The blast radius was much, much larger than a Bomb Flower's, hurling Link at the wall. He thudded onto the floor, dazed and smoky.
The scruffy boy sat up, hair a complete mess. He wiped his face. Ears tilted down, he looked over. "You could have told me they explode..."
Navi hovered. "When I told you Baby Dodongos blow up, I thought you'd also apply that to the adults..."
Link frowned. Lips parted, teeth clenched, the vein over his temple bulged.
Navi sweatdropped. "Watch out!" she cried, whizzing behind Link.
Footfall resounded—two more Dodongos trudged towards the boy.
Link looked around. A Bomb Flower just waited to be plucked. He threw it. The Dodongos walked through the explosion like nothing happened. Link grunted. He gripped his sword and also trudged forth...
Both Dodongos heaved; Link veered to the side, felt heat from both fiery streams. He ran around the beast's leg, the other Dodongo already about to blast more flames. Link chopped into the side of a tail; the monster squawked and fell. Link ran away just as the Dodongo spun around; his friend blew out a bellyful of fire.
Link ran fast enough to evade tail and fire, the beast he had just hit rearing for another fire blast. The boy ran around incoming flames; the other Dodongo leapt, landing upon Link, pinned him to the ground.
"Ahh!" Link gasped as his attacker breathed loudly—Navi whizzed to and fro across the monster's face, confusing him. Link slipped through the beast's toes and rammed a handful of Deku Nuts into the beast's mouth. The Dodongo choked, wondering what happened as the other lizard prepared another fire blast.
On his feet, Link crawled over the Dodongo and jumped off its big head as the other reptile blasted flames. The Dodongo received its brethren's fire attack though was unfazed. They turned around and followed Link.
Holding his hat down, the fairy boy ran around a pillar, two fiery plumes blasting past him. He caught his breath as flames flickering past the pillar. "I gotta find a way around them, a head-on attack won't work."
Navi jingled. "You're thinking better and better, Link!"
He smiled. "Oh, ya!"
The beasts finished blowing their flames and rocked their heads, wondering what happened.
Link rushed from behind a pillar, throwing a Bomb Flower overhead the beasts. It exploded behind them, hurting them both. They hissed, blasting more flames, though Link ran around the fiery masses.
"Hyaaaaahhhh!" He leapt upon a reptile's back. Kokiri Sword gripped two-handed downward, Link yelled, ramming the blade hilt-deep into its parietal foramen. While the monster was stunned, Link turned, shooting his Fairy Slingshot point-blank into the beast''s vulnerable backside.
The lizard wheezed and went limp, only its jaw twitching. The reptile's body flashed red while the other Dodongo thumped over. Link yanked his sword out, hearing the other monster readying up another fire blast. Link ran off, hearing the dead Dodongo explode; the living one yawped, fiery breath interrupted. Once it recovered, it heaved, blasting fire in Link's direction though he was already over yonder.
Link spun on his heels, Z Targeting the last Dodongo. He ran forth, blade shimmering as he went alongside the beast. The Dodongo spun, a Tail Whip attack staggering Link. He recovered and rolled forth, eyeing the beast's back. Once near, he swung—the Dodongo rolled forwards, blasting fire while upside-down.
Link felt the heat flow through him. He fell over, thudded onto his back, sooty and smoky. He sat up and shook his head, ears burning like candles. The Dodongo stomped over, paw raised. Link rolled sideways as claws slammed nearby. He ran around and chopped the Dodongo's tail. it grunted, swung its tail—Link slammed a Deku Stick upon tail—and again!
"PSHHHWWIIHHHUHHHWWW." The Dodongo fell crookedly, flashing.
Link rolled away as the monster exploded.
Once the blast and dust faded, Link flicked his sword upwards. The blade spun in the air before clicking down its sheath. "That's what you get for ruining my shield."
Link's ears twitched.
He noticed something further down the passageway he had come from, something he hadn't noticed before. He grabbed a Bomb Flower and walked over...
Link blew up a section of wall, going through the door. Inside was a box-like chamber, walls made of rocks held back by timbers and rope. In the center, a Scrub popped his dumb head out from some foliage.
