The library was roughly in the middle of the facility. It wasn't difficult for Link to find it without repeatedly checking a map, but he did have to ask a few Yiga for help. They were friendly, but did give him odd looks, their gazes lingering on the rips in his skin. He was aware that his exoskeleton and inner workings were now visible, but he didn't care very much. Even if the attempted reconciliation with Linebeck went badly, he knew that the engineer would still fix him up.

Midna stayed behind on the battlefield with Ghirahim. A normal Yiga soldier was the one who brought Link back to the facility, and even offered to lead him to the library. Link turned him down but thanked him for the offer. He was confident that he was starting to become familiar with the layout of the facility.

The library was nearly as large as the auditorium in which he and the other Yiga waited before the battle. It had two floors, with most of the bookcases up against the walls. The middle of the room was reserved for tables and chairs and other places to sit and read. It reminded Link quite a bit of Hyrule Castle's library, though he could tell that were less books here. A few bookcases had empty shelves, mostly the ones on the second floor.

Link peered around the room. Not a single person in the library was in the full uniform- at the least, people weren't wearing thier masks. Link wandered the first floor for a little bit, not finding anyone familiar.

Link jogged up the stairs and found both Linebeck and Damien at one of the tables. They didn't notice him while they talked. Damien was drumming his fingers on the table, occasionally gesturing to one of the books on the table. Linebeck was the one to notice Link and shot him an uneasy glance. "...Do you need repairing? You look pretty screwed-up."

"We need to talk," Link replied, hoping to sound as nonchalant as possible. "I'd like if you repaired me, too..."

Damien let out a strained laugh, clearly noting the slight tension between Link and Linebeck. "Heh... I'm impressed you didn't notice how torn up you were getting. A-and yeah, you guys should talk. Should I leave...?"

Slowly, Damien started to get up, but halted as both men said, "Stay here." With another strained laugh, Damien sat back down.

"Didn't mean to be so harsh," Linebeck mumbled, learning against Damien. He turned his gaze back to Link. "Let's talk first. Then I'll repair you."

"I'm sorry," Link began. "I acted in self-defense-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know it was goddamn self-defense. Drop that point. And, on my side, I was acting in defense of my boyfriend. We both have semi-valid reasons. You, however, did not have a very good reason for breaking my leg-" Link began to open his mouth in order to protest, but Linebeck held up a hand. "-which I'll now excuse for the time being. Granted, you were initially up against the Yiga, with no idea about the ties that Damien and I had with them, and it's understandable that you would snap. We all have our reasons to be pissed."

Link grimaced, but still relaxed. "...I'm glad that you're no longer trying to shove all of the blame on me anymore."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm still pissed. I'm just tired of how we keep shifting blame and yelling at each other. Don't we have shit to do? Besides, I keep forgetting to translate the writing on your back. I've got a translation guide to the old Sheikah language and here I am, just now remembering this about a month later. Apparently, their language can be translated in two different ways, so I've got to do it again. Goddesses, I'm a mess." With a heavy sigh, Linebeck pushed off the table and started to stalk over to the stairs. "Come on, I can't repair you if you're not there." Link hopped off his seat and ran after him, Damien following after a moment's hesitation.

Link followed Linebeck to his room, which turned out to be close to Link's. Damien chose to wait outside the door as the repairs went on.

Linebeck's room was a good bit larger than Link or Ghirahim's, with extra room for a small workshop. Small, half-created mechanical objects were strewn about on the table. The bed was untouched, but a few books had been removed from the bookcases. Linebeck marched over to his workshop table and shoved all of his mini projects onto the ground. Link winced as he heard some of them break. "Weren't you working on those?"

"They were just to waste time while I was waiting for my leg to be healed. Damien brought them here for me." Linebeck whipped around and stalked over to his desk and roughly pulled out one of the drawers. The tools inside clanged together, and Linebeck snatched a few out. "Lay down on the table. On your front. I need to trace the writing on your back so I can translate it. I want to get this over with."

Link tore his shirt off and laid it on the table. "So. Uh. Can we talk more about the issue?"

"Say what you need to say."

Laying face-down on the table, Link drew in a breath. "...We're both at blame."

"Yes."

"Did you intend to hurt me? Did you go in trying to injure me?"

