A/N:
This took a while to get out, but here's chapter 46.
Not much to say about this one. Enjoy!
Ghirahim poured Link a cup of steaming tea, and did the same for Midna. The two of them nodded in thanks, and Link took a sip of his tea while Ghirahim turned off his stove. Midna didn't drink any of her tea; she left it on the counter, staring down at it. "So. You reported all of that to Ganondorf?"
The air between them was tense, but not out of animosity- this time, it was nervousness. Ghirahim shrugged. "...Of course I did. He wants us to start preparing to fully siege the castle, now." He paused, and glanced over at the couch. Damien was still sound asleep. He hadn't even so much as stirred when Ghirahim invited Link and Midna over. "I don't think this'll be over within the next few days. We haven't made too much progress these past few days."
"We should hurry up," Midna muttered. "I mean, if those earrings prove anything, it's that we might be running out of time to save Linebeck." She tapped her own cup, then sighed. "But we can't just sideline our job to save Hyrule. Saving him is worthless if we can't manage that, too."
"When we raid the castle, we're bound to find Linebeck at some point," Link reasoned. "We don't have much of a chance going in now, so let's just wait. If Zelda shows herself again, we'll just try and kill her unless it's too hazardous. Ghirahim, did you get a chance to record anything she said to you and Damien?"
Ghirahim curled his lip. "Record her with what? I couldn't have even if I wanted. Besides, she didn't say anything too particularly damning. Just... mocked Damien and rather rudely returned Linebeck's earrings to us. Damien held it together pretty decently, aside from trying to attack Zelda. Can't blame him, but it nearly got us both killed. After I finished my report to Ganondorf, he decided that it would be best to leave Damien out of most missions until he's fully healed."
Midna gave Damien a quick look. "Good move. What about us, though?"
Ghirahim shrugged. "We keep doing what we're doing. Ganondorf's going to move the patrols closer to the castle, but apparently some issues have sprung up in the other settlements, like Goron City or Zora's Domain. He's decided to start setting aside some groups to go and help those towns, so things in the city might slow down. He's theorizing that Zelda's been sending available Sheikah to cause problems and hinder us, and there's not much we can do; we can't just ignore that."
The three of them went silent- Link took a long sip of his tea. "Did Ganondorf say that any of us would have to help with those outside towns?"
"He didn't but we'd still be short on allies." Ghirahim shrugged, slowly walking out of the kitchen area. "I know that Midna and I still have some city missions, but... Link, do you have anything set up?"
"No. I've just been cleaning out Linebeck's workshop, keeping an eye on Rain Keep while we're gone. Once I'm done there, though, I'll start joining missions." Link winced as they both glared at him- though it wasn't unwarranted. "I promise that tomorrow will be my last day back there. I've found some interesting projects, some that I think were meant for us."
"What kinds of projects?" Midna asked. "I think I remember him mentioning some stuff, but he never really had the time to follow up on any of it."
"He was making more armor for me, and mentioned equipment improvements for you two," Link said. "I found the armor, and I think I found the mentioned upgrades, but there's no way to tell just yet."
"Then go back and look at that stuff a bit closer!" Ghirahim waved a hand at Link, then pointed at the door. "If you've got something else to do, go do it so you can help the rest of us! You're the one with the Master Sword; we need you as soon as possible."
With Linebeck's workshop cleaned up, Link easily isolated what he assumed to be recent projects. The armor was obvious- it was the same material as his greaves and gauntlets, and perfectly sized for Link. On the other hand was a pair of small items- certainly for Ghirahim and Midna, though he wasn't sure which was for which. One was a small oval disk, and the other almost looked like some kind of pocketknife. Link turned them over in his hands, looking for buttons and levers, and found a small switch on the disk.
He flicked the switch, hearing a small click, and for a moment, it looked as if nothing had happened. Link moved to set it down, then flinched away from it as it emitted a brief whine. Link stared down at it, watching it slowly fold out, eventually forming a small buckler-type shield. It was only roughly a foot and a half in diameter, made of the same sturdy Sheikah material as Link's armor and the others' weapons. Link picked it up and turned it over. It was thin, and had a pair of hollow indentations on the underside. It didn't take long to find the missing arm strap in a nearby drawer marked as 'important' in barely legible handwriting.
Link studied the little shield. It wasn't for him- it couldn't be. He already had his own shield, made of Sheikah material and perfectly suited to the way he fought- even if it was no Hylian Shield.
Since he'd gotten his memories back, Link had barely had much time to examine them sentimentally. Of course, he mourned the losses and tragedies, but never took the time to really think and get the chance to miss what had been. Putting the small shield down, Link drew the Master Sword and looked it over. He hadn't even had much time to appreciate his old blade, even as it remained warm and comforting in his hand. It recognized him, two centuries later, when the only flesh of the hero that remained was a pair of organs.
Putting the Master Sword away, Link found himself wistfully missing his Hylian Shield, that beautiful, sturdy, magic-enhanced shield. It had worked wonderfully; he recalled testing it with Linebeck, the latter shooting a bomb arrow directly at him as the best test the two of them could think of, the youngest of the four. The two of them, when not focused on the quest of saving Hyrule, spent a lot of quiet time with each other. The never managed to be especially close, but Linebeck trusted Link in areas that he didn't trust the others.
Link briefly looked around the room- he looked at all of the projects and inventions. While Linebeck tended to be more creative and unleashed than the Sheikah engineers, he had much less overall success, most of his projects either falling apart easily or being made as little more than hobbies. Even his prosthetics were rather shoddy at first. He'd heard it from Linebeck himself; in the early days of using them, it took a while for them to work perfectly and it took him just as long to adjust. They rusted and required oiling often, non-essential wires needed to be replaced on occasion, even having trouble with getting them to respond. They were only perfected a few days before Zelda destroyed the city.
The small buckler seemed just fine. Link picked it up and smiled down at it. It was almost certainly designed for Midna, as a fail-safe defense, if she couldn't react with magic in time. Her spear had good reach and was decently powerful, but a small shield wasn't a bad idea.
