XXIV – Thunderblight
"Watch out!" Urbosa shouted against the storm, bracing herself as another wave of electrically charged sand rushed towards them. Sheik grabbed the rope that tied his belt to the sand seal and pulled at it. The seal changed direction and swivelled to the left, the shield under Sheik's feet gliding over the sand wave in a swift and smooth motion.
"I need to get under its belly," he shouted back.
"I'll create an opening for you," Urbosa said, "try to navigate your seal under Naboris' legs as soon as it charges at me."
Sheik nodded and removed the grappling hook from his belt, keeping the rope tightly in his hand. Urbosa clicked her tongue and her seal picked up speed, swimming through the sand as if it were water. Sheik followed behind her but slower, navigating his own seal through all the small sand waves the beast created, dodging the electric currents that emanated from Naboris' large hooves. He saw Urbosa ride her seal past the large camel, making a sharp U-turn, and then charging directly at it. Sheik propelled his seal, aiming to get underneath Naboris' belly. The seal dived under the sand and Sheik felt a tug on the rope as they gained speed. He readjusted his footing on the shield and slightly bended his knees to get into a more stable position. The seal dashed between Naboris' legs, forcing Sheik to dodge the huge hooves by counterbalancing each vibration on his shield. When he was finally underneath its belly, he swung the grappling hook in tight circles, aiming at one of the many metal struts running from one side to the other. When he released the rope and sent the hook flying, a painful outcry disturbed his concentration and the hook missed its target. He quickly pulled it back in and continued to ride under Naboris, his eyes scanning the sand for Urbosa.
"Urbosa?" he shouted when he couldn't locate her, but the storm swallowed every other sound. Dammit! Once more, he let the rope in his hands circle and then aimed at a metal beam. The hook gave off a loud clank as it made contact with the strut, but this time, it latched. Sheik felt a strong pull on his arm when Naboris moved forward and his feet lost contact with the shield, almost sending him face first into the sand. He gritted his teeth as the rope cut through the palm of his right hand but he held on to it with all of his might, ignoring the stinging pain and the blood. Naboris suddenly changed direction, and Sheik felt a tug on his belt from the rope that was still attached to the sand seal, which was trying to move away from the threat as quickly as it could, and realised that if he didn't want to be ripped into two halves, he quickly needed to get rid of the seal. He tried to untie the knot with his free hand, but it wouldn't come lose, so he quickly wound the end of the grappling hook around his belt and worked to loosen the knot of the other rope. When it came off, Sheik's body was yanked to the side and he helplessly crashed into one of the beast's legs, letting out a painful moan. The impact knocked the air out of his lungs and he felt a rib crack, but managed to hold on to one of the segments, looking around to analyse the situation. Dammit, I need to get higher before I can pull myself up, he thought, took a deep breath and then jumped, using the momentum to swing on the rope between Naboris' legs, and catching himself on a segment of the opposite leg. He worked his way up like this, swinging from leg to leg until he was high enough to pull himself up on the metal beam. His hands were bleeding and his chest aching with every sharp breath he took, but he ignored the pain. From up there he could see the opening. With a well coordinated jump, he landed on the platform, crawling all the way up while Naboris was still moving around and discharging electric attacks. The terminal was close now, Sheik could see it on the end of the platform. If he managed to connect the slate to the terminal, he might be able to temporarily gain control over the beast. He got back on his feet and ran the last part of the way up, almost losing his balance when Naboris decided to abruptly change direction once again, but eventually made it to the terminal. He quickly put the slate into the slot of the terminal and connected it to the internal system. The screen lit up in a blue light and allowed him temporary access to Naboris' essential controls. He switched off the electric discharge and forced the beast to cease all activity. The legs folded down and Naboris lowered to the ground, the platform with the main entry touching down on the sand. Sheik ran down the ramp, his eyes frantically scanning the sand.
"Urbosa?" he called.
"I'm here!" she called back and Sheik followed the sound of her voice to a heap of sand under which her seal lay buried.
"Bitch got us," she coughed, and wiped the blood on her mouth with the back of her hand.
"Are you badly injured?" Sheik asked, kneeling down beside her.
"No, I think I am fine. But I can't move, my legs got stuck under the seal. Might have broken a bone or two. Can you pull me out?"
Sheik grabbed the fins of the dead seal and started to pull it away from Urbosa, not the least surprised by its heavy weight, while the Gerudo simultaneously pushed to help him get it off her legs. She moaned when her lower body was finally released and tried to get up, supporting her own weight on Sheik's shoulders.
