A/N: Bit of a warning before the start of this chapter; there's some especially nasty language in the last third of this chapter.

"We're lucky Damien didn't kill us," Midna sighed, hunched over her mug of tea.

"Getting yelled at wasn't very fun, though," Ghirahim scowled, pouring a spoonful of sugar into his own tea. "He owes us for saving his boyfriend's ass." He took a sip of his tea and pushed the container of sugar over to Midna's side of the table. "Want any? I can't imagine that plain green tea is any good without sugar."

"You're gross for putting that much sugar into black tea," Midna responded. She stared sullenly down at her drink. The Rito Village coffee and tea shop was a cozy little building with few customers currently in it, but the warm atmosphere had been ruined for the two visitors when Damien had furiously tracked down and cornered them. He hadn't yelled, but Midna would've preferred it if he had. Instead, his voice had been low and strained, and a multitude of emotions had been swimming in his eyes.

He hadn't been that angry when Linebeck was hurt in Zora's Domain, but Linebeck hadn't been nearly as hurt then. Plus, Linebeck had mentioned that Damien asked about going with them- perhaps guilt plagued the poor man, like it plagued Midna and Ghirahim. Midna glanced over her shoulder at where Linebeck was being kept. It was a small building, a hospital of sorts. It was fairly close to the coffee shop. She couldn't see inside, as the woven curtains allowed the patients privacy. Still, Midna was sure that Damien was visiting Linebeck.

Ghirahim took a long drink from his tea and sighed. "Well. The healers here had better be fantastic, or else Link's not getting better either."

"Can't some Shiekah-"

"Linebeck is the only one who actually knows how to fix or edit Link. I don't trust them enough, anyways." He rubbed his chin, peering into his mug at his tea. "Do you think he'll wake up some time today? We should pick up a coffee for him. Or at least for Damien. What kind of coffee does he like? I know Linebeck likes his coffee as black and plain as possible."

"We could just settle for a hot chocolate or something," Midna offered. "But I need to go and talk to the chieftains. You can be the one to try and win back Damien's trust."

"Oh, yeah, we need the next pendant," Ghirahim mused. "Good luck with that. Kaneli seems like a nice enough guy, but Revali wasn't too happy with us. Do we have any proof that we stopped the avalanches?"

Midna silently shook her head. "Not as far as I know. I know that Revali's sent a few patrols to check out the music hall, though, since that door out is now open. Maybe we can prove what we've done with whatever they find down there. As far as they know, we just ran into a dungeon and almost got killed." She drank the last of her tea and left the mug in front of Ghirahim. "I'll go talk to them now. It'd be a good idea if you checked on Link every so often- at least just to make sure that all his parts are still together. Linebeck's gonna have a field day trying to piece him back together..."

Midna walked past the small hospital, getting a quick view of the inside. She couldn't see any patients, but she spotted Damien milling around inside. The way he was shifting and moving implied worry. Midna sighed and straightened her back and quickened her pace as she made her way to Kaneli's hut. The old Rito chieftain was talking with Revali and Komali. Midna walked a bit closer and stopped in her tracks once she spotted Komali's father. Shit. They were talking about her and the others, weren't they?

They had returned from the music hall and the mountain only a few hours ago- in truth, she was surprised that Revali hadn't already gone to the chieftains about it. She shifted from one foot to another and strode down the bridge to the hut.

"...Their story mentioned that figure we'd been seeing around the mountains. The one who'd been causing problems." Revali sighed, crossing his arms. "They said that they'd killed them. My patrols reported that the music hall had nothing alive within it. They also explored the pit at the bottom of it, finding spikes and the bodies of unfortunate travelers. There was a room overlooking a large maze. We found large spots of dried blood, so we can assume that was the room where the engineer was hurt."

"It was," Midna sighed, walking in. "I apologize for interrupting, but that room is where he was hurt. Thanks, uh, Revali for finding us afterwards."

The warrior only rolled his eyes. "That's my job. Don't think I'm not still mad at you for running off in the middle of the blizzard, through."

"Did you say that that figure we fought had been seen in other places around the mountain?"

Komali blinked, speaking before Revali had a chance. "Yes, it had been attacking patrols. It was always seen before an avalanche... you and the others killed it?"

