The Legend of Zelda, its characters and locations are all property of Nintendo. Any and all OCs and original locations belong to me unless specifically stated to belong to someone else.

The Voice
21 – Hands Off the Merchandise!

The pedestal lit up as Link held the slate up to it, trying to keep his breathing steady. The air down here, in the middle of the Death Mountain crater, was thick, hot, and laced with numerous gases that, as Sheik claimed, could kill him if he breathed too much of them. It wouldn't be a problem inside the Great Beast, apparently, but as long as he lingered outside, on its back, it'd be a risk.

"Travel gate registered," Sheik said as the seal on the floor in front of the entrance lit up in brilliant blue as well. "Interesting...looks like I can, if necessary, teleport you back—or away from—here. I need access to Rudania's internal power source to make it work, though."

"Th-That'll come in h-handy," Link said, desperately wishing he wouldn't have to go through that horrible experience again. He could definitely see the practical applications of such a function, but if it was going to leave him feeling like he was about to turn inside out every time, he'd rather depend on his own two legs (or, barring that, Maladict's four) for transportation.

"Heh, still not comfortable with..."

Sheik's voice faded away—along with every other noise around him. Link's head felt thick and heavy, like there was something holding it in place. He couldn't help but smile—he felt Daruk's presence before he even heard the Goron speak.

Hey, little guy! Long time no see!

Daruk's voice was as boisterous and confident as Link remembered, strong like the mountains he lived on (and, somehow, in a biological process Link had no hope of ever understanding, ate). Just hearing it was enough to put Link's nerves somewhat at ease, despite knowing the nightmare he was about to walk into.

I always knew you'd come back! Y'know, I never stopped believing in you!

That filled Link with more confidence than he thought it would. It was like listening to Sidon, whose praise was never-ending (and, frankly, sometimes exhausting)...but it was a little different, hearing it from Daruk. Like...a boisterous uncle, maybe? It had certainly felt that way to Link, way back then, from what he could remember. He wanted to answer, to talk to Daruk as well, but Mipha hadn't been able to hear him, so he doubted Daruk could either.

You're here to take control of ol' Rudania back from Ganon, eh? You're gonna need a map that shows the guts of this place. You can grab the info from the Guidance Stone. Now get a move on!

Link could almost feel the earth-shattering impact of Daruk's palm on his back at that, the sort that left no room for arguments and told you one thing: Do or die.

Link found himself nodding, unsure if Daruk could even see him, and kept breathing until the sound of the volcano around him slowly came back...along with Sheik's voice.

"...the applications for which would be a priceless boon for not only traders, but farmers, armies...basically, any business where moving items or people from one place to another is essential! Logistics, my friend! We'd make a fortune!"

Link stared down at the slate. Had Sheik been talking this entire time? About...logistics? What, applications for the teleportation function? Sheik's interests knew no bounds, apparently. Was this what he did when Link was asleep at night? Keep himself entertained with possible business ventures? Somehow, the idea struck him as...cute. Mostly because it implied that Sheik expected the victory against Ganon to be such a foregone conclusion that he needed to plan their life afterwards in excruciating detail.

"...did you even listen to a single word I just said?" Sheik asked after a long moment of silence, sounding offended.

"N-No," Link said. "D-Daruk was..."

"Right, right, talking to you in your head...and not seeing fit to include me in the conversation. I know how it is. You Champions can keep your secret club—I know where I'm not wanted. Hmph!"

"B-But Sheik—"

"I said hmph, good sir!"

Shaking his head, Link drew his weapons and approached the door that led to Rudania's interior. He was probably imagining it, but Link swore he could feel the Malice pouring out of it, leaving no doubts as to what was really in control of the Beast. It was like walking into Ganon's gaping maw, really...

"We've already done this once before," Sheik said after Link stopped moving, apprehension filling every inch of his being. "The only thing that's different is the layout. Link, let's kick some Malice ass!"

Link wasn't the confident Hero he once was or should have been now. He knew it. Everyone knew it. Hell, even Ganon probably knew it. But that was okay—Sheik had more confidence than he knew what to do with, and seemed more than happy to cover for them both. Which was why Link put on the most fake steely expression he could muster, and said:

"L-let's."

