Chapter 34: Trowel into the Darkness

Lingering Nightmares of the Past Arc

Disclaimer: I don't own The Legend of Zelda, this is just a Fanfiction.

Featured Music: "Urgency Drives Us" - Fire Emblem 10: Radiant Dawn OST. Chapter Briefing.

"Block Mind" - Silent Hill II OST. Scene 2 (Second Half).

"Walk on Vanity Ruins" - Silent Hill III OST. Scene 3 (Second Half).


Although successful in their attempt to clear the holy Water Temple of its inside infections the Hylianis Militaris Ordinis lose another of their once few loyal numbers; the last of the Van Garrick Clan and powerful warrior in his own right, Raynard Van Garrick. During the scramble to save the fighting Sheik Link, Navi and Ruto manage to fight through Scaverin and his incredibly horrifying creation; 'Morpha'.

In utilising this water-manipulating demon-like creature Scaverin not only manages to charm the previously missing Alwyn to his side but even accomplishes in extracting the essence of the Shinzui-et-Sanmiitai in Link's form.

Indeed; Kage Narumono himself is, at last, given a physical manifestation.

Though having lived within Link's body as a vessel in all eighteen years of his life he reveals that he knows all of the Hero of Time's techniques and strategies in war and combat. In spite this overwhelming advantage however Kage, once more, finds himself faced with defeat; in a daring play indeed Link merely offers his demonic second side a choice and a revelation in that they are not one and the same, despite the ghost-like form's attempts otherwise.

Just like an apparition itself, Kage leaves Link with a chilling final message and promise to return, so long as the Shinzui-et-Sanmiitai sleeps within him.

With the Zoran princess Ruto now similarly awakening as a holy Sage however Link and his rebellion allies manage to return light to Lake Hylia and its surrounding areas; in their efforts they manage to bring back the water that had once dried up in king Ganondorf's assault. In spite of this success however the alliance have little time to celebrate as Kakariko Village is seemingly attacked by some nightmarish kind of dark force.

Although Link and Sheik manage to survive the onslaught they soon learn that their ally, Impa of the Sheikah, was last seen within the deep halls of the Shadow Temple. With this knowledge they press on in an attempt to locate and assist her...


Scene 1

"I don't know if I like this..."

"Just press on; the sooner we get it done the better."

Wincing as he listened to his commander's sharply-spoken order Link flinched but only very briefly before soon following behind. Even as they stepped through the clearing and into the Kakariko Graveyard the slight shower of rain only added to the group's lowering morale. Feeling somewhat nostalgic as he walked on past the tall weathered wooden sign Link cast his gaze toward the similarly shabby shack on his right.

"Isn't that... Dampé's old house...?"

"Over here."

Pulled straight out of his inward silent thoughts Link turned his inquisitive frown over to the marching Sheikah leader ahead of him, stepping through the garden of graves. Even as the rain pattered atop the wet grass that they stepped onto, walking away from the stone path they tread on, the pair opted to turn their march to the damp ground surrounding the end of the graveyard.

Realising there was only a trio of graves resting at the end the curious Link couldn't help but raise a blonde eyebrow as he turned his cerulean-eyed gaze around, as if in search for the next possible road out of the limited movement they had.

"I don't... see where-"

"Look up Link."

Following his commander's wise words the wide-eyed Hylian turned his surprised stare skyward only to find a wooden divider built high above the pair.

"Oh, so the temple's built in there is it?" Navi belled in with an inquisitive tone to her voice.

"Yes," Sheik answered the curious guardian fairy, fiery-red eyes narrowing up at the platform high above them. "We'll have to press on as soon as we're able."

Though he listened in due silence, the memory of Sheik's earlier anger still fresh in his head, Link couldn't help but contemplate the very meaning of his commander's statement.

"That's great and all, but...," he began, furrowing his brow thoughtfully before returning his gaze up to the wooden divider above him. "How the hell are we gonna get up there?"


"You didn't have to do that!"

"Oh hush up; you're fine," Navi insisted for what felt like the umpteenth time; in spite of her confident words however she found herself hovering away from the wildly shaking form of her charge. "Just keep that rain off me!" She called out in a bout of well-natured ribbing laughter as she watched the annoyed Link shake wildly to rid himself of the droplets of drizzle that acclimated to his form.

