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Art by Nesskain on Artstation

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Though it kept my skin from melting off, I felt this armor weighing on me. It was an annoyance, a restriction that limited movement unlike any other outfit I'd worn on this trip. If it was getting on my nerves now, I could only imagine how it'd feel to trudge up the side of a volcano, dragged down with each step as I carried this burden. Not to mention the horrific, lizard-like creature I'd be battling one I reached the top.

I stopped in my tracks for a moment. I hadn't considered what this armor might do to someone in a high stakes battle, such as the ones we'd engaged in before. 'Maybe it's super durable..." I hoped to myself, pressing my fingers against the dense fabric. Though it was tough, I wasn't sure it'd do much to stop the blows from a Divine Beast... nor would it protect me from the parasite within.

With a shake of my head, I elected to push the thought from my mind. Dwelling on things I couldn't help wasn't getting me anywhere. Right now, I needed to find Link and see if he'd had any luck searching for the Goron child. I adjusted my suit and quickened my pace, my footsteps echoing my determined sentiment as I made my way back through the city.

I glanced inside just about every building I crossed, wondering whether Link had returned yet. Alas, he was no where to be found. I knew I'd have to travel into the abandoned North Mine soon, but I wanted to speak with someone first to ensure he hadn't returned. It wouldn't hurt to check in before endangering myself. My eyes peered around a pile of rock, only to see Bludo standing in the same place we'd found him in. A took a step, until I heard him howl in pain. If Link were back, he would've had his pain medication by now. With a final glance around the city, I decided it was time to finally leave. If it'd learned anything from our trip so far, Link would not be the one searching for me.

I began my trek, following the same path we'd taken twice before back when we lacked the Flamebreaker armor. I slipped quickly past the guard, who wasn't paying particularly close attention to his duty, by heaving myself over a rocky deposit and touching down on the other side. In the center of the clearing lay some sort of mechanism. I reached my hand out, running my fingertips across the surface. It was constructed of a tough metal, similarly to the rest of the Goron's inventions. Had it not been for my protective gloves, I was sure I'd have burnt my fingers off.

I raised my hand towards my face, examining the thick layer of soot that I'd swiped from the machine. A voice called out to me as I did so, frantically yelling for me to get away. "That's the boss' cannon! Don't you daaare touch it!" I recognized the drawl in his voice. This was the same Goron that's been guarding the "cannons" when we'd first arrived in the North Mine. With a sharp glance over my shoulder, I returned to the task at hand. If he wanted to stop me, he'd have to come get me.

My eyes traced the mechanism, before landing on a peculiar marking in the grime. A small handprint had left an imprint in the volcanic ash. I pressed my own hand to its outline, hoping to compare the two. Sure enough, my hand matched it perfectly. Link had needed to use this cannon to continue on. I scanned the surrounding area for any obstacles. It seemed like anything that needed to be cleared, had been cleared already. This was quite the stroke of luck, as I hadn't any bombs or ammunition to fire from this cannon.

I felt someone grab my shoulder. It caught me off guard as I reached for the hilt of my scimitar. Luckily, it was only the Goron guard. "Hey! You reeeally shouldn't be touching that cannon. I can't have you firing that thing willy-nilly." I relaxed quickly. Seeing as I had no need to fire the cannon now, I figured I'd reassure him. "Don't worry. I won't be firing it." He breathed a sigh of relief.

"By any chance, did you see a small blonde boy run through here, dressed like me?" The Goron scratched his chin. We endured an awkwardly long silence as he recalled. "Oh, yeah. He came through here and starting firing the cannons! I suuure do hope the boss doesn't find out..." I smiled at the news. "Any idea where he went?" The Goron moved his hand from his chin and pointed out across a winding, volcanic pathway. "He followed along there. Said he was searching for Yunobo or somethin'..." I quickly stepped down from the side of the cannon as he spoke. With one last thank you, I was off and hopefully following the path that Link had taken.

