The Legend of Zelda: Sky Lines

by Light Onthemayo

One hundred and fifty years after the disaster with the Spirit Tracks, Hyrule has risen to the skies. The people have made a living through the use of airships and the "Sky Lines", trails of intense wind used to aid these airships in their travels. On the eve of a fantastic adventure, a young man named Link has just been given command of his own airship...

107. Link, Captain of the Welcoming Committee

Chapter 107: Link, Captain of the Welcoming Committee

…

~~Day 90 (Command, Day 53)

~~We returned to Skyrider Port by about mid-morning. The queen has had her medicine, and the king is off preparing to return to Castle Island.

~~I must admit that I'm a little shocked myself to know that I've been talking to the real Princess Zelda this whole time. It was getting difficult to believe that I might have actually been only dreaming of her. Now I know for sure that I'm not losing my mind; even Irleen says that it's possible if Zelda's able to change the way her gem works. I think that's the general agreement since there's no other explanation at all. But, whatever the reason, I'm glad to know that she's real.

Link stared down at his journal for a while, wondering if there was anything else that he should jot down. Then someone knocked at his cabin door, so he put down his pen and pushed the journal aside. "Come in," he called to the door.

The door opened, and Flower stepped in with Chief Mallard following behind. "Hey there, Lieutenant," Flower said, giving Link a quick salute. "Look who was wandering around the Port."

"Lieutenant," Mallard said with a nod.

Link stood up from his chair. "Thank you, Mister Flower," he said. Flower nodded and left, closing the door behind him. "Welcome to the Island Symphony, Chief."

Mallard nodded and looked about the cabin. "Nice ship you've got here, Captain. Crew doesn't look half-bad, either."

"Gelto," Link told him. "They came from the surface with most of my crew."

"No Gelto men looking for work?"

Link managed a weak grin. "Almost no Gelto men at all."

Mallard's half-smile turned into a dumbfounded expression. "Really?"

"That's how Airman Cale explained it to me, as far as I can remember."

"They any good?"

Link shrugged. "They have their own ideas sometimes, but they follow orders. Uh…" He sighed. "Maybe except one, but she's getting better about it."

"Discipline problem?"

"No, she just… ugh. Sometimes, she just can't leave people alone. Like she just has to bother someone."

Mallard crossed his arms. "Sounds like a certain pair of airmen I used to know."

"Ah—… Well, in my defense, Line started it all."

Mallard nodded and replied with an air of skepticism. "Uh huh." He stepped forward and rested his hip against the front of Link's desk. "So what's the plan?"

"Well, we need you to look like one of the princess's vessels," Link replied as he sat down. "Did Captain Alfonzo ever receive the new regulations the princess was enforcing?"

Mallard shrugged and shook his head at the same time. "Who knows? After we got the orders to submit to conscription, the captain stopped opening anything official-looking. After that, mail service just kinda halted. None of the crew got mail, and the Skyrider branch offices getting shut down didn't help much. Then we went into hiding. We started losing crew because of that."

Link nodded. "I'd heard. Can you still sail all right?"

"We aren't missing that many, Captain."

"Okay. Well, it doesn't look like we'll have to do anything complicated. We'll work out the details once the Summer Breeze gets here. The main thing is that the whole crew needs some black tunics, and we have to find a black flag to replace the Grand Sails' banner. Do you have enough to do that, or are you gonna need some funds?"

"It'll be easier to just spill ink all over their clothes," Mallard said. "In fact, we just might do that. Just dye everyone a black tunic. And I'm sure we can find a flag around here we can do the same thing to."

Link nodded. "Then we can start there."

"It'll take time."

"I know."

"And it's a pretty rough plan."

Link nodded. "Rough as a cutter in a Sky Line."

Mallard gave him a large half-grin. "I'll go let Blair know."

Mallard had just taken a step away from Link's desk when the cabin door opened. "Oy, boss?" said Lawrence, who appeared to be a little out of breath. "We go' a prob'm."

"Sello set fire to the engine room again?" Link asked automatically, his reaction almost completely neutral. Mallard, on the other hand, gave Link a surprised look.

"Nah, we know be'er," Lawrence told him. "Bu', eh… 'e is missin'."

"Could he be hiding his couch again?"

Lawrence shook his head. "No, Cap'n, 'is couch's where 'e lef' i'. I searched all over. 'E ain' on-board."

