Chapter 85: The Might Technoworks

…

It was only a few seconds after emerging from the dark tunnel into the light of the technoworks that Link could tell that this experience was going to be quite different from his adventure on Sagacity Island. The primary indicator was the smell. Whatever the Lizalfos and Dinolfos were doing down here, it left a musty smell beginning right where the tunnel ended and the familiar yellow-orange of the technoworks began. The tunnel seemed to travel in a regular slope for a while, leading Link to believe that they may have actually ended up on the south side of the island. When he looked back up, the faint light of the tunnel's exit had disappeared in the distance and darkness of night. He had been afraid of getting caught by a Lizalfos trailing behind them, but their way had been uninterrupted. The only sounds Link had heard were his boots scraping rock as well as Irleen's wings gently stroking the air; Layna, despite leading just in front of him, seemed completely incapable of making any noise. He suspected that it was another facet of whatever kind of training she had received.

The first part of the technoworks they encountered was a corridor angled just a bit more downward compared to the tunnel. The tiles on the floor and ceiling were arranged in a checker pattern just like those in the other technoworks. Alongside the familiar square-spiral design, the opposing tiles sported jagged patterns as if they had been smashed. Interestingly, though, the cracks on these tiles seemed to continue to the next tiles in the pattern, and Link found that, if he angled his sight closer to the floor, he could see the cracks fan out from a central point just in front of where the corridor began. The walls were square tiles which spanned the height of the corridor, each one sporting a set of four, debossed triangles forming a square with an X at the center. Link would have a nice opinion of the design if it had not been for all of the dirt that had been tracked in from the tunnel. Even a little more worrying, Link could make out furrows where the creatures' sled had passed, the technoworks sporting two lines of red-orange pulsing where it had been injured.

Layna ventured forward first, and Link followed with Irleen hovering over his head. She moved cautiously, and Link tried not to make much noise as he stepped. When she reached the level landing at the end, she held up a hand to stop Link as she peered around the corner to the left. Then she waved. Link followed her around to find that the corner was actually quite slim, and there was another downward corridor on the other side of the wall.

Even more interesting was the doorway about halfway down. Layna made the same motions of stopping and peering around the corner while Link looked further down the corridor. But then she shifted to the other side of the doorway and invited Link to look inside.

Link recognized the room as a local dormitory. The walls had square-shaped holes both across from the doorway and on either side. In contrast to the dormitory on Sagacity Island, Link found that the doorway was at the top of the room with a ladder at his feet. He angled his head around and saw that there appeared to be a number of items at the bottom. He met Layna's eyes and pointed inside. She nodded and, after replacing the blades she had been hiding in her palms, began down the ladder.

"We're going in there?" Irleen asked in a low voice. "It's a dead end."

"There's a bunch of stuff down there," Link replied in a similar voice. "I'm just curious; we won't be there for long."

Link then followed Layna down into the room. On the floor, he found that most of the items were actually scrap metal. Trash cans, carriage parts, metal roofing shingles, window frames, toys… Link was amazed that they had even stolen a streetlight and left it lying on the floor next to one wall. For the mess that the Lizalfos had left, they had at least attempted some kind of organization. A path had been cleared out to the middle of the room. In the middle sat a number of wooden items: old crates, pieces of bookshelves, chairs, and small tables mostly. Behind that was a small, burnt-out campfire with a number of tools left on the floor. Link picked up one while Layna slowly stalked across the room, clicking a pair of her blades together.

"What is wrong with these guys?" Irleen asked as she wandered around the room. "This is a total mess. Are they just stealing anything that isn't anchored down?"

Link nodded at the streetlight. "I'm pretty sure that was anchored down."

"Yeah, I'd like to know how they got that around the corner. Look at this! At least the Stalarmors just smashed everything up. This is a nightmare!"

Link opened the tool he was holding, which was a long, flat pair of metal handles attached together with a hinge. Inside, there was a small ball of metal which Link was able to pop out of place just by prodding it with a finger. He picked it up between his thumb and forefinger and examined it. "I don't think they're doing this just to be mean," he told Irleen.

"Why? What is that?"

"Well, if I'm guessing right, they're using a bunch of this metal scrap to make ammunition. I haven't used a gun other than this flare gun, but this kind of looks like a bullet for a pistol or a musket." He gestured at the floor around him with the mold. "I think all these tools here are designed to melt down metal and then pour into this thing."

"And… that big thing over there?" she asked, gesturing at the streetlight.