Link scratched his head. "What's a Deku Scrub doing in a cave?"
Even Navi was a little surprised. "I guess Bomb Flowers are not the only things that grow down here."
Link approached the mild threat, wondered why his shield wasn't in his hand. "Nnah!" The Deku Nut hit his belly. Forgot my shield is broken... Link walked around the next flying nut, shooting the Scrub with his slingshot.
The creature leapt out his foliage. "All right! You win! In return, I will see you Deku Sticks! 1 piece 15 Rupees they are!
Let's make a deal!"
"OK."
"Thank you very much!" The businessman burrowed back underground, maybe to party with the Baby Dodongos, who knows?
After lighting the three torches, the bars slid away, allowing Link to pass through. The next passageway led back to the ribbed cavern, though a switch waited to be stepped on and Link obliged. Across the cave, the bars of the door at the far side receded.
"Now we can go through there," Link commented.
Once Link reached the other side and passed the door, the passageway led to a high chamber, where scaffolding held back stony walls. An immense array of iron blocks towered from the center, surrounded by a low tier of iron blocks mostly underground, numerous Bomb Flowers growing atop.
A short ways towards the left, a crumbling wall, which Link blew up out of curiosity. He passed through the door; it slammed behind, barred, Link briefly looking back. "I hate it when something crashes behind me..."
Link now stood in another box-like room, rocky walls held by timbers and rope as usual, though so high he could not see the top. Three more horned statues awaited him at the end, guarding a chest, whilst a Bomb Flower grew at each corner from the door.
Link nodded. "I gotta move those statue over a switch." He scurried forth to grab it.
The statue shook. "Mmmurruhh!" The statue's eyes, shield and horns now had an orange tinge, the damn thing jumping into Link.
"Uhih!" Link reared from impact. The statue didn't stop, continuing to jump at him. Link swung his blade. "Hoh! Hah! Hyah!" Impacts knocked the creature back, slightly spreading its arms, though even when not gripping its shield tight, Link's attacks did not inflict any damage.
Navi flew overhead, turning yellow as usual around hostiles.
"Armos
Stop its movement and then destroy it!"
"You mean fight it like how I fought the Dodongos?!" Link allowed the Armos to hop forth, running around it until it stopped. He thrust, though struck off-center and did nothing. Impatient, Link sidestepped around the hopping statue to attack its cracked back, but kept missing. The Armos stopped for a break, Link swinging but, again, produced just sparks.
The Armos turned around, hopping back by a big chest before going grey.
Link was a bit puzzled. "Didn't expect that." He went forth and poked it, waking it up again, though had the same results.
"Link, just hit it in the back!" Navi implored.
"I'm trying! It's hard, OK?!" He looked around. "Oh, right!" He rolled to a Bomb Flowers and threw them, though the Armos never hopped into the blast radius. "Ughhhh!" He watched it hop back to the chest. "Hmm..." Link threw another Bomb Flower; it landed near the chest.
Link smiled.
Link gasped. "Oh, wait! Now I'll have to deal with three Armos!"
The blast awoke the middle Armos, though the two others remained asleep.
Fairyboy sighed with relief. "Oh, good..."
The statue aggressively bounced after him as he ran around and around. No matter what Link tried, he couldn't attack its back. He tried shooting it but had no results. "You can't hurt it!"
"Yes, you can!"
"No, you can't!"
The statue got bored and went back to its spot.
Link frowned. "Hmm... Maybe I should try sneaking past it?" He carefully walked alongside the statue, the creature unmoving. The boy chuckled. "Worse than the castle guards..."
The big chest seemingly waited for him to open it. He slowly approached, feeling his stomach and feet flutter, he and the Armos seemingly holding their breath...
Link bit his tongue while it hung out his mouth. He leaned towards the chest...
Navi covered her mouth.
The Armos rattled.
Link pushed the chest open, golden light flashing out. He leaned into it, grabbed something, and turned around standing. In his hands, various a thin lens. "Hm?" He sat on the chest, pulling out the Compass he found in the Deku Tree. The lens he held fit perfectly into the Compass. The arrows inside spun around, forming a yellow and a red triangle, but...
