Winds Of Change

XIII: Death Mountain

Link, Meilen, Aithne, and Fierro had finally gotten to Yunobo, who had found himself trapped in the mines because of rock slide. Meilen and Link used a cannon to bust him out. They approached the terrified Goron with caution, not knowing how he would react to their presence.

"Oh man, oh man, oh man," The young Goron muttered, his hands on his head. "What am I gonna do?!" Taking notice of the pair in front of him, he freaked out. "Monsters! They're here! They found me! Help!" He then realized that the newcomers were not monsters, but were Hylian.

"Were you the ones who broke through the crag to rescue me?" Yunobo asked. Both champions nodded as a reply. "Thanks, goro! But, what brought you all the way out here to begin with?"

"Lookin' for you! The boss, Bludo, was tryin' to find you!" Meilen chirped, stretching her sore muscles.

"Thanks for the save, but I've gotta get these painkillers to the boss! See ya, goro!" Yunobo called as he rolled off back to the city. Link held Meilen close as the girl scooped the wisps close and they used the travel gate to appear at a nearby shrine, effectively getting them to Goron City just after Yunobo left the area. They made their way to Bludo to tell him their reason for being here.

"Ah, the travelers! Yunobo told all about how you helped him. Here's a reward for ya. Hylians need this sorta thing, right?" Bludo thanked them, handing over a set of armor to each champion. "This type of armor is fireproof. It works the same way as those elixirs do when you wear it. Well then, I took my painkillers, so I guess it's time to meet up with Yunobo. I mean no disrespect to Daruk's legacy, but if I'm not there to give that Rudania a good walloping-"

"Daruk?" Meilen interrupted, the familiarity of the name jarring her.

"Are ya really tellin' me ya don't know Daruk? The Goron Champion?" Bludo exclaimed, turning to a giant statue of a proud-looking Goron. "See that statue up there? That's Daruk!" With a gasp, both Link and Meilen fell into a flashback of their past.

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The wind whistled as the Divine Beast Vah Rudania climbed Death Mountain. Link and Meilen sat and counted the different shaped rocks as they went by.

"Yeah! I think I'm finally getting the hang of controlling this Divine Beast!" Daruk called, making his way towards the pair. "I tell you what, sure is a blast piloting a toy like this around. Let those other Champions know, they better eat their gravel if they want to keep up with Daruk!" Link laughed, as Meilen put up a mock-offended expression. "Speaking of which, would you look at this view! Just look at all those delectable rocks sprinkled on those mountains. Mighty tasty. I may not know a whole lot about this Calamity Ganon thing, but mark my words, I'll protect this land of ours till the death. Right, little guy?!" Daruk proceeded to slap Link on the back. The poor boy nearly fell over, but Meilen steadied him. Daruk laughed. "Hey, by the way, congrats on becoming the princess's appointed knight. That's a really big deal, protecting the king's daughter... And it's even more of an accomplishment that you gained Meilen's trust so easily!"

"Hey!" Meilen pouted, crossing her arms. "I wasn't that bad, was I?"

"Seriously, though. The princess is a strong personality, so strong that she quite see the range for the peaks. And Meilen over here is stubborn. Once she's made up her mind, there isn't a whole lot you can do about it. Remember that, and you'll be fine." Daruk explained, ignoring the girl's sound of protest. Before Link or anyone else could say anything on the matter, Death Mountain began to rumble. Rocks came tumbling down towards the three, but thankfully, Daruk used his shielding power to protect the Divine Beast and those aboard it.

"All right, so what was I saying?" Daruk began, turning towards the shaken pair behind him. "That was a little strange. As far as I know, Death Mountain has been quiet for decades. But if the mountain is shivering enough to send down a bunch of boulders that size, then- Never mind. Forget I said anything." The memory faded away as the trio stared at the looming volcano.

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"What's gotten into you?" Bludo yelled, snapping both Champions out of their trance. "Hylians sure are strange."

"Well, then, it's a good thing I'm not fully Hylian." Meilen muttered, pouting slightly.

"Anyway, Yunobo is actually a descendant of the great Daruk. That's why the slacker can even use Daruk's Protection!" Bludo announced. "He uses it to protect himself when we fire him at Rudania. That's the only way we can chase that blasted beast away. We have no choice because normal cannonballs are no good against him. Alright, that's enough outta me. Time to go drive off Rudania." Just as Bludo took a step, he cried out as his back flared up once more. "Or not. I'm afraid I won't be goin' anywhere today. I hate to put the both of you on the spot, but can you please go tell Yunobo that I'm gonna have cancel for today?"

"Sure." Meilen replied, grabbing Link's arm and walking towards where she saw Yunobo go minutes earlier. The climbed the pathway towards a cannon, when the spotted Yunobo be attacked by Moblins. With a fierce battle cry, the two sprang into battle, demolishing the monsters. Yunobo lowered the shield that he had put up around himself and turned to his saviors.

"Wow, you two are crazy strong! Thanks for saving me again." Yunobo said as the four came up to him. The young Goron sighed. "Still no sign of the Boss."

"Yeah, about that, he's not coming." Meilen told him.

"Huh? Not coming? But why, goro?" Yunobo questioned.

"His back hurts." Fierro answered.

"Well, if the Boss can't help, there's nothing we can do. I'll suppose I'll just head back now." Yunobo sighed.

"Wait a minute!" Meilen stopped him."Before you go, I must inform you: We need to board Rudania."

"What? You're gonna try to board the Divine Beast?!" Yunobo yelped. "Who do you think you are, Lord Daruk? It's dangerous in there, goro!"

"Not unless we weaken it first." Meilen informed Yunobo.

"But, why risk it?" Yunobo shot back, clear worry in his eyes. Then, he sighed. "I might not get it, but I'm sure you have your reasons. If we're going to do this, we need to lower the Bridge of Eldin." Meilen nodded and summoned one of her glowing blue bomb orbs. She chucked it at the bridge and blew it up, destroying the ropes holding it. The bridge fell with a splash and they crossed with ease. As if sensing their approach, Rudania roared, and released small drones into the air. As one passed overhead, they hid under a ledge and discussed a plan.

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*EDITED ON 1/2/18*

Chapter Inspiration Song: Zelda: Bolero of Fire Dubstep Remix

I figured I'd end the chapter here just so the next chapter isn't really short.

~Cypher