The trip began easily enough. Though the route was surrounded by boiling lava on either side, I didn't encounter too many enemies. This wasn't very surprising. If I was going the right way, then Link would've already cleared them out before I got here. Instead, I engaged in riveting battle with rock climbing and heat stroke.

Surely, I was doing fine at first. But as I came closer and closer to the igneous lake, the heat became more intense. I felt sweat dripping from my neck and running down my back. The helmet, which was doing wonders to obscure my vision, prevented me from reaching up to wipe my forehead. Exhaustion creeped up on me, giving me a pounding headache as I moved onwards.

Things became worse as I encountered an entirely new obstacle. The path I'd been using broke off entirely, only continuing on much higher ground across the molten sea. There was clearly only one way across. This method lay in the great fissures that laced through the rocks between me and the other side. These shattered rocks expelled huge gusts of air, much like the gale ability that'd been given to me by Revali. The only problem was that I'd need my glider to get across.

My glider and spear were a two-in-one tool. I couldn't simply pick apart the non-flammable parts of my weapon and use those to fly across. However, I knew I could use it for extremely short periods of time. I'd proven this to myself when I'd used Revali's Gale to convince Kima to give me his Flamebreaker helm. If I could make it far enough before this thing caught flame, then I was sure to be fine.

I took a deep breath. I didn't want to risk losing my precious spear, but I supposed I had no choice. My hands reached for my weapon. I spun it around once, bringing out the sail I'd need for this jump. With a running start, I leapt over the fiery chasm. My sail caught the flowing wind and propelled me up through the air. I'd expected this gust to feel nice, and to maybe soothe the heat plaguing my body, but it was just as hot as the land around me, if not hotter.

I grimaced as my sail began to smoke. When I was close enough to the ground, I tucked away my spear and wielded my Gerudo scimitar once more. I landed hard and rolled to disperse the pressure. My body sort of tumbled as I attempted this maneuver. This hulking armor certainly didn't make me any more graceful. Regardless, I stood up with the dignity I could muster and kept going.

Eventually, I came to a sort of fork in the road. There were a few paths I could take, I wasn't sure which one led me the right way. My gloved hand grasped my chin as I pondered, trying to imagine what Link would do in such a situation. I snapped my fingers, or I at least tried to through the hardened gloves, and searched the area for more cannons. They seemed to be an easy way to take out enemies... so of course Link would've followed their trajectories. Surely enough, the path I chose was lined with scorch marks and remnants of monster civilization.

This process continued for quite some time. I felt myself grow tired quickly of the lonely journey. Climbing cliffsides and crossing lakes of lava in this suit would've been bad enough with Link by my side, but not having him here was... annoying. I narrowed my eyes at this conclusion. I didn't want to feel annoyed with him, but as heat and physical strain continued to wear on me, I could feel myself growing more and more frustrated with the blonde hero. Then, I saw him.

I recognized the armor immediately. The same pieces I'd been struggling through adorned another figure, standing by the next cannon on my path. Letting out a quick sigh of relief, I jumped from my side of the lake. I drifted up again, riding atop the windy air. I was careful not to let my glider burn up as I touched down by his side.

He jumped back from the cannon, surprised. "(Y/n)?!" I raised an eyebrow. "You scared me. Did you seriously have to land so hard?" I tilted my head apprehensively. "What?"

"Nothing. This was just aggravating enough already," he grumbled, landing a sharp kick against the lever of the cannon. "What're you trying to do? Did you find Yunobo?" I asked. He sighed, exasperated. "Well, I did find him. He just managed to get himself stuck inside that rockslide over there!" Link said, pointing to the side of the cannon's aim. "What's the problem then?"

