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
Chapter 50 - Eight Points for Style!
For once, Link had hoped that they could go a day without Sheik raising his voice to painful levels. This was not that day.
It was after dawn, and Link, Riju, Ayla, and Buliara were standing in the desert several miles away from the Gerudo city. Nearby were the ruined remnants of a shrine that had long since been swallowed by the desert. The only thing that still worked was the teleport pad outside the entrance, and even that seemed a bit spotty regarding its power supply. Still, they had decided this would be their rendezvous point, should things go awry.
Which was guaranteed, as far as Link was concerned.
"This is your plan, Tiny?!" Sheik shouted. "Surfing?!"
"I'd like to see you come up with something better!" the Gerudo Chief shouted back, shaking her fist at the Slate. "Show me a creature that can navigate the sands faster than the seals, I dare you!"
"Well, I...can't!" Sheik growled. "But even you can see the folly here, right? What good will the seals do us if all it takes is a lightning strike and a quick stomp by Naboris to take them out?! And what if one of you get caught instead?!"
"If that happens, we'll just have to seal with it!"
"How can you make puns at a time like this?! Din above, you're even worse than Revali!"
Link paid them no mind, petting Kei's head as the seal snuffled at his pockets, trying to find a treat. A few miles ahead of them, a massive sandstorm was blowing, a sheer wall of dirt and debris swirling in a circle around Vah Naboris, the Beast's silhouette sometimes illuminated by one of the frequent lightning strikes that kept intruders at bay. With Ruta, Rudania, and even Medoh, there had been obvious angles of approach that would take them mostly out of the danger zone.
With Naboris, there was no such angle. There was no way to influence the storm from the outside, no way to approach it from above without getting fried...they had no choice but to head straight into the mess.
And all they had for protection was the Thunder Helm...which didn't even fit Riju, as it kept sliding down and obscuring her entire head, forcing her to continually readjust it. He didn't like the idea of taking her into battle—on one hand because of her age, on the other because of what would happen if she got hurt or killed. It'd be a disaster for the alliance, and who knew what would happen to Kiro once the Gerudo found out.
Grief could twist the best of intentions to something ugly.
"You okay?" Ayla asked, coming up to pet Kei as well, the seal enjoying the attention of two hands even more...though he was disappointed by Ayla's lack of treats as well.
"N-No," Link said.
"Oh, good," Ayla said, relieved. "You look like you're about to shit yourself with fear, and I was really hoping that wasn't your attempt at a battle face."
Link blinked and looked up at her. "Th-Thanks?" he asked.
"No problem," she said, looking him up and down, frowning. "That's a lot of metal to be carrying into a battle where lightning strikes is a serious concern," she noted, nodding to the sword, knives, and arrows that Link carried on his person.
Link nodded. "I r-really hope th-that helmet w-works," he whispered.
Ayla grimaced. "Me too, otherwise we'll be bringing nothing but ashes back with us."
"...as for you, Slagathor," Sheik said accusingly, "isn't this the sort of thing you should be, I don't know, discouraging your Chief from doing?!"
Buliara didn't even look perturbed by the nickname anymore, apparently accepting it along with Sheik's behaviour. "Usually, yes," she replied in a reasonable tone. "However, she has made her intentions quite clear, and I cannot go against my Chief's orders."
"Some bodyguard you are," Sheik scoffed.
"I've kept her alive so far," Buliara said, glaring back. "And it'll be your Hero's job to do so while you're out there. I will be cross if there is even a single scratch on her."
"Wait, so this entire time you've been calm? Sheesh, you must the stuff of nightmares to your enemies."
"Get Riju hurt, and you'll find out," Buliara promised.
Link sighed, standing up. "Enough," he said. "H-How do we d-do this?" he asked Riju.
"As we discussed," Riju said. "I will use the helmet to ensure our safe passage through the storm. It will protect us from the wind and the lightning. Once we get close enough to Naboris, we will have to figure out a way to get you inside." She looked towards the storm, shoulders tense. "We haven't been able to get close enough to have a good look at it for a while, and whatever we learned of it a century ago was lost with Lady Urbosa."
"I've tried analysing it from a distance," Sheik said. "But without the Tower Network, I don't have the necessary sensors, reach, or processing power to make sense of what I'm seeing in the storm. If you get me close enough, I could probably do a visual scan and figure out a weakness from there."
"Oh, g-goody," Link said. "Well, n-not the f-first time w-we go in w-without intel."