The second one, the small pocketknife, turned out to just be that- a pocketknife, although with a slew of extra functions. Link inspected it for a few minutes, finding that, along with the blade, it had a lock-picking set, a small flashlight, and a little magnet on a string. It was clearly for Ghirahim, and Link could tell that Linebeck had difficulty figuring out how to provide the demon with extra equipment.
Link smiled to himself, nudging the extra functions back into their slots. Even if Ghirahim didn't find a use for it, someone else would probably want it.
The armor was clearly for him, and he moved it from the perimeter counters to the table in the middle. It wasn't as heavy as he thought, and Link removed his own greaves and gauntlets, setting them alongside it and compared them. Same material, similar design, same size. Definitely for him, too small for the others.
The new armor mostly consisted of a chest piece, shoulder plates, armor at the belt and down around the waist, and then some extra pieces for his upper arms and legs. Link lifted up the chest piece, and a small, folded slip of paper fell out. It fluttered in the air for a moment, then landed on the table.
Link set the armor back down, forgotten in favor of the paper he hadn't noticed before. He picked it up, looking it over before unfolding it, immediately recognizing the messy handwriting- though, this time, it was a bit more legible, like it had been written slowly. Linebeck had signed his name in a corner, small and rushed, like it had been an afterthought. It was longer than Link had first expected to find on the paper.
Working on projects gives me plenty of think about my memories. Specifically about creating Link- you, I guess, since I think Link's the one reading this. Bellum's helpful for this, since a lot of my earlier memories of your robotic body's creation are fuzzy. His collection of my memories are clear. I can remember a lot of the stuff about your actual body, but less about the machinations and less physical coding and details. Bellum has that stuff more or less chronicled away, and can help me remember it now that those memories are available to us.
He's been rambling off things I can barely remember while I work, and I think the most interesting thing is the purpose of why our eyes flash on occasion. When we make eye contact. That was apparently one of the first things I did, and your eyes were the first things I created, so I was able to code in some extra stuff for the both of us. I can add code to my prosthetics and, to a degree, my eyes. Apparently, one reason for that flashing is recognition. It doesn't always happen, only happening when one or both of us are curious about the others' identities, even a little. I'm sure that most of the time our eyes flashed, it was on accident, if that makes sense. It added this just in case a copy of you was created, that way I would at least always be able to figure out that you're the real one. Paranoia.
But it apparently has a second reason- the coding I put into our eyes is connected directly to our lives, idly observing our pulses and vital signs. If one of us dies, the other will know. I was able to test this, since, for you, it's tied directly to your body. I removed your brain out of curiosity, and your body then registered you as dead. A high whine played in my head, and I got the feeling that you had died. I tested this a few more items, getting the same reaction; I don't know how you would react to it, but the closest I could get to testing you was using a potion to slow my heartbeat enough to make your programming assume I had briefly died.
It was a rare potion. I got in trouble for stealing it, but that's besides the point.
If either of us die, the other will know. No matter what, awake or asleep.
Neat, huh? I don't exactly know how I managed that. No wonder the castle engineers hated me. I'm better at this than they could possible hope to be, and most of it's on accident.
Link couldn't help but smile to himself. He turned the note over, then carefully folded it back up. He'd written a note, didn't even bother to tell Link in person? Linebeck surely had time to tell him before or during the infiltration of the castle. Hell, Bellum could've said something if they were worried about keeping the information secret.
Link moved on to trying on his new armor. It all fit snugly and he found slight resistance each time he started to put each piece on. Linebeck had mentioned that the armor was tuned specifically for him- there was probably some kind of force checking to make sure that Link was the one trying on the armor.
Link walked a few laps around the room's perimeter. The armor was comfortable, didn't restrict his movement or feel too heavy. It was all smooth with occasional bumps and grooves with blue or orange light dimly shining through; in the back of his mind, Link recalled seeing similar armor used 200 years ago. Those blueprints they stole from Hyrule Castle, way back before they knew anything, were probably salvaged 200 years ago.
Once satisfied with his new armor, Link picked the note back up and reread it.
This time, what Linebeck had learned clicked.
Link read and reread the part about knowing if the other was dead- his scoured the memories of the past few days, looking for some instance of a mental whine or some kind of involuntary thought that Linebeck was dead. Nothing. It wasn't a surprise, but it was cold, refreshing relief. He wasn't dead. There was no way, unless Linebeck's old coding was faulty, and if that was the case then all he could do was hope.
Should he tell the others? It felt like obvious information, but maybe because, deep down, he knew that Linebeck was alive anyways. The others didn't know for sure, and the most recent information they'd gotten regarding Linebeck wasn't exactly good news.
Link folded the note back up once again and stuffed it in his pouch. He took off his new armor and set it back on the table, then got to work figuring out how he should carry everything back to the hideout. There was probably a bag somewhere that he could use.
Midna rolled her shoulder a few times, still adjusting to the weight of the small buckler. It was light, sure, but it was enough that she noticed it. She hadn't gotten a chance to test it out after Link had presented it to her, and neither did Ghirahim with his multi-tool- but he was toying with it as they walked through the city, just the three of them assigned to check out one specific street. Damien was left at the hideout- he moved back to his own room and let them know he would take the next two days to rest.
Link had seemed like he had something else to say as he was showing off his new armor, but their meet-up back in Ghirahim's room had been cut short by their assignment. Now, Midna could see him in her peripheral vision- he had his head down, but didn't appear upset, just mildly conflicted. Or tired. As far as Midna knew, Link hadn't slept or otherwise gotten much rest in a while.
They reached the end of the street and took a turn onto an equally empty street. There wasn't a single light on due to the ruined power grid. The only other living being they saw was a bird poking at some trash before flying away. Midna loudly cleared her throat, the only vocal noise to punctuate the silence in nearly an hour. Link and Ghirahim both flinched, drawing their respective swords and staring nervously around.
