Link peered through the lens of the Sheikah Slate, using the scope to try and see what he could find from afar. After having rested, he'd gone out alongside Taima back up Death Mountain again to try and see if he could find some more shrines. Unfortunately, the orange glow of the lava made things very difficult, making Link unsure whether or not he was even seeing the right thing.
He was suddenly jumped by the sound of Taima barking. Turning around, he saw Yunobo walking up to them.
"Hey, goro!" he shouted cheerfully, waving to Link. The Champion put away the slate, attaching it to his belt, as he turned toward the young Goron.
"Just wanted to see what you were doin' up here, goro." he told Link as he finally made his way up. Taking a moment to breathe, he looked around him. "Wow... The view here is amazin', goro. I'd have never taken the time to stop and look around back when Rudania was still wild."
He turned to Link and smiled.
"Alright, goro! What's next? I wanna do things at your side like Lord Daruk once did. What do we do?"
Link simply answered.
"For now, there's not much you can really do. I have to find more ancient shrines of this region-"
"Ancient shrines?" Yunobo asked. "Oh, I actually have seen a couple of those 'round here!"
"Where?" Link questioned.
"Follow me, goro!"
Yunobo motioned for Link and Taima to go after him as he began to jog down the mountain, the two following behind.
Later
After walking all the way back down Death Mountain, across the Bridge of Eldin and past the Abandoned North Mine, Yunobo brought them to another minecart track, leading across the lake of lava. The minecarts were all sitting off the rails on the ground, waiting to be put back on and put to work.
"Boss would always tell me about Lord Daruk and his adventures throughout Death Mountain. My favorite was the story of how he took on an Igneo Talus Titan."
Link's head perked up. He had never really heard of such a monster before.
"Isn't it just an Igneo Talus?" he asked.
"Well, yes. But it's so much larger! Most Gorons don't ever want to approach it. It's in an area where our cannons can't reach it, so you'd have to take it on your own." Yunobo explained. "Come to think about it, Boss actually mentioned that Lord Daruk was accompanied by a Hylian swordsman while battling the giant..."
Link paused in his footsteps upon hearing that. The words suddenly hit him as a vision flashed before his eyes.
Flashback
It had been earlier that day when Princess Zelda grabbed her equipment, as she left the inn and headed off to inspect Divine Beast Vah Rudania. For the first time, she allowed Link to accompany her as he escorted the Hylian girl to the great machine.
As they strolled over to the Divine Beast, Link couldn't help but stare a little as he walked a little more than a meter behind the princess. Seeing her in her bright blue researcher outfit, her golden hair gracefully flowing down her back, he thought that she was quite... beautiful.
"What am I thinking?!" he suddenly realized in his head, "I can't give into my senses like that. I have got to focus. Keep an eye on your surroundings, remember what happened back at the Gerudo Desert."
Pushing those thoughts away, he focused on the hot terrain around them. Thankfully for the two, the Divine Beast was parked at the foot of Death Mountain, allowing for easy access inside.
"Hey there Princess, little guy!" a gruff voice cried out from above.
Looking up, the two spotted Daruk standing atop Rudania. He suddenly leapt off, landing with a rumble down in front of them.
"Oh, Daruk!" Zelda exclaimed, "Thank you for your help! I was a little afraid we'd have to walk all the way up and down again today."
"Haha! Yeah, I remembered. That's why I brought her down, to make things easier for ya." the Goron Champion said, chuckling and scratching the back of his head.
"Right! I'll just check up, see if anything needs to be tuned better."
"All clear. She's all yours, your highness."
As the princess began to head inside, she turned to Link.
"Um, Link. Are you sure you want to stay alongside me all day? I wouldn't want to bore you with all the examination and analysis I'll have to do today."
"I would not mind it at a-"
"Actually, little guy, what do you say I show ya around Death Mountain a little?" Daruk suddenly interrupted a little.
