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~ Dodongo's Cavern ~
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     Narrator: Ryo

     "First, I want to see if you can handle the Goron's Special Crop-Goro," Darunia stated plainly. "While I do doubt you'd have trouble with this step, I must know that you know how to deal with it. It's very dangerous to ones without a hide of stone! When you pick up one of the Goron's Special Crop, what happens-Goro?"
     "It begins to self destruct and must be thrown to its target immediately," I answered. I had used Bombflowers in the past, so this was just review for me. "Ultimately, it will explode within seconds."
"Good-Goro. You have the basics in mind... Now, let's see you throw one-Goro," Darunia grinned at me. "Outside this room, there are some of the Goron's Special Crop hanging on the door of the shop. Go pick one of those and see how high and far you can throw it on short notice-Goro."
     "Very well. I shall do this," I agreed. Darunia, Leon and I walked out into the main room of the immense bottom level. I spied the Bombflowers hanging on the wall near the door of the Goron Shop. I called out, "Bombs away!" to warn those that a bomb would be going off. I snatched a Bombflower right out of its leafy pod and threw it as soon as I could. The trail of smoke made it easy to see where it went. It didn't even hit the ground yet before it detonated. In fact, it nearly hit the ceiling, judging by the angle I saw it at. It just exploded before it could.
     "Mmm... You can throw well... But just for throwing-Goro!" Darunia stated, seeming to harden up after seeing my effort. "Now, let's see you hit something specific... See our large rolling brother up there on the third level-Goro? Stop his play with a bang!"
     I didn't like the idea of ruining someone's fun, but I did as I was told. My entry to Dodongo's Cavern was on the line, here. I realized in my aiming, I'd have to throw it in front of the rolling Goron for it to hit. So I watched his speed and then all at once I wrenched the Bombflower out and threw it with great force. To my surprise, the airborne bomb actually made contact! The explosion stopped the Goron with a surprised, "Ooo!" He lifted his head up and began to look around. I heard him say, "Org...? Who threw that-Goro...?"
     "Hmph! You throw well, Ryuken-Goro. But now, the final test for training... Let's see how you fare against a real Dodongo!" Darunia grinned almost mischievously. "We trapped one in one of the rooms on the next floor up. Come back with a tooth and a section of its hide and I'll grant you access to Dodongo's Cavern. I'll lead you-Goro."
     I smiled as I could tell that Darunia's calming was a result of him starting to like me. I knew his type. Maybe he was beginning to have confidence in me, since I was completing his tasks rather quickly. He walked me up stairs and led me to a room that had been barred shut. He told me this was the room in which the Dodongo was locked in. I agreed I'd do my best to get rid of it for him. The bars lifted, as did the door itself. I walked inside, drawing my sword. Not surprisingly, the door shut behind me. I figured they didn't want the creature to escape. But very surprisingly, the door barred too! Here, I figured Darunia must've had a lot of confidence. Whether it was in my death or my victory, I wasn't sure. Then I saw it, the beast before me. It was a very large lizard with a long tail, frilled head with a horn on its nose. Its back was jagged with shallow but wide spikes along its spine. Its jaw was very large compared to its body and the weirdest feature was that it only had front legs, forcing the rear to drag behind. I smiled, for I knew how to defeat these creatures. I was aware that Darunia wanted me to use a Bombflower to defeat it, but I knew of an easier weakness: its tail. After all, I wasn't told how I was to beat it, I just was to beat it. Simple enough, I thought.
     The reptile began advancing towards me and I let it come. Once it was within three feet of me, it breathed in to prepare a flame breath attack on me. But I moved while it was preparing and slashed the tail with my sword. It yelped in pain and then spun around, using its tail as a whip as it did so. It merely began another fire breathing move as I moved to the side again to slash the tail. And just like that, the beast collapsed. I was surprised at how weak it was. Last time I fought a Dodongo, the battle was longer. Must have been because I had gotten a lot stronger since then. The bars lifted up, but I wasn't ready to leave. With my sword, I carefully sliced out a portion of the rough, thick hide and pulled out a tooth from the beast in order to meet the requirements. The tooth was a little hard to get, for the roots were very anchored in. But I managed.
