Link and the rest of the Yiga huddled in the shade of Gerudo Town, just behind the line of the Gerudo forces. Ganondorf and a few tall Yiga that were most likely Gerudo were the only ones who ventured out into the harsh sunlight and spoke with Urbosa. Link was avoided by most of the Yiga. Damien stayed near him but didn't speak, keeping a close eye on the Sheikah in the distance.

"...Hey," Link whispered, poking Damien. "Do you still hate me?"

Damien slapped his hand away. "A bit. I appreciate that you regret what you've done. I haven't fully forgiven you, though, so keep that in mind. Try to focus. We don't know when the Sheikah will attack." He reached back and pulled his axe from his back, gently rubbing the Yiga amulets plastered on the handle and blade.

Link stared at the weapon for a moment, then recalled that the other generals had the same amulets all over their weapons- a small detail he never noticed before. "Why are those there?" he quietly asked, indicating the amulets.

"So that I can summon it at will," Damien muttered. "Only a handful of us Yiga have managed to learn how to transport an object across miles. The amulets mark the weapon and keep it ready for transportation at any time- the paper amulets are key to any of our magic. I know that the Sheikah have similar amulets, but they rarely use them now."

"What's Sheikah magic like?"

Damien sighed. "That's not important right now- they don't even practice it anymore. Just shut up and wait. If you want to talk to someone, I recommend finding Ghirahim and Midna. I need to focus. I'm a damn general in the Yiga, remember?"

Link scowled and backed off. He decided that it wasn't worth arguing with Damien right before a battle. He wove through the crowd of Yiga, muttering apologizes as he shoved some of them out of the way, heading for Midna and Ghirahim. They were easy to spot, especially Ghirahim, who was a pale figure in a sea of red. Midna was with him, so Link was glad he didn't have to try and group them up to talk.

They gave him a blank look and said nothing when he stopped in front of them. "Damien said I should try and find you," he explained.

"Not surprised that he wanted to get rid of you," Midna muttered. Link sighed and noticed Ghirahim rolling his eyes. "What do you want?"

Link gritted his teeth before speaking. "I was just wondering what you two thinks might happen if a Sheikah sees us fighting for the Yiga and manages to tell Zelda."

Ghirahim crossed his arms. "That's... a good point, actually. Any ideas, Midna?"

She only shrugged. "No."

Ghirahim narrowed his eyes. "No as in you have no ideas, or no as in you'd rather not talk to Link?"

Midna scowled. "Of course I'd rather not talk to him!"

Link winced. "I'm sorry for what I've done, okay? Linebeck even fixed me up and everything. You got to slap my little voice box out of my hand and everyone's been mad at me- can we be done with this?"

"Look, we're all still a bit pissed at him, I get it," Ghirahim growled. "But can we just drop it now?"

Link blinked. He was unsure if he'd properly heard Ghirahim correctly. The same guy who'd thrown a book at him and threatened him, defending him? "I-it was self-defense," Link mumbled. "Although… I was the one who wanted to fight the Yiga, and I probably would've killed Damien if Linebeck hadn't interjected."

"We'll discuss this after this battle," Midna muttered. "I'll bet Ganondorf will help us hide our identities."

She strode off without another word. Link huffed, and Ghirahim placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're both at blame," he sighed.

"It was self-defense," Link mumbled. "If he'd attacked you, I bet you would've defended yourself, too."

Ghirahim grunted. "Well, obviously, but the problem, once again, is that you still attacked him. You wouldn't be in so much hot water if you hadn't gone so far. You recognized that it was Linebeck, someone who trusts you to an extent, and decided to go on and attack him like any other enemy."

"But-"

Ghirahim tightened his grip on Link's shoulder. "I'll make sure that you and Linebeck talk after all of this is over," he snapped. They both regarded each other for a moment and looked away as Midna returned. Ghirahim sighed. "Linebeck should apologize to you, though, for tearing up your throat like that."

Midna handed out Yiga masks- they'd been given to her by Ganondorf. Link placed his mask on, covering the rest of his head with the cloth attached to the mask's edges. Ghirahim gave them a quick nod, then dashed off into the crowd. Midna began to leave, too, but Link quickly grabbed her arm. "I'm sorry," he snapped.

"I know," Midna muttered, jerking her arm away. "And I'm sorry, too."

"What, you had a change of heart while talking to Ganondorf?"

"I've been thinking about this whole thing too, you know, and I know that Linebeck's partially to blame, too, but you crossed the damn line."