"It is my duty to be the princess' protector at all times." Link reminded him.
"Hey, don't worry, she'll be perfectly safe with Rudania, trust me. Monsters flee in terror upon the mere sight of her."
Link looked to Zelda, wanting her thoughts on the matter.
"Well... alright. Link, do as Daruk says."
Though he was reluctant, Link hid it under his usual blank face as he followed her order.
"Very well, your highness."
Princess Zelda smiled and gave him a nod.
"See you at sundown!" she told the Champion as she entered the Divine Beast. Daruk then suddenly slapped Link on the back.
"Whoa!"
"Haha! Alrighty, let's go, little guy! A tour 'round ol' Death Mountain. The best thing in the world for a young man! Come on!"
He put his hand around Link as he began to lead him around, laughing to himself as Link simply followed. Though he hid it well, he was completely confused by what was going on.
End of the flashback
Link's eyes jolted open as the memory finished.
"You okay, goro?" Yunobo asked.
"I'm fine. Let's keep going." Link said. He realized that whatever path they were taking, it was helping him unlock more memories of Daruk. It was best to keep following the path Yunobo was leading him on.
"Um... Okay..." his companion answered, a little confused. "Um, anyways, after the fight, Lord Daruk found an ancient shrine within the titan's territory, at the Isle of Rabac. These tracks right here should get us there in a jiffy! Come on, help me get the carts on."
Using magnesis, Link loaded one of the minecarts onto the rails, Yunobo placing another one right in front of it.
"Do you know how to operate these things?" Yunobo asked.
Link gave him a nod.
"Oh good, because I don't. Well then, let's go."
He then hopped into the one in the front as Link and Taima hopped into the back. The Champion dropped a Sheikah bomb into the back of the cart. He then detonated it, boosting them all forward as they began to ride the minecarts across the massive lake of lava.
As the carts rolled across their tracks, Link looked around. He observed the scenery around him, seeing the lava trickle from the top of Death Mountain down to the ground below. Suddenly, something appeared in the corner of his eye. It looked like some of the lava was... rising? But it was in solid form... And it was huge.
Link looked at where they were headed. Realizing their carts were starting to slow down beside a patch of land, he quickly shouted:
"Jump!"
"Huh?"
Yunobo turned, suddenly spotting the titan in the distance, as it suddenly hurled balls of lava and burning hot rock at them.
"Ah!"
He quickly jumped off the cart, following Link and Taima as they landed on the shore of the lava lake. Their carts were not so lucky though as they were quickly obliterated by the projectiles. The tracks, however, remained intact, having been built for a situation like this beforehand.
"Phew... that was close." the young Goron said. Turning his head, he suddenly screamed as he pointed at the sky. "Incoming!"
Link looked to see more projectiles headed their way.
"Get behind me!" he ordered Taima. The wolf quickly obeyed his orders, as Link slammed his fists together, summoning Daruk's protection as Yunobo did the same. The boulder struck them with a crash, as the ground shook with the impact, as it cracked their barriers a little.
Yunobo turned and looked at Link in astonishment.
"Whoa! You can use Daruk's Protection too? Awesome!"
"Spread out, it'll have a harder time aiming at the three of us."
"Oh, right!"
The three darted off in several directions, as the Talus hurled one of its arms at them.
Flashback
Daruk punched the air as he summoned his barrier, blocking a projectile from the Igneo Talus Titan attacking them.
"Hahaha! I hadn't seen one of these guys in a while now! I thought they were getting scared of me."
The gigantic beast began to stomp forward, coming close to the land. Daruk drew the Boulder Breaker, holding it one hand with ease as it lumbered towards him and Link.
"How do we defeat it?" Link asked.
"These guys have always got a big weak spot on the back of their heads! Just try not to burn yourself on the way up, little guy! Charge!!"
The Goron Champion then rushed forward. Link followed after him, the sword that seals the darkness in hand, as they began to face off against the flaming titan.
