Disclaimer: GrimGrave does not own any of the characters featured; they belong to their respective franchises of Nintendo and Shouzou Kaga, Namco Bandai and Arc System Works. GrimGrave does not make money for writing fiction.

I am sorry for the wait. But I'm sure you'll find this to be worth the wait! :3

To Hunt Down a Hylian

Chapter 11

Divided

"You know what helps me calm down?" the Grecian inquired, eyes locking with Link's.

"Do tell."

She pointed upwards. "The stars. Even if we're at evil's doorstep, the night sky is very beautiful."

Link laughed softly. He and Cassandra were on the first guard-duty for the night, with the others sleeping soundly. The fire was kept alive by the wood they had collected earlier, securing warmth for the party and light for the watchers.

"It does help soothing you, doesn't it?" he replied, tossing a piece of wood into the flames. "This takes me back, you know." He paused. "Sleeping under the bare sky and all. I've been thinking back on those days from time to time."

"It really does," Cassandra agreed. "I miss those times, you know. Minus the actual hunt for Soul Edge, that is." She smiled at the young Hylian. "It was fun… And a shame that you had to leave…"

His expression became somber. "It was difficult for me too, but I had to return home. It was bad enough that the journey back took months, but I couldn't stay… My own world needs me." Azure eyes strayed from the warrior woman. "I'm sorry-"

"Don't be," the Grecian interrupted. Her expression was reassuring, soothing. "I understand. I didn't mean to make you feel guilty for leaving, Link." Her smile wasn't faltering. "I just… I just wish we could've have spent a little more time together before you… vanished. You're very dear to me, Link."

The wind suddenly kicked up for a moment, the bright flames flickering and waving as the gust swept by. Link sat there, opposite side of the campfire, with his eyes shiny and lips slightly parted in surprise.

Then he smiled. "You're a dear friend to me too, Cassandra."

She cast her eyes to the ground. ´Friend, huh…´

"Cassandra?"

The Grecian warrior met his gaze. "I'm glad to hear that, Link. I wish we could spend more time like this together," she said, looking away. Her milky white features suddenly felt warm – hot, even – but she looked back into those twin pools of his with a shy smile. "Maybe when this is over, you could come back to Greece for a while? Or… maybe I could stay here?"

The Hylian chuckled and nodded. "That would be fun. Maybe I can show you around? There're lots of places here that would surprise you. But I would love to visit your country again – I liked it there."

"I'd like that very much," she replied. "…Hey, Link?"

"Yes?"

"Hearing you say that you've been thinking about our time together… It made me really happy. Thank you."

Pale cheeks suddenly looked reddened and the young Hero scratched his neck. "Ah… Don't mention it."

While Link wouldn't notice, the warrior woman's smile was dazzling, her heart racing beneath her breast.

X.x.X.x.X

The hours went by at a slow pace. The night was still young, and the party was still asleep, save for the two new guardians who kept the fire going; the alter-ego of the princess, Sheik, and the cobalt-haired swordswoman, Lucina.

The latter tossed a chunk of wood into the flames, stoking it with her sword. "So…" she began. "A princess."

Zelda's alter-ego looked up at the swordswoman, red pools almost blending in with the flickering fire. "Hm?"

"You're a princess," Lucina said. "And you came with us because you want to protect your kingdom."

The Sheikah's expression (from what could be seen, at least) was impassive. "That is correct."

"I know that feeling – that feeling that won't go away, no matter what. You wish to do all that you can for your people… for a brighter future." The swordswoman offered a smile. "You have your people's and your land's best intentions in mind, milady."

Sheik was quiet at first, observing the outlander.

"May I inquire how you can claim you know of my plight?"

It (probably) hadn't meant to come out as steely but the lack of emotion in the blonde's voice made it sound more of an accusation than a genuine question. Lucina stopped smiling, her expression now serious as she put away the sword.

"I didn't bring it up as I deemed it unnecessary at the time, but I am not just a warrior, milady. Where I come from, I'm a princess, too," she replied, allowing a smile to re-curve her lips as she noticed the change in crimson eyes. "Without going into details, it fell onto me and my friends to save my halidom… and…"

The blonde leant slightly forward. "And?"

"And the world itself."

A chill wind flew by, as if nature itself reacted to the dire meaning behind those words.

Sheik's eyes strayed from Lucina's in deep thought before their gazes met again. "So you took up the sword for the sake of liberating your home world from this… threat?"

