Notes:

I for one HATE this chapter now in 2021. It has not aged well. There are some good moments but I think I was a bit into edgy things back then. I had once considered editing this chapter before posting, but I think that would ruin the experience later down the line, so I will leave this, painfully, in its original state.

Where am I...

He knew wherever he was, it was cold and damp. There was also a cool draft coming from above him, and the sound of water dripping in the distance.

Link's eyes cracked open, and saw he was in a well-lit room, with a barred wooden door and stone walls. There was also a small barred window, letting in some cold air. Link then noticed that both his arms were spread out and shackled to separate chains giving him some mobility, but nowhere near enough to actually do something. It started to get very cold in that room, and Link shivered some more, because his shirt and boots were gone; no doubt a tactic to make him as uncomfortable as possible.

Link shivered a little bit, and started to wonder what was going to happen to him, as well as find some possible way to escape. His thoughts were interrupted by the door flying open, and Bruiser and two henchman walked in to greet him.

"Well, kid, I see you're awake. Good, let's make this quick, shall we?" Bruiser said as he walked over to Link, got to his knees, and grabbed Link by the face, forcing Link to look him in the eye.

"Your friend should be here in a couple of hours," Bruiser said, "In the meantime, I think you should get to know our hospitality in these parts." Bruiser motioned for his goons to walk up to him, as he walked back to the door.

"Phane will beat you, Bruiser!" Link snarled, "Mark my words." All of a sudden, one of Bruiser's goons punched Link really hard in the ribs, making him gasp in pain. Then another fist hit him straight in the jaw, splitting his lip a little bit, and dazing him.

"Don't rough up the merchandise too much," Bruiser said to his henchman, "Just tenderize it a bit."

With that, Bruiser left the room, cracking his knuckles as he left, getting ready for his match with Phane.

Phane was punching a dummy that was lent to him by Kenna in the common area in the school. His fight with Bruiser was going to be soon, and he had been training for the past two hours after he woke up. He kept punching and kicking the dummy, getting faster, imagining it was Bruiser he was punching. He then let his anger slip a little bit, and then landed a roundhouse kick so hard, it snapped the wooden beam inside the tummy, causing it to bend down and render itself useless.

"Dammit," Phane said as he had realized the destruction he had caused. This wait was killing him, who knows what was happening to Link while he was stuck there practicing.

"You okay, Phane?" J'on said as he walked into the common room, holding a towel and a cup of water.

"Yeah, just a bit nervous," Phane said, "I'm just having a bit of trouble with sitting around here. I want to go there already and help Link out; who knows what they're doing to that poor kid."

"They're probably beating the crap out of him, to be honest," J'on said, "But he can take it. He's tough, and he'll hold out for you. He's counting on you to beat Bruiser."

"Yeah, I know, but I just keep thinking I could've done something had I just planned this better," Phane said, taking the cup of water and the towel.

"The more you doubt yourself, the more it hurts Link," J'on warned, trying to get Phane's mind in the right place.

"Thanks for keeping my mind in the right place, J'on," Phane said as he drank the water, and then wiped his face off with the towel, "Look, in case I beat Bruiser, they won't necessarily be happy with me walking out with Link, so can you back me up?"

J'on walked over to a small urn and pulled out an unlit torch. Much to Phane's surprise, J'on breathed fire onto the torch, lighting it.

"Not a problem," J'on said, putting the lit torch on a sconce.

"You can... breathe fire?" Phane said, in shock. This might just work after all.

"You noticed that, huh?"

"Well, I... Never mind, thanks for everything, J'on."

"Let's go, don't want to keep Link waiting for too long," J'on said as he beckoned Phane to follow him out of the room. J'on left, heading back to the family's room, leaving Phane in the common room.

Phane looked back at the dummy, and then exhaled, while staring at the floor.

Hang in there, Link, I'm coming...

"Shouldn't be too long, now, kid," one of the henchmen said as he punched Link in the gut again. They had been having at him for two hours, and the pain was growing. Link was sure that a couple of his ribs were broken, and that he would need several stitches elsewhere. Link gave the goon a bloody grin, and then received another punch in the face.

Link spit out a molar, and then looked back at the henchman, who was trying to get some feeling back in his fist.

"Look at that, your last baby tooth?" The other henchman said as he stood up to take the others place.

"Maybe," Link said, "Does this mean I get a rupee for my troubles?"