"You lot have been acting like he's done nothing wrong!" Link shouted.

Midna froze. He couldn't see her face, but could tell that what he said had certainly made her hesitate. "...I admit that that's been the case. More so with me than with Ghirahim." Her shoulders slumped. "I think it's because, this past year, if he gets hurt while causing trouble, then we forget that he's usually partially to blame for whatever got him hurt."

"So you're practically coddling him?"

"Hardly. He's a jackass, and we let him know, but it's often overshadowed by how unstable he is." The two of them twitched as a roar went up in the crowd. The battle had started. Midna leaned in close. "Personally, I'm just worried that we'll drive him over the edge. He's getting better, but the way that you hurt him while defending yourself has made him rethink some things."

"...You won't let me touch you?" Mipha tilted her head to the side, trying not to show her exasperation. "I can heal you much better if you let me touch you."

"N-no," Linebeck stammered, flinching away. "It's been working without contact, right? Do it like that."

Mipha gritted her teeth. "I know you're touch-averse, but this is for the good of the Yiga and your friends." She held out her hands again. "It'll be quick."

"Don't touch me," Linebeck snapped.

"How do your friends put up with you?" Mipha asked, the words slipping out before she could stop herself.

Linebeck shifted on the bed, sitting up. "Good question. Don't touch me."

Mipha sighed, giving up. She leaned back in the chair. It had been ten minutes- this was going nowhere. "...We've never really talked, have we?"

Linebeck narrowed his eyes at her, shifting away. "...No. Just in Zora's Domain."

"Oh, right. Damien mentions you a lot in passing. It's admittedly rather cute. He does tell us that you have a penchant for thievery and being a jerk, so we've had time to prepare for meeting you. The others? Not so much. It's just our luck that you show up right after causing trouble."

"I kept Damien from getting killed," Linebeck muttered. "And then got yelled at by Midna for attacking Link."

"You did cause quite some trouble," Mipha mused, crossing her arms. "Personally, I think you should apologize to Link. Even if you believe that you're not at fault, you did injure him very badly."

"If we're going by that logic, then you should apologize for cutting his hand off."

"I will. The others should be back soon. The Gerudo are powerful enough on their own."

Linebeck sighed and fell back against his pillow. Bellum hovered in front of him and muttered, "You've been a dick to Link."

"I'm a dick to everyone. Link isn't getting special treatment. I'd like to see how you react after having your leg broken in half by someone you thought you could trust." Linebeck sat up as best he could, wincing. He shook his head, as if that would get Bellum to go away. "...You can finish healing my leg today, right?"

"If you let me touch you." Mipha said with a shrug. "If not, you'll need another day."

Linebeck groaned, rubbing at his face. He regarded the Zora princess with a nervous glance and sighed. "Fine. Fine. Just... only touch the wound. Nothing more. And if I tell you to stop, then stop."

"I promise," Mipha murmured, moving around to the other side of the bed. "I may be trained to kill, but my primary job is to heal. Just... sit still. I'll try to make it as quick as I can." She positioned her hands above Linebeck's mangled knee, peering at him, waiting for him to allow her to continue.

"Go ahead," Linebeck muttered, tightly gripping the bedsheets. He gritted his teeth as Mipha placed her hands on his wound, sending both pain and disgust through his body.

Thankfully, it was over in a matter of seconds. Mipha withdrew her hands, backing off as the skin knitted back together, leaving Linebeck's knee all healed up without even a small scar. With a short cough, Linebeck relaxed. "T-that wasn't too bad..."

"I've never had anyone react to my healing like I was cauterizing the wound," Mipha said, amusement clear in her voice. "Are you alright, though? I've never had a patient with aphenphosmphobia before."

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Linebeck muttered, sitting up, bending his knee. "Damien says that I should get exposure therapy from people that aren't him, anyways. Thanks. Can I start walking now, or should I give it time...?"

"Give it time," Mipha answered. "And try not to put your weight on that leg very often for a day or two. The wound is technically healed, but you still need to let any extra damage heal on its own, now. I recommend that you take a walk around the facility. You haven't seen the whole place yet."

"I'll think about it. When do you think Damien will be back?"

"You're awfully co-dependent for someone that I've heard is very unwilling to take help from others. Or was Damien lying about you?"

"I thought you were supposed to be nice," Linebeck growled, sitting up. "And no, Damien wasn't lying. I hate pity."

