Link had a room of his own. It had been Linebeck's project, the metal-doored room. He had been instructed to go and check it out on his own while the others fawned over Linebeck's pet lizard- aptly named 'Rusty'- up in his own room. For now, Link stood in the middle of his new room.

It was small, similar to the other rooms in that respect. It had been a few days since his tests with Linebeck, and the group planned to head out to Hyrule City at dusk. Afternoon sunlight brightened the room through the sole window. The small bed was pushed in a corner, a writing desk next to a clothing drawer. As he was a robot, Link needed less rest than most people, but this room seemed like it was meant for comfort.

Link pushed aside the covers on the bed and pressed down on the soft mattress. He had no memory of ever having slept in a bed, but, according to Linebeck, he had probably been created before the world 'ended'. Who knew how long he had been functioning back then. Truthfully, he was eager to learn about the current world. He knew of Zelda, who ruled the city, and the Sheikah, acting as her personal guard, but that was all.

On the other hand, he had been learning more about himself during the past few days. Linebeck had been going through his mechanisms beneath his skin, and left parts of his notes on the writing desk. Link sat on his bed and looked over the notes, each page from one of the past four days, each about different strange mechanics in Link.

Decided to break open his chest again. Cleaned out some more sand and dirt. Might do something about the rust on a few of the iron parts. The lungs are softer than I expected, perhaps to allow for them to function as the real organs would. They connect to the throat and then have smaller tubes leading to the rest of the body. Why he requires air to keep working is beyond me. I'll check that tomorrow.

Still can't decipher the writing on his back. I'll try and find something to help me translate during the next trip to the city. His stomach is much more solid than the lungs and is actually accessible. No trace of the food I had him ingest as a test. Checking nearby, with no luck as to finding more traces, it's safe to assume it was turned into pure energy in some manner. While the 'lungs' are in the middle of his chest and taking up little space and his stomach located directly beneath, the strange container remains in the left of his chest.

It's held in place by some more of those Sheikah-esque beams, with the strange engravings. In the engravings is a faint light that pulsates. In addition to this, there is a constant 'beat' of a sort with the origin being that container. I believe it's safe to say that whatever that is, it may act as a heart.

Strange containers in the place of organs. Link's creator really did want him to be as much like a human as possible. He turned the first page of notes over, finding a detailed sketch of the insides of Link's chest. He stared at it for a few minutes, then set it aside.

The three other notes were similar, but shorter. The second detailed the insides of his arms and legs. Linebeck had written some interesting notes about the style of Link's endoskeleton limbs being eerily similar to the design of Linebeck's prosthetics, albeit more advanced. The inside of his outer layer had small, wired boxes tucked against it- Linebeck theorized that they allowed for tactile sensation and the ability to detect temperature.

The third note was about the structure of Link's face. Linebeck had gone to great lengths to peel away as much as the skin and shell off of the endoskeleton skull to get a better look at the underneath mechanisms- a thought that sent a shudder through Link's body as he read the process. It was apparently much like a Hylian skull, with a wired jaw, his eyes connected to another container- a pseudo-brain, as Linebeck had assumed. Like the heart, he was unable to get a look at the inner wiring of it. The rest of that page was a few short sentences about how he replaced the covering.

The last notes page was short- his observations of Link's mannerisms and behaviors, and a list of clothing that had been created for the robot, placed in the drawers. Link got up and set the notes in the desk's drawer, then inspected the contents of the drawers. Tunics similar to what he was currently wearing, pants similar to his current style as well. Two pairs of boots were in the sock drawer. Link withdrew a pair of socks and the brown boots and put them on before leaving his new room.

The others were up in Linebeck's room, based off of the talking coming from there. Link had yet to see the lizard that Linebeck claimed had crawled into Link's chest cavity, but Midna and Ghirahim gave him regular updates about the construction of the little terrarium for it. He reached the second floor and peering in through the wide-open door. It was brighter than his own room, all three of his housemates crowded around something on the desk. The best view he had was the top of a glass cage with holes carved in.

