By late afternoon, it was pouring rain. Puddles gathered in the cobble streets as animals and people alike ran for shelter. The Sheikah that Link was sparring with pulled him inside to continue. He sparred with a number of other Sheikah warriors before they taught him new sword drills. Link caught on to them quick enough, as if they were with the rest of his programmed skills. A drenched Midna and Ghirahim met him in the dojo, drying out from the rain.
During a break in the drills, Link rolled his shoulders while the other Sheikah switched out their weapons. "What are you two doing here?" he asked Ghirahim and Midna.
"Looking for you," Ghirahim muttered. "Linebeck wasn't much help."
"Do you want to spar with us?" Link slowly asked, glancing back over his shoulder at the Sheikah. "Zelda did say that it would be a good idea for us to pick up some skills along the way."
Midna joined him for the next sparring match, but Ghirahim remained on the bench, watching. She picked up a spear to use and split off to one half of the room to spar with some other Sheikah. The entire room was well-lit by lamps and the like, and the windows were covered up to provide the illusion that there was no storm outside.
Midna was offered a number of tips by a Sheikah girl with a similar spear. They mirrored each other for some time, and the focus on Midna's face showed her determination. On the other side of the room, Link was quickly learning everything he was taught, stopping every so often to test out new movements in sparring matches that left his opponent bewildered by his skill. Ghirahim decided to watch Midna's part of the room.
The rain outside only intensified as time wore on, and it was advised that they wait out the storm in the dojo. Link kept his sword with himself to run more drills while Ghirahim and Midna talked. His arms ached from the constant movement, but he swung his sword over and over again, etching the motion into his memory logs. "Does it rain here often?" he loudly asked, shooting a look over at the Sheikah.
The one he sparred with the most, a young woman, only shrugged. "Not really, but it's always a heavy rain when it does. Good for the crops, I suppose."
"What's the tech like here? A friend of mine should be at your lab."
"Well, Purah and Robbie, two of our three leaders, work there a lot. Some of their tech goes to the castle, but they mostly make stuff to help us out here. Is your friend an inventor?"
"An engineer. He came here with the rest of us and his carpenter boyfriend."
"Carpenter? You mean Damien?" Most of the Sheikah looked his way at the mention of his name. "He's a bit famous to us. We didn't know he was dating someone. Who's the engineer?"
Link paused in his drills. "His name's Linebeck Lancrester. Why's Damien famous around here?"
"Kakariko is more than a farming town- Purah and Robbie's tech helps us as a medical-type town as well. While Zora's Domain is the place to go for quick healing and saving lives, we can help without magic and with surgery. Some things can't be done with magic. We were therefore able to help Damien arrange for a surgery a while back. Afterwards, he decided that he was infinitely in our debt, and promised to offer discounts on all of his works and promised to visit often to offer his wares. His stuff's really good and he seems to be the only one who's willing to go between Kakariko and the city, so we appreciate him."
Link smiled. That was new information. Damien had said that he had been to Kakariko a few times, but he hadn't mentioned the significance the town had to him. "That's cool." He expected no response and didn't get one. He continued his drills, focused on the task as the minutes dragged by. The storm only got worse.
The rain drumming down on the roof nearly drowned out every other noise outside, and yet, a dull thud was heard by the front door. Everyone peered at the door, a heavy silence settling over them all. Link bit as his bottom lip and peered over at the Sheikah. "I'll go check that out. The rain won't bother me like with anyone else."
He walked over to the door, and Midna stopped the Sheikah rushing over to him. "Don't worry. He's got it. Let him handle whatever it is. We owe you guys, anyways."
Link smiled at the Sheikah over his shoulder and tightened his grip on the sword in his hand. It was probably a shingle falling off, anyways.
Link stepped out the doorway and shut the door behind him and was buffeted by rain. His wire hair immediately dampened, and he felt a deep cold before his body automatically began to heat up. The torrent of rain made it difficult to see very far, masking the ends of the streets in a constantly moving wall of gray. There was no sign that anything had fallen, and Link circled the area around where the thud had sounded from.