They didn't get far. The small slope through the door led down into the bowels of Rudania...and utter darkness. Well, there were some lights—a pair of brightly burning braziers (lit with blue flames) were placed at the bottom of the slope...and every now and then Link could see glowing eyes staring directly at him from various places around the large chamber. Ganon's eyes.

There were other...things in the chamber as well, keeping well out of the way the light of the braziers. Claws skittered across stone. Something breathed in the dark. Glowing eyes, smaller than those of the Malice, watched him for a second before disappearing.

"I can't see shit," Sheik said loudly, as if to pierce the uncomfortable silence that blanketed the inside of Rudania. "Link, tell me you brought a torch."

"I d-did," Link said, pulling the torch out of his pack. Well, he called it a torch, but it was really more of a bokoblin club he'd tied rags around. A quick and dirty solution, but what was a poor Hero to do? (Poor in that he was pitiful, not impoverished—Sidon and Sheik had seen to that).

"You know what to do," Sheik said after Link had lit the torch with the blue flames. "The Guidance Stone is at the other end of this room—stay in the light, and you should be fine."

"If it g-goes out?" Link asked, hating himself for even asking the question. He'd end up worrying about that anyway, so why make it even worse by voicing it aloud?

"...run like hell?" Sheik suggested. "There's another brazier near the Stone—see it? If all else fails, haul ass towards that."

Nodding, Link steeled himself and stepped forward.

"Oh, and watch out for the—"

Link yelped.

"...threshold," Sheik finished, groaning. He waited until Link had picked himself up from the floor before speaking again. "You okay?"

"J-Just hurt m-my p-pride," Link muttered, blushing.

"Oh, well, that's okay then—your pride's taken worse blows than that."

"Th-Thanks?"

"You're welcome. Now, let's try again, but take a slightly higher step than before...there you go! Well done!"

Link didn't dignify that with a response.

"Din above, I wish those things would stop staring at me," Sheik muttered as Link finished off another of Ganon's eyes with a swift cut of his blade, the disgusting groaning deeply before disappearing in a miasma of purple smoke. "Have you noticed that they keep staring at me, and not you?"

Link had noticed that. He wasn't sure why the things did, though. Maybe they sensed the slate itself, and the power it held over the Sheikah technology in general? Or were they actually staring at Sheik? If so, that was worrying. It meant Ganon knew about the both of them, and by extension, so did all of his minions. Kiro had mentioned that the Yiga knew something lived in the slate, hadn't he?

"M-Maybe th-they find you as annoying as I d-do?" Link suggested with a fake grin.

"Hey!"

It was better for him to worry about this alone—he needed Sheik at the top of his game, right now, as they trudged through the darkness.

"Uh...Link?"

"I kn-know!"

The torch was dying. The rags had all burned up, and the magical blue fire was consuming the wood of the club at an alarming rate. Too fast for Link to make it to the other torches in time, even if he ran as fast he could...which he was. The room itself certainly didn't help, the random protrusions in the floor and walls (including a sideways ramp) tripping him up more than once, and threatening to knock him out cold if he slammed his head into one.

"Faster, Link!"

"I know!"

But it was all too late—the flames reached the handle of the club, and he had to drop it or he'd burn too! He yelped and threw it down, sending it clattering across the floor. It struck something, which yelped and skittered away.

Shadows and formless beings immediately surged around him once the torch died, circling him and getting closer and closer. Link drew his sword and shield, his path blocked. Even with the guiding brazier in the distance, it was impossible to see what was hounding him...only that they were hungry.

"Sh-Sheik," he said, crouching a little. "Wh-What now?"

"Hang on...I can't see a damn thing down here...but...heh, yeah, these things definitely give off readings. Do you trust me, Link?"

"Of c-course," Link said immediately.

"Then do exactly as I say—duck!"

Link ducked, just in time to feel something passing through the air where his head had just been.

"Roll backwards and thrust directly ahead!"

Link followed the instructions, awkwardly doing a back roll before haphazardly thrusting the tip of his sword into the darkness...where it struck something, which squealed and disappeared. He almost smiled in triumph, but Sheik was already rattling off a new series of instructions, each one making no sense for someone who couldn't see.

He just had to trust Sheik to be his eyes for now.

"Jump!"

A split-second later, and it'd have been too late. Link heard the beasts in the shadows grabbing for him, but he landed just within the protective glow of the blue brazier in time, causing the creatures to pull back with shrieks.