Link shrugged. "I'm just guessing, but I think they're planning to scrape the paint off of it; it's lead-based."

"Don't you Hylians know that stuff is dangerous for you?"

Link paused his examination of the bullet. Then he shrugged again. "I guess that's why it's used to make bullets."

"Ap—…" was all Irleen could respond with, having realized Link's point. She sighed. "Right, what was I thinking?"

Link replaced the bullet and set the mold back on the ground. Next, he picked up a sack and peered inside. "You know, I bet Leynne could use some of these for that musket. He'd have to re-melt it, but at least he might be able to load it for his own protection."

Layna, having wandered back toward the ladder, suddenly froze in place just outside of Link's vision. "Kyabtin," she said. Link glanced over at her in response, intending to ask her what was wrong despite the fact that she could not respond.

Then he heard voices from above. "Uh oh," Irleen uttered.

"Hide," Link said barely a second before all three bolted. Irleen followed Link to the wall right of the ladder and followed him inside. Layna, however, dove into the first hole on the opposite side of the room, closest to the ladder. Both had to squeeze against the side of the small cavities in order to avoid being immediately visible. Irleen hid in the corner above Link's head just behind the opening in the hopes that her light would not give them away. Link realized that he was still holding the bag of ammunition and tossed it toward his feet to get rid of it.

Tump. Tump. Link carefully leaned forward so that one eye could glance back into the room. Two. They looked to be about as large as any adult Link had met. Their bodies were covered in green, tough-looking scales. They also wore loincloths which looked like they were made from feathers. One wore a shirt with the front open, showing a yellow chest and belly, and had a pair of bowl-shaped pauldrons strapped to its shoulders. The other only wore a pauldron on its right shoulder. However, its left forearm was covered by a thick-looking iron gauntlet sporting a number of scratches and dents. It wore a sleeveless shirt stained different, pastel shades of red and yellow. Link could see that both of them wore belts with a small sack strung to one side and a flintlock pistol on the other. At least, they appeared to be flintlocks, but it looked as if some of the components were missing. Link remembered his comment earlier about them using their breath to fire their weapons; it was possible that that was the reason they looked only half-built.

"Mbagwa bexh ngwamaxt apaxh smexh!" Link heard the one with the two pauldrons snap. "Xhoihdwix! Ndihjax zoxh! Njogh sokwe, ghih mbagwash sabe ngale sugh bvax tahxhspughn!"

"Haihlinqa zoxh!" the other declared. "Sahgh pighsowexh vaagh! Bexht bvax ngaoxgh ngale zoxh!?"

The first one reached around and tapped the other's shoulder. "Sahgh jahghtahxhtog. Asu njihjgwoxh Haihlinqih."

"Bvax xiwaxht Zhoghwih," the other said as they stopped near the dead campfire. "Poxjexh, aghanwa sahgh pighaxgh."

"Vaagh!" the first said as it plopped down on one side of the campfire.

Link watched the other one pick up a board from their scrap pile and hold it to its open mouth. Link thought it heard it gag before orange flames spewed from its gaping maw. With about as much concern as it had shown for its own hand, it threw the now-burning board on the dead pile and took a moment to throw on a few more pieces of wood. Its carelessness caused its partner to hiss. It returned this hiss before moving to the other side of the fire. "Xhaghis vaagh asu bahxght bwevxh," it said to itself.

"Kaghbwenjwafaighe vaagh," the other one complained at him.

As they continued to banter back and forth, Link asked in a whisper, "Do you know what they're saying?"

"There's probably only ever been one Sorian to get close enough to learn Esmond," Irleen answered. "As I heard it, Cunimincus tossed him to the surface without his wings. So… no, not really."

"Good, so I'm not the only one lost," he said. "Did you see where Layna went?"

"I think she's on the other side of the room."

"Ahxgh, fix!" the Lizalfos wearing the gauntlet snapped. "Phogh aswuk imbex nogh?"

"Phogh twaxh zoxh?" the other snapped at him.

"Aghanwa asu swetahbet phogh bexh, fix nwadexh!"

"What's going on?" Irleen asked.

Link peered above the opening to find both Lizalfos standing and locked in a staring contest. "I don't know," he replied. "I think they're fighting about something."

"That doesn't tell us much; Lizalfos always fight." Link snorted in response.