A dim twang sounded from behind Link, and agony exploded from his right shoulder. He craned his neck around to check, finding an arrow deep in his shoulder, and saw a figure with a curved bow standing on the roof behind him. Another arrow was shot, and Link ducked out of the way, sprinting down the alleyway of the building in search for a way up.
Link found and forced himself up a slick ladder, ripping the arrow out of his shoulder once on the slippery roof. If he wasn't careful, he could lose his balance. He carefully shuffled up and over to the other end of the roof, staring at the enemies that were obviously Yiga. Three of them stood out to him, with perhaps eight others, all in the mask and various red clothing. Each of the three in front had a black scarf. One held a bow, an arrow nocked but not aimed, another gripped a long spear with the spearhead angled down, and the axe wielding Yiga from the castle faced him from across the gap between buildings.
"What do you want?!" Link asked, hoping that his shouting was audible above the rain. He gripped his sword with both hands, knees bent, prepared to move. The Yiga only stared at him, their impassive masks giving no hints. The Yiga with the axe held up his hand. He was the only one without his weapon in hand, the axe strapped to his back. He snapped his fingers and disappeared in a cloud of paper amulets as the eight sickle-wielding Yiga lunged over the gap in the buildings.
They all attacked Link at once, and he slipped into a crouch and drove his sword into the hip of one of the Yiga. Once the blade scraped against bone, the Yiga escaped in a cloud of amulets, and Link jumped away in the gap as the sickles dug into the shingles. Slipping precariously, Link flung himself on to the adjacent roof, jumping farther than he had expected. The Yiga sprinted after him, dim shapes in the rain.
Link grabbed onto the top of the slippery rooftop, deflecting the first sickle that was swung at his face. A second Yiga managed to dig the tip of their sickle into his shoulder, but it was dislodged when Link planted a kick in their chest, flinging them off the roof as he stumbled away. A handful of paper slips in the wind told him of only six Yiga left. The black scarfed Yiga only watched. Link scuttled back and twisted around to get to his feet. His feet slipped and his artificial heartbeat skipped. Link jabbed the tip of his sword between two shingles, steadying himself.
Two of the Yiga managed to corner him, and Link blocked one attack and fluidly slashed the other from shoulder to hip. The blood that flew was joined by the crimson amulets. The rain was beginning to give Link a headache. He parried the next sickle attack and wrested the weapon from the assassin's hands and thrust his blade into their shoulder. This time, they stumbled back, taking a few moments to disappear like the others.
The final two had different weapons, full circles with sharp spikes along the edge. These Yiga had armor on their chests and forearms, so they already looked more competent. They traded fierce blows with Link, who managed to block and dodge hits as they forced him closer and closer to the edge. A few lucky hits tore synthetic skin off of Link's arms. One of the Yiga lunged forward, catching Link's sword in the loop of their weapon. They tugged back and nearly knocked the sword out of Link's hands, but he pulled back harder, ducking and twisting around to throw the Yiga off the roof.
Link leapt to the next rooftop, follow closely by the last Yiga, and they continued their fight, metal clashing and throwing sparks that the rain immediately snuffed out. With a strained huff, Link riposted and managed to nick the Yiga's side. The circular shape of the Yiga's weapon made it harder to parry and block, so Link slipped back, stopping his rapid descent down the slope by jabbing his foot against the lifted singles at the end. The Yiga followed, and Link blocked their slash and stamped a foot on their left knee. A scream followed a brief snapping noise, and the Yiga disappeared.
Link groaned in relief, the rain soaking him to his endoskeleton as he caught his breath. Zelda had told him that the Yiga were nothing but a ragtag rebellion. They seemed more like a band of highly skilled assassins. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and the lightning's blue flash illuminated the spear and bow Yiga, still watching him.
Link scrambled to the peak of the roof. He'd been trailed around buildings circling the one the two ringmasters were on. The Yiga with the bow had a long scarf, fluttering in the wind. Their leather gauntlets and greaves were painted crimson red, and they wore a short maroon cloak. They drew back their arrow and aimed, and Link stumbled to the side as the arrow whizzed by his face.