Link walked over, ignoring their mutterings about how cute the little lizard was. Since they were on their knees, it was easy to peer over at the tiny reptile in the terrarium. It was, well, a rusty color, a brownish red. Its underbelly was a light yellow, and it had small spikes along its jawline and around the back of its head. A hightail lizard. Linebeck found a hightail lizard, named it Rusty, and made it an admittedly nice terrarium. The bottom was covered in sand with a few flat stones and most-likely fake leaves. Midna and Ghirahim gave Linebeck ample space as they all watched Rusty skit around in the enclosure.

Link crouched down near Ghirahim and Midna. "It's cute," he said, partly to voice his opinion, and partly to remind the others that he was there. They only nodded. Linebeck dropped what looked to be a few dead flies through the holes in the top. "When are we gonna go to the city?" He watched the lizard skitter over to the flies. "I really wanna see what it's like over there."

"We'll go in a few hours," Linebeck muttered as he stood up. "Ghirahim, you should do some farming, Midna can work on some more potions, and Link can do whatever until then. We should leave Rusty alone for a bit." He tapped the glass of the enclosure a few times, then rubbed the back of his neck. "Actually, Link, I want to ask you a few questions in my workshop."

Linebeck held up what looked like some kind of screw. "I revisited the place you dragged yourself out of," he explained. "I had Bellum help me retrace my steps, and then we managed to track the hole you dragged yourself from. We found this screw, along with many other parts like it in the hole. I'll take some more of it out later, but have you ever seen this? It's the same material as the endoskeleton inside you- a Sheikah design. I've tried to wear it down, to cut a piece off, and it's virtually indestructible."

Link held his hand out, and Linebeck dropped the lightweight screw into his palm. Link expected it close to his face. "I feel like I've seen it before. It's a Sheikah design?"

"Yeah. I've seen it before, around the castle."

Link nodded, then handed the screw back. Linebeck returned it to a pile of similar parts on the table. "There's a castle in the city?"

"Yeah, the old Hyrule Castle. It somehow survived whatever wiped out Hyrule 200 years ago and has all kinds of old Sheikah tech and guards around it. The moat is... less than clean, but the water in the rest of the city has been proven to be clean. Citizens aren't allowed in the castle unless Zelda gives them specific permission."

"That's kinda cool," Link mumbled. "Can you tell me more about your... aphenphosmphobia? Did I say that right?"

Linebeck nodded. "Yeah."

"Cool. Do you react differently to different touches?"

"My reaction changes depending on many things." Linebeck idly sorted the pile of parts into smaller piles. "I reacted to badly to you grabbing my wrist because it was an aggressive movement- I was scared that you were going to hurt me. Aggressive movements and touches like that are the worst. Skin to skin, my robotic parts included, is second worst. It makes my skin crawl and my heart race, and my mind screams at me to get away from what was scaring me. I can handle touch through cloth for a few moments. When Bellum mentioned Ghirahim causing a panic attack through falling against me- repeated touches and the more touch at a time causes more and more fear. I don't know what caused it, but I've got it bad."

"What can cause aphenphosmphobia?"

"Most commonly experiences of physical abuse or sexual assault can cause this fear. Other times it can just be learned from seeing others being scared of touch. But the former two are the most common causes, and, in my case, I dearly hope that my cause isn't the latter of those two." Linebeck held up a different part, considering it, then glanced up at Link. "You don't have any information about phobias?"

"...Nope," was his unsure answer. "I know a few that most people know, but not any rare ones that like. I don't know everything, but a little more than an average human would know." Link raked his messy hair back, as if the movement would offer more insight into his own knowledge. He sighed. "I'll go. I want to read some of the books in my room... why'd you put those books in?"

"Might as well give you something to read," Linebeck drawled, pushing up his left sleeve and collecting some small tools. "I'd appreciated if you leave, though. I've got some repairs and adjustments to make. Scram."