"The details of what was threatening my world and how I defeated it… it's complicated," the bluette stated. "But yes. I took up my father's blade and fought in his stead. So I understand you, milady."

There was a soft chuckle and Lucina looked confused, as the Sheikah began to glow, transforming her back to the blonde-haired royal of Hyrule. The princess smiled, blue eyes showing gentleness in them – a caring, and most importantly, trusting glow within them.

"It feels refreshing to have someone who understands you to talk to," the Hylian said. "Link does, of course, but he would rather have me wait in the castle. But I can't this time."

"Understandably, he's with no doubt concerned about you, milady. I have many friends who would've preferred if I wasn't in the thick of battle. But…" the bluette paused. "One cannot be idle while friends are out there, fighting for a better tomorrow."

"No," Zelda said with a growing smile, her eyes cast to the side over where a certain green-garbed male slept peacefully, kept warm by the fire. "You can't. And I wish he would understand that."

"I'm sure he does understand," Lucina replied. She threw another piece of wood into the campfire, keeping it alive. "But reasons tell him to otherwise, I would guess. As I said, he appears to be concerned about you."

"He is," Zelda said with a smile. The way she did and the new look in her eyes told Lucina everything, even if the Hylian princess hadn't continued with; "And that's one of many reasons I'm in love with him."

The bluette was baffled, to her own surprise.

"It feels good to be able to let that off my chest, if even for a moment," the blonde continued. "I know he cares about me… He always has. His courage and kindness are valuable traits… I can't even remember when I fell for him. It was many years ago…" Her expression lost its gentleness, instead staring puzzled across the fire. "Miss Lucina? Is something wrong?"

The swordswoman blinked. "What? No, why do you ask?"

"You looked like you were frowning for a moment."

Her heart skipped a beat. "Was I? My apologies, milady – I guess I… maybe it was something with the food that didn't agree with me. Think of it no further."

Zelda nodded. "Very well."

Lucina averted her gaze to the campfire, tossing another piece of wood into the flames, her mind befuddled.

´Was I really frowning? Why in Naga's name would I be in a bad mood?´ She kept replaying the event over and over, coming to no conclusion. Her ally, a fellow princess, was just discussing about another ally, Link, until she had paused to inquire as to why Lucina had been frowning.

She couldn't even remember having done so in the first place!

The Swordswoman kept mulling over this for the rest of their watch.

X.x.X.x.X

Much later, the stalwart ninja found herself standing watch in the midst of night, just a few hours before the sun would rise. It suited her perfectly; as a kunoichi, she was used to stay alert through days and nights, but it had been decided that the group would take shifts in guarding.

Nevertheless, Taki was more than willing to let the rest of the group get as much sleep as possible – including her silent companion who seemed to focus a lot more on the ground than their surroundings. The blonde's quiet nature wasn't the problem – the black-haired woman could relate that – but rather, the timid part of Noel's personality was slightly aggravating.

Not to mention that the gunslinger looked like she was ready to fall back asleep.

"You can return to slumber if you wish. I can take it from here," Taki said, startling the blonde whose green eyes widened and looked back at her for a moment before returning to the ground.

Noel merely shook her head.

The ninja sighed in mild frustration. "I can tell you're tired. Rest."

The blonde shook her head again. "I-I am not! B-besides, it's m-my duty…"

"Perhaps, but a tired watcher won't do much good. Get some sleep, girl."

"N-no…"

Taki rubbed her temple. "Noel, rest up—"

Olive-green orbs shot up with a cold glare as her face lost all emotion; a mask that showed nothing. "I said NO."

The volume of her voice startled even the kunoichi, who found it remarkable how the others merely stirred in their sleep from Noel's outburst. Hazel eyes darted downwards to find the blonde wielding her weapons, though they were still aimed at the ground. The second Noel released her grip on them, her expression softened greatly – erasing any trace of her recent behaviour – and she bowed down with quivering lips.

"S-s-sorry! I-I'm s-so s-s-sorry!" she exclaimed. "I d-didn't mean to b-be rude!"

"Deep breaths," Taki said and to her relief, the blonde did as told. "Calm yourself. Very well, if you feel that you're up to the task."

Noel nodded, her eyes focused on the campfire.

"You're enigmatic," the ninja said curiously. "One moment you are shy and barely speak a word, the next you are as violent as a hurricane." Her gaze drifted down to the weapons at Noel's side. "Is it your armament?"