"Reminds me of a dog of some kind." Sheik offered over his shoulder, a grinning characteristic to the tone of his words. Navi, laughing in response to his words, stayed a fair distance away perhaps to avoid the incoming droplets of rain that Link shook off.

"Very funny," the disgruntled Hero of Time shot back, a light twitch in the annoyed frown he wore to counter his commander. The ambience soon began to fall to a trickle as the group descended down the staircase before them one at a time; even as he followed his leader Link could barely hear the constant rainfall behind him. As they finally stepped inside the chamber down below Link furrowed his brow in light curiosity as he drank in the sight. "Is... this it?" He asked, turning his cerulean-eyed gaze across the many torches littered around the deceptively large chamber.

Drawn all around the brown-shaded surface was an odd kind of language that resembled something Link had previously seen in books. In the centre of it appeared to be a single stone-like platform that seemed to be the fulcrum of the area and finally at the end of the chamber looked to be a very large ebony-stone door. On it was a symbol the watching Link managed to recognise rather intimately.

A single opened eye decorated with a droplet of what appeared to be a tear; the Sheikah's symbol.

"The Sheikah were the ones that created this building...," Sheik began to explain, seemingly sensing the silent Link's ruminations. "Even before the other Hylian temples were erected... this was built for a single purpose."

"And that is...?" Link ventured to ask, a straw eyebrow raising up in curiosity.

"To keep something in," the rebellion's leader retorted, a hardened glare to his narrow-eyed stare as he re-faced the wide-eyed Hylian. "You remember it... don't you? At the well?"

"Yeah...," the listening Hero of Time muttered out distastefully, his sky-blue eyes wandering away from his commander's gaze. "I almost wish I didn't." The blonde gave claim to, eyes narrowing at the ground in reluctant memory of the horrific sight.

It wasn't so much the mere form the oddly humanoid-like thing took...

It was its Aegir.

Sometimes, when he had felt something very odd, it was telling.

If there was anything to match it, it had to be that thing, he thought.

Pure horrifying malicious intent; that was what he felt from it... and yet somehow different from the incarnation of hatred within him. Kage Narumono.

While Kage was admittedly filled with anger and hatred, he was at least direct in his approach.

Something in that nightmarish form suggested otherwise and the concerned Link didn't like it.

Not one bit.

"Come on."

Dragging him out of his silent ruminations the frowning Sheik stepped toward the platform surrounded by torches and turned his head 'round to eye his officer.

"It's time to flex that 'Din's Fire' and see if we can't enter this place... hm?" The Sheikah put forward, raising a curious straw-haired eyebrow of his own. Link shot up a side of his watching frown into a light but confident smirk before stepping on to follow his commander's order.

2

Treading through the darkness of the Shadow Temple's entrance Link kept his narrow-eyed gaze taut on the rigid closeness of the chamber he resided in alongside his companions. In spite of the building's incredibly large door the inside appeared to be little more than a small corridor leading to the right.

"Don't fall for this place's design," Sheik spoke as he stepped on ahead of his green-clothed accomplice, stopping as he came to what appeared to be the end of the corridor. "It was made to look contradicting to ward off thieves."

"Any other reason?" The young Hylian ventured to ask as he marched on behind the narrow-eyed Sheik before soon widening his eyes when he caught the long drop below.

"I guess for the sake of sheer amusement." Sheik batted back to his shocked companion, a similarly amused grin hidden behind the white scarf he wore so well. Regaining his hardened frown the thoughtful-faced Link reached into his inventory and quickly spun out the hookshot he had acquired earlier. Having enhanced its length it easily reached the end of the stone cliff ahead of him. Taking this into account Link shut an eye in effort before pressing the button on the back of the hookshot.

CLICK

WHUCK-WHUCK-WHUCK

Widening his oceanic-eyed frown the young Hero of Time was pulled suddenly and aggressively by the hookshot's strength; managing to just barely catch the cliff's side he pulled himself up with an effort-filled grunt. When he caught the sight of the folded-armed Sheik standing merely a step away from him he couldn't help but twitch his annoyed frown back, eliciting a satisfied-looking crease in Sheik's hidden grin.