And he watched both Lizalfos break their contest to look in his direction. Link immediately ducked back out of sight and succeeded in clocking his skull against the inside of the berth. He bit his lower lip to keep from shouting in pain and cringed, realizing that he most likely just gave himself away. Irleen pressed herself against the corner as best as she could, trying to will her light dim.

He heard one of the Lizalfos snort. "Bexht mainahxh?" it asked.

The other snorted, and Link was suddenly afraid that they might be able to smell him. "Odax," came the response, the voice curious. "Twaxh imbex bexh? Kozh?"

"Kahjes." Link gulped; that last word sounded a little sinister to him. "Haihlin."

"Haihlin," the other repeated, sounding just as eager. Link felt his stomach fall through as he realized that what they were saying sounded worryingly like "Hylian". The berth was cramped, and he did not want to move due to the slim chance that they would not immediately find him inside this berth. He could not pull his sword or his bow, and the only thing he was not lying on was the boomerang behind his back. As carefully as he could, he tugged open the flap and slowly drew the boomerang.

Tink. Tink. Link blinked in surprise. Then he realized that Layna was clicking her blades from her own hiding spot. She was luring them away!

"Bexh imbex twaxh?" one of the Lizalfos asked.

The other one gave a chuckle. "Lahjexht mainahxh asu."

Link peered out again. Both Lizalfos had their backs turned to him, and he was just in time to see that the Lizalfos wearing two pauldrons was giving his companion a side-glare. "Bvax exh mbeg," he replied in an irritated tone.

"Pwezh ighet? Sahgh mwes!" With that, the Lizalfos wearing the gauntlet drew its pistol into its bare hand and breathed on it. Link saw a portion of the gun near the breach light, and it slowly stalked toward where it heard Layna tapping her blades. Link's heart pounded in his chest. He was concerned that Layna might actually get killed. In fact, he thought those very words, and he realized that he was thinking about the same Gelto who had held taken Captain North hostage. He had to consider that she might have a plan, so he had to think in the few seconds that it was taking the Lizalfos to approach her hiding place. It seemed likely that, being in such an enclosed space, it would be difficult to throw any of her blades. Considering how good she was at arranging a close strike, she was probably waiting to spring an attack once the Lizalfos was in range.

Which would probably leave the other Lizalfos to him. His sword would be perfect. But would he be ab—

"GAAAAXH!" The shrill sound snapped Link out of his thoughts, and he pushed himself up to look into the room.

Layna was not in immediate sight. However, her handiwork was evident as the gauntleted Lizalfos retreated from the berth she was hiding in. It screamed out again as crimson blood flew from the eye it covered due to its flailing. It dropped its pistol to press its uncovered hand against the wound. Then it tripped over a broken window frame and fell onto a pile of metal shingles. Its partner was visibly startled, fumbling and dropping its own pistol on the floor.

"SHAHDE! SHAHDE!" the gauntleted one screamed. "Shahde imbex! Tahnwigh, tahnwigh!"

At the same time Link decided to jump out of the berth, Layna also emerged. She jumped onto the wounded Lizalfos' back and, without hesitation, slid her closed fist against the side of the Lizalfos' neck. The Lizalfos screamed and rolled in an attempt to shake her off. But Layna was already off, and she swung her fist into the Lizalfos' throat hard. The Lizalfos' scream turned into gurgling after she ripped her hand upwards, launching a spurt of blood into the air.

The second Lizalfos glanced back to find Link standing behind him. It gulped, and Link realized it had turned a determined eye to him. Link froze, realizing that it was readying a breath of fire. Irleen's voice expressed everything Link was thinking when she uttered, "Uh oh."

Then a flash of silver shot past its neck, and a gash opened across its throat. This caused it to hiccup, and flame spurted from both its mouth and the opening in its throat. Link glanced at Layna to see her arm held straight out in front of her, indicating that she must have just thrown one of her circular blades.

What happened next was almost a flash to Link. The Lizalfos had disappeared from in front of him, crossed the room dangerously close to Layna, and was part-way up the ladder to the room above. Layna had thrown another of her blades in the escape, causing a bleeding wound in its calf. This had done little to deter it, but the coughing he could hear told Link that it was seriously injured, probably from having fire spill out of an open wound. Layna flung another blade at it, but her steep angle only resulted in a blade slashing open the back of its shirt with no visible wound being made.