The gunslinger was silent at first, refusing to meet the raven-haired woman's eyes. Then she looked up, biting her lower lip nervously.

"…Yes," she said quietly, but the ninja heard her. "T-They… uhm… supress my e-emotions… So I can still battle…"

Taki eyed her curiously – as if analysing the girl – before she spoke. "That's… interesting. Weapons that supress emotion… I've never heard of anything like it. And yet, it is a very craven thing to possess."

Noel's eyes widened with bafflement. "W-w-what?"

"If your weapons supresses your emotions, then you're practically helpless without them. A warrior should know how to keep their feelings under control on command, not rely on tools to do it for you. That way you can keep your calm even if the situation turns disadvantageous," she replied, gently throwing more wood into the flames. "Then again, perhaps you should not worry. I have seen you in battle after all."

The blonde girl said nothing for the rest of their watch.

X.x.X.x.X

The next morning had been without any incidents. The party was well-rested and re-invigorated as they continued their journey through the dark woods. The sun was nearly blotted out by the trees thick and twisted branches, and a foul smell was lingering in the air, gradually becoming more difficult to ignore. A thin misty veil was spread out like a blanket on the ground the deeper into the woods they ventured, obscuring what lied beneath them.

"We must be getting closer," Sheik said, crimson eyes peering left and right. "This feeling… It is as if Ganondorf's presence lingers around here…"

"I can feel it, too," Link replied. The Hero had already unsheathed his sword and shield, ever at the ready. "What worries me more is that we have yet to encounter any enemies… Especially last night."

"The dastard is up to something – either that or he is overconfident," Lucina commented.

"He better be able to bring us back home! My makeup is getting ruined and my hair is dirty AND in a mess! I want a hot bath and change of clothes!"

There were a series of sighs at Lili's outburst, but none commented on it. It had been a miracle that the elegantly-dressed blonde had even fallen asleep last night, although she had demanded to not be on guard-duty for "the need of beauty sleep" as she had put it. But even then, upon awakening, the young girl had been anything but pleasant (nor particularly beautiful according to some).

"Ugh! How can you all sleep around on the filthy ground like that?"

"It's perfectly harmless, girl," Taki retorted. "And it is a fairly small price to pay in order to get home, is it not?"

"Tch." ´Ridicule! Why was I dragged into this mess? Sebastian and father must be so worried about me… It's been a few days already… And that Asuka… Cet ingrat! I' willing to believe she's glad to be rid of me…´

Lili remained locked in her thoughts as she absentmindedly followed the group, arms firmly crossed over her chest. Although her expression was troubled and agitated, baby-blue eyes wandered until their gaze settled on the man in green, replacing spite with a gentler look – a curiosity.

´This is all your fault! Just because someone has a grudge against you, I was kidnapped! And you cheated during our last fight… and yet…´

The curiosity changed to raw fervour.

´If I could just get the chance to battle you one more time, I will show you that your toys won't help you. I will have you grovel at my feet, begging for forgiveness – and perhaps I will be kind enough to let your work for it…´

Milky cheeks flushed strawberry-red as the blonde caught herself, eyes wide and body tense. These thoughts were more frequently appearing inside her mind, and she didn't know whether or not to be ashamed or continue indulging herself with them.

"Lili, are you alright?" Rikku inquired. The aforementioned blonde merely shot her a dark look before resuming staring at the ground. "Never mind then…"

"We have got to be near his lair," Cassandra said. "Our surroundings are starting to look familiar… Right, Taki?"

"It does bear a slight similarity," the ninja replied. "I'll scout ahead."

"You shouldn't go alone—!" Link began but Taki quickly silenced him.

"I can handle myself, and I will remain within enough range." With that said, Taki made a leap towards the trees, her acrobatic movements allowing her to easily reach the top as she vanished into the cluster of branches.

"Was that really wise?"

"She's really can handle herself," the Grecian replied and patted the green-garbed Hylian reassuringly on the shoulder. "Besides, it's not like she will confront the occultist on her own."

Link nodded. As the party ventured further, they eventually came upon a small meadow, though the air was no less thick with the putrid stench that seemed to linger over these parts.

The meadow looked man-made upon closer inspection; there had definitely been trees there and the ground was partly covered with marble or cobblestone tiles while broken stone pillars covered in thick vines blended in with the shadows. A small circle made of stone stood lonely in the middle of the ruins.