"Come on."

Holding back an annoyed grunt Link obeyed his commander and followed on behind him. When he caught the Sheikah stepping on past the oddly designed wall ahead however his eyebrows rose up and, before he could even question the legitimacy of what he had just witnessed, he felt something probe his very mind.

"The Shadow will yield only to one with the Eye of Truth handed down in Kakariko Village."

"Come on Link!"

Shaking off his surprise the listening Hero of Time watched even his cerulean-shaded guardian fairy fly through the illusory wall.

I guess this is a normal occurrence for the Shadow Temple, he thought with a wry grin before stepping forward to dive through and follow.

Finding a surprising sight indeed made the watching Hylian raise up his two eyebrows; an odd stone-like edifice stood in the centre of the new spacious room they resided in. Resting atop the cylindrical-shaped structure was a crow-like creature also made of stone. Surrounded around its watchful eye appeared to be thin poles of skulls all littered around the stone edifice.

"I don't like this..." Sheik murmured out as he turned his folded-armed frown forward on the sight before him.

"What is it?" Link questioned curiously as he stepped toward his commander, eyes resting on the far-off platform to his top-right; a similarly strange-looking sort of building that's surface looked like a tongue of all things. The front appeared to be a monster of some kind and the entrance its mouth; in spite of the overwhelming distance between them and the platform however there was also a granite railing atop the platform's corridor that prevented entry.

What a way to keep someone out, Link thought in a sarcastic deadpan turn to his thoughtful-faced expression.

"We're going to have to either guess...," Sheik began lowly as he narrowed his flaming eyes up at one of the skull-like poles on his right. Raising his right hand up to rest atop it he nodded in confirmation as he felt its solid stone. "Or keep looking."

Finally turning back to face his commander Link blinked in confusion. "What are you talking a-?"

"'Make my beak face the skull of truth'," Sheik spoke aloud as he lowered his right arm to rest in his usual folded-armed expression. "'The alternative is descent into the deep darkness'."

"H-Huh?"

"Link."

Called by the helpful guardian fairy Link swivelled his straw-haired head to his left to find Navi hovering over what appeared to be an inscription.

Make my beak face the Skull of Truth.

The alternative is descent into the deep darkness.

"Wow...," Link murmured out, blinking back at the message before grinning sheepishly as he scratched the side of his head. "I guess we're boned then, huh."

"We could always risk it, but..." The narrow-eyed Sheik hummed forward, his firm-eyed gaze swivelling between the crow statue and the skulls littered around them.

"Isn't that one there the real skull?" The Hero of Time pressed on as he turned an accusatory finger on the skull his commander previously pawed at to his north-east. Briefly eyeing the bone-like stone, Sheik merely shook his similarly blonde head before re-facing the frowning Link.

"Not necessarily," he began before elaborating. "Just because I can interact with it doesn't quite mean it's the 'true' skull intended to be used for this."

Link merely stared back at the Sheikah, unsure and uncertain.

"In fact I imagine our enemies have set this up just so we will fail...," Sheik continued on as he re-turned his hard-eyed frown on the skull above him. He re-folded his arms and glared on as he opened his mouth back up. "If only there was some other way of-"

RUMBLE...

Surprised and frightened by the sudden jarring sound of movement Sheik swivelled his head 'round only to widen his eyes in horror at the sight; the grunting Link pushing the stone edifice toward the very skull he had referenced to earlier.

"Link, no!"


CLICK

"Phew!" The frowning Hero of Time managed out as he recovered from his strain by running his left arm across his forehead. Turning his blinking-eyed frown up to face his leader however he raised a curious eyebrow upward. "What?"

Before Sheik could even open his mouth to scold his companion for his action Link widened his eyes when he found his vision blighted by a sudden blanket of darkness. As if to aid whatever forces were seemingly kidnapping his very form the sound of Navi and Sheik's shouts for him began to sound muffled as if far away.

Eventually, as they also faded into darkness, so did his consciousness.

CLINK

Groaning Link attempted to make some form of sense to his current surroundings.

But it was difficult.

RUMBLE...

The smell was dank, damp and even dark.

Am I in some kind of dungeon, he thought warily.

