Zelda's heart leapt into her throat. "What does that mean?" she choked out. "What do we do?"

"It means," Riju started. "It means he probably took off. Hopefully."

"Hopefully?" Zelda repeated.

Riju shrugged. "That, or they shot him and dumped his body somewhere else."

"No," Zelda said quickly. "That didn't happen."

"I don't think it did," Riju said. "And there was no sign of a struggle. The helicopter landed and that was it."

"There had to be footprints," Zelda said. "Something we can follow."

Riju shook her head. "Tracks like that don't last for very long out here. The wind blows the sand around too much."

"So, what now?" Teba asked, leaning out the window. His feathers ruffled in the cold breeze.

"I don't know," Riju admitted. "We can't very well search for him blindly out here. We'll be walking right into our own deaths."

"I can scout the area," Teba said. "I'll have a better view from the sky."

Riju hesitated. "The weather out here is too unpredictable," she said.

But Teba was already getting out of the car. He stretched out his wings and shook himself out. "I can handle a little wind," he said. "We'll have better luck this way." He pushed himself off of the ground and took flight, soaring higher and higher into the dark sky.

Riju leaned out the window, watching as the Rito disappeared, and sighed. "I suggest we prepare ourselves," she said as she sat back against her seat. "For anything that could try to attack us. We're not alone out here. I can assure you there are beasts far more terrifying than any Yiga soldier or even Ganon."

Zelda tucked one of the guns into her jeans. "Great," she muttered. She didn't want to be forced to use the weapon, especially on another person, but she was determined to defend herself and find Link.

Teba returned almost as quickly as he left, landing beside them just a few minutes later. "I have good news and bad news," he said.

Riju raised an uncertain brow. "Which one do we want to hear first?"

Teba sucked in a breath and turned his gaze to the horizon. "The good news is, we're certainly not alone out here. The bad news – it's not Link."

"Who is it?" Zelda asked, leaning forward to see passed Riju.

"What is it?" Riju said, her brows knit together.

Teba meet Riju's gaze. "From the looks of it," he started, "an angry army of Lizalfos and some pissed off pirates."

"Lizalfos?" Zelda repeated. "Pirates?"

"Pirates," Riju hissed. "I was hoping that wouldn't be true."

"What?" Zelda asked, growing frantic. "What's not true? What's going on?"

Riju turned her gaze to Zelda's. "Over the years, we've had our fair share of people being banished to the wastelands," she explained. "The Lizalfos have occupied the wastelands for thousands of years. According to history, they were once Ganon's minions, thousands of years ago. Upon his defeat, they were driven out of Hyrule to the wastelands where they have remained and have been unable to escape. The pirates I thought were only myths, but it seems they have joined forces with the Lizalfos."

"Who are they?" Zelda asked.

"The pirates were once citizens of Hyrule. Hylians and Gerudos, mainly, banished for various reasons. They've clearly found a way to survive the harsh terrains of the wastelands and have banded together with the Lizalfos. It's likely they'll go after anything that comes here."

"Why?"

Riju shrugged. "They're pissed off. They want their revenge."

"If they can find a way out of the wastelands," Teba said, "they'll take it. And if they can't use someone to get out, they'll kill them."

"The wastelands is a death sentence," Riju continued. "If you don't die from the harsh environment, all the nasty things out there will get you. Death by sandstorm would be a far kinder way to go."

"Are you sure they can't escape the wastelands?" Zelda asked cautiously.

"Even if they traveled east for years," Riju confirmed, "the sands here play tricks on you. There is a magic among these dunes that could drive anyone insane. Nothing that enters here can get out. Not even us."

"You're not serious," Zelda hissed. "You said you could get us out of here!"

Riju shook her head. "I said I could get you in no problem. I never said I could get us out."

"Are you fucking kidding me? Do you expect us to die out here?"

Riju smiled. "We'll get out of here. You're gonna get us out."

Zelda blinked at Riju. "How am I supposed to get us out?"

"You've got a pretty useful power there," she said, pointing at Zelda's hand. "That will get us out of here."

Zelda turned her gaze onto her hand and bit her lower lip. "You're insane."

"They're coming up on us fast," Teba said, looking out over the horizon once more. "They know we're here."

Riju stepped out of the car. "Get your game face on, boys," she said with a grin. "It's time to kick some scaly lizard ass."

"We can't just... run?" Yunobo said with a gulp. He pressed himself against the back seat of the SUV as the others stepped out.

"We'll only get ourselves more lost if we do," Riju said. "These things are everywhere; there's no escaping them. But, if we're lucky, they may know where we can find Link."

"And you expect them to just hand that information over to us?" Sidon said skeptically.

Yunobo tumbled out of the SUV. "What if they killed him already?"

Riju punched a fist into her palm. "We'll torture them until they tell us!"

Zelda looked over the horizon, searching for some sign. She pulled the gun out and cupped her hands around it, waiting.

"Yes, leave the torturing to us," Sidon said, rolling her eyes. "We sure are an intimidating bunch, after all. Especially the tiny Gerudo."

"Who ya callin' tiny?" Riju hissed at him.

Teba narrowed his eyes out into the desert. He pulled his own weapon out of his holster. "Nobody die," he muttered.

Zelda widened her stance and did her best to mimic Teba. She held her gun up and peered down the sight, waiting.

