Jeeran came up behind Deytra and placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled at Jitsen, "See I told you."
They walked along the path for it seemed like several more hours before they reached the entrance to Goron city, running into a few spiders every so often and Jitsen slicing them in two.
When they did finally reach the city enterance it only left them in dismay.
Their in front was the entrance to the city, at the side a gate overlooking a giant canyon that led straight down to Karkariko Village. It was over a five hundred foot drop, not a chance they could climb around the mountain.
Jeeran's eyes were huge as he stared blankly at the mountain that drop straight down into nothingness, Jitsen right next to him, with the same expression.
"All this way..." Jeeran sighed.
"What about the Gorons?" Deytra asked with optimism.
"What about the Gorons. They're as thick as the rocks they eat." Jitsen spat.
"They could help us." Deytra insisted.
"Deytra leave me alone right now, I gotta think." Jeeran said waving his hand at the teen and causing her to fume with anger.
She stomped off into the city angrily.
A Goron greeted her at the gate, smiling dumbly as he bowed, "Umm..Hello I am Grotto the Goron gatekeeper. Have you some...uh.... business in here?" The Goron said scratching his head.
"Yes. I am trying to reach Termina, and I have been told you can reach it only by going around the mountain. Unfortunately, my way is cut off. Par chance you have a way to get around Death Mountain?" Deytra said sweetly as she tried not to confuse the slow-witted creature.
"Grotto doesn't know what exactly you are saying. Go see Lirunia." The Goron scratched his head in confusion, "Down that way, I think..." Grotto pointed to a staircase that led down to the bottom chamber.
Deytra followed it down and saw a plush carpet in front of a doorway and a symbol. Deytra took her time as she skipped merrily into the chamber and approached a large Goron who sat on a throne.
Before Deytra could say anything, a little Goron girl with pigtails and a cream colored dress ran into the chamber and knocked Deytra over as she leapt onto the big Goron's lap.
"Liru! Liru!" She squealed as she hugged Lirunia as tightly as she could.
"Tyny." Lirunia scolded, what have I told you about watching where you're going. You knocked that poor human down." Lirunia set Tyny down and stood, lifting up Deytra with ease and standing her back on the floor, "I'm sorry about my daughter." Lirunia smiled.
Deytra dusted off her tunic, "It's fine. Oh hello, I'm Deytra. Me and my friends have to go around this mountain in order to make it to Termina. Is it possible to do that?" Deytra asked wasting no time getting straight to the point of things.
"Hello, I am Lirunia, grandson of Darunia and son of Link. You can make it straight through the mountain but.... well after the eruption of it, the Volcano hardened over, turning it into a dome like thing with a layer of harden molten lava creating a strange roof. Behind this chamber, there is entrance to the inside, but it's quite scary. Actually my wife, being her sweet self and all, went in there in pitch black with just a latern just to retrieve my favorite Goron crystals for a specail anniversary dinner. You know only Goron's can mine them and they're very delicioud, not to mention I've heard sorcers
have used them for magic spells." Lirunia's happy expression suddenly changed to a frown, "But sadly it's been about two days and she's not back. I'd go, but most the Goron's are out, some convention in Lake Hylia or something, and I can't leave my precious Tyny with that miscreaton Grotto up there. So I have no choice but to stay here. But please, feel free to go..." The huge Goron sighed wearily.
Deytra looked all pouty as she stared at Lirunia who looked at the ground mournfully.
Deytra suddenly perked up, "Hold on a second." And with that she raced up the stairs and out of the city to Jitsn and Jeeran as they gave up figuring out a plan and sat eating a lunch Anjulina had packed them.
Deytra rushed up to them and declared, "Come on, we're helping the Goron's and making it through that mountain!"