Midna scowled at the two of them. "That was me, you morons." She shook her head and muttered, "How high-strung can you be?"
Ghirahim hastily slid his sword back into the scabbard and shook his head. "Thought it might be Zelda again. Do you... have something to say, or are you just scaring us for your own entertainment?"
"No. Link just seemed like he had more to way when we got called out here, and since nothing's actually happening, it's a decent time for him to tell us."
Link blinked and shifted his weight. "I... guess."
"Is it bad news?" Midna narrowed her eyes yet doing her best not to seem confrontational. "Come on, tell us. It seems important, based on how you've been acting."
"It's good, don't worry!" Link quickly said. "I just don't know how to phrase it, and I was hoping to tell Damien along with you guys."
"Just tell us now. You can tell Damien later," Ghirahim muttered. "Keeping important secrets isn't the best thing to do right now."
"Fine, fine, fine, I found a note with my armor while checking everything out. It was written by Linebeck sometime while he was making our new stuff, and he explained that he and Bellum and spent that time looking through his memories about creating me. Bellum has access to most of Linebeck's memories in perfect condition, so they were able to figure out the early stages of my creation and development, which is when he coded in that sometimes, when we make eye contact, our eyes flash.
"It turns out that it was something he coded into both of our eyes early on and is used to make sure that I'm the original in case someone tries to make a copy of me. I think it's a bit incomplete, since it doesn't happen too often. But he also learned that he added extra code that more or less monitors our vital signs, and that if one of us were to die, the other would know- according to Linebeck's tests, it would be a kind of high-pitched whine and the general knowledge that the other was dead."
Midna realized a few seconds too late that her mouth was hanging open. She closed it and cleared her throat. "W-well... so? Is- is he dead?"
"I don't believe so," Link said. "There's no guarantee of how he's doing, but he should be alive, unless the death-message deal isn't working. But we do have a sort of safety net, even if it is a bit unreliable." He shrugged, turning his gaze back on to the empty street. "...But it feels right."
Link began walking again, resuming the patrol down the street. Midna and Ghirahim stared after him for a moment, then jogged to catch up. "That's good news, then," Ghirahim decided. "Tell Damien when we get back."
"I will," Link mused. "And I'll ask to be assigned to help with the other towns. This sword... it's useless like this. I'd rather use it to help protect the people in those other towns rather than march around an empty city with nothing to show for it."
Midna sighed. "I'm worried that it'll take a while for us to get into the castle. It's already been four days, and we haven't managed to breach their defenses. We're getting to it, obviously, and we know that they're watching entrances and using their best equipment, but it might take too long, and we have to remember that Hyrule itself is on the line again."
"The shadow can't do anything without the Master Sword," Link muttered. "Remember? It wants to destroy it, so the shadow can't do anything terrible as long as we keep the sword out of its reach. We've got time to save Hyrule, but we don't have as much time to save Linebeck."
"The shadow didn't need the sword to ruin half of Hyrule, 200 years ago," Ghirahim mused. "Don't forget that. It was the lack of the sword that turned that ritual of theirs into the spell that screwed everything up."
Link faltered, nearly tripping. "O-oh. Right. But the shadow does want to succeed in whatever it's doing, right? S-so I could only hope that it's willing to postpone its plans long enough for us to get close. I mean, we've already got a fail-safe in the temple of the sword, and I just hope that if things go back again, we'll have a chance to survive."
"You will," Midna said. "But we won't. The way we survived; those capsules that Linebeck made? They won't work again. We've tested them- he tested them, and they never powered on, and have long since been worn down by time. You'll live, yeah, but we probably won't. You can go out and help out those villagers, but we can't stall for too long."
The day passed without incident, and all three of them decided to travel back out to Zora's Domain the next morning. It turned out their main rivers had been poisoned- all of the fish dead.
"Chemistry isn't my forte," Ghirahim sighed, crouching at the edge of the water, his back to the rest of the domain. "This is a problem Midna would be better at helping with." He looked over at Link, sitting with him. Soon after they'd arrived, a group of Zora and Yiga alike had greeted them and given the three of them a run-down of the situation. The first plan was to create a sort of anti-toxin to cleanse the water, the second plan to use magic, and Ghirahim and Link were both left to hunt down any Sheikah in the surrounding forest.
But they decided to instead sit at the edge of the domain, waiting a few minutes to get started.
Link watched a dead fish float by. "...Do you think the Sheikah realize that this'll affect them, too? I mean, the Zora have always been the main producer and traders of river fish."
"Zelda's the one making them do all of this, and that shadow using her face just wants to watch everything burn. I think that most of the Sheikah are blindly loyal. If we managed to defeat any of them today, we should let them live. Perhaps we should capture them for information or as possible allies. Who knows?"
"Who knows," Link quietly repeated. "Well, I think Midna's got a good change of helping create that anti-toxin since she's good with both potions and magic, and I guess we'll just... try and track down some Sheikah for the next few hours. Fun."
They were given directions from a number of Zora guards and ventured out into the forest, weapons drawn. Ghirahim whistled quietly while they walked, calmly surveying the forest. Link poked at bushes and undergrowth that they passed, sometimes scaring small animals out of hiding. "You don't think the whistling will give us away?"
Ghirahim shrugged, pausing his little tune. "I was hoping it would lure some Sheikah out, but I suppose they're smarter than that. Should be a troop around here."
"Right." Link sighed and halted at the edge of a stream. He peered around at the pine trees and occasional oaks that surrounded them, and the bushes that almost resembled bunches of coral. "Damien told me that he wanted to come back here some day. I don't see the appeal too much. It's too... dreary?"
"Lots of blues and grays and greens," Ghirahim said, getting a nod from Link. "Not enough flowers and stuff, but I guess it's wild enough on the edges to want to explore." He paused. "The edges. By the south there's an edge, right?"
"Yeah. They keep some of their surveillance robots around the edges."
"Where were the other reports from?"
Link shrugged. "I don't have a map, but it was stuff along the southern edge of the forest."
