Chapter 39: Night of the Blood Moon
Guest Reviews:
Dracofighter (Guest): Thank you!
Link returned to Ember and set out once more for Lookout Landing. With his final pleas, Kohga had confirmed, more or less, that the Demon King was in the Depths somewhere. I'll need to speak with Josha. And, of course, all of the sages should still be there as well – we'll need to be making our final preparations to attack him.
He thought of what Zelda had shown him of Ganondorf. Ruthless, cruel, and viciously cunning. He remembered fighting the phantom haunting the Great Deku Tree, and the revelation that the Demon King was likely a master swordsman, on par with Link himself. And then, of course, there's the Gloom…
Link glanced at his right arm, his hand wrapped around Ember's reins. It felt conspicuously normal, and he realized that he had simply gotten used to the constant faint burn through his veins. Thank you, Mineru.
Hyrule's wilderness, and the roads leading towards the castle, were unnervingly still and quiet as he traveled. Birds did not sing. No squirrels or rabbits stirred in the undergrowth. Not even monsters haunted the shadows along the road, waiting to leap out at unsuspecting travelers – and there were no other travelers to be found. A crisp wind whistled over the tall grasses, which seemed tinged brown and yellow under a sky of drifting clouds.
The sun began to set as Link passed Bottomless Pond – close enough to Lookout Landing that he decided to continue and press towards the fortress. He could see the enemy lines, their walls and trenches even more developed than they had been previously, reinforced in places by roughly-smelted iron. Smoke from their bonfires spiraled steadily upwards, stinking of burning flesh, cloth, and organs. Link's heart clenched as he realized what the monsters were burning – or rather, cooking.
Damn you, Ganondorf!
Night fell before he reached the enemy line, and at once the moon blazed blood-red. Beyond the monsters' fortifications, corpses of slain monsters regained their color, light returned to their eyes, and they picked up their weapons. Lynel captains and commanders climbed back to their feet and barked new orders, sending their forces marching forwards towards Lookout Landing.
Link urged Ember to the top of a hill, scanning out over the battlefield. His eyes widened as he noted that there were no more Hylian troops beyond the walls of Lookout Landing, and that the monster forces were marching on the fortress on every side – coming from the north, south, east, and west, and everywhere in between.
A sudden bright flare of orange flame erupted, blazing around the circumference of the fortress and creating a fiery defensive wall – Yunobo, Link realized. Then a wave of Rito archers soared up from behind Lookout Landing's actual walls, launching volley after volley of arrows into the monstrous horde. A particular Rito seemed to fly very close to the flames, and under the direction of his wings, the fire spread rapidly towards the monster forces – Tulin. Several Hinox chucked boulders in response, colliding solidly with the fortress's walls and taking down several Rito archers at once. Link stared in astonishment as a fleet of Zonai wings soared over the walls, cannons attached to their undersides, and fired on the monsters from below.
Zonai tech? Here?
Link spurred Ember down the hill, towards the nearest of the bonfires. I have to get in to them somehow – break through the line from behind!
He debated using the power of his secret stone, which had so handily destroyed the Yiga Clan. But… if there's any possibility it could hit an ally… maybe it's not the best thing for me to do here. Besides, it drains so much of my energy…
As he raced downwards, lightning speared a group of monsters from above, seemingly coming from one of the Zonai wings. After the next lightning struck, Link was certain – the wing had Riju on it, somehow. It tipped down towards him, flying clear over the enemy lines and swooping down low. Ember snorted, prancing nervously as it neared, and Link patted his shoulder.
"Link!" Riju's voice called, and he saw her waving from the back of the wing, with Buliara operating the steering stick. "We'll clear a path for you to Lookout Landing! Are you ready?"
"Ready," he called back, and Buliara sent the wing arcing skyward once again. He stroked Ember's shoulder consolingly. "You can do this. Trust me, as you have before."