"Getting through the mountain sounds like a splendid idea but.." Jeeran started.
"We haven't time to help those rock-crunching miscreatons." Jitsen finished.
"Oh come on. Listen, the inside of the mountain has become just like a dome, it's totally dark in there. Lirunia's wife went in there for crystals for a special dinner for her husband. She hasn't come back yet, and it's been two days." Deytra pleaded.
"I'm sure this Lirunia is a big tough fellow.." Jeeran started.
"He can do it himself." Jitsen finished.
"But he can't! He has to stay here and take care of his daughter." Deytra yelled, "Please, it won't take long, we can just find her and give her a light to use. Those crystals she went to find have powers. Jitsen you can summon magic can't you! We'll need all the strength we can when we fight those Poes!"
Jeeran and Jitsen looked at each other and nodded, "Fine we'll go along woth this charade." Jitsen mumbled.

The person in the Poe attire circled a finger around in a glass of putrid liquid. The Poe man stared at the screen in front, watching the three teens enter the Goron City.
The Poe man gulped down the liquid, knowing he couldn't watch them again until they were in the Death Mountain Dome.
The Poe man rapsed out, "Sentor!" He screamed at a Poe guard, "Let loose Guidey in the central chamber of the Death Mountain Dome, turn it into a regular battle arena. Make sure that the lights are on in the central chamber and also send out those disgusting little dark worm things, all over the place, give word to them that they must ensure Lari, Lirunia's wife is encaged in the central chamber with Guidey. If they take to long she'll become a snack for her resistance to give us the Goron Stars."
The Poe laughed evily and spun around disappearing of to do the horrid Poe man's wishes.

Tyny giggled as she tugged at her Dad's beads symbolizing the highest respect among the Gorons. Lirunia watched Deytra come in followed by Jitsen, Jeeran and Grotto.
"Can I, uh...come please Miss...uh..." Grotto begged as he
called on Deytra's sleeve.
"My names Deytra." Deytra smiled and looked to Lirunia, "Can he go with us?"
Lirunia smiled, "We don't need that great lumox around here. Go ahead take him."
Grotto jumped up and down like an infant and hugged Deytra, squeezing her tightly.
"We'll need you to help his wife back once we get her ok, so you have a responsibility ok Grotto?" Deytra said gently.
"I can do it, I can do it." He yelled.
"If you all are ready then you may enter behind my throne." Lirunia said as he stood lifting him and Tyny up, "Please do the honors." Lirunia said motioning to Grotto.
Though he was very slow-witted he was quite string. Grotto lifted up the throne with ease, exposing a darkened passageway to inside the Death Mountain Dome.
Lirunia lifted a large Poe-like lantern of a desk top and handed it to Grotto who set down the throne in a new location and took hold of the latern.
"Take care of my friend Deytra, ok Grotto." Lirunia instructed.
"Uh...all right. I'll uh... make sure Miss Deytra doesn't get hurt.... And that I uh.... bring back Miss Lari." Grotto stuttered and saluted smartly, he turned back and looked at three humans, Jitsen and Jeeran just stood there dumbfounded, not exactly sure of what they were doing, but prepared to follow Grotto.
Grotto trotted towards the tunnel entrance and turned around, "Please follow me..."

Deytra held close to Grotto, gripping his arm tightly as the corridor got narrower and narrower. The light couldn't show what was in front of them so they took steps blindly, not knowing what could be lurking ahead.
Jeeran shook as he kept a hand on the Master Swords handle, it rattled and echoed noisily off the walls, and it seemed to bounce into a wide open space in front. They seem to be nearing the inner Death Mountain Dome.
"We'll be coming upon the dome soon, stick close Miz Deytra, those dark worm things could be anywhere." Grotto mumbled seeming to be taking more control and stuttering a lot less.
"So, how do we find her in the dark?" Jitsen asked.
"We don't." Grotto said in simple Goron Logic as he sat down on the ground, placing the latern at the side of him.
Gone unnoticed before, Grotto slung a small haversack in front of him and pulled out a stake, a rag and oil.
He drove the stake into the ground then wrapped the rag around it, then picked up the little can full of oil, and squirted it on the rag.
Grotto may have been smarter than they gave him credit. He took off the top of the latern and touched the flame to the rag. It ignited instantly, bring a dim ligh to the room.
They could see they were on a high cliff platform, leading down into the temple by a dilapitated wood bridge. But the light couldn't do much else, the bridge eventually led down into nothingness.
While Jeeran, Jitsen and Deytra peered down into the gorge, Grotto repeated the process of making torches a second time, giving even more light to the area.
Deytra may have been the only one who saw this, but maybe the others didn't want to admit it. But the platform, out in the middle of the room, the one with the many rocks and crevices. Deytra saw little eyes peer out for a split second, then scurry back under a large crevice in the rock.
Grotto observed his surrounding.
The platform they thought was the middle really wasn't. And what they thought was the back wall, was really the inner most part of the Dome. Where the Goron Stars where supposedly kept.
"You see that back wall?" Grotto asked, "That's really where the inner most chamber of the Death Mountain Dome is. That's where Goron Stars are at. And I believe, we must go down," Grotto said as he pointed down towards the rope latter, "To go up."