Linebeck paused. He slowly shut the drawer. "...My... reasoning... was that I was trying to stop you from further hurting Damien. I only meant to... to get you to stop, and that was the only way I could think to do that. At the time. It made sense, since I knew that I could fix you if need be."

"...Okay. My intention was to try and kill Damien- who I just thought was some Yiga. I'm not going to lie about it. I think... I think I intended to hurt you. I still don't know what my thought process was. I'm sorry."

Linebeck didn't reply. He silently gathered his tools and walked over to the table, setting them down by Link's head. He turned and went to look for something else, then slowly said, "The reason that the others are reacting so badly is because you're a robot, while I'm just human. Your injuries only means that you'll end up being fixed. More often than not, you'll be alright. On the other hand, I'm only human, and you could've killed me if you hadn't been stopped."

There was the sound of fluttering paper. Link turned his head and watched Linebeck across the room. "That never came to mind. I'm... Saying that I'm sorry isn't going to cut it."

"Same for me," Linebeck mumbled.

"...Any ideas?"

Linebeck shrugged, walking back over. "...Promise to never beat the shit out of me ever again?"

"Promise to try and actually be nice to me? And maybe try and take care of yourself?" Link offered up a small smile as Linebeck cocked an eyebrow at him. "...You can add more of a price to my side if you want to balance things out."

Linebeck laid the paper down on Link's bare back. It was cold and made the robot shiver. "Nah, it's fine." He started to drag what felt like chalk across the paper, pressing down on Link's back. "The others have been begging me to put effort into my self-care, anyways. Besides, with everything seeming to lead to us eventually fighting Zelda, then I might as well make an effort to be presentable, eh?"

The chalk dug into Link's skin through the paper. After roughly a minute, though, Linebeck dragged the paper off of Link and set it to the side. "I won't bother shutting you off for repairs. There's not very much to do."

Link turned himself over and sat up, peering at his 'injuries' while Linebeck picked out which tools to use. The worst thing that he saw was a lengthy tear across his chest. Every other cut was small and barely a problem. They could be stitched up with minimal effort. Link was tempted to ask if he could just do it himself but didn't have time to ask once Linebeck returned with his tools. He held still while Linebeck got to stitching up the cuts.

"...When will you translate what was written?"

"Sometime after fixing you," Linebeck mused, crouching on top of the table in front of Link. He halted his progress every time Link made the smallest of movements. His hands shook, but he moved quickly. "You know, Ganondorf has something to show us before we head to collect the Master Sword."

"Really?" Link did his best to keep still and express his surprise only through his voice. "When did he tell you this?"

"A bit before you found me. He came up to me in the library and told me to tell you guys that we need to meet with him right before we go to the Master Sword. Simple as that." Linebeck rolled back onto his heels and took a small notebook out from inside his coat along with a pencil. He wrote something down and set the notebook on the table. "You know that your skin melds back together, right?"

"That... sounds like something you're making up."

"Yeah, well, it's not," Linebeck muttered. "Once it's stitched together or if the parts of the rip are held together, then it starts mending back together. Like human skin, just faster."

"What did you just write down?"

"Oh, that?" Linebeck mused, peering down at the little notebook. "I keep track of how your different parts work. You can take a look once I'm done. Providing you can read the handwriting."

Link winced, images of the engineer's sheer chicken scratch writing coming to mind. "I'll pass, actually. Is there anyone who can read your handwriting?"

"I can," grumbled Bellum, appearing in front of Link. "Linebeck's in second place; he really only knows what it says because he's the one who wrote it."

Linebeck waved Bellum away. "Piss off. You know you're not supposed to show up while I'm working on him. If you want to watch, go ahead, but no getting in my way."

"Your hands should just phase through me," Bellum argued. "I'm not causing any problems. I'm translucent, too-"

"Yeah, translucent, not transparent! I don't need it to be hard to see what I'm doing." After that, Bellum gave out a short huff, and moved out of the way, lashing what Link could only call his tentacles.

Goddesses, that little AI's design was unnerving.

Link winced as Linebeck went back to stitching him up, albeit with jerkier movements. Link got the feeling that he was irritated. As if the near-silent muttering wasn't enough of a hint.