"An extended hand isn't a sign of pity, just a gesture of aid." Mipha stood, straightening out her uniform. "Your trust in Link has been shattered, hasn't it? You have a right to be mad at him, but from what I've seen, the others have been very harsh."

"They're overprotective," Linebeck spat. "They treat me like a kid behind my back."

"Why is that?"

Linebeck scrutinized Mipha, practically glaring at the rose-colored Zora. "...I've got mental issues, and the aphenphosmphobia makes it hard to get through city visits. It's just that it's easy for me to slip into a bad place." He waved a hand. "Not that that's important. I have some projects I need to finish. Do you have a map of this place?"

"Do you want me to get you one?"

"No, although I appreciate it," Linebeck mumbled, getting out of bed. "Any tips?"

"Purah and Robbie are in and around the lab. They don't seem like the kind of people that you'd like."

Linebeck shuddered. "Oh, yeah. I met them back in Kakariko. Robbie made me want to gouge my eyes out. At least I didn't have to work with for too long. Purah is a bit more tolerable, but I'm more nervous around women anyways."

Mipha smiled weakly. "You fear women? Pair that with your fear of contact and lack of memory and that's concerning. You haven't seemed especially scared around me, though?"

"Yeah, well, you're a healer. You're not going to hurt someone you're healing, and Damien trusts you. I'm at least somewhat familiar with you."

"How about Ashei?"

"She looks like she'd kill me without a change of expression. I'd rather avoid here."

"And what about Ravio?"

Linebeck sighed. "Well, I'd automatically be a bit more comfortable around him, plus he's a bit cute, if I'm being honest. I don't mind the bird, though I doubt I'd be able to put up with it for long."

"Sheerow is cute, but he can be a nuisance if he doesn't like you."

Linebeck rolled his eyes. "Makes sense, I guess." He straightened out the bed's blankets, flicking his eyes up at Mipha. "...How many Zora are part of the Yiga?"

"A fair number," Mipha admitted. "I wasn't the first to join, and I'm grateful for the Yiga Zora who cover for me when I must be away from home for a long time. My father has been suspicious for a while, but he's not close to the truth. I'm envious of the others; they don't have so many people that take notice when they go off somewhere without explanation. Well, Damien had you to take notice, but the way you live apart made it easy for him to slip away."

Linebeck smiled faintly, tugging his vest back on. "Now that I think about it, there were times when I went to visit him at his shop, only to find that he wasn't home without explanation. Of course, it's hard to let me know if he'll be out in advance, but he usually leaves a note, which he sometimes didn't do."

"Hm. He leaves notes... I don't know why I never assumed that I've seen that his home is connected to his shop." Mipha smiled faintly. "I've never actually been in his home. Any possible reason why?"

Linebeck shrugged his coat on. "He has a bunch of little wood carvings of me. It's creepy to outsiders, to be honest."

"I'm not an outsider and it's creepy to me," Bellum hissed, dodging Linebeck's hand.

"Well, I recommend checking out the library if you want something to do," Mipha suggested. "I can show you how to get there if you'd like. It's not far. We've probably got time to find some good books before the others come back."

"O-oh. Thanks, then."

Fighting the Sheikah was a bit tougher than Link had expected. They were fast and agile, making it so that Link couldn't brute force them in the same way he did with monsters. Thankfully, Midna had his back from the start. The Yiga mask was difficult to get used to. It constricted his vision at the edges, forcing him to turn his head more than he was used to, relying more on his heightened hearing.

The Gerudo had agreed to the Yiga's help a lot faster than Link expected, and he had a bit of a feeling that Urbosa somehow knew of his involvement. If not, then she knew exactly who to trust and when.

Link brought his shield up in time to deflect a Sheikah blade. Their swords were short, but sharp enough to give Link a real reason to help defend his allies. Many Yiga around him were able to fend off a Sheikah with their own sickle blades, others appearing and disappearing all around the battlefield and firing off arrows. While the Sheikah themselves had archers at the very back, they weren't as effective as the speedy Yiga marksmen.

Midna rushed ahead of Link and stabbed through a Sheikah's abdomen, and blood rapidly spread into the man's uniform. He coughed, and Midna planted a foot on his chest, kicking him down to the ground and off of her spear. Any leftover blood existed solely on the solid parts- it simply phased right through the shimmering blue spearhead. Link couldn't see Midna's expression, but he heard her take in a long breath, backing away from the dead Sheikah.