Link remembered that the boomerang was still in his hand, and he opened it with his thumb. He lofted it so he could catch it by one arm. Using his right arm to sight the throw, he aimed at the ladder above the Lizalfos. His voice came out in a hefty grunt as he threw overhand, whipping his hand backwards on release so that the boomerang had a strong spin. The boomerang rose, rose, and rose high into the air, faster than the Lizalfos could climb. Pah! One arm struck the back of the Lizalfos' head, and the force behind it caused the Lizalfos' neck to snap forward so that its face hit the rung in front of it. The Lizalfos, disoriented from both strikes, lost its grip and fell to the floor from what must have been almost four stories. It screamed out as loud as possible.

Bagh! Link felt the floor jump under his feet when the Lizalfos hit with a disturbing bounce. He also thought he might have heard a crunch somewhere in the sound. The Lizalfos reached out for a moment, voice choking as if it was trying to speak.

Then it fell limp.

Link sighed out in relief and doubled over for a moment. "Wow…" he mumbled to himself. "That… that was close."

"No kidding," Irleen said. "Nice throw, Link."

"Thanks, but I think Layna has the better throw. That thing would've toasted me if she hadn't cut its throat."

"Kyabtin?" Link looked up to find Layna standing in front of him. Her eyes were filled with concern, and she asked, "Kyabtin, waba yixwickak max?"

Link held up a hand. "I'm fine, I'm fine, Layna," he told her. He held up a thumb and said, "Good job. You saved my ass." When Layna gave the thumb a confused look, he just dropped it and added, "Yeah, thank you, crewman-who-doesn't-understand-me."

"She'll get the idea," Irleen said. "All you have to do is smile."

Link stood to his full height to stretch out his back. "I don't think I can right now." He pointed a finger between himself and Layna, and then indicated the ladder. "Let's get out of here."

"Don't forget your boomerang."

…

Link and Layna took a few moments to stash the Lizalfos' bodies in a berth and recovered their weapons before leaving the room. Layna, through her usual body language, insisted that she examine the corridor at the top, probably in case the Lizalfos' calls had been heard. It left Link to contemplate the blood pooled and smeared across the floor. It made him a little sick, but when he remembered that the Lizalfos may have been eating the residents of Might Island, it steeled his stomach and made him lose the smidgen of pity he had developed. Still, the sight was disturbing, especially the spatter Layna had caused on the wall. If she could do that kind of harm, what would she have done to Captain North and his men? He would have to have Dholit or Dubbl remind her to not kill Skyriders.

When it was clear, Link climbed up the ladder and began following Layna down the corridor. The next landing at the end of the sloped corridor brought them to another corner with yet another corridor to the right. This one was level, and it brought them to a small chamber where the Lizalfos they had seen above had left their sled, which turned out to be little more than wooden slats crudely secured to a pair of runners. There was no meat in sight, not even the beef that the Dinolfos had been carrying. However, Link noticed Layna focusing on the floor and realized that some of the juices from the meat had trickled while it had been carried further on. The other exit to the chamber led to another small chamber with a ladder probably just a story shorter than the ladder to the dormitory.

While he watched Layna climb down, he tugged on the front of his tunic. "Is it a little warm to you?" he asked Irleen.

"Oh, good, so I'm not imagining that," Irleen replied. "You don't have that Yook thing, do you?"

"It's colder up here," Link said. "I didn't think I'd need it. What's causing that?"

"I'm not sure. I know that the technoworks provide heat to the outside of itself to help promote plant growth on the surface. It's also a good way to regulate the temperature on the inside. But… I don't think the heat's supposed to come back inside." She paused for a moment. "Maybe the Lizalfos somehow did it. Being lizards, they probably prefer the heat."

Link nodded, and then he started climbing down into a large chamber after Layna gave him a wave. The environment of the chamber went unnoticed until Link's feet touched the floor.

Then he saw something he had not been expecting. What Link had initially thought were tiles in the walls turned out to be large, cube-shaped blocks of technoworks. This was revealed by the five tiles that had been pulled out from the room's walls. The cubes that were detached from the walls glowed pink and did not have the familiar blue particles flowing over them. Link first thought this was necrosis, just as on Sagacity Island, but he realized that, as he approached one with his hand extended, the flat surfaces of the cubes, which should have been recessed into the walls, were the sources of all the heat.

"Oh, man, this is wild," Irleen said in an amazed tone.

"What, them pulling the technoworks apart?" Link asked, dropping his arm to his side. "Because I'd call that pretty wild."

"These cubes can't be exposed like this," Irleen said as she watched Layna move around the room. "All this heat… it's a wonder that the technoworks haven't cooked themselves out of the sky yet."

