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 87 - Took Your Time, Huh?
The halls of Hyrule Castle were eerily quiet. Link's footsteps seemed so loud as he made his way through corridors that kept making his mind itch with the familiarity of it all. The drapes, carpets and wallpaper had all decayed into nothing, the paintings that once bore the noble visages of the Royal Family line so faded they were unrecognisable, the very stones that made up the floors and ceilings cracked and damaged...and yet he recognised it all.
He knew where to go, effortlessly finding the right stairs, the little servants' halls that provided the quickest way to the throne room.
Because where else could the greatest evil in all of Hyrule possibly be found? The sheer arrogance of it had Link wrinkling his nose in distaste. He'd eject the damned thing from the castle, no matter what.
It didn't really occur to him to be afraid. Or, rather, he was afraid, but he couldn't focus on it. The battle outside seemed to have emptied the castle of its defenders, but that didn't mean he could simply stroll into the inner sanctum of the palace and expect no trouble.
So, he took his time. Checked his corners, took it one hall at a time, and was careful not to let the niggling sense of nostalgia overwhelm him. He couldn't remember the moments themselves, just the impressions of them. Echoes of a long-lost time he'd likely never remember.
But then, he supposed it was for the best. Lingering on the past would do him no good. He could only appreciate what he had now and move on.
He reached the ground floor with no great trouble other than a few perilous pits into the bowels of the castle basement to avoid, the structural support somewhat lacking from a hundred years of no maintenance. Below, in the basements, he could see evidence of the enemy occupation, a veritable hive having lived here until the allies had drawn them all out.
The east end of the castle had seen the worst of the damage, it seemed. Many corridors were blocked by rubble, or had their floors simply dropping into pitch dark pits. The servants' halls that Link had intended to use to get him into the throne room were impossible to navigate, so he was forced to make his way to the main entrance through the one corridor that seemed relatively stable.
This was definitely a place he remembered. Once, there had been rows upon rows of suits of armour mounted on plinths on either side of the broad hallway. Most were gone now, others smashed to pieces to lay rusting on the floor. The noble house banners had rotted away, all trace of their existence gone. Knightly seals, too, lay scattered everywhere. Link wondered if his lay among them.
He didn't even know what to start looking for, anyway.
The air grew a little less stale as he reached the main entrance to the castle. The great doors had been reduced to a sad sight indeed. One was barely hanging onto its hinges, the wood scored with knicks and cuts from crude bokoblin weapons. The other had come off entirely, lying broken on the stone floor.
Here, faintly through the doorway, he could hear the sounds of battle outside. Screams and explosions, the clash of steel on steel.
He couldn't waste time. He turned back to the room, pausing.
There was not much sign of the bokoblins having spent time in the entrance hall apart from the broken doors. There were no tents, no bedrolls, no cooking fires. Instead, there was a grisly reminder of what had happened a hundred years ago. Link drew a breath, held it, and released it only after ten seconds had passed.
Skeletons littered the floor, some still covered in the armour they'd worn at the time of death. Only a few were intact, others had been scattered all over the large room, treated like sport by the enemy.
No dignity for the dead.
Link gritted his teeth and focused on the second set of large doors at the northern end of the room. They were closed, but not barred. It took a lot of strength to open one, however, the hinges rusted and resistant to movement. He grunted and put everything he had into pushing, and the door slowly gave way with a loud creak that echoed through every part of the castle.
Inside lay the throne room...and the foe he'd been dreading to face since the moment he woke up on the Great Plateau.
The throne room was bathed in garish, purple light, a thrumming that reminded Link of an off-kilter heartbeat filling his ears the moment he stepped inside. High above, suspended from great, fleshy cables covered in Malice, a great, cancerous growth was emanating the light, and Link could see it pulsating in time with the heartbeat-like sound.
He didn't need to see the smoky Malice coming off it, didn't need to see the light, to know this was Ganon. He could feel it. A great cancerous lump, the very source of all the misery, pain, and death that had haunted Hyrule for a whole century, hanging from the ceiling like a grotesque cocoon, hiding nothing but nightmares within.
Link felt sick to the pit of his stomach at the sight of it, heart racing in his chest. This was it. This was the creature that had defeated him a hundred years ago, razed his home to the ground, killed his friends and family, and condemned Hyrule and its people to a century of dread and fear.
He stepped closer, looking up at the blobby sac, vein-like structures pulsing on the surface of it. A great big heart, almost...but Ganon had no heart. Link was sure of it. There was nothing in this creature but hatred.
His hands were sweaty, and he needed a moment to collect himself.
How would he get it down? The cables, surely. Bomb arrows? Probably the best option, yes—
The pulse skipped a beat, and a primal dread struck Link to his very core.
Ganon knew he was here.
The pulse continued, but it started grow erratic, faster.
Fear?
Hate?
Excitement?