"What is this place?" Lucina asked with her blade at the ready.

"It looks scary…" Rikku lamented. "Can we take another path…?"

The Hylian Hero looked around with caution. It wasn't strange to see ruins in the thick of the woods – the Forest Temple was an example – but rather, the strangeness of this area was the lack of fog and its state of "tidiness." It wasn't clean or well-maintained, but it looked like this area was frequently visited.

What's more, there were dark crimson spots – more like splats – here and there, especially right in the middle of the meadow.

Link grimaced as he tapped with his boot at the red stain, praying that he would be wrong.

When the substance clung onto his footwear, his expression darkened.

It was blood – blood that hadn't even dried yet.

What's more, there were several lanterns placed on small stone pillars that formed a circle in the middle—

"We have to go," Link commanded. "Right now."

The group turned towards him, fear and confusion lingering in their eyes. "Link?"

Before the male Hylian could tell them, the lanterns lit up with an eerie glow and rattled as they lifted into the air, a series of hollow cackles reverberating in the air. One lantern swooped down at the party, forcing Cassandra and the bubbly thief to dodge to the sides as it did before flying back high up into the air.

"What are those?!" Cassandra exclaimed, raising her shield for cover. The party readied themselves, their eyes firmly locked on the glowing lanterns that rattled back and forth as the menacing laughter continued.

The lanterns slowly sunk to the group's level, the flames within glowing brightly in unusual colours – Chrome, emerald, ice-blue, muted purple, silver-white, crimson, and lastly pure ebon – as skeletal-like hands, black as coal, materialized from the handles and continued to slowly reveal the wielders; ghastly looking creatures that hovered above ground, wearing nothing but torn hooded rags and bandages that covered most of them save for their gangly arms and the void that were their faces, save for a pair of glowing white eyes. Their robes were full of chains and shackles with one even having a hook hanging from its side, rusty with blood.

"Poes," Link said, focusing on the creature closest to him – the icy-blue one. "They're haunted spirits, but do not fear them! They're corporeal when visible!"

"S-so we can hurt them?" the blonde thief asked, her daggers tightly clenched between her trembling hands. "O-okay!"

The hooded creatures dove down like birds of prey on the party, claw-like fingers swiping at them and burning lanterns swinging.

Eht krad drol sees uoy… eht krad drol sregnuh…

The Grecian shielded herself just in time for the chrome-coloured beacon to bounce off her defence and the poe hissed retreating to safer distance where her sword could reach, cackling as it vanished into nothing but a swinging lamp. It darted towards her again and impacted upon her shield, but kept up its bashing, forcing the blonde to remain on the defence.

Neve sa eh peels, eht krad gnik srehtag thgnerts…

"What are they saying?!" Lucina yelled as she cut nothing but air as the crimson poe vanished before her attack could land, prompting her to either dodge or parry its counterattack. "It's so… haunting…!"

"Whatever they try to say, do not listen to them!" Sheik shouted back, evading the muted-purple spirit. "They'll try to poison your mind!"

Htiw yreve ecifircas ew ekam, sih thgim snruter… eht lecric lliw ehtab ni dloob niaga…

Their voices echoed in the air, and the fellowship couldn't help but pay attention to the unintelligible words despite battling the poes, desperate to finish them off.

"Obstruction of Justice!"

Everyone flinched at the outburst but even more so as the loud boom of Noel's weapons firing. The silver-white spirit was pierced clean through and its shriek – a loud, eardrum-piercing noise that resembled not a man or beast – filled the air as grey mist spewed out from its wound instead of blood, and the poe was sent into convulsions. It flailed its bony arms, its beacon slowly losing its light as the spirit fell to the ground and was reduced to a pile of cloth, the lamp broken and dull.

"Y-you got one!" Rikku exclaimed with hope. Swirly green orbs widened, however, and a scream tore through the thief's throat. "Noel, watch out!"

The gunslinger spun around, weapons ready, but it was too late as a sphere darted right into her, knocking her a few feet away onto the ground. The guns fell a good distance away from the blonde with a metallic clatter against the cobblestone, their wielder gasping for air as the emerald poe hovered over her, extending its hand over Noel's face.

Eht tnaig nomed sehctaw morf eht daed seert. Gnihton sehtaerb htaeneb sih wodahs.

She screamed – screamed for dear life, unable to move. The spirit's hand glow a muted green as it inched closer, rasping at her skin with as it whispered words of madness.