"For a pair of improvising idiots, we've done pretty good so far," Sheik agreed. "Still not fond of using the seals, though. It puts us at too much risk...not to mention the seals themselves."
Link booped Kei's nose, causing the seal to give an annoyed snort. That was a good point. If there was a way to do this without putting Kei and Riju's seal, Patricia, at risk. But Riju was more than willing to do this, and he couldn't be any worse.
"I give you our saviours, Slagathor," Ayla said to Buliara, gesturing to Link and Sheik in a very ta-dah manner. "We're fucking doomed."
"Don't you start with that too," Buliara warned with a grumble, stepping closer to Riju. "You are sure of this?" she asked her Chief seriously.
"This is my duty," Riju replied, voice only trembling a little. "I will fulfil it."
Buliara nodded. "Then I wish you the best of luck. We will be waiting."
"Thank the Goddess for that," Ayla said, already trudging towards the ruined shrine, giving Link a lazy wave. "Don't get stomped on, you hear?"
"Th-Thanks," Link called back, pausing when Buliara's massive form towered over him. "Uh..."
"Please, look after her," Buliara asked in a low voice so that Riju couldn't hear her over her doting on Patricia. "I failed her mother. I cannot lose Riju as well."
"We'll look after Tiny," Sheik promised, surprising them both. "Link's too much of a goody two-shoes to let her get hurt. He'll be an idiot like Kiro and throw himself in harm's way if he has to."
"That...is good to know, thank you," Buliara said. "And...be careful," she added.
"Thanks, Slagathor."
"Eugh," the warrior made a disgusted sound and stalked after Ayla, her knuckles whitening from her tight grip on her sword.
"I c-can't help b-but feel she l-likes the n-nickname, n-now," Link said, staring after her for a bit before turning his attention back to the sandstorm. He wasn't looking forward to riding into it.
"She'd better, it's perfect," Sheik said smugly. "Just like Tiny's."
Speaking of Tiny—er, Riju, Link had to correct himself. The Chief had wandered over to them, Patricia in tow, looking nervous.
"Are you ready?" she asked.
"M-More or less," Link replied.
"O-Okay, then," the Chief said. And then, "I...I've never been in a battle before, or a fight like this."
Link gave her an encouraging smile, firmly locking the panic he was feeling deep inside himself. "It'll b-be fine," he promised her. "Y-You just g-guide us through the s-storm, we'll h-handle the r-rest."
She nodded. "We can do this," she said.
"We c-can do th-this," Link repeated.
Adjusting the Thunder Helm, Riju walked a few paces away, towards the storm, holding out her arms in a beseeching manner. "With the power of the heirloom passed down in my family," she called out, "I shall calm the Divine Beast Vah Naboris! Ancestors of the Gerudo! Answer my call! Aid me in this task!"
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, little sparks of electricity, then arcs, began to course along the Thunder Helm and down Riju's body until they struck the ground. When they did, a large, green bubble extended from the helmet itself, quickly growing to encompass Riju and, soon after, Link and the sand seals.
Link felt his skin tingle with magical energy as the shield engulfed him...and then he noticed how the breeze that had been caressing his cheek suddenly died away. It was an odd sensation, like all weather was simply...nullified within the bubble.
Ahead, Riju lowered her arms, clenching her fists for a moment before turning to face Link. "Oh, wow!" she exclaimed. "I can feel their power coursing through me!"
"Oh no," Sheik whispered. "She's gone mad with power!"
"Shh," Link shushed him.
As she spoke, the helmet had slid down on her head, and she cursed quietly when she reached up to adjust it. Link was sure that if Riju turned into a tyrant, she'd at least be an adorable one.
"Let's move!" she announced, quickly marching over and stepping onto the metal plate that served as her sled, grabbing Patricia's reins tightly. "You ready?" she asked Link, who ran his hands through Kei's mohawk-like fur and mounted his own plate.
"R-Ready," he announced.
"Follow me closely, and stay within the circle," she told him. "Or you'll be torn to shreds by the storm."
He nodded, and did as he was told, urging Kei to follow Patricia with the reins, slow at first but quickly picking up speed. As they began to race towards the storm and Vah Naboris, he heard Riju's voice coming from ahead, muffled by the helmet.
"Lady Urbosa...please grant me and Link your protection..."
Link added his own silent prayer, looking to the storm just as Naboris' silhouette was revealed by lightning.
I'll free you soon, Urbosa. I swear it.