"That w-was t-too close!" Link breathed, scrabbling forward on his knees until he was practically leaning against the brazier. "Wh-What are th-those th-things?!"

"I have no idea," Sheik said. "At a guess, I'd say they're another sort of manifestation of Ganon's Malice, but they're...different. They give off the same sort of readings as the stalks, but they're actually mobile, unlike the ones that just stare at me and spit skulls at you."

"You c-can't s-see th-them?"

"No—I can only tell where they are and what they're doing by monitoring the minute changes they make in the air as they move. Honestly, I think you can see a lot more than I at this point—my lens is useless in this sort of lighting...or lack thereof."

Well, wasn't that just inspiring? Link sighed and leaned against the wall next to the brazier, taking a breather. The flamebreaker armour was doing its job of keeping him cool, but it didn't do much for the cold and clammy terror-induced sweat caused by the creatures around them. "I h-hate th-this place," he muttered.

"You and me both," Sheik intoned. "But I have some good news—there's a new torch right next to you!"

Link would rather have had a pile of bomb arrows he could use to blow up every last one of the creatures hunting him, but that would probably cause more problems than it solved. He highly doubted one of the control consoles would work after taking an arrow, for example. With another sigh, he grabbed the abandoned torch wedged into the grating of the brazier, miraculously spared by the flames, and lit it.

Here we go again, he thought with resignation.

"Sheikah slate authenticated—distilling map of Divine Beast."

Link tapped his foot impatiently as Sheik downloaded the map of the Divine Beast, keeping a close eye on the torch as it continued to be consumed by the blue flames. As it ran out of the fuel, the fire continued to dim.

Luckily, the creatures couldn't follow him inside the small, gated room where the Guidance Stone was—the brazier he'd lit just outside the entrance made sure of that. It was the back grip he wasn't looking forward to.

The blue drop fell and was absorbed by the slate, the pedestal popping it out a moment later. As he put it back on his belt, Daruk's presence made itself known once more, speaking directly into his mind.

Nice job on getting the map of the Divine Beast!

Sheik noticed Link's movements halting, his eyes going glassy as he stared at nothing in particular. The Sheikah sighed, realising the Goron Champion was undoubtedly having another highly intellectual conversation with Link through the magical fucking wonder of telepathy.

Not that he cared about not being included. No sir. Didn't bother him at all.

...would it kill them to let him just listen in, though?

Eugh, never mind. Better to put his considerable set of skills and knowledge to better use, focusing on the map he'd just downloaded from the Beast's mainframe, along with the limited set of protocols he'd managed to wrest back control of. He could make the beast climb on the walls of the crater...which he supposed was useful (or downright necessary, given the layout of the Beast's interior), as well as...oh. Well, that was certainly useful...

"Welcome back."

Link heard the smugness in Sheik's voice, and his nerves were immediately set on edge. What had he done now?

"Wh-What is it?" he asked warily.

"Oh, nothing much," Sheik said in a carefree tone, devoid of the urgency caused by the creatures from before. "Just wanted to tell you that I've gained partial control of Rudania. I can make it climb, now. Should help with the weird layout."

"Oh...th-that's good..."

"Aaaaaaand I've found a solution to our little pest problem—did your Champion have that? Or was it just another back-slap and a 'get on with it'?"

Jealousy was such an ugly thing, and Sheik somehow made it even worse. If Link knew of a way for Sheik to hear Daruk too, he'd have made it happen! Before he could say anything, though, Sheik cleared his (once more, non-existent) throat.

"Dark in here, isn't it? How about a little...light?"

As he spoke, there came a loud, mechanical click from somewhere above them...and the ceiling began to move. Four gigantic shutters slowly opened, sliding aside to let the daylight into the Beast's interior.

The reaction from the creatures was immediate, the shapes withering and boiling away into nothing in the sunlight. There were claws, and teeth, and eyes, and mangy fur, but nothing else. It was like the creatures were barely there in anything but vague shapes, utterly destroyed by the luminescence. Beings of pure shadow.

It was over in seconds, the room brilliantly lit, revealing barren chambers save for the remaining Malice Link hadn't been able to clear away yet.

"You're welcome," Sheik said when Link could do little but stare at the once terror-inducing chamber. It looked pathetically harmless now, in proper lighting. "I took the liberty of thanking myself in my head," he added.

