PLEASE NOTE I have edited the previous chapter, to patch a minor plot hole and to balance the split between that chapter and this one. There are minor tweaks to the communication with Paya, and a brand new scene at the end! Please go back and re-read the previous chapter first before continuing! I realise it's been a long wait, have an extra-long chapter this time to make up for it :) And thanks to JunkArtist for the help with editing the fight scene in this chapter.
Link pushes the horses as hard as he dares along the sand-strewn road, though he knows in his heart there's no way he can hope to catch up with the Yiga having such a headstart. The hours stretch, a monotonous blur of heat and dust below the shadow of the great cliffs. As night falls he chooses a sheltered spot for his fire, against the walls of one of the myriad ruins which are scattered across the desert. The slate is still dark and silent, and he settles in with his cloak wrapped tight around his shoulders to gaze out over the dark, quiet sands. Above, the stars stretch across the sky to meet the distant horizon. Behind, the soft pop-crackle of the fire melds with the soft snuffling of the horses.
It's easy to feel, sitting here, as if time is compressed to a single, eternal moment. The desert might be ever-changing - its sands shift and rearrange with the the winds, the dunes march slowly across the landscape - but it's unchanging in its inconstancy. It persists when all around it has fallen to ruin and decay. The ruins in which he's camping are leftovers from an earlier age, and were already a sun-bleached skeleton long before Link ever came here. The desert reclaims itself, and the Gerudo rebuild, in an endless cycle.
"Do you ever wonder what they were like?"
He turns his head to see a memory of Urbosa lounging against the stone tiles. She's a vision of casual elegance, with the hood of her cloak pushed down around her shoulders. The context of this conversation seeps in around the edges of his mind. It had been after the Yiga ambush on the princess in Kara-Kara, at the very end of their visit to the Gerudo region when he and Zelda had finally managed to come to a tentative understanding. Urbosa had escorted them back to the edge of the desert on Vah Naboris.
"Wonder what who were like?" he asks, and Urbosa tosses her head to shake out her hair, careful not to wake Zelda who's curled fast asleep against her thigh.
"The great figures of the past. Nabooru, and all the other Heroes and Princesses. The Thief-King. Do you think they questioned themselves?"
"I suppose they must have. They were real people, too, before everything happened." He glances at Zelda, looking so peaceful in sleep, and Urbosa hums softly.
"Afterwards, as well. It's easy to get caught up in the present, when everything feels so immediate. But the sword you carry isn't all there is to you. What will you do, when this duty is complete?"
Urbosa's tone is still light and easy, but Link feels like he's strayed into the Haunted Wastelands, onto shifting quicksand. He's always been aware that while Urbosa is his friend, her connection to Zelda is much stronger. He carefully doesn't look back at Zelda, keeping his gaze out on the dunes as he shrugs. "I hadn't really thought about it. What's that saying you have?" He searches through his mind for the unfamiliar words. The dawn makes mockery of the night-time's plans?
"You've been practicing," Urbosa grins at him. "Your pronunciation is much better."
"Zelda's been helping me," he says. "It's something nice and neutral we can discuss, and I think she likes demonstrating that she's better than me at something."
Zelda herself stirs slightly in her sleep then, and the two of them lapse back into silence as they watch the horizon lurch by with the steady plod of Naboris's great feet.
Link blinks away the odd double vision, and turns to look instead at the mountains that flank the north-east edge of the desert. He has no memories of the area, only a shallow scraping of facts - the terrain is cold and barren, the air thin from altitude; the tribe of Gerudo who live there mainly trade with the Rito, who shrug off both the height and the temperature; the rocks are riddled with caves, a vast connected network. Even that little bit of knowledge tells him it's not going to be an easy place to search.
When he reaches the tower on the morning of the third day he uses the viewfinder in the slate to scan the surrounding area from the top, but there are no signs of Granté and Paya. Not that he'd expected there to be, but still. He's yet to receive any reply to his messages, except one from Impa urging him to be careful in his attempt to rescue Paya. He brings up the newly-updated map, familiarising himself with the plateaus, peaks and valleys. His trail glows green-blue on the map, cutting across the corner of the desert. There's an idea... He taps out one more message, to Purah.
[Is there any way to see the map trail of another slate? Or where it is now?]
[I've underestimated you] is all the response he gets at first, followed quickly by [Looking into it, give me half a day or so] and then after another small pause, [Good thinking.]
He makes his way back down to Epona and Storm, trying to keep the little spark of optimism alive in his chest. The Yiga could have ditched the pack, but it feels more likely that they'd want to steal the slate to study it. If Purah can work her magic, he might be able to follow right in their footsteps.