     When I arrived back at the city's main halls, Darunia began to laugh! He said to me, "And not a scratch on your skin or a mark on your clothing either-Goro! You seem to have something special about you after all. I must admit, I was quite skeptical about you assisting, but I was too infuriated to listen. Your quick victory has brightened my mood. Use that square of hide as your permit to enter the cavern. Good luck in there-Goro... Odd things have been in there..."
     "Thank you, Leader Darunia. You make me smile," I replied with a bow.
     "But it'd still be foolhardy to go in without a bit of preparation-Goro," he cautioned. "With as many monsters going around, our supply of the Goron's Special Crop isn't able to grow very well. In some places, there aren't any seeds spread! So, take this Bombflower Seed Bag and use the seeds to plant new flowers. They grow fast, so maybe you could use your own crop to assist-Goro!"
     "Thank you, Leader Darunia! This will help me greatly!" I bowed again, accepting the bag. It held a fair number of seeds in it. I'd say around 50 if you forced me to count. If this was all I really needed to defeat the king of these reptiles, then I knew I was ready. We gave our good-lucks and good-byes honorably before I climbed up the several flights of stairs to exit the city.
     I couldn't help but run this time. The excitement was getting to me, I think. I felt inspired and with purpose again. I thrive on going on missions, as a wanderer. This was just what I needed to settle into this land and get a good look around. I made good time in dashing for the cavern's entrance. However, I was stopped by one of the Goron guards.
     "Whoa, there-Goro! Where's the fire?" he asked. "You...! You're back already-Goro?"
     "Yes. Also, here's my permission..." I said while trying to catch my breath. I handed them the Dodongo's hide and both Guards widened their eyes.
     "I don't believe it-Goro! Big Brother Darunia told us to wait for this signal, but we thought he'd be bringing it himself!" The second guard rubbed his head, taking in the surprise. "But our word is our word-Goro. We'll let you in now."
     At last, they stepped aside and I could begin what I started back in Kakariko Village. The hunt was on.
     The cavern, I instantly felt, certainly was a hot place. But I didn't mind it. The first place I was in was merely a tunnel that led me into an enormous room with pillars and platforms over lava. Everything seemed okay at first, but I noticed a Dodongo on the center platform. I knew I'd have to be rid of the brute. Luckily for me, I noticed a Bombflower on my side. I lifted the explosive plant and threw it over to the reptile. To my amazement, it just ate up the bomb and let it explode in its belly! The creature instantly collapsed. It amused me how thoughtlessly the Dodongo preformed its own demise. My one hope was that the king of these creatures was just as dim. Hopping across the stone pillars and reaching the center platform, I noticed the place looked like it have been wrecked. Doors were smashed down, metal bars lay in pieces, and even the new Wood Beamos were out of commission. Could the king beast have done this? I chose to enter the left passage. I saw the route it was supposed to go, but it was caved in. Instead, I saw another dug out tunnel going down and I decided to use that way to enter into a decent sized square room. The floor was surprisingly slick, as I realized I was on a floor of a solid jewel! A single button lay in the center of the room, while three large stone blocks stood in the sides. What the button did, I hadn't a clue, but I was going to find out. I simply walked over and stepped on it, my weight being enough to push it down. I heard a sound like metal sliding... perhaps a door opening. But I couldn't see anything different. I stepped off the button to look around but when I did, the sound occurred again.
     "Oh, snap..." I frowned. "Must've closed."
That's when I realized what the stone blocks were for. No problem, I'd just move one over to the button. Easy as that, right? Actually, no. I do recall saying that the floor was slick. So when I pushed one of the blocks, it just kept sliding until it hit a lifted edge in the floor. It was as if the blocks were on ice, but without the cold. I figured this would take some doing. So, onward I went, pushing and shoving the blocks all around the room and onto each other to flip the switch and make the door stay open. But I still couldn't even find the door.