Link gently shut the door behind him. Ghirahim was lingering at the end of the hall and shot Link a suspicious glare. "What?!" Link cried. Ghirahim only scoffed and turned away.

Little about the group had changed over the past few days, but Ghirahim seemed hostile towards him at odd times. Link had a hard time piecing together any kind of pattern. It just seemed like the demon guy hated him. Midna, on the other hand, just seemed antsy to get back to the city whenever Linebeck mentioned their trip. This trio was odd, but Link was sure he could adapt.

"...five miles...?"

"Yeah," Midna replied, stretching her legs beside him. "We're lucky it rained recently. It usually takes just over an hour to reach the city by walking. But that's how long it takes me. What about you, Ghirahim?"

Ghirahim grunted. "Little more. That's part of the reason I cut up my clothes," he said, gesturing to the diamond-shaped holes in his stained clothing. "...But I'm lucky my boots have held up. We all know Linebeck never goes alone, but I bet we could ask that little pest of his how long it takes. We could ask Bellum, too."

Link scowled. "Why do you hate me so much?"

"I don't. I just find you a bother, a blemish in the tale of my life."

"What have I done to you? You were so nice when you showed me around the house."

"Simple manners. I am above being friends with a grimy little bot like you."

Link pouted, rubbing at his synthetic skin. "I think Linebeck cleaned me up well enough..." He sighed, glancing over his shoulder, watching Linebeck slam the door to the building. "Careful, you might bring the whole building down."

Linebeck scoffed. "It's a shithole, but it's survived. Let's get going. The earliest we get there, the more moonlight we have. Night owls better stay out of the way..." He held up a decent-looking knife, then slid it into a small scabbard on his belt.

"You are a night owl," Midna humorously responded. "But, still. I'll let you know if I see anyone. It's worse at night because there's a better chance of muggings. Let's get going through. Please. Can we stay for a few days, too? I've got some stuff I want to get done."

"Sure," Linebeck mumbled, walking past the group. It took the rest of them a few moments to realize that he was already on his way to the city, and they caught up with him.

Midna brought with her one of her spears, and Ghirahim had a saber of some sort at his hip. Link had yet to see monsters, and he had no wish to, but the knowledge that he was among people who were armed and knew what to do calmed his nerves. Besides- they figured out that he did have fighting skills programmed into him.

They strode across the dead grass, and Link peered down at the dirt while they walked. Most of the dirt he walked over was loose and dusty, but some patches, with more grass, were more tightly packed. Two hundred years and the land was still recovering. That made sense, he supposed.

Linebeck walked at the head of the group, Ghirahim close behind. Midna lingered back with Link. They didn't speak, so it gave Link a chance to look at the land more. By then, their home was far behind them. Link squinted at the horizon to the west. He pointed at some black dots in the distance. "Is that a town or something? Those look like buildings."

"That's one of the villages," Midna murmured. "We're not going to pass through any on the way to the city. The junkyard only has the city. More people live on the outskirts of the world, too. We're some of the closest humans to the city."

"Who lives at the edge?" Link asked, finding himself distracted by a grove of surprisingly green trees.

"The Rito, Zora, Goron, and Gerudo cities, and a number of Hylian villages. There are a few snowy mountains and forests at the edge, too, untouched by the event two-hundred years ago."

"What about those trees?" Link asked, pointing at the grove.

Midna shrugged. "Some plants are recovering faster than others. The soil they grow from determines a lot. But the sparse rainfall causes many problems- some plants have adapted to having less water, however. Desert plants have certainly survived the best." She smiled at Link. "Hyrule's been through some shit, but it's surviving."

Link smiled weakly and went silent. The heat was bad, but it wasn't taking a toll on their stamina. Midna and Ghirahim regularly went to the city; their clothing represented that. Link could regulate his own temperature from inside. Linebeck was the group's biggest concern, regularly wearing a coat over a dress shirt and vest in addition to a scarf. Once they had been walking for twenty minutes, Link expected Linebeck to at least take off his scarf, but he seemed undaunted by the heat.