"I can't get this damn thing to aim at it properly! Every shot I take, I miss." I huffed and took in our situation. If he couldn't get the cannon to focus directly on the boulders, then perhaps he could fire it while it's turning. I motioned for him to put another bomb into the cannon and spun my scimitar in my hand. He loaded the machine, before stepping back and crossing his arms. "Fire when I say," I announced, hitting the lever. I waited a few seconds for the cannon to line up before telling him when. "Now!" I yelled as the cannon turned towards our target. He pressed a button on his Sheikah slate, firing the bomb from the cannon. It landed directly onto the mountain we'd been aiming for. I wanted to cheer, but stopped when I felt the heat dragging on my conscience. This sensation was accompanied by the feeling of eyes on my back.

I turned around to see Link, hastily avoiding my gaze. He tapped his foot against the ground as he stared off. I scoffed silently. He should've been happy we'd been able to clear through here. Alas, he'd always been disappointed when he couldn't accomplish things alone. I was starting to think he'd learnt nothing throughout our journey.

'No...' I shook my head in dismay. 'He's just frustrated and tired, like me.' I reassured myself that it really wasn't his fault. The combined mental and physical strain of traversing this land in an incredibly hefty outfit was weighing on the both of us. "Alright, let's head over." Link nodded solemnly and jumped out over the volcanic flow, catching the updraft and using it to fly to the other side. I followed suit, hoping this frustration would be over soon.

I landed on the other side and stood up, looking around for Link. He'd already jogged off by the time I'd gotten here. He was approaching a cowering figure, who I assumed to be Yunobo. I followed him quickly, not expecting the harsh reaction we'd receive. It all began with screaming.

The Goron kid ran in circles, yelling his head off about how "The monsters had found him!" I covered my ears as he wore himself out and came to his senses. The ground seemed to shake with every great footstep he took, only adding noise to his loud pleas for help. "Get a hold of yourself!" Link and I cried, almost simultaneously. The Goron stopped, panting from his run.

He took a few steps back, finally silencing himself. Eventually he cleared his throat and examined us, mumbling to himself. "Were you the ones that broke through those rocks to come help me, goro?" he asked. I wondered what he meant by that last word. "That's us," Link said, assuring him. "Thank you brother- er- brothers?" he stumbled, glancing to me in embarrassment. "A-Anyway! What brought you two all the way over here?"

"We were looking for someone called Yunobo... I'm guessing that's you?" I said, shrugging. "Boss told you to come find me? Phew... I was starting to think no one was coming... Anyway, I'm sure glad you saved me." He gave a sort of quiet, awkward laugh. You could tell this kid wasn't much for socializing with strangers. He was shy, and cowardly from what we'd seen. Even now, after confirming we weren't monsters, he twiddled his thumbs nervously.

"Well, my name's Yunobo, but everyone calls me Yunobo...." Link and I each raised an eyebrow. Yunobo stopped upon realizing what he'd said and tried to talk himself out of it. "I guess that makes sense, huh?" He glanced at us, carefully searching our expressions for any sort of judgement. I'm afraid we may've scared the poor kid, as both Link and I were sweaty, tired and somewhat pissed. Regardless, he rung his hands together and continued.

"A-Anyway.... I came to get painkillers for the Boss. But a magma bomb caused a rockslide to seal off the entrance, goro!" There was that word again. I shifted my weight to the other leg and crossed my arms, wondering why he used it so often. "By the way, how'd you two break that wall anyway?"

"We used a cannon," Link stated simply, pointing back out across the molten sea. Yunobo glanced past us at the machinery, still smoking from the fired rounds. "H-Huh?! You used Boss' cannon? Wow... that thing is pretty hard to use. I thought only Boss would be able to..." His expression soon shifted as he cursed himself. "I forgot! This really isn't the time to talk. I've got to get these painkillers back to the Boss!" He moved quickly to the doorway, glancing back at us for just enough time to deliver one last message. "You should stop by the Boss sometime. He's never been one to ignore a favor. I'm sure he'll have some kind of reward for you. I'll see you around, but I gotta run!" He took off immediately after, ignoring any further interruptions.