Birida, when he gets there, isn't much to write home about. The village consists of a smattering of low-slung stone houses overlooking the Karusa valley, with the last of the wheat harvest spread out to dry on their circular roofs. A Gerudo girl in a long-sleeved maroon tunic and moss-green sirwal drives a herd of goats past him on the narrow path. The last is wobbling slightly. Scrapie, his mind offers up from Nayru-knows-where. It should be separated from the rest, before the disease can spread.
He hitches the horses outside the small tavern and ducks under the low lintel into the dark, smoky space. The proprietor takes his money in exchange for a room in what looks like an outbuilding, which smells strongly of goat. But it has a door and a bed; it will do. Before he goes to sleep, he jams the chair under the door handle and puts his dagger under the pillow.
He dreams, over and over: of being too late to stop the Yiga cutting down Zelda as she runs through the sand. Of finding Paya, lifeless, strewn at the side of the road with the broken remains of the cart. Of fighting a Yiga, and pulling off the mask to reveal Granté's face beneath. Of Dorian's face, full of sorrow as he stabs Link in the gut.
The soft ping of the slate tugs him back to uneasy wakefulness. He's shoved the furs off the bed and lunged for it before he's even really registered that he's awake. It's from Purah, and the start of the message has his heart sinking, before he gets to the good news.
[Couldn't get access to route data from remote slates, not without using a guidance stone to push an update to Paya's anyway. But I hacked something together to triangulate position from ping responses, and that only requires updating your slate. Pop by and I'll load it up.]
He's tempted to leave that instant, for all that it looks to be the early hours of the morning; the sky outside when he opens the wooden window shutter is still deep, inky blue. Instead he forces himself to trek out through the cold air to the nearby shrine, where he registers the slate so he can come right back.
'Pop by' sounds so trivial, but going all the way from the Gerudo Highlands to the far end of Necluda leaves him feeling wrung-out and queasy. He sinks into the chair Symin offers at the tech lab gratefully, nursing a cup of peppermint tea to quell his rebellious stomach while Purah tinkers. She's unusually quiet, but he can read the concern for her niece in the set of her expression. She's older again - thirteen, perhaps - and awkward with the growth spurt.
"Bring her back safely," is all she says as she passes the slate back to him, along with a spare to replace the one they lost. He can't bring himself to make a promise he doesn't know he can keep; he nods instead; forces himself to hold her gaze as he warps back out to collect Dorian.
By the time they get back to the village shrine his head is pounding from all the slate travel and he's starving - he never did stop for any breakfast. They head back to the inn to find several new horses tied outside and the inside packed. Leena and Liana wave them over to the table they're occupying. There are four other Gerudo waiting there, who are introduced as the rest of Barta's squad, here to help in any way they can.
"I think I have a way," Link tells them, casting a wary glance around the room. "And it will work better if we can split into two groups."
He explains the triangulation idea to them over a lunch goat and turnip stew, and glasses of a mashed orchid-root drink that's oddly creamy. Then he takes Leena, Liana and Lukan with one slate, and Dorian takes the remaining soldiers with the other, and they ride out in opposite directions into the valley.
It takes hours of sweeping around in two great arcs for Purah's software to narrow down the location to a single pulsing dot on the map, and hours more to get in close and search for an entrance in the rocks. The sun is setting by the time they finally find a narrow fissure that ends in a solid wooden door. Link lets Dorian know their location while Liana sends off a messenger bird to Teake - a tiny little hawk with a blue cap. He watches as the speck of it disappears into the darkening sky. Then he climbs into his costume and pulls the mask over his face. His limbs look like a stranger's, clad in tight red leather.
He reluctantly leaves his pack and sword, taking with him only a long slender Yiga blade holstered at his back, and a small satchel of essentials. Leena and Lukan have managed to prise the door open with their spears, and are peering cautiously around the jamb.
"If I'm not back by sunrise, assume I've failed and storm the place."
"Good luck. We'll keep this entrance clear of any stragglers," Liana assures him.
The corridor is cool and quiet. Torches flicker at intervals, sending shadows leaping up the walls, and the tunnels carry sound oddly, bringing the low murmur of distant conversations to his ears. He keeps his pace brisk, missing the reassuring weight of the slate against his thigh already.
Eventually it lets out into a small chamber that looks mostly used for storage, though a table and chairs suggest the room is at least occasionally occupied. He picks up a hand of bananas from the huge pile in the corner, slinging them over his shoulder. At the Citadel, the soldiers had almost completely blanked out the coming and going of cooks, potboys, and scullery maids that kept the fortress running. He's willing to bet the Yiga have the same selective vision.
