Thanks so much to MexicAmerichick6 (Ooh, ouch, that sounds painful) and Alice-Ann Wonderland (Heh heh, we shall see ;) for reviewing! I hope you continue to enjoy! Not sure yet how many chapters are left, but we are coming down to the wire!
With that, on with the chapter!
~ Chapter 23 ~
If there was one thing Yunobo knew for certain, it was that the creature that had just burst through the wall beside him was not Link.
It was using his body, true, and clearly taking advantage of the little Hylian's surprising strength, but its eyes showed its true nature. Yellow flames on an ink-black background instead of Link's usual bright blue. A burning hatred that didn't match the knight's compassionate nature. Quite literally, pure Malice.
It was all just so wrong.
Horror rooted Yunobo to the spot as Link slowly turned his head to stare at him with those horrible eyes that didn't belong to him. The fiery irises flickered, sweeping over the shield that would surely protect the Goron youth from any attack. Almost imperceptibly, the eyes narrowed.
Then, his head snapped towards the gathering of Sheikah (plus Riju) standing a little ways away, unprotected. Paya had shrieked when Link had initially broken through the wall, but now, all four of them - Impa had left immediately to warn the villagers at the bottom of the hill of what was occurring - stood silent and stock still. They eyed him warily, as though careful observation and no sudden moves would keep him calm, like some kind of wild animal.
But it would never work, Yunobo realized. Because while Link could be considered benignly wild, perhaps occasionally on an animalistic level, it was not Link that currently stood before them.
It was a monster.
Malice bubbled across his face and bare chest, no doubt adding to his already extensive collection of scars. Tiny obsidian eyes were forming amidst the muck, none of them big enough to create a proper target to destroy, but a sickening sight all the same. Where he grasped the gleaming Master Sword with both hands, his flesh sizzled and steamed.
And through it all, Link didn't seem to care.
He took two staggering steps forward, ignoring Yunobo entirely and instead fixing his unblinking gaze on the four others. His body was not holding up well, but the Malice would never pay that any mind. As long as it could control him, it would force him forward, pushing him to his limit as it wreaked as much havoc as it possibly could.
Yunobo anxiously glanced back inside the lab, where the wounded Teba and Sidon still lay, struggling to keep too much blood from spilling out. Their injuries didn't look immediately fatal, but the young Goron couldn't help but worry about what might happen if they didn't receive swift medical attention.
On the other hand, Riju, Purah, Paya, and Symin were in more immediate danger. Three out of the four of them were still shaking off the effects of the Master Sword's energy draining, and even at full strength, Yunobo doubted they'd stand much of a chance against a Malice-fueled Hylian Champion. And really, was there anything that could hold up against his wrath?
Yunobo froze, staring at the inside of his own translucent shield.
Perhaps...there was one thing.
"Th-This is a terrible idea, goro…" the Goron whimpered, wringing his shaking hands. But as he watched Link's muscles tense, mere moments away from springing to attack the three Sheikah and the Gerudo chief, he knew that there was no time to come up with a safer plan.
He was going to have to be brave, just like the Great Daruk.
Suddenly, Link charged forward, holding the Master Sword aloft and heading straight for the group of four. Riju grasped the Thunder Helm tightly, snapping her fingers three times and calling lightning down at Link's sides as a sort of warning shot, but the bolts did not deter him. Paya and Symin exchanged a nervous glance and braced themselves for a fight, while Purah rapidly tapped the screen of the Sheikah Slate.
A split second before Link would have reached them, she lifted the device, pointed it directly at the possessed knight, and tapped the screen one more time. Bright yellow chains sprang into existence out of nowhere, locking around Link's body and freezing him in place, his entire form awash in a transparent yellow light.
"If anyone has some sort of plan, you'd better act on it now!" Purah demanded, quickly backing away from the momentarily paralyzed Hylian. "The Stasis rune doesn't last long!"
Yunobo took a deep breath, steeling himself for what he was about to do. He removed the blue Champion's cloth from around his neck and held it at the ready.
"I know what to do, goro!" he shouted. Then, before his will could fail him, he charged towards Link, enfolding him in the Champion's cloth to cover the Malice, then wrapping his huge arms around the Hylian's small, frozen form, just as the yellow light began to flash in warning of its imminent disappearance. Yunobo concentrated as best he could through his terror and pressed his fists together over Link's chest, forming his ancestor's shield around the two of them.
