Dorill half-heartedly swung his boulder breaker at the blank rock wall, resigned to what he knew the thick, blunt blade would reveal. Sure enough, shards of tasty yet ultimately worthless stone crumbled down to the dark brown Goron's feet. A fine snack on any day, but Dorill wasn't being paid to excavate a meal.

The Goron miner turned away from the financially disappointing finds, doffed his yellow safety hat and sat down with a grunt. Glances at those under his charge revealed similar feelings of apathy. Bohrin was napping, of course. Not that Dorill blamed him. When a Goron's hair moved from the top of his head to the bottom of his chin, it meant he had already worked hard enough to earn as many naps as he wanted. Only Master Rohan, the great blacksmith, napped more than Bohrin.

The elder Goron still had an affinity for mining - and a nose for locating where the best gemstones were buried. Bohrin was especially talented at pinpointing the exact whereabouts of raw diamonds, the smell of which he claimed was acrid enough to singe his nose.

The old Goron had smelled no diamonds on this day, however. Or rubies. Or topaz. Or any of the gemstones with which Hyrule's other races were so unusually fascinated. Dorill - and the rest of the Gorons - didn't understand them. Why waste rupees on a rock that doesn't taste like a rock?

Truth be told, the Gorons would only thrive as long as the other races' odd preferences held out. The trade of precious stones had seen Death Mountain remain a powerful seat of wealth for untold generations. Only the Gerudo came close and, since they dwelled in the opposite corner of Hyrule, even they presented little competition.

At least that was how it had been. Goron profits had fallen dramatically over the last moon cycle. Dorill knew at least part of the reason was causing small tremors within the Southern Mine even now.

Vah Rudania: the great lizard protector. When he was a boy, Dorill had marveled at the Sheikah machine's size. That was when Rudania had the common courtesy to not rain fire and destruction on Death Mountain. Its latest assault had turned the northern mine into a lava sea riddled with island-like remains of the Gorons' most lucrative operation.

Dorill missed the northern mine. He had already pegged out his next two digging sites there! Now, with the mine all but destroyed and that much closer to Death Mountain's now-volatile peak, working there was out of the question. Bludo had sent Dorrill and his team to the old southern mine in hopes of recouping some of their losses. Three days in, they had precious little to show for their efforts.

The southern mine had been thoroughly cleaned out over two decades earlier. Lack of direct lava flow had stalled whatever gem regrowth might have occurred. One of Dorill's first orders of business had been to punch a hole into the mine's western wall to allow an ongoing trickle from the nearby Goronbi River. He knew it would take weeks, perhaps months, before the new lava flow would produce enough gemstones to justify their work.

Dorill pulled out of his brooding as Jengo approached. The young miner set down his own cobbler with a clatter and gestured at the newly broken rocks strewn on the ground.

"Mind if I have a bite?"

Dorill motioned for the yellow Goron to take a seat. "Go ahead, goro."

Jengo sat alongside his supervisor and began munching away contentedly. Dorill did likewise. Tiny flecks of stone escaped the simple creatures' wide mouths, which crushed the plain stone with precious little effort.

"You didn't dig up more of the same at your spot?" Dorill asked between bites.

"Too salty," Jengo answered after a particularly impressive belch. "Hoped it might mean somethin', but it's all snacks and no sparkles."

Dorill nodded in agreement. Jengo was a good worker, one of the best in fact. He didn't have anything approaching Bohrin's instincts, but the young Goron made up for it with tireless arms and an addiction to the grind. Jengo would probably head up his own team one day. Hopefully the Gorons would still need one by then.

"Was that Yunobo I saw goin' with Kairo?" Jengo asked after a second round of hearty snacking.

"Yeah," Dorill casually confirmed. "Boss wants Yunobo to keep him safe on the way to the stable. Wants this shipment to pay off, doesn't he?"

"Wonder how Kairo felt 'bout that," Jengo chuckled. "No Goron should need to be babysat, an' Yunobo ain't exactly his granddad, is he?"

"Rudania's got us by the stones," Dorill cursed. "Yunobo may not be Daruk, but he's got his Protection, don't he? That's the only reason the beast hasn't wiped out the city by now."

"I'll give 'im that," Jengo agreed. "What if Rudania tries again, though? Won't Boss need Yunobo here?"

"You know the Boss," Dorill laughed. "'Get your rupee today and your lunch tomorrow.' Rudania aint the only thing they have to worry about. Been more Ganonspawn around lately. Might be why no new traders have come to the stable in a fair bit. He wants this shipment to go through more than he wants to sit around waitin' for Rudania to lose 'er temper again."

Jengo nodded in agreement, but halted his third helping at the sight of a small rock ball rambling right up to them. The ball unfurled to reveal a tiny black Goron with an oversized worker's hat. His round, jet-black eyes glittered as he beheld what remained of the adults' snack.

"I work real hard!" the miniature Goron declared in a gruffly high-pitched voice. "It my break time now!"

"That must mean my break is over," Jengo laughed. "Roll to it, then, little Axyl! Eat lots so you get to be big and strong like me!"

The little Goron immediately set about stuffing his face by the double handful, stopping only long enough to reply, "Gonna get bigger and stronger than both of yous put together!"

Dorill softly patted the youngster's back with his large hand. "Keep eating like that an' you'll be well on your way!"

Half-chewed rocks spilled from Axyl's wide smile of approval at the compliment. Dorill shook his head in amazement as the little one judged each worker's paltry returns from their work, unintentionally providing some much-needed smiles to the otherwise hard-pressed crew.

"Axyl no like amber. Bring me say-fires! Blue my favorite color! Next time you bring two times more as many, or no break!"