"Friggin' beast. Thank you Sheik, it's not that bad, but you'll have to help me get inside."
"Be careful. Are you sure you can manage? There might be a lot of walking and climbing involved."
"Yeah yeah, I'll be fine. I'm not letting you go in there all by yourself. Now come on, help me up."
Sheik put an arm around her waist which, given her superior height, turned out to be a lot more awkward than he had anticipated, but he managed to get her inside right before Naboris got back on her legs and started moving again.
Walking around in the moving beast turned out be a bumpy ride, especially since Sheik and Urbosa had to navigate the outside before finally finding a way inside.
"Link is lucky to be missing out on this one," Sheik mumbled as he struggled to keep his balance on the narrow bridge leading from the main entrance to the other side of the machine, and from there he could see ramps go up to the barrel-shaped trunk of the beast. The solid outer parts of the bridge were connected by a decorative grid in the middle, and neither Urbosa nor Sheik were keen on walking over the grid, only peering down from the sides.
"Why is that?" Urbosa asked, carefully putting one foot in front of the other.
"Because he is utterly afraid of heights and would probably be crawling on all four or hang on to a pillar."
Urbosa smiled. "You do talk quite a lot about him. Is he your friend or your lover?"
Sheik's foot slid off and he lost his balance, barely managing to hold on to the edge of the bridge.
"Hey, be careful! Did my question throw you off?"
Sheik felt his cheeks burning as he straightened up again, and he heard Urbosa chuckle. "So, you do like him. What about him? Does he like you too?"
"Urbosa...we've got bigger problems right now. Let's focus on our mission."
The Gerudo leader laughed. "Sure. Just let me tell you one thing. We're in the middle of a war and can't afford to waste precious opportunities to make life worth living. If you really like him, stop hiding behind your wall. Let him in and enjoy what little time you might have together."
Sheik walked the rest of the path in silence, focusing on his balance while Urbosa's words turned around in his head. He knew that she was right, knew that the only thing standing between him and Link was his fear of letting someone get too close and his fear of being rejected. He couldn't deny that his feelings for Link had grown a lot stronger over time and that they had already crossed the boundary of mere companionship, but the thought of allowing the Hylian to go deeper scared him.
"I think this is it," Urbosa said as they rounded the second tower, jolting him out of his thoughts.
Sheik lifted his head and nodded. He could see the entrance to the trunk just behind the gallery. "Are you fit enough to fight? We should better be prepared before we enter."
Urbosa nodded. Her ankle was a little swollen, but she could walk. "As if I'd let you go in there alone. I have a score to settle with that thing!" She placed her hand on the hilt of her scimitar and furrowed her brows.
The inside of the trunk reminded Sheik even more of a barrel than it had from the outside, and looked as if it was fully rotatable. A stone structure with ramps and stairs had been erected in the middle and from its main platform hung a strange glass container from whose ends a fluorescent green liquid ran through a narrow tube down the supporting pillars into the floor. Sheik could literally feel the tension in the room, emanating from the green liquid.
"Don't step on the parts where the green liquid runs through," Urbosa warned, "or you'll get electrocuted."
"Yeah, I didn't plan to," Sheik answered, feeling the small hairs on his arms stand on end. "The energy in this room is pretty overwhelming."
"Yes, and it definitely feels like we're being watched..."
Sheik carefully moved deeper into the trunk, walking up the ramp to the top part of the structure to where the main control unit was located. Urbosa followed closely behind, scimitar drawn and her shield held tightly in her left hand. "I can feel it, but I can't see it," she whispered.
"I'll try to connect the slate to the main control unit. Maybe that will draw it out. Ready yourself, Urbosa," Sheik said and approached the unit while removing the slate from his belt. Before he could even manage to place the slate into the slot, he was suddenly thrown off the platform, crashing into a pillar. A loud moan escaped his lips as his bare back hit the stone.
"Sheik! Move away from the current!" Urbosa screamed from the top, and began to run down the stairs despite her hurt ankle, jumping over the last few stairs to quickly drag Sheik away from the green liquid. Sheik coughed and panted, trying to get the air back into his lungs. "What...was that? Where is it?"
Urbosa looked around the room frantically. "I can't see it dammit! Either it's invisible or fast as lightning. Can you stand up?"
Sheik nodded and got back on his feet, rubbing his back. He removed the bow, checking if it was still intact, and fiddled to get an arrow out of its quiver. "When you see it, let me know. I'll send an arrow through its ugly head."