With the small cuts stitched up, Linebeck hopped off the table, taking with him most of the smaller tools. "Lay down," he ordered, not even bothering to check that Link did as he said. "Do you feel pain when burnt?"

"I feel heat... I don't think I've been burnt recently. Why? I'd rather not find out whether or not I can feel pain from burns, okay? Not now, at least," Link nervously said, slowly lowering himself down. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason. Cauterization could work to close up some of your smaller cuts but using it on the larger cuts might just make is easier for you to rip that stretched skin. Since nothing in your body is capable of regenerating. Still. I have to mend some of the beams just under your skin back together." Linebeck set a small pile of little metal cylinders on the table. "If I end up burning the edges of the tear, don't tell me if it hurts or not until after I'm done."

"I don't trust you."

"You shouldn't." Linebeck pulled back the edge of the rip with some tweezers, peering into the hole. "Lucky for you, despite how haphazard my methods are, it works. Besides, there's not much to do today."

The feelings of the tweezers poking around in his chest along with the random heat of the small blowtorch made Link nauseous, but he kept silent and forced himself to stare at the ceiling. He felt Linebeck prod a bit of half-melted metal up against one of the beams. "Does my talking cause problems?"

"No. Just keep it to a minimum. I'm almost done, anyways."

"That was fast," Link breathed, still not daring to move.

"Yeah, well, I hate working on you while you're awake, so I'm more inclined to go faster. Hold still a bit longer... There. Give it a second and then you can sit up."

Link waited for a moment and sat upright. Linebeck was already cleaning off the table, taking his tools and materials away to wherever he kept them. Stretching, Link asked, "Do you prefer to work here or back where you guys live?"

"I like it better at home," Linebeck mumbled, tugging his gloves on. "It's a bit of a smaller space and we're out in the middle of nowhere, but it's home. I'm a fan of familiarity, as much as I like a bit of exploration. Plus, I know the only people that'll show up. In the city or some other town or even here, there's a bunch more people I don't want to deal with."

Link slid off the table. He picked his shirt up and spoke while putting it back on. "Well, you're closer to Damien here or in the city."

Linebeck laughed. "He can teleport, so distance is hardly a problem anymore." He gave Link a smile that he knew was fake, and stared moving towards the door. "We should go find the others now. The faster we can go and get the Master Sword, the better."

"Good idea-" Link said, nodding, quickly finding himself to be abandoned in the room. Linebeck would've closed the door behind him if Link hadn't pried it further open and slipped out of the room. "No need to be rude," Link snapped, slamming the door behind himself. Linebeck rolled his eyes.

Damien pushed off the wall where he was leaning. "I take it things went well between you two?"

"Until he tried to slam the door in my face," Link muttered, indignant. "But I'd say that things are better."

Ignoring Link, Linebeck turned to Damien. "Do you know where Midna and Ghirahim might be? We need to get going and find the Master Sword soon, especially since we've been able to do it for a few days now."

"I haven't seen them," Damien admitted. "I did hear that Midna might be sparring with Mipha again, though. Not sure about Ghirahim. I know they've returned, though; Ravio showed up a few minutes ago to let me know."

Based off of how Linebeck was looking at him, Link could only assume that he was supposed to go and find Midna and Ghirahim. "Where are we going to meet up?"

"Once you find them, you can have someone take you to Rain Keep," Linebeck suggested. He glanced at Damien. "That's a good place, right? It's pretty far from civilization, so if Ganondorf is showing us something important, then I bet that's a good place."

"That's a good place," Damien mused. "I'll go let Ganondorf know."

Link sighed and walked past them, feeling ignored. He dimly heard the sound of Damien teleporting away, leaving Linebeck alone in the hall. Well, not really alone. Link thought that he heard Bellum start up a conversation as he exited the hallway.

"Any thoughts on what'll happen when we get the Master Sword?"

Linebeck waved Bellum away, rummaging around in a pocket with the other. "I mean, it's just a magic sword. I imagine that all that'll happen is that Link will get a cool sword and will make it easier to fight stuff off."

Bellum scoffed. "Yeah, well, it's been said to be a very powerful sword, right? Created by the goddesses or something like that? I'm sure it's more than some cool magic sword."