"What, this is bad for the technoworks? Isn't the technoworks causing this heat?"

"It's a product of the processes the technoworks use to extract what they need from sea water. Small, it's manageable. But something the size of an island creates a lot of heat. You could probably even use it to melt steel. Exposing the technoworks to a lot of heat, though, is a good way to start necrosis."

Link indicated the nearest block. "This is necrosis?"

"No, that's just the heat from the technoworks. That's also the exposed parts of the technoworks. It means that these blocks are disconnected from the rest of the structure. In time, they'll probably go dormant. The problem is the blocks still connected to the main structure. They won't go dormant because they're still receiving nourishment from the rest, meaning that all the heat they put out will continue. If the Lizalfos take it apart anymore, the heat's gonna build up until it triggers necrosis in this area."

"Could the island remain floating even if this area died?"

"It depends on how far the necrosis goes. If one, maybe two rooms went, the rest of the structure above us will probably hold. But if this whole area is flooded with heat, all support is going to fail. The island could split. It could probably take out a good bit of the surface structure above us."

"The buildings," Link reasoned, horror in his voice. He took in a breath and asked, "Why is Cunimincus' crew doing everything they can to bring these islands down? It's gonna wind up killing them, too."

"From what I've seen, it's largely ignorance. The Stalarmors weren't worried about killing themselves because they were already dead. But the Lizalfos… I'd say they like the heat so much that they'd open all the heat sources they can find until this island breaks."

"How long would you say we have?"

"Don't touch the pink," Irleen said as Link reached a hand out again. "It'll burn you. I would say it's just a matter of days, maybe weeks. It depends on how long these blocks will provide heat until they go dormant, and I really don't know how long that takes. But we'll need to move these blocks back into position and then tell the technoworks to reconnect them."

"How?"

"Reconnecting them will be easy once we find the control room. But we'll need some means of moving them. It won't be easy. You can only push them from one side, and they probably weigh twenty times your weight."

"Maybe Layna could help." Link glanced around, but he was immediately aware that Layna was nowhere in sight. "Where'd she go?"

"Uuuh…" Irleen droned as she looked about. "I don't know. I got distracted talking to you."

"Kyabtin."

"YAA—hk!" Link's shout was cut off by one hand pressing against his mouth while another hand placed pressure against the base of his throat, cutting off Link's airway. It was for a brief moment, and Link immediately took in a breath once the pressure released. The other hand lifted away, and he spun to find that Layna had been the one to silence him. She had the blank look on her face, the one that said she had taken on her deathly serious attitude. She patted her lips with one hand, and, giving her sudden need to silence Link, he took it as a sign that he needed to be quiet.

"What's going on?" Irleen asked.

Layna held up four fingers. Then she pointed to a corner of the room, a corner from which a block had been dragged out far enough that Link could see the cavity beyond. And he saw that the cavity was actually larger than the block. He saw that someone had placed wooden boards and metal slats across it, some of them looking like piles of roofing shingles. The wood, in direct contact with the pink technoworks on the floor, looked to have been well-burnt. Beyond that, he saw the regular, orange-and-yellow face of a wall. It must have been another corridor, and he realized that Layna had just come back from there. And she might have found more Lizalfos.

Nodding, Link drew the Lokomo Sword and followed her over. He was reluctant to cross the improvised bridge, such was the incredible heat coming off the exposed areas of the technoworks. But after walking across, he found that he was right about finding another corridor. It was taller than most of the other corridors he had seen, and the left side was obstructed by one of the technoworks blocks being pulled almost all the way out, leaving a very thin gap between the block and opposite wall. The right side of the corridor was clear and seemed to stretch for quite some distance before ending in a doorway. Halfway in that direction, he could see an opening on the left where a block had been removed.

And, importantly, he could hear voices. Nothing was close enough for him to hear anything clearly (which was a blessing, he decided, as it would have meant that the conversation he had just had with Irleen would have alerted them), and he thought he could hear something else in between the bouts of talking.

Layna waved at them to follow, and they walked to the opening in the wall. The Lizalfos had left another improvised bridge to cross the gap between floors. They used this, and Link found that they had stepped into another chamber of similar size to the one previous, right down to the five cubes pulled out of the wall. Layna checked around the cube for a moment, then she signaled Link again. They rounded the cube and found a doorway into a much larger room. Link just about entered the doorway, but Layna grabbed the sleeve of his body suit and pulled him to one side. She patted her lips again and then pointed to her ear. Link listened, realizing that the sound was coming from the other room. Layna then held up four fingers to him and pointed into the room. Her movements became slow and low as she slid into the doorway, holding his sleeve so that he would come along. She checked the room before she pulled him to a pair of cubes sitting just a couple strides away with their cold sides facing the doorway. Layna placed her back against the cube and glanced around the side. Link decided to look around the other side.