The Yiga with the spear remained unmoving as their companion nocked another arrow. Their spear was pitch black, the blade faintly dyed red. A brighter red cloak covered most of their body, with the arm holding the spear being the only part visible. The pair of them, standing side-by-side, looked ominous, like a pair of demons. Another arrow was shot, and it almost took out one of Link's ears.
The sound of the rain blended together into a faint drone of noise as Link steadied his breathing. The attack in the restaurant in the city had been led by one of the Yiga's black-scarfed elites, but, in hindsight, the katana-wielding Yiga seemed to be holding back along with the others he brought with him. The axe user at the castle was more of a message bearer, but they were the ones who gave the order to attack him just now. He had yet to be attacked full force by one of the Yiga's elite members, much less two of them at once.
Lightning flashed again, followed momentarily by more thunder, and the spear wielding Yiga launched themselves off the rooftop and sprinted, hopping from roof to roof at Link. They reached Link just as he could react, knocking away the slim blade. The Yiga deftly spun their spear and jabbed it at Link once again, and fluidly drew it back to continue spinning it. Their movements were fast, so fast that even Link, with his robotic limbs and heightened senses and skills, had difficulty blocking and dodging. The Yiga even batted at Link with the butt of the spear, elegantly twirling it in their hands, their feet smoothly shifting and sliding to advance on Link or keep their grip on the wet roof. It was like a deadly dance of sorts.
Ghirahim's lessons on reach were thrown out of Link's mind as he felt anger against his enemy, now hoping to get as close as possible to win. Link forced himself forward, and the Yiga carefully inched back, only speeding up. An arrow embedded itself in Link's side, and the spear Yiga managed to bury the blade in Link's shoulder. He screamed, the sword nearly slipping out of his hands. Pain throbbed in his shoulder as the Yiga drove the blade in further, grinding against the metal inside.
With a burst of rage, Link grabbed at the arrow in his side and ripped it out, shoving it between two of the Yiga's ribs before they could jump away. A strained groan emanated from behind the smooth mask, and Link got a face full of red amulets as they disappeared. The pressure in his shoulder was relived at the absence of the spear as well. His programming automatically ran a diagnosis on the damage as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop, ignoring as his feet slipped. The silent voice in his mind informed him of no damage to wires or essential structures once he reached the roof of the dojo, panting and in agony.
The bow Yiga drew back another arrow, and Link, with a running start, launched himself to their roof with a wild roar. The pain and pure frustration left him boiling over with rage and hate aimed at the Yiga. Damn any second thoughts he had had about helping Zelda- he was glad to dismantle the Yiga if this was how their common attacks were played out- injuring and mocking. Another arrow found its way into his chest, but he didn't bother ripping it out as he landed in a heap on the roof, the Yiga stumbling back.
"Coward!" Link snapped, jabbing the sword into the roof and hauling himself up straight. "What do you want? What are your goals?"
The Yiga seemed to regard him, then, in a soft voice, said, "We want to see Zelda dead along with the Sheikah that stand with her."
"Why attack innocents?!" Link seethed, swaying slightly.
The Yiga tilted their head to the side. "We attack the Sheikah and those who align themselves with Zelda- we have not targeted an innocent."
The Yiga hopped back to avoid Link's slash and disappeared in yet another all-too familiar cloud of paper- but not before shooting one last arrow into Link's throat. He barely reacted to the impact and the pain. The sound of the rain returned to him, oppressively covering up every other sound. Link let go of his sword, faintly hearing it slid down the roof and onto the ground. His own body followed after, going limp as he tumbled off the roof. The arrow in his throat was annoying at most. The door to the dojo was thrown open, Ghirahim and Midna surging out, shouting.
They huddled around him, frantically trying to get him to respond, but Link only slowly blinked, lethargically peering around. The rain began to slow down as they picked him up and carry him down the street, doing their best to cover his exposed endoskeleton and wiring. As the sky cleared, doors opened and people went outside to check the weather, and Midna and Ghirahim did their best to rush him to the Sheikah's lab.
"...I think I lost my temper," Link mused.
Linebeck paused. "Hm?" He didn't look up from his repairs, but he hesitated. "What are you talking about?"