"Let's stand back to back," Urbosa suggested, lifting her shield and scimitar defensively.
The next attack happened just as quick as the first, but this time it failed to catch them off guard. Sheik felt the blow Urbosa parried with her shield in his entire body and was thrown forward, catching himself before hitting the ground again.
"There! I can see it!" he shouted when he finally located the creature. It was hovering over the floor, carrying a shield in its left claw, its right arm ending in a hook-shaped weapon. It's long, shaggy red hair swayed in the breeze it created through movement. Sheik nocked an arrow and pointed it at its head, aiming at the eye. He sent it flying and it bounced harmlessly off the floor, the creature having moved away so quickly that Sheik's eyes barely had the chance to follow. Once more, Urbosa parried its attack with her shield, knocking it back. Like lightning, it darted back and forth, moving in a zig zag pattern, before it attacked again.
"Sheik, I don't think your arrows are of much use here!" Urbosa said between gritted teeth, "it's too fast!"
"I can see that!" he shouted back, running up the stairs to the control unit. He dodged a green ball of electric energy thrown at him by throwing himself on the ground just in time, hissing when he felt the impact on his damaged rib, then jumped back up and kept running. "Keep it occupied, I will try to gain control of Naboris!"
"Easier said than done, boy!" The Gerudo leader drew her scimitar and charged at the creature while releasing a battle cry. It easily dodged her attack but she kept going at it, giving Sheik the time window he needed to reach the unit and put the slate into the slot. The slate lit up and began to download the operational manual. "Come on!"
"Can you go a little faster?!" Urbosa screamed from below, struggling to parry or dodge the fast attacks any longer. The creature began to throw electric balls at her and at the electric current on the ground, charged at her and swung its weapon at her head. She let herself fall on one knee, thrusting her shield against its torso with all her might. It tumbled backwards and hit the floor. Urbosa pushed off from the floor, did a half spin and struck from above. Her scimitar almost cleaved its torso in half, but the creature rolled to the side and her blade barely managed to knock the shield out of its claw. It backed down in a flash and Urbosa picked up the shield it had dropped. "Sheik! I've got a shield for you! Hey, what the fuck are you doing?!"
The slate finally finished downloading the operational manual and allowed Sheik access to Naboris' controls. Just as he had expected, the individual segments of the trunk were rotatable. "Hold on to something!" he shouted and aligned the segments of the trunk on the slate to a 90 degree rotation. Urbosa ran to a pillar and wound her arms around it when she felt the ground under her feet roll away from her, and then the room rotated like a barrel rolling down a hill. Sheik jumped off the platform and landed on the ground, watching as the structure he had just stood on moved away from him until it hung upside down from the ceiling.
"What are you trying to pull here?" Urbosa squeaked, standing up on wobbly legs.
"Creating more ground to move freely on," he answered, pointing at the green current that was no longer running through the floor.
"Ah, smart!" she said and thrust the shield into his hand, "here take this, if you don't bring a sword than at least protect yourself with this. How about you play bait in return?"
The creature now hovered higher up in the air, watching its opponents irritatedly. Rather than dashing forward and slashing mindlessly at them, it seemed to have changed its tactic and produced an electric force field around its body. The claw that had held the shield before now conjured up more green balls, steadily growing in size, floating around its form.
Sheik picked up the bow he had dropped earlier and checked his quiver, pulling one arrow out after the other, until he found what he was looking for. He nocked his last bomb arrow and pointed it at the force field.
"You might wanna duck down or get some cover," he suggested.
"Arrows are useless against this beast!"
"Not this one. Duck down behind that pillar!"
Urbosa did as she was told and quickly ran over to the nearest pillar, hiding behind it. Sheik drew the string back as far as he could and let the arrow fly. The force field exploded in a blinding flash and deafening sound, and sparks of electric energy flew through the whole room, raining down on them. Sheik quickly ducked down under an inverted platform to avoid getting hit. The air was so full of tension that even breathing seemed to draw particles of electric energy into his lungs.
"Urbosa! It's down! Quick!"