Link didn't know, but he knew it wasn't good.
Then, that familiar feeling that had come to him on the Divine Beasts enveloped him once more, his hearing growing faint, a sound echoing from the deepest parts of his mind being all he could hear.
...
...nk...
...Link...
Princess Zelda's voice echoed inside his head as it had before. The voice he'd heard in his memories, happy and unhappy to see him, cold at first but slowly warming up. Worriedly yelling at him for getting hurt. Plaintively begging out for answers from a silent goddess. Angrily arguing with a father who would not hear her out.
Crying in despair at having lost everything, believing it to be all her fault.
I'm here, he thought. I'm here, Zelda.
Link...I'm sorry...but my power isn't strong enough.
She sounded so tired. Exhausted from her century-long struggle of keeping Ganon at bay, waiting for Link to wake up.
I'm here, he thought again. You can rest now. You can let go. Let me handle the rest.
He wasn't sure if she could hear him. It didn't seem that way. Her entire attention was focused completely on holding Ganon back, but she had finally reached her limit.
I...can't hold him...
The feeling of her presence faded just as a blinding beam of blue light, so much like that of the Guardians' cannons, shot out of the cocoon. It sliced through stone like it was nothing, the recoil causing the cocoon to swing wildly from its cables, the beam cutting erratic patterns all over the throne room, barely missing Link by inches, cutting a great triangle into the stone floor around him.
The beam faded, and Link thought that was the end of it...only for more lasers to cut through the flesh of the cocoon, cutting across the surface in a net-like pattern before fading as well.
The cocoon made a fleshy groan before it exploded in a shower of gore, a bundle of hide, hair, and glowing mechanical bits falling out and hitting the throne room floor with a great crash. The floor groaned ominously, and Link only had a moment to react before the stone gave away, falling apart from the weight of the cocoon's contents.
They fell into dark. A yawning, cavernous space beneath the throne room that had surely not seen the light of day in millennia welcoming them like a tiny morsel into a great set of jaws. Link felt himself being pelted with small pieces of stone and debris, and warm splashes of a liquid he'd rather not know what was as he reached for his paraglider, only muscle memory letting him unfold it in the dark. Below, there was an eerie glow of red that grew brighter the longer the fell, and the closer they got.
Link managed to fold out the glider just in time for it to catch the air rushing past, slowing his descent with a violent jerk that had his shoulders threatening to pop out of their sockets. Just below, a great boom sounded as the cocoon's occupant hit the carved stone floor, which didn't give way.
Link landed several paces away, coming to a skidding stop, coughing from all the dust that had been kicked up by the fall and crash. Kneeling to regain balance, he took in the gigantic room they'd landed in. The floor was stone, but oddly smooth, like the kind found in the Sheikah shrines. As were the walls, metal beams running along the dome-like structure, where red lights gave the impression of a bloody battlefield.
The Sheikah had built this, for whatever reason.
An attempt at containing Ganon, perhaps, long ago?
Had the Royal Family even known about this?
That was all the speculation he had time for, as the writhing pile of limbs that had fallen out of the cocoon managed to make sense of itself, slowly unfurling, revealing to Link his enemy.
It was...hard to take in. Its form seemed quadrupedal, powerful fore- and hind-legs supporting a long, proportionally skinny body. That's where all resemblance to any animal Link had seen before ended. Its skin was covered in glowing lights and wires, extra limbs, mostly mechanical, erupting from the flesh in a grotesque unification of biological and artificial components, writhing and moving like it could barely control them, each limb bristling with weaponry. One limb in particular had a whole array of ancient blades, the blue light of them clashing garishly with the room and Ganon itself.
Its head was huge, attached to a long neck that didn't appear to match its body, the skull shaped like that of a person's, which only made it look wrong. Wild, red hair covered its upper body and head in long, shaggy tresses, still wet from whatever disgusting fluid this monster had been marinating in inside the cocoon.
Its head turned, eyes landing on Link. They glowed red, a hateful gaze scanning him carefully. A yellow light in the middle of its forehead pulsed rhythmically, matching the beat of the Malice that still rolled off it in waves, the weight of its rage and fury beating down on Link, trying to push him down, feeling like the weight of an ocean threatening to crush him.
Ganon's mouth opened horrifyingly wide as its jaws seemingly dislocated, giving him a disgusting view into its gullet, as it let out a shriek that echoed off the domed walls, a scream that was filled with anger, hate, pain, and every seemingly negative emotion a living creature could possibly feel.
It slammed one of its powerful forelimbs into the floor—a long, thin arm with an attempt at a hand at the end of it, powerful fingers terminating in claws the length of longswords. It didn't look nearly strong enough to hold its weight. The other arm was the opposite—gigantic and freakish, with no hand at the end, but a giant, glowing, red-hot sword, its blade glaive-like in shape.