Link frowned. After he'd been brought to the Sheikah lab in the hopes of finding Linebeck, the three of them managed to get him to a room where they would be unbothered during repairs. He had been woken up halfway through the repairs. Linebeck fixed some frayed wires and dents in his skeleton, but there would be no permanent damage. "Did I tell you what happened?"
Linebeck shook his head. Before Link could start, Midna explained, "During the rain, we heard a thud outside the dojo, and he went out to check. We found him torn apart about ten minutes after."
"Yeah," Link muttered. "The Yiga attacked me again. Three of those 'black scarf' Yiga set a bunch of other Yiga on me. The axe guy was back, but he left before the others attacked me. Four Yiga had sickles, while the other two had some... weird circle swords, I guess. They did a lot of damage. The other two black-scarf Yiga attacked me after the others. The one with the spear did the rest of the damage, but I feel like the one with the bow gave me the most trouble. They... the one with the bow actually talked to me, though."
Link sat up properly, getting a look at the room for once. It was mostly clear, aside from a few tables, one with Linebeck's repair tools. Midna and Ghirahim lingered by the door. "You said you lost your temper," Linebeck muttered, snapping Link back to the conversation at hand.
"Oh, yeah. During a lot of the fight, I just felt really mad. I don't know how to describe it but having to fight against the Yiga really made me angry. The bow Yiga talked to me after I shouted at them, asking what they wanted and why they hurt people. They want to kill Zelda and pretty much everyone allied with her and claimed that they never hurt innocents." Link held out his arm to let Linebeck fix a few more tears. "At first, I wasn't too sure whether or not to really trust Zelda and agree with the role of 'hero', but the Yiga seem to want to take down pretty much everything."
"You don't know that," Linebeck muttered.
"He's got a point," Midna sighed. Ghirahim nodded solemnly. "We... don't have much of a reason to do as Zelda says, anyways. Just... telling you that you're this supposed hero is a bit much." She rubbed the back of her neck. "I trust her, I do, and I'd hate for the queen and the Sheikah to get killed, but it's not fair for her to throw the heavy role of 'hero' at you."
Link scowled. "But- I need a purpose!" he snapped. "I just... woke up one day without a memory! I was created for a reason, what if this is it? I'm named after the hero and apparently have the same likeness."
"We woke up with no memory, too," Ghirahim retorted. "We have no past. You're the only one who's so desperate to find something to do. As far as I can see, you'd gladly abandon us as long as it means you find a damned 'purpose'. Who gives a damn what you were made for? That was probably 200 years ago! That was a whole different world back then."
"He's got a point," Linebeck mused, moving on to his right arm. "What if you were made to be a hero? Sorry to say it, but you probably failed the first time. Doesn't mean you need to pick the mantle back up. Zelda could've picked someone else, someone who actually was ready and willing for the role." He nonchalantly looked up at Link. "Not to say that you're not, but I'm saying that you don't need to do this. I know we all want answers, and you guys want to stop the Yiga, but just think. There's not much motive."
Link scowled, falling back onto his back again. Linebeck said nothing about it but let out a slow breath as he moved on to fixing Link's shoulder. "...Why shouldn't we help Zelda?" asked Link, frowning. "I mean, she is the one who's keeping Hyrule in line by ruling the city."
"But what does she do?" Midna quietly asked. "She is queen, yes. But-"
"It's a burnt-out world," Link snapped. "She's keeping things together! Rebuilding Hyrule." The other three went silent. Bellum, who had been passively hovering around Linebeck's hands, nervously glanced up at Link. "She's not doing much because there isn't much to do right now. The other towns are handling themselves, but there looks to be a disconnect. At the least, we can try and eradicate the Yiga and help rebuild the destroyed Hyrule. We can try and figure out what happened and try to prevent it."
The group regarded each other for a few moments. "He's got a point," Ghirahim sighed, glaring at Link. "We all still have our own separate reasons, though. You can be the hero if you're so desperate for a purpose."
There was a tension in the room, and Link knew that it was his fault that it was there. He hadn't said much, but there were rifts between him and the others now, at least for a short period of time. "Sorry," he muttered. "I didn't mean to upset you guys or anything. I'm still just a bit... angry about what happened. It's okay if you don't want to get involved in this, but I do want to help if I'm needed."