"Yeah. It was able to make the room we fought in shake, so we assumed that it was what caused the quakes." Midna shifted from foot to foot, uncomfortable with how everyone's eyes were now on her. Komali had a slight smile on his face. Revali and Komali's father both had steely looks in their eyes, but only Revali seemed haughty. Kaneli simply rocked back and forth in his chair. "...I apologize if we caused any trouble, but we need the Pendant of Courage."

Komali's father tilted his head. "You did not cause too much trouble for us. Even if the figure you defeated had little to do with the quakes, we're grateful for what you've done. Kaneli, what do you think?"

The old Rito nodded, stroking his beard. "Yes, you youngsters are a brave bunch. I'd say that you're deserving of the pendant. Say, that Link boy, he's the hero, isn't he?"

Midna nodded. "Yes, and we have also confirmed that he holds the Triforce of Courage."

"Oh-ho! Really? I heard that he was ripped apart, but he is a robot, no? Could you bring him here? I'll check for his Triforce piece myself."

Midna nodded silently and left to collect the damaged robot. She ran into Ghirahim in the inn, standing near Link's bed. "He looks like a pile of skin and wires and metal," Ghirahim muttered, eyes downcast. Link's limbs were just barely connected to his torso with thin wires and metal, lacerations in the metal itself. His torso was ripped up with wires torn out and the metal within all twisted and bent. The only thing that hadn't been damaged was his face.

Midna sighed and gathered him up. "I need to talk with you once I'm done with the Rito."

"About what?"

"Linebeck." She left it at that and carried Link all the way to the waiting Rito.

Kaneli let out a soft sigh upon seeing Link. Komali's father tensed up, and Revali looked away. Komali's eyes were glued to the broken robot, but he didn't appear scared- just amazed. "I'll... hold out his left hand for you. He said that the piece showed itself on the back of his left hand."

Kanli nodded. The others stepped aside to give Midna room as she walked up and held out Link's hand. It hung limply, just barely still connected to the rest of his arm. The old Rito leaned forward and slowly waved his large hand over Link's, muttering something under his breath. Once done, he held up Link's hand, allowing the others to see the shining mark of the Triforce. The Triforce of Courage in the bottom right was the brightest. Revali scoffed, while the others stared in amazement.

"Why would the goddesses choose a robot as their hero?" Komali quietly asked, peering up at his father.

Midna cleared her throat. "The pendant of Wisdom was kept in Link's belt pouch, so it's still safe," she said, reaching into the pouch and holding up the blue pendant. "Quite honestly, we're lucky that it wasn't damaged. In the future, we'll be sure to keep it somewhere safer."

The mark of the Triforce faded from the back of Link's hand, and the two chieftains agreed to present Midna and the others with the pendant of Courage. There was little ceremony. They just made her promise to keep it safe, and that Power was located with the Gorons. Ghirahim was waiting for her at the inn.

Midna held up the two pendants after laying Link back down. "Two of three. No one's around, right?"

"Yeah. I made sure. Damien's still at the healer's hut. What do we need to talk about Linebeck for?"

Midna sat down on her bed. She hesitated. "Well... he's gotten badly hurt both times we went into a dungeon," she began. "And even before that, he's had a penchant for getting himself hurt and being mostly unable to protect himself. He's been hurting himself less," she quickly added, locking eyes with Ghirahim. "I noticed that while patching up his shoulder. He had no fresh cuts or scars. I think he's doing better."

"It seemed that way."

"Yeah. But, still. For now I want your opinion on whether or not we should still let Linebeck come with us into these dungeons if all he's managed to accomplish is getting himself hurt or almost killed."

"I needed him in that Zora prison," Ghirahim pointed out. "His skill with the bow and his general presence was needed."

"Yes, but, if you think about it, we could've easily done each chamber without him, just by doing one, and then the next one on its own. And you just proved your own skill with a bow- if archery is needed, we can just bring the bow itself."

"What about the maze? Linebeck was giving us instructions with Bellum. None of us could've done that."