Just as he thought it he realised suddenly he couldn't seem to move his arms.

"Where the hell am I?"

"H-He's here your godship... y-yes..."

Link's eyes snapped open and, in spite of the constant darkness pervading his vision, he could make out an odd shape behind the bag he seemed to be wearing. The bright orange-like glow the torch from within allowed him to make out merely a single form; someone small to match the soprano of the voice he heard.

It looked, and sounded, like a woman.

But what was a woman doing down here?

"P-Please... I've did all you asked..."

The grunting Link attempted to move and, as soon as he had, wished he hadn't; the sound of his movement caused the chains he was linked to, to clink loudly.

Oh no, he thought.

Just as he feared he caught the small shape of the person ahead of him swivel 'round, presumably surprised by the sudden sound. Very slowly stalking toward him the figure leaned over as if to examine him closely for signs of movement; in return Link attempted to freeze all movement and appear asleep.

Unfortunately for him however, his kidnapper opted to take the bag off of his head and examine him even more closely than before.

Sheepishly he raised up his eyes with his blonde head only to stare back at his kidnapper above him, a kind of zig-zag-like grin on his face.

This is bad, he thought.

At last however he at least got a decent look at his captor; seemingly a young woman, perhaps around his age-range. She wore merely dirtied rags to cover her upper and lower half, adding to her seemingly mysterious appearance.

"N-No...," the nameless captor murmured out, a hopeless look in her eyes as she turned them skyward suddenly. "I... I tried so hard to-" she continued to rant up at the ceiling above her as if for some kind of answer. Link watched her peculiarly, attempting to work out just who in fact she was speaking to. "Please don't... no... please..."

Finally, in spite of all of her clear-cut madness, Link lost his patience and opened his mouth.

"Who the hell are you-"

DROOM

Before he could even finish his sentence his oceanic eyes widened at the sudden explosion that threatened to blow him to smithereens. Seemingly coming from the left Link felt his long blonde fringe flying off to his right, the chains he was shackled to clanking noisily as they were also blown off their stone hinges. Screaming out in shock the nameless young woman was sent flying off to the darkened corner of the area leaving the coughing Link alone.

Or so he thought.

"Get up!"

Having not heard her voice for the last seven years Link remarkably recognised it; swinging his head 'round in wide-eyed surprise he stared back at the red-eyed Sheikah staring back at him.

His former mentor.

"I-Impa!" He exclaimed, shock lacing his very voice.

"I said get up!" She snapped again repeatedly at him, annoyance and impatience filling her. Wincing in reaction but obliging nonetheless Link pulled himself together and scurried on up to his feet, the shackles still hanging on his wrists. As he followed on after his former mentor down one of the Shadow Temple's many darkened corridors he could distinctly hear the wrist irons he wore jingled loudly.

3

"We should be safe now." Impa spoke over her shoulder, her tone and run very quickly shifting to a casual one.

Groaning in annoyance Link plonked himself down on the hard ground below him, regarding the chains still stuck around his wrists.

"Why are they stuck so tightly...?" The Hylian muttered in annoyance eyes narrowing down at the shackles as he attempted, in vain, to free himself of them.

"Where is Sheik?"

"Rgh...!" Link growled out in frustration as he pawed at the shackle on his left arm. "Why... won't it..."

"Link!"

Realising his former mentor was attempting to pull him up from his musings the surprised-faced Hylian shot his blue-eyed gaze up to face the narrow-eyed Sheikah.

"Where is Sheik, Link?" She repeated a second time, knelt down to his level. The listening Hero of Time lowered his eyes in a pensive frown, unsure on what exactly to say. "I see," she sighed , turning her silvery-haired head to the side before standing back up to her feet. "I didn't realise things were so bad between you two..."

"Sheik...," Link parroted, raising a straw-haired eyebrow in curiosity as he similarly rose up his head. "Of course...," he spoke, both eyebrows now rising upward in sudden realisation. "You taught him!"

Impa merely half-turned in her pacing around the darkened corridors of the labyrinth they resided in before eyeing him contemplatively and resuming her wordless movement.

"You'd think I'd have realised..." He thought aloud, the chains on his wrist clinking as he rubbed the back of his green-capped head sheepishly.

