Born a Weapon: Twilight Princess

Goron Mines

Holy shit, it's hot in here!

That was the first thing Link thought when he entered the Goron Mines. Link could see lava flowing throughout the mines. Thinking back to how long he walked to get here, he realized he must be inside the volcano. He silently thanked whoever made his tunic, remembering his conversation with Eldin.

Trying to push the thought of heat away, Link took out the map given to him by God Coron. It was covered in some strange transparent material to survive the volcano. He familiarized himself with his planned search pattern before putting away the map. He knew where Darbus had been sealed and was given the key, but Gor Coron told him the other three elders were lost somewhere in the mines. The bulbins ambushed them when they tried to depart, and only Gor Coron managed to escape. He also had to look for any other Gorons who were sent in to try to remove the bulbins but never came back. Link stepped forward and placed thick gloves over his hands. The gloves were also given to him by Gor Coron to protect his hands. Several metal pieces and ladders were in the mines, and his fingerless gloves would not protect him from the hot metal. Not to mention his sword would undoubtedly heat up as well.

Link walked across a stone bridge, feeling the heat of the flowing magma beneath him. He vowed he would not test if his heat protection would work in lava, which gave him a thought.

"Hey, Midna."

"Huh? What is it?" Midna floated from the floor in her shadowy form, eyeing the surrounding area.

"Can Zant protect people from extreme heat? I'm wondering how the bulbins can take this," Link asked, gesturing to the area around him.

"I honestly don't know what he can and can't do," Midna said with her hand to her chin in thought. "Before he started his whole evil thing, no. He was powerful, but nobody from my realm could do that. But now," Midna shook her head and sighed, crossing her arms. "I have no idea. He suddenly got way more powerful, so I have no idea what his limits are."

"That's comforting."

"Besides, how hot can it be?" Midna said with a shrug.

"Trust me, it's hot," Link said as he came to a partially destroyed ladder big enough for a Goron and started climbing, "we're inside a volcano, Midna."

"I don't know what that means, genius!" Midna rolled her eyes as Link pulled himself onto the ledge.

"Ok," Link said with a sigh before pointing at the lava, "see that stuff? It's called lava. Lava is this," Link tapped the stone wall of the volcano, "but so hot it melted and turned into that. Fall in, and you're toast. Literally."

"Oh," Midna said as she widened her eyes. "Don't... don't fall in then."

"I don't plan to."

Link pushed open a Goron-sized metal door and was greeted with a wide hallway devoid of lava. Pickaxes and a few helmets were scattered around, clearly left by fleeing miners. Some parts of the wall sparkled with partially mined metal and gems. A few turns later, Link emerged into a massive lava-filled area. Metal platforms spanned the room, but many parts were destroyed, which would make crossing the area challenging. But his biggest problem was the bulbins.

Link dashed behind a piece of metal as arrows whizzed past. How did the arrows not burn? Whatever, it doesn't matter.

"Are you just going to sit here while they shoot at you?" Midna asked.

"What else should I do? Besides, they're giving me ammo." Link replied, and Midna yelped when an arrow passed through her body before retreating to Link's shadow.