The Armos abruptly jumped away, startling Link so much he yelped, falling into the chest and landing on his head.
Link sat up, shaking his head. He Put Away his Compass, watching the Armos oscillate against the chest like crazy. Somehow, from sheer determination alone, the Armos still hit Link and he flew forwards off the chest! He was flung much farther than he expected, hitting the ground hard.
Link sat up, wondering what the heck just happened. The Armos hopped back to its spot, then abruptly leapt forth, and hopped back by the chest, again.
Angry, Link ran over and hit it with his sword but, oddly enough, this time, the Armos did not wake up.
Link blinked once, twice. "Well, I have the treasure now, so who cares?" He turned around and strutted towards the door.
...
"Listen," Navi said, "the iron bars are still down. You can't open them without first defeating the guardian!"
Link grunted. "Well, whatever..."
He faced the Armos, scratching his head. "Hmm..."
Link spent some time moving the two statues, in turn pushing the Armos around without waking it up. He tried various angles and setups and, whenever waking up the Armos, watched in amusement as it bounced about to and fro wildly, unable to bounce beyond its friends. In one setup, it tried returning to its original spot, but the statue was in the way, so the Armos hopped wildly side to side. Once he felt enough mercy, Link pulled the statue out, allowing the Armos to return.
Navi hovered by Link's ear. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
Link looked back, eyes shut, and grinned. "Yup!"
She giggled. "I bet you'd be great at chess!"
The chessmaster at Armos eventually got bored. Understanding how the Armos behaved, he knew what to do.
"MMMURRRRUHHHRRR!" The statue twirled towards Link.
"Hoh!" he threw a Deku Nut, stunning the monster blue. Link casually walked around and...with little effort, tapped his sword against the Armos' back.
The Armos reared, little arms apart. "PFFWURRAAWW!" It flashed red, frantically hopping towards Link, who repeatedly backflipped before the Armos exploded.
Link looked back. The bars over the metal door slid up. He wiped his hands together. "Alright, that's that." He went through the door, it slammed behind him.
Back in the blue cave, Link returned to where he fought the monsters. All that remained were three unlit torches, a lit one further away. "This'll be easy."
Link held a Deku Stick, lit it, and lit the three unlit ones. He looked at the door, though bars were still in the way. "Hunh?" His Deku Stick burned away.
"The first torch burned out," Navi remarked.
"Oh? Gotta restart and be faster." He did so. The bars slid open this time. He went through...
The passageway was short, a switch near the ledge. Link stepped forth, soon overlooking the main chamber. Below was the small island in the molten rock, the three rising pillars, and the giant skull reptilian skull embedded in the wall to the right.
Link frowned. "I should have just lifted the ladder and used to get up here..." He stepped on the switch. At the other side of the cave, the bars of a door slid open.
"Woohoo!" the wimpy Goron cheered from the entranceway. By the looks of it, he and the pony successfully beat back the Red Tektites, though more were coming.
Link hopped down and across the platforms, soon with his friends. He helped them dispatch a cluster of hopping bugs without much difficulty. Link stroked the pony's head to calm her down, but the cute girl looked quite capable of fending for herself.
"Thanks! Goro."
Link smiled. "You're welcome! Will you help me deeper into the caves?"
"Ummm... But what if the Tektites follow you from behind?"
His smile slightly faded. "It's OK, if you would prefer to fight the bugs, that's still helping me!" Link heard a rustling sound. "Was that a... Deku Scrub?"
Navi turned yellow, flying higher to see. "It looks like there was a Business Scrub that we had not noticed before."
Link heard the pony sigh. "Don't worry, girl! We'll get you back to grass soon enough! Just gotta save the Gorons, first." Link leapt over the platforms...
"I'll stay here, Goro! Good luck!"
Link soon reached the lower left corner, where the Deku Scrub resided in an alcove, greeting Link with a flying nut. Link shot the nut with his slingshot, a second hitting the wooden creature out his home. Link ran over.
"I give up! If you let me go, I will sell you a Deku Shield! It's 50 Rupees!
Let's make a deal!"
Link's eyebrows raised. Did he seriously bring a Deku Shield all the way here? "OK."