"How... much do you know of him?"

That question surprised him.

"Uh?" He merely grunted back in surprise, blinking as he re-faced her.

"I said how much do you know of him?" Impa repeated, folding her muscular arms over at him.

"Oh," he merely responded with before running his right finger over his nose in thought. "Hard to say... he keeps his cards close to his chest."

"Good," the Sheikah replied with, turning away from him as she paced down one of the narrow walkways the labyrinth was filled with. "Where's your guardian fairy companion?" She asked over her armoured shoulder, eyebrow similarly raising. "Navi, is it?"

"We got... separated I guess." Link answered, a doubtful frown etched upon his similarly thoughtful expression.

"She's with Sheik I presume, hm?" Impa responded with her own contemplative frown before nodding her silvery-haired head. "Good; that makes things easier for us."

"It does?" Link blinked back at her curiously.

She nodded a second time as she opened her mouth to retort. "If your companion is with Sheik then we can just meet them a little while down the road; come." She urged him on as she began to pace forward. Realising she was moving to leave Link's cerulean eyes widened before he scrambled to follow, the chains on his wrist clinking noisily.


"I feel horrible..."

"Don't blame yourself Sheik; it could have happened to anyone."

Having spoken of the very incident the Sheikah leader was referring to on multiple occasions the rebellion's captain finally decided to let it lie.

In spite of it however he couldn't help but worry.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Navi jingled positively on his right as the pair descended down what appeared to be a long and narrow hill incline. The stone soon switched to dirt ground; a fact reflected in the deep grunt Sheik's shoes gave off as they made contact. "We're talking about the Hero of Time," the diamond-blue guardian fairy spoke, a confident smile in the tone of her words. "If anyone can make it out of here alive alone, it's him."

Chuckling in quiet agreement Sheik nodded his blonde-haired head. "Yeah... thanks Navi."

The sudden sight of a Beamos not far from their position made the duo stiffen despite their earlier morale-raising conversation.

"It's okay," the watchful Navi breathed quietly from his side. "It's just a Beamos."

"That's not okay," Sheik disagreed with her in a firm-eyed narrowed glare. "If there's a Beamos there, then..."

"Good eye... detective."

Surprised by the abrupt baritone's interruption Navi couldn't help but gasp in surprise as she regarded the discovery with similar-toned concern.

"Where-?"

"They're around here somewhere...," Sheik murmured out, his eyes narrowed in a suspicious-faced glare. "If I could just pin-point-"

DROOM

Grunting as he shot up his arms diagonally to block some of the strength of the sudden blast before him Sheik shut his eyes very shortly; when the explosion ahead wore off he was surprised to find a familiar Zoran adult male's form before him.

"Alwyn!" Navi called out, similarly surprised.

Stepping out from the smoke of the fallen Beamos statue they seemingly destroyed the low-smirking Scaverin stood diagonally behind the Zoran, his robed arms folded.

"Scaverin," Sheik spoke, venom lacing his tone as he scowled on back at the right-hand to his enemy. "How long have you been here?"

"Long enough," the robed acolyte grinned back at him, ever in his superior-laced face. "Where's your companion...? Your favourite pawn?"

"He's not a pawn," the blonde Sheikah growled back angrily. "And don't ask stupid questions."

"Stupid questions...?" Scaverin murmured back, a sickly-sweet sarcastic tone to his frowning face. "Why whatever could you-?"

CLANG

The sudden clash of Sheik's knife-steel with the possessed Alwyn's surprisingly strong fore-fins made the witnessing Scaverin's frown twitch into a hateful familiar scowl.

"My patience...," Sheik began lowly as he dared to take a step toward his enemies. "Is very quickly running thin..."

"Hmph...," the narrow-eyed aide to Hyrule's king aired out of his throat before leaning his bald-headed head to the side; a gesture made in open defiance. "We shall see... just how far that patience stretches..."

4

Pulling an arrow back Link narrowed his one open cerulean eye before widening it as he let loose the ammunition. Flying swiftly through the air it very easily tore through the otherwise bulky and hardy skull-like skin of the Skulltula and sent it screeching and careering into the stone wall behind it, soon evaporating into a wisp of crimson fire.

