CHAPTER 12

The merchant's cave was to the east, right next to the coast of the ocean. His foot feeling much better, Link went North, skirting the coast, and came across a set of stone steps hewn into the mountain side, both going up.

From his knowledge of the terrain, he knew the left-most stairs would lead him into Death Mountain proper, and decided to take the ones to his right.

They led him to a spacious landing surrounded on three sides by a mountain cliff. The ground was littered with moblin corpses. They lay over dark, dry spots of what had been their pooling, spreading blood.

Link immediately looked around, disregarding the bodies, in case something or someone waited hidden in ambush. Then, he approached the closest victim, and poked it with the tip of his sword to make sure it was dead, and not just feigning it.

The situation seemed sincere enough, and the top of the crag surrounding the place was too high for anything to jump down and surprise him. Once he could rule out an immediate trap, he studied his surroundings better. Across the landing, opposite the stairs that had brought him here, there was a statue standing right in front of the wall.

It had the symbol of the tearing eye on its chest.

Curious, and trusting after remembering what the merchant had said about the symbol, Link approached the statue and observed it. It seemed stone-wrought; an armored soldier with sword and shield.

As he studied it, Link noticed there was a narrow entrance behind it, blocked from sight by its bulk. Thinking nothing of it, Link stood by its shield side, and tried to push it aside.

The stone changed its color, and feel. Link jumped back immediately, placing his shield in front of him. The overhead slash of the statue hit the the upper edge of his shield, denting it, but Link was unharmed.

Backing up, Link noticed the thing moved slowly. After baiting some attacks, it was clear his opponent did not think, but simply reacted.

Link positioned himself so it would thrust. The young hero spun in, and slashed at the helmet, which went flying in the air to hit the ground, and roll away. But the thing kept attacking, looking like a headless warrior that still knew where Link was.

Another thrust. Link stepped sideways and brought down his sword on the forearm, which fell off as if it had been cut. The empty armor slashed horizontally, but Link ducked under the arch and slashed in turn, knocking off one of the greaves.

The thing fell face down, and Link was careful not to get hit by its shield as it flailed around on the floor while he disassembled the parts of the armor. Once they were all separate, none moved.

Satisfied, Link stepped through the narrow entrance into another cave. Within, he first thought there was nothing. But when he stepped aside, the sun's light from outside illuminated only an old man sitting on the floor. A piece of parchment lay before his crossed legs.

"Show this to the old woman," he said.

Not knowing how to react, Link didn't raise his sword or shield, but kept them at hand, just in case. "Was the statue another test? Weren't you and your clan supposed to help me?"

The old man, wearing the same red robe as Impa and the other old man that gave Link his sword, took in a deep breath to let it out tiredly, heavily, uncaringly.

"Show this to the old woman," he repeated.

Link approached carefully, squatted, and extended his left arm, towards the parchment. The sword was still in his hand, but he took the parchment between his straightened index and middle finger to withdraw it.

"Why did the statue attack me?" he repeated.

The old man shrugged slowly. "What does it matter? Why do you care? It will all repeat itself again, and again, again. This is not the first, nor the last time. And there's nothing we, little people, can do. Only you can stop this. The gods won't let us take control of our destiny."

Link stood in silence, making up his mind about this old man. He was clearly jaded, fixed on a pessimistic point of view. The young Hylian had met many old soldiers like that, and knew that only happy memories, or old friends, were able to comfort these poor, burdened souls.

It was as the Hero had one foot out the cave that the old man spoke from behind.

"Look Southwest at the top of the stairs, to the central lake."

Link only turned his head slightly to the side, and said, "Thank you."

Once alone, the man closed both his eyes, let a tear escape his eyes, and sighed out his life in a final breath. His back slumped, but his body remained seated.

#

Outside, standing at the top of the stairs, and looking Soutwest, Link was able to see the lake. It almost looked like two smaller lakes had decided to merge, side by side, to form a larger one. In what would be the middle of each one, a giant rock rose from the surface, and each with a crater within it.

Link wondered if that was what the old man had meant, and then noticed that a bridge connected the rock to his left, to the eastern coast of the lake.

Confident after having survived all the encounters up to this moment, thinking himself sufficient, and trusting that he was, as Impa and the others of her clan had said, the Hero, Link let a little smile pull one corner of his mouth.

He put a hand on the hilt of his sword, and thought, "Time to make my way there."