The wind had whipped up the sand in the distance, making the horizon seem like a dark blur. It was quiet as they waited, the seconds passing endlessly. Before they knew it, the sandstorm was nearing them quickly, the wind whipping sand around them.

The first Lizalfos appeared through the sand, lurching through the air and pouncing on Riju quicker than Zelda had expected. Two more Lizalfos hurled themselves through the sand, one knocking Zelda off her feet. The wind was knocked out of her and she was stunned in surprise as she fell to the ground, the heavy weight of the creature on top of her. She struggled against it as it scratched at her violently with deadly sharp claws. She threw her arms over her face and kicked at it with her feet, but the creature pinned her down harder until it fell limp against her.

She felt Sidon's cool hands pulling her up off the ground from under the Lizalfos. She stumbled backwards against him and tried to see through the sand that was raging around them. She noticed, then the bang of gun shots, the growl of the Lizalfos, and the war cries of the approaching pirates. The ground shook and lightning split the sandstorm that raged around them. The force of Riju's attack seemed to through off the storm completely and it dissipated, giving Zelda a much clearer view of the battle that had begun.

Teba could not reload his weapon fast enough to fend off the Lizalfos that had swarmed him. Yunobo struggled to keep up his defensive barrier, but the weight of the enemies furious attacks was wearing him thin. Riju was also swarmed with Lizalfos, and the pirates that had finally emerged were charging her as well. But she lifted her hand confidently in the air and let loose another round of deadly lightning strikes. They struck the ground forcefully, knocking the Lizalfos and the pirates clear away from her and stunning them as the electricity coursed through their bodies. Without hesitation, she turned her next attack towards the group swarming Teba and Yunobo, clearing them away as well.

Sidon stepped in front of Zelda, pulling the pin from a grenade. He tossed it at another swarming group of Lizalfos that neared them and the explosion sent them flying through the air against the oncoming pirates.

But more Lizalfos had begun to flank them and they approached quickly from behind Zelda and Sidon. Zelda saw them first, catching them at the corner of her eye, and she spun around with her gun in front of her. She sucked in a breath and let three shots loose from her gun, each aimed at another Lizalfos. Two of them hit and the creatures fell to the ground. She fired twice more at the third one before it, too, fell lifeless.

She stared, mouth gaping, at the three bodies before her – the three Lizalfos she had killed. But to her surprise, she didn't feel as bad as she thought she would. They were only Lizalfos, after all. It wasn't like she had murdered another human being. The pirates, however, were another story. Zelda turned back around and watched as the pirates continued their approach. All but their eyes were hidden behind their masks; their wicked, fierce gazes sent a chill up her spine and she quickly looked away.

"Let's get out of here!"

Zelda followed Riju's voice and found her retreating back to the vehicles. Sidon pulled at her wrist and Zelda fell into a run behind him, retreating from the pirates that were rushing at them. She slid into the car as Riju peeled away, kicking sand up around them. But the pirates had them flanked, and they were waiting for them. They held swords and daggers in their hands and they waited in a line across their path.

Riju narrowed her eyes and stepped harder on the accelerator, but the pirates didn't budge. The car increased speed, faster and faster, heading directly for the pirates. They held their ground until the last moment and threw themselves out of the way of the speeding vehicle. But more Lizalfos waited on the other side, and they did not hesitate to throw themselves at the two speeding cars. They swarmed in like bees, their sharp claws scratching against the windshield as they tried to force their way inside.

Riju slammed on the breaks in an attempt to dislodge them, and though some had fallen off, the rest held strong as they continued their attempt to rip the car apart. The windshield started to crack, giving in to their weight and deadly claws, and the two women inside started to scream. Zelda fumbled for the gun, but her hands shook violently.

"Do something!" Riju shouted at her.

"You do something! If I shoot them, the windshield will shatter!"

Riju slammed her foot against the accelerator once more, dislodging a few more of the Lizalfos. She swerved along the desert sands in an attempt to clear the rest, but their strong fists finally got through the windshield and they desperately tried to grasp at the screaming woman inside.

Riju slammed on the breaks once more, finally dislodging the rest of the Lizalfos that clung to the vehicle, and they scurried away as a figure approached them. Riju and Zelda stared open mouthed as the pirate approached them. She carried a long, jagged dagger, raised high above her, and her eyes pulled up at the corners as she smiled behind her mask.

Zelda fumbled for her gun, but her shaking hands dropped the weapon against the floor. "Do something," she hissed at Riju. Her hands searched the dark floor frantically for the weapon. When Riju did not respond, she glanced over to her. Riju's eyes were widen, frozen in fear as she watched the figure approach.

There was a loud bang against the hood of the car and it lurched slightly as something landed on it. The commotion caused them both to scream and Zelda pushed herself back into her seat, giving up her search for the weapon. Her heart raced violently as she looked at the figure that stood on the hood of the car.

Link straightened, raised his own dagger, and threw himself at the pirate. But the pirate was quicker, dodging his attack and sliding against the sand. She sprinted towards Link with her weapon extended, but Link blocked the blow. He threw her arm forcefully to the side, but she came back quickly, and their two blades clashed together. They struggled for a moment, each pressing their weight against the other. Link pushed back forcefully, but the pirate kept her footing, and while Link was exposed, she thrust her weight behind her blade and into Link.