It rose to its full height, two of the mechanical, spider-like limbs slamming down to the floor to hold its weight up, releasing another shriek.
Link felt frozen, still trying to comprehend the nightmare he was facing. He wasn't sure what form he'd expected Ganon to take, but it definitely hadn't been this. This gigantic, horrifying, spider-like body that looked haphazardly assembled from flesh, bone, metal, and wires, all held together with the sheer power of its hatred and Malice.
His breaths came in short bursts, his vision beginning to tunnel.
No, no, not now! Panic now, and he was going to die. Everyone was going to die!
He clenched his jaw and forced himself to take a step forward. Ganon watched him, rows of broken, yet razor-sharp teeth bared at him.
"I-I'm not afraid of y-you," Link said. He growled, forcing air out of his lungs and opening his mouth again. "You hear me?!" he shouted. "I'm not afraid of you!"
Ganon shrieked again, and took a step forward, the floor shaking from the weight of it.
Link's hand reached for the Master Sword...
Then, the voices came.
Now my moment has finally come.
This will be our final opportunity.
Let's go, little guy!
A hundred years in the making...
The voices of the Champions of old joined Link, echoing inside his head, their excitement positively thrumming within him. A final act they had all waited a century for a chance to make. Their wills like steel, determination filling every word.
This was their time.
They all spoke at once, a wall of noise inside Link's head, but all he felt was elation.
For one last time, the Champions stood together!
Brace yourself, Ganon, for the sting my revenge!
We will not fail!
Now! Open up wide, Ganon!
Hold on, Princess. Our moment has arrived!
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a boom so deep it was surely felt throughout all of Hyrule pounded into Link's chest. Even Ganon felt it, its motion halting for a moment. Then, blue light exploded far above them as the Divine Beasts' weapons opened fire, their beams joining, the light so bright all Link saw was white for a moment.
Then the combined beams surged downwards, striking Ganon directly. The pressure of the explosion threw Link backwards and skidding along the floor, his ears feeling like they were about to explode from the roar of the explosions and pained screams of Ganon. The moment seemed to last forever as all Link could do was hunker down on the floor, holding on as best he could.
Then, the onslaught was over, as quickly as it began. Ears ringing, Link opened his eyes, looking at the floor and blinking quickly to get rid of the spots that danced in his vision. He raised his head and saw the enemy.
Ganon lay still on the ground, smoke rising from its still form, its hair scorched and limbs crackling with electrical discharges, some of them bent and melted from the heat of the Beasts' lasers.
Carefully rising to his feet, Link saw the remains of his paraglider smouldering quietly some distance away, its frame broken and burned, and the sail reduced to ashes.
Good thing I wasn't planning on falling even further, Link thought, slightly delirious from the sheer amount of power that had just been released so near him.
Ganon wasn't breathing, the Malice no longer bearing down on him.
Had they done it?
Had the Divine Beasts and their pilots been enough?
His heart, still hammering, made an unexpected leap. It was over. It was finally over. A counterattack a hundred years in the making had succeeded, and Ganon was finally dead—
One of its arms twitched. A great, deep breath was taken, its sides expanding as the lungs drew in air greedily. Link's stomach plunged.
So much for optimism.
Ganon raised its head, one of its eyes a ruined mess, the remaining focusing on Link immediately. Lights erupted all over its body as it roared, its wounds horrific but only seemingly angering it. It weakly stood to its full height once more, its mane of red hair nearly gone and burnt to a crisp.
Limbs shaky, artificial arms half-melted and malfunctioning, it was no less horrifying to behold than before. It roared again, a challenge.
Link felt numb as his fingers found the hilt of the Master Sword once more, drawing it in one smooth motion. The blade lit up brilliantly, shining so bright it rivalled the lights of the arena, so bright it made Ganon pause at the sight of it.
Yeah, Link thought, you recognise it, don't you? You've seen it before. You fear it.
With good reason, the sword spoke in his head. It is time, Hero. Prove my choice was the correct one.
Link unslung his shield, wondering if it was even going to be of any help at all, bracing himself.
Keep trying, he thought. That's all I can do. Keep trying until I succeed.
You got this, little guy, Daruk's voice spoke, the grin audible in his voice.
Don't embarrass us after our display, Revali added, with none of his usual venom.
Link, I know you can do it, Mipha's gentle voice said encouragingly.
Let's not keep Zelda waiting any longer, hm? Urbosa finished, proud.
"This," Link said, glaring up at the monster, "is for everyone who died. For everyone who's feared you. It ends now!"
Ganon moved first. It raised its burning blade and brought it down in a vicious strike that had the floor shaking, and a giant ball of fire erupting, heading straight for Link, the very air itself igniting in its wake. Link ran forward, throwing himself aside to dodge the fireball, pausing only momentarily to catch his balance before continuing his charge, screaming angrily and putting everything he had into this.