"Would that mean there's a good chance that the Sheikah are hiding out in the deeper forest? I mean, I heard that it's upstream of all of the rivers and at a slightly higher elevation, and there should be a lake in there somewhere."
"What's your point?"
"I'll bet the majority of the Sheikah are camping out in that deep forest, by that lake or the upstream rivers. I mean, those sound like good places to dispense water-based toxins! And if we can find their camp, we might be able to find samples of that toxin, which should make it easier to make an anti-toxin."
Link stared at Ghirahim for a long moment, then shrugged. "Lead the way."
They wandered through the woods, quieter, this time, as Ghirahim refrained from whistling, and the sky darkened above them as storm clouds slowly moved in. It was lightly sprinkling as they reached the edge of the deeper forest, where the trees and undergrowth were considerably larger and untamed. Link took the lead, cutting down vines and thicker bushes while Ghirahim trailed behind and kept an attentive eye out for any danger.
As the weather worsened and the rain fell harder, the pair of them finally came across a small camp, hidden near the bank of a river. Link and Ghirahim crouched behind a bush, watching a small group of Sheikah spar and inspect the water. They watched for a minute, and Link whispered, "We'll dispatch them and then search the camp?"
Ghirahim nodded, and the two of them burst out of the bush with swords drawn. The Sheikah all reacted in time, but Ghirahim easily knocked one out with the flat of his blade and Link disarmed the one nearest to him. As Link moved onto a new target and cut their chest open, he noted that most of those at the camp were either young or inexperienced. They weren't as fast as some of the others he'd fought before, and he and Ghirahim effectively dispatched the camp within a minute, the Sheikah either knocked out or too injured to properly fight back.
"Can you deal with their wounds?" Link asked Ghirahim, gesturing to the injured Sheikah. The demon mutely nodded and began rummaging around in the bags around the camp, quickly finding bandages while Link neared the edge of the river. He kneeled close to the water and momentarily stared at the blade of the Master Sword. Blood soaked its edges, droplets falling down into the rushing water below. Link sighed and held the sword under the cold waters of the river and ran a hand up and down the metal, washing the blood off.
Link removed his sword from the water, the blade clean once again, and slid it into its scabbard. He turned, finding Ghirahim to be carefully binding the wounds of the conscious Sheikah, and strode past him to the small cluster of tents. They were all shoddy and bent in the rain, and most of them simply held bedrolls and lanterns.
"I've finished patching them up," Ghirahim called.
"Got it. Might as well tie them up, there's some rope in this tent," Link replied, picking the aforementioned rope up and tossing it Ghirahim's way. "I haven't found anything too interesting yet."
Ghirahim scowled and gathered up the rope. "...Y-you... won't find anything," one of the injured Sheikah wheeze. Ghirahim strode over to them and gave them a swift kick in the ribs, but Link rushed over.
"Wait, hold on." Link kneeled by the Sheikah that spoke. "What do you mean?"
Fear showed in the Sheikah's eyes. "P-promise you won't k-kill me or s-send me back to Zelda."
"We can't afford to let any of you get back to her," Ghirahim scoffed.
The Sheikah sighed in relief, and the rest of the other conscious Sheikah notably relaxed. "Th-thank Hylia. Wh-what are you two looking for? W-we're only here to monitor the Zora and try t-to fight them off." He laughed weakly, then winced. "W-we're all young, not fully trained. Z-Zelda's been sending other like us, weak and u-untrained to keep you guys distracted."
Link narrowed his eyes. "Why tell us? We're against you, and I'm trying to kill Zelda."
The young Sheikah flinched. "Well, I d-don't quite like her plans... most of us on the younger side don't. It doesn't add up. A-and I mean... if the chosen hero with the fabled Blade of Evil's Bane is facing against her... then I'm inclined to think that she's hiding something from us all."
Link grimaced. "Well, she is hiding some big stuff from you guys. How many other Sheikah think like this? Don't worry about Zelda learning about what you think; You'll be taken to the Yiga hideout and kept prisoner, but we will allow you to assimilate if you want."
The Sheikah sighed. "G-good. I was glad that I got assigned to do this with my friends; all of us here are nervous about Zelda but saying anything might be bad. Just... her plans aren't clear and the older Sheikah dodge any of our questions about her- especially Impa. She snaps at us if we try to ask about Zelda's background. The option is to either quietly agree with everything or... I don't know."
"Did you say that you guys don't have any samples of the toxin?"
"W-we don't. It was magically administered by Zelda herself."
Link groaned. "So we'll have to kill her to get rid of it. At least it's simpler than concocting some potion or chemical. Either way, we're going to take you guys to the Yiga, got it? Then our leaders can decide what to do with you."
Ghirahim stayed with the Sheikah while Link returned to Zora's domain to give everyone the news. The information that the poison was magical and therefore would sustain until Zelda's death put a damper on the Zora's spirits, but they thanked him for the information nonetheless.
At Death Mountain, the Sheikah had triggered explosives along the base of the main volcano, collapsing mining tunnels and blocking existing paths, even opening new routes for the mountain's lava rivers and making it much more dangerous for anyone but a Goron to travel. The Gorons insisted that they didn't require very much help, but Link offered to stay for a few days and do what he could, fighting off monsters and helping scout out the damage. During his stay with the Gorons, Midna and Ghirahim split off to Rito village and the small wasteland settlements respectively, dealing with Sheikah-inflicted problems while Yiga teams continued work within the city.
Five days passed while Link remained in Goron city, and the only real news he got was that the captured Sheikah had begun to reveal Zelda's tactics. The loyal Sheikah were holed up in the castle, tending to the wounds of their allies and doing their best to do repairs to the power grid.
Link reviewed the most recent news on his way down Death Mountain, accompanied by the Yiga who had appeared to give it to him. He turned down the offer to teleport him back to the hideout in lieu of waiting until he reached the base of the mountain. The Yiga wore the usual mask to obscure her features, so Link wasn't too inclined to interact much with her; she didn't seem like she wanted to talk anyways.