Link sighed. "Okay, that's a new one. Who's down in the engine room right now?"

"Harley 'n Lidago," Lawrence said. "Helo 'n I was goin' ashore."

Link nodded. "Okay, well, if you find him, bring him back here. I'll also have the Gelto looking out for him."

"Are you guys talking about a pet or something?" Mallard asked.

Lawrence put on an amused look. "Screwy enough t' be. Righ', Cap'n?"

"Sello is my chief engineer," Link told Mallard. "We need to find him before he builds or repairs something."

Mallard frowned at him. "You make it sound like a bad thing."

"The last time he repaired anything, it terrorized a mining town," Link said as he stood up. "It was a complete nightmare. The stuff he builds is just as horrifying."

Mallard blinked several times in silence. "I think I'll just leave at this point, Captain."

…

~~The Gelto found Sello placing some kind of small machine on a carriage. They weren't sure what he was supposed to be doing, but I'm pretty sure that turning the carriage into splinters and scrap metal against the side of a bakery was just a side effect. He explained that he was still in search of a "smooth hat", but he was so drunk that he couldn't stand on his own, so I doubt if he actually knew what he was saying. No one knows why he left the ship; he still had plenty of alcohol.

~~The Grand Sails has a black flag now, and most of the crew have black tunics. However, the Grand Sails does not have any weapons to distribute to its airmen. A few of the crew have personal weapons, but it's gonna look bad if we can't at least make it look like the deck crew is armed. Leynne found a gunsmith earlier this evening, and he thinks that he might be able to build some fake weapons in case another Skyrider ship happens to appear. He also seems to be working on something else, but he's keeping it under wraps for now. I figure he's just inventing something new. I hope it's something we can use.

…

~~Day 91 (Command, Day 54)

~~I met with Blair and Mallard this morning to see what we're still missing. Blair asked if I knew what the flag standard was for a captured vessel, and I realized that we still didn't have any signal flags. So we went to the company office. There's just a few of the staff there; I guess they're waiting to see if the ships are gonna be released from service (which, I'm sure, they will be soon). They supplied us with a set of flags, and I also got some of my spare clothes from my old quarters. It's nice having a clean outfit again, especially one that fits me right.

~~Leynne is still making fake weapons to supply the crew of the Grand Sails. We're also having some tunics dyed black for Lawrence, Gold, and Flower to make it look like they're crew from either the Grand Sails or the Summer Breeze. Obviously, we can't expect to fool anyone with the Gelto wearing black tunics, but it helps our story if the Skyriders already know part of my crew is made of women.

~~The king sent one of his staff to the ship to give us a report on their situation. The queen is recovering, and the clinic staff says that she should be well enough to travel in another day. The Summer Breeze should be here by tomorrow, and the king says that he would like to move out the morning after preparations are finished. I think, at the rate we're going, the last thing we'll need is the Summer Breeze.

…

"And then we fell into a bunch of tunnels under the mines," Link was saying to Leeta. "And that fall was long. I mean, I've fallen from all sorts of things: masts, trees, the sky. But this was a pretty long fall even compared to most of them. The hole was like thi—whoops." In attempting to illustrate the subject, Link had stretched his arms apart and nearly spilled his drink over onto the floor.

"Be careful, Link," Leeta told him with a giggle. "You make the mess, you clean it up." She glanced toward her only other mid-afternoon patrons before adding, "Especially since you're my boy."

"Yeah, I know," Link replied with a cheesy grin. He took a quick drink of his fizzy juice and set the mug on the bar. "Anyway. Cale and I are at the bottom of the shaft trying to call up to the miners, and Cale notices that we're standing on some kinda stuff. It was kinda like spider webs, but they weren't sticky at all. Well, once we get the lantern the miners are handing to us, we turn around and find that this stuff is all over the tunnel! So we get Irleen down th—"

"That's the fairy girl, right?" Leeta asked. "The one you're trying to help?"

"Yeah. Anyway, we c—"

"Link, hold on for a moment," she said as she stood up straight. "I wanna check on these guys first."

"Oh, sure." He watched her walk down to the end of the bar before returning attention to his drink. Having spent what felt like an hour telling his mom about his adventure on the surface, he had forgotten that there were customers in the tavern. With a shrug to himself, he tried to make a mental note of where he had left off and took a drink. Then he took another drink, and he upended the mug until he could not see the door. Nor did he see the person who had just run in; all he heard was someone running across the floorboards.