"Yes, but that second half of the maze was done without needed instruction." Midna fell back on the bed, grimacing. "I don't want to come off like he's useless, it's just that he's doing nothing but endangering himself in the dungeons. He can wait outside with Damien and work on any repairs to Link once we return."

"He won't let us leave him behind," Ghirahim stated. "He won't. He's not like Damien- Linebeck won't just do what we tell him to. He'll find a way to follow us. I'm worried about him getting killed as well, but that can be avoided if we're just more careful."

MIdna nodded. "True. He seems more desperate to survive, too. Seemed like he put up a fight against that wolfos. He's got more of a will to live now. Maybe because he's part of a team to save the world? Because he knows that his life is tied to Link's? For Damien's sake?"

"Honestly, all of them make sense, but the one that's most important to him is probably staying alive for Damien's sake," Ghirahim mused. "He's closer to Damien than anyone else. If this quest fails, if Link ultimately dies, Linebeck still has Damien to stick with. If Damien were to die, then that's it- he's going to die as well. They've been able to spend a lot of time together recently, so it was inevitable that Linebeck would choose Damien as his lifeline and choose him as a reason to stay alive."

"Do you think Damien knows that?"

"Probably. He seemed pretty guilty, too. I'd talk to him if he weren't so broken-down right now. We should visit him, y'know. See how he's doing."

Midna sat up and nodded. "Good idea, good idea... The Rito don't have magic healers like the Zora, but I hear the herbs and plants around here are pretty potent. Let's just hope he doesn't get hurt on Death Mountain."

"At least we can cauterize his wounds on Death Mountain."

Midna snorted. "Oh, he'd kill us for that. Let's quit stalling and go visit."

Damien barely glanced at them when they entered. Ghirahim attempted a quiet greeting but got no response. Damien's hair was down, and he idly played with his hair-tie. Midna peered at Damien for a moment longer. Linebeck had often said that he and Damien had the same hair color, but Damien's was darker and more brown than green. Ghirahim used to make jokes about how Linebeck looked like he had moss in his hair. "Hey," she said, standing by him. He ignored her, only tilting his head further down so that his hair hung down and hid his face. "Sorry."

"He's doing better," Damien finally rasped, his voice low. Ghirahim said nothing, and Midna looked over at Linebeck. His coat and scarf and vest were folded up and set on the bedside table beside Damien. Fresh bandages were wrapped around his wounds, the right leg of his pants was rolled up past the injury, and his shirt was left unbuttoned and open. "He's doing better, isn't he?"

What was he talking about? His physical or mental state? Either way, Midna nodded, sitting down next to Damien. This was a familiar sight, and she was worried that it would become a frequent one. "He is."

Ghirahim sat down on the other side of the bed. The hut was surprisingly warm. Different rooms were separated by thick walls of wood, and a curtain allowed privacy and a way in and out of each room. "How, uh, how are you, Damien?"

"Fine," he mumbled. "Sorry for yelling at you guys. I was just scared. And mad, I guess. Thanks for saving him and bringing him back. The healers said that he might actually wake up in a day or two. His injuries are deep, but they've got the right equipment to keep him stable. He needs a blood transfusion at some point, though," he mused.

Midna blinked. She'd heard little of blood transfusions- they were apparently created by the Sheikah in Kakariko, so they were still relatively new. "He lost that much blood?" Now that she took another look at him, Linebeck was much paler than usual.

"Yup." Damien sighed and dug around in his pockets. He pulled out a box of cigarettes and a lighter of his own. "What about Link?"

"In pieces, but he's alive. It's a good thing that he's a robot."

"...Yeah. I've got some work to do." Damien slowly stood, carefully lighting a cigarette. "See you guys around until we leave. Lurelin is our next destination, right?"

"We plan on staying there for a day," Ghirahim said. "Were there any problems here while we were gone?"

"Yiga were spotted prowling around, but no one was attacked."

"Where's that Ravio guy?" Midna asked, recalling the friendly merchant and his bird.

"He left a few hours ago." Damien turned and left the room without a word, quietly pushing the curtain out of his way.

Midna and Ghirahim stayed in the room until a Rito healer asked them to leave so that they could further tend to Linebeck's injuries.