"Th-Thanks..."

"No thanks needed!"

They were really going to have to have a talk about this once their business with Rudania was over!

"S-Slide?"

"Yup."

"D-Down there?"

"Affirmative."

"And h-hope that I d-don't m-miss?!"

"That's correct, my pointy-eared friend. Or we can just give up and go home. That's an option too."

"...I h-hate you s-so m-much!"

"Love you too, Linky!"

Shifting his weight, Link kept a firm grip on the stone as Rudania climbed off the crater wall and back into the lava, tilting its body so it was the right way up again, conveniently granting him access to the last terminal on the top of its spine—all he had to do was climb.

He'd expected this one to be the most difficult, but as it turned out it was laughably easy...which almost made him regret saving it for last.

Nice! That was the last terminal! Daruk's voice boomed in his head, the grin almost audible. Now go ahead and start up the main control unit! Stay focused, little guy!

Except...he couldn't stay focused. Not right now. He needed a break. Climbing in, over, and around Rudania had sapped him completely of strength, between the heat and weight of his armour. "I-In a m-minute," he told Daruk, hoping the Goron could hear him.

"Hm?" Sheik asked. "Something wrong?"

"J-Just need a b-break," Link said, unslinging his pack from his shoulder and dumping himself like a sack of potatoes on the floor in front of the console, taking a moment to just breathe. The air outside was as unpleasant as ever, but it was better than the inside of the Beast, which had begun to make him feel distinctly claustrophobic the more he moved around inside it.

"Link, are you okay?" Sheik asked.

"Y-Yeah," Link said, drawing his knees up to his chest and resting his forehead on them, curling up. Physically, he was fine. He wasn't so sure about the rest.

"You sure?" Sheik said in a dubious tone of voice. "You sound...tired."

He was tired. Not just of Rudania and the heat of Death Mountain, but of everything. The quest, the travelling, the fighting...he was tired of being the Hero. Everyone in Hyrule (hell, the world) was counting on him, whether they knew it or not, to save them all. To stop Ganon. How could they expect him to do that when he hadn't the faintest idea on how to go about that?

Freeing the Beasts was all well and good, but what if Ganon simply retook control of them once they tried to enact their plan? And said plan was, in his opinion, a flimsy one at best. Re-take the four Beasts, and then what? Did Mipha and the others even know what to do once the last fight began? Because Link sure as hell didn't!

And that would even require him to gain entrance to Hyrule Castle in the first place, and how would he even do that when the grounds were absolutely swarming with Guardians and all sorts of evil creatures and people bent to Ganon's will?

And what if Link, after doing all this, after freeing four Divine Beasts, mustering armies, calling in favours, begging for help...what if, after all that, he failed? What if he wasn't able to defeat Ganon at all? What then?

Everyone was doomed, that's what. It was a foregone conclusion. The Zoras and other people might hold out a little longer, but if Ganon regained his full strength, it was all over. Goodbye Hyrule. And it'd be his fault. Link's. All his. Because he couldn't rise to be what he was supposed to be. A useless, washed-up Champion that failed twice at the one task with which he'd been appointed.

Pathetic. It was all pathetic. He was pathetic. Why give them all hope when he would invariably let them all down? Sidon was wrong when he called Link amazing—but Link had stupidly let himself believe the prince, even just for a little while. Or, at the very least, believe that he had a chance at accomplishing the task ahead of him.

"...Link, breathe! Link, please listen to me! Link!"

His vision was tunnelling again, breaths coming out in short gasps. His hands were clamped around his knees so tight it felt like his nails were about to cut through his gloves. He looked up, where Sheik's projection was crouched in front of him, hands reaching out but not quite touching him.

"Link," Sheik said, pleased that the Hylian's eyes were finally meeting his, "you know the drill, right? Come on...breathe with me...in...out...in...out..."

It was difficult, when it felt like his chest was about to be crushed by an infinitely heavy, invisible force, but Link forced himself to breathe along with Sheik anyway, following the rise and fall of the other's chest.

"That's good...you're doing well, Link, just keep going..."

As he spoke, Sheik's projection lifted his hands until they were hovering beside Link's cheeks. He looked hesitant for a moment, but then there was a hum, and Link felt pressure on the sides of his face, where Sheik's hands were making a pantomime of caressing them gently. It wasn't the same as being touched by a real person...but it was real enough for comfort.