A limb moved, a giant harpoon exploding out of the barrel at the end of it, crackling with electricity. Link threw himself forward, heard and felt the massive spear burying itself in the floor where he'd been just before, not slowing down at all.
A flash of movement from the right, and a malformed hand bristling with glowing, ancient blades swept down at him. He couldn't dive or roll, the blades were too low, which meant...
It wasn't a plan. It was instinct.
He jumped, bending his knee to catch the edge of the hand with his boot, letting the momentum carry him for a moment before kicking off. He sailed through the air, the blades passing beneath him harmlessly, another harpoon missing its mark entirely. A pair of ancient blades shaped like a pair of scissors snipped the air angrily, but he was moving too fast for them.
He was at eye-level with Ganon now, it's one remaining eye fastened on him, wide with fury.
Just a little further...
There were no more weapons for Ganon to bring to bear this close. Link roared and swung the Master Sword. His strikes weren't elegant or proper—flying through the air made it difficult to get the proper stance—but the hits were felt nonetheless. He scored deep scratches in the metal armour of Ganon's face, deep cuts where the armour had been burned away by the Beasts, Malice seeping out of every wound like blood.
Then the ground was approaching, fast, and Link had to tuck and roll to avoid smashing his face into it. Ganon's roars filled his ears, and he barely managed to back up in time to duck under the thin arm's razor-sharp nails as it cleaved through the air above his head.
It felt like a dance, to Link. An incredibly dangerous, high-stakes dance that involved dodging and weaving through a brutal gauntlet of never-ending blades, projectiles, and lasers, but a dance nonetheless. Whatever instincts had laid dormant within him for so long, carefully coaxed out over the last few months, were operating at full speed now, continually analysing and pushing his body to move and strike at the most opportune moments.
Ganon didn't seem to be thinking at all, acting like a wild beast as it attacked and attacked desperately, no tactical consideration beyond wanting to kill Link by any means possible. Almost like it was afraid, panicking, unable to gather its wits.
Link lashed out with the Master Sword, scoring hit after hit. A fist came at him, threatening to turn him into paste, but a quick smash of his own fists together and Daruk's shield protected him, Ganon's strike bouncing harmlessly off the glowing energy.
It only infuriated Ganon more, its attacks growing even more uncoordinated. Link side-stepped the clawed mechanical arm, striking out. The Master Sword easily severed the bases of the fingers, the blades flickering out of existence moments later.
One weapon down, six more to go.
Ganon shrieked and jumped back, firing the harpoon wildly, the massive spear flying directly over Link's head, the aim thrown off by its missing and lacking depth perception.
Or so Link imagined.
Ganon backed away until it neared the wall, and Link wondered if it was cowering away from him...until the mechanical limbs grabbed hold of the seemingly smooth walls, hauling Ganon's massive frame up and into the air, scurrying along the wall, looking even more like a horrifying spider amalgamation now. Gaining some distance, Link half-expected Ganon to start firing the harpoon with renewed vigour, but instead it raised one of its hind-legs, which wasn't being used for the climbing.
Revealing a swirling, insane Guardian eye.
Link couldn't help but laugh, half-hysterical. Of course it had an eye cannon under its foot. Why wouldn't it have one?!
It lit up, charging much faster than a Guardian could.
"Oh shi—"
Link threw himself aside, the ground where he'd just stood exploding.
Ganon continued to fire, not giving Link time to recover, charging and firing again and again, forcing the Hylian to keep rolling in unpredictable patterns to avoid getting lit up.
He'd died to Guardian cannons once—he wouldn't let it happen again.
An idea formed. Exhaustion was building quickly, and he couldn't keep this up for long. He had to end it now. As he rolled one more time and landed in a crouch position, Ganon already charging and firing again, he slammed his knuckles together. Daruk's shield formed once more, the laser bouncing off it.
Link worked deftly, dropping his sword and shield to the floor, unslinging his bow and drawing a bomb arrow. There was just enough time; the shield dropped, and he'd drawn the string to its full power, shoulder aching from the exertion.
The swirling eye lit up just as Link loosed the arrow.
Ganon's cannon was fast to charge; it wasn't fast enough to fire in time before the arrow struck home.
The arrow exploded...and so did Ganon's leg, the entire cannon going up in an explosion of blue smoke and flames, the limb shredded to pieces by the forces involved. The monster shrieked in pain, losing its grip on the wall. Ganon crashed to the floor in a heap once again. By then, Link had rearmed himself, charging straight for the massive, soft-looking underbelly of Ganon's body. Not a single piece of armour to be found, just soft, squishy, wrinkly, Malice-ridden flesh.
Ten paces. Ganon was still writhing in pain, the stump where its leg had once been moving jerkily, as if it was still trying to gain purchase.