"Who cares," Linebeck snapped, fishing out his cigarettes. "I'm not the one who's going to be using it. Anything concerning the sword is Link's problem." He lit a cigarette and shot Bellum a steely glare. "If you want to worry about it, go ahead. I don't care too much."

Bellum squinted at him with clear disdain, then disappeared. During just about the same instant, Damien returned in a cloud of paper amulets. Linebeck yelped and jumped back, then angrily swiped one of the amulets out of the air. "Can't you give some kind of warning before showing up like that?!"

"If I could, then I would," Damien said. He pointed at Linebeck's cigarette. "Is that the only one you've smoked today?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Ganondorf agreed to meet with you and your friends back where you all live. We can wait for the others there, if you want."

Linebeck didn't immediately respond, instead lifting the cigarette to his mouth and placing it between his teeth. After a few long moments, he asked, "Does the teleportation hurt you or something?"

"What do you mean?" Damien asked, failing to hide his surprise. Linebeck raised an eyebrow at him. "F-fine. Teleportation has been painful since my surgery."

"Aren't you supposed to rest after surgery? Unless everything's perfectly healed, of course." Linebeck smiled thinly, then said, "Well, I guess that's more motivation to get to Rain Keep. I don't think I've shown you around before, and you can get some rest there."

Damien blinked blankly. "I've been to Rain Keep." Seeing the shock on Linebeck's face, he quickly followed up with, "But only outside! I had a group of Yiga visit it every so often to keep everything in shape." He stepped forward, moving to place a hand on Linebeck's shoulder, then stopped himself. "Want to go now?"

Linebeck regarded Damien's hand. "Yeah. You should get other Yiga to bring all of our stuff to Rain Keep, though. We'll probably want to operate from there after getting the Master Sword."

"I'll act as if your prediction is completely accurate, then. How about I take you to Rain Keep, and once Ganondorf and the others show up, I can ask Ganondorf to send some Yiga over with your guys' stuff, so I don't have to do too much moving and so Mipha doesn't get on my case again." Damien smiled after he finished. He waited for the unspoken permission and set his hand on Linebeck's shoulder once it was given.

With little warning, Damien transported them outside the facility. Linebeck, disoriented, shook his head and squinted against the harsh sunlight. He paused, staring around, recognizing the rusty structure they stood in front of. Its roof was caved-in, holes and tears dotting the walls. "You know we're in the wrong place, right?"

Damien shrugged, setting his hands on his hips. He surveyed the wasteland around them, and said, "Well, wouldn't hurt to take a walk. You know where it is from here, right?"

"You could've just showed me how to normally leave the facility," Linebeck muttered, peering into the structure behind them. The rooms inside were exposed to the wasteland, and all machines were worn and broken. "Sure, we can walk. It's about a mile or two from here."

"Good luck claiming the Master Sword!" Mipha called after Link and Midna as they left the training room. "And good luck with everything after that!"

"Th-thanks," Midna murmured under her breath. Link gave her a quick sidelong glance, spotting that her cheeks were flushed. The Twili looked away, hiding her expression. "What did you need?"

"...Linebeck wanted me to get you and Ghirahim, and we'll meet up with him at Rain Keep. Ganondorf wants to show us something while we're there before we go to the Master Sword." Link rubbed the back of his neck. "Any idea where Ghirahim is?"

"I saw him pass by with Revali," Midna mumbled. "They should be in another training room down the hall."

"Revali? I forgot that he's allied with the Yiga, too."

"Seems like everyone is," Midna replied. "I saw Medli a before we left to fight, and Ghirahim swears that he ran into his friend Vaati. Really makes me wonder why the Yiga can't just overthrow Zelda whenever they want."

"Probably because Zelda most certainly has something up her sleeve. It's a good thing she can't get me on her side now. Besides, she has the elites of the Sheikah- who knows what kind of tech they have hidden away. Not to mention the underground city- only the Sheikah have true access to it, right?"

Midna scowled. "Good point. The Yiga don't really have too much info asides from the stuff Purah and Robbie can learn. Zelda might have some crazy ace up her sleeve."

They halted just outside the doors of one of the training rooms. They didn't have to open the doors to know that Ghirahim and Revali were inside- their shouting was a pretty good hint. From the sounds of it, they were sparring pretty violently.

Link slowly opened the door to the training room. Midna peered in from over his shoulder, scoffing at the scene in front of them. "I feel bad for anyone who has to repair damaged rooms."