"Is this okay?" Sheik asked, to which Link could do little but nod.

Goddess, he was pathetic...but at least he wasn't alone...

"It's not far, luckily," Sheik said. "Control unit's right below us, on Rudania's back."

Link looked over the edge, and saw that the unit was indeed right there, the bulbous-looking mass of the machine protected from above by the spines of the Beast's back. It was a simple matter of hauling himself over the edge and float down with the paraglider. For some reason, something stopped him.

The panic attack was embarrassing enough, but now his body just refused to move on its own.

"Do you need another minute?"

The question itself was kind enough, but Link couldn't bear it. Sheik was...he was difficult to keep up with when it came to the way his moods changed at the drop of a hat, but when he was concerned...he was concerned. He knew when Link couldn't be pushed any further. Or so he thought, at least. Did Sheik think this was one of those times?

"J-Just...a l-little," he confessed, hoping that was, indeed, just it.

"What are you thinking about?" Sheik asked, probing. He wanted to know what had triggered the panic attack. Link didn't want to tell him.

"Y-You s-said...D-Din a-above, b-before," Link said, his stuttering worse than ever thanks to the attack, shifting the subject instead to something else instead. "Wh-Why?"

"Is it unusual to appeal to one's patron goddess in times of trouble?" Sheik asked. "You appeal to Hylia all the time, you know." When Link didn't answer, aware that it was a stupid question, Sheik sighed. "Back when I was...I mean, when the real me...when Sheik...the original Sheik was alive—eugh, this is hard—the worship of Hylia as a Goddess hadn't caught on yet. Sheik worshipped the Three Goddesses—Din, Nayru, and Farore. The Triforce, the symbol of the Royal Family of Hyrule, is supposed to represent their different aspects. Power, Wisdom, and Courage. Sheik believed in them, and personally worshipped Din. His...patterns are just...easy to follow, sometimes, and I forget myself."

"S-So you d-don't w-worship H-Hylia?" Link asked.

"Let me put it like this," Sheik said, "I'll gladly worship and commit myself to whatever god or goddess that puts in a personal appearance in their subjects' time of need. Since none of them, including Hylia, have done that so far, I'll stick with appealing to whoever I feel like at the given time, depending on the situation. That's my approach to religion."

Link nodded. He supposed that was far. He personally appealed to Hylia...but that was because that was what he'd been taught. Of all the things to persist in his mind across his long sleep, it had to be that, of course. Not that he'd mind a personal appearance, if only to confirm what he knew was, of course, correct all along.

...right?

"Sh-Sheik w-worshipped p-power?" he asked, deciding not to get too bogged down with his personal feelings on the matter. Now was not the time for soul-searching.

"Power...or what it represents," Sheik said after a moment of thinking. "It's all subjective, of course. Like Courage can be many things, so can Power. For him, I think it was the power to protect those he loved that he chose Din for. He lived in a time of war, after all—he wanted to be able to keep his family and people safe. Not that it got him very far, in the end..."

"I h-hope h-he d-didn't s-suffer," Link said.

"Me too," Sheik agreed.

There was a minute of silence. Both for them, and for the fallen Sheik. It was the least they could do. Then, when it was up, Sheik spoke,

"Right, the Beast ain't gonna free itself. You ready?"

"M-More or l-less."

"...not quite the war cry I wanted to hear, but I'll take it."

"What is it now?"

Sheik was getting impatient, but Link had paused for a very good reason this time, just as he was about to insert the slate into the control unit. He'd remembered last time, when Sheik had been trapped. He voiced these fears.

"I wouldn't worry, Link," Sheik said confidently. "I've studied the logs of that incident thoroughly, and I've patched all the security gaps it used to lock me out. If Ganon tries it again, it'll find a much harder opponent this time around. Besides, we have no choice—how else will activate the controls?"

There really was no arguing against it—it had to be done, and Link knew it, but he was still struck with an urge to delay the inevitable, to put it off for as long as possible. Half of it was his damnable anxiety that was desperate to get him out of any unpleasant situation, no matter the cost, while the other half was concern for Sheik. If he had learned how to defend the slate, then surely Ganon had been looking for new tricks this entire time?