Ember snorted determinedly, his shoulders bunching in preparation to run. Riju's lightning struck, killing several monsters and sending others fleeing, and almost without Link's urging, Ember raced towards the smoldering grass and leapt over the corpses just in time for the next blast of lightning to clear the monsters ahead.
Link glanced over his shoulder as Ember ran, his gut clenching as he saw a group of moblins that hadn't been there before, rushing up to the back of the line and filling in the hole.
Ganondorf's bringing back at least as many as we kill.
He crouched low on Ember's back, gritting his teeth as arrows clattered all around, some of the monsters realizing what was happening and attempting to intervene. Then he caught sight of a flash of white feathers, as Tulin joined Riju in providing cover fire as Link and Ember charged towards the fortress walls – fortified with thick blocks of stone, now, not just wood.
The drawbridge was lowered, and a steady stream of monster control soldiers swept forward, hurrying past Yunobo's wall of fire and preventing monsters from pressing through the breach in the walls as Link and Ember galloped through at last, into Lookout Landing.
A great cheer rose up from the assembled soldiers behind the walls, as they raised their swords and spears in salute. Link dipped his head to them as he passed, scanning for Gralens or Purah or any of the other sages – Tulin and Riju had returned to the battle.
Link's jaw dropped when he saw instead Hudson hurrying through the crowd towards him, grinning widely.
"You made it through!" Hudson said, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand in relief. "Thank the Goddesses for that, kid!"
"What – how… are you here?" Link stammered, sliding from Ember's saddle.
"We arrived shortly after you left for Faron, I was told," Hudson explained, as together they headed towards the stable. "You know how we've gotten a lot of Zonai devices falling around Tarrey Town? Well, I designed a couple few good fighting machines with 'em, with help from the Zonai Survey Team. You've seen the wings already, of course – there's also some with wheels that we made; they'll come out later in the night. We shored up the defenses with some devices as well – canons in the walls, fireblasters in a few key places, iceblasters and shockers down in the moat…" He chuckled. "Figured I probably should oughtta chip in with this whole fight against the Demon King. Folks have bigger problems than housing when there's monsters all running about."
"That's – amazing," Link said, shaking his head slowly. Figures that the counter to the Yiga Clan's Zonai creations would be Hudson of Hudson Construction.
"Liiiink!" screeched Purah's familiar voice, and he spotted her pushing towards him through soldiers with her white lab cloak – smudged black with soot in places – flapping behind, her hair frizzy and messy out of its bun. "Great, you're here, you're back – we really need you! Gralens is this way – come on!"
She grabbed his arm, and he gave Hudson an apologetic look as he followed her back through the crowd.
"Kick 'em where it hurts, kid!" he heard Hudson call after him, with a cheery fist thrown up into the air, and the older man took Ember the rest of the way to the stable.
Link followed Purah back to her study, which had evidently undergone another change since last he had been here – it was far more organized than she ever could have pulled off alone, and a battle map of Lookout Landing and the surrounding areas was on the table. Impa sat in a chair next to it, snoring lightly. Gralens stood over the map, his brow deeply furrowed. He looked up when the door opened, and his gaze brightened.
"Good to see you, Link," he said emphatically. "We could use your help."
"I see things have escalated since I was here last," Link nodded, stepping closer to the map. "What's been going on?"
"It's been horrible," Purah raved, rubbing her eyes. "Every single night, boom! The blood moon happens. And thanks to the sages and Hudson Construction and stuff, we've… we've been able to hold them off, but it's a near thing. Link, I can't keep going like this! I am losing! My! Mind!"
Impa blinked out of her slumber and lightly patted Purah's arm consolingly.