The new report was more of the same, but Link found a new tidbit that caught his attention. The information about the Sheikah dealing with injuries and their work in the castle medical wing included a small segment where a few of the captured Sheikah had mentioned a section of the medical wing being reserved for those with more unusual injuries- injuries not unlike the ones that Ghirahim had heard about from Damien: fingers that looked bitten off, chunks of ears taken out, broken jaws and crushed wrists and genitals, injuries that seemed to have been inflicted by something almost animalistic in nature.
"...You guys aren't trained to do stuff like this, are you?" Link asked the accompanying Yiga as she relayed the information. "I heard about this last week, too."
The Yiga shrugged. "Most of us fight with our masks on, so I don't think we should be able to bite off fingers or ears. The crushed wrists and broken jaws are fairly normal injuries, but crushing genitals is below us. Besides, the fact that they're separated from the other injured Sheikah probably implies that we're not the ones causing those wounds. I've asked a few of our prisoners about it, and they tell me that it's usually the same handful of older Sheikah who end up in that specific ward, and they never explain how they got hurt. Sounds shady to me."
"...Yeah." Link rubbed the back of his neck, the base of Death Mountain now in sight. "Isn't there a general meeting today or something?"
"Yup. I heard that you might be invited too, but it's hard to know if everyone will attend. Ashei has been busy helping out Revali and the rest of the Rito, Mipha's been supporting her own people in Zora's domain, Ravio actually got badly injured in a recent mission and has been recovering, and Damien's barely left his room for anything other than short missions. They're all either tied up with business or mostly out of commission. But I heard that since we have managed to make a dent in the Sheikah defenses, this'll be an important meeting."
Link nodded, remaining quiet up until they returned to the hideout.
Not even an hour later, he was called to the Yiga's meeting room.
Link quietly drummed his fingers on the table. Only half of the chairs were taken; Midna and Ghirahim sat on either side of him, Ashei was seated next to Ganondorf's chair, and Damien had chosen a random chair and now sat hunched over the table, his chin on his arms. He wore Linebeck's coat over his shoulders, the sleeves hanging at his sides. None of them spoke, and the only sounds were Link's fingers against the table.
After a few minutes, Ganondorf walked into the room, blueprints held in the crook of his arm. He momentarily surveyed the room, then sat in his chair. "Mipha is too busy, and I can only assume that Ravio hasn't recovered enough. I appreciate that the rest of you made it to this meeting. Nothing here is confidential, but I did call this meeting to discuss it and get your opinions before making this plan known to the rest of the Yiga."
Damien pushed himself off the table and leaned against the back of his chair. Ashei straightened up, and Link clasped his hands in front of him. Ganondorf laid out the largest of his blueprints on the table, revealing it to be the blueprints of the castle. Everyone leaned in to get a look. "According to both prisoner information and our reconnaissance information, we may have a good opportunity if we storm the castle tomorrow." Ganondorf tapped a number of areas on the blueprints. "We have multiple ways to enter, through windows, gates, or even the front. I'd say we've thinned their numbers enough, plus they've been sending their younger members around Hyrule. If we're fast about it, we may be able to kill Zelda and free anyone she's captured in less than an hour."
"Of course," Ashei whispered, studying the castle. "It's taken us nearly two weeks, but we should be ready to finally end this. Link, are you prepared to kill Zelda within the day? Ghirahim? Midna? You will finally be able to complete your original quest."
Ghirahim cracked his knuckles, grinning tiredly. "Finally. Ever since I got my memories back, I've been more or less itching to kill that imposter. Sounds like a great plan."
Midna said nothing, staring down at the map. She elbowed Link. He blinked and crossed his arms on the table. "I'm feeling confident. It's just... back then, she managed to wipe our memories with just a spell. I'm scared that might happen again."
Ganondorf scowled. "A memory-wiping spell? Spells like those which tamper with a person's very being are incredibly powerful, but also have incredibly finite uses. Do you recall what it looked like?"
"Black fog," Link instantly replied.
"Hm. That one isn't truly finite, but requires quite a bit of time to be used again. It's a power that stems from a strong connection to Demise, though it's not a well-known one. Your sword can absorb magic, correct?"
"It can, but I don't know if..." Link trailed off, and he knew that if he were still human, he would've felt his blood go cold. "Could we have avoided losing our memories all together?"
"There's no way to know for sure," Ganondorf murmured. "But if she does use that spell, try to block or avoid it. Midna, you've been making good progress in our magic sessions recently, so I could hope that you may be able to block that and other spells."
Ghirahim and Link peered at Midna, and she shrugged. "I, uh, forgot to mention that I got here a few days ago. Started honing my magic skills with Ganondorf until today. If needed, I can try and block magic attacks."
Link nodded mutely, and Ghriahim gave her a pat on the back. "Look at that, that's not something you knew 200 years ago!" Midna elbowed him in the side but couldn't hide her pleased smile.
"Moving on," Ganondorf said, pointing at an area below the castle. Those rooms weren't as detailed as the rest of the blueprint, and Ganondorf specifically indicated a group of rooms below the library. "These are the castle dungeons. Based off spy information, prisoner information, and some general guesswork, city citizens and some members of the Yiga who have gone missing are being held here. We even have a basic list of who's being held in what cells, of which there are over 100 to search once we storm the castle."
Damien suddenly straightened up and Ganondorf added, "Linebeck is not among the list of people known to be in the dungeons. In fact, most of the younger Sheikah we've captured didn't even know that he was taken, and those who do know that he was taken have no idea what was done with him." Damien slumped back down in his seat, and Ganondorf looked up at him, tentatively making eye contact. "It's worth remembering that they didn't capture him just because he's a citizen who got too close to the truth or a Yiga who slipped up- he's the one who created the base of the power grid and was able to bring Link back from the dead. They're most likely keeping him somewhere else, away from the eyes of the less experienced Sheikah.