His intuition proves right; as he hits an intersection of tunnels a burly Yiga comes around the corner and narrowly avoids bumping into him, but all he says is "We're out of bananas again already? I swear I only brought some up this morning, this place is crazy." Then he sidesteps around Link and carries on in the other direction.
A little way in from the crossroads he comes across a large natural cavern, with a mezzanine structure up on one wall and several groups of Yiga relaxing below. One large group one are lounging on low stone benches strewn with cushions and passing a hookah around; another sits around a table playing cards. Link catches a glimpse of a blond head off to the side, looking in on the game. The players are all looking down at their cards. Link hesitates in the doorway, willing Granté to look in his direction. Then one of the players looks up, and Link ducks around the doorway.
"Hey new guy," the card player calls. "Make yourself useful, go get us a refill on the beer."
As Granté comes around the corner Link grabs his arm, and lifts his finger to his lips. Granté swallows down his surprise, and lowers his voice.
"Link? Is that you?" he whispers.
Link nods. "Is there somewhere nearby we can talk?"
Granté leads him through more corridors, and when they reach the - thankfully empty - kitchen with its walk-in storeroom, Link sets his cargo down on one of the worktops. From here, the bananas will be more suspicious than helpful. With the door pulled closed behind them, Link pulls the mask off with a sigh of relief. Granté roves his eyes over Link's face.
"I'm glad to see you well," he says, low and earnest. "Is Dorian alright?"
"Doing much better now," Link confirms. "He's waiting at the exit with some Gerudo soldiers, in case the extraction goes south. You managed to convince them you're on their side, then?"
Granté nods. "They're wary, but tolerating me for now. I did try to get word to you on the way, but between the two of them there was never a chance at the slate. I thought it would be safer to wait until we got here, and then keep alert to any opportunity. I'm amazed you found us - I should never have doubted you, clearly."
"It wasn't easy. Now bring me up to speed, so I know what we're working with. Is Paya alright?"
"She's in the cells. She was fine the last I saw of her, but I've not been able to get down there since yesterday. They're hoping to ransom her for you I think, but there's a lot of murmuring about it."
"Dissent in the ranks?" They might be able to turn that to their advantage.
"Yeah, some guy called Sooga seems to be setting himself up to try take over from the current leader, Master Kohga. The two who captured us talked about it when they thought we were asleep. I've been trying to encourage the coup; you get a lot of leeway for asking questions as the dumb new kid who doesn't know anything. I hoped the distraction might be enough for me to sneak Paya out."
"You think the situation's that close to tipping over?"
"I think it could be, with a little help."
Link scratches at his nose, thinking. "In about eleven hours the Gerudo will storm the place if we're not back, unless I can get word to them. But we might be able to work with this."
Granté's eyes light up with determination. "What do you need me to do?"
"First, I need you to tell me everything you can about the layout of this place."
Granté heads back to the card game with a few bottles of strong spirits for the players, an excuse on his lips about not finding any beer and a few suggestions in his head on things to say to stir up unrest in the inebriated group. Link replaces his mask and picks a new distraction - there's a large pot of gruel bubbling softly over a low fire, and he ladles it into two bowls which he puts on a tray. Taking supper to the prisoners is a plausible reason to be going that way.
He follows Granté's instructions through the warren of tunnels to the cells. There's no guard, but the empty cup in a coffee ring on the wooden desk, and the lack of keys on the wall hook above it, suggest they've probably just stepped out. He sets the tray down and makes his way over to the cells. The closest one has a Gerudo soldier inside, apparently asleep, though she sits up when he fiddles with the lock.
"Aren't you a little short to be a blademaster?" she asks.
Link huffs a laugh without looking up from the lock. "Barta, I assume?"
"That's me. Not that I'm not grateful for the rescue, but who are you and why are you trying to break me out of prison?"
Trying is the operative word - Link rates his chances of picking the lock as slim, and regrets that lockpicking had never felt like a critical skill to learn when he'd been in the army.
"The rest of your squad are just outside waiting for reinforcements, but we thought one person sneaking in might have a better chance. I think I should be able to get you out, but I need to go get someone else first. Have you seen a Sheikah woman being held here?"
"Yes, but a messenger came to tell the guard she was wanted for questioning, not long before you arrived."
Link curses, scenarios unwinding in his mind's eye of what that 'questioning' might involve. "So much for sneaking in and out." He takes his Yiga belt off and passes it through the bars. "Here, put this on and press the button in the buckle."