"Somethin' tells me...," the narrow-eyed Hero of Time began, his brow furrowing as he spoke. "That we're not making any progress."

"There's very little choice else Link," Impa grunted back as she marched on past him, fiery eyes set down the dark stone incline. "If what I suspect is true, then..."

"Yeah?"

TMP

Surprised, Link turned his risen eyebrow expression over to the corner they turned. On his left stepped down a pair of skeletal warriors; an enemy type he had fought before.

The Stalfos.

The two skeletal soldiers stood gripping their abyss-like ebony small-shields on their left, the familiar twisted straight-sword held on their right. The two deceased nameless knights glared on back at the pair with their beady fiery-red eyes.

"You up for this?"

Link couldn't help but grow a small grin as he heard his mentor banter over at him. The sound of her long knife unsheathing echoed on as he similarly drew the Master Sword and Hylian Shield from their resting places on his back.

"Are you?"

It was Impa's turn to grin; she regarded him with a brief narrow of her eyes and a chuckle on her lips.

"Touché."

With barely a warning or sign the pair of Stalfos leapt the chasm with impressive agility and strength before both coming down in a frightening plunging strike. Similarly of speed however the grinning Link and Impa gave off brief flickers of their forms; a sign of the after-image technique. With analogous bafflement the duo of skeletons swivelled their skulls around in deft search for their opponents but, by the time they even realised, it was too late.

SMASH-CRACK

In a grinning green blur the super-fast form of Link re-appeared in mid-air, acrobatically leaping around the first Stalfos' undefended right side with a spinning roundhouse kick. His demonic grunt echoing out into the darkness of the Shadow Temple reverberated loudly as he was sent spinning wildly through the air. Similarly re-appearing in response to the Stalfos' sudden opening the firmly-frowning Impa descended down from the air directly above to deliver a savage spinning slashing strike.

CRACK-CRUMBLE...

In one swift and beautiful movement the teamwork Link and his mentor executed managed to finish off one of their enemies in record time. Shocked at the sheer speed with which the duo executed their assault in the Stalfos merely stared back at them, literally shaking in its boots. Even as the two turned to eye the skeletal warrior the last remaining demonic entity comically gave out one grunt before, like magic, its limbs and skeletal body went up in flames.

"I guess he wasn't too confident." Link stated, a similarly convincingly bold grin upon his expression.

"Hmph...," Impa shot back through her throat, a complimentary smirk of her own attached to her face. "If my assumptions are at least somewhat correct... then Sheik will be on the other side of this dungeon."

"Navi with him I bet...," Link mused aloud in a narrow-eyed murmur, his gaze directed toward the ground beneath him. Turning his blonde-haired head up to re-face his mentor he rose up the Master Sword and Hylian Shield to click into place behind him as faithfully as he always did. "How should we go on?" He asked, eager to fall in line behind his former teacher, perhaps grateful to be led by someone else for a change.

"We should proceed as normal and as careful as we have been," the frowning Sheikah informed the youth before sweeping her indigo-eyed gaze across the landscape before them; ahead of their position appeared to be a never-ending rising platform lifted by chains. Beyond it seemed to be a second platform that led further into the temple and behind them was one huge drop followed by a similar-toned platform. To its left was a door that seemingly also led further into the dungeon. "Over there."

Double-taking in the very direction Impa was nodding toward Link could hardly believe his sapphire-shaded eyes.

She's not serious, surely, he thought.

"But there's no-?"

"You must see...," she responded, cutting him off with a soft smirk upon her face. "With the Eye of Truth..."

Furrowing his brow Link merely observed as his mentor hopped forward; surprised and frazzled he attempted to reach out to stop and help her before widening his eyes at the result.

What the hell, he thought.

Impa stood on pure thin air.

How was that possible?

With a confident look on her face she turned to face him and gestured for him to follow.

Gulping down a load of nervous saliva Link called within the courage resting within him and hopped forward to join her.

Expecting surely to drop into the endless pit below him he couldn't help but gasp in shock and further confusion when he didn't.

"How-?!"