Uoy era a elttil bmal tsol ni eht krad sdoow… Gnignilc ot ruoy efil sa fi ti yllautca srettam…

Ni eht gnirebmuls enalp fo eht Dercas Mlaer klaw ylno dam sgniht…

Noel couldn't blink – couldn't even scream. Her life was seeping out of her, wrapping her in the cold embrace of eternal slumber—

"NOEL!"

– when the looming shadow suddenly vanished, along with the poe that shrieked and fell to the ground in its death throes, the Hylian in green now standing before her, his sword in hand.

"Are you alright?" The way he said it was rich with concern. "Hold still."

The green-garbed blonde sheathed his blade and rummaged through his pouch until he held up a bottle, its glass revealing a pink object moving around inside. He held it close to the girl who struggled to even speak and uncorked the container, allowing the bright orb to fly out and around the gunslinger.

"Will that help?!" Rikku managed to yell as she parried another attack from the crimson poe, somersaulting out of the way shortly after.

"Do not fear!" Cassandra shouted back. "She's in capable hands!"

The remaining poes attacked more fierce and wildly – unpredictably – and they had started to teleport around the ruins, attack from afar with enigmatic glowing orbs.

"Must they be all over the place?!" Lili struck nothing but air, a sharp noise cutting in the wind as she missed her target. "I can't even get close—!"

"Lili, behind you!" As soon as those words were heard, the elegant blonde tensed: she cartwheeled backwards and with her whole weight behind it, slammed her feet to the ground, the sound of stone cracking and bones breaking filled the air along with the death-scream of the icy-blue phantom.

She looked down at it with grimace, as if she had stepped on a dog's excrement before she turned towards the Grecian. "I suppose a ´thank you´ is in order."

The flaxen-haired swordswoman merely nodded as she blocked an incoming magic bolt, staggering slightly backwards from the impact. The battle was far from over as the remaining phantoms grew more daring with their attacks, vanishing and re-appearing without pause to launch series of attacks from any possible angle.

Htaeneb eht wodahs fo eht denekrad enorht, ereht si on thgil, on ycrem, ylno ssendam dna eht diov…

Meanwhile, Link helped Noel back up on her feet and offered a kind smile. "Can you fight?"

She merely nodded, her eyes shiny and widened.

"Here," he said. He handed over her weapons. "Let's finish this—"

"Watch out!"

The Hylian and the gunslinger both turned to see the crimson phantom lunging at them – lantern and hook in hands – speaking in tongues when it suddenly fell to the ground, several dagger-like objects embedded in its head.

"My apologies for being late!" The raven-haired ninja leaped through the air and landed impressively on the scene, her weapons u sheathed as hazel eyes glared at her surroundings – specifically the poes – as she made a mad dash towards the nearest of them, summersaulting and kicking away its lamp before slicing her short-swords clean through. "Evil, be gone!"

The chrome phantom let out a shrike that warped into a dying groan as it became nothing more than a pile of cloth. The two remaining ones cried out loud, a noise similar to the death cries of women, but bestial and growling in the core.

They rattled their beacons, spilling out muted purple and black flames onto the ground that rapidly spread through the ruins. The party was forced to flee back to the forest, but the flames engulfed everything in their path—

A familiar booming sound erupted through the air once again as the dark poe was flung into a broken column, a large hole in its body as it vanished with the last phantom following suit, a single arrow embedded where its head used to be. The fires died out.

Sloof… Uoy ylno yaled eht elbativeni…

It was quiet.

"A well-aimed shot," Link remarked with a smile at Noel, who only nodded with a quiet "Mhm" with a blank expression on her face. As he turned to address the others, the gunslinger put away her weapons and her emotionless face reddened, prompting her to look away with a slight smile curving her lips. "Everyone, are you alright?"

"What… J-Just what kind of world is this?! Lizard-people and ghosts and…" Lili let out a quiet scream against her hands covering her mouth. "And you don't even look surprised about this?!"

Link blinked. "There are no monsters in your world?"

The blonde, perplexed, turned around with an audible groan.

"We're fine, Link," Cassandra answered. "For the most part: I think some of us got scratched, but nothing serious." She turned towards the ninja. "Where were you, Taki? We could've used your help—"

"I ran into a pack of those lizard-men as I was scouting," she quickly replied. "By the time I finished them, you were already engaged in battle with these spirits. However, I do bring some good news."