A brown Dinolfos with short spines forming a ridge down its back and around the edges of its jaw had its back turned to Link as it appeared to be eating from part of the large body of beef that it had dragged down. With the light of the technoworks, Link could see that the Dinolfos wore metal plates over its back and, probably, its chest. And unlike the Lizalfos from before, it sported a pistol on one hip and a machete on its lower back. And in case it needed to look any more dangerous, its tail had a spiked club on the end which it smacked on the floor occasionally as it ate. Just on the edge of his vision, he could see the tail of a Lizalfos that was eating somewhere on the other side of the block they hid behind.

He turned back to find Layna already waiting for him. She pointed to her side and held up a pair of fingers. Taking it to mean that she saw two of the four that she had mentioned, Link held up his fingers to indicate that he saw the other two. Irleen hovered nearby, but even being so close, none of them wanted to chance talking.

Which was where all the miscommunication started. Layna drew one of her throwing blades, but Link grabbed her arm before she could turn to throw it out at the Lizalfos on her side. Although he was certain that she could probably deliver a debilitating wound to one, he was concerned that her initial strike would alert the others, which would mean bringing three fully capable Lizalfos down on top of them. Three guns, three sources of fiery breath, and, if the Dinolfos on Link's side was an indication, three blades. He was sure he could hold his own against one going blade-to-blade, and Layna, as he had seen against the Stalarmors, could cut up an enemy even if it would not die right away. But it left a third one, a fourth depending on how Layna's ambush would have worked. Link did not like the idea of trying to fight one-on-one while potentially two more were available to attack from behind. He pointed to himself.

Then he froze when he realized that he did not have an idea. He considered targeting the Dinolfos with his bow, especially since he would have a clean shot from behind. However, Link was not as sure about his aim. The arrow could bounce off the armor, or he could miss the Dinolfos' head entirely and simply blow their surprise. His aim was better with the boomerang since it was larger, but it might just piss the Dinolfos off.

Layna gave his hand a surprised look. Link was a little confused when she slid the throwing blade back into the pocket she had pulled it from. This confusion escalated to total surprise when she then grabbed his shoulders and pulled him close. Her lips pressed against his, and he felt a shock throughout his body, causing his eyes to grow wide. It must have been the heat around him causing him some exhaustion because he found himself more comfortable with the kiss, even mimicking Layna's lip movements to reciprocate.

"Are you kidding me!?" Irleen snapped at them.

Not only was her voice high and loud enough to snap Link and Layna out of the moment, its occurrence was so jarring that the Lizalfos looked up from their meals and exchanged confused glances with each other, wondering who among them could have pulled off such a sound. In the instant of silence following Irleen's outburst, Link realized that she had solved the dilemma of how to attack the Lizalfos.

The Lizalfos were going to attack them!

"Kwanjahxhqa!" one of the Lizalfos snapped. "Gwoxhe mbogh shoghaighe ngahlom!"

"Uh oh," Irleen uttered.

Both Link and Layna put their hands in their pockets. While Layna produced another throwing blade, Link had grabbed Irleen's bomb gem. "Irleen, blow it!" Link shouted as he threw the gem around the block.

"And the world goes boom!"

Link barely had enough time to cover his ears, which had been awkward because he still carried the Lokomo Sword in his hand. BOOOM! Link could feel the blast kick the block against his back, but it had done little to actually move the block. The Lizalfos hissed and spat words at each other, although nothing seemed coherent with them trying to shout over each other.

Jerking a thumb at the blocks behind them, Link shouted at Layna, "Go!"