It took three days for Linebeck to be well enough to walk around. Midna and Ghirahim were silently relived and kept an eye on him for a bit. He walked with a slight limp since his leg wound had been the worst, and occasionally winced with pain, but was otherwise fine. Linebeck picked up Link's ruined body from the inn and decided to do repairs in the Rito's general workshop soon after waking.

Damien had been working on a new piece of furniture when Linebeck walked in. He was working with the miter saw when he spotted the engineer, and nearly lost a finger as he suddenly let go of the saw's handle. "Y-you're alright! How are-" The saw slid down and cut through the wood underneath it, the sudden speed causing part of the wood to fly off the table. It hit Damien on the back on his neck, and he cursed aloud.

"I'm a little more worried about you," Linebeck said, watching with mild amusement as Damien glared indignantly at the shard of wood. "How many times have you told me to be wary of that equipment?"

"I get a pass because I'm used to this stuff," Damien muttered. He tossed the wood away, and a smile replaced his scowl. "I'm so happy to see you up, though,"

Linebeck smiled faintly as he laid Link on a clear table. "I'm still hurt and all, but it is nice to be up and about. Being stuck in bed for three days sucks." He sighed and strode over to Damien. "How'd you hold up without me, hm?"

Damien rolled his eyes up at him. "You're the one who's desperate to be around me. Anyways, what was the thing that nearly killed you?"

"Why so eager?"

"Just curious. I want to know what kind of things you're dealing with and what kind of things I should be ready to fight, y'know?"

"White wolfos."

"Holy shit! Can't believe that you survived that."

"I put up a good fight, kicking at it and holding it off until the others managed to kill it."

"I heard that you were just barely holding it off and passed out the moment it was killed." Damien grinned good-naturedly and peered at Link. "You got out of a wolfos fight in better shape than him. Want some help?"

"Yeah," Linebeck sighed. "They didn't tell me how he got into such a bad state, but I'm pissed about it. They realize it's my job the piece him back together, right? And while I was already hurt... I'll tell you how to work with him. I know you're a carpenter, but how much do you know about engineering?"

"I took a class," Damien offered, crossing his arms on the table. "But that class was mostly about how to work the equipment, and nothing else." As if to prove his point, he glanced back at the miter saw.

Linebeck straightened Link out, positioning his limbs at an angle to make them easy to fix. "Well, I want to crack his chest open once done, and I need to look at something on his back, too. For now, just handle the tools, and if I need your help, I'll tell you what to do. ...I'll take a cigarette if you have one."

They were left alone as they worked; no Rito entered, or even seemed to come near the building. When Linebeck didn't need help, Damien worked on his own projects or silently watched. Linebeck repaired frayed wires and bent metal back into place, sometimes having to heat portions of metal in order to get it malleable enough to fix. Link's left leg was the worst spot, and the first that was worked on. The robot's kneecap was shifted to the side, and Linebeck had to cut away at the skin and move wires out of the way to get to it and tug it back into place.

The smells of cigarette smoke and oil and wood shavings were probably what gave them privacy. Linebeck often called for Damien to hold something to the side or give him tools or keep an eye on a shifting part. Link didn't stir was he was repaired- Bellum was stationed to hover above his face and check for any signs of consciousness. Linebeck stitched up spots of ripped skin, setting metal 'bones' and fully re-connecting the leg. "It's like surgery," Damien said at one point, causing Linebeck to pause and thoughtfully nod.

The parts of Shiekah tech within Link were unscathed, as usual. Peering into Link's chest, Damien frowned at the fake organs. "Weird stuff in here. How come he has a pulse?"

"He uses oxygen to keep his systems running," Linebeck explained.

Damien reached into Link's chest cavity and placed a hand on the heart piece. "Weird. It's slow, like as if he was sleeping. Does it vary like a human's heartbeat?"

"I think."

"That's weird."

Linebeck fixed Link's other leg and got to fixing the arms. "Do me a solid and give me a run-down of the damage on his neck."

"Uhhh... Ripped skin all around, with a few bent wires, but the damage isn't too bad."

"Fix the wires. Could you stitch up the skin, too? It reconnects like real skin after being stitched."

"This is the weirdest robot I've even seen," Damien muttered, reached in and straightening wires. "He's too human. Even if he existed 200 years ago, why would the goddesses choose a man-made robot to be the hero instead of an actual person?"