"Yeah," Midna sighed. "We're all at fault here. I mean..." She laughed nervously. "We can all agree that the Yiga need to be destroyed. Zelda's whole bit about that cycle is valid, but we have little evidence about that one."
The door slid open and a pair of Sheikah walked in. Link froze on the table, and Linebeck frantically tugged parts of Link's tunic over the noticeable uncovered wiring and metal. Both of the Sheikah had their hair tied up, identical peculiar metal masks set atop their head, like they would be used at some point. They both wore similar red and white jackets with dark blue suits underneath. The woman paused, peering around the room. "Oh! Are we interrupting something? We wanted to talk, but if you need us to leave-"
"I-It's fine," Linebeck stammered, straightening up. "Did you guys need something?"
Ghirahim frowned. "You know these two?"
"Robbie and Purah. Two of the Kakariko leaders. Impa is apparently the third." Linebeck rubbed at the back of his neck. "So. Uh. Why are you two here?"
"We head that your robot fought off a bunch of Yiga," the guy, Robbie, said. "Sorry for barging in, but we wanted to talk."
The air in the room turned icy. Midna, Ghirahim, and Linebeck all exchanged worried looks, and Link twitched. "...Robot?" Linebeck slowly asked. "Who-"
"On the table!" Purah chirped. "Oh, sorry. Zelda sent us a letter. We know that Link's a robot. Don't worry, though, we haven't told anyone!" She crossed her arms with a weak smile. "How bad damaged is he?"
Link carefully sat up while Linebeck awkwardly told them that he had everything under control. Midna and Ghirahim were silent, feeling forgotten while Link was discussed. The robot looked lost, shooting a look that whispered 'help me' at the two in the corner. Midna cleared her throat, getting the attention of Linebeck and the two Sheikah. She smiled at Linebeck. "Could you guys talk later? Link needs repairs, and he's more than just a hunk of metal."
"Oh, of course! We know he may also be the hero-"
"I mean he has feelings, a thought process, and feels pain." Midna waved at them to leave. "We'll get you back when we're done."
Once they were gone, Ghirahim sighed to himself, the quaver in his voice indicating stifled laughter. "You, uh, already talked to them?"
Linebeck shrugged, returning to work on Link's damage. "Yeah. Why?"
"I just think it's funny that while Link was getting his ass kicked by the Yiga, you were having a pleasant talk with two of the village's leaders." The venomous look that Link gave Ghirahim did nothing to make him stop. "A fun contrast. Your favorite project got ripped to shreds and you didn't even know."
Link opened his mouth to retort, but Linebeck cut him off. "It's getting late, now. Once I've fixed Link up, it'd be good for the rest of you to go back to your room. I'll talk to Robbie and Purah. How long are we staying for?"
"Koko said about three days." Midna paused to watch Linebeck cover up the gash in Link's shoulder. "I'm actually going to go see her now. She offered to give me some tips on the Sheikah fighting style and some input on the Yiga. If I remember correctly, we're going to Zora's Domain next. After that, Rito Village, then Goron City, and Gerudo Town last." She grinned. "We can take a few extra hours on the way to check on our home. It's on the way, just about a mile off the route."
"I need to check on Rusty's food and water," Linebeck mused. "I'll see if I can get any stuff for him while we're here. Damien and I made a fair bit of money. He sold the commissions and got to start on new projects while the rest were sold. What's Zora's Domain like, do you think?"
"Lots of water," Ghirahim murmured. He eyed Linebeck with a humorous smile. "Though I doubt you won't be the biggest fan of it, since you can't actually swim."
"You can't swim either," Linebeck snapped. "As far as I know, Midna is the only one here who knows how to swim. Can you swim, Link?"
Link pursed his lips. "Uh. I'm sure I was programmed to swim. Who are the leaders in Zora's Domain? Who are the leaders in all of the cities?"
Midna cleared her throat, looking rather excited. "Well, I've done a bit on research on this subject, and I'm a little more interested since I know that I'm the only one of my kind in Hyrule right now. Zora's Domain has a royal family similar to the one in the Hylian kingdom. Their current king is King Dorephan, and the princess is Mipha with her little brother, Sidon. The Zora have a popular band, but they're not necessarily important.