That retort got him another punch in the face. Link recovered, and looked up at his new company, "You need to work on those punches; I'm starting to get bored here." Link yawned to prove his point.

Link was punched in the face again, and he spit out a bit more blood, and then said "You need to have more intensity; I'm not feeling it here."

"You think you're funny, you little smart ass?"

"A lot funnier than you," Link said, knowing he was getting to this guy, "You should go find your sense of humor, you probably left it downstairs."

"Heh," the goon said as he hit Link square in the stomach, causing Link to cough, and grit his teeth in pain. That one really hurt; his ribs were flaring up again, and it was getting hard to breathe.

"Now... we're getting somewhere," Link said, trying to gain his breath back. He really was in serious pain and he was dazed, but he didn't want his attackers to gain the upper hand on him. He had to last long enough for Phane to get to him. All of a sudden, the door opened, and Bruiser walked back in the room.

"Both of you, get out," Bruiser ordered. The two men walked out of the room, leaving Link alone with Bruiser.

"I hope our hospitality has suited you," Bruiser said, smiling menacingly at Link, walking over to the tooth Link spit out, "I'll be sure to reimburse you for this." Bruiser picked up the tooth and put it in his pocket, hoping to channel Phane's anger for later.

"Phane'll beat you," Link reiterated, gaining a bit more strength, "He'll kick your ass."

"Not likely, kid. I've never lost a fight," Bruiser said, walking over to Link's right side.

"There's always a first time," Link said, closing his eyes so he didn't have to look Bruiser in the eyes. Even though he didn't show it, Bruiser terrified him, but he didn't want him to know that.

"Well, how about a parting gift if you're so confident?" Bruiser said as he suddenly grabbed Link's right hand and twisted it hard, causing Link's wrist to dislocate. Link screamed in pain, and Bruiser let off of him, smiling at his handiwork.

"I'll be seeing you soon," Bruiser said as he closed the door behind him as he left. Link was still gasping in pain from his wrist, ribs, and face. He felt the blood drip from his nose onto his chest, and the pain was so intense his eyes started to water. The world started to go dark as his head drooped down, and he stared at the floor.

Phane, please, hurry...

Phane and J'on were standing at the entrance of the club. It was a couple of stories high, and there were barred windows on top.

"I bet Link is in one of those rooms," Phane said, pointing up at them, "Which means that this is going to be a difficult rescue."

"We don't have much choice," J'on said, "I'll wait out here; I think I'll know the right time to come in."

"I'm counting on you, J'on," Phane said as he shook hands with J'on. Phane then took a deep breath, and opened the double doors to the bar, and walked in.

Once he got in there, he saw a ring in the middle of the club, with a sand floor. The bar was one open floor, with a staircase in the back, out of the way. Several people were sitting at the bar, and a few more were sitting at the tables surrounding a square inlet with a fence around it. Phane walked over to the ring, and looked in to see a sand floor and what looked like blood stains on the walls.

"Welcome," a deep voice called out, "Welcome to our humble abode. What do you think?"

Phane looked up to the staircase, and saw Bruiser standing there, cracking his knuckles.

"It stinks in here," Phane said, "smells like blood."

"Your blood soon, boy," Bruiser said as he walked down the stairs, "And the blood of your friend."

"We'll see about that," Phane said, taking off his jacket and shirt and throwing them to the ground. The patrons of the bar all stood up, knowing that the fight was going to take place very soon. People came out of the rooms upstairs, and perched themselves on the balcony, shouting for a fight.

"After you," Bruiser said, opening the door to the ring. Phane walked in, and stretched, and then saw Bruiser close the door behind him, and taking his shirt off, getting ready as well.

"Remember," Bruiser said, "No weapons, but we can do whatever we like as long as it's in this ring."

"Fine with me," Phane said, stretching his legs, trying to get as loose as possible. He knew Bruiser was going to be one of his toughest challenges yet, but he had to win. Win or die trying.

By this time, a large crowd had gathered around the ring and the balcony, shouting Bruiser's name.

"Kick that pretty boy's ass, Bruiser!" A drunk patron said, raising his mug at the same time. "You ready for this?" Bruiser said, as he got in an offensive position, "You ready to die?" Phane got into an offensive guard as well, "Let's dance."

Bruiser smiled a bit, and then launched his attack, throwing punches with incredible force and speed, but Phane had the advantage of mobility, and was able to dodge several of his punches, while trying to find an opening of his own.