End of the flashback
As Link evaded another ball of lava from the talus, he drew his royal bow and fired an ice arrow, hitting it right in its non-existent face. The rock making up its head suddenly cooled down, as it planted its head right down the ground, having been stunned.
"Go! Hit the rock sticking out from its back" Link ordered.
"Um... uh... right!"
Yunobo leapt onto the Talus' back. Glancing around, he soon found the rock. Without a moment to lose, he opened up his mouth as he began to bite away at the rock, chipping away at as he bit off a few mouthfuls of rock. Taima joined in as well, as she scratched at it with her claws.
Just as Link was about to close the distance, the titan suddenly got back to its feet.
"Get off of it!" he warned the two. Panicking, Yunobo and Taima both leapt off of the rock monster's back, as its head suddenly began to heat up again, creating a small shockwave that blasted the two away.
"Argh!"
The wolf yelped as she felt herself getting singed by the flames. Seeing them fall to the ground, Link quickly snapped his fingers, using Urbosa's fury to strike at the Talus with a powerful electric strike. It fell to the ground, stunned once again. As Link began to climb up its head, he felt the heat of its stone body burning him even from inside his flame breaker armor.
Flashback
Link made his way on top of the Talus, him feeling like he was burning in spite of the fireproof elixir he'd taken. Doing his best to ignore the pain, he began to hit the monster's weak spot with his sword.
That's when he suddenly caught fire. Link felt excruciating pain as his legs were scorched by the flames.
"Aaahhhh!!!"
End of the flashback
Link felt the same pain as he struck the weak spot again and again with the Boulder Breaker. However, he soon couldn't continue, the burning was too great. The Titan suddenly flung him off his side, as he was thrown back.
Flashback
Suddenly, he was picked off of the Talus' back, before being placed on someone's shoulder.
"Sorry, little guy! Forgot ya weren't all that fireproof." Daruk said, as he struck the weak spot with the Boulder Breaker. He suddenly felt the titan start to shake.
"Hold onto me!" he shouted, as he leapt off the monster and summoned Daruk's Protection. The titan summoned a flaming shockwave around them, sending the two flying into the ground below. As they hit the ground, the protective field around them shattered, now leaving them defenseless.
"Ow!"
End of the flashback
Link hit the ground, trying to use Daruk's Protection to dull his fall. The barrier broke on contact, saving him from the impact, but now leaving him defenseless.
"Gah!"
"Link!" Yunobo cried. Seeing him in danger, the young Goron quickly ran in front of him to block the next incoming attack, using Daruk's Protection to halt it in its tracks.
"Hey, goro! We need a new plan, fast! Please tell me you have one, I can't keep this one at bay for long..."
Taima ran over to Link, using her jaws to help pull himself back up to his feet. Link looked at the young Goron, as an idea suddenly came to him.
"Throw me." Link said.
"Huh?" Yunobo turned to Link.
Flashback
"You want me to do what?" asked Daruk, as he and Link hid behind a large rock for cover.
"Throw me onto the Talus."
"Hmm... Are you sure?"
Link gave him a nod.
"Well, sounds like not that bad of an idea!" Daruk answered nonchalantly.
Leaping out from their cover, the Goron Champion took Link by the legs and began to swing him around.
"Here you go!" he shouted, as he threw Link up at the titan.
End of the flashback
Yunobo did the same to Link, throwing him forward as the Champion held the Boulder Breaker in his hands. Gaining momentum and speed in the air, he swung forward, catching the Talus by surprise, as suddenly... it's weak spot shattered. And crumbled to the ground, exploding into pieces.
Flashback
Link swung his sword, the strike connecting perfectly with the Talus' weak spot, stunning it as he fell down to the ground. Once that was done, Daruk rushed, his weapon hand as he shattered the stone, killing the titan.