Nevertheless, his time was up. "P-Promise you'll b-be c-careful," he told Sheik firmly.

"I swear on my life—both of them, even."

The joke was unnecessary, but Link accepted it. Sheik was nervous too, he could tell.

"Here we g-go..." he said, inserting the slate into the pedestal.

"Connecting," Sheik said. "Ah, shit...Link, the security protocols are completely different this time, I can't—look out!"

Unlike last time, Link was ready for the surge of Malice that exploded around the control unit, and he jumped back just as the energy would have smacked him away. Weapons drawn, he tried to approach the unit afterwards, but the Malice lashed out at him whenever he tried.

"Sh-Sheik!" he called out over the roar, "Y-You okay?!"

"As good as I can be, since the fucker's locked me out again!" Sheik replied. "But I'm not out of tricks yet—just give me a little time! Watch out, though—I think you're in for another fight!"

Blue energy was spilling from the control unit, the same colour as the Sheikah one, gathering in a spot behind Link. There, it swirled faster and faster as something horrible took form. The same sort of amalgamation of Sheikah technology and Malice he'd faced in Ruta...but instead of a spear, this monster had an axe with an energy blade bigger than Link, and fire burning in the palm of its left hand.

A mad eye like that of a Guardian was peering out at him from beneath a massive helmet that looked like it'd been made from a torn-out wall from one of the shrines, another wild mane of dark red hair sticking out beneath it. It hovered grotesquely above the floor, its form severed at the waist. It roared, causing the entire Beast to shiver.

Watch yourself now! Daruk's voice echoed in his head once more. That ugly pain in the crag is Ganon's handiwork. Thing got the best of me a hundred years ago.

Link glared at the monster. It would pay for killing Daruk!

Good luck, little guy! Go get 'im!

Easier said than done, Link thought as he dove behind one of Rudania's spines for cover. Just in time, too, as the hail of fireballs absolutely incinerated the spot he'd been standing on. He readied another arrow, doubtful it'd even reach the monster before it burned up. He'd gotten a few hits in already, and nearly lost his head for the trouble thanks to that gigantic axe, but he'd done more damage to the monster than it had to him.

That was good, right?

He nocked another of Robbie's arrows, angry at himself for having wasted several already on shots that hadn't been gotten close to hitting, waited until the hail of fire was over, leaned out and...

It was gone.

"Link, above you!"

It wasn't fair, how such a big, ugly parasite could be so quiet. Then again, floating in the air had its perks, apparently.

It roared as it swung the axe once more, forcing Link to hug the floor and feel the air being cleaved above him. He rolled sideways and to his feet, just out of range of another swing.

He leapt forward in its wake, his sword biting into the disgusting fleshy bits of its gut. His aim was true, but the monster was already moving, making what should have been a cut that, if the world had been a fair place (which it most certainly wasn't) would have eviscerated the fucking thing, merely scratch a line into the purple flesh.

As had every other perfect sword strike he'd made earlier. The thing was too fast, and simply floated out of the way whenever Link got close enough for melee strikes. It was fucking unfair!

It certainly didn't like being scratched, though, and swung the axe once more. Link tried to dodge, and while it didn't catch him with the blade, he certainly felt the flat of it smack into him and send him flying.

"Link! Are you all right?!"

Oh, Link could have written an essay on how he was feeling right this second, but he'd have to save that for his memoirs...if he ever lived to write them, that is. He couched and staggered to his feet, fist clenched so hard around the handle of his sword he thought it might break.

The monster charged at him, axe raised. Even with his shield, nothing would be able to block that blow. So, Link did the only thing he could: run.

"I have a plan!" Sheik announced.

Of course he did.

"Do you trust me?!"

"Do I have a choice?!" Link shot back, too busy running to notice his lack of stuttering.

"Not really!" Sheik replied. "When I give the signal, grab on to something and hold tight, okay?!"

Link didn't like the sound of that, but he could little but agree. The only question was what he could grab on to...and for what reason?

"Now!"

Well, as Daruk would say, it's all about doing, not just thinking about it. Link threw himself forward and wrapped his free arm around one of the struts that served as support for Rudania's spine, the floor already tilting by the time he reached it. The Beast was climbing the wall of the crater again, tilting the entire arena.

"I regained these controls, at least!" Sheik said. "Better than nothing!"

