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Footsteps rang out clearly as we approached our destination. Metal had been set into the ground like stepping stones for us to follow. I welcomed the clanging noise they brought, as they drowned out the silence between Link and I, if only for a moment. My foot narrowly avoided a puddle of lava as a shrill cry reached my ears.

Link was the first to start running. He dashed past a nearby pile of boulders to answer that cry of help. I followed suit, wondering what the issue could be. After a brief moment of recognition, I thought knew exactly who'd been yelling.

Sure enough, the culprit was Yunobo. He was cowering under the bright light of Daruk's fiery shield. He held his head in his hands as he shrieked. I heard Link scoff and plug his ears at the noise. I figured I'd handle the issue myself.

Yunobo was surrounding on all sides by great, looming monsters. Each beast stomped in irritation, unable to break through the magical defenses. "Hang on, Yunobo!" I called out, hoping to put an end to his ceaseless yelling. Grasping my scimitar tightly in one hand, I called upon Urbosa's power. Pure energy coursed through my veins as I swung the blade around. Bolts of lightning rained down from the sky, striking through the irksome creatures. Static cracked like an array of thunder and put a stop to the monsters' advances.

Much to my surprise, they didn't fall immediately. I rushed in alone to strike them while they were vulnerable. The remains of Urbosa's fury twinkled across my blade as I lashed own, slashing the two monsters to bits as quickly as possible. I could've sworn I felt Urbosa's spirit at my side for a moment, cheering me on through my battles. I couldn't help but think of what I wouldn't give to speak with her, or any of the champions again right now. Seeing them fight by my side reminded me of how greatly I missed them.

With a grimace, I tucked away my blade. The creatures dissipated into a thick, purplish smoke, leaving behind few remains. They began to burn immediately. Soon, they'd be nothing but ash against the molten landscape. Link paid them no mind as he walked past me wordlessly to address the Goron youth, who seemed grateful of his rescue. Nevertheless, he still seemed nervous as he began to speak.

"T-Thanks for saving me! You're crazy strong..." he said, mumbling that last part. "Don't mention it," I dismissed with a wave. Yunobo nodded and glanced behind us, as though expecting someone. "Still no sign of the Boss, huh?" he said with a sigh. "He's not coming," Link said bluntly. "Said he had a back ache."

Yunobo shook his fists. "After all the trouble we went through to get those painkillers, they didn't even work!" I couldn't help but feel bad for him as he shook his head. Link needed to go easy on him, and knock off that annoyed attitude. "Well, if Boss isn't coming... then I guess I'll have to head back home."

I bit my lip. Now was our chance. "Wait! You should stay."

"Huh? Why's that, goro?"

"Because we need to board Vah Rudania, and we think you can help." Yunobo jumped back in physical alarm. "Wha- Seriously? You're trying to BOARD the Divine Beast!" He shook his head. "Who do you two think you are? Lord Daruk?"

"No, we just think we can help." Link interjected. "It's dangerous in there! Though... if you weakened it beforehand... you might just be able to get inside," he spoke thoughtfully, biting his thumb as he considered the possibilities. He turned back to us suddenly. "But why risk it? What's the point?"

"It's just something we have to do. If Link and I want a chance to defeat Calamity Ganon, we're going to have to take out his cronies first." Yunobo's eyes widened. He was clearly reeling from the explanation. "C-Calamity Ganon?! That's much worse than this... You two are crazier than I thought..."

"Ok, ok, so maybe you don't see our goal. What about your own goals? This will be for the good of your people. If we succeed, they'll be able to reopen the North Mine and not have to worry about that Rudania any longer. Doesn't that sound good?" Yunobo watched me warily. "I-I guess so. But what if you guys die?"

"You don't have to worry about us," Link reassured him. "Just get us into the Divine Beast, and we'll take it from there." With a hesitant sigh, Yunobo agreed to our offer. "Alright, but we've got a little problem. Boss raised Eldin Bridge so that the Divine Beast couldn't cross over here. We're gonna need to raise it if we wanna get anything done."