"Haha! We did it, little guy!" he shouted in triumph, grabbing Link's arm as he raised it up into the air. Link on the other hand, was still recovering from the dizziness of being spun around in the air.
"Huh?:
End of the flashback
Link put a hand to his head. Dizzy and panting, he looked at the remains of his foe, scattered across the ground.
"We did, goro! We defeated the Igneo Talus Titan, just like Lord Daruk did! Woohoo!"
The Champion said nothing, as he sheathed his weapon, and used Mipha's Grace to heal himself. Yunobo then turned to Link.
"Now that we defeated it, goro, we can move on! I think there are some spare minecarts down by the edge of the lake, come on."
He began to walk off, Link following after him. Finding the spare minecarts, they got them onto the tracks and continued forward. They arrived at the Isle of Rabac, the shrine standing right in front of the tracks' buffers.
"Well, this is it, goro. What do we do now?" asked Yunobo.
"Wait here." Link told him as he hopped off the cart and, using the Sheikah slate, he opened up the shrine.
After several puzzles all involving lighting up braziers using arrows and a torch, Link soon exited the shrine with the spirit orb, and then they headed back to the other side of the lake of molten rock and lava.
Later
After having searched some more and found one other shrine, the two returned to Goron City.
"Man, that was a rough day wasn't it, goro?" Yunobo asked, stretching his arms as he, Link and Taima sat atop the main archway leading into town.
Link said nothing as he looked at the city down below. The people seemed so calm, so at peace, going about their everyday lives, not seeing the greater picture beyond what they had always known. He looked up to the statue of Daruk. Such a prideful warrior he was, Link couldn't help but feel that he'd be happy to know that his kind were thriving down below.
He was suddenly nudged by Yunobo.
"Say, goro, I'm gettin' kind of hungry. Good thing I packed some food for the three of us!
Yunobo suddenly pulled a large hunk of hot rock resembling a piece of meat from his inventory.
"Delicious prime rock roast!"
Upon seeing it, a memory suddenly hit Link.
Flashback
Link and Daruk sat by the edge of a cliff, overlooking Goron City.
"Ah... Death Mountain sure is a sight, ain't little guy?" he asked, turning to Link. "I just hope the Gorons can still live here, with the threat of Ganon and all..."
That's when he suddenly heard his stomach rumble.
"Whoa... I'm starving. I haven't had much to eat today. You hungry too, little guy?"
Not sure how to answer, Link gave a single nod to him.
"Good, cause I packed two nice pieces of rock roast!"
Pulling both pieces out, he gave one to Link. The young Hylian was shocked as he was forced to hold up the hot hunk of rock. It smelled strongly like rotten eggs and Goron spice.
"I got some with a nice touch of sulfur today too!" Daruk declared with a grin. "Dig in, little guy. It's my grandmother's recipe, you'll love it!"
Hesitating for a moment, Link looked down at the large piece he was holding, the at Daruk. Not wanting to upset him, he bit into it, surprisingly ripping a piece out and swallowing it.
"Nothing beats a good rock roast, huh?" Daruk asked, as he took a big bite out of his, hungrily chewing the rocks in his mouth with ease.
Later
Link lay in his bed at the inn, holding his stomach as he felt it ache horribly. Princess Zelda had her face in the palm of her hand.
"I don't think I'll ever truly understand you." she said, sighing. "When I offer to cook, you always decline and do it instead. And yet, when you are offered a LITERAL piece of rock, you just dig in with no issue whatsoever!"
"He said... it was his grandmother's recipe..." Link managed to get out.
"Oh for the love of Hylia!"
End of the flashback
"I already ate." Link said blankly, declining the offer.
"Oh, okay... more for me then!" Yunobo said with a smile. "How about you uh... dog?"
Taima immediately backed away, repulsed by the offer. The young Goron simply shrugged and dug in. As Link watched him eat, he could only tell himself one thing. Some things never changed about Daruk and his family.
(Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and have a wonderful day, bye!)