"Kyabtin!"

"Bwah!" Link spat in response, spilling his drink down his front and dropping the mug onto the floor. He coughed and slid off his stool so he could do it away from whoever was standing near him. When he overcame the juice that had spilled down his windpipe, he looked up to see Twali standing nearby. "Twali…" he croaked. He shook his head and cleared his throat. "You didn't have to shout like that…"

"Kyabtin… nwiy sunway… than," Twali said in between breaths. It amazed Link that she had to pause like that; she did not appear to be very winded otherwise.

Link sighed and told her while he rung out the front of his tunic, "Sorry, Twali, I'm still not very good with Geltoan."

"Nwiy sunway tab mudhjya zahxwiyl May Kyabtin," Twali told him. Link gave her a helpless shrug. Twali sighed and thought for a moment. She said to herself, "Oh, halcix 'axiltin tab May Kyabtin nadmaythos Gilto 'anik…"

"Is it the crew?" Link asked her. "Did something happen?"

Twali scrunched her face. Then she said, "Manak."

"Huh?" Link asked, tilting an ear toward her.

"Manak!" Twali shouted at him.

Link recognized the word, but he took a moment longer to discern its meaning. When he realized that it meant "danger", his face became appropriately worried. "Let's go," Link said, indicating the door. "Show me."

Twali grabbed his outstretched arm and dragged him across the floor. "Link!" Leeta called to him. "Where are you going?"

"I don't know," Link managed to reply before he was out the door.

Twali pulled him down a few side streets and alleys going roughly toward the docks. He was not sure what was wrong, but, considering that it had something to do with the docks, he came to the quick conclusion that a Skyrider vessel might have appeared. He expected that it might have been the Summer Breeze. Dholit had made sure that the Gelto knew what airships they were running from a while back. If the Summer Breeze had just pulled into port, she was likely to recognize it as an enemy ship rather than an ally.

His expectations were dispelled when she turned one sharp corner and immediately jerked to a stop, causing Link to stumble forward and nearly fall over.

Directly in front of them was Captain North. He had just been talking to a street vendor in one of the island's open-air markets when Twali and Link had turned the corner. As surprised as Link was to see him, Captain North and the two airmen flanking him looked even more surprised to see them. For a moment, the only one to react with any other emotion was the confused vendor.

"You!" one of the airmen snapped. He, along with North and his crewmate, reached for the pistols holstered at their hips. At the draw, the vendor ducked behind his booth, as did a number of people around them while others quickly dodged onto whatever street was nearby.

"Gah!" North shouted when, a long, drawn-out split second later, Layna dropped out of the air behind him and wrapped one arm around his neck while her opposite hand waited underneath his jaw with a small blade pressed to his throat.

"Captain!" one of the airmen shouted as both of his crew twisted in response.

"Don't, you idiots!" North barked. He held his pistol up for Layna to see and settled the hammer back into the resting position. "You'll only provoke her. Put your guns away." Both airmen shared a look before they de-cocked their own pistols. North grunted and said to Layna, "I assume that's what you want, young lady." Layna, her face cold and distant, did not respond. So he said to Link, "I hardly expected to find you here, Captain Link."

"I'm just as shocked, actually," Link answered. "Do you plan on chasing me here, too?"

"I have orders."

"The princess is a fake. You're not taking orders from anyone in the Royal Family."

"You don't have any proof of that. I told you before on Tabletop Island, and the remark still stands." Link just glared at him, so he continued, "I admit that I was a little taken by that stuff you left behind. It had me convinced that not only were you not a real Skyrider because you left your tunic behind, you are also a fool of a captain. I've clearly been mistaken on both parts, but I assure you that you will not so easily fool me twice."

Link shook his head. "It doesn't have to be like this. Listen. The King of Hyrule, King Lauris, is here on Skyrider Port. Let me take you to him. He'll tell you what's going on."

"I'm not inclined to trust you."

"Then you'll trust me, Captain North." North's eyes widened at the sound of an authoritative voice from somewhere nearby. Link glanced behind North and his airmen to see King Lauris standing just a little further behind him, flanked by a pair of armored knights holding drawn swords.

"Y-Your Majesty?!" North said, his attempts to look behind him hindered by Layna's hold on his neck.