"Necessity, I'd assume. After all, Link is still alive despite sustaining wounds that would've been fatal had he been human."

"Smart move on their part, then," Damien responded, done with the wires. He reached up and took the cigarette from his mouth, blowing out some smoke. "Do you think cigarette smoke bothers him?" He took a drag and blew smoke into Link's face. "Right, right, he's not awake."

"He has an olfactory sense, and I've seen him grimace." Linebeck handed Damien the stitching kit. "Get the stitching done quick; I need this stuff back in a bit."

"Got it." Damien strode around the table to stand next to Linebeck before getting to work. "...Do your injuries still hurt?"

"Well, yeah. Thanks for visiting while I was hurt. Ghirahim let me know."

"I was worried. We all were, really. Going into those dungeons is really dangerous for you. Link and the others can easily take down a wolfos , and I bet they could even hold off a horde; facing just one of them is a life-or-death situation for you." Damien paused, gazing over at Linebeck. "All of this is much more dangerous for you because you can't fight the way they do. I wonder if things would've been different if I'd gone with you."

Linebeck shook his head almost immediately. "No, I don't want you getting dragged into all of this. It was me and Link and the others that were sent on this quest- you just got dragged along by your job. You have the choice to ignore all of this and to leave and go back to your life. I'm fine with getting hurt, since two of my limbs can't actually be hurt and I stay out of trouble. You're the one who chases after muggers."

"Yeah, well, if I had been there, axe in hand, I could've killed that thing in a moment," Damien sighed, stitching up Link's neck. "Hey."

"What?"

"I'm just glad that you're alright." Damien cut off the excess string. "Since you got dragged into the conflict between the Yiga and the Sheikah and the world as a whole, I've been scared, y'know?" He held the small sewing kit out to Linebeck. The engineer reached out to take the kit, only for Damien to close his hand around Linebeck's. Damien tugged Linebeck a bit closer, and then peered up at him. "...Sorry about the sudden contact."

"It's fine."

"Don't be a dumbass, is essentially what I'm trying to say." Damien set his jaw, a fairly determined look now in his eyes. "I'm half tempted to follow you guys into the next dungeon in order to make sure you don't die. Got it?" He playfully punched Linebeck in the chest, leaving his fist there. "I can only handle so many days of worrying that you won't come back, alright?" He flattened out his hand, holding it above Linebeck's heart. "I've got enough stress to deal with... uh, as a carpenter."

"Didn't think that carpentry was a very stressful job." Linebeck smiled down at Damien, slightly leaning against him. "I'll be sure not to go off on my own, then." He placed his own hand over Damien's. "I'll see if the others would let you go with us to the next dungeon, if you're so worried. But, of course, the Yiga are a problem outside those dungeons, I don't trust the Sheikah..." Linebeck groaned. "The world might end, too... Damn, there's a good chance we'll die during this whole quest."

"Well, if I had to pick how to die, it'd probably be by your side. In any context, not just going down in a bloody rage or something." Damien smiled weakly. "We're only stopping in Lurelin for a day, right? Might as well take that day off, huh? Even though we're traveling together like this, it's been a bit hard to spend time with you, since work or this quest has gotten in the way."

"Sounds good." Linebeck tilted his head down and kissed Damien. They separated after a few moments, Linebeck flinching at something that Damien couldn't hear or see. "Yeah, yeah..."

"Can't you make some kind of goggles or something to let me see and hear Bellum?"

"Yeah, I managed that a few months back, but they broke really fast. Not much point." Linebeck waved something away. "He's so immature whenever we're together."

"He's jealous," Damien retorted. "Whatever. I suppose I'll have to get used to him, right? Back to work for now." He turned back to Link, on the table, and laughed to himself, poking the robot's head. "Good thing he didn't wake up just now."

Linebeck grimaced. "Yeah. I need to finish up his arms- help me out. You can get his right- straighten out any bent metal or wires."