The paneled floor was torn up by arrows and knives, which were flying through the air as if they'd been picked up by a tornado. Revali flew through the room, his bow gripped tightly in his talons to keep his wings free. Ghirahim sprinted around on the ground, summoning knives as an afterthought, swinging his sword at the speedy Rito whenever he got close. Both of them were furiously cursing at each other, clearly starting to get out of breath.

"Friendly sparring match," Link mumbled, glaring at the two fighters. "How long do you think this'll be going on for? We don't have all day." He ducked as an arrow sailed over his head. Revali's speed with taking arrows from his quiver and nocking them, and then swooping down and picking up any more arrows that were stuck in walls and the floor would surely make him a powerful fighter, but Ghirahim seemed to be keeping up rather well.

The demon had discarded his cloak at the door, and Link made sure to step on it as he walked into the room. Midna hung back, not bothering to get involved in the fight inside the room. Ghirahim summoned up a volley of knives to combat the arrows Revali shot at him, then ducked to the side, holding up a small barrier to block any arrows that got too close.

"We have more important things to do," Link snapped, walking into the room. "Are you guys almost done? We need to go and get the Master Sword."

Ghirahim stumbled to a stop, and Revali froze midair, glaring at Link. Ghirahim whipped around and gave locked Link with a steely glare. "What do you want?"

"Ganondorf wants to show us something before we get the Master Sword, and we're planning to meet up with him back at Rain Keep."

Much to Link's surprise, Ghirahim's eyes brightened. "Oh. Really? Damn, we haven't been home in a while." He put his sword away, peering at Revali. "You're a talented bird, but don't think that means you're better than me. We'll finish this up some other day."

Revali gave a haughty sniff, already collecting his arrows. "We'd better. I'd love to put you in your place. You're an excellent sparring partner, too, I'll admit. Go and get that stupid sword. And you," he snapped, suddenly turning his gaze to Link. "Don't screw this up. If you need my help, don't hesitate to ask."

Link offered the Rito a humorless smile, then left the room with Ghirahim. "Linebeck and I made up," he began. "He should be at Rain Keep now, too. With Damien. I'm not sure when Ganondorf is supposed to show up."

"He might already be there," Midna said, jogging ahead of them. "We should find someone to teleport us there."

"We could walk," Ghirahim drawled. "Revali showed me the way out of this place. It's some ladder around the middle of the facility. I can lead you guys to it."

Linebeck dropped a few dead flies into Rusty's enclosure. Damien chuckled. "I've seen people with pet cats and dogs and stuff, but I haven't seen a pet hightail lizard before."

"I found him when I found Link," Linebeck murmured, replacing the top of the enclosure. "Rusty was nuzzled in between his organs. Scared me when he jumped out. Bellum shouted so loud that he caused feedback."

"He can do that?" Damien hissed, unable to hide his smile. "Damn, that must suck." He pushed off the bed, walking over and peering down at the lizard. "I guess having a pet lizard isn't bad. He's quiet, I bet." He tapped the glass. The little creature seemed to ignore him, basking in the sunlight coming in through the window.

Linebeck flinched, hearing the distant sound of a door opening. "They're probably here." He straightened up. "We've got an extra mattress in the storage room, which is across from my workshop. The bathroom is the one next to the workshop, don't get them mixed up, okay?"

"I'll be careful," Damien purred, following Linebeck out of the room. They went down the stairs, wordlessly greeting Link, Ghirahim, and Midna as they entered the building. "Ganondorf should be here soon," Damien called out. "He'll take you to where you can get the Master Sword once he's done here." He jumped down the last few steps. "I'll stick around here for a while! Good luck!"

Ghirahim curled his lip, watching Damien go past. "He'd better be a quiet resident," he hissed. "I'd like to get some good rest after we get this sword." He stretched and walked over and collapsed on the ragged couch. "It's so good to be home."

"Yeah," Midna sighed, dragging her hand across the tabletop. "It's been a while." She drew back her hand as Linebeck tossed his goggles onto the table. "I take it you're happy, too?"

"I'm so goddamn tired," Linebeck groaned, rubbing his face. "Ghirahim, please knock me out when we get back here. I don't think I'll be able to sleep any other way."