"There's little time to stand here and explain," Impa chuckled good-naturedly before shaking her head and pointing it in the door's direction. "Come on." She pressed him on; furrowing his brow a second time the Hero of Time nodded similarly and followed on wordlessly.


CLANG

Sheik narrowed his blood-red eyes through the endless sparks that emanated between his knife and Alwyn's fore-fins; he found himself glaring back into the eyes of his possessed ally. With a cacophonous clash the pair of warriors retreated from one another in a similar-sounding skid backward, kicking up dust from the hard surface they stood on.

"I wonder..."

Sheik's small-pointed ears perked up at the distasteful sound of Scaverin's voice. Turning his ruby-red gaze upward to his right he found the ever smug form of the former bishop standing before him, robed arms folded.

"Can you truly kill this one...?" The monarch's right-hand postulated forward with a raise of his bald head, a grin upon his face. "Sir Alwyn certainly won't hold anything back..." He ended with a knowing chuckle, tilting his head as he did.

"Shut up..." Sheik dismissed the man, an irritated tone evident in the narrowing of his boiling-red eyes. Turning them back on the blank look in the veteran Zoran soldier on his left however the young Sheikah watched him carefully.

"Sheik..."

Navi's worried voice on his right made him furrow his brow in recognition.

"How are we going to do this...?" The guardian fairy questioned, genuinely curious. "I... honestly can't find a way to save him."

"I can."

Surprised, Navi couldn't help but turn her small cerulean body 'round to cast her light on the Sheikah leader.

"R-Really?!"

"But I'm not sure it'll work...," Sheik admitted, a hesitant and unsure tone the delivery of his response. Raising his left bandaged fingers to rest thoughtfully across his chin he continued. "It's a technique I've read about in the past that's only ever been used against a certain type of combatant..."

"And that is?"

"A...," he began, lowering his red-eyed gaze temporarily and worriedly. "A corpse..."

Surprised a second time Navi could only stare back at him wordlessly, her actions speaking for her.

"I-If this technique is as I have read...," Sheik re-started, turning his eyes back up as he narrowed them, perhaps this time in determination. "Then by doing this... I'll overwrite any control that Scaverin's imposed on Alwyn."

Widening her eyes behind her bright blue illumination Navi similarly re-opened her mouth to respond. "Yes!"

"What are you two whispering about over there...?"

Snapping their gazes 'round back to glare at the similar-expressed Scaverin, perhaps watching at having his name being spoken, Sheik and Navi kept a lid on their voices so as not to reveal anything more.

"Hmph...," the former bishop grunted, narrowing his eyes suspiciously before regaining his small grin. "No matter... Alwyn," he began before widening his smirk. "Kill them."

5

SPLASH

Gasping in the sheer effort it took Sheik managed to avoid the deluge of water that the narrow-eyed Alwyn called forth in utilising his Aegir; a surfing assault. By hanging himself on the wall around them Sheik watched the frowning Alwyn glare unemotionally back at him.

"There must be a way through his offence...," Sheik murmured out, watching his enemy for signs of weaknesses. "Not even the most skilled of soldiers have no weak point..."

"He has no head-fin..."

Surprised by Navi's comment Sheik could not help but raise his blonde eyebrows in recognition of her words; sure enough as he inspected her claim, he seemed to have the fin usually resting on the Zoran head dismembered.

Why hadn't I noticed that before, he thought.

"If I'm correct in saying this...," Sheik began once more, brow furrowing in thought. "The Zoran soldiers traditionally use their fins to see when fighting... don't they?"

"That's correct," Navi answered in an agreeable nod. "Generally this is only applied in the water though; they tend to rely on their eyesight like Hylians and other humans."

"Good..." The young Sheikah responded, a similar nod on his satisfied expression. Opting not to utter anything more the blonde warrior soon disappeared from common view. Though the watching Alwyn darted his empty eyes around in quick search for his opponent his floating robed overseer scowled forward as he opened his mouth.

"Behind you!"

Reacting to his instruction Alwyn's devoid eyes widened as he about-turned and shot up his forearms defensively.

CLANG

Sheik grunted in a mixture of indignation and impatience, his eyes very briefly darting to his far-left as far as they could in the direction of the floating Scaverin behind him. Realising he was responsible for his failure the young Sheikah broke the hold of his knife with an echoing clash and skid backward before about-turning a second time to face the surprised-expressed Scaverin. Catching him off guard Sheik widened his blood-red eyes before grunting as he tossed down a Deku Nut directly in his face.