"Thank you very much!" The Business Scrub handed Link the wooden item and twirled back underground.
Link smiled, pleased with his new shield, nearly identical to his first one. Yet, memories of his second shield, the one he personally carved from the Great Deku Tree, now only ashes...
Navi hovered close. "Link, you have to keep moving."
He sighed. "You're right, Navi. I'm doing this for him. I won't let anything stop me."
Link jogged farther into the cave, entering the new door. Inside, a dirt passageway led to a vast chamber, containing a dense and immense setup of large, grey cubes stacked upon one another. An lengthy array of Bomb Flowers grew along a short tier surrounding the prism.
Like before, the walls holding up the chamber appeared as loose boulders contained by perhaps three meters of scaffolding. When Link looked up, he saw roots hanging below wooden catwalks. The left wall had a crumbly portion, another Bomb Flower growing by. After Link blew it up, he entered the chamber, the door suddenly barred and slamming behind him.
Link frowned. "Ughh! Another room with Armos!? I hate those guys!" He walked to the statue. Hit it with his sword.
Nothing.
He brushed his shoulder against it—it wobbled, flashing orange, groaning.
Link backflipped as the Armos jumped after him. "Hoh!" He cast a Deku Nut, stunning the statue. Link ran around the guardian and hit it once.
The Armos reared. "Pshewwawww!" He twirled wildly, Link kept his distance until it exploded. The bars slid up.
Link ran to the chest, pushed it open, leaned in. He found some parts inside, resembling his Compass. He sat in the chest, studying the pieces and things around him. After focused tinkering for a while, the arrows in Link's Compass spun around, emitting red and yellow. The 2d projection showed his location in Dodongo's Cavern.
Link smiled. "This'll help!"
He reappeared in the larger chamber and hopped upon the tier.
Navi flew close. "Wow! Look at all those Bomb Flowers! Is there any way you can set them all off at once?"
Link grinned. "Darn right, I will!" He eyed the Bomb Flower near the wall, which had already grown back. He plucked the sizzling fruit and tossed it at the prism—it bounced off and exploded by the side. The left flank of Bomb Flowers exploded one after the other.
...
Link blinked once, twice. "Um... Let's try that again..."
While the ignited Bomb Flowers regrew, Link plucked another. This time, he took his time. Aimed. Threw—PFFFEWWWW!
"Ihnyah!" Link reared from the rim of the blast radius, though both flanks of Bomb Flowers exploded. Once all the flowers exploded, the prism started sinking, soon reforming into a rather big stairway.
Link grinned at Navi. "That was cool!" He scurried over, climbing up the huge stairs. The catwalks with hanging roots, and the scratchy sounds of Skulltulas, reminded Link of the Deku Tree. Once he reached the top and ran around a corner, a wall of roots partly enclosed a Skulltula and a golden variant. Link slashed the Skulltula dead then shot the gold one twice with his slingshot. He climbed the roots, fetching the creature's remnant.
"You destroyed a Gold Skulltula. You got a token proving you destroyed it!"
I know, Navi...
Link landed and headed towards the next door...
The next chamber was a bit unexpected in design. Octagonal, four Bomb Flowers growing at each corner. The iron center of the room had a stout pillar encircled by multiple Armos. Fiery bats fluttered beneath a ceiling reinforced by a central bony cap, from which eight immense ribs lined the octagonal walls.
Link raised an eyebrow. "How do they stay on fire and fly around like it's OK!?"
Navi flew up.
"Fire Keese
Destroy it before it flies into you! If you don't, its flames will burn up your Deku Shield!"
Link frowned. "I won't let them destroy my new shield!" He shot one dead and slashed the other down. He smiled. "Well, that was easy."
He looked at the four Armos guarding the pillar. "Not gonna be fun fighting three at once..."
He meandered around, hitting the statues. Each came to life and hopped after Link. He jump Attacked, struck one Armos, and although his blade did not ricochet, and he felt it connect, it did not damage. He rolled amid jumping statues, managed to get away. He ran around throwing Bomb Flowers, heard one Armos grunt and, after frantically hopping, exploded. The two other Armos returned to their boring positions.