Barta does as instructed with a puzzled look, replaced by one of shock when she appears next to Link on the other side of the bars. "That is an unpleasant way to travel, but I can't deny its use," she says as she passes it back. "What is your plan now then?"
"I think I'm going to need a distraction," he replies. "A really, really big one."
"Master Kohga's uncovered the plot, you need to come help before we're all slaughtered!" Link yells into one dormitory, skidding away down the corridor before any of the Yiga inside can ask him any questions.
"Sooga has challenged Master Kohga to a duel!" he tells the next dorm breathlessly. "They're going to fight in the arena outside!"
Noise is already filling the tunnel behind him as he barrels into the third dorm yelling "An attack! Come help, come help! To the hall!"
He ducks around a corner as the confused, sleepy Yiga spill out into the corridor, a mass of confusion and shouting, and follows the stampede back inwards. The gathered Yiga look confused at the sudden influx to the hall; several stand and draw their own weapons.
"What's going on - "
" - heard Sooga made his move and it's going badly - "
"Master Kohga needs to deal with this! Where is he?"
"Let us through, we need to get outside!"
Several scuffles have already broken out, and with everyone yelling over one another it's impossible to hear any one person.
Link edges around the chaos towards the mezzanine. On the opposite wall, the great double doors have been flung open, and a Yiga strides in who must have been built like a bear in his prime, but has started to go to seed. His mask is more elaborate than the others, framed by stylistic horns like flames.
"What the hell is all this shouting?" he yells, grabbing the closest Yiga footsoldier by the throat. "What's going on?"
From the crowd comes a shout. "Master Kohga, is it true you've cast Sooga out? Did he really try to kill you?"
Kohga whips his head around to stare at the speaker but holds his body tense, like he's very rapidly working out how this situation has unravelled. The crowd jostles as another figure barges their way through - as tall as Kohga, wide in the shoulders, with two horns thrusting up from the side of his mask.
"The betrayal is Kohga's!" he shouts, turning to encompass the crowd. "His response to legitimate criticism of his leadership is to spread lies about me! To get my fellow clansmen to turn on me? You'll have to try harder than that, old man - the Yiga know where the true strength lies in this organisation."
Kohga has released the hapless underling, and is settling into a ready pose. "You think you can fill my shoes, Sooga? Why don't you test your sword instead of your tongue? Let's settle this nonsense right now." Then he strides out through the gates to the arena. Sooga follows, beckoning his lackeys to follow, and the entire clan streams out into the night.
Link waits until they're gone, and ducks into Kohga's now-empty room. Paya is tied to a chair, still in her Yiga costume; one cheek is red where it looks like she's been recently backhanded. She glares as Link as he comes in, and he pulls his mask up briefly to show her his face.
"Are you alright?" he asks as he saws through the ropes with the knife from his boot.
"Link! Thank goodness. What on earth is going on?"
"We set the Yiga against each other," he tells her. "Kohga and Sooga are about to duel outside, and while they're all nice and distracted, the Gerudo are going to sweep through this rat nest with an entire unit."
Paya frowns, rubbing her wrists. She tosses the Sheikah slate over to him where it rests on the desk, and grabs a pair of sickles from the weapon rack on the wall for herself. "Well then. Let's go help them out, shall we?"
Granté catches up to them as they exit, and the three of them head out to the arena. The torches surrounding the space have hurriedly been lit, and the Yiga are arraying themselves around the outside of the great circle in the floor. Kohga and Sooga are facing off against one another, rolling their shoulders and checking weapons respectively. As Sooga steps forward, Kohga looks up to a ledge on the cliffs, and clicks his fingers. Suddenly Sooga is staggering, the shaft of an arrow protruding out from his eye through the fabric of his mask. A second hits him in the chest, and another in the neck; he goes down in stages, sprawling on the sand with blood trickling out through his fingers as they grab at the arrow shaft in his neck.
Link shares a surprised look with Granté and Paya, then scans the cliff face for the archer. He points out the location with a jerk of his head. "There. Think you two can get him?"
Granté and Paya nod, and slink off to the side to begin the climb in the shadows. In the centre, Kohga has pressed his boot to Sooga's neck.
"Your complaints are dismissed," he tells his vanquished challenger. Then he looks around at the arena and raises his voice. "Does anyone else feel like this clan needs a new leader?"
There are still shocked murmurs rippling through the spectators, clansmen looking warily at one another. Link glances up to the ledge and sees the archer disappear backwards, a hand over his mouth silencing any noise. He gets to his feet, and wades through the crowd to stand in front of Kohga. Then he pulls his mask off.