With that, both of them rounded the blocks. Link found that the Dinolfos, probably being closer to the bomb gem when it went off, had been thrown onto its back. The Lizalfos that Link had also seen stood with its hands clamped to the sides of its head, pistol in hand, as it tried to make sense of what had just happened. It spotted Link and, trying to react as fast as possible, blew a spurt of flame that engulfed its hand. The pistol triggered just as Link side-stepped back behind the cover of the block. But the pistol was aimed too high, rendering the shot pointless. Link then immediately dashed from cover as shouts of surprise sounded from the other side. He gave a determined cry as he crossed the distance between him and the Lizalfos, who dropped the pistol and used its opposite hand to pull out a shortsword. Link raised the Lokomo Sword over his head and brought it down near the Lizalfos' neck. The Lizalfos had to spin its torso to intercept the blow. It must have been using the hand it did not prefer because, although the strike missed its target, Link ripped the sword out of the Lizalfos' hand. Then he twisted his wrist and swung the sword backward. The Lizalfos had stumbled when it had lost its sword, bringing it close enough that Link had not needed to move to put it back within strike distance. The swing sliced into the Lizalfos' small shoulder and then opened a line of red across its muzzle on its left. It allowed Link to see that, although tough-looking, Lizalfos scales were nothing against a decent blade, just as he had seen when Layna had attacked one earlier. Link circled his arm around and brought his arm into another upswing that opened a gash across the Lizalfos' chest. The Lizalfos spun and stumbled away from Link.

Bam! The sound of a gunshot from behind startled Link into stumbling sideways. What was especially jarring was knowing that, even if he was too late to dodge the bullet, he had seen the aftermath. A hole had opened up in the side of the Lizalfos' head, and the Lizalfos collapsed on the spot. After recovering, Link spun to find that the Dinolfos on the ground was still conscious and pointing a smoking pistol in his direction. It had been a wasted shot, and now that Link knew that the gun was empty and the Dinolfos was not as stunned as he first thought, Link quickly turned and charged.

The Dinolfos threw its pistol away and rose. It pulled its machete out and used it to block the wide, horizontal slash Link aimed at its neck. The Dinolfos then took a step forward and attempted to open Link's belly with a similar strike. Link jumped away, arms wide. Too wide for him to make a comeback, especially when the jump made him loosen his grip on the Lokomo Sword, and the Dinolfos flipped the edge of its machete around and tried the strike in reverse. Link backed away again, this time farther so that he had a moment to properly grip the sword again.

Then the Dinolfos stood at its full height and raised its chin. Link heard a gulping sound and jumped aside just in time to avoid being roasted on the spot by the Dinolfos' fire breath. He had to back away when he saw the Dinolfos turn its head to follow him, and he nearly tripped over his own feet in the process. Then the Dinolfos choked off its fire and had to breathe in. Link took the opportunity to close distance with it and prepare an upward strike.

Then the Dinolfos spun its back on him. Link immediately aimed his swing to his right when he realized that he was about to take its spiked club of a tail to the stomach. He must have found a soft spot in the scales because his blade slid through the tail, parting the club from flesh and muscle. The Dinolfos gave a shriek and jumped away from Link. After giving its tail a glance, it spat at Link, "Haihlin zoxh!"

Link charged forward and attempted a jab into the Dinolfos' neck. The Dinolfos deflected with a heavy strike from its machete. Link kept a grip on the sword and, using the fact that his hand was still at a good angle to strike back, swept his sword up in a back-handed upswing. Link's blade found the Dinolfos' forearm, causing the Dinolfos to bark out its pain. This only seemed to make it even madder, as it then turn its whole shoulder to Link with the machete poised to come down on Link as strong as possible. Link was not in a position to block or jump out of the way, so he leaned to his right just in time to avoid the strike. In the process, the Dinolfos had taken a step forward to deliver all the power it could. This meant that Link had had the time to ready his own attack. So when the Dinolfos was in the right position, Link swung a horizontal slash which passed its muzzle and dug into its face right between its eyes. Its eyes were far enough from the strike that Link had not hit them, but he watched the eye on the left side of its head jerk in an awkward direction. He forced the swing to finish so he could pull the sword out, causing the Dinolfos to stumble backwards. After turning his hand again, Link sliced open the Dinolfos' throat with a gratuitous spray of blood. The Dinolfos fell backwards, gurgling as it clutched its bleeding throat as if trying to choke all of the blood off.

"Layna!" Link suddenly heard Irleen shout from the other side of the room. He spun around to survey her side of the fight.

One Lizalfos was already down, likely dead from the gash across its face and neck. But the other turned out to be another Dinolfos, skin a dull red and a comb-like ridge of spines on its head. One of its eyes looked to have been slashed out, and the gauntlet it wore on its right arm had been loosened enough that it dangled off its shoulder and rendered its hand useless as long as it was encased inside the forearm of the gauntlet. Layna was on its back.

