Visions of Twilight

Chapter 8

"Aww, I was just starting to have fun! Don't forget that Fused Shadow. Ee hee hee. See you later!" Midna said, disappearing into my shadow as a bird based spirit of light appeared.

"My name is Eldin," he said, "I am one of the light spirits of Hyrule. I am the spirit that guards these lands. Oh, heroes chosen by the gods, the dark power you seek lies in the sacred grounds of the proud mountain dwellers. But already those grounds have been defiled, draped in shadows and seeded with evil. You must go to those sacred grounds and cleanse them. Though the child that uses forest magic should stay here. The heat of the mountain will prevent her from using magic, and drain her of her energy faster than she can recover."

With that he disappeared.

"I guess I'm sticking around here," Saria said, "I can check the surrounding areas for anything while you two get the fused shadow. Maybe Ember and Navi will catch up. We did leave them behind when we entered the Twilight."

"Alright," I said turning around and seeing the children, Talon and Malo staying back while Colin and Beth ran to hug me.

"What are you doing here?" Talon asked.

"You saved us!" Colin cheered.

"I'm so sorry," Beth cried, "I was jealous of you and took it out on you."

"I know, while saving you, I snuck in invisible so I wouldn't be seen, and heard you." I whispered in her ear, so she was the only one to hear, as Colin let go, before I said aloud, "I forgive you. You are just a child after all."

I then looked up to Renado.

"...You are the one from Ordon these children spoke of?" Renado asked. "We are well met. I am Renado. Shaman of this town. And this is my daughter Luda."

"I am Luna, and these two are Linkette and Saria, who helped me save you." I said, as they greeted them instead.

"More like made sure you didn't betray us," Talon muttered still not trusting me, though I wasn't supposed to hear.

"The beasts took us and left us to die... but Mr. Renado found us," Colin said.

"At first I couldn't believe they had come from such a distant place as the Ordona Province..." Renado said.

"Yeah, I... we don't remember much," Colin said. "All of a sudden everyone was captured, and then... until now... it's been like..."

"A nightmare," Beth said still holding my side.

"Yeah!" Colin agreed, "It was like a terrible dream and we couldn't wake up..."

"Mmm," Renado said. "Nightmares are everywhere these days, it seems. This village has certainly seen its share of recent hardships... the dark beasts attacked, but even worse was the sudden and inexplicable change in the mountain dwelling Goron Tribe. They had long been our friends, but suddenly treated us as foes. Even now they refuse to permit us entry into their mines. It strains the limits of belief... to think such a gentle and proud tribe could change so suddenly... it makes me wonder if something in those mines is the cause of this change. In any case. You must take these children and flee this village before more nightmares descend. I, of course, can't leave my village at such a time. There is no telling what may happen here... but it is my job to try to coax the gorons back from their recent change of heart."

"I don't think it would be good for me to take them," I said looking at Talon and Malo. "Those two don't seem to trust me."

"True," Renado sighed.

"Saria needs to stay here, her magic won't be of any help up there," I continued waving to Saria. "But me and Linkette can help with the gorons."

"Especially since I have this," Linkette said showing her Goron Bracelet.

"Yes, that would help," Renado agreed recognizing it. "I will continue watching the children. Good luck."

With that, Saria started looking around while me and Linkette made our way to the mountain, where we were spotted by a Goron.

"Ah! No humans allowed!" The Goron said. "These lands belong to the Goron tribe! The elder said no humans may pass! Especially ones with those markings!"

The Goron then rolled up and started trying to push us back. I was about to dodge by flying when Linkette jumped in front of me and grabbed the Goron, stopping it, and tossing it off the cliff behind us.

"I was right," Linkette said, "these gorons are slower than mine, which means I can stop them with the goron bracelet."

"It's up to you then," I agree knowing that the Goron bracelet giving her the strength of a Goron is the only reason we were not knocked off the cliff, because of it she is currently stronger then me.

"But they said with your markings especially," Linkette worried, "It might be a good idea for me to shrink you, and hide you in my pocket until we get past the elders."

"Right," I agree as Linkette shrunk me down, and hid me in her pocket.

Unfortunately this was a bad idea as I soon found out. The next time she stopped a Goron it put force on the pocket, the friction cutting a small hole in the bottom, that I fell through when she got to the next Goron. I grabbed onto her leg trying to stop, but she was still stopping it, and did not notice me sliding down her leg and into her boot, where her movements ended up with me underneath her bare foot. Covered in flesh and unable to do anything except be smothered as I caught air when she walked and felt intense pressure when she braced herself all 4 times, leading to feeling intense pressure as I was forced deeper into her foot, and all 5 times where it felt like she landed on her feet after a high jump. The 5th time she braced herself I was not pushed in luckily, but that soon changed as she applied far more pressure over and over again, then shortly afterwards it grew far hotter, and I could feel Linkette start sweating, covering me in it, as i felt her twist around, before pulling me out, and growing me back.

"I am so sorry!" she said, "I didn't realize you had fallen through my pocket and into my boot, until i got in the mines."

"It's fine," I sighed, "I survived, what's happened?"

"You mean other than you being a good foot toy?" Midna laughed from Linkette's shadow.

"The Goron leader Darbus was corrupted after touching what sounds like the fused shadow, even with the Goron Bracelet proving I am worthy, they still had me prove myself through sumo, but now we are in and need to heal Darbus."

"Right," I agreed as we turned to go deeper into the mine.