Volvagia

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Chapter 30

Volvagia

Volvagia's baleful yellow eyes regarded Link with ravenous hunger. His immense body uncurled, uncoiling with unsettling grace, his scales scintillating like rubies bathed in fire. Stones the size of boulders fell away as the dragon climbed to its feet.

"Oh no," Navi gasped. "Link..."

"He's not injured..." Link finished for her, his voice grim.

Now what?

Whatever sorcery was keeping Volvagia alive, it had healed him completely. No scar ran across its eye, no blemish or torn scale. Every injury from their previous encounter was gone.

"Run!" Navi shrieked, her words directed at Link and the Gorons.

The Gorons obeyed, and just as they did, the dragon opened its jagged maw in a bellowing roar, so loud it seemed to Link that it would bring the ceiling down upon their ears. Volvagia's tail lashed against the debris strewn behind him. Stones flew, some as big as houses, to crash amidst the bodies littering the ground.

"Brother, come quickly!" Jemite tried to grasp Link, but the youth was already running, darting for the cover of a nearby pillar. Jemite hesitated briefly before hurrying after him while the remaining Gorons scattered. Another Goron sheltered behind their column, making it feel rather crowded.


Link tried to peer around the stonework, half expecting Volvagia to come charging after him.

The once-benevolent guardian turned thrall towered above the scene, his fiery eyes examining Link and the fleeing Gorons as if they were nothing more than ants. A rumble resonated from his chest, shaking the air.

Ants can bite, Link reminded himself, having ignored Saria's advice about not playing barefoot around an ant hill more than once. He wasn't sure how that helped, but the memory helped him feel more confident that even though Volvagia had returned to full strength, the battle wasn't over before it had begun.

They could win. Somehow.

Heart pounding, sweat beading down his brow, Link glanced over to where he was certain most of the Gorons were hiding before glancing over his shoulder to see Jemite looking at him expectantly while his companion was staring ahead with wide eyes, trembling.

"What do we do?" the second Goron asked, his voice sounding strangely pitched.

"Relax, Mica, Link can handle this," Jemite said, clapping the smaller Goron on the back. "Right, Link?"

"Yeah," Link said, trying to sound braver than he felt. It wouldn't do to have the Gorons panic.

If I don't panic first, Link thought, returning his attention to Volvagia. The dragon still hadn't moved. What was he waiting for?

Boran shouted from somewhere nearby, telling his kinsmen to grab a weapon. Anything they could throw.

"Any ideas?" Navi asked Jemite. Her voice held an edge of terror that Link knew too well.

"The Lizalfos have arrows that explode... sometimes. We tried using them, but they're unpredictable," Jemite offered, keeping his voice low.

"What do you mean sometimes?" Navi demanded. At any other time, the sight of Navi getting angry with a Goron might have been amusing, but it wasn't now.

"They don't always explode." Jemite pointed at a nearby Lizalfos corpse, which had a quiver secured to its back. "The ones with the darker fletching."

"We made them recently," Mica said, his voice still trembling. "But the Lizalfos stole them."

"Anything else?" Navi asked, sounding more desperate. Volvagia growled, sending tiny tremors through the stone as he stepped forward, nostrils flaring as he caught the scent of his prey.

"Darunia's hammer," Jemite said hurriedly, "But's still half buried in the rubble."

"Then find it!" Navi snapped.

"It won't be much good without a distraction," Link said quietly, not meaning to be overheard.

"You're not-" Navi met his eyes, her expression growing alarmed. "That's a terrible idea!"

Before Link could respond, there was another terrifying roar, angrier and more guttural than the first, as Volvagia advanced towards the nearest pillar. With that sound, Link knew with a terrible certainty that if he didn't act fast, the Gorons would be the first to die. He had to keep Volvagia distracted.

"Link, listen to me, you're not going to-" Navi started to protest, her voice an angry squeak, but Link's attention was already on Vovlagia.

He peered around the column that sheltered them, the dragon's challenge still pounding in his ears. Instantly, Volvagia's head turned, and those burning eyes focused on him. There was no recognition. Just the feral savagery of a hungry predator.

The dragon started breathing in, causing Mica to whimper. Link knew what was coming next.

Link leapt clear of his shelter and dashed for a nearby pillar, exposing himself to the dragon's wrath. Navi cried out in alarm, but Link was certain of what he was doing, or so he told himself. He sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him across the open field between the columns. If he could keep Volvagia's attention on himself and put some distance between himself and the Gorons, perhaps nobody would have to die.

Volvagia's attention was on him in a flash, and in the next instant, a torrent of molten fire was crashing straight towards him.

"Move to your right!" Navi shouted, racing to catch up to her reckless charge.

Link obeyed, darting to his right as the fiery blast slammed the stones a few feet to his left, the searing heat slamming into him with the force of a furnace. Stone shattered. Debris flew, blazing red, and Link barely avoided stumbling.

Volvaiga let out an angry growl, and Link kept running, panting. He couldn't stop.

Volvagia unleashed another burst of burning fury. Blistering heat washed over Link as more hellfire slammed into the ground, burning rocks flying into the air and pelting towards him. He turned, his shield deflecting several chunks that hissed as they fell.

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