Damien shuffled over to the other side of the table and reached into Link's arm. Mild disgust rose in his throat as his arms brushed against the synthetic skin and his mind registered it as real flesh. He wrapped his fingers around the bent metal and winced- it felt and looked too much like bone. Still, he tugged and straightened it out as much as he could. He glanced up and caught Linebeck staring at him. "Am I distracting you by having my sleeves rolled up?"

Linebeck blinked, then stared at the table. "Obviously. Sorry."

Damien laughed and unrolled his sleeves. He was getting cold, anyways. "Does Ghirahim ever distract you? I'm about as muscular as him." The only response he got was Linebeck's hand abruptly slipping. He dropped the subject. "Why do you think that Link is built in a style similar to the robots we see around towns?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he has Sheikah parts, right? And yet the majority of his structure is metal beams and wires. Similar to your prosthetics. The Sheikah parts almost look like they're an afterthought, for reinforcement and nothing else."

"Good point," Linebeck mused, peering into Link's arm. "I've noticed that but didn't put much thought into it."

"He was made 200 years ago, correct?"

"That's our guess."

"So why aren't his inner workings as advanced as Sheikah tech? He's a marvel of engineering and robotics, and better than anything I've seen these past few years, don't get me wrong, but he was clearly not built by the Sheikah. But he's the hero. Honestly, if you were to ask anyone, they'd probably assume that the hero would've been built by someone close to the royal family. It's still possible for a non-Sheikah robot to have been chosen, but now I'm just more curious about who created this guy." Damien glanced over at Link's face. "And why they chose to make him so cute-looking."

Linebeck snorted. "Yeah, I've got a few questions like that." He tossed the stitching kit back to Damien and started digging around in Link's chest. "Now, then. How do you think I can open up his heart? Nothing seems to be able to cut it yet."

"What were you going to look at on his back?"

"Purah and Robbie gave me a key to the old Sheikah language. Something is written on Link's back using that language. I was going to place some paper on his back or whatever and try and use a pencil or whatever to see what's written and then translate it."

Damien cut off some more excess stitches in Link's arm. "Could you sit Link up so that I can write down what's on his back and so you can dig around in his chest at the same time?"

Linebeck nodded silently and he and Damien made Link sit up straight. Damien ran a hand up and down Link's back. "Oh, wow, that is some subtle stuff. I can feel out the word 'Link' at the bottom, though. That's how you named him?"

"Yup. Get to work."

Linebeck pushed some loose wires out of the way and ran his fingers up and down the heart-sized object. It was smooth, aside from the small bumps and holes and lines that glowed a faint blue or orange. The trademark of Sheikah technology, he'd decided, was the blue and orange light. He could feel and hear the soft beating of the mechanical organ.

"Try to cut it with Link's sword," Bellum piped up. "You can use his old one or the new one or Midna's new spear." Linebeck waved him away but decided to use Link's guardian sword, in the pile of the robot's equipment. He was careful with the glowing blade once activating the sword. "Don't break anything," Bellum teased.

"Shut it," Linebeck snapped. "My nerves are bad enough right now. Damien, are you done? I might actually need to lay Link back down for this."

"Give me a minute..." Damien moved faster, rubbing pencil lead against a large sheet of paper he'd found. The workshop had large quantity of paper along with wood and metal. "Done! There's a few words written." He laid Link down and backed away so that Linebeck could start.

Linebeck was silently grateful that he was ambidextrous as he switched the sword to his left hand. He tested the blade against a Sheikah-made beam first. It was slow, but the blade carefully cut through it. Perfect. He moved the blade over the heart piece, and sighed. "What do you want to bet's in there? I'm just thinking it's another fake organ."

"Wires, all the way."

"Right." Linebeck stared down at the shape, then slowly cut into it.

Midna dragged Ghirahim out of the Rito bar, cursing under her breath. "We're going to get the pendant taken away from us if you start a damned bar fight!"

Ghirahim rolled his eyes. "I doubt it."

"Either way, now's not the time to be getting drunk. We're leaving the day after Linebeck fixes Link, so you might as well start packing up."

"Fine, fine..." Midna shoved Ghirahim into the inn, and he practically tripped over his bed. "I'll get to it." Ghirahim straightened up, rubbing his temples. He'd only had one drink when Midna caught him.