Curious, he jogged past Ghirahim, ignoring the glare thrown at him, and walked adjacent to Linebeck. Bellum was floating after him and made no effort to even glance at Link. Link cleared his throat. "It's around 82 degrees, getting colder as it gets later. You... might collapse from the heat if you stay in a coat and all that."

Linebeck shook his head, holding a hand over his eyes and glancing at the setting sun. "I'll be fine. Like you said, it's cooling down. I can handle the heat for a bit. Besides, if it really was a need for concern, then Bellum would let me know. He keeps track of my health and stuff for me since I generally ignore all that shit." He held out his hand, waving his fingers at Bellum. "I probably have died by now if not for him."

"We're here too!" Ghirahim indignantly shouted. "We keep you safe whenever we go to the city. We're the best bodyguards you could possibly want... the dynamic duo of my raw strength and finesse, and Midna's agility and quick wit..."

Linebeck haughtily regarded Ghirahim over his shoulder. "Mhm. Just avoid the bars. Dunno what started that habit, but it sucks."

"Hah! I only put that habit into motion when celebrating."

"And when you get a dent in your ego," Midna added.

Linebeck turned around to face Ghirahim, walking backwards. "Look, I appreciate the pair of you, Link kinda included but it's only been a week, and I'm willing to tolerate your bad habits at any time. It's getting late, so let's not start any arguments. We'll do the best if we can get along. When we get to the city, we can rent a room near the castle for a few days so I can check out some ruins and we can show Link around the place. In general, we all like the city, so staying passive will make things better."

The group went silent, and Link couldn't help but notice that the tension between them had loosened. They seemed to be at each other's necks rather often but could resolve any issues if they needed. Link strayed to the back again. It was getting dark, and they were close to the split between the junkyard and the rest of Hyrule.

The break between the junkyard and the rest was surprisingly obvious. While the non-junkyard part was akin to a large, rolling plains, the junkyard was at least five feet higher than it. They stopped at the wall of junk, and Link gawked at the clean difference. "H-how... Is this even possible?"

Linebeck shrugged. He kicked at the rusted metal. A short beam fell out and clattered on the dirt. "We'll climb up quickly." He found a foothold and hoisted himself up in one swift movement. Ghirahim and Midna mimicked him, and it took Link a bit longer than them with his shorter height.

The junkyard was warmer, and Link grimaced upon getting a good look at the ground. Sharp and jagged metal and debris all the way to the city. "We have to walk through this?" he asked, clearly bewildered.

Ghirahim scoffed. "How else will we get there? Don't worry... Midna and I took the liberty of reinforcing all of our boots. The bottoms are made of rubber covered in metal. Good for durability and kicking attackers. On another note, we've got some old armor in Linebeck's workshop that we usually use for city visits." He held up his hands, showing off leather gloves augmented with metal. "This is an example of some stuff we've made for trips like this. When we go later at night we have the threat of stalmonsters, but the closer we get to the city, the safer we become."

Midna nodded and continued off where Ghirahim stopped. "A group of various people regularly volunteers to act as a guard unit at night, watching over the outskirts of the city. Despite this, they still have a hard time stopping any kind of rebel action."

They trotted over the dangerous terrain with ease while Link frequently had to look down for anything reaching out to tear at his skin. "There are rebels?" Link asked, now peering at the city with mild unease.

"Yeah, an elusive group of people who refer to themselves as the Yiga. They take their name from a long-dead clan of murderers who wanted the Sheikah dead, but these rebels just seem to cause havoc before returning to the shadows." Midna sighed, pointing at one of the taller buildings in the looming city. "See that tall place?"

"Yeah."

"It maps out the whole city and regularly updates the maps scattered about. The Yiga seem hell-bent on bringing it down along with the government."

"We've been mugged by them a few times." Linebeck sounded tired, rubbing at his robotic arm. "They're not the biggest problem if you're not very important. We'll find a room to stay in, and then we'll split up until dawn. Got it?"

"Got it!"