"What is it?" Sheik asked.

"A tower is barely a stone's throw away from here. It would be safe to assume it is the warlock's base of operations."

"Then we should tend to our wounds and formulate a plan," Sheik said. "It's necessary that we strike him before he catches wind of our advance."

X.x.X.x.X

The place reeked of evil.

The room they've entered was void of anything besides dust and grime; it was circular and only had the two paths available for further venturing, with the corridor most likely leading underneath the ground-level as well. With no-one knowing which path would lead to the warlock, the plan had been changed to better their chances of finding the man.

Shortly after having entered the tower, the party had decided to split up into two groups; the first one – consisting of Link, Cassandra, Lucina, and Lili – headed down the spiral staircase that lead deep underground, whilst the second group would try a corridor on the opposite end of the main room.

It was dark – dark, damp, and reeking of an unimaginable stench. Link's group made their way down with caution, ever on alert for anything that could possible happen or anything that could possibly suddenly appear from the dark depths below. They couldn't even see their hand in front of them.

"There's light down below," Lucina whispered just loud enough for her group to hear. "We should prepare ourselves. I don't know about the others, but this isn't the way I took when leaving this place."

The Hylian nodded and raised his shield in front of him. The light downstairs was vague, but as they descended it grew brighter and eventually revealed an entrance. Torches hang upon the walls with a couple of feet's distance in between, all the way down the path.

It was quiet – too quiet, with only the sounds of their footsteps vaguely resounding through the caverns.

And then, there it was: light – brighter, yet muted – at the end of the tunnel.

"This must be it," Link whispered. "Be ready."

He saw his group nodding from the corner of his eye and proceeded to lead on, the muted light revealing a large circular chamber—

"Why, welcome back, my dears… Ahh… And I see you brought back Hylia's whelp as well."

-the small party ceased in their tracks. The old man, standing right in the center of the room – which was void of anything buy braziers and crude statues and pillars, and a single altar in the middle of it – his back turned to them.

"I had preferred if you had just slain him – brutally may I add – and be done with it. But I'm fairly certain you lot have no such intentions anymore. A shame…"

"No more words!" Cassandra exclaimed. Her party had descended the staircase that lead from the corridor down to Mau's level. "We know what you are!"

"You're going to send us back home, immediately!" Lili yelled. "After I beat you into a sorry pulp, connard!"

The warlock didn't turn to face them. He stood there – relaxed – and chuckled darkly, a sound that became haunting as it echoed.

"Why do you laugh?" Lucina raised her blade, pointing at the man. "This is the end for you!"

"Why I laugh? Simple… I am merely frustrated over how my plan was foiled, at first… It was supposed to be quick and easy, and then send you lot back to your own worlds while I could work unhindered… And what happens? You fail to be good little dogs and disobey orders. Little girl, I'm laughing, because why the actual living hell aren't you DEAD ALREADY?! YOU SHOULD BE DEAD!Oh, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to lose my temper so easily – YOU MEDDLESOME MONGRELS! Oh dear, I did it again… My apologies, it is a character flaw of mine to lose my temper at the drop of a hat."

"Whatever you are, whoever you may be – you strive for the impossible," Link said, stepping forward. "The King of Evil is sealed away. You won't live to ever see him return.

"That's where you're mistaken, brat! My master may be sealed away, but his spirit is dormant! As soon as he awakens once more, he will break through the Sacred Realm and usher in an era of eternal darkness – a paradise of nightmares! And it is YOU, pups, who won't live to see it happen!"

As soon as he had said that, the silence was broken by the clatter of metal and the combined hisses and growls of monsters appearing from above – climbing down the pillars – and emerging from the shadows.

"More Lizalfos'!" Link poised himself. "Everyone, get ready!"

Like a swarm of locusts, the lizards closed in on the group at a gathering speed, only for the first, closest ones be the firsts to fall, bloodied; the Hylian Hero favored his Spin Attack and slashed through the attackers as guts and blood sprayed around him, whilst Lili sent them flying with broken bones through the room.

"Yes! Beat them mercilessly! Tire yourselves out against them!" Mau cackled, watching with glee. "And you, minions! I don't care if you've lost a limb or two; attack them, before I decide to finish you off myself!"

"Is there no end to them?!" The blue-haired swordswoman sliced through the throat of an enemy before proceeding to stab another in the chest, twisted her sword. "They just keep coming!"