The good-natured Gorons left their self-appointed supervisor with solemn promises to improve before breaking into smiles the second they turned away.

"You've got'em quakin' in their kits now, Axyl!" Dorill said approvingly.

The little Goron nodded in casual agreement before eyeing the metal cart containing the day's findings. It was less than half full.

"S'not much, is it?" Axyl asked bluntly.

"No, t'isn't," Dorill answered honestly. "May'ap we'll find more tomorrow."

Axyl frowned in deep thought before brightening considerably. "May'ap the lizard monster will go away tomorrow!"

"I hope so, little Axyl," Dorill replied seriously. "I hope-"

A great, metallic roar sent Axyl's snack trembling upon the stone floor. A booming explosion shook the rock walls, followed by whooshing and breaking sounds that grew closer with each second.

"Heads down and shells up, boys!" Dorill bellowed.

The missile-like noises were nearly upon them. Dorill snatched Axyl to his body and curled up into the protective ball all Gorons could assume. Several of what he knew to be magma bombs - volcanically produced and Rudania-thrown projectiles - crashed into the mine's natural rock roof.

The entire structure collapsed, burying every last Goron in an immeasurable mass of shale and stone.

For the second time in as many weeks, Garill found himself prostrate before the great stone well within a magnificent redstone canyon. Once again, his tears drenched the dirt into which his face was buried. This time, he wept for a different reason entirely. He felt no bliss before the gaping maw. Terror such as the Yiga had never known had seized him.

"YOU REVEALED YOURSELF TO THE BOY?"

"Yes, Great Master!" Garill howled. The searing burn of failure was agony. "Your blessed magic was the only way I could escape the Hylian Champion and Sheikah dog! Please f-f-forgive me! Please!"

"BETTER THAT YOU HAD DIED THAN BETRAY OUR PRESENCE TO THE ENEMY."

The booming knell might as well have been a boot, forcing Garill to squirm further into the ground. He groveled like the worm he knew himself to be.

"Forgive! Forgive!"

"BRING FORTH HE THAT IS TO BE INITIATED."

Spasms seized Garill. He lay helpless, convulsing intermittently on the floor as the minutes stretched out and sped up at the same time. The Yiga remembered his own initiation well. It had been the proudest day of his life, his acceptance among the Chosen Race. He had sealed the moment in blood - not his own, but another's. The Gerudo wench's neck had not been nearly so stiff once it had been torn asunder.

Footsteps scratched the shale-and-stone floor behind him. Two masked Yiga blademasters, their great two-handed cleavers sheathed on their backs, escorted an unmasked initiate between them. Garill knew this, for it had been the same on his great day. He kept his face pressed firmly to the ground, willing the forced darkness to be his only reality.

"FACE YOUR FATE, INSECT."

Unwilling to let the Blademasters casually force his head upwards - as they had done to his own victim years ago - Garill flinchingly lifted his off-center eyes. He retched on the spot.

The initiate's face was a nauseating mix of half-charred and half-healed skin. Only part of his nose remained. The left eye was milky white and dead, leaving the right's living brown disconcerting in contrast. Gross, wet strands of hair protruded from the back and nape of his head, while the rest of his skull was as grisly and misshapen as the rest of him. Whoever he was, the young man would never be recognized by those he had once known. He would not be even were he unscarred. Like his soon-to-be brethren, the initiate would hereafter be seen only with a Yiga mask or the magically worn face of another. Thus did the Yiga maintain a secrecy rivaled only by their greatest enemy.

"YOU SEE THE IRONY?" the great voice crooned. "HE WHOM YOU WOULD HAVE HAD SLAIN REPLACES YOU."

Garill's eyes widened. His throat constricted, wrung by the true, chittering fear felt by those tracked down by fate's merciless and fitting justice. The Great Master ignored the death-like rattles from his former servant and instead began addressing the initiate.

"WILL YOU LEAVE ALL BEHIND TO SERVE THE YIGA?

The voice that issued from the flesh-burnt atrocity was a painful, albeit emotionless rasp.

"I will."

"WILL YOU DO ALL WITHIN YOUR POWER TO SEE THE DAYS OF THE DEMON KING RETURNED?"

There was no impression of thought or hesitation from the initiate.

"I will."

Too late, Garill rediscovered his voice. The disgraced Yiga fell to the earth, only to shriek and blubber as the Blademasters seized his scalp and lifted his head.

"I will, Great Master! I will serve the Yiga and the Demon King! I will not fail you again! I will obey! I will-"

The initiate's crescent-shaped scythe cut short his predecessor's pleas. Blood mingled with, then drowned out the tears Garill had left on the canyon floor until it began trickling over the edge of the well. The voice from within seemed to savor its taste.

"YOU ARE YIGA."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: The epilogue helps set the table for Book Three, in which the Gorons (and many others) take a more prominent part. If you're not sure who the Yiga initiate is, head on back to "Stories and Snares."

I've had so much fun writing this series. I can only hope you've enjoyed it as well. Book Three is in progress, but a newborn and shoulder surgery have kept me from finishing it as fast as I would like. It is all mapped out, however. Spoiler: many more (and deeper) viewpoints from other major characters are coming. When it's ready, I'll be changing the title of this FF story and simply adding to it. If you've got it bookmarked, you'll know the moment I've begun posting Book Three.

I've truly enjoyed crafting Link's personality, as well as those of Sidon, Paya and others. More significant enemies will surface, but keep your eye on the Wizzrobe(s). Their backstory will be a fun one.

Thank you so, so much for reading. If you've got a take on something you liked (or didn't) feel free to leave a comment/review. See you again very soon.