Gralens sighed quietly. "We've got a decent strategy, for now," he said. "When monsters start getting back up, President Yunobo goes out there and makes his fire wall. We've long since burned up the grass – that's one of our daytime tasks, having the Rito pour down tar and other flammables for him to catch on fire. While he does that, young Tulin uses his winds to spread the fire wherever he can, and our archers and wing fighters give 'em hell from above. Eventually the fire burns down, and King Sidon uses the water in the moat to soak everything that comes close. Then Lady Riju calls down lightning, and electrocutes them all – thanks to the water, it's damn effective and spreads through a lot of them all at once.
"When the sun rises," Gralens continued, "they back off somewhat. We send out our ground soldiers while the night fighters rest, push the mosnters back as far as we can. Between Yunobo, the Hudson Construction vehicles, and the monster control crew, we take back good ground. But… then night hits again, and it's exactly as Doctor Purah said." He looked over at the Sheikah scientist sympathetically. "I think we're all on the brink of losing our minds."
"Link," Impa's voice came, significantly raspier than it had been before. "Dear boy… is that a secret stone on your wrist?"
Purah's eyes widened, and Gralens gasped audibly.
"It is," Link said, holding up his arm for them to see. "I… am the final sage. The Sage of Light. Just as King Rauru was, during the Imprisoning War."
Purah frowned. "Does that… really help us?" she asked tentatively. "I mean, what, you're going to… dazzle all the monsters to death?"
"Oh, sister," Impa grumbled. "Light magic is what gives the Master Sword itself such incredible power! It is a sacred power, one that can dispel evil." Her eyes glittered mysteriously. "A fitting power for a king to have."
"The monsters aren't even our biggest concern," Link reminded them. "They're creations of Ganondorf, acting under his orders. If we defeat Ganondorf, it's over for them. We need to find him, and destroy him. I know he's down in the Depths…"
"Oh! Josha did make an interesting discovery about that!" Purah said excitedly. "I'll go get her – she can tell you all about it."
She dashed from the room, leaving a stone-faced Gralens and exhausted-looking Impa behind.
Gralens turned his gaze back to Link. "Surely you're not suggesting that you go in to face the Demon King alone."
"I'm not," Link agreed. "The sages must come with me."
The General grimaced, sighing heavily and running a frustrated hand across his face. "Lookout Landing will fall in a single night without them here," he said bitterly. "And it'll be more difficult to gain ground during the day without them as well. I… I don't see how it's possible for them to leave. You trained the monster control unit yourself – surely you could take a platoon down with you instead?"
Link shook his head. "It's nothing against the monster control unit," he said solemnly. "But Ganondorf is a master swordsman, and he has a secret stone that grants him devastating power. Summoning monsters isn't even the worst of it." He nodded to his right arm, and the marks of the corruption visible beneath his robes. "His magical attacks could bring any platoon to its knees in a matter of moments – so we need to face him with magic of our own. I don't see how adding more soldiers to our force would actually make a difference."
Gralens' brows pressed together worriedly. "Perhaps, but we will not stand if you take the sages," he said firmly. "We can barely hold as it is, even with all of them using their powers."
Link nodded, biting the inside of his cheek as he thought. "What if… what if we managed to push them back at night?" he asked slowly. "You said you make more progress during the day. What if we could hit them hard enough at night that when dawn arrives, you've already taken back a lot of ground? Then you can keep pushing throughout the day, and then when the next night falls, you'll be in a better starting position than ever – perhaps good enough to hold without the sages."
Gralens scowled down at the map. "It's… possible," he acknowledged. "But I don't like it. I'd… have to see this 'hard hit' you're talking about."
"Near dawn," Link promised. "I won't leave Lookout Landing defenseless if I can help it."
The door slid open, and Purah and Josha walked inside, the younger girl holding several rolled up scrolls with a determined look on her face. "Hi, swordsman," she greeted him. "Hi, General. Can I… use the table?"
"Sure thing," Gralens nodded, stepping back.