     "Hmm... Perhaps a Bombflower is in order here," I grinned, reaching for my bag. Pulling out one of the odd-looking little seeds, I realized I didn't yet know where to plant it. I searched and searched the ground until I found a small patch of soft soil in the corner. I stuck my finger into the dirt to make a hole, then I dropped the seed into it. Burying the seed was the final step before waiting. I actually didn't have long to wait because before my eyes I saw a sprout pop up and the leaves began to grow and flourish. They formed a circle pattern with a bud in the middle. The bud swelled and blackened until it reached a fair size with fire-like leaves on top. A natural bomb... something that I found very amusing. But I couldn't just throw it anywhere. The door was hidden in a specific place and I had to find it. I remembered a technique the Hero of Time was said to have used, which was hitting walls with a sword. Rumor had it that the sound will be different when a hollow wall is struck than a normal, solid wall. I tried this technique... and I admit I must've looked pretty silly banging on a rock wall with my blade like that. However, no one was watching and it had to be done. But at last I found my target wall and I stuck my sword into the ground to tell me where it was. I walked back, lifted the Bombflower, then threw it against the wall with enough force to make it detonate on impact, rather than time. An open metal door was revealed. Promptly, I picked up my weapon and entered a very long tunnel.
     At the other side of this tunnel, there was another metal door. I just pressed my hands on it and lifted it up to open the way. This new room was oddly shaped and not very stable. Perhaps it hadn't been around for very long. It's not often a rock tunnel's ground gives way slightly to one's feet. I noticed a lot of Dodongos in the area and plenty of Bombflowers on the walls, stalactites and ceiling. But right beside me, a patch of soft soil was present. Once again, I planted a seed and watched the little thing grow. That's when I heard steps coming at me from one of the Dodongos. I was about ready to use my sword on it, but I realized if I did that, I'd be right in the line of sight for other Dodongos and I'd be in over my head with the nasty brutes. So, I waited for the Bombflower to grow completely before picking it and throwing it into the lizard's mouth. It instantly swallowed it and collapsed after the explosion. I thought to myself, Dodongos must have very tough hides if they stay in one piece after swallowing a bomb. I looked around for a way to proceed and that's when I noticed a Bombflower string on the wall. I picked a new Bombflower and threw it at the chain. The first two explode on impact, the others react to the previous explosion by exploding themselves, making a trail of explosions. It was certainly entertaining to watch. The trail moved up the wall, onto the ceiling and ended right at a large unstable rock. This rock fell and landed onto another Bombflower, which started a new chain up a stalactite and back onto the ceiling. The trail curved around and ended with another rock, which fell onto a Dodongo that spat out a burst of fire upon impact. Said fire hit another chain of Bombflowers the spread up a wall and split into three chains on the ceiling, ending at more rocks. Two fell into a lava patch, the third crashed onto one last string of explosive plants which ended on the wall, revealing a new door. I couldn't help but laugh at the sight. Never before had I seen explosions used in such a way!
     I simply followed the obvious path, taking out the Dodongos as I went. The door was easy to open, for it lifted up like before. I was immediately confronted with another door in a tiny hallway, so I opened that one up too. The chamber revealed to me here was simple and have only a lifted circular rock. I thought it might've been a switch so I stood on it. I was half right, something happened when I stepped on it but it wasn't really a switch. The rock lowered down into a vertical tunnel and then into an enormous room with several huge boulders. The one in the middle looked like it was still hot from lava, for I could see red in it. At first, I thought nothing of these rocks. I noticed once the rock I was standing on stopped moving that there were four soft soil patches. Promptly, I planted the seeds for Bombflowers. If nothing else, it'd help the Gorons, I thought. But while I was still planting the fourth one, I heard a very loud crack. For sure I knew it wasn't me. If I had made a crack that loud, I'd have been dead right there. I turned my head to see what was around me that could've cracked and I saw that the red-hot rock I saw wasn't. Instead, a huge beast was in its place! It was a large lizard with a frill on the back of its blocky head and a horn on its nose, tusks on its lower jaw, black rocky hide on its back and outsides of its legs, red underbelly, two large claws on each foot and most noticeable of all, foul smelling, heated breath. It was unmistakable... this was the King Dodongo.
