Fan Fiction ❯ Professional Hero ❯ Caught between Rock and a hard place ( Chapter 17 )

Chapter 17 - Caught between Rock and a hard place

The sun stood high in the desert but the shades of the cave were cool. The witch was cutting a rooster open and letting the blood fall into the pool of water in front of her. She didn't look up when the large shadow entered the cave.

"So, how are things abroad?" she asked.

"Well, but not as good as they could have been." The Goron said.

"The Gorons of Labrynna don't cooperate?"

The Goron shook his head.

"But with the Zora's we have overrun the country, thanks to Ralph's minions. He's really a good guy when you get to know him, I think his bitch would happily agree to that."

"Ah yes, the lovely Nayru. And what is Din doing now?"

"She's enslaved by the Moblin king who now has total control over Holodrum, and thanks to me, we have allies with the Subrosians. The Gorons rule in Tempora, with the Zora's cut off and the Deku stay in the swamps, afraid of Gerudo patrols. The only problem is those last people of Clocktown who hide in Ikana Canyon but Mashka doesn't think they're much of a threat."

"That shows what a fool he is," the witch hissed, "I foresee trouble there."

"That's what I told him, but, as arrogant as he is, he told me not to interfere with his people."

"When you leave Hyrule, find a way to kill them."

"I already asked Shark and Ralph to give me a small army to deal with them."

"Very well, Rock, any other news?"

"Our troops has started a war in Marakar, Moblins have already overrun major cities while Iron Knuckles has crippled their troops. I'm going there later. But I would like to know, Ikaté, is there any change here? It has been over a year since I've been to Hyrule."

"Link has a new son, Dekaru, and I've heard the son of Darunia has started to train his younger brother, Terani."

"And how is Dark and Alexis?"

"Dark is training well, preparing to confront Link when the time will come, and Alexis… well, we're still working on that." She said with a vicious smile.

"I'm not sure about him, Itaké."

"You're instincts are occasionally right, Rock," the witch replied, "but not always. Alexis will be important for us."

"Very well," the Goron apologised, "I don't want you to underestimate Link like Ganondorf and Twinrova."

"We won't, don't worry. In fact, we have found a little something to start him off in a downward spiral."

A smile started to form on her red lips.

Somewhere in the Goron mountains the dark Goron wandered around.

"She can say what she wants," he murmured, "I think it's better to kill Link right away, not play games with him."

He picked up a rock while he walked and squashed it between his huge hands.

"Hey, I was planning on eating that."

Rock looked up and saw a young Goron standing on the ledge above him with his hair wildly on his head.

"I don't know who you are, but for some reason I don't like you," the boy said and swung a hammer on his shoulder, "you remind me too much of an enemy uncle Link once fought."

Uncle Link? Fuck, Rock thought, this is the son of Darunia, Link, what age was he already? 14? And already wielding the Megaton hammer.

"Get lost kid, or I'm gonna beat you up so badly…"

"Oh really?" Link smiled and jumped down, "I think you're gonna find me a bit tougher than you think."

Rock's fist flew forward and hit Link straight in the face. The young Goron flew back a few meters and got back on his feet.

"You know what? I don't think so." Rock grinned.

"Maybe so, but you never know, do you?"

Rock looked up and saw Link standing there with the Goron sword in his left hand, pointing at Rock.

"I take it you have something to do with all those strange things happening in Hyrule?" Link asked with a straight face.

Rock saw he was dead serious, he didn't think the situation was funny and who could blame him? Rock had tried on several occasions to create an almost deadly scenario for Link and always wanted to make it complete deadly.

"Maybe, maybe not, I have no idea what you're up to these days." Rock said with a smile.

"Let's just be on the safe side and kill you." Link replied.

"Bring it on, Hero of Time." Rock grinned as he tensed his muscles.

Link was glad he could fight this grey Goron. Ever since he was married to Romani monsters have been popping up in Hyrule without an apparent reason, without somebody who was able to give him a meaning of this violence. Not even Zelda, who was supposed to know everything of the evil things threatening Hyrule, or at least, that's what she told Link when he was fighting Ganondorf, could make him any wiser. But now, now he had an opponent that he could beat up and ask questions. And that Goron would give him answers, one way or another. Link jumped down and swung his sword to make his opponent jump back, right before Goro's hammer. Rock however jumped back, turned around and hit Goro right in the stomach. The kid went down and Rock faced Link again.

"Nice try, Hero, but I'm not some mindless minion you usually fight."

Link became furious with Rock's grin and charged forward. Rock jumped up and climbed up the ledge to get out of Link's reach. In a swift motion that surprised Rock, Link sheeted the huge Goron Sword and grabbed his shield. He jumped up, did a summersault and landed behind Rock. Before Rock could turn completely, Link drove his shield forward against Rock's face. The mighty Goron involuntarily took a step back and fell of the ledge, right next to the young Goron who was getting up.

"Goro, you okay?" Link shouted.

"I'm fine, just got the wind knocked out of me."

"The get your hammer and smash him."

"But Gorons aren't supposed to fight each other." Darunia's son replied.