It was eerie, how quiet and peaceful it was inside the protective shield created by the Thunder Helm, compared to the chaos outside of it. Sand swirled around them, thrown into the air by the wind generated by Naboris. Thunder struck the ground around them, instantly melting the sand to glass, glowing red. Occasionally, a bolt struck the shield, but it had no effect, the energy dispersed along the shield like it was nothing.
If anything, it seemed like each direct strike only strengthened the helmet's power, the gems glowing a little brighter with each strike.
...or, as Link's treacherous mind supplied unhelpfully, it could mean the helmet was close to overloading and could explode at any minute, sending little pieces of Riju flying every which way—
He cut that thought off as quickly as he could, focusing on the storm raging around them, trying to spot their target. For such a massive machine, Naboris was surprisingly fast. They'd quickly lost it in the tempest, and only the occasional glimpse of it revealed by the lightning told them they were on the right course.
Luckily, Sheik had better eyes than either of them, and could correct their heading whenever they lost sight of the Beast.
"Three degrees starboard!" Sheik called out, and Link was almost amazed to see Riju following the instruction, easily turning Patricia to the correct heading. "Five to port!"
"She's running from us!" Riju said. "She knows we're coming!"
Link had a feeling the spawn of Ganon that controlled the thing could sense the Master Sword approaching and knew better than to make it easy for its wielder to gain access. It could run all it liked, Link would still destroy it, no matter what. He'd come too far to fail now.
"There, just ahead!" Sheik announced. "We're coming up alongside it now!"
The storm was a thing of nightmares. Outside the shield, they could barely see a few feet ahead, while everything else was a brown-grey wall of sand and dust and debris. Soon, however, Link saw the sickly purple colour of Sheikah tech corrupted by Ganon...on something big. That rose into the air just above them, and...
"Riju!" He called out. "Hard left!"
They barely managed to dodge the gigantic, metal hoof that slammed into the ground where they'd just been. Kei honked in alarm and struggled a little against his reins, but Patricia remained perfectly calm, even when her ride was unnerved by their extremely close call.
"That was too close!" Sheik said. "This distance is perfect, though; hold this position so I can take a look!"
"I'll try!" Riju acknowledged, nudging Patricia to the right and forcing Link to follow suit.
"Scanning!"
Link kept his eyes on the purple lights of what he now realised were Naboris' legs, which were pumping steadily, trying to move the Beast away from danger. His skin began to tingle again, and for a moment he was worried he'd strayed too close to the shield's edge, but as far as he could tell he was well within its limits. No, something else was happening. It was only chance that made him look up and spot something shining brightly on top of Naboris' back. It only lasted a second...and then the strongest bolt of lightning yet struck the shield.
The sheer energy it had to disperse must have caused some sort of feedback in the helmet, as Riju cried out in pain, clutching her head with one hand.
"Riju! Are you okay?!" Link called out.
Wait...where was his stutter?
"I'm good, just...got a bit of a shock!" Riju replied.
Right, not the time to contemplate his speech impediment. "Sheik, anything yet?!" he asked.
"I've got it!" Sheik said. "See those glowing panels on its hooves?! It's using them as grounds, protecting itself from the lightning it generates on its back! We take those out, it'll get struck by its own lightning!"
"And then?" Riju asked.
"Either the generator on its back overloads, meaning no more storm or lightning, or the entire damn thing'll shut down for a while until the backup systems engage. Either way, we'll have the window we need to get inside! Link, you know what to do!"
"Right." He gripped Kei's reins with one hand and used the other to unsling his bow from his shoulder...and immediately hit on a logistical issue. "This is a stupid idea," he murmured as he took the reins between his teeth.
"You're damn right it's a stupid idea, but we've got no choice," Sheik agreed. "Tiny, keep us steady, okay? Link's only got two hands!"
"What're you—oh, right!"
Riju glanced back, realised what was going on and turned her attention back to the matter at hand. "Link, I'm taking us closer! Slowly pull to the right, okay?!"
"Erkay!" Link called back as best he could, nocking a bomb arrow and hoping to Hylia that the shield was one-way only, otherwise they had a big fucking problem.
"Steady," Sheik said as they gradually drew closer to the front left hoof of Naboris. "Account for the travel!"
Link lined up the shot with the hoof, then pulled further to left to account for where his target would be once the arrow had travelled far enough.
"Now!"
He loosed the arrow and was immensely relieved when the projectile easily passed through the shield, disappearing into the storm on its way to the nebulous target in the distance. For a moment, there was nothing and he assumed he'd missed. Then there was the dull thump of a distant explosion, and the purple light vanished.