"Which means, if we want to recover everything we wish to, we'll have to scour the whole castle, even after Zelda is dead. We can use some Sheikah as guides, providing that your memories-" Ganondoft gestured towards Link, Midna, and Ghirahim, "-aren't enough to provide hints as to where hidden rooms and passageways are."
Ghirahim shook his head. "Us three probably don't have much information about that stuff. Link and I stuck to the main corridors, and while Midna was closest to Zelda and given more free roam than any of us, she didn't want to cause trouble. Linebeck was the only one who explored beyond the boundaries of what was acceptable."
Ganondorf nodded thoughtfully. "So, tracking him down is a priority, though I'm sure some of the higher-ranked Sheikah would also know where some secret passageways are." He set down the other blueprints in the middle of the table. "These are for each of you. Later tonight I'll assign you all groups, and I'll make the announcement of the siege soon after. Study these maps well; this needs to be over soon and ending this whole mess with be easier if we know where to go."
Damien snatched up a map for himself, then paused. "...Do you want me to bring maps to Ravio and Mipha? I don't have any missions tonight."
"No, Ashei can do that. I want you to focus on planning. I recommend that you work with Link and the others, since I suspect you have similar personal goals." Ganondorf rolled up his own map. "Good luck for the time being, and I'll let you all know when we're ready to begin."
Link frowned at the map of Hyrule castle, walking around the table and peering at it from different angles while Ghirahim gave him a tired look. "...They really haven't changed much, I guess. You'd think they would."
"The castle is a good handful of centuries old. Maybe a little over a millennium," Ghirahim said. "It would be suspicious if the queen who barely showed her face and never disclosed information about the past few queens started renovating the heart of Hyrule all of a sudden."
"Still," Link mumbled. "You think they'd do something. I guess it works out in our favor, since I remember most of the castle pretty well. I even remember the dungeons and how to get down to them and everything."
"There have always been a lot of cells down there, though," Midna grumbled. "Over a hundred, if I remember correctly. And we can't just focus on the dungeons; our main mission is to track down and kill Zelda." She paused, then glanced over to the side, at Damien, who was intently studying his own copy of the map. "Checking the dungeons will probably go to him."
"H-how would I get to the dungeons?" Damien asked, sitting up now that attention was on him. "I mean, I've been in the castle, but I've never been to the dungeons."
"Here, I'll show you the way," Link mused, leaving Ghirahim and Midna to their devices to sit next to Damien. He settled down on the couch next to him and quietly gave directions.
Midna watched them for a few moments, then Ghirahim sighed to himself. "Who decided that my apartment is our mini headquarters?"
"It works for us." Midna crossed her arms on the table and grinned over at him. "We can move back to Rain Keep once this is all over. I mean, it's better than that hotel room we were in for a bit for that robot tournament."
"Fair. So, I guess our plan is to just... track down Zelda." Ghirahim leaned forward, tapping the map. "Fight some Sheik and get her location and kill her. I hope we can do better than we did 200 years ago."
"At least this time, we're more prepared," Midna mused. "More allies, more time to prepare, and we know what's going on. Really, all we don't know is the location of the Triforce of power, nor do we know where Linebeck is being kept. But we have the upper hand, I'd say. We've got this." She gently gave Ghirahim a punch to the arm to emphasize her point, grinning at him. "I think we're doing alright with our planning. Want to spar?"
"You know me too well," Ghirahim grumbled. "But sure. I need to get out of here and get ready. Let's have a healer on standby- I want to prepare for any kind of fight- feel free to use whatever magic you want."
"Careful what you wish for," Midna mused. "Let's try to avoid serious injuries, though."
"Obviously," Ghirahim mumbled. "We can't afford to be stupid right now."
Link hurried after Midna and Ghrahim, slipping into a jog to keep up as they walked to the auditorium; though it was easier said than done while he tried to get the rest of his new armor on. "...The three of us are working alone, but the generals were each given twenty skilled Yiga as their team," he reported. "I think they've all been given their own goals, Damien is talking to his own team and freeing anyone who was captured and checking the rest of the castle once done, and I heard rumors of Ravio planning to pick off archers and magic-users, I think Mipha's in charge of healing, and Ashei..."
"She's in charge of a simple attack force," Midna finished. "Ganondorf's coming, too, with a similar goal, but he's more specifically going to try and figure out what's happened to the Triforce of power, since we know where the others are. Honestly? My money's on it having been held by Zelda this whole time."
"Then we would've known," Link protested, checking the straps on the armor. "The pieces react to being near each other, so my Triforce of courage would've reacted."
"Or it could be split up, like with the Triforce of wisdom- it really doesn't matter." Ghirahim reached back and grabbed Link's wrist. "Hurry up, we can't miss the meeting! ...Your armor looks good, by the way. Linebeck did a good job."
They rushed out into the auditorium, where what looked to be the entirety of the battle-ready Yiga were milling around. Link continued to be dragged around by Ghirahim as the three of them searched for a free table. "We've been at this hideout for what? Bit over a month? And we can never find a table quickly," Midna mumbled, straining to try and peer over the heads of the Yiga in the room. "It's like they move the tables and everything."
They found a good table, and almost immediately after they sat down a hush fell over the room. Ganondorf walked out onto the stage at the front of the room and surveyed the crowd for a moment. "...I'm not quite sure what to say. It's been 200 years since this all started, and we have a chance to end this all tonight. If you are in a team, you know what your assignment is, and if you're on your own, do as you wish, just know that our aim is to topple the Sheikah and kill Zelda- the latter job being left to Link and his friends."
A cheer went up, and Link only sighed. He straightened up in his chair as Ganondorf continued and briefly went over each groups' goals, then announced that they would leave for the castle within the hour. Another cheer went up and Link gave his friends a thin smile. "Well. We better find someone to take us to the castle."