"Captain Link, please call off your bodyguard," the king said.

"Layna," Link said. He then took a moment to remember the correct word. "Uh… yay… Oh, yaynoan. I think."

"Yaynwo'an?" Twali asked him. Link nodded, so Twali beckoned Layna. "Layna, yaynwo'an than." Layna slowly released Captain North. She maintained her distance as she rounded the airman standing further in the open, and then she skipped backwards until she knelt between them and Link with her eyes trained on them.

North felt around his throat as he turned around. "Your Majesty," he said in a calm voice. "Forgive my ignorance. I did not know you were here."

"I am afraid that our recent traveling has left us unable to communicate with anyone," King Lauris said while gesturing to his knights. The knights sheathed their swords. "I am inclined to forgive your indiscretion if you are willing to listen to your fellow captain. He is not the wanted boy you believe him to be."

North glanced over his shoulder at Link for a moment. Then he asked, "Your Majesty, if it is not too bold, what are you doing away from the castle?"

"Matters of country. I have since been unable to return due to the trouble with the Sky Lines. So far, Captain Link has been quite helpful."

"So… he speaks the truth then? Has Her Highness Princess Zelda been replaced by an imposter?"

The king nodded. "Captain Link has shown overwhelming evidence that there is indeed an imposter sitting upon the throne. Our intention is to return to Castle Island and remove her through whatever means necessary. You, Captain North, should travel with us to better the chance that our plan will succeed."

North immediately dropped to a knee, and his airmen dropped a second later after not knowing what else to do. "Your Majesty, I have pledged to serve the Royal Family for the rest of my life. I shall be honored to help in your plan to retake the throne."

"Captain Link? Do you think the Moon's Shadow can be incorporated into the plan?"

"Uh… yeah, I suppose so," Link replied, glancing at Layna as she moved to stand behind him.

"Captain," one of North's airmen said in a low voice, so low that Link almost missed it. "The spy."

North nodded. "Your Majesty, the false princess has placed a person on my ship to oversee my actions. This came about after I had reported my failure to capture Captain Link, and I believe that he will interfere with the plan if he is allowed to remain in his current position."

The king pondered for a moment. "Is this person one of my subjects?"

"Your Majesty, I know nothing of this person. He is a man taller and wider than any other man I have known. He conceals himself in armor from head to toe. Yet, in the dark, his eyes give a faint glow, as if he has some sort of demon presence."

"Wait a minute," Link spoke up. "Wearing nothing but armor?"

North looked over his shoulder. "Yes. Of a kind not worn by the Knights of Hyrule."

"And its eyes glow?"

North nodded. "Yes."

"Uh oh."

North shared a confused look with one of his airmen, who in turn asked, "You know what it is?"

"It sounds like a Stalarmor. It's one of the things holding the real princess captive. I can take care of it, but you might want to get your crew off the ship just in case. I have to get to my ship first."

"I will return to my ship as well. Captain Link, fire one of your signals into the air as you near so that I can move my men out fast."

"Twali, Lay—…" Link looked around where Layna had been standing to find that she had already disappeared. He let out a sigh. "I hate when she does that. Twali, let's go." As he and Twali started jogging away, Link called back, "Captain, look for green smoke. We'll be on our way."

…

Leynne was a little surprised when Twali and Link hustled up the gangplank. Dholit, however, remained her impish self and started suggesting that Link was "moving in" on Twali now. Link called Layna down and hurriedly explained the situation to her through Dholit. Layna agreed to help Link get rid of the Stalarmor, and Link gathered his usual gear. On the way out, Link encountered Line and Irleen roaming the deck, and Irleen asked to go along.

Five minutes later, she jumped out of Link's hat and shouted, "Are you kidding me!? That's gotta be the worst trip ever!"

"Shhh!" Link hissed at her. "Keep it down, Irleen."

Irleen glanced around. "Uh… are… are you two on top of a building?"

"Yeah," Link said as he slowly stepped to where Layna hid behind the raised edge of the roof. "This is the top of the Skyriders' main office. We should be able to see the Moon's Shadow from here."

"You know, I still didn't get that part where you help the man who tried to kill you and your crew," she said as she followed.

"He's gonna help us," Link answered, huddling near Layna. "But we have to get the fake princess's spy off his ship first. It's one of Cunimincus' crew. Think you can head over there and take a look?"