"Direct hit!" Sheik announced triumphantly. "Next one! Tiny, slow down a bit so we can get the back leg too!"
"Slowing down!"
The process was repeated with the second hoof. Link loosed an arrow, and moments later the lights went out, the grounding panels destroyed by the explosive projectile.
By then, Naboris' gait had slowed considerably, making it far easier to move around it. The generator on its back charged up once more, the ominous, purple glow intensifying, casting a garish light on the desert around them.
"Tiny, it's charging up again! Brace yourself!"
For all the good it did. Riju cried out again, nearly losing her balance on her plate, only barely regaining in time to avoid crashing into an old column jutting out of the sand.
"You okay?!"
"I'm good, I'm good!"
She even managed to give them a thumbs-up. It seemed whatever fear she'd held before the battle had been dashed away by the adrenaline kick. Link hoped it would hold until they had their window.
"Next set of legs!" the Gerudo Chief called out. "Link, hard right and then full speed ahead!"
Link grabbed the reins firmly with one hand, mentally thanking Kei for being so patient with him. "Got it, let's move!"
The third leg was done in short order, and only the fourth remained. It was around this time Link supposed something had to go wrong.
And, of course, it did.
He really had to stop jinxing himself.
Naboris was still trying to run away from them, the creature in control realising it needed to stay moving to even have a chance.
Link was readying another arrow when he heard Riju call out from ahead. "Rough terrain coming up!" she called out. "Lots of rocks and old pillars! You'll have to navigate yourself, Link, just make sure to stay inside the shield!"
Link slung his bow back on his shoulder, realising he'd need two hands for this. Kei was behaving, but he wanted full control considering what they were about to pass through.
"Here we go!" Riju said.
Link had almost forgotten just how fast they were moving. With nothing but a featureless storm around them, there was nothing to really indicate their speed, but now, as ancient columns and bedrock began shooting past them, he realised that they were moving at speeds far beyond a gallop.
Oh, Hylia, save me, he thought, barely ducking under a low-hanging rock in time. How the shield managed to discern what it should or shouldn't let through was beyond him, but he was glad they weren't bouncing off everything.
"Generator's charging!" Sheik said, and Link spotted the tell-tale purple glow high above them. "Tiny, brace—"
The bolt struck faster and harder than ever, and Link only realised the true danger here before it was too late. Ahead, Riju winced and touched the helmet, distracted for but a moment.
But that was all the time disaster needed to strike.
Link saw it, but he was too late to warn her. "Riju—!"
Patricia tried to avoid the stone block...and did so. Physics ensured Riju didn't, as the hard turn Patricia made only caused Riju to slam into the block even harder. The plate struck first, launching the Gerudo Chief out of it and causing her to crash into the thing legs-first, which sent her spinning over the block and falling into the sand.
Miraculously, the Thunder Helm stayed on, presumably because of the death grip she'd had on it.
Link felt his stomach plummet at the sight Riju's crash, his breath leaving him in a great gasp as he wrenched Kei aside to avoid the same obstacle and pulled hard on the reins until he came to a stop, throwing himself off his plate and running to Riju's figure, which lay face-down in the sand, eerily still.
"Riju! Riju! Can you hear me?! Are you okay?!"
He slid to a stop in the sand, hesitantly reaching out to her, unsure if touching her would just make things worse.
"Scanning," Sheik said, his voice sounding distant and far away. "Vital signs steady, but her heart's beating a mile a minute...no bleeding."
Link carefully rolled her over, relieved to see her still breathing, though it came in short gasps. The shield still held, so that had to mean she was all right, surely?
"Riju?" he asked, reaching for the helmet, which had slid down to cover her face again. He had to make sure she was—
Her hand was suddenly gripping his wrist, keeping him from touching the helmet.
"Riju!"
Her other hand pushed up the helmet, revealing her teeth, which were displayed in a wild grin.
"That..." she said, "was...awesome!" Like she hadn't just taken a tumble that would have broken every bone in Link's body, she sat up and looked around them. "How far did I fly?" she asked.
Too far, Link thought.
"Approximately twenty-point-five feet," Sheik supplied. "You don't have a lot of mass, Tiny, but you sure brought the speed. I say…eight points for style!"
Link hung his head, groaning. He really didn't like it when he was made to feel like the only adult here. He looked over Riju once more, satisfied to see that she didn't appear to have trouble moving, if the way she easily climbed to her feet and began pacing around them, excitedly noting the block she'd crashed into and depression in the sand where she'd landed.