Seven paces. Ganon noticed Link coming towards it at full-speed, one eye widening almost comically.
Five paces, Link angled the Master Sword for a vicious forward-thrust, aiming for the centre of its fleshy belly, aiming to put his entire weight behind it for maximum power.
Three paces. Link swore he could hear a strange humming sound, quickly increasing in pitch.
One pace. Just a thrust, and it'd be over.
But Ganon had another trick up its sleeve. Link barely had a moment to realise something was wrong, to notice sparks running along the metal seams of Ganon's body. He was so close, the Master Sword just about to connect...
Ganon's body lit up in bright yellow as some sort of shield encased it in an instant, looking similar to Daruk's own power. The Master Sword struck the shield less than an eyeblink later, and Link felt like he'd been socked right in the stomach as he was thrown backwards, rolling along the floor as the world tilted and whirled around him.
What.
Was.
That?
He gasped, rolling to his side, a blurry view of Ganon's form, still glowing yellow rising to its feet, stance crooked thanks to its now missing hind leg, roaring with fury.
Link coughed and tried to find his feet. He'd lost his shield somewhere during the fall, but he'd retained his grip on the Master Sword (or maybe it had retained its grip on him, who knew). His bow and quiver were also gone, scattered every which way.
Breathing was difficult—his lungs felt like they were twitching, like he'd just touched an exposed lead on a Guardian.
"Ch-Cheap trick," he gasped, forcing himself to stand. Every muscle in his body burned, his legs starting to wobble. Fatigue was setting in. Damn. He'd hoped to have finished the fight before it began to affect him.
Ganon roared, clearly disagreeing.
"All right," Link said, gripping his sword with both hands. "C-Come on, then."
They moved at the same time, charging towards each other. Ganon seemed faster now, despite its missing leg, whatever was powering the shield clearly doing something to the rest of it too. It swooped down with its red-hot glaive in a wide-sweep, too high for Link to jump over, and just low enough to force him to double over, feeling the heat of it passing over his back, searing hot.
"Take this!"
A diagonal overhead slash. Should easily have carved through the armour plating on display, but once more the shield interfered, the Master Sword bouncing off it with a dull thrum.
Link used the momentum of the bounce-back to spin and try for a sideways cut instead, but the result was the same.
The Master Sword couldn't penetrate the shield.
And then Link was out of time, Ganon rearing back and unleashing its entire arsenal at Link. Cutting, swinging, snipping, shooting, doing everything it could to annihilate him utterly with loud shrieks punctuating each blow.
He could only do his best to avoid them, using every bit of his strength and agility to dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge out the way.
But he could only last so long. He could barely breathe, his entire body was burning and aching, and he was slowing down. He was running out of time. The shield didn't cover Ganon's whole body, but it continually shifted to protect whatever part Link was attacking. No matter what he tried, no matter what angle he attacked from, that damned shield was there to intercept his strikes, and soon enough he wasn't able to get close, Ganon catching on to his tricks.
And then, he made a mistake. He hesitated, having to choose between a jump and a duck, and got caught in something that was both and neither, wide open for the metal limb to swoop in. Luckily, it was the one whose blades he'd disabled, but it was still a huge piece of fleshy metal that struck him in the side with rib-cracking force, flinging him into the wall. He landed on the floor in a heap of wet, bloody coughs, his head spinning, his whole body in agony.
He coughed, again and again, the dusty floor beneath him slowly getting covered in droplets of blood falling from his lips.
That couldn't be good.
He could barely draw breath now, each inhale causing his ribcage to flare up like his insides were on fire.
The ground shook with footsteps, and his hazy vision showed something big and glowing approaching him. Ganon howled in triumph, standing above him. Link coughed again, trying to crawl away, but it was futile, his limbs refusing to cooperate. Long, sharp flingers closed around his leg, lifting him with a bruising grip, dangling him upside down in front of Ganon's face.
Instinct had him lashing out with the Master Sword, scoring a diagonal cut right across its skull-like face. It shrieked with pain, and then he was flying through the air again, landing in the middle of the chamber, all strength gone.
He wheezed, struggling to draw breath as Ganon's shadow fell over him once more, its glowing blade held high.
I was so close, he thought. I'm sorry, everyone...
It was a moment that seemed to stretch on for eternity. He waited for the blade to drop, to end it all. It took so long, and he wondered if this was his punishment for his failure—to live through the moment of his defeat forever.
But then...
"Hey! Ugly!"
Blinking, Link looked up.
Was that...?
Something glowed blue in opening in the ceiling, in the vertical shaft leading back up to the castle. It glowed blue...and was approaching fast. No, it was falling.
It couldn't be...
Oh, who was he kidding? Of course it was him.
Sheik spread his arms and legs as he free-fell into the chamber, a glowing bomb held in one hand, active ancient blade in the other. his exposed Guardian eye shining so bright it hurt to look at.