The monster was confused, glancing around itself as the entire Beast moved around it. Below Link.

"You know what to do!"

Doing, not thinking. Link let go of the strut and let himself fall, his sword pointing down. As if sensing its impending doom, the creature looked up. Around it, the air shimmered with the orange, fiery shield it had undoubtedly stolen from Daruk, ready to bounce him off.

It wasn't quick enough.

Link's sword sank nearly to hilt into the creature's back, just below the neck...and gravity did the rest, pulling Link down to carve up its back, the pus-like purple fluids gushing like he'd lanced a boil.

The triumph nearly blinded Link to the fact that he was about to fall directly into the lava below, but Sheik had clearly been thinking ahead, Rudania already climbing down to put solid footing under him again.

That didn't mean the landing was in any way soft. Link could swear he felt his hipbones trying to merge with his ribs as he landed on his feet, rolling forward to try and absorb some of the impact. It didn't work. It felt like a pained scream was due, so he made one.

"Argh!"

The world tilted at an angle, and not just because of Sheik's shenanigans. Behind him, he heard the wet thump of the monster also hitting the roof of Rudania, growling and groaning.

His sword...where was his sword. There, just out of reach. Link tried to roll over and crawl towards it, but each movement was absolute agony, his back in spasms from the sudden compression it had been forced to endure just before. The creature was moving too, a steady tap-and-clang of its arm and axe as it dragged itself across the floor...

...away from him?

"Link! Finish it off!"

No need to ask me twice, Link thought, finally managing to wrap his fingers around his sword and pull it to him.

"Hey! Hey! Hands off the merchandise! Link!"

His heart stopped beating, and Link wrenched his neck around so fast it cracked loudly. The creature had dragged itself over to the control unit, where the slate had suddenly sprung free of its confines...and the monster's arm was reaching for it. It hooked one disgustingly long finger around the handle and pulled the slate free, ignoring Sheik's angry shouting and punching through the weak shield he'd put up.

"I said let me go, you big fucker—"

The rest of his words were swallowed as the huge fist curled around the slate, muffling him completely. Purple smoke began to swirl around its hand as it used the axe handle to drag itself towards the edge, and Link had no idea what it was doing—all he knew was that Sheik was in danger!

He bellowed and bounded across Rudania's back, desperate to catch the creature before it got away. Heedless of the danger, he jumped onto the creature's back, ignoring the bloody mess he'd made of it and was splattering onto himself, hacking away at the arm that held Sheik, again and again and again, until he sliced through underdeveloped muscle and cracked hastily assembled bone, until all that kept it connected was gristle and tendons—and then he cut through those too.

The arm hit the floor with a wet splat, fist still clenched around the slate. The monster turned its head, crazy eye looking up at Link just in time for his sword tip to pierce it. Link sank it as far into the thing's skull as he could before twisting it around, doing as much damage to its brain as possible before pulling it out, then severing its head with a single cut to the neck.

Only then did Link stop screaming, and realise what he was doing. Fatigue taking over, he tumbled off the body, boneless, barely even feeling the pain of hitting the floor. Not even taking the time to breathe, he crawled over to the still-twitching arm, pulling at the fingers until they uncurled. One was stubbornly refusing to do so, its fingertip resting on the screen. Link gave a growl as he pulled so hard it eventually snapped, finally releasing the slate. Grabbing it, Link rolled away from the arm, holding Sheik tight to his chest.

"Sh-Sheik! Sheik!"

"Oh...huh...what...what happened? I was...it grabbed me! Fucking thing grabbed me! Why did it grab me?!"

"D-Doesn't matter—are y-you all r-right?!" Link asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, just...I must have blacked out for a sec...I...Link...thank you..."

Link laughed helplessly, relieved tears trailing down his cheeks. He'd been so close to losing Sheik, just now. He had no idea what the creature wanted with the slate, but if it had managed to get away, to crawl over the edge...that would have been it for the Sheikah. For them.

He held up the slate and kissed the screen, again and again, too relieved to bother humouring Sheik's disgusted demands to stop, all—too—aware that he was just faking them.

The creature's remains didn't burn away as much as they oozed, slowly evaporating into the purple-tinted smoke that was Ganon's Malice. The same fog that swirled around the control unit did the same, leaving behind the blue glow of a Divine Beast once more firmly back in control.