Yiga arrows flew past them and embedded themselves in the head of another Sheikah. Link heard Midna slowly exhale, but he shoved the dying Shiekah out of the way and slashed open another's back. The Sheikah stumbled, and Ashei thrust her sword through their heart. "Thanks for the help," she whispered as she ran past.

Link blocked a number of Sheikah attacks, then stumbled backwards to let a pair of Yiga file in. They both made quick work of the Sheikah. "They must have a leader!" a nearby Gerudo shouted. "Someone giving them orders on the battlefield!" All soldiers surrounding the Gerudo murmured to each other, passing the message throughout the mixed forces. Link passed the message onto a Yiga to his left and dashed off towards a group of Sheikah.

He cut cleanly through the shield that one of them held up, cutting all the way to and through their hand. The Sheikah shouted out and stumbled back, and her ally lunged at Link, muttering something under his breath. Link cut the Sheikah off, slamming the pommel of his sword into his throat, and flipping his grip and stabbing him through the shoulder. A third Sheikah actually attempted to run, but only got so far before Damien practically cut them in half. Even more blood stained his axe, and Link let out a quick breath. "Thanks."

"I'm just doing my job," Damien briskly replied, whipping around and burying his axe in another Sheikah's head. "It's basically a reflex. Muscle memory. They drop like flies nowadays."

"Doesn't seem like it," Link grunted, blocking the oddly shaped blade of a Sheikah spear. "Of course, you've dealt with them for years, and you've got decent motivation."

"M-hm." Damien swung around and practically shattered some poor Sheikah's ribcage. "I get paid a lot, too. Pretty much all of the Yiga get paid decently."

"Well," Link opened a gash in a Sheikah's neck as they ran past. "How are you?"

"Small talk in the middle of a battle isn't practical. But I'm doing better. Cooled down after getting the message that Linebeck's leg is fully healed. We have fast messengers. You'll need to talk to him at some point."

"I will," Link assured him, stumbling out of the way of Ghirahim. "H-hey," he called out. The demon barely glanced at him, rushing past. Link sprinted after him. "Where are you going?"

"To find the leader," Ghirahim briskly responded, snapping his fingers and sending a volley of knives at a group of hapless Sheikah. "Or to at least injure their back lines. Shouldn't be hard- seems like Zelda sent some half-trained newbies. I don't see any kind of adequately equipped Sheikah around here. Seems more like this is a message rather than a proper attack."

Link nodded, skidding to a stop. "Good point," he shouted after Ghirahim. A line of Sheikah archers had caught his eye, huddled on a rock that rose a few inches above the sand. Link dashed towards them and snapped the first one's bow, bowling him over and knocking his head onto the rock. Link didn't check to see if he was unconscious or dead when he drove his sword into the next archer's stomach.

The apathy was what surprised Link the most. He felt little to nothing as his clothes became gradually more and more stained with blood. He knew that it was difficult for Midna- he recalled her shaky breathing after that first kill. He'd seen Yiga stumbling back and shaking after killing a Sheikah. Even a few Gerudo warriors looked shaken. And yet Link didn't feel a shred of remorse. Perhaps it was his resentment about being lied to by Zelda and the Sheikah.

A roar went up in the crowd, and all of the Sheikah hesitated. Their momentary pause proved to be their undoing- a great number of them were quickly killed. Link managed to off a few of them before the Sheikah forces began to retreat. He started to sprint after them, but someone tugged him back. He whipped around, finding himself face-to-face with Urbosa. "Let them run. Our archers will pick them off, Link."

"How do you-"

"It's not hard to tell," she murmured with a faint smile. "You and your friends are the only ones wearing only that kind of mask. Don't worry, though. I doubt that any of the Sheikah would've recognized. They all looked like low-level Sheikah, anyways, so I doubt they even know what you look like." The Gerudo chieftain sighed and slid her scimitar into its scabbard. "Thanks for the help and tell your new Yiga friends the same. I never thought I'd be grateful to see the Yiga, but here we are." Urbosa gave Link a gentle pat on the shoulder. "I hope you and your friends can find the Master Sword soon."

Midna kicked at a small pile of sand. She stepped aside as a pair of Yiga lugged a dead Sheikah over to the bonfire that had been created minutes prior. The Yiga took over the job of removing the dead, while the Gerudo attended to their own business. Link left almost immediately after the battle ended, but Ghirahim stuck around to pick off any remaining Sheikah. He was mostly keeping them from escaping and forcing them into places where the Yiga archers could pick them off.