Like starlight from the heavens, come to punish Ganon.
"Don't you fucking touch him, you overgrown fucking cockroach!"
Sheik's voice was not one Link would call beautiful. At low volumes, it could be pleasant to listen to as he spoke, especially when he rolled his Rs a lot. But when shouting? It was like nails on a chalkboard.
But damned if his battle cry wasn't the most delightful sound Link had heard all day.
Although...Link couldn't help but wonder what his plan was.
If he even had one.
He got his answer a moment later, as Sheik fired his Guardian cannon when he was moments away from landing on Ganon. The shield surged up in response to deflect the force, and it seemed to disperse the energy of the blast quite well, to Link's disappointment. But...there was a wavering in the light. Sheik growled and threw the bomb down, detonating it a second later at a dangerously close range. The shield surged once more, absorbing the blast.
And then something happened. It flickered. The shield flickered, as did the lights on Ganon's body. It was only for a moment, the shield only disappeared for a second at best.
But was only a second that Sheik needed as he lashed out with his ancient blade, burying it to the hilt in Ganon's back, causing the monster to shriek in agony, sparks erupting from the wound, lights flashing and exploding, the shield flickering out completely...and not returning.
It all happened in the span of a second. In the next, one of Ganon's flailing limbs hit Sheik mid-air, throwing him across the room. Link feared the worst, but Sheik managed to correct himself as he fell, landing in a roll that absorbed most of the impact, leaving him scrambling back to his feet as he drew his Sheikah sword—the ancient blade obliterated in the endeavour—face determined as he looked to Link.
"Get up, damn it!" he shouted. "I'll keep him distracted!"
"Sheik..." Link coughed, more blood erupting from his mouth. He couldn't move, his body a wreck.
"Link, this is no time to take a nap! Come on! Sharky's sister, do your thing!" Sheik whistled loudly, summing another bomb and throwing it at Ganon. The monster roared in anger, and stomped after him, Link momentarily forgotten.
Mipha...
I can't do much, Link, but I can help you with this...
Her voice was as soothing as the warmth that spread through him, pain flaring up briefly, only to fade away, replaced by a mild numbness instead. The taste of blood in his mouth disappeared.
You can do this. I believe in you.
Sheik wished he'd thought this through. Locating the source of that damned shield had been a matter of a scan with his eye, overloading it just long enough for him to ram his sword into it, had been one thing.
He had no planned for what to do afterwards. He'd intended to, but then he'd seen Link on the ground, about to get squashed, and all thoughts of planning ahead had disappeared. The next he knew, he'd let go of the rocky wall and been falling.
At least the plan worked!
Stabby was positive as always, even if he wasn't happy about being near his tormentor.
Half of the plan, at any rate, Sheik thought. I wonder what the rest of it was going to be.
Running for his life as he was chased by a cybernetic monstrosity of a spider with a skull for a face probably wasn't it, but it was the one he'd chosen. Well, if it gave Sharky's sister time to get Link back up to snuff, it was worth it. He'd seen the blood pouring from the Hylian's mouth, and he never wanted to see it again.
Uncle Link will be fine,Stabby said. His vitals are improving already.
Good, Sheik thought. Let's hope it'll be the same for us.
As if to prove him wrong, one of Ganon's spare limbs came flying from above, and it was only Sheik's quick pivot on his left heel changing his path to a strange turn that kept him from getting caught under it. He jumped and used the limb for leverage to get into the air, reaching into the holster on his thigh and throwing a handful of shuriken at the monster.
His aim was off, half the projectiles missing and flying past Ganon's head, the rest mostly bouncing off its armour.
Fuck, just looking at the armour was pissing him off. It was Sheikah in origin, but twisted and corrupted to fit Ganon's use. At least the shield generator was gone, and his scan didn't reveal any other units.
"That tech isn't yours, bastard!" he shouted, ducking under the red-hot glaive, the heat singing some of his hair. "Give it back!"
Ganon jumped away, putting some distance between them, the harpoon launcher aimed squarely at him. Sheik only had time for a quiet gulp before it fired, and he threw himself to the side. It missed by inches—he felt the air being disturbed as it flew past, embedding itself in the wall behind him, barbs locking it in place.
Nasty stuff.
"Stabby, how am I on power?!" he asked, running in a zigzag pattern to present a more difficult target.
About forty percent, brother, Stabby replied. Good for one more fully charged cannon shot.
Fantastic, Sheik thought. Better make it count.
He'd have to draw Ganon close, charging the shot up as he went along, get to its vulnerable underside. A charged shot should rip it to pieces, and—
Light erupted from the middle of the battlefield, warmth emanating from the spot where Link lay. The Hylian's body glowed, the hazy outline of a tall Zora standing above him.
Sharky's sister came through once more.