"Raise it? How do you usually raise it?" I asked, shifting my weight. This suit was remaining as uncomfortable as always. "Well, Boss usually just uses the cannon. B-But he isn't here right now!" He gasped suddenly. "Wait! Can't you use the cannons, too?" Link nodded. I wondered why Bludo was the only other Goron able to use these cannons. What would they do if he died? Yunobo tore me from my morbid thoughts.

"Maybe we CAN do this after all! Ok, ok. Let's do this how Boss does it. I'll be the cannonball!" I jumped a bit in shock, having forgotten that we were going to have to fire a child out of a cannon. "You sure about this?" I asked cautiously. Yunobo nodded as his body was encased in a glowing shield. "I'm gonna be fine! I've got Daruk's protection with me. With this, I could smash into anything without getting hurt."

"Then why do you always freak out around monsters?" Link asked with narrowed eyes. Yunobo gulped, shifting his weight from foot to foot and wringing his hands nervously. "O-Oh I don't know..." he stuttered. I sighed in annoyance at Link's behavior. "Relax. Now, how do we lower this bridge?"

"Just take aim at the bridge and fire!" Yunobo responded. "B-But... be careful please."

"What happened to being indestructible?" Link muttered to himself, selecting a bomb from his Sheikah Skate. The blue orb emerged in his hand, ready to detonate. He rolled it down into the cannon, where Yunobo was waiting with his shield prepared. I took a swing at the nearby lever, turning it towards our target. Link fired the weapon, and the Goron child disappeared in a streak of red smoke. I raised a hand to my face in apprehension. No matter how many times he assured me he'd be alright, seeing a young Goron shoot from a cannon and slam against a metal bridge was alarming to say the least.

Link and I watched the skies for a moment, scanning for any sign of the kid. It steadily growing darker by the second. This shift to nighttime made Yunobo and his glowing sphere quite visible as they spun down to the ground, bouncing a few times as they went.

Yunobo stood up and relinquished his shield. His body began to pivot slightly as he struggled with his confusion. He didn't mention how dazed the impact would make him. "W-We did it!" He groaned and clutched his forehead. "Daruk's power... is really somethin'..." I nodded in agreement and attempted to steady his swaying. "Don't be worryin' about me. There's still a lot of work for us to do," he said. "Let's cross that bridge, goro."

Link and I nodded, immediately taking off towards the other side of the bridge. Though our suits weighed us down, we were still much faster than Yunobo, who seemed to shimmy after us at an odd pace. My boots slid to a stop at the end of the metal construction as a menacing roar sounded from Vah Rudania. Link did the same. Despite the tension that'd been rising between us, I still felt him reach for my hand upon hearing the threat of the Divine Beast.

My eyes trailed upwards until the landed on the mechanical creature. It's flaming body was framed nicely against the night sky. The beast let out another cry, one that shook its jaw as well as the surrounding land. With a shudder, a series of airlocks opened along the creature's shoulders. Our trio watched in stony silence as a legion of tiny sentinels flew out from its body and onto the surrounding land. My eyes locked onto one as it drifted close to the ground. Once it deemed itself to be close enough, it shined a circular light onto the ground.

Yunobo shook his head. "O-Oh no... Sentries are always a pain..."

"You've dealt with these before?" I asked curiously. With a nod, he continued his explanation. "Sure have. They act like little spies for Vah Rudania. If they spot you, the Divine Beast will go nuts and cause all kinds of terror." My silent gaze persuaded him to elaborate. "Y-Y'know. Volcanic eruptions, fiery rain, ground tremors, and the like?" I sighed, thinking that this was just what we needed.

"I'm not very good at avoidin' those things," Yunobo admitted sheepishly. "I don't want to get you in trouble either. You guys are gonna have to guide me up." I tilted my head cautiously. "I guess we'll need some sort of a signal..." Link shrugged, whistling as though he were calling a horse. Yunobo smiled. "That's it! You guys can use that to tell me when to stop and when to follow you guys.... Kind of like a horse.... We'll make it up there in no time! I-If I don't mess up that is..." he mumbled, twiddling his thumbs.

I shook my head and rested a gloved hand against his shoulder gently. "Don't worry. We'll be fine we just need to stick -" I caught sight of Link, already jogging away, in the corner of my eye. "- together," I finished with a doubtful sigh. "Oh, alright..." Yunobo mumbled, still unsure. "After you."