     All at once, it lifted its massive front and stomped harshly on the ground, nearly making me topple just from the shaking ground. As soon as it landed, its great mouth opened wide with a horrible shriek, "EEEAAAAAAUUUUURRUUUUUHHHH!!" If nothing else, it was loud. Before I could even turn around to run, it bashed me aside with its huge head. I fell right to the ground as the creature turned and started running around the perimeter of the circular room. I'm just glad I wasn't skewered with its bottom tusks. I shook my head while picking myself up and raced for the center as I kept an eye on its movements. The king bashed its head into boulders that were in its path and they just flew apart in pieces of gravel on impact! It wasn't long before the brute stopped running, scraping to a halt while turning itself to face me. It roared at me in anger before tucking in its legs and tail to start rolling like a boulder at me in hopes of crushing me. I dodged this fairly easily, but I had no idea what was about to happen next. The king crashed into the wall and the whole room shook violently. I heard a hissing sound above and noticed the roof of this place was riddled with Bombflowers! The shaking was causing them to drop like explosive rain! I ran very fast to a wall where the bombs couldn't reach me. That was a rather nasty attack, yet also quite clever for a hulking reptile. The Dodongo uncurled from its ball-like state once the carnage was over and stomped over to the center. It began to breathe in to make a fire attack like its smaller cousins and I began to rush for the tail. However, this only made the beast stop his own attack and turn to keep facing me with its shield-like head. I figured this was useless and I had to do something else. I slapped my forehead as I thought, The Bombflowers I planted! Of course! So I ran to grab the new plant and threw it hard into the throat of the beast as it made another attempt to burn me. It seemed more surprised than pleased to have something in its mouth. Then suddenly the bomb burst and the king roared in shock and pain, lifting onto its hind legs. Then all at once, it crashed onto the floor on its side, dazed. I drew my sword and slashed the brute's tail, knowing that it's the weakness of all Dodongos. Each time I hit the monster, it'd scream in agony and squirm. It suddenly hit me with its waving tail, knocking me down. Man, that hurt my ribs. The Dodongo rolled onto its feet and stomped several times in a fit while roaring. Just then, three smaller Dodongos came out of the ground, as if having been sleeping in there. The stomping also caused some rubble to fall from the ceiling. One piece of which landed on one of the Bombflower sites, so I was limited to three places instead of four. Because the king was still up, I knew it was time for round two.
     It began charging at me again and this time I dove to the side in order to avoid getting hit again. It turned and continued running around. Beside me, a smaller Dodongo began to breathe in. I ran behind it and struck with such force to take it down right there. I was happy with its defeat, but the joy turned into concern as I heard the king's roar just before it curled up into a ball started rolling. I dashed away, but I knew I'd be caught in the dropping Bombflowers as I went. Indeed I was right. I continued to the wall but I had to avoid the dropping bombs. The king turned around and once again stopped to the center. It began to breathe in and I ripped a Bombflower out of its stem. I threw it into the mouth of the brute and it exploded, causing the king to rear back just before falling over. As I ran to get the beast while it was stunned, a Dodongo confronted me. I moved around it as it began its fire attack and took care of the lizard justly. Fortunately, when I was done, the king was still down, so I hacked away at its tail with my sword. Again, it screamed with each hit I made until it lifted up again. It thrashed about, so I got away from it. The trashing made more rubble fall from the ceiling and two pieces blocked up Bombflower sites, leaving me but one place for ammunition. This thrashing also called up three more Dodongos from their sleep. Round three commenced.
     The king changed its plan this time and started stomping at me, coughing up fireballs as it went. The fireballs I didn't fear but the fact that it was pursuing me was a little worrying. It got fed up with my running from it so it decided to race after me... as a boulder. It rolled at me with a higher speed than usual, so I just jumped away to the side. It crashed into the wall, sending more Bombflowers down. One explosion took out one of the Dodongos walking around. The king uncurled again and began stomping at me once more. Apparently, it wasn't going to the center like it usually did. It coughed up two more fire balls before breathing in. The Bombflower was too far away from me this time, so I just ran for it, hoping the Dodongo king would cease and follow me there. I was wrong. The king blasted a beam of fire out of its mouth and it struck me, sending me flying into the rock wall! Instant headache there, I'll tell you. My tunic was a little burned, but I was pretty much okay. I picked up the Bombflower and ran at the beast, which started walking to me again. It breathed in to make another beam attack, but I threw the bomb into the mouth of the lizard. Once I did, I was nailed in the side with a fire wave by a smaller Dodongo. For now I ignored it, for the king collapsed again and I had my shot. I drew my sword one more time and cut the tail. The king hollered in pain with each strike and eventually got onto its feet again. I noticed a fiery liquid coming out of its tail now. It started running around aimlessly and unsteadily, being heavily weakened. It even ran over one of the Dodongos! Soon, trying to settle the score with me, it charged heavily at me. I had no time to run, so I did the first thing that came to mind - I sheathed my sword, then lifted my hands and grabbed the tusks of the beast! It was his momentum against my resistance. Needless to say, I scraped back quite a distance even with my high-traction boots, but I never let go. I began to push and yank on the brute with all my might. Even to my surprise, I began to turn its head, then I flipped it over completely onto its side as I moved the body sideways to bash its back into the wall, causing more Bombflowers to drop from above. Of course, it wasn't curled up, and its tail got struck with an explosive. Screaming loudly, it hobbled around the room in agony, eventually turning back towards me. It opened its mouth widely to try and set me ablaze with its fire breath with a roar, but only smoke escaped its throat. For a minute, it only stood there with its mouth open. Then it fell to the side, crashing hard. The hide lost its vibrant red color, turning to a stone grey with its flesh becoming just as hard. The stone king cracked and crumbled before my eyes into nothing more than powder. I had defeated the Dodongo King.