Unfortunately, it also drew Ganon's attention, the monster turning right around and stomping towards the still prone Link, who was slowly beginning to move.
But not fast enough.
At this rate Link would be up just in time to get cut in half, and Sheik doubted Mipha could heal that as easily.
There was no time to think or strategize—no bomb would reach Ganon fast enough, no insults would draw him back.
Fuck!
His eye was already charging up by the time the decision was made, Stabby anticipating his intent. There were no vulnerable parts on display, nothing Sheik could hit to do proper damage. So, he aimed for maximum annoyance instead.
"Hey, ugly!" he shouted. "Your fight's with me!"
He fired, the beam striking the back of Ganon's head directly, exploding violently, throwing the monster's aside in whip-lashing motion. Not enough to damage, but definitely enough to draw its attention back to him.
Ganon howled, whirling back to face Sheik. With some imagination, Sheik could see an outraged expression on the monster's face.
"How fucking dare I, huh?" he said, chuckling, ignoring the system messages warning him about power consumption.
Brother, you are down to fifteen percent power, be careful, Stabby warned him.
The time for caution is over, Sheik said, backing away as Ganon stomped closer, intending to draw it as far away from Link as possible until he could get back in the fight. It seemed to work, too, Ganon following his movements like a mindless beast.
That's it, he thought, gripping his sword. Come on, follow me, you big bastard.
Except, it wasn't as mindless as he thought. The monster roared and struck out, hitting a piece of destroyed rock and sent it flying towards Sheik, forcing him to jump backwards to avoid it, feeling little pebbles striking his face as the rock exploded. Stumbling backwards, he gasped when his back hit the wall.
When had he gotten that close?
Brother!
All the warning he got was the thump of the harpoon launcher. He realised what it was too late.
The next he knew, his back slammed against the wall again with lung-emptying force, his left shoulder and arm numb and unresponsive. System warnings nearly overwhelmed his senses, alerting him to everything from structural damage, breaches in everything from internal pressure, skeletal integrity and power and fluid distribution.
Vision blurry, he looked to his left, and saw the harpoon buried deeply in the wall, having gone through his shoulder.
Oh, so that's what the problem was.
Only then did the pain receptors kick in, and all he felt was pure agony, screaming till his throat felt like it was full of glass shards.
Brother! I'm shutting the receptors off, please focus!
The pain was only dulled, but Sheik could actually think again. Panting, he tried to move his left arm, but it was gone, whatever controllers it had severed by the harpoon. His shoulder didn't cooperate either, completely pinned.
Fuck, only one thing for it, then. He raised his blade, preparing to cut his way out, but then Ganon let out what sounded like a chuckle. The harpoon launched thumped again.
This time, it struck his right hip, shattering the puny bone under the soft flesh, before burying itself in the wall.
Sheik lost his grip on his sword, the eightfold blade clattering uselessly to the floor, the pain overwhelming him.
"Sheik!"
On the whole, Link wasn't an angry individual. To him, anger felt like something that festered on the inside, clinging to him bones like a growth that only made him feel terrible. He preferred to channel it away to something else...or better yet, let Sheik express it for the both of them.
But now, seeing his companion, friend, and lover run through by Ganon's harpoons, pinned broken and bleeding to the wall, he felt a bottomless pit of rage opening within him. Ganon had destroyed everything, taken everything from him. Link had clawed his way back, built something, gained new friends and family.
Ganon would not take it away from him again.
Not again.
Never!
What came out of his mouth as he rose wasn't words. It was a shapeless, meaningless cry into which he put all the hate he felt for this monster, all the frustration he'd felt since he'd woken up, all the rage for the life he'd lost.
Warmth still flooded him, chasing away the pain, leaving him feeling stronger than ever, gripping the Master Sword in a vice-like grip as he ran forward.
Enough was enough—Ganon was going to die, here and now!
The Master Sword positively vibrated in his hand, eager.
His battle cry caught Ganon's attention, its head slowly turning to look at him, eye widening. Its body followed, painfully slowly, bringing its weapons to bear. Link didn't care, continuing his charge.
Champions, help me!
They came.
Ganon fired harpoons, Daruk's shield protected him.
Ganon swung its weapons, Revali's Gale brought him up and out of harm's way.
Mipha's Grace continued to fill him with strength.
Closer and closer, until he could feel the Malice of Ganon so close it burned his face. Ganon roared, desperately swinging every weapon it had, trying to turn Link into a pathetic smear on the floor.
I think not, Revali's voice spoke, a sudden gust of air lifting Link into the air once more.
For an electrifying finish! Urbosa shouted.
Grinning, Link snapped the fingers on his left hand. A lightning bolt struck out of nowhere, paralysing Ganon for a moment, preventing it from lifting its arms.
Link gripped the Master Sword with both hands, still rising into the air, now at eye-level with Ganon. He reversed his grip.
Their eyes met.