While she wasn't opposed to killing the people who'd lied to her and were secretly planning the downfall of their own kingdom, the panic in some of the Sheikah's eyes as Midna killed them lingered in her mind. She idly flicked her wrist, and a dim cloud of magic encased her weapon. It dissipated, taking with it any blood that had spattered on the spear. It was a new trick she'd learned while sparring with Mipha.

Speaking of the Zora princess, Midna had spotted her soon after the battle, healing injured Yiga. Now, she was talking with Damien, far enough away from Midna that whatever she was saying was lost in the wind.

Midna decided to walk over to them. She had an injury of her own that needed healing, after all.

Mipha and Damien were arguing, and their words were hard to make out until Midna got close enough.

"...You can't just go out and participate in a battle so damn soon after getting an organ removed! You just had surgery!"

"Oh, come on, you healed everything up! I should be fine, right? All I feel is a bit of pain, mostly from my injuries."

"You shouldn't be so active after an organ removal! I did heal things up, but that was to speed up your recovery and lessen any possible pain! Goddesses, you should be resting!"

"Well, will this cause any problems?"

"...No, not really." Mipha sighed, rubbing her face. She looked up, looking like she was going to keep scolding Damien, but took notice of Midna. "O-oh. Do you need something?"

"...It can wait," Midna admitted, removing her mask to let them see her slight smile. "Please, continue."

Mipha sighed, and Damien let out a short laugh. He removed his own mask. "I'll go back to the hideout if you want," he offered.

"That's a good idea. I left Linebeck in the library, so you'll probably find him there."

Damien nodded and transported away in a puff of smoke and paper amulets. Mipha shifted her weight and glanced at Midna. She smiled and shrugged. "He'll be fine, and this isn't the first time he refused to rest after a surgery. Right after his top surgery, he went out and ended up tearing his stitches and pulling a few muscles and all that." Mipha smiled thinly. "This time, since we've already internally healed Damien quite a bit, he should be fine."

"So, he's a bit of an idiot," Midna said, tilting her head to the side.

"Oh, yes, he's awfully reckless. He's well-intentioned, at least. You want me to heal that?" Mipha finally asked, pointing to the bloody gash in Midna's thigh. "It doesn't look too bad, so it won't take long."

"Yeah, that's what I wanted to ask you," Midna mumbled, trailing off and Mipha knelt and wordlessly began healing the wound. Her hands slightly glowed teal, and she slowly rubbed her hands along the wound as it sealed up. "I didn't know you needed to move along the wound..."

"I-I don't," Mipha quickly said, pulling her hands away. "I'm just making sure that it's fully healed. It's a bit... harder to tell with your blueish skin."

"Don't some Zora have bluish skin?"

"...I've never had a chance to heal a Twili before. It's a new experience for me." Mipha dusted her uniform off as she stood. "Well, did you need anything else? I'm free for the rest of the day; I can leave the rest of the healing to the other Zora."

"Could we spar again?" Midna asked, idly tugging on her own cloak. "I feel like I could learn a lot from you, especially since we both primarily use spears. My own magical prowess has improved since sparring with you, too. It's much more... informative than when we sparred in Zora's Domain, honestly. I like how we are now able to focus on spear skills."

Mipha nodded with a wider smile. "Yes- I very rarely get a chance to do one-on-one training. I'd love to continue practicing with you. I must return to our hideout... if you need to get back, Ravio's been instructed to stay behind until he knows that you and your friends are back as well."

Before Midna had a chance to say anything more, Mipha transported away in usual Yiga fashion. However, an idea popped into her head once she spotted Ghirahim running around. Midna dashed over to him, quickly getting his attention. "Hey, hey, I need your help with something!"

Ghirahim halted, almost scowling. "What? Can't you ask someone else for help?"

"You're the only one who can help me right now."

Ghirahim paused, then placed his hands on his hips. "...Go on."

"Hey, uh, remember that game of bullshit?"

With a sigh, Ghirahim nodded. "Of course, you're the one who won."

"...So you remember the reward?"

"Yeah, yeah..." Ghirahim rolled his eyes. "You wanted me and Linebeck to help you get a date with whoever you want." He paused. "...You want to play that card now?"

Midna crossed her arms. "Obviously, but it can wait. Just know that I have someone in mind. I'll let you know when I'll need your help getting a date." She let out a quick breath and tilted her head to the side. "Let's head back."

"Yeah, sure. We need to find Ravio, yes?"

"Mhm. I need some rest before we go out and get the Master Sword."