He started shoving his things into his pack when Midna asked, "You can see Linebeck and Damien from here. I didn't realize that the Rito had a workshop so close to the inn."

"Cool. Can you hear them?"

"They're not talking."

"Damn." Ghirahim closed up his bag and dropped it neatly on his bed. "Done. Can I go now, mom?"

Midna shot him a dirty look. "I need your help with making some potions, too." Ghirahim groaned. "Oh, quit whining."

"Last time I helped you with potions, I got a bunch of it on my clothes!"

"Suck it up. Let's go."

The nearest hut with a cooking pot was even closer to the workshop- Linebeck and Damien were still silent as far as they could tell. Midna lined up her materials, and she and Ghirahim got to work on healing and fireproof potions, preparing for the oppressive heat of Death Mountain. The shift from an icy tundra to a steaming volcano would be a jarring one.

Ghirahim slowly poured lizard tails into the murky brew that Midna had quickly prepared. Pouring too fast would make the liquid spill over and splash onto his clothes, so he had to be very careful...

"OH, WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Ghirahim dropped the entire bottle into the potion, startled by Linebeck's scream. Ghirahim cursed under his breath, soaked in half-finished potion, and Midna whipped around.

"THIS IS NOT WHAT I FUCKING SIGNED UP FOR-"

Midna grabbed Ghirahim by the arm and dashed out of the hut. "Something's wrong," she rasped.

"No shit," Ghirahim snapped. "When Linebeck goes off like that, that means that as far as he's concerned, the world's ending."

There was a table separating Linebeck and Damien- Linebeck had apparently jumped onto the table behind him and was now scrambling back, shoving tools and materials out of his way, while Damien was pressed against the table behind him, staring at something on the table between them. Midna burst into the workshop with Ghirahim. Linebeck was still cursing enough to catch the attention of nearby Rito passerby, so Midna practically had to shout to be heard. "WHAT'S WRONG?"

Linebeck immediately shut up. He was shaking and pale like he'd made eye contact with a lynel, his eyes glued on something on Link. "I-I've dealt with a l-lot of weird robots, a l-lot of weird prosthetics, but n-never, never... That's not fucking possible!" His arm shot out, shakily pointing at Link. Midna let go of Ghirahim, allowing him to nervously mill around as she strode over to Link's prone body. He looked good as new, aside from some small scratches and his chest being open.

Midna stared down at him. Nothing seemed off- she froze, spotting what she assumed to be his fake heart. The previously thought-to-be-impervious material had a fairly sized rectangle cut out of it, revealing whatever had been inside. Midna had personally thought there to be some mess of complicated circuit boards or other pieces of hardware that were worth protecting. Instead, she understood why Linebeck reacted so violently.

Encased in the Sheikah material, beating and convulsing, was a human heart of flesh and blood. Despite being encased in metal without blood or veins, it beat at a slow pace as Link remained unconscious. Midna backed up a few steps. "Thats'... that's impossible." It was a healthy red color, as if it was in a living Hylian's chest, not in the chest cavity of a robot. Ghirahim took a look at the heart, his eyes widening and his hands coming up to his mouth.

Damien let out a shaky breath. "...Linebeck? H-have you ever seen anything like this?"

"Obviously not," Linebeck hissed, calmer now that his back was pressed against the wall. "I mean, you can put metal in a living being as long as it helps and doesn't screw with preexisting parts, like with me and other people needed prosthetics and stuff. And trust me, I've dealt with enough robots and I know enough about anatomy and all that nasty bloody shit to know that you can't just slam a human fucking heart into a robot's chest and expect it to keep beating."

"Th-there are no veins, no blood- it's encased in metal and it's still alive," Damien rasped. "I'm afraid to see what's in his head."

Something in Linebeck's mind seemed to snap, and he leapt off his table and snatched up the sword. Damien ran back over to Link again, the Midna and Ghirahim silently watched as they opened up a hatch in the back of Link's head, turning the robot onto his stomach. They moved so quickly that it was like they'd done it before- Linebeck wrenching open the hatch while Damien held Link's head in place, helping guide his boyfriend's hand as he cut into the shape in the robot's skull.