The Gerudo leader jumped out of her hiding place, darting forwards to where the creature had hit the floor. Sheik saw her leap in to the air, do another spin and then sever the weapon from her opponent's arm. The creature howled angrily, dark blood gushing it of its wound, its single eye moving frantically from side to side. Before Urbosa could react, it grabbed her, its long sharp claws burying into her waist and dragged her up, floating higher until it had almost reached the ceiling. Sheik nocked another arrow and shot it at the monster, but it shoved the missile aside with the bloody stump of its arm as if it were an annoying fly. His claw was still holding Urbosa, who was uselessly swinging her sword, and the creature hissed at her before pushing her against the green current on the ceiling. Sheik screamed her name when he saw and felt the electric ball build up in its arm. The glass tubes broke and the room was filled with lightning and electric sparks. Beneath the deafening sounds, he could barely hear Urbosa's blood curdling cries and then she fell. He ran forward and caught her just before she hit the floor, but was thrown back in the process, sliding across the floor.
"Urbosa! No!" he screamed as he cradled her in his arms. He felt her neck for a pulse, but found none, he pressed his hand on her chest, but could feel no heartbeat. "You'll pay for this," he said through gritted teeth, lowering Urbosa's body gently to the ground. He picked up her sword and shield and readied himself.
"Come at me! Finish me off!"
The creature kept floating through the room, but made sure to put enough distance between Sheik and itself, and Sheik noticed that it was moving much slower than before. So it's actually vulnerable against strong electric attacks, Sheik thought as he circled it, dodging the electric balls. The creature then stopped moving and lifted both arms above its head, conjuring something up. Metal pillars appeared in the glowing orb above its head and rained down on Sheik, burying themselves in the ground beside and behind him. It's trying to electrocute me as well, Sheik thought as he tried to get away from the pillars in panic. The pillar closest to him splintered when electricity hit it and the splinters skewered his skin like a slice of pork belly. The creature created another set of pillars, and Sheik could do nothing but roll away, hoping that his death would be quick and painless. He closed his eyes when lightning struck.
Everything went quiet and Sheik was wondering why his body was still aching when his spirit was already on its way to the afterlife.
"Out of all places in Hyrule, you decide to take a nap here?" Urbosa said, crossing her arms.
Sheik opened his eyes, surprised to see her towering over him in the exact same room where he died.
"We're dead."
She scoffed. "No, we're not. I saved you."
"But you...were dead."
She put her forefinger and thumb to her chin and hummed. "Was I really dead?"
"You...had no pulse, no heartbeat, no breath!"
"Well, whoever brought me back, apparently gave me a new superpower."
"What?" Sheik was too bewildered to ask what happened even when he saw the creature lying on the floor not far from them, the light in its single eye having gone out for good.
"Watch this!" The Gerudo leader raised her arm and snipped her fingers. Lightning flashed through the room and hit the body of the monster, grilling it a second time. "Its own damn weapon turned out to be its demise."
"How did you do that?" Sheik asked, staring at her as if she were a figment of his imagination.
She shrugged. "Perhaps it transferred some of its power to me when it electrocuted me. Can you stand? You look a little...skewered."
Sheik moaned as he got back on his feet, plucking the metal splinters from his skin. "It's nothing serious. Only superficial injuries."
"Good. It's time we get Naboris under full control and then get the hell out of here. I am dying to see Riju."
When Link finally reached the base of the tower, the heat of the desert hit him like a slap in the face. In the far distance, he saw the yellow seas of sand and something very big moving through it. Below him, the path lead down the cliffs into the dry Gerudo canyon, and he followed it, knowing fully well that he would never make it through the desert dressed like this and without sufficient water reserves. He had left the Lost Woods in a hurry that morning without taking any provisions, and now he regretted his decision.
He reached the canyon an hour later, drinking the last drops of water from his waterskin. Sweat was running down his chest, back and forehead, and he longed for a bath in a cool like, wishing he had thought this mission through. When he arrived at a fork, he decided to head west, and continued to follow the road until he stumbled upon tents. Gerudo, he thought, it might not be wise to show up without a plan.
"What we have here? A Hylian?" a voice behind him said, and he sighed. His cover had been blown even before he could have come up with a plan. He turned around and faced the Gerudo, looking up at her impossibly tall frame. Her golden eyes sparkled dangerously as she lowered her spear and pointed its tip at Link's chest.
"Soldier," she spat and pushed the spear firmer into his doublet.
He lifted both arms in the air. "I come in peace. I am looking for my friend – and I came to help freeing the divine beast."
"Dorrah," she called out and before long, a second Gerudo guard joined her, and they discussed something in a language Link didn't understand.
"I don't want to cause any trouble," he tried, "I need to see Sheik. And Urbosa."
The guard called Dorrah stopped talking and glared at him.
"What you say? Urbosa?"
Link nodded. "Please let me talk to Urbosa."