He's good, Phane thought, he's simultaneously guarding and attacking at the same time. The only way Phane was going to be able to get a hit on Bruiser was if he was able to use his own momentum, and counter one of Bruiser's punches. Phane rolled out of the way of one of Bruiser's hay-makers, and then used his momentum to jump up and attempt a tornado kick at the back of Bruiser's neck. However, Bruiser was a lot faster than Phane gave him credit for, and was able to block Phane's kick and land a devastating right cross to Phane's jaw. Phane tumbled away, and hit the ground with a thud. In all his life, he had never been punched as hard as Bruiser just hit him. His jaw was aching, and the dizziness was so bad he nearly blacked out.

Not now... pull yourself together, Phane, he thought as he grabbed onto the edge of the wall and stood up. He didn't have the time to recover, because Bruiser had grabbed him by the back of the neck and threw him to the ground. This fight was starting to look one-sided, and Phane knew he wouldn't last long unless he could outsmart his opponent...

The door to Link's cell flew open, and the two henchmen that beat him up earlier walked in. They spotted that Link was unconscious, and threw a whole bucket of water onto him, trying to wake him up, Link snapped awake, and was immediately reminded of the terrible pain in his ribs and wrist.

"Hey kid, just wanted to tell you that your friend's getting his ass kicked!" One of the goons said as he threw the bucket at Link, causing it to bounce off the wall and land in front of Link's feet. The henchman cackled a little bit, and then turned his back.

Suddenly, the henchman was knocked out cold by a bucket to the back of the hard. Link had kicked the bucket back with all his strength, and hit him in just the right spot.

"It's not over yet," Link yelled, smiling defiantly, "He'll win!"

The other henchman got a running start, and hit Link in the face with a lot of force, knocking Link out instantly.

"I swear, the sooner we kill you, the better," The goon said as he walked back over to his friend, and dragged him out of the room, and shut the door.

Several minutes had passed, and it was starting to look like Phane was Bruiser's personal punching bag. No matter what he did, he couldn't land a hit on Bruiser, but at the same time, couldn't defend against Bruiser's onslaught. Bruiser knocked Phane back to the ground again, and started to kick Phane down every time he got up. It was looking like Phane had lost the fight. He was out-classed in strength and size, and even his speed and mobility were useless against Bruiser's incredible guarding ability.

"You know, your friend had a lot more faith in you than he should of," Bruiser said, "However, he also could take a punch better than you can too."

Phane gasped for air, but was cut off when Bruiser stomped him into the sand floor. The dizziness Phane was experiencing was just getting worse by the minute, and he knew he couldn't take any more of it.

Link... I'm sorry, Phane thought as he saw Bruiser bend down to look Phane in the eye. To his surprise, Bruiser pulled something out of his pocket.

Bruiser held the molar that Link spit out earlier at Phane, "Sorry, but I guess I couldn't help but hurt him a little. By little, I mean, of course, a lot..."

"You son of a..." Phane said as he gritted his teeth, now the anger he had been suppressing was starting to manifest in him again. The hatred he felt for what Bruiser did to Logan, Logan's family, and now to Link was starting to consume him.

Bruiser stood up, and started to raise his hands to the crowd of people, who applauded his apparent victory, "I thought you were going to be a good fight there, boy, but all I got was just big words. I thought you said you were going to kill me? You can't even touch me." Bruiser laughed, and turned around to see Phane on one knee, gathering the rest of his strength.

"What.. still got some?" Bruiser said, as he grinned a bit. He knew Phane couldn't do anything to him, so he could relish this moment before putting Phane down for good.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Phane screamed, and then grabbed a hand full of sand and threw it right into Bruiser's eyes, blinding him. Bruiser threw a blind hay-maker, which Phane easily dodged, and landed one of his own to Bruiser's jaw. Bruiser staggered back, obviously stunned by Phane's tactics, and attempted to get into a guard of his own, even though his vision was blurred. He didn't see the left hook that hit him straight in the jaw, and the right that hit him in the ribs, breaking one instantly. He threw one more punch at Phane, who blocked it, cupped both of his hands, and smacked them as hard as he could into Bruiser's ears, making his ears ring and start to bleed. Bruiser screamed in anger and pain, and lunged for Phane.