"You… you want me to scout it out?"

"No one will notice you if you just remain over everyone's heads and don't make any noise. There should be a Stalarmor over there. Once you come back and tell us what you found, we can go after it."

Irleen hesitated. Then she said, "Well… okay, I think I can do that."

Link glanced over the top. "It's that ship with the black hull."

"Right. The only ship in the port." She left Link sighing and shaking his head.

While Irleen scouted, Link pulled his flare gun and loaded a green smoke shell into it. Layna watched him for a moment. Then she sat on the roof and pulled out one of her circular blades. Link watched curiously as she appeared to stare at something in it, angling the blade ever so slightly. She held it up a little higher, and Link caught on that she was using it to watch the airship without stepping out of cover. At least, that was what he thought. She seemed to silently fuss over her hair, pushing loose strands against her scalp. He took it to be her trying to get her hair out of the way.

"Okay, Link," Irleen said as she dropped back into Link's sight some time later. "I've got bad news, and I've got worse news."

"Okay…" Link replied, giving her a confused look.

"First, the bad news. That's not a Stalarmor."

Link sighed and placed a hand over his eyes. "Ugh… And the worse news?"

"It's a Darknut."

Link stared at her for a moment. Then he asked, "What's that?"

"Sorta like armor wearing air."

Link gave her an annoyed look. "That doesn't help, Irleen."

"Living armor, Link. Almost like a Stalarmor, but these things don't have much underneath. It's just armor on top of a cloud of evil."

"Okay. Okay, any tips on beating it?"

"I think you can beat it by taking off its armor."

"You think?"

Irleen shivered side to side. "Look, it's been a while since I read about these things. Exposing whatever's inside to light should get rid of it. Not that you have to worry; you've gotten good at killing things easily a hundred times your size anyway."

Link put a hand into his pocket and pulled out her translating gem. "Explain it to her really quick," he said before offering Layna the gem. Layna took the gem, and Irleen started talking while Link turned to look at the Moon's Shadow. It appeared as if Captain North had already moved some of his crew off the ship, a number of them loitering near a bunch of crates on the main dock. With the ship docked with its stern to Link, though, he could not see the deck at all. The best glimpse he had was of the small opening in the transom, and no one really had reason to be standing there.

Layna tapped his shoulder and offered the translator gem back. Link took it, and then he indicated a small shed closer to the ship. Layna nodded, and Link followed her to a corner of the building. Link cocked the flare gun and fired it into the air. Fzzzzzzzzzzzz! Link did not wait to see the smoke turn into a column of green; Layna was already falling to the ground. He swung his legs up and over the edge of the roof hard enough that he put a bit of distance between himself and the building when he landed. He staggered from the fall for a bit, then he launched himself into a run that triggered his boots. He sped right past Layna (who nearly tripped when he went by) and had to slide to a stop behind the shed. Layna slipped up behind him while he peered around the side, making sure she brushed against him so he knew it was only her. They were close enough for Link to make out faces, and he could see North at the top of the boarding plank.

"Thanks for the warning," Irleen hissed at Link as she came to a hover over his head.

"Sorry, Irleen," Link replied as he spotted more airmen stalking across the cargo pier on the ship's port side. He looked around the edges of the ship. "I don't see it. Where's the Darknut?"

"Standing in about the middle of the ship," Irleen replied. "Darknuts aren't exactly known for being very active. Armor."

Link nodded. "So we'll use the boarding plank going into the transom. We'll be able to see him from there. Ready, Lay—" Link turned to find that Layna had already disappeared. "I hope she reads minds."

"Where the hell'd she go?" Irleen asked. "There's nothing for her to hide behind between here and there."

Link leaned backwards to see if she was on the shed's roof. "Nope, not up there. C'mon, we need to get going." Link stepped out into the open and jogged around the crowd of airmen until he stood at the bottom of the boarding plank. North, just stepping off the plank, gave him a sharp nod before moving to his crew to talk to them. Both Link and Irleen glanced around once more to see if they could spot Layna. When they did not find her, Link carefully climbed the boarding plank with his hand already on the hilt of the Lokomo Sword.