"Hey, wait!" I yelled out to him, hoping he'd stop to hear us out regarding the Divine Beasts, but he didn't respond. He simply ran back the way he'd come, painkillers in hand. I sighed in annoyance. "I guess we'll have to chase him down. Or meet him there, of course." Link nodded again, just as solemnly as before. "I guess so," he responded curtly, adjusting his armor and stepping ahead of me to return to Goron City. I knit my brow. We were letting feelings and frustrations stand between our trust in one another. Though I never wanted to lose sight of the connection we had, it was difficult to rid my mind of doubt and anger, most of which was onset by heat.

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We made it back to Goron City relatively quickly, now that we knew exactly where to go and how to get there. We passed by the same guard that we'd seen stationed outside the mine a while ago. He gave Link a dirty look as he passed, before calling out to him. "Heeey.... You're the guy who used Boss' cannon without permission!" He said angrily. I really didn't feel like handling this right now, but I stepped in regardless. "No, this isn't the guy. In fact, we passed the real guy on our way here." I cupped my hand around my mouth as though sharing a secret. "I think he's still hiding out there." The Goron looked alarmed, believing me wholeheartedly. If I, the one who had obeyed the rules and avoided the cannons was telling him this, then it certainly must be true. Still, Link hurried past, not wanting any more trouble.

We made it up atop that pathway just in time to see Yunobo rolling down the hillside. I widened my eyes in shock. I'd forgotten the Gorons could do that. As my eyes refocused, I noticed Link had gone ahead yet again. He was taking the same route we'd taken to reach Bludo, the Goron these people referred to as "Boss."

Soon enough, we stood in front of him, just above one of the many painted targets throughout the city. He seemed to be much more relaxed than the last time we'd encountered him, but not entirely at ease. He caught sight of us and immediately yelled out what I couldn't exactly call a greeting.

"Hey you! Tiny travelers!" He laughed heartily. "Yunobo told me all about you two, and how you saved him from that cave-in!" I bit my lip. Yunobo had already reached this point and told our stories? We were either quite slow, or he was significantly faster. Or, perhaps, it was a combination of both. It wasn't as if this armor was helping us any in the speed department.

"Here's a reward for ya!" he said, holding out a giant hand. "You Hylians have to use this sort of thing, don't ya?" I peered over into his palm. Lying there in his hand were three fire proof elixirs. I took them with a smile, despite knowing that we had absolutely no use for them now that we'd purchased, or traded lizards for, this armor. "Thanks..." He shook his head. "No need to thank me. Anyway, I've downed these painkillers already. I guess it's time to meet up with Yunobo." He pounded his fists on the ground as he continued to speak. "I don't wanna disrespect Daruk's legacy, but we're gonna need to give ol' Vah Rudania a good walloping."

I held out my hands, gesturing for him to slow down. "Woah, woah, do you mind telling us who this Daruk guy is?" He watched me for a moment in disbelief, clearly stunned that I'd even hinting at not recognizing that person. Finally, he jumped in surprise. "What?! You've gotta be kidding me... You've never heard of Daruk champion of the Gorons? Original pilot of the Divine Beast Vah Rudania?"

"Our memories aren't the most reliable, I guess," Link cut in. Bludo shook his head yet again and gestured to something behind us. I turned on my heel and followed his pointing, only to see a series of gigantic statues looming over Goron City. Most of them were unrecognizable, all except for the one at the very top. It had a spiked beard and a kind face, despite its rocky construction. Something about the distinct features struck me as familiar... Soon enough, my senses dulled. The very world seemed to shift as my mind was enveloped in a long lost memory.

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"Hah!" I spun around, embedding the sharp tip of my spear into the side of a towering tree. It left a cut where healthy bark had once been. It was one of many, if not dozens of similar marks, all scouring the same plant. I attempted to slow my rapid breathing and heart beat as well as I could. I tried to relax, tilting my head up towards the leafy canopy above. Slick raindrops collected on the edges of those leaves and fell down across my cheeks. Upon glancing down, I watched as they soaked into the fabric of my clothing, turning it a shade darker that it should've been.