Josha pushed her glasses up her nose and placed her scrolls on the table, rolling them out and grabbing small weights from the pocket of her robe to pin down the corners. All together, the scrolls formed what looked like a topographical map. There were thick, blacked-out sections throughout the map, with several red lines winding across the rest of its surface, all of them originating from a blank spot in the center. She adjusted her glasses again nervously, stepping back and folding her arms.
"So," she began, looking around. "Here's our map of the Depths so far. Turns out, it's exactly the inverse of Hyrule's surface. Mountains are deep valleys and canyons, canyons are mountains, and so on. Anywhere there's water on the surface, there's these massive cliffs that go all the way from top to bottom, and you can't pass through them at all. We marked those in black." She pointed to the black lines.
Link studied the map thoughtfully, recognizing now that the blacked-out sections corresponded with the Regencia and Hylia rivers.
Which means… that empty spot in the middle is directly under Hyrule Castle.
"What are those red lines, then?" he asked, gesturing to one.
"They're…" Josha laughed anxiously, squeezing her hands together. "They're really weird. Super hard to map out, because they go underground sometimes. But we've finally finished mapping out some of them – that's my most recent big discovery. And… and it turns out, they all seem to lead back to the castle."
"Yes, but what are they?" Gralens pressed.
"They look like tree roots," Josha gulped. "If there was a tree somewhere with Gloom as sap, then these things look exactly like what that tree's roots would look like. You can kind of even see Gloom inside of them, moving towards the castle. Almost like they're… sucking something back to it. Exactly the way real tree roots suck up water."
It's… like the antithesis to the lightroots. Link exhaled heavily. "That's where he is, then," he said. "Ganondorf is still under the castle – he didn't leave after he fell when Zelda and I found him. He's been down there this whole time, using these roots to regain his strength."
"You're certain?" Purah asked uneasily.
"I am," Link nodded. "If we go down the Hyrule Castle Chasm, we'll find him."
"That's… fighting him on his own ground, you realize," Gralens pointed out gravely.
"Which is why I can't do it alone," Link confirmed. "It has to be me, and the sages, if we want to have any hope."
Gralens sighed, scratching his head. "So you and the sages do something to drive back the monster forces before dawn," he said. "Then you leave – you have one day to get down to the Demon King and destroy him before night falls and the battle continues in earnest. Can you do it?"
"We have to try," Link said quietly, meeting the General's gaze. "Our other option is to continue barely holding the fight here, constantly sapping our own resources, while Ganondorf continues to regain his strength in the Depths. Riju was right when she said that he's weaker now, that he hasn't regained his full power. If we're going to attack him, and win, we must do it now."
A pained expression twisted Gralens face. "I understand your reasoning," he muttered. "Really, I do. But, damnit, I'm… genuinely afraid of what's going to happen to us."
Link smiled tightly. "You'd be a fool not to be," he murmured. "But this is our best chance."
He left Purah's study behind, marching up the staircase to the observation deck with Purah's telescope on it. Monster forces surrounded Lookout Landing on all sides. The walls shuddered from the impact of Hinox-thrown boulders. The growl and roar of lynels raged through the night, Gnaondorf's commanders relaying their orders. Yunobo's wall of fire was burning low now, allowing the monsters to press closer around the walls – close enough that Hudson's Zonai cannons were activated.
Yet the monsters pressed onwards. All it took was a well-thrown rock or a good shot from a bow to either destroy or deactivate the Zonai devices. Riju's lightning continued across the battlefield, but there were many fewer Zonai wings flying now than there had been at the beginning of the night – they had lost some to the monsters. Link watched as a massive wave of water erupted from the moat, sweeping over the closest monsters and turning the ground to ashy muck. Riju's next thunderbolt sent arcs of yellow electricity in a ring all around the fortress, frying hundreds of monsters all at once, everywhere they were joined by Sidon's wave of water.
And still the monster forces kept coming. They seemed particularly dense on the northern side of the fortress, where they materialized rapidly out of the Gloom rising up around the Hyrule Castle Chasm and joined ranks with the rest of the monster onslaught.