"The Gorons have a... tribal leader, I suppose. The current leader is Darunia, and their strongest warrior is Daruk. There's not much to say about them. They're all really nice.
The Rito have two different leaders, depending on which type of Rito. The leader of the more human Rito... doesn't have a name. They just call him the Chieftan, really. His son is actually Komali, and he works in that shop with Medli mostly to get better at talking with people. With the more birdlike Rito is their leader Kaneli. Revali is actually the captain of the Rito warriors.
"Last is the Gerudo, and they have no official leader as of right now. Urbosa stands as the placeholder right now, and despite casual visits to the city with Nabooru, she takes her job seriously. Riju is slated to be leader after her if no male Gerudo is born before then. The Gerudo have a tradition they hold very dearly about that whole thing." Midna sighed to herself. "Apparently, in the kingdom of Twilight, the most powerful magic-user was appointed the ruler."
"Interesting," Ghirahim muttered. "Can't wait to meet them, too." Midna roughly elbowed him in the side.
Linebeck finished up the last of his repairs and sent Link and the others off. There were puddles in the streets, and people were occasionally peering at the sky. On the way back to the inn, they ran into Damien, looking a little disheveled. "I-I heard that you were attacked by some Yiga!" He burst out upon seeing Link. "What happened?"
Link halted, smiling awkwardly. "O-oh, it's nothing. They lured me out and attacked me in the rain, but I drove them off. I was... badly damaged, but Linebeck just got done fixing me up." Self-consciously, he placed a hand over the rip in his tunic. "He says he'll fix my clothes tonight. How'd you hear about the Yiga attack?"
"Some Sheikah told me about it. I was just making sure that you're alright. It's not every day that you hear that some Yiga got into Kakariko, after all! They must've been real tough to have given you a challenge, huh?" Damien crossed his arms with a sigh. "In the rain, too... Damn. No wonder you won that tournament."
"You're cheerful," Link said, feeling a bit sheepish.
"Thanks, I try. Linebeck's at the lab, right? Down the street? He told me that he was going to get some parts and try and... figure out some kind of language." Link thought back to the first few notes Linebeck had written about him. The engineer had mentioned that the name 'Link' was written on Link's back, along with more text in an undecipherable language. Link himself couldn't see what was written, even while looking in a mirror, but rubbing his hand against his back implied of slightly risen shapes. It would make a fair bit of sense for Linebeck to try and see if the Sheikah knew anything. Kakariko came off as a very traditional village, but he could see evidence of advanced technology, like stuff in the city.
"He'll have no trouble getting what he wants," said Midna, smiling pleasantly at Damien. "He's charismatic enough. But, yeah, he's at the lab." She pointed down the street. "Dunno for how long, though."
Damien thanked them and jogged off. Ghirahim placed his hands on his hips with a heavy sigh. "Strange that word gets around so quickly." He turned on heel and continued down the street, chin high. "I suppose it makes sense. Good thing word about you being a robot didn't get out." Ghirahim glanced back at Link with a thin smile. "Hopefully, if you do end up being some kind of prophesied hero, that should be allowed to become public knowledge."
Link rubbed the back of his neck, silent. Midna rubbed him on the shoulder. "Who cares? Link fought off some Yiga. He's proven that he can fight against them." She tousled his hair.
Link pushed her hand away. "Yeah. I still need to get better, though. Learning from around Hyrule should help, right?!"
Ghirahim scoffed. "I sure hope it would. And I hope my damn magic starts improving, too. That stupid book said I was a powerful, magic-using demon lord, right? I'm not seeing any evidence."
"Practice," Midna sighed. "We just need practice. My magic sucks, too. From what I heard, the Zora have some talented healers. They might be able to help us with our magic."
"The book documented my magic as being related to short-distance teleportation and knives. I'm sure they'll help."
"Do you think I can learn magic?" Link quietly asked.
Ghirahim scoffed. "I doubt it. Linebeck definitely would've told us if he found anything like that out about you, encrypted programming or not."