"Damien offered to take us, and he actually wants to tag along until we reach the dungeons, so that's all set up," Midna responded. "But let's wait until some more people leave before we go find him. I can already tell some of the solo Yiga are already heading out to take out some Sheikah in the city."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Heard a few of them talking about it on the way over here. The generals and the other teams have to leave when Ganondorf allows them to, but the others are free to go so long as they're careful not to warn Zelda of the larger attack. Let's wait a few minutes, then go find Damien."
"I suppose we'll make a beeline for the dungeons before anything else?" Link asked, crossing his arms on the table. "Better to make sure Damien gets where he's going. I wouldn't be surprised if finding Linebeck leads us to Zelda or vice-versa. I imagine she'd know where he is if no one else does."
People slowly exited the room, either by means of disappearing amidst a cloud of paper amulets or by simply leaving the room to another part of the hideout. It didn't take long for a good number of people to leave, and soon enough, Link could spot Damien across the room. The three of them left their table and rushed over to him, where he was going over the map of the castle with his team. Damien looked up at them as they neared. "...Hey. You're alright with us following you three around for a bit?"
Link nodded. "That's probably for the better. We'll be safer as a group."
Damien straightened up, grinning. "Oh, good. I was hoping you wouldn't mind. A lot of my teammates," he gestured towards the plainly dressed Yiga at the table, "are new to all of this. They're good fighters, but that's about it. I'm a good fighter, too, but I don't think I could protect them all on my own. Ganondorf specified that we shouldn't kill any of the guards in the dungeons, just in case we need to question them about missing prisoners." He rolled up the map and neatly slid it into a bag on a chair next to him.
Ghirahim narrowed his eyes at the bag, then at Damien, who was dressed in his usual Yiga uniform, save for the mask. "...Where's Linebeck's stuff?"
"...In the bag," Damien responded. "I... figured I might as well bring them along. They're folded up the same way he would, so you don't need to worry about it. This bag has also been enchanted and specially altered to deal with magic, so they shouldn't get damaged, especially since we won't be in the midst of the battle." He shifted, then stuffed his hands into the pockets of his blood-red trench coat. "So. We've got some time before everything, and I just got done briefing these guys, so..." He shifted from foot to foot.
"Do they know?" Midna conspicuously gestured towards Damien's teammates. "Do they know how personal this is to you?"
"They're new, but they've heard rumors and the like. I described him to them."
Ghirahim stared at Damien for a long moment, then took a seat for himself. "Well. Anyone got cards? If we're all ready to go, might as well play a game until we can go."
"...I've got Linebeck's cards," Damien mused, reaching into the bag and showing off the cat-themed pack. "Just the one deck, though, but it's better than nothing."
The hour passed by painfully slowly; Link's anxiety grew with each passing minute, and he found himself praying that anxiety had no physical effect on robots. Ghirahim's hands had begun to shake halfway through the fifth game of War with Damien, and Midna was midway through walking along the room's perimeter. Damien didn't appear as anxious as Link had expected, but there was a dangerous fire in his eyes, and he frequently shifted in his seat and spent more time looking at the clock on the wall than he did at Ghirahim across from him.
The moment the hour had passed, early in the morning, Ganondorf walked out onto the stage again and a hush almost immediately fell over the room. Damien snatched the cards from Ghirahim's hands and quickly slid the deck back into its pack, shoving it back into the bag. Ganondorf didn't say much. He only peered at each of his generals in turn, then disappeared in the usual puff of clouds and amulets. All around the room, other Yiga did the same, disappearing with their teams.
"Take my hand," Damien murmured, and Link did as he said. They waited until Ghirahim and Midna were paired off, and then everything around Link seemed to dissolve away. He floated through nothing for a moment, then stumbled forward, finding himself in a dark cobble room.
Link blinked rapidly, clinging tightly to Damien. The rest of the team were in the same room, a lone window allowing the pale light of the moon in. Midna stared around the room. "I... know this room. We're just down the hall from the library."
Barely a few hours after learning of the plan and they were already near the heart of the castle. Link swayed when Damien let go of him, then mumbled, "I know he's alive. I hope you find him." Damien turned to him, and Link nodded. "I'll lead you guys to the dungeons." Link exited the small room and was met with a dimly lit hall, a red carpet beneath his feet. In the distance, Link could hear the shouts and clanging metal of a heated fight, then took a left. "We're on the ground floor, and if we go north from the library, we can find the in-castle barracks, and the entrance to the dungeons is right next to those rooms. They keep the guards near the dungeons to easily fight back against escapes or quickly subdue rowdy prisoners.
"Of course, I'm sure they're now used for the Sheikah, and they still go down to harass prisoners."
They reached the library and were presented with chaos: the large room seemed to be the center of the fight, with most of the other generals visible in the fray. Yiga and Sheikah soldiers fought over the tables and threw each other against the bookcases, and a few bodies were splayed out on the floor, though the number of Sheikah deaths seemed to outweigh the Yiga deaths. Just based off the library scene alone, things were tipped in the Yigas' favor. Link led his group past the library and took a longer route to avoid the fighting. Still, Link reached back and drew the Master Sword, well aware that they could run into enemies at any point.
The sword was warm in his grip- it wasn't painful, just a steady warmth, and the blade dimly glowed as he carefully led his allies through the halls. The sword knew it would be needed soon. A quick glance over his shoulder confirmed to Link that the others had noticed the slight glow to his sword, but none of them commented on it. To Link, however, it was almost comforting.
"The dungeons are rather large," Link mused. "So, you guys might have to search for a while, but they have a simple layout, so it shouldn't be too hard to look around."
"...If our search isn't successful, do you have any other ideas as to where to search?" Damien sped up to walk adjacent to Link. "I-I mean I have no problem with finding everyone, but I... I need to find Linebeck. Where should I go if he's not in the dungeons?"
Link pursed his lips. "Well, for one, if he's not in the dungeons, we'll get rid of Zelda and start the in-depth search once she's out of the way, and I can tell you now that he's still alive, and if he dies, I'll be the first to know." He placed a hand on Damien's shoulder. "Once we get rid of Zelda, if Linebeck is nowhere to be found, it'll be easier to look for him, I promise. We'll round up the Sheikah as best as we can and make it as hard as possible for them to get to him, wherever he is."