Link drew in a deep breath, leaning forward against the railing.
With so many monsters, so much pressure on every side, truly the sages are the only ones keeping Lookout Landing from being overrun, he thought, closing his eyes. When I take them away… if we don't get back out in time…
A fluttering of wingbeats stirred him from his thoughts, and he looked up to find Penn landing next to him on the observation deck.
"Thought I saw a familiar face up here," the Rito grinned. "You're just who I'm looking for, actually!"
"Oh?" Link said, straightening, hoping his expression didn't look as bleak as he felt.
"Yep!" Penn said. "What with all the investigation stuff taken care of, I've… well, it's back to regular ol' mail duty for me, until Traysi comes up with something better for me to do. And guess what, partner – you've got a delivery!"
Link squinted. "I… do?"
Penn pulled a lumpy parcel from a satchel slung around his shoulder and held it out. "There you go!" he said, puffing out his chest proudly. "I was over in Hateno chasing some interesting peeps and warbles, and the locals there had this package that needed to be delivered. Figured I'd sign up for that."
Link took the parcel, his heart stuttering in his throat as he noticed the name on the labeling, the familiar handwriting forming his name and hers. "Zelda," he whispered, his throat tight.
Quickly he set the parcel down and untied the string, pulling the wrappings away to reveal several things – pieces of leather armor, a chainmail shirt, and a sky-blue tunic with familiar white stitching along it. He held up the tunic, his chest aching with grief and longing, and noticed a small white slip of paper falling onto the rest of it. Hardly daring to hope, he picked it up, his eyes stinging as he caught sight of the familiar handwriting once again.
"It's odd to be writing this out, when I could just as easily tell you in person," the note read. "But I wanted to make sure I get this right, and in the spur of the moment, words don't always come out the way they should. So… here it goes.
"No matter where I've gone over the past years to offer aid, you've remained by my side, forever my brave protector, my confidant, my dearest and closest friend. Until I moved to Hateno. I admit, I was hurt by that; I didn't understand why. I spent a very long while thinking it through, wondering if it was something I had said or done, and then I realized that, as in most things, the solution had been in front of me the entire time – it was Hateno itself.
"You and I… we've held burdens that no one else in this day and age can truly understand. I always associated these darkest memories with Hyrule Castle itself, where we fought the Calamity, where the kingdom we knew truly met its end. But the road to Hateno, the path through Blatchery Plains… I realized that perhaps that was your Hyrule Castle, so to speak. That there are a lot of bad memories for you in that area. And I'm sorry for not realizing that sooner.
"Then one day, you showed up in Hateno – something I had been hoping for and feared would never happen. I wanted to ask you about why you had left, but I didn't want to cause you anymore unnecessary pain. I nonetheless recognized that your decision to come to Hateno must have taken a great deal of courage, and I was deeply touched. I will forever be grateful that you made that choice to come back to me again.
"After that, I set this plan in motion. Your work with the monster control unit, your years of protecting me on the road… it had all clearly taken quite the toll on your clothing, and I didn't make that first one correctly anyway, since you couldn't wear armor under it. I started work on a new Champion's tunic for you, and put in an order for the finest mail and leather armor I could track down. Something that would keep you safe from harm, protect you with the faithfulness with which you have always protected me.
"More than that, I want this armor to be a promise, from me to you. After moving to Hateno, I was not there for you as you have been there for me. From this point onward, I vow to you that I will change that. You have ever been willing to follow my lead into any danger – from now on, I will follow you wherever you lead. I may not be able to protect you physically, but I will do all else that is in my power to be a strength and a support to you, because I love you, Link.
"I know I need to speak to you about this at some point. I can't possibly convey all the thoughts and feelings I have about this in a mere letter. But… the last thing I want is to cause you further pain, and if my suspicion is correct – that when you left, you were perhaps as equally hurt as I was – well, finding the right time, and the right place, is going to be difficult. Perhaps this gift to you will create the opportunity I need.