"I'll make sure you four can rest once getting that sword," Ganondorf decided, closing the door behind him and surprising everyone in the room. Slung over his shoulder was a brown sack, which Ganondorf laid on the table. "I apologize for the lack of warning," he said, as Linebeck snatched his goggles up. "But I didn't have time. For now, I'll have to be quick. The faster you four can get the Master Sword, the more time you'll have to rest."

Ghirahim sat up, sighing. "Show us what's in the bag, then." Everyone else crowded around the table, and Ghirahim eventually decided to join them. He reached out to touch the bag, but Ganondorf pushed his hand away.

"This item is for Link only, and he can decide whether or not you can handle it as well." Ganondorf untied the bag and peered into it. "For now, you have no use for it, but once you get the Master Sword it can be used."

Ganondorf reached inside the sack and withdrew the long, intricately detailed scabbard of a sword. It was made of formerly blue leather that now looked almost black, with a gold chape and locket around the top and bottom. Gold metal was curled into vine-like swirls and points, and it was shaped into the Triforce and wingcrest just under the locket at the mouth of the scabbard. Ganondorf didn't waste any time in sliding it over to Link. "This belongs to you."

Link hesitated with his hands over the scabbard. "...It's not very familiar," he admitted. "But it's... something. Like I've seen it in a dream. But not really familiar." He placed a hand down on the scabbard and ran a finger up and down it. "What is this?"

"It was used as the scabbard of the Master Sword 200 years ago. It's been passed down between leaders of the Yiga. You'll need it once getting the sword. It's worn, but it'll do the job. I wish you all good luck." He pushed the scabbard over to Link. "The belt is a bit frayed, but it's still good. I'll transport you four to the location of the sword when you're ready."

Link nodded, picking the scabbard up. It didn't weigh as much as he expected, and he slung it over his shoulder, tying the belt across his chest. "I'm ready, but I'm not sure about the others..."

"I'll make some potions, just in case," Midna quickly offered, rushing into the kitchen. She set the cooking pot on the counter and got to work, tossing ingredients in with haste. "We could use some defense enhancement, at least..."

"Make a few strength enhancers, just in case," Ghirahim called out, meeting her in the kitchen. "Might need a few for stamina, too... I'll help you out."

Link, initially planning to further inspect the scabbard, found himself being dragged by the sleeve by Linebeck out of the building. "We need to check on the blueberry plants," the engineer said. "You're coming with me."

The air outside felt heavy, the heat seeping through Link's shirt. He dropped a few ripe blueberries into the basket he carried around. "...The Yiga were taking care of these?"

"Yeah," Linebeck drying responded. While Link picked the blueberries, Linebeck checked on the plants' health with Bellum peering at the leaves. "Refilling the sprinklers and everything." He wiped sweat off his brow and peered up at the cloudless sky. "Goddesses, I hate this wasteland. It's so hot, and not humid."

Link winced. "You like it when it's humid?"

"Better than it being hot and dry. Lurelin's nice in that its warm, but it also has that bit of humidity. The city sucks because it's dryer than the god damn desert. This is the last bush, right?"

"Yup," Link said, standing up. "Let's head back in-" Linebeck socking Link in the face with a surprising amount of strength cut him off. Pain flashed across half of Link's face, and he fell back, almost dropping the basket. He coughed, feeling at his face to make sure that nothing was broken. "Wh-what?!" he sputtered, eyelids fluttering, his eyes trying to keep track of Linebeck as the man walked past the writhing robot.

"We're even," Linebeck muttered. "Sorry. But you had it coming. Nothing should be broken. Come on. We don't have much time to waste." He stopped in front of Link and held a gloved hand out.

Link rubbed at the sore part of his face and let Linebeck help hoist him back onto his feet. When they re-entered the building, everyone could clearly tell that something was off, but no one said anything until Link deposited his basket of blueberries into the cold box. "...The Yiga took care of this stuff for us," he declared, setting the basket aside. Midna took it and started filling it with small potions. "We should take a few with us," Link suggested. "We might need some food."

"Take some, then," Ghirahim muttered, stepping back. He looked over at Ganondorf. "We're almost ready, then. Where will you be taking us?"