Damien slowly nodded. "We're close to the dungeons?" He peered around. "It's been too quiet, aside from the library. I don't want to jinx us on the way there, but it feels a bit odd. I know we've gotten rid of a lot of them and they've been spread around Hyrule, but..."
"Don't worry about it. We'll get you guys to the dungeons and handle everything else. If you get finished before us, come look for us, and if we're done first, we'll go look for you." Link removed his hands and sighed to himself. They passed by a large wooden door. Link rapped his knuckles on it as he passed. "The barracks, good old barracks. I remember these. They were okay, though I didn't live in them long."
They ventured further down the hall and Link halted in front of a metal door, old, faded writing to the side of it. He fiddled with the handle and pushed it open. "Seems like they oiled the hinges recently... They probably use the dungeons a lot."
A few of the Yiga behind him murmured to each other while Link pushed the door open and stared down the staircase into the dungeons. He turned back to Midna and Ghirahim. "Did you guys ever go into the dungeon much? I never had a lot to do with it."
"Zelda sometimes had me talk to some of our prisoners," Midna said. "Other times, she'd have Ghirahim do the same, just a bit more aggressively- we know what the layout is down there."
"Good... we'll stick with them for a bit and go off on our own." Link stepped aside and allowed Damien and his team to go in. Link moved to follow them but stopped. "...Goddesses, I'm worried about what we'll see down there." Link rubbed at his mouth. "We had criminals down there 200 years ago, and even then, we treated them fairly well. I don't really want to know what the shadow's decided to do with people that it's been throwing in here. I just... want to find and kill Zelda, but I guess the dungeons are a good place to start looking for her."
Ghirahim gently patted Link on the back and made his way down the stairs. Link and Midna quietly stared after him, then followed. Link held out his sword, the glow dimly illuminating the stairs in front of them, and Midna prepared her spear. At the bottom of the stairs, the space began to be lit up by wall-mounted torches, and Link's eyes slowly adjusted to the new light. All the way down the corridor were cells built into the walls, barely provided any light from the torches. There were indeed Sheikah guards in the dungeons, but Damien's team were already hard at work dispatching them, knocking out most of them.
Damien moved stiffly as he trailed behind the rest of his team. Link watched him carefully while he fully stepped into the dungeons. The carpenter's hands twitched, and he nearly reached for his axe. Link narrowed his eyes and quickly strode over to him. "We're not here to kill the guards-"
Though it didn't seem like he heard Link, Damien shook his head and dropped his hands, rushing over to the nearest cell. One of his teammates tossed him a ring of keys and he got to finding the right key that would free the small group of prisoners held within the cell. They all watched Damien with wide eyes, but Link didn't notice any fear to their movements. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "...Let's help them get people out for a bit," he said to Midna.
Key rings were passed around. A few members of Damien's team decided to tie up unconscious guards and transport them to the hideout. Damien was checking cells at a break-neck pace, opening up cells, quickly checking the inhabitants, and then moving on before they could even begin to thank him. Other Yiga accepted their thanks, hugged friends, and gave all of them a summary of the situation. Once most of the guards had been cleared out, they started transporting people to safety, though Damien continued to go from cell to cell and open them carelessly, slowly becoming more and more frantic.
Link followed after Damien and carefully opened one of the cells, stepping back while the small group of people staggered out. One of them wore a tattered Yiga uniform and stared at Link. "You- that sword- I-I'd heard of it but I..." He smiled weakly. "Didn't think it was real."
"Y-yeah. Listen, you guys don't have time to stick around- a few of my friends here can take you to safety. There's fighting going on in the rest of the castle, and I doubt you want to get caught up in that." Link gave the frightened but hopeful prisoners a small smile. "...How long have you all been here?"
"...A little over a month," the Yiga mumbled. "We've seen a lot of people come in. If you want an estimate of how many people are here, I'd suggest asking one of the prisoners by the entrance. They just throw us into the nearest cell and go from there."
Link nodded stiffly. "...Have the new prisoners just been civilians and Yiga? Was there anyone who caught your eye recently?"
The Yiga frowned, now leaning against the wall. "The weirdest stuff I've seen is just people who are more aggressive when they're brought down. The only people I haven't seen brought in here are children. Honestly, I have no idea why they didn't kill us." He rubbed his eyes, then paused. "Two weeks ago, they brought in some guy who was talking to himself. Most of the time, the prisoners try and yell at the guards, but he was just having a conversation with someone who wasn't even there."
His heart rate quickening, Link asked, "Th-the guy who was talking to himself. What did he look like? Where was he taken?"
"Uhm... he was on the taller side, and seemed to have fairly long hair, past the shoulders but not too long. ...Is he a new member of the Yiga? I've been out of the loop for a while... He might be in a cell farther down. Someone hand me some keys; I'm well enough to help out."
Link nodded quietly and found him an extra set of keys. Link then rushed down the corridor to find Damien, who didn't notice that his name was being called until Link grabbed him by the shoulder. "Any progress?" he asked, doing his best not to express surprise at the frantic look in Damien's eyes.
"H-he's not..." Damien shook his head. "I-It's just random people and other Yiga. I c-can't comfort any of them s-so I just send them away."
"One of the prisoners saw him brought in and said that he'd probably further down." Link kept his grip on Damien's shoulder, even as he moved to run further down the corridor. "Slow down. We'll look together, and if he's not there, you should go back to freeing people, and my friends and I will handle it. If we're lucky, he'll be near Zelda."
Damien stared at Link for a moment, then the two of them rushed down the corridor. Link led Damien along as there were less and less torches as they delved deeper into the dungeons passing by cells of people watching to be released.
It didn't take long for them to find the end of the corridor; the last two cells were empty. Link frowned, and Damien carefully backtracked, silently checking the other empty cells. They passed by empty cell after empty cell on their way back. The first prisoner they found was a stranger. Link slowed, while