"Yours forever, Zelda."
Link held the paper in trembling hands, slowly folding it back up again and holding it close to his chest, fighting with a grief so strong he doubted he could ever stand again.
Goddesses, Zelda… I miss you.
"You know," Penn was saying quietly, looking out over the fortress, his head tipped towards the glittering night sky. "Funny thing – I had great winds the whole time I was flying that package. Turns out, I realized later on, it was all because a dragon was flying way high above me! Never thought I'd see a dragon." He rested a wingtip on Link's shoulder. "Soar long, partner. Don't know if I'll see you again before you go out into the fighting, but… I've sure got a lot of hope that we can win, after seeing that dragon, and knowing you're with us…"
He flew off from the observation deck. Link took the Champion's tunic and clutched it against his chest, fighting to keep control of his breathing as tears spilled freely from his eyes.
A dragon… Of course there was a dragon.
With a lump in his throat, he turned his gaze skyward, straining to see if he could spot a familiar silvery line. She's… she's been keeping that promise that whole time. What she did to the Master Sword, the way she's been looking out for me ever since, from the sky…
Drawing in a deep breath, he wiped his eyes, wrapping the tunic and armor back up and heading down the stairs, towards the underground barracks. I won't give up on you, he vowed silently. I will find a way to bring you home.
When he emerged, wearing the Champion's tunic made by Zelda's hands over the mail shirt and a sturdy undershirt, with the Master Sword at his side, the sages were waiting for him.
"You look a lot more like yourself, my friend," Sidon said warmly. "Where'd you get that?"
"Zelda… Zelda made it," Link said, breathing in deeply, solidifying his resolve. "A while ago."
"So what's the plan?" Riju asked, a hand resting on the hilt of one of her sabers. "Gralens said something about a particularly powerful attack."
Link nodded. "I'll need you all to help me," he said intently, looking around at each of them in turn. "The previous Sage of Light, King Rauru, was able to use his stone to channel the energies of other sages, to create a devastating blast that destroys anything in its path. Think Divine Beast levels of power."
Tulin's eyes widened. "That sounds awesome!" he exclaimed. "When do we get to try it?"
"Now," Link answered. "If it works, I would ask each of you to follow me into the Hyrule Castle Chasm. The Demon King is there, and it's time for us to face him."
Yunobo gulped, but he mustered a brave expression and nodded.
"It'll leave Lookout Landing without our assistance for however long it takes us," Riju said quietly, her lips pulled into a tight line. "There will be a steep price to pay. But the Demon King must fall, or all of the fighting we've done so far is for nothing."
"I trust your judgment, Link," Sidon nodded. "You know I'll follow you to the bitterest end."
Tulin squared his narrow shoulders. "With all of us fighting together, the Demon King won't know what hit him!" he said determinedly. "We can do this!"
Link smiled. "Let's take care of some monsters, then," he said, and he led the way up to the ramparts around the northern side of Lookout Landing, where the monster forces were thickest – where the most reinforcements were coming from. And the Demon King was clearly taking advantage of the sages' absence on the battlefield, marching his troops closer and closer to the fortress. Link's gut tightened as he spotted two Gleeoks rising up over the broken, crumbling walls that once defended Hyrule Castle, coming their way. Sentries shouted in alarm, but at Gralens' command, they remained within the walls of Lookout Landing. Link caught Gralens' eye, and the General nodded curtly, conveying his trust that Link's attack would be successful.
"Stand behind me," Link said, striving to keep his voice calm. As he had seen Rauru do so many times, he held his arms at an angle, with the tips of his fingers pressing together. His secret stone flashed to life, warm white light emanating from its surface. "Now… lend me your strength!"