Barely a minute had passed when Linebeck loudly cursed and practically flung Link's sword across the room. Damien only groaned. "I dunno what it is with Link's creator, deciding that his new artificial twink needed a human heart and brain. Where the hell do you get this shit for a robot, anyways?!" Linebeck kicked the leg of a nearby table. "Whatever. Who wants to tell him? Once I put him back together, I'm not touching him until we leave."

"I'll tell him," Midna decided. "And are you sure that you can put that stuff back? Looked like a pretty clean cut and there aren't any hinges or anything."

"I'll figure it out," Linebeck snapped. "Damien, let me see what you wrote down from off Link's back. Wait, no- I've got the key to the language, I'll give it to you and you can translate that stuff while I fix Link." He withdrew a piece of paper from his tools bag and threw it at Damien. He then pointed at Ghirahim and Midna. "You two can leave."

"We're curious about what was written," Ghirahim muttered. "I'll stay."

"Fine, just don't talk."

Damien flattened out both papers, and got to work, writing the translated passage on the back of the key. Linebeck slid the cut sections of the Sheikah material back into their places and sighed. The one in Link's head was easy to replace- Midna caught a glimpse of his brain and shuddered. Linebeck ended up using strong-smelling glue that he found in the workshop for both the brain and heart coverings. It only took a few minutes to set, and Linebeck finished patching Link up.

They huddled around Damien, who was furiously scribbling down the translated passage. He muttered the words under his breath as he wrote, and finally slammed his pencil down. "There's not much information, but it's definitely interesting," he announced, stepping back. "'My friend, my protector, my inspiration, the reason I can keep going; may you live and fulfill your role as the hero and my companion'. Thoughts?"

"And then it just ends with Link's name?" Linebeck asked.

"Yes. That's it."

"It sounds like the creator knew that his robot would be the hero before he even finished making him," Midna pointed out. "He's called the hero."

"More mysteries," Linebeck muttered, incredulous. "I hate this shit."

"Another Yiga attack has killed five Sheikah, and people are moving closer to the castle," Impa said, shifting her notes. "Our exploration of the old, underground city has yielded nothing other than the statues of the hero back then, identical to the robot you trust. We have, unfortunately, spotted Yiga prowling around down there, as well. They don't appear to be tampering with things- as far as we can tell, there's little of worth down there."

Zelda sighed heavily. "Just as I feared, then. Would it be possible to move citizens down there if these Yiga attacks continue to get worse?"

"I doubt it. The Yiga are exploring the city with us, and they could corner citizens better down there. It's not safe enough. The best we can do is to station more guards around residential homes."

"How many citizens have been attacked or killed?"

"None," Impa responded. "Only Sheikah have been attacked." Zelda shifted in her seat, nodding slowly. "Is something wrong?"

Zelda shook her head. "No. How goes the hero's progress?"

Flipping to the last page of her report, Impa said, "He's managed to collect the pendant of Courage from the Rito, despite being badly injured. They seem to plan on stopping in Lurelin before proceeding to Goron City in Death Mountain."

"Wonderful. Any reports specifically on the others? The carpenter, perhaps? What was his name... Damien Fletcher?"

"Fletcher, Fletcher... ah. Found him. There's nothing of note about him despite his past surgeries and his current relationship to the engineer. Why?"

"Just curious," Zelda mused. "And the others?"

"Midna and Ghirahim are excelling in their magic and were the ones who returned to Rito Village with minor wounds. Linebeck was nearly killed during their last fight, but he seems to have recovered."

"What of their memories?"

"I... do not know about that aspect of them," admitted Impa. "Is there anything else you needed, my Queen?"

Zelda shook her head, getting to her feet. "No, that's all, Impa. I'll be in my room for the rest of the night." She turned to leave the dining hall.

Impa strode after her. "Of course. Do you want me to post guards?"

"Sure. Thank you."

"Of course." Impa paused. "You remind me of your mother."

"Do I?"

"Of course. You're tremendously similar to her, of course."

"Hm. I don't remember her very well. I despise her a bit since she had me hidden away before she died." Zelda glanced over her should, now making her way up the stairs. "Why bring that up?"

"N-no reason. I'll find some Sheikah to guard your room."

"Thank you, again, Impa. Let's hope that our hero succeeds."