Once Link set foot on the poop deck, he crouched low and slowly advanced to the rail ahead of him. He spotted the Darknut standing in the middle of the main deck, just as Irleen had said. It wore black armor with bright red marking on the edge of many of its plates. North had been right; the Darknut was easily larger than any man Link had ever met, even accounting for the fact that every man Link had met looked large to him. It was gazing off to starboard with a tall, wide sword stabbed into the deck in front of it. Link wondered if it realized that the crew was missing.

"I could use a bow right about now…" Link groaned.

"Wouldn't do any good, Link," Irleen whispered. "Arrows would just bounce right off. Like I said, see if you can knock its armor off."

Link sighed and slowly pulled the Lokomo Sword. "Somehow, this doesn't seem like a good idea."

"Really, Link? Between Drumstik, the Lizalfos, and three freaking large Technomos, this seems like a bad idea?" Link just shrugged at her. "Man, Link, just how skewed is your perception of danger anyway?"

"If anything happens to us," Link told her, "get to Captain North."

"Be careful, Link," Irleen told him before she spiraled higher into the air.

Link moved to the port side, which he hoped was still out of the Darknut's line of sight, and descended the stairs onto the bridge. Then he moved down the stairs onto the main deck, stopping at the foot of the stairs as he planned an attack. He felt that his best shot at a quick defeat would be to knock its helmet off. It was tall, so Link might have to take a stab at its helmet. He slowly moved across the deck, keeping near the bulwark. Then he started stepping toward the Darknut's back, sword poised for an upward stab at the back of its head. He was only a few steps away.

Then the Darknut looked over its shoulder, one yellow, glowing eye peering at him through the narrow slit in its helmet. Link froze in place. Then he stumbled backwards when the Darknut suddenly spun around. "Whoa!" he cried out as he fell to the deck, ducking just out of the Darknut's sword swing. He watched with horror as the Darknut then raised the sword above its head. "Yikes!" he shouted, flipping to get his feet beneath him and scrambling aside just as the blade smashed into the deck. Then he spun with the Lokomo Sword held up just as the Darknut used a single jerk to tug its sword out of the groove it had left in the deck.

Tnk! Tunk. The Darknut's head jerked to one side, and Link spotted one of Layna's throwing blades embedded in the deck nearby. He immediately took the opportunity to lunge forward and jab his sword at the helmet. But he found that his reach was too short for him to put much power into the blow, and the tip of his sword skipped off the round side of the Darknut's can-shaped helmet. The Darknut used its free hand to twist its helmet back into the correct position, and its glare made Link realize that he was still standing within its reach. So Link struck the shoulder of the Darknut's cuirass and backpedaled. The Darknut stabbed the thick sword forward, and Link hit the sword from the inside flat with the Lokomo Sword to nudge the Darknut's blow away from his head. Nudging was all he could manage; Link could feel the strength the Darknut hid under the armor now that they had traded a blow.

Tnk! The Darknut's head jerked again just as it drew back its sword for a horizontal slash intended to remove Link's head. Link leaned backwards out of range, and then he took a step forward and landed a blow on the Darknut's exposed elbow. This jarred its vambrace loose, and the Darknut had to back off so it could switch its sword to its opposite hand. It shook off the vambrace and gauntlet, revealing a hand clad in a chainmail glove. With that gloved hand, it straightened out its helmet to look at Link, who had halted to see the effect of his attack. He quickly backed away when he saw the sword rise, and he managed to go just a little faster so that he could avoid the slash aimed for his neck again. It followed through with the strike by aiming its shoulder at Link and charging forward with the intention of running Link through with the spikes on its pauldron. Link skipped to one side, and the Darknut tried a backhanded strike in a last-minute attempt to slice Link. Link then lunged with a horizontal strike. He was not sure what he was aiming for, and he struck the Darknut's back as it was standing up straight. The Lokomo Sword rang from the impact, and the Darknut tried to twist and strike Link with the elbow of its remaining vambrace. Link had already moved out of the way by stepping directly behind the Darknut, and he used an upward diagonal strike to hit the armor on its thigh. Something metal snapped, and the Darknut's faulds dropped to the deck. The Darknut spun on Link and dropped its sword in a diagonal swing to try to cleave Link again. And again, Link backed out of its range.