"Whoa whoa, what the hell are you doing!?" Purah exclaimed, nearly dropping the Sheikah Slate in shock. "That's your plan!? Are you crazy!? Trapping yourself in there with him is just gonna get you killed!"
"I can hold him for now!" Yunobo protested, even as Link regained his ability to move and began struggling violently in his grasp. "I'll be okay, goro! I don't know why the princess' power isn't here now, but...I trust her! She's smart and strong! She'll come back and save Link soon, goro!"
"You can't be sure of that!" Riju pointed out worriedly. "Yunobo, you can't expect to keep him contained forever!"
"I-I know!" the Goron gasped, wincing as a few flecks of Malice flew off of Link's thrashing form and landed on his arms. "But I can buy you time, goro! Teba and Prince Sidon are both hurt in there!" He jerked his head back to gesture at the lab. "Y-You have to go help them!"
Purah swore under her breath. "Okay, kid," she finally conceded. "Do what you need to do. But if he hurts you, call me back out here and I'll Stasis him again! After that, we'll...figure something out!" With that, she dashed back into the lab with Symin in tow, leaving Paya and Riju outside to keep an eye on Yunobo and his possessed captive.
"B-Be careful, Yunobo!" Paya pleaded, lifting her hands to cover her face but still peeking through her fingers. "M-Master Link is even stronger than usual l-like this!"
She was right, Yunobo realized. He had known of Link's inhuman strength before, of course - he'd even witnessed the little Hylian deflect a falling boulder the size of a Goron simply by batting it away with his shield. But even with his remarkable abilities, he still had limits. For instance, when his arms were completely pinned to his side by a Goron much bigger than himself, he shouldn't have been able to push to the point of actually beginning to loosen Yunobo's hold on him.
And yet that was exactly what was happening.
Though Yunobo wasn't concerned about losing his shield just yet, he wasn't exactly keen on the idea of being in a confined space with an actively raging Link if the man wasn't properly restrained. The glowing Master Sword had fallen from Link's grasp the moment he was grabbed, but it still lay on the ground within the boundaries of the shield, and Yunobo did not want to risk losing his grip on Link by moving around too much. He did realize, however, that, if he wasn't careful, he'd soon be on the receiving end of the possessed swordsman's wrath.
A part of him was tempted to drop the shield and run. It would be so easy to just give up and have Riju strike the Malice monster down with a thunderbolt.
But then...Link would be killed alongside it. In fact, his body would likely die long before the evil sludge festering within it ever did. And killing Link was not an option. He was their friend and they would save him, simple as that.
If, of course, they all survived long enough to figure out how to actually do that.
The young Goron winced, pushing away those frightening thoughts. He had to trust that Princess Zelda would know what to do once she returned. She was always so smart, so surely she had already come up with some sort of solution by now, right?
The fact that her power had suddenly abandoned Link was worrying, to say the least, but Yunobo told himself that it had to be all according to some kind of plan. The princess could certainly take care of herself - she'd fought Ganon for one hundred years with goddess powers! - so there had to be a reason for her magic's disappearance.
Inwardly, he prayed that it meant she was on her way home.
Suddenly, Yunobo was jolted from his thoughts by a severe, burning pain across his chest. He looked down and yelped when he saw the black and magenta substance oozing from Link's back, straight through Yunobo's Champion's cloth and onto his skin.
He heard the girls outside the shield calling his name, but he didn't respond, desperately fighting to keep his concentration through the pain. Unfortunately, though his fists remained touching, his momentary panic had caused his grip to loosen just enough for Link to slip out of his arms.
The cursed Hylian darted as far forward as he could with the shield in his way, scooping up the Master Sword as he did so. Link wheeled around to face Yunobo, reeling back with his sword held aloft, preparing to strike.
"W-Wait!" Yunobo stammered, feeling his heart begin to pound. "L-Link, it's me, goro! Yunobo! I...I know you're still in there! I know you can fight this! Princess Zelda'll come back to help soon, you'll see, goro!"
At the mention of Zelda's name, Link hesitated for a split second. It wasn't much, but it was enough to convince Yunobo that his Hylian friend's consciousness still existed somewhere within his Malice-ravaged body.
Then, the hesitation was gone.
Link jumped forward and swung the Master Sword, just as a burst of golden light exploded across the hilltop.