At least, she had been when Link turned in response to the cry. He watched the red Dinolfos intercept Layna's fist as she attempted to cut open its throat. Then it suddenly whipped her off its back with an amazing show of strength. Layna hit the floor hard on her back. She seemed disoriented, but she was aware enough to realize that the Dinolfos was trying to twist her arm and rolled to keep it from happening.

Link saw his opportunity and dropped the Lokomo Sword. He removed his bow, pulled an arrow, and nocked it. The Dinolfos did not seem to realize he was standing there.

So he hollered out just after taking aim, "Hey, Ugly!"

In the same moment it took the Dinolfos to lift its head in response, Link loosed the arrow. Before it knew who was talking to it, the arrow hit its bare chest, penetrating quite well. It staggered and released Layna's arm. Link did not wait for any sort of recovery, nocking and releasing a second arrow in the span of a second. This one struck higher, at the base of its throat. The Dinolfos responded with a gurgling sound before it fell forward, snapping the arrows underneath its weight.

Link stood still for a moment, waiting to see if the Dinolfos would get up. When it did not, he spun around to look at the one behind him. It had just finished gurgling its last breath before lying slack against the floor.

Then Link dropped the bow and dashed to Layna's side. "Layna!" he cried, watching her roll in pain for a moment. "Layna, are you all right!?" He dropped to her side just as she sat up. She held the back of her head while allowing her injured forearm to sit on her lap. "Layna?"

She turned her head to him. "Kyabtin?"

Link looked up. "Irleen!?"

"Right here, right here," she replied as she fell out of the open air above.

Link dug into his pocket as he told her, "I need you to ask her if she's okay. It looked like she took a nasty fall."

"Sure." Link carefully set her translator gem on Layna's lap. "Layna, Liynk samoytakak 'al waxwicik."

Layna closed her eyes and gave a soft nod. "Ay'a, Kyabtin. 'Inu mixwickak. Kyabtin, waba yixwickak max?"

She handed the gem back to him, and Irleen said, "She's all right, and she wants to know if you are, too."

Link nodded. "What about her arm?"

"Wabin iddaf mushak max?" Irleen asked after he gave her the gem.

"'Imayn iddaf nayx nadmitiblak awyu nayx sakwil," she answered. "Amda Kyabtin, wabin 'atoyn 'ithab, 'imayn iddaf nadmimushak."

Irleen gave what sounded like an insincere laugh before Layna could return the gem, causing her to pause. "'Inu nayx nadnaygothak nwaki, Layna," Irleen said. "Liynk nayx moytokak nwaki calux."

"'Imayn harrokw zanak," Layna continued, "nadnaygothan 'inu mush, Cayminnadhiyf Irliyn. Waba nayx yikwotaysak 'inoy. 'Inu nayx nadmijoydhiysak nwaki 'idus."

Irleen gave an exhausted sigh. "Ay'a." Layna gave Link the gem. "She says her arm's fine," Irleen said. "And, evidently, it's not up for debate."

Link raised an eyebrow at her. "Uh… right," he replied. "That Dinolfos tossed her pretty hard, though. How'd it do that?"

"You just caught it throwing her off its shoulder," Irleen said. "She went flying across the floor before that. And I bet I know why."

"Why?"

"Look at its wrist." Link turned to the dead Dinolfos just behind him. This close, he saw that the creature wore some kind of bracelet on its left wrist. It was a gold band with a square, tooth-like division on the back side. Link reached his empty hand forward and felt around the separation until he found a trigger-like protrusion. He pressed against it until the band snapped apart, and he lifted the bracelet away from the body. As he brought it close, he saw that the inside was decorated with Sorian script. When he flipped it over, he found that the hinge was hidden by a large ruby inside which was embedded a single Sorian character.

"What's this?" Link asked.

"It's a power bracelet," Irleen said as Layna cast a curious eye on it. "The Sorians that built the technoworks used these to put these blocks into place when the technoworks were still just a bunch of inanimate blocks. They're made to increase the strength of the wearer. It used to take three or four Sorians to lift up these blocks."

"But… is this how they've been moving the blocks around?" Link asked.

"I couldn't see any other way. I figured it might be the reason when we first found the technoworks like this."

Link nodded and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Could we use it to put the blocks back into place?"

"Yeah, but we'll need to use the control room to make sure the blocks are connected back to the rest of the technoworks."

Link glanced up at the room around them. "Eh… yeeeeeah, this, uh… this isn't the control room."