Phane saw his feral attempt to grab him, and dropped to his knees, and then used his palm to strike the side of Bruiser's knee, snapping it. Bruiser screamed in agony, and landed on his knees, screaming again as he landed on his broken knee. Phane got back to his feet and landed the hardest punch he had ever thrown in his life to Bruiser's jaw, snapping it. Phane then landed a second punch to Bruiser's nose, snapping it.

Phane looked at the now delirious Bruiser, and snarled.

"That was for Logan and his family," Phane said, "And THIS..."

Phane gathered up all the strength he had and roundhouse kicked Bruiser in the head as hard as he could. All Phane heard was a snapping noise, and when he finished his follow through, he saw that he had snapped Bruiser's neck, killing him.

"...Is for Link," Phane said as he looked at the now dead Bruiser, still slumped on his knees, his head obviously dislocated and staring blankly at the ground. The whole bar went silent, and Phane looked at the stunned crowd. Phane opened the door to the ring, and put his jacket and shirt back on. He walked upstairs to one of the goons guarding the door to the cells, and held his hand out. The nervous rattling of keys was the only sound in the room, as the henchman handed Phane the keys, and then cowered away. Phane unlocked the door, and then opened the first door he found, and saw Link in there, chained to the wall, blood trickling down his face.

"Gods," Phane said as he ran over to the unconscious Link, and gently shook him awake. Link's eyes cracked open, and he saw his friend looking at him, obviously concerned.

"You won..." Link said as he flared a weak grin, "I knew you would."

"I'm glad you did, kid," Phane said, returning the weak grin, "Let's get you out of here." Phane unlocked the shackles holding Link to the chains, and then lowered Link's arms. Phane noticed Link's right wrist was swollen and Bruised, and Link's ribs were also the same way. He had really been through the mill, but he held up. Link started shivering, and Phane looked around the room for Link's clothes or a blanket of some kind.

"Wait here," Phane said to Link, who nodded back. Phane left the room, and looked in the room next to Link's and found a bed. Phane removed the blanket, and returned to Link, who was wincing in pain.

"All right, let's get you wrapped up and then we're going back to the school, and then we're calling a doctor," Phane said. Link then nodded, and then let Phane wrap him in the blanket and pick him up. Phane walked out of the room, and downstairs, where he saw every patron on their knees, with J'on inside, holding a sword, making sure that they bowed down to Phane, who acknowledged the fact that he was their boss now, in a way.

"I want each and every one of you to return everything you have taken from Logan, Kenna, and Kenna's husband, and all the money you all have accumulated is forfeit to me now. I don't want to see any of you again, get the hell out of town and stay out," Phane said as he walked over to J'on, who nodded to him. Every patron stood up, and started to get to work. Soon enough, they had filled up a few carriages of Logan's family's belongings, and their whole treasury. Phane sat Link on one of the carriage's benches, and saw J'on mount the other, and they drove them back to the school.

Once Phane, Link, and J'on had arrived, Kenna and the now conscious Logan ran out to greet them and see what happened. Phane picked up Link, who had fallen asleep, and dismounted the carriage. Kenna and Logan ran up to Phane, and saw what happened.

"Is he going to be okay?" Logan asked, seeing that Link was in way worse condition than he was, "you beat Bruiser?"

"I've gotten everything that they've stolen from you all," Phane said, "Bruiser and his gang will never bother you again. As for Link, we should call a doctor, they messed him up bad. We might as well get you and your father looked at too."

"But even if we got our things back, we can't afford to..." Kenna started, before Phane interrupted her by opening up the carriage he was riding. Several bags of rupees fell out, making Logan and his mother's eyes widen in surprise.

"That won't be a problem either," Phane said, grinning. Even though he had killed Bruiser, he felt like he had truly helped out these people, and finally felt at peace with the fact that he was, in a way, a hero to them, although he still felt that even though he got the prestige, it was Link who had outclassed him by keeping his faith in Phane when Phane himself didn't even have it.

"Let's get him inside, it's getting cold out here," Phane said, "Logan, can you go fetch the doctor? I don't think sending J'on to do it would be a good idea."

"R-right, I'll be back soon!" Logan said as he ran off down the hill, towards where the doctor was.

Phane brought Link inside, and sat him on top of the bed Logan was sleeping in before.

"Well, Link, count this as payback for you dragging me around," Phane said as he sat down at Link's bed side...

But not for saving my life...