FLASH

"Argh...!"

Scaverin's annoyed exclamation immediately followed the overly bright flare that illuminated the room. Successfully managing to incapacitate his opponent's benefactor, Sheik pressed on his assault with little mercy; with an acrobatic turn of his body he swung his left leg in a swift roundhouse kick. In spite of the bright light in his way Alwyn managed to block the assault but just barely; the force of which managed to send him stumbling back.

It wasn't much... but it was all Sheik needed.

With the expected result in mind the narrow-eyed Sheikah shot upward in an acrobatic side-somersault, sailing directly overhead. Perhaps unable to sense his presence the gasping Alwyn could only keep his forearms raised directly upward, as if to block the bright light the Deku Nut gave off. Just before the illumination wore off however Sheik descended down in a magnificent plunging attack; a slick dive kick that managed to send the grunting Zoran down in a single stroke.

Utilising the momentum he gifted himself with Sheik narrowed his eyes as he charged his Aegir directly through his finger-tips and, swivelling his body around, he descended down to slam his burning fingers directly on the Zoran's open blue chest.

SLAM

"Yes!"

To match Navi's morale-raising call the wide-eyed Scaverin could only gasp in growing curiosity and concern as he watched from his comfy mid-air spot. Hanging in air through use of his Quintessence the robed summoner glared forward, seemingly taking note of the burning technique.

"I know that art...," he commented forward, eliciting a half-turned scowl from the listening Sheik. "Hmph... so... you've certainly done your homework... boy." He commended in a firm-eyed glower.

Just as the watching group had expected and as the fires from Sheik's fingers finally burnt out, the colour at last returned to the shocked Alwyn's eyes. With a pair of similarly surprised blinks the formerly governed Zoran soldier could only gasp and, as disorientation set in, he swept his gaze across the dungeon's room. Reaching down to offer a hand Sheik smiled through the white scarf he wore ever so faithfully, pulling up the frowning Alwyn.

"What... what's...?" The older man murmured out, double-taking between his Sheikah ally and their watching enemy. Soon realising the situation he glared on back at the similar-faced Scaverin.

"And to think that it worked...," the former bishop mused aloud, dropping his body to stand once more. "You know far more than you should... little Sheikah." Scaverin spoke in a hushed whisper, eyes glaring over at the shorter blonde.

"I should have known it'd be you," Alwyn at last spoke, scowling as he ever did. Leaning his injured head to the side he narrowed his eyes. "Aide to Ganondorf?"

"That's 'God' to you... lowly Zoran," Scaverin replied with a hateful tone on his voice before openly smirking as he uncoiled his arms, perhaps to engage the pair. "It's just a shame you both won't get to-"

"Sheik!"

Tensing up the group of four swivelled their heads 'round to the source of the sudden noise and found a pair of rushing people.

Two familiar forms indeed.

Sliding in with a fairly acrobatic drift the green-clothed blur that was the Hero of Time skid into frame between the frowning Alwyn and Sheik, Master Sword and Hylian Shield drawn. Opting merely to march in alongside her student the firmly-frowning Impa stalked in after him, joining the ever-growing party of five. Turning her glower on the watching Scaverin the matriarch to the Sheikah clan opened her mouth to speak.

"I was wondering when we'd run into you...," the silvery-haired woman murmured out, leaning her head as she spoke. "How the tables have turned... hm?"

Scaverin ran his eyes across the clenched fists of Alwyn on the right, the similarly scowling form of Sheik on the left and the confidently smirking form of Link in the centre; realising just what she was suggesting the former bishop merely gave a helpless but angry tut.

"Tch...," the bald-headed summoner managed out before raising up his left robed arm horizontally. "You got lucky today boy...," he spoke, directing his hatred clearly at the similar-faced Sheik. "The next time I see you, you won't be so fortunate... I promise you."

With that he swept his left arm across his form and, like magic, his Aegir managed to cloak his form before the group; only his hateful narrow-eyed glare was left as he swept his arm to presumably vanish away