"Hell of a fall, Tiny," Sheik said, almost sounding impressed. "You good?"
"Better than good," Riju said, tapping the Thunder Helm. "This thing is really solid—I landed on my head, but I barely felt the impact at all."
"That's a relief, now we don't have to worry about Slagathor tearing Link's head off with her bare hands for getting you hurt."
"She still might, if she finds out about this."
Link groaned louder.
Against his better judgement, Link allowed Riju to keep leading them on after taking a moment to make sure absolutely nothing was broken. Then they called Patricia, who'd been lurking guiltily along the edge of the shield—smart enough not to go outside it—back, and Riju had taken a moment to pet and reassure she wasn't mad at her seal.
"We've lost it," Link said, gazing into the storm around them. "We'll have to track her again."
"No need," Sheik said happily. "I've locked onto her signature now, and the monster controlling her doesn't know how to turn off her answers to my pings. I know exactly where she is."
At least something went well with this plan, Link thought, turning back to Riju. "You ready?" he asked.
"All good—which way?"
"Twenty-three degrees to the left and straight ahead, Tiny, fast as we can go."
"Got it!"
"That could have gone a lot worse," Sheik said quietly once they were moving at speed again, the desert flying past them outside the shield. "We're lucky she landed in the sand instead of on the rocks. Then you'd really have to worry about Slagathor killing you."
"Don't need to reminder, thanks," Link said firmly. "Let's focus on the job, yeah?"
"Oh, how assertive," Sheik teased. "I knew you had it in you."
He didn't dignify that with an answer, choosing instead to ready his bow as the last purple light appeared in the distance.
"Nailed it!"
The last grounding panel exploded in a shower of sparks, and for a moment it didn't seem like anything happened.
And then the generator on Naboris' back charged up again, and Link swallowed nervously. Hadn't it worked?
"Just watch and enjoy, Link," Sheik assured him.
The generator fired, and the sky lit up with another massive bolt of vile, purple lightning. Unconsciously, Link braced himself, and he could see Riju doing the same in the corner of his eye.
But the bolt didn't hit them. Instead it struck the Naboris' head. The bolt seemed to bounce off and then strike the generator, which exploded in a fireball of purple flames, the entire structure of Vah Naboris shuddering as electrical arcs travelled all over its metal body.
"Without the grounding panels, the Beast itself becomes a giant lightning rod, but since it has nowhere to direct the energy..."
Link didn't need Sheik to explain—he was seeing the results first-hand. Naboris' movements became jerky and uncoordinated, much like Link imagined himself to move after getting struck by a wizzrobe with a penchant for electricity. Surprisingly lifelike, for a machine. Then, it collapsed.
It was a slow event. Naboris' legs gave out, the body sinking closer to the desert floor, a hatch on its underside opening striking the sand.
"I guess that's our window," Sheik said as Link and Riju brought their seals to a stop, the Chief stepping off her plate to watch the Divine Beast kneeling in the sand, removing her helmet and watching it with wide eyes.
Link came up to her side just in time to hear her sigh—whether in disappointment or relief, he didn't know. She turned to look at him, green meeting blue, still grinning a little.
"Unfortunately, I cannot appease Naboris on my own," she said. "I have no choice but to entrust the rest to you."
"It's my duty," Link said, only now feeling how hard his heart was beating inside his chest.
"Not to cut this moment short, but the backup power's already kicking in," Sheik interrupted. "Link, we've got to move!"
"Shit!" the Hero exclaimed, taking off at a run towards the hatch, which was already closing. "Go back to the others!" he called over his shoulder. "I'll handle the rest!"
He barely reached the hatch in time, throwing himself at it just before it rose out of his reach, clinging to the rough surface and slowly using friction to push himself up it. It must have looked ridiculous, but at least he was on the damn thing now.
In the sand, Riju watched as Naboris began to lumber away, the tiny dot that was Link disappearing inside its interior. The storm generator on its back was destroyed, and there was no sign of any other external defences.
"Don't let us down, Link," Riju said, clutching her helmet tightly as her knees began to shake, threatening to give out beneath her. "Lady Urbosa...Mother...did I do well?" she asked the helmet quietly.
There was no answer.
In the noisy interior of the Divine Beast, a sensor picked up an organic life form in the lower holds.
In a shadowy alcove, a shaky hand closed around the handle of a sword.
Finally...