"Not a speck of infection left," Sheik said, connected to it remotely now that he wasn't being held back. "Ganon's apparently enough of an idiot to hedge all its bets on these things."

Link hummed, trying to see where he'd dropped his shield. This was the second time he'd lost one to a creature of Ganon's—he wasn't keen on it becoming a habit.

"Great work, little ones!"

There was no mistaking that voice, and Link found himself smiling before he even saw the glowing apparition of Daruk's spirit, standing a few paces away, a proud grin on his moustachioed face.

"D-Daruk," Link said, the words failing to come. He wanted to apologise, to beg Daruk's forgiveness for failing so utterly in his task, but...all he could do was look at the other Champion, relieved that he'd at least managed to free his friend.

"Hey," Daruk said, "Don't go apologising now—this wasn't your fault. In fact, I owe you big for this. Because of you, my spirit is finally free. I can't thank you enough!" He widened his arms, as if to emphasise how grateful he was. Link was struck by how terrifying it'd be to receive a hug from Daruk. "Both of you," the Goron added, glancing towards the slate. "Don't think I didn't notice your work too, littler guy."

"Yeah, well..." Sheik said, sounding as bashful as he had with Mipha, not even commenting on being described as smaller than Link. Which was, technically, true. "You're welcome?"

Daruk chuckled...and then he frowned, scratching his white mane with an enormous finger, looking embarrassed. "I feel like I should apologise," he said. "I was doing all I could to protect Hyrule when that thing got the best of me. Sorry that me resting with the rubble caused such a mess."

"It g-got th-the b-best of all of us, D-Daruk," Link said, shaking his head. "N-Not j-just you..."

"Yeah," Sheik agreed, "but we're aiming to fix that, now."

Daruk nodded. "The good news is, Rudania is now back under our control! That means our century-old Ganon beat-down plan can finally go into effect!"

Now there was a Hero worth his salt, Link thought. All that time spent in abject misery, and Daruk just goes back to his old self in an instant, ready to fight Ganon immediately and not hesitating at all, as boisterous as he ever was. It even made Link feel like the quest wasn't as impossible as it felt!

"I just hope time hasn't slowed you down, old man," Sheik said cheekily, to which Daruk just grinned wider.

"I'm going to take this down the mountain," he said, referring to Rudania. "I'll have a better shot at Ganon there. And then, once you've made your way into Hyrule Castle, we're gonna light that thing up!" He smacked his enormous fist into his equally enormous palm, looking eager. "I wanna give you something. It's a special power of mine called Daruk's Protection. It's no good to me now that I'm a spirit...but it might be useful for you. Here it comes!"

Link had no warning before Daruk slammed his palms together, producing a glowing orb that shot directly into the Hylian's chest, filling him with warmth, an inner fire...and a desire to...to...

He slammed his clenched fists together in front of him, gasping when a transparent, orange shield of interconnected, pentagonal plates formed around him. It was there but for a moment...but it was all he'd need, should it be necessary.

Daruk looked pleased, thumping his chest. "From this moment forth, the power of protection, from the depths of my soul, now lives inside you."

Link nodded in gratitude, hoping Daruk wouldn't see his face. The uncertainty in it. It felt so...final, this. He'd probably never see Daruk again after this, and he had so much to...like with Mipha, there wasn't nearly enough time to...to...

"Hey," Daruk said gently, "don't look so down—this is a happy moment, right? Brothers reunited, ready to take on the enemy together?" He looked Link in the eyes. "It's going to be fine, brother. I promise you." He glanced at the slate again. "You'll be with him, right?"

"Every step of the way," Sheik promised.

"Then that's all you need," Daruk said, laughing as he looked at Link once more. "Good luck, little guy. And give my regards to the princess."

Light began shining brightly around him, and Link knew Daruk was sending him away, like Mipha. He knew why, but he still wished he could stay. There was far much too say, however. He returned Daruk's wave, trying to appear strong, even as the light grew so bright he couldn't see anything.

And then he was gone.

Once again, not particularly fond of describing the dungeons, so I make up shit instead, heh.

Also, for those of you who are wondering about Sanguine Shackles (all five of you), I haven't abandoned the fic—I just needed a break from that particular universe. I'm hoping to continue working on it again soon!