The dim lights of the city grew brighter as the group neared the gates, and Link could estimate it to be near ten at night when they entered the city. Lights poured out into the streets from windows high up in buildings. The entrance square was empty, lamps and surrounding buildings casting light on the large fountain that had instantly entrapped Link's attention.

It took up at least a third of the circular area. Water gently poured from what looked to be a marble dragon's mouth, like it was fire. It streamed out and dripped down its spotless scales, wings extended out to the edges of the fountain. The water gathered where it stood and seemed to feed into a number of tubes- recycled water. Many rupees glittered in the water, gleaming in the dim light.

In front of the dragon was a trio of women, the other source of pouring water. They all held up colored vases, water flooding out and splashing at their feet. They each looked distinctly different. The one on the right was the tallest, with long hair tied back in a long ponytail, wearing a set of practical and beautiful armor, a short sword sheathed at her hip. In the middle was a shorter woman in a casual tunic, like a farmer's garb. Her hair was set in a braid down her back, and a quiver full of arrows was clipped to her belt. The last was of average height, her hair cut short. A gorgeous gown flowed off her body, and rather than a weapon, she had a book and a small pouch at her waist.

Link gaped for a moment longer, then pointed stiffly at the fountain. "...Who are those women supposed to be?"

"An artist's rendition of the three goddesses in Hylian form," Ghirahim drawled. "The dragon is probably just decorative. You should see the sketches Linebeck has drawn of it, though. I'll show it to you later tonight if you'd wish, but we need a room first. Linebeck! Where are we stayin?"

"Dunno, just the first place we find. It's pretty cheap out near the entrance..." Linebeck winced and rubbed his arm again. "You two can lead the way. Just find a good place." He waved his hand in the direction of the branching streets.

The streets of the city were wide and often branched off to other roads and alleyways, and Link hated it in the darkness. A few people were found wandering at night and ignored Link and his friends. They passed closed stores, facilities, homes, a few labs, schools, and restaurants, and even a garden. Lamps giving off a faint orange glow lit their path. No matter where they turned, Link could still spy the top of the castle in the distance. Ghirahim kicked over a number of trashcans when he could, no one bothering to yell at him for it.

A few rats, birds, and even stray cats were in their path, but only made a noise and ran. Linebeck frequently grimaced, rubbing at his prosthetics, but neither Midna nor Ghirahim seemed to notice. Link jogged up to stand near him, careful not to brush up against his shoulder. "...Are you okay?"

"Phantom pains," Linebeck muttered. "They come and go, and whenever they start, they just go on for about an hour..." He laughed weakly. "These phantom pains are the only reason we know that I actually had limbs to lose. They're both very clean cuts, like the limbs were severed right where they met with the rest of my body. I'll show you later..." He glanced around and pointed to a building with its lights still on. "That place is cheap. We'll get a room there."

It turns out that the place Linebeck pointed out offered rooms for three for thirty rupees. They had clearly neglected to let Link know that this hotel didn't offer four-bed rooms. Link made himself a makeshift bed on the ground after Linebeck and Midna refused to let him use their beds, even though they wouldn't be in them that night.

The room was warm with a pair of lamps on either side of the room. They offloaded their stuff for the night, and Ghirahim and Link were left alone as the other two left to explore the ruins.

Link pulled aside the blinds over the window. He was greeted with the view of a park that consisted of some thriving trees and bushes. "Where are the ruins?"

"Around the castle. It's pretty dangerous down there, but Linebeck's could care less and Midna is careful. She and I take turns taking care of him, since he's the youngest. He's about 20 years old, while I'm 24 and Midna is 25."

"Has Linebeck pinpointed my... uh, mental age?"

"He thinks you're about 22," Ghirahim muttered as he sorted through the pile of items. Linebeck had brought a number of notebooks, tools, and assorted other items along with the other twos' weapons and extra equipment. He withdrew his own saber and held it up. "He also tells me that you have programming of sword fighting moves. We brought along another sword. How about you show me what you can do?"