I quickened my pace to follow Link closely. We lurked in silence, keeping to the shadows to avoid the sentries up above. The fall of night worked to conceal our movements, while still bringing out the bright orange glow of the molten pools flanking us. I was happy for the extra cover, but this shade made the red rays of Rudania's scouts all the more menacing.

Link held up a hand, signaling for me to stop. Luckily, he still remembered to whistle. Otherwise, Yunobo would've wandered straight into the enemy's line of sight. My eyebrows narrowed as he came to a skidding stop. Beads of sweat dripped down my forehead as I pondered how he could've missed that shining red light. I pressed myself closer to the rocks as we waited for the sentry to pass.

As soon as it'd floated away from us, we dashed forward to the following alcove, stepping underneath it as the mechanic scout circled back to scan for us. Link waited for it to complete that round to call Yunobo over. That way, he'd be less likely to alert Rudania to our presence.

Link raised his hand to his mouth to whistle. It couldn't have been that easy, given that he was wearing impossibly thick gloves, but it made a noise nevertheless. As soon as his hand left his lips, Yunobo has bounded over to us. He wobbled a bit as he stopped as though his top half greatly outweighed the rest of him. His breathing was heavy, though from what, I couldn't tell. He couldn't have run that far.

Link waited a moment before trudging on. He was silent as ever, avoiding my eyes as he scoped out the next target. I could tell he was just as annoyed as I was, but that didn't mean I had to cut him any slack. We were both on-edge, exhausted, and soaked with sweat. He could control himself for however long we'd have to stay here.

We jogged on until we reached a sort of stalemate. Link, Yunobo and I stood on one edge of the cliffside. A sentinel guarded the other. It hovered in one place, remaining ever vigilant over the circle below. I would've suggested we walk around, had it not been for the fact that the sentry's piercing gaze stretched across the entire ledge it floated above.

I motioned for Link to stop as we surveyed our situation. If we pressed forward, we were sure to be spotted. But... if not that, then what else? I wasn't quite sure how well Yunobo could scale a cliffside, and these things didn't seem very susceptible to arrows given their hard, metallic shells. I rested my palm against the boulder in front of me as I pondered.

"Wait a second...." I mumbled, my gloved hand wiping soot from the nearby rock. "Link, try magnesis. We could drop this thing on top of the sentry to knock it out." Link nodded and pulled the Sheikah Slate from his belt. He readied his strike until Yunobo cut in. "What do you guys mean magn- oh!"

Yunobo jumped back in alarm as he sent out boulder tumbling down. The Sheikah Slate shot out a magnetic beam to no avail. Its glowing orange and blue energy dissipated in the night sky, taking with it our chances of passing that sentry easily.

Link cursed and clenched his fists, shaking as he lowered his Sheikah Slate. We'd had enough to worry about without this inconvenience. Still, I couldn't quite blame Yunobo as he fumbled through apologizes and promises to be more careful. I felt a bit sorry for him, but his pleas didn't seem to phase Link. "Are you kidding me?! What're we supposed to do now?"

I placed a hand on Link's shoulder in an attempt to calm him. I could feel the frustration weighing on my own conscience, but we couldn't afford any rash decisions. Link took a deep breath before seizing my hand. "L-Link what're we doing?" I asked in alarm. "We're passing that thing whether it's safe or not! Just find a place to wait out the magma hail!"

"What?! Link no!" I yelled as he dragged me along with him. My boots dug into the ground, but I lost balance as we travelled a bit downhill. It didn't matter. My protest wasn't affecting him whatsoever, and his arm had already crossed through the sentry's seeking light.

My heart skipped a beat as the sentry sensed our presence. Rudania gave a mighty roar and began its temper tantrum, sending great balls of fire and rock down to decimate the land below. Link pulled me from my daze and urged me along, past volcanic waterfalls and newfound craters. The world shook and rumbled and the heat became all the more unbearable as Rudania's wrath rained down.