"I do," he calls loudly. "I'm Link, though you might know me better by other titles. I heard you were looking for me."
The crowd explodes with noise. Kohga raises his hand, and they quiet back down to intense whispers.
"You're even stupider than we thought, to come here alone," Kohga tells him. He waves two Yiga over to pull Sooga's body from the arena. "But who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth? I'll enjoy being the one to finally eliminate you."
There's a pop as he disappears. Link's played this game with enough Yiga by now to already be ducking and rolling. He lashes out with his blade as Kohga reappears. Kohga blinks backwards, flinging shurikens at Link. He dodges one, but the other lodges in his shoulder. He yanks it free, hissing. The brief distraction is enough for Kohga to have disappeared again. Link swings round, scanning. There's a soft pop nearby. Link rushes in, swinging up two handed. Kohga blocks with a force-shield, following through to land a double-handed blow on Link's ribs. Link staggers back; pushes off his back foot again to retaliate.
Kohga may be getting fat but he's still unbelievably quick. For every time Link draws blood, Kohga lands a vicious kick or punch. Link wipes his brow quickly with his shoulder as Kohga blinks out yet again, clearing the sweat from his eyes. His teeth are gritted with exertion. This time, Kohga makes some arcane gesture that flings all the weapons on the nearby rack towards Link point-first. He blinks out on instinct, chaining jumps. Once, twice, thrice, right up into Kohga's face. Kohga's a hair too slow with the shield this time. Link kicks him in the groin then shoulder-barges him to the ground, winding up for a punch to the face.
Kohga grabs his fist, twisting his arm to the side to flip them. He smashes Link's face into the dirt. Pain explodes from his nose. He slams his head backwards. The blow doesn't connect, but it's enough to loosen Kohga's hold. Link rolls to shake him off. His blade's on the floor, too far to reach. He summons a bomb instead, flinging it right at Kohga's head. The Yiga gets his shield up just in time. Link switches to the two-finger tap-and-sweep gesture for magnesis. He sends a nearby brazier at Kohga. It smashes into his chest, knocking him back. Hot coals spill over the sand.
Link closes the distance, grabbing his weapon from the sandy floor as he goes. He lunges, slashing Kohga's thigh. The Yiga hisses in pain, blinking out. Link pivots into another lunge as he reappears. That one catches his ear, sending a splash of fresh blood onto his elaborate collar. Kohga clasps one hand over it
With the other he gestures to send the brazier flying back towards Link. Link ducks and springs back up swinging.
Kohga's on the defensive now, edging backwards dodging and blocking as Link advances. It's as if a trance has settled over Link, and every step, every thrust, every beat of his heart sends rage coursing through his veins. He wants to see the Yiga wiped from the earth. How could they side with a monster over their fellow man? How dare they go after his friends, his - the Princess? He wants to see Kohga's face smashed into pulp.
He channels his fury into his swings, keeps pushing and pushing, giving Kohga no space to launch a counter-attack. Finally, Kohga trips over the toppled brazier and tumbles backwards onto the sand. Link smashes the butt of his sword into Kohga's forehead, and while the Yiga is dazed, yanks his head back and slits his throat.
Reality bleeds back into Link's awareness as Kohga's limp body bleeds out into the sand. He looks up, and sees the Gerudo who were lurking in the tunnel from the hideout rush in with swords and spears drawn, Barta and her squad at the vanguard as the shellshocked Yiga scatter like rats.
Notes: So, apologies that this has taken so long to get out! Real life has been kicking my ass, leaving me with barely any time to write. I also struggled with this chapter; for a long time it was two chapters, but in the end I decided to cut it off at the more dramatic point, and to shuffle the opening scene back into the previous chapter. I also excised an entire subplot that I realised didn't fit with the longer story arc and was basically just self-indulgent worldbuilding. I did leave in my changes to the Kohga fight - in the game this felt frustratingly long-range, very typical of the 'wait for the pattern and hit the weak spot for massive damage' style of Zelda boss fights, and played very much for laughs. I wanted something closer and dirtier to show that Kohga, as the leader of the Yiga, is a force to be reckoned with. I did lift the name 'Sooga' from AoC, though I had the plot in mind before that game came out and don't intend to pull any other canon in from it since I haven't played it yet. Also I just want to say that while I was wrestling with time commitments and plot issues, I went back to re-read all of the wonderful comments you guys have left so far. Hearing from you all is a great motivator and stops it feeling so much like shouting into the void! You're the best, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter 3