"A hidden temple deep in the desert," Ganondorf explained. "In the middle of the sand sea, a large expanse of quicksand. It's been on our Yiga maps for decades, but we've only been able to reach it with sand ships or teleportation. We've never been able to enter it, either... You need the pendants to enter."

The pendants were hidden in a pouch at Link's hip- his hand drifted down to check that it was still there. "I'm ready to go whenever," he admitted.

Midna rapidly tossed the rest of her potions in the basket, and she and Ghirahim added a handful of blueberries. "Give us a second," Midna breathed, slamming the door to the cold box. She winced, catching Linebeck's glare. "Okay, okay, we're good."

It took a few moments for everyone to get into position, and Ganondorf didn't hesitate in instantly transporting them.

The shift from shade to glaring sunlight spiked Link's heartbeat. Everyone else was disoriented, staggering around, rubbing their eyes, staring out at the desert surrounding them. Link turned in a circle, finding that Ganondorf was still with them. "Will you come with us?"

"No, but I will wait outside for you, in order to send you home."

Link nodded, and turned back around. The temple was simply enormous. Made of white stone and with golden engravings at the bases of the columns lining the edges of the path inside. It was surprisingly plain. Link trudged through the sand over to its marble floor, the others following after a moment.

"Not what I was expecting," Link mused, peering around at the columns as they walked down the corridor, abandoning Ganondorf. "But I suppose it works in the sword's favor if it looks like nothing but some boring old temple." He slowed, peering back at Linebeck. "Did you manage to get that second translation of what was on my back?"

"O-oh. Yeah. Give me a second..." Linebeck stopped, rummaging around in his bag. "I'll read it out." He pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and squinted at what was written on it. "One second, one second... It'll take me some time to figure out what I wrote." He laughed. "Let's just keep going, and I'll figure this out."

Ghirahim rolled his eyes and groaned and fell back to walk next to Linebeck. The four of them continued on in silence, nearing a large pair of wooden gates. Three small indentations in the wood caught Link's eye, and he preemptively took the pendants out of their pouch. They seemed to be dimly glowing, and Link knew that his eyes wouldn't play tricks on him.

Linebeck and Ghirahim quietly muttered to each other while Link and Midna remained silent, weapons drawn. The corridor leading to the gates was dead silent, but they were nervous all the same.

Link's hand was tight around his sword's grip and pondered what the Master Sword would be like. He'd seen pictures of it in that history book they'd stolen from Hyrule Castle. The base design was always the same, but he'd noted that the sword's form changed throughout the ages. It always stayed as a longsword with an inscription of the Triforce somewhere on the blade.

The sword that Link held in his hand was single edged. The last sword that he'd used that was double edged like the Master Sword was the wooden sword that he used to practice.

By the time they had almost reached the gates, Linebeck stopped everyone, straightening out his paper. "I've got it. Okay. Here's what it says." Linebeck cleared his throat and immediately seemed like he regretted it, flushing slightly. "...'My greatest creation; Hero of Hyrule; Demon tamer; Ally of Twilight; My reason to continue living; Link.' His name was the only part in usual Hylian."

Midna snatched the paper from Linebeck's hands. She peered at it, ignoring as he tried to grab it back. "...Ally of Twilight. The hell does that mean? Were the Twili able to go to Hyrule 200 years ago?"

"That makes sense." Ghirahim crossed his arms, glaring over at the gates. "But we don't have the time to mull this over, remember?"

Midna flung the paper back at Linebeck. "Good point. We need to get the sword." Linebeck frantically caught the paper and folded it up, stuffing it back in his bag. He started to say something, but Midna cut him off. "If this temple ends up having traps and the like, we'll need you to pay attention. You're the best at catching small details."

Up close, the gates were even bigger than some shops that Link saw back in Hyrule City. He held out the pendants again, staring at them as they glowed as brightly as fire. They were starting to get warm in his hand. All of a sudden, they leapt out of his hand and flew into the holes, clicking into place. Link flinched away as the doors swung inwards at an incredible speed, revealing a pitch-black room.

Linebeck tugged his left glove off and turned his pinky flashlight on. It was small, since it was on the tip of his prosthetic finger, so it didn't do much in illuminating the room, but it was all they had. "Well. Link, you go first."

"Right." Link let out a long breath and took his first step into the dark temple.