"That's right kid," Rock jumped up and smashed the young Goron against the wall, "and that's the reason I won't kill you."

Link jumped down and let his shield come down on Rock's shoulder. Rock reacted by lashing out and Link landed some five meters away from him.

"You fucker," Rock said while he grabbed his shoulder, "first you knock out some of my teeth and now you break my shoulder. What do you think it's gonna accomplish?"

"You giving me some answers."

"Then ask me questions."

Link got up and got his shield ready. He looked at the dark Goron in front of him. Was he serious? Did he just have to ask and he would tell him?

"Okay, I'll bite, why do you wanna kill me?"

"That's an easy one, why did Ganondorf or anyone else try to kill you?"

So they wouldn't have any resistance reaching their goal, duh, Link thought. He was too much involved in the fight to think of the right questions.

"Okay, then who wants to kill me?"

"That would be me," Rock grinned and ran towards Link to crush him.

Link smashed his shield into Rock's ribs and rolled out of the way.

"Fuck, I think you just broke one of my ribs."

Link smashed his boot into Rock's face and jumped away. Blood was now coming out of Rock's mouth and his nose.

"So that's where a Goron's nose is, it's hard to see when you just have nostrils and no real nose."

"I thought you were bigger than that to make racist jokes, is that an example for your 'nephew'?"

"Just trying to piss you off so I can beat you easier." Link replied.

"Right, but first of all, it's not working, and second, you wouldn't like me when I'm pissed off. Got any more questions?"

"Yes, who do you work for?"

"How many evil forces have you beaten now? Four? Five?" Rock grinned.

"Six if you count Twinrova and the Poe Collector."

"Yesss," Rock hissed, "Ganondorf, Majora, who Ganondorf had employed to keep you occupied, Onox and Veran, who turned out to work for Twinrova, who worked for Ganondorf, I see a pattern here."

"What. You're saying you're working Ganondorf? He's dead. I made sure of that. Twice."

"And so was Twinrova but they came back, didn't they?"

"So you're saying Ganondorf is back?"

"No, I'm just implying it." Rock laughed.

"Now more riddles," Link drew his sword again, "tell me straight out or I'll kill you."

"Listen carefully, Hero, your adventures in Tempora were woven into your fight with Ganondorf, and so were your adventures in Holodrum and Labrynna. This is just another part of that adventure. Know this, it didn't start with Ganondorf and it didn't end with him. It's bigger than him, Ganondorf is nothing compared with you. Don't you get it? It's all about you. It started with you, and it will end with you. That's why I want to kill you, so it doesn't end the way it's supposed to. With you gone, your story ends, and the rest of us can continue, but if you stay and fight, it will all end. The whole story will be finished."

"What are you saying? If I die at the right time, all of Hyrule is doomed?"

"Something like that, so that's why you have to die now!" Rock dashed forward towards Link.

He grabbed Link before he could react and started to crush him. Link let the handle of his sword come down on the side of the Goron's head, but seemingly to no avail.

"Time to get you back for my broken ribs."

Suddenly he let go of Link and turned around. Goro stood there with the Megaton hammer, ready to strike again.

"You little punk, what happened to Gorons aren't supposed to fight each other?" he asked.

"That's right," Goro grinned, "that's the reason why I won't kill you."

Rock grabbed the kid before he could land another hit and threw him back.

"Fucking little snot. Ough!"

Rock got down on his hands when Link kicked him in the side.

"My ribs, you'll pay for this!" Rock yelled while he tried to grab Link.

Link rolled out of the way and slashed Rock's hand off in a fluent motion.

"Aargh, my arm, you little motherfucker!" Rock yelled.

"Think you're pissed off now." Link grinned and brought up his sword quickly.

Rock grabbed to his face to cover up the deep wound that ran vertically over his left eye.

"Tell me," he managed to say while blood came gushing out of his now empty eyesocket, "do you torture all you enemies, or just me?"

"I make sure I kill them the same way they would kill me," Link answered, "slow and painful."

Rock let out a loud roar and stormed towards Link. Link jumped out of the way and let his sword come down. Rock's head rolled onto Goro's feet.

"What do you think he meant with everything he said?" Goro asked.

"I have no idea. But I know the whole Ganondorf thing didn't start with me. I've heard there was a huge war in Hyrule when I was born and that's why Ganondorf came to Hyrule later on, to pledge allegiance to Hyrule so nothing like that happened again."

"Is that how you ended up in Kokiri forest?"

"I was carried there by my mother before I died," Link nodded, "she tried to get me safe from the war."

"So maybe that's what he meant by saying it started with you. Ganondorf was a result of the war that you fled, so to speak."

"You mean I symbolize that war? So the new evil could be another result of that war, I have to ask Zelda more information of that war."

"So what do you do with him?" Goro nodded in the direction of the decapitated body.

Link cleaned the blood of his sword and shield and shrugged.

"Just leave it, that's what it would have done with us."

Link turned and left.

AN: I must say what Rock said was true, this story will end when Link dies, but maybe when you ask politely enough, I might continue. But that's a concern for another day since Link will remain alive and killing, I mean kicking, for a long time.