Link and his allies began to feel the pressure as more enemies jumped at them, and the bodies of the slain hindered their footwork.

"I just want to go home!" Lili summersaulted out of harms' way and smashed her heels into a monster's cranium. "I'll be damned if Azuka be the one who lives on and become stronger! I won't have it!"

Just as it started to look grim, the group – and their enemies – was startled with the loud explosion that occurred at the opposite end of the room.

"W-what?!"

Lizalfos after lizalfos was shortly after blasted left and right as a certain blue-garbed gunslinger emerged from the smoke and rubble, along with Taki, Sheik, and Rikku storming the scaly attackers.

Link's face lit up. "Sheik!"

"Link!" She slashed with her kodachi, cutting open a lizalfos' jugular as she quickly crossed the room. "I'm glad to see you're unharmed!"

Their elation was cut short as a large, hunched lizalfos jumped between them. Though he was lacking armour, the axe on its tail and the swords in hits clawed hands allowed it to slash and cut with impressive speed. Yellow eyes locked onto the Sheikah and the monster flailed its tail, sparks flying upon impact against the stone floor while it kept pursuing the woman –

BOOM!

Blood sprayed into the air and flesh splattered onto the floor in a wide arc. The lizalfos fell, headless, onto the ground, twitching.

Sheik's gaze turned towards the gunslinger. "Thank you."

Noel just nodded and turned her attention towards the blonde Hylian and, with a serious look in her eyes, stepped up to Link. "Stay close to me."

"W-what?"

"Stay close to me." The look in those olive-green orbs was heated, despite the poker-face she wore.

He looked back at her, lost for words. "…Okay."

Forcing herself against his back, the gunslinger fired away whilst Link struck down any foes who came close. And if anyone had time to look properly, the smallest hint of a smile could be seen on the blonde gun-wielder's lips.

It was an odd sight, but the combination proved to be successful as the numbers of foes slowly declined.

The tide had turned.

As the final monster fell lifelessly on the floor, the group wasted no time in surrounding Mau as quickly as possible. He had yet to move from the spot.

"It is over, warlock," Link said, pointing the Master Sword at him. "You're outnumbered."

There was a low grumbling noise.

"Speak up!"

"…To…all…"

Sheik bristled. "He said speak up—!"

"TO HELL WITH IT ALL! If you want something done properly, kill your henchmen before you start! Worthless, unreliable bunch of maggot-feed, the lot of them!" He slammed his mangy, clenched fists onto the altar. "But no matter… I'm a gracious host… so I'll take good care of every… single… one of you…" The warlock chuckled. "I did say earlier that I had to conserve my magic, didn't I? Well… Guess what…"

He reached up to his hood and slowly lowered it, unveiling himself before the heroes who gasped at the sight: a man, more skeleton than flesh, and skin so sickly grey. His eyes were wide and dark, with even darker bags under them showing a great lack of sleep and not a single strand of hair was visible on his head. He was old – too old. His expression was wicked as he grinned from ear-to-ear.

"I lied."

With but a sway of his hand, energy – muted purple to the naked eye – appeared around him and blasted outwards, a whirlwind of pain and great force, knocking the group away.

"I didn't want to end up in direct combat with you, brat – given your track-record – but you leave me little choice!"

"Obstruction of Justice!" Noel cried out as she took aim, Mau's head in clear sight. She pulled the trigger –

The bullet exploded in the rocky wall on the opposite side of the room and the occultist nowhere to be seen.

"What?!"

"A good try, but it'll avail you nothing!" The group, back on their feet despite the pain, looked around in confusion until they noticed Mau… at the top of a pillar?

Sheik's eyes widened. "Link!"

"I know!" he yelled back. "He's a wizzrobe!"

"How perceptive, Hero! But I grow tired of you – be gone, and perish in the void between dimensions!"

The room shook as numerous magic materialized before and around them into shapeless, blackened openings in the air. The air was sucked into them, pulling at the Heroes who clutched onto anything for dear life.

"Everyone, hold on!" Link shouted, but the sound of the air currents drowned him out.

Then it all turned into white.

Hope you're enjoying it so far! :3 And let me once again apologize for the long wait. Unfortunately, I have a new job starting in a few weeks, and I fear that there will be less time to write.

For that reason, I can either A) write as much as possible on my free time, but the updates will take some time or B) write shorter chapters, which would mean faster updates, but it would drag out the story a lot. What do you guys think?