Tnk! Once again, Layna's blade caused the Darknut's head to jerk. This happened while the Darknut was bent forward while it had tried to extend its reach a bit, and Link took the opportunity to slide right beside it while its off-center helmet had it distracted. He raised his arm and dropped the Lokomo Sword into the side of the helmet, knocking it loose over its eyes. The Darknut retaliated by shoving Link backwards with its free hand, causing Link to stumble and fall backwards. Link watched the Darknut then reach behind its head and rip the helmet off, expecting the exposure to kill it.

Irleen's shout after the helmet hit the deck summed up Link's internal reaction.

"It's wearing two helmets!? Are you kidding me!?"

The Darknut turned to reveal to Link that it wore a mail coif banded with steel to form it in a shape almost the same as helmet. Although the slit which allowed it to see was wider, Link could still not see what lurked underneath.

He quickly got back to his feet and moved out of the way as a vertical slash nearly removed one of his legs. He was moments from delivering a blow to its head again when the Darknut released its sword to backhand Link across the face. Link spun and fell to the deck, vision spinning from the blow. He pushed himself up and spotted his sword lying on the deck nearby.

"Link, behind you!" Irleen screamed. Link looked over his shoulder to find the Darknut standing with its sword high above its head. He rolled toward the Lokomo Sword and held it with the flat waiting to intercept the blow. But Link realized that he could not possibly block all the force that was about to impact the sword. Even if it did not break the blade, the sheer power would drive the Lokomo Sword backward, and Link would quite possibly take the Darknut's sword into his skull anyway.

TNK. Krrch. The impact was light, but that was because what hit the Lokomo Sword was one of Layna's blades. It had skipped off the blade, and the following crunch came from the Darknut, who reeled backward upon taking the circular blade directly into its right eye. Despite not having a visible face, the Darknut appeared perplexed. It lowered its sword and used one hand to feel its face. When its fingertips found the blade, it jerked its head upward. Link followed its gaze to see Layna crouched on one of the yards above. The Darknut, seeming to have forgotten that Link was still in perfect killing range, turned and stomped across the deck. Link flipped over and watched as the Darknut stopped in front of the mast which Layna was on. It raised its blade and delivered a powerful, horizontal swing to the mast, causing the structure above to rattle and shake. Layna's feet slipped, and she spun herself to catch the footrope underneath the yard before she fell any further.

"Layna!" Link shouted.

Then his panic gave way to determination, and he charged the Darknut from behind. His boots caused him to surge forward, and he held his sword level with the deck. His primal scream caused the Darknut to pause, wondering at the sound. Then it jerked when Link's blade pierced its back plate. It first glanced over its shoulder, and then it had to raise its arm and look underneath to see that Link had stabbed into its back. It turned, and Link, with his hand still gripping his sword, stumbled as he turned with it. He pulled the sword out just before the Darknut ran him into the mast and backed away. The Darknut spun further with the intention of taking Link's head off. Instead, its horizontal swing embedded its sword into the mast again while Link had ducked into safety behind the mast. Link then stepped out and swung low as he strode past the Darknut, striking the side of the Darknut's right greave and breaking the metal clasp holding the two pieces together. The Darknut swung its gauntleted hand around to try to strike Link, but Link had already spun around to block the attack. Link had blocked with a forward swing, and the combination of force caused the Darknut's gauntlet to fall loose. The block also stung Link's hand, and he backed off a moment to shake the pain out of his left palm. The Darknut grabbed the handle of its sword and, placing its foot on the mast, yanked the sword out. It advanced on Link, who stepped backwards to lead it away from the mast. Then Link took a leap at the Darknut. The leap caused Link to sail over the Darknut's head, leaving him barely enough time to twist around and aim a diagonal strike into the side of its head. The Darknut stumbled from the blow, but Link did not see anything else after hitting the deck hard with his shoulder.

Bam. Ba-bam. Link looked up to find that the Darknut had fallen to the deck near him. He started when he saw that its head was missing and immediately looked around, not believing that he could have taken its head off with that awkward strike. He saw the Darknut's mail coif lying on the deck further away, completely empty. He took a moment to comprehend the scene, and then he sighed with relief.

"All right, Link!" Irleen hollered as she descended. "You did it! Just like I said, too. You have to take its armor off."

Link picked himself up from the deck, holding his left shoulder. "Funny," he commented. "You didn't sound too sure when you first suggested it."

"Hey, at least it was an idea."

"Is Layn—" Link began to say as he looked up at the yard above. But when he saw that she had disappeared again, he just sighed. "Yeah, she's fine."