Like hell on Hyrule, the hysteria continued. I panted, my eyes wide, as we dashed across the landscape. One came down particularly close to us. Stray wisps of fire flew up from the impact, nearly scorching my face through the metal grating. We came to a shallow alcove and stopped, pressing our bodies to the wall in the hopes of weathering the storm.

The chaos was incredibly loud. I wanted to plug my ears, but I didn't want to risk extending my arms, lest they be blown to bits. This "safe-space" we'd found was quite limited. Instead, I gripped the wall and turned my head from the carnage. I squeezed my eyelids shut, only opening them once to glance at Yunobo. He'd put up his shield and began to cower a few feet away from us. I closed my eyes tightly again and shook my head until I heard the thunder fading into non-existence.

As soon as the firing ceased, I peeled myself from the wall and opened my eyes. Link stood beside me, his eyes still shut. I felt the pure anger that'd been building within me all this time rising past the point of rationality. I slammed my fist against the wall and yelled at him for what'd he'd done.

"What the actual hell was that?! You could've gotten us both killed! You had no idea what that thing could do, yet you just strode out into its light! We didn't even have a proper safe-place to retreat to!" Link but his lip and stared back at me. He gestured back towards the path we'd come, which was guarded yet again by the devilish sentry.

"What'd you expect me to do?! It's not like we have time to just laze around and wait for someone to hand us an opportunity!" he yelled back. I countered his argument with ire. "We could've figured something out! There's always a second way of doing things. You should know this by now!" Link paced back and forth, not wanting to hear my criticism. "You can't just let your emotions get in the way of every little freaking thing! I get that Zelda's in danger, but acting like a moron is going to get us both killed!" Link stopped and raised his arms in exasperation. "Oh, because I'm the one who lets their emotions control them. You were the one who couldn't bear to feel useless back in Zora's Domain!"

I narrowed my eyes, daring him to continue. "And back in Gerudo Town, your little friend asked one thing of you and you couldn't even do that!" My eyes widened as he spat out his retorts, venom seeping from each and every syllable. "He gave his life and asked for one thing of you, but you couldn't swallow your feelings and do it! Bet his mother would've like to know what her son gave his life for, if you hadn't of been so weak about it!"

My fists shook as he yelled. Yunobo tried to cut in to no avail as I pushed Link away from me sharply. He stumbled back, but held his ground. "You... That trip to Gerudo Town was your godamn fault! He did not need to die. Maybe if you'd watch your own back for once, the rest of us wouldn't have to!" I cried.

"You think I can't watch my own back? Like I need you to be my constant watch dog? Maybe he should've let me take that arrow after all, if I'm so useless!"

"Maybe he should've! Maybe people were right about you. And maybe I should've left you on the Great Plateau as soon as I learned about this quest." I said, slowly lowering my volume as the statement continued. "I wish you had," Link announced, bringing his face close to mine just to meet my eyes. His glare burnt hotter than the lava at our sides, and I felt my heart break with every word. He turned on his heel and whistled for Yunobo to follow him.

I stood in stony silence as the sound of their footsteps disappeared behind me. My eyes stayed locked on the landscape directly in front of me until I felt my knees give out. I sank to the ground as water streamed down my cheeks, evaporating as soon as it struck the hard fabric of my suit. What had I done...?

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Eventually, I moved myself to a cliff edge and sat down, staring out across the molten lake. I hadn't heard Vah Rudania's rage since we'd first encountered it, so I figured Link was doing just fine on his own. I couldn't tell how much time had passed, but my heart still ached with the wounds of our quarrel. I held a hand to my chest as my eyes trailed downwards, shifting carelessly across the flaming sea.

Strands of my hair drifted past my eyes, obscuring my pitiful sightseeing as they did so. I paid them no mind, until the wind picked up. My nose scrunched in annoyance as the gusts swirled across my face and sent dust up towards my eyes. I shielded them with my gloves before resting my hands back down into my lap. I would've been perfectly content with this moment to myself, had it not been for a familiar voice.

"I must say... you look horrid."

A shock of surprise ran through my body and down my spine, causing me to jump, but I still didn't reach for my scimitar. I knew that voice. I knew that mocking tone and pompous attitude far too well to mistake it. I only wondered how'd he managed to meet me here...