Deytra shuffled closer to the edge of the cliff and peered down, geting a sick and dizzy feeling, she pulled back and looked at Grotto.
"There's not a chance that would hold us all." Deytra mumbled.
Jitsen giggled loudly, echoing the noise off the tunnel walls, "Give me that lantern Grotto." She said snatching the lantern away from the Goron, "You forget I can hover, so if that bridge can hold you that's all we need it to do. I'll be right back." Jitsen nodded as she flew next to the bridge, following it's steep decline into the darkness.
They waited in silence for what seemed to be an eternity before they saw the faint glow of the lantern return into view.
"It leads into a tunnel that goes really far back." Jitsne called.
"Where does that lead?" Jeeran asked.
Jitsne looked flushed as she stuttered, "Uh...well, it was really uh... far back. I d-didn't want to keep you waiting..."
Grotto stood at the edge of the bridge and placed a foot lightly on the creaking boards.
They groaned and swayed and Grotto pulle dback his foot and examined the ropes.
He twanged one with his fingers, then bit it with his teeth.
"Yup, them's Goron made ropes. Strong enough to 'old a three hundred pound Goron, and I'm only 240. But the wood is all weather tattered from when a roof didn't cover this area. I 'opes I can make it."
Grotto closed his eyes and put a hand on the ropes.
He tentatively and stepped one foot onto the boards.
Deytra held in her breath as Grotto placed a second foot on the boards.
Grotto sighed as the swaying came to a stop, but the wood began creaking loudly, and a splintering noise came from the boards Grotto stood on...

Grotto grabbed the sturdy Goron rope as the wood fell from under him.
The others didn't even have time to react before he was up on another board again, testing it's strength.
"This one's fine." Grotto said oblivious to the ignorant move he had just attempted.
"Be careful!" Deytra called as she clung to Jitsen's back as she hovered across the large pit of nothingness under them, holding Jeeran in front and Deytra on her back.
Grotto trotted across the bride happily, totally oblivious to his former peril and taking no mind that he could barely see the borads under him for Jitsne was ahead of him with the lantern.
They traveled farther downwards and approached the darkened tunnel the rope bridge led into.
They paused, waiting for Grotto to catch up saftely before going through.
Jitsen seemed to hold her breath as they went through the darkened tunnel even though Jeeran held the light up for her.
They others didn't know what was wrong with Jitsen and the darkness but they couldn't just come out and ask her. They had a good upbringing and knew not to be rude.
After what seemed liek an eternity the wood bridge led onto a platform with a sliding rock door in front of it.
"Is this the entrance to the central chamber?" Deytra asked as she slid off of Jitsen's back and onto solid ground.
"I wish it were Miss Deytra. This is the middle chamber I believe we just came from the outter. It shouldn't take but a few twists and turns to reach the central." Grotto spat on his hands and rubbed them together, "Now stand back Miss Deytra. I gotta open up this rock doorway...."
Grotto launched himself on the hard rock surface, his muscles straining as he pulled the rock aside inch by inch.
Finally it was pulled all the way to the side.
Revealing a room with a torch lighting it up in the center.
"What in the world..." Jitsen mumbled.
Grotto scratched his chin, "That torch ain't supposed to be there...."

To be CONTINUED