The first guard pressed the sharp tip of her spear even harder into his chest and gave him an angry look. "Is Lady Urbosa for you! We want kill you. You enemy."
"Leena!" the guard named Dorrah said and they started a heated discussion again. Link sighed audibly, but didn't interrupt them this time. He was sure that they were arguing about his fate and with the sharp spear still pressing into his body, he'd rather not enrage them too much. After a while, the guard named Leena seemed to agree to Dorrah's proposition – whatever it was – and removed her spear from Link's chest.
"Lady Urbosa decide what do with you," she said and pushed him forward, her spear now pointed at his back. Link complied and continued to walk forward, not even complaining when they grabbed his arms and tied him to a pole. His mouth was dry and he craved water, but didn't dare ask for it. If he was lucky, Urbosa would turn up soon, and if not, he'd survive a little longer without anything to drink.
After having baked in the sun for several hours, Link regretted not having come up with a plan beforehand. His clothes were drenched in sweat by now and he thought he would probably die of a heat stroke soon if he had to stay in the sun for few more hours. Apart from the guards, all the Gerudo had gone back to their tents or to a place in the shade after having gotten a good look at the Hylian soldier who was stupid enough to just march into a Gerudo camp all by himself. He had drifted off into a light slumber at some point, and when he woke up, the sun was still up but burning less persistently down on him. He opened his eyes and it took him a moment to get used to the brightness. His mouth was so dry, his face red from the heat and he wished he could just have a mouthful of water. He turned his head to the side, noticing how stiff his neck had already become, and moaned. A pair of curious green eyes were watching him and a shock of tousled red hair was visible from behind a box.
"Hey," he said softly and forced a smile on his face. Two small hands grabbed the rim of the box and a young curious face appeared.
A little girl? he thought. "Hello. Who are you? My name is Link."
The girl approached him hesitantly but made sure to keep enough distance between them. Link flashed her another smile. "What's your name?"
When she didn't answer, he said "Me, Link. You?"
"Riju," she answered and came even closer.
"Riju, do you have a little water?"
"You should learn not to beg in front of little children, Hylian," a stern voice said, and Riju ran away and towards the approaching Gerudo, clinging onto her trousers.
Link lifted his head and looked at her. Despite her tattered clothes and bloody face, she was one of the most beautiful women Link had ever set sight on, and yet she struck fear in his heart.
"What's your name, Hylian?"
"My name is Link," he said, his voice dry and rough.
"Link. Huh. You are a bit late."
Link's eyes widened in surprise. "A bit late?" he stuttered stupidly.
"We'll have a little chat." Turning to her guards, she told them to release the prisoner and bring him to her tent, and walked back the way she came, the little Riju hard on her heels. Link noticed the little limp and moaned when his arms were finally released and he could move again. He felt dizzy from the heat and dehydration, but the guard named Leena pushed him to move forward, the tip of her spear once more poking hard into his back. "Don't try anything," she grumbled as she led him to the tallest tent located at the mouth of the canyon.
The inside of the tent was dark and a bit cooler. Link sunk to the ground on his knees, using his hand to keep himself somewhat upright. The Gerudo leader had changed into a long, dark robe and had washed the blood off her face and hands in the meantime- She sat on a cushion, her long, red hair combed back and tied in a high ponytail. Her emerald eyes were watching him curiously, and she handed him a bowl of water, which he drank greedily.
"I am Urbosa, Chief of the Gerudo," she introduced herself. "So, you are Link, the Hylian knight. I am not sure if you are really brave or just stupid enough to walk into a Gerudo settlement all on your own."
"I really didn't think it through," he admitted, "I came as soon as I could. I...where is Sheik?"
"Sheik?" She lifted an eyebrow and gave him a questioning look.
"The Sheikah...he came here to help you free the divine beast." His voice almost sounded panicky, thoughts racing through his head. What if Sheik never made it to Gerudo desert? What if he was ambushed or trampled to death by the divine beast? What if...
"Huh," she said and interrupted his train of thoughts, "I can't quite follow you. And I really start to believe that it wasn't courage that drove you here." She stood up and, towering over him, began to circle him. "Well, either way, although you are a hot mess right now and very sweaty, I can tell that you are pretty handsome for a Hylian." She knelt down beside him and brought her lips close to his ears. "Perhaps I should keep you and make you my sex slave."
"That's enough, Urbosa," a familiar voice said, and out of the shadows, Sheik's lithe form appeared.
The Gerudo chief laughed and ruffled Link's hair.
"Sheik..." Link said, completely losing his composure, "you're alive!"