Link woke them up again, felt one bounce into him. "Ihn!" He stunned both with a single Deku Nut. Two swings alter, both bounced about and exploded like idiots. He chuckled.
Link approached the pillar, ready to push the statue—he was standing atop the statue. He looked at his hands. "Wait...what? What just happened?"
Navi shrugged. "One second you were on the floor, the next you were on top of the statue."
"Well, whatever." He tried climbing the ladder, but...couldn't... He ended up jumping off the statue.
Navi flew close. "Link... You literally just had to climb the ladder from the statue..."
He scratched his head. "Umm...ya...I know..." He pushed the Armos over and, after briefly struggling to get close enough, finally climbed the ladder. He stepped on the switch, looking down. The barred door unbarred.
Link hopped off the pillar and went through...
He walked forth and found himself back in the main chamber of Dodongo's Cavern, but at the top! He saw a Fire Keese flapping around a suspension bridge. At the corner, a single plant grew.
Navi also noticed the plan. "Oh? So it's not just Bomb Flowers growing in caves."
Link heard fiery flapping as a Fire Keese swooped. He shot it dead and walked across the bridge, though it was separated at the center. Only then did he realize how high he was from below...
His skin crawled, feet and shins hurt from the height. His stomach wiggled, blood rushing...
Down below, a voice echoed, "Yooo-hooo! Link! Is that you?" The wimpish Goron waved while the pony neighed. "How did you get up there, Goro!"
Maintaining balance, Link waved back. "I, um... I'm doing g-good! I think..." He looked at Navi. "Wish I had wings like you."
She chuckled. "You would make a great fairy!"
After he shot down the second Fire Keese, Link looked down the bridge. His guts sloshed again.
Navi hovered by his ear. "Scared?"
Link reared. "Uh, no!" His heart thumped against his ribs. He ran forth. "Hih!" His blood heated...
...he landed on the other side, almost touching the planks. "Oh, that was easy."
He jogged across the bridge and went through the shadowed passageway.
The next area looked strange, reminded Link of the Hole of Z. The grey stone pillars and walls created some sort of maze, where sharpening sometimes echoed, Link unsure of where the sounds came from.
He climbed down a ladder—shri-ing!
"Uhhih?!" Link was knocked back from some sort of spiked thing skating to and fro. He ran past it and down another corridor.
"Listen!" Navi warned, hovering before his face. "You never know what will be around the corer in these narrow paths...
Use Z Targeting to always look in the proper direction. This is a useful technique, isn't it?"
Nervous, Link checked his Compass often as he stepped down the next corridor—shwing-ing!
"Nn-yahh!" He pulsated with pain but after another corner, saw a ladder behind a block. He sighed with relief and pulled the block out. He climbed the block and ladder, a crumbly wall in his face. "Hunh?" He looked around.
Atop a pillar, a Bomb Flower grew by a small chest. He hopped off the ledge, barely managing to grab onto the pillar. He uprooted the Bomb Flower and threw it. The sizzling fruit bounced off the brown wall and fell, exploded down there.
He frowned.
His second attempt, the Bomb Flower landed atop the ladder but fell anyways. "Third time's the charm..."
It was. The damaged wall broke apart from the blast. Link jumped off the pillar, caught the ledge, and proceeded through the dark passageway.
Next room had a pillar topped with fire in the center, a wooden platform on the other side leading to another passage. A pair of ribs embedded either side of the stone walls. Below the platforms, a plant grew in the upper left corner, while a pot sat in the upper right corner. A smaller platform was adjacent to the one Link stood on.
Above the wooden platform on the wall, an eyed yellow diamond stared, waiting to be shot. It was, and Link leapt across the room.
The next passageway consisted of walls made of looser stones, arches of ribs holing up the ceiling. It was mostly straight but farther down turned leftwards.
Link walked onwards—two Baby Dodongos emerged, leaping at Link. He killed one mid-air and it flopped over, while the other turned around to bite Link. He rolled forth as the youngling exploded, killing the other critter. A third lizard dug out the ground, greeted by Link's blade.
"Ha! Now it's easy!"
"You are becoming stronger, Link!" Navi encouraged.
Link turned left and confidently went through the door—it slammed behind him...