Link saw the fear in Ganon's eye.
Good. It deserved to be afraid.
With a scream, Link stabbed downwards, putting every last bit of his weight and strength into the thrust. The tip of the Master Sword struck the light in Ganon's forehead. It resisted...for a moment. Then then tip cut through, the blade sinking to the hilt into Ganon's head.
Keeping his grip, Link dropped. His weight forced Ganon's head down, the blade wrenched this way and that inside its skull, scrambling whatever lay inside.
Link's feet touched the ground, followed immediately by Ganon's head, then its body. The lights continued to flicker, its limbs twitching. Growling, Link pulled the blade out of its skull, side-stepped, and brought the sword down on Ganon's neck. It cut a third of the way through the thick, muscled flesh. Crying out, Link drew back and struck again. And again. And again.
On the last stroke, the sword cut all the way through, clanging loudly against the floor. Ganon's head hit the floor with a wet splat, Malice oozing out of its stump, light flickering out of its eyes.
Its body continued to move, lighting up, twitching wildly, until it violently exploded in a shower of purple, forcing Link to cover his eyes. The body disappeared, erupting into a cloud of dark miasma tinged with Malice, slowly dissipating into the air.
And it was over.
Ganon was gone, its Malice dissipated. All that remained of its physical body were the pieces of warped and twisted Sheikah tech, lying on the floor, dead and inactive. Its skull-like helmet lay cracked and broken at Link's feet, a hole in the middle of its forehead where the Master Sword had penetrated deeply.
Exhaustion was beginning to show its ugly face again, but Link banished it with a thought when he heard a groan.
"Sheik!"
He ran over to him, stifling a horrified gasp at the state of his friend. Blood and whatever else ran through his veins poured down from his hip and shoulder, mixing into a purplish pool at his feet. The fingers on his hand kept twitching unnaturally, the rest of it inactive and dangling uselessly.
Sheik's eyes were closed, but they opened upon hearing his name. His left eye was dim, the swirling motion slow and sluggish, the iris opening and closing erratically. His right eye looked heavy, but he kept it open, giving Link a crooked grin.
"Hey, you," he said. "Took your time, huh?"
His voice was weak, a thin veneer of his usual bravado and energy only making it more obvious that he was hurt.
"Sh-Sheik," Link repeated, not even sure what to do. "Y-You...you're..."
"Temporarily indisposed," Sheik said, huffing a laugh, seemingly struggling to even keep his head up. "Embarrassing, huh? Used as a fucking dartboard by a demon spider-pig thing. You tell Sharky about this, I'll never forgive you."
Desperate, Link reached for the harpoon pinning Sheik's shoulder, but the Sheikah stopped him with a gasp.
"Don't! You won't budge it, and believe it or not I do have active pain receptors in there. Turns out the Shrine added a few biological ones in there for funsies!" He huffed again. "Turns out I don't like this pain thing very much. The one good thing about the Slate, as it turns out." He chuckled, but it was far from a reassuring sound, Sheik's breathing growing laboured. "Besides, your job's not done yet."
"Wh-What?" Link asked. "Wh-What do you m-mean? G-G-Ganon's dead!"
His stutter was back, but he didn't care.
"You won that fight, yeah," Sheik said. "And it was really impressive...but it's not over. You'll see."
"I'll s-see?"
Before Sheik could answer, Link was enveloped in a golden light that was all too familiar. He was about to be teleported.
"N-No! No! I'm n-not leaving!" he shouted.
Sheik grinned. "You don't get a choice," he said. "But don't worry, I'll be fine. Just send someone down here to get me off this fucking wall, will you? It's not exactly comfortable."
To Link's horror, Sheik's eye grew wet, a single tear rolling down his cheek. He reached out, wiping it away gently. Sheik leaned into the touch, giving a quiet hum.
"Sh-Sheik, I—"
"Kick its ass, Link," Sheik interrupted, still grinning. "And hey? I'm proud of you."
Before Link could act, the light exploded in his eyes, and everything faded away. The last thing he saw was Sheik's smile, and the last thing he heard were two words, so quiet he almost doubted he heard them at all.
"...love you..."
Sheik let himself relax when Link disappeared, his signature appearing moments later out in the Hyrule Fields, where a massive source of Malice had just erupted, along with a signature he didn't recognise. No prize for guessing who that was.
"All up to you now, Hero," he muttered weakly, letting his head drop so his jaw hit his chest, exhausted and weak. "Stabby...how's it going?"
Ganon is trying to infiltrate the Network again. I'm keeping him at bay, but I cannot keep it up alone. I need help, brother.
"I'm with you, Stabby," Sheik said with a groan, establishing a connection to the Network and the massive attack that was taking place against it. It was a mess, and would require all of his attention. "I'm with you..."
His right eye closed, and his left eye went dark.
All was silent in the chamber.