     Behind me, a blue aura of light shone brightly. I smiled, for I believed this was the way out. I stepped onto the light and before I knew what entirely was happening, I was blinded by it. The light subsided and I was at Death Mountain again, right in front of the cavern's entrance. Darunia, Leon, and the two Goron guards were standing there as well.
"Ryo-Goro!" Leon gasped. "You're alive! Did....?"
     "That Dodongo will be bothering you no more," I announced with a bow. "The foul beast is now a pile of dust."
     "We heard a lot of great sounds from the cavern, so that is why I was alerted-Goro," Darunia stated with a stern face. "I figured you had met up with it by that time-Goro."
     "Indeed I had," I smiled. I gave a thumbs up as I added,  "It put up quite a fight, too!"
     "Bua ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!! I like you, Ryuken-Goro! You're strong enough to beat a monster twice or three times your own size!" Darunia laughed with a great smile. I had to disagree with him on his judgment, though. that beast was maybe six or more times my size. I didn't say anything about it, at least. "You remind me of the Hero of Time-Goro. Nothing could take down Brother Link! - Not even the terrible Volvagia! And as such, I believe I shall do with you what I have done with him. From now on, you will be known to use as Brother Ryo-Goro!"
     "Brother Ryo? I'm honored, Leader Darunia," I bowed again.
     "Big Brother Darunia-Goro!" the Goron leader corrected with a laugh. "You're awful modest with your feats, I do say! You've not even asked for a reward yet-Goro!"
     "Reward? I was doing this because you had a problem and I could help fix it. You're now safe to get your food and now I've become one of you," I explained, a little confused. "What more could I ask for?"
     "Well, you may not see a need, but out of my own generosity, I will give you this metal object we Gorons have had for decades-Goro!" Darunia chuckled, hanging me an odd-looking metal shard. He went on to explain, "This is a piece of Heaven's Key-Goro. It was written that a warrior, shrouded in mystery, would one day take the three pieces of a key and wield a weapon forged by the Goddesses themselves. I guessed it'd have been the Hero of Time, for the only way to beat the Evil King was to use a holy blade and the three pieces of a key we figured were the three Spiritual Stones. But since he didn't use it, I guess this key is part of just a story-Goro. If nothing else, you can tell the same story in the Market of Hyrule and get a load of Rupees for it. Collectors go nuts for those kinds of things-Goro."
     "Thank you, Big Brother Darunia. You're very kind," I said, accepting the key shard. I put it in my pouch on my left side for later. "Truly a unique treasure, this."
     "Now, then-Goro! Do you want to rest up a bit before you travel again?" Darunia asked me.
     "I would, but please don't take offense at this... I'd like to go to Kakariko Village and rest. I have a room in the Inn booked for the day," I explained. I didn't think the Gorons had anything comfortable for a human to rest on. I've slept on a rock several times before and I didn't want to do it again if I didn't need to.
"That's alright-Goro. Brother Leon, give him his cloak back. Be sure to come back and visit us soon, Brother-Goro!" Darunia demanded in a friendly sort of way.
     "You have my word on it," I bowed. "Thank you, Leon."
     I saluted to the Gorons, as I began walking away. The Gorons waved at me and I waved back, promising my return. It was a good first half of the day. But unfortunately, I soon found my time to rest wasn't just yet.