He heard a soft chime and felt a prickle of electricity, a hot gust of flame, a rush of wind, a spray of water. A chill dripped down his spine as he felt the sages' powers flowing into him from behind, entering his very blood, in the exact same way that they had cleansed him from some of Ganondorf's corruption. It was dizzying, and at once he could feel an intense strain upon his body, as though it could barely contain so much immense magical power – as though, if he tried to keep it within him for too long, it would sunder him completely. He inhaled deeply, channeling their power together, gathering up an orb of light beneath his hands. Colors flashed within it – red, yellow, green, blue.
Link added his own power to theirs, his stone flashing brighter than ever, and then with a strained cry through gritted teeth he released the magic in a devastating, blinding blast of power that swept through the enemy forces, sending monsters flying in every direction, their shrieks of fear and pain inaudible over the roar of the sages' magic. Link held the beam focused as long as he could, beads of sweat dripping down his face, sending it sweeping over the battlefield –
Then suddenly his vision flashed black, and he stumbled backwards, the ground tilting violently beneath him, his chest heaving desperately for breath. He felt Yunobo's steadying hand on his shoulder, all but entirely supporting him, and as he blinked and shook his head the images of the sages slowly appeared before his blurry eyes.
"Are you alright?" Tulin asked anxiously, pressing close.
"Yeah," Link mumbled through numb, rubbery lips. He shook his head again, trying to clear it, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Yeah – guess we better not… do that too often."
"One blast seems to have been more than enough," Sidon noted in awe, his eyes wide. "Look!"
Link stepped shakily to the edge of the ramparts, sucking in a sharp gasp at the massacre before them, tinged gray in the coming light of dawn. Every monster between Lookout Landing and the Hyrule Castle Chasm was dead, lying strewn across the ground – including the two Gleeoks. He shook his head slowly in awe. That's… that's something else.
"That'll do," Gralens said wryly, coming up behind him. "Go – face the Demon King. We'll hold the line here as long as we need to."
"Thank you," Link said, clapping the man's shoulder. "Goddesses be with you."
"I think you need the Goddesses more," Gralens noted. "Hudson's got a vehicle for the lot of you, to get you down into the Chasm. We'll be watching for your return when night falls again."
Link and the other sages climbed back down off of the ramparts. There was a growing crowd of soldiers gathering, watching them as they made their way towards where Hudson was waiting with a Zonai wing that had an elongated body and wings. "Hope this'll do for you," Hudson said, patting the steering stick. As they neared, he gripped Link's shoulder tightly, concern and hope gleaming in his dark eyes. "Be safe, kid." He held out several small Zonai capsules – an extra wing, steering stick, and fans.
"I'll do my best," Link promised quietly, accepting the capsules and slipping them into his pouch.
He stepped onto the wing, and the other sages followed, taking their places behind him. Link paused before activating the steering stick, looking around at the soldiers around them – Goron, Hylian, Gerudo, Rito, and Zora alike, with Purah and Impa watching from the door to her study.
Link drew the Master Sword and raised it high. "Remember why we fight," he shouted out. "Remember our loved ones waiting back home, in our villages and farms, the communities we've left behind. Remember those who have fallen, who gave everything they had for this cause. It is our duty to fight, to sacrifice all that we are for the safeguarding of those we care about, for the protection of this kingdom! Right now, we are all that stands between them and the Demon King's army! Fight, and fight hard, then, and show the Demon King that we will not so easily surrender to his tyranny!"
A roar went up from the soldiers, and they waved their fists and weapons high, invigorated, encouraged. Link kept the Master Sword skyward as Riju took hold of the steering stick, starting up the fans along the wings and sending their Zonai vehicle skyward, towards the red tendrils of Gloom spilling out from the Hyrule Castle Chasm.
The monsters had stopped coming, for now. It was up to the armies at Lookout Landing to destroy as many of those that remained until nightfall, and then to hold until the sages returned.
Link sheathed the Master Sword, his eyes narrowed upon the Chasm.
We will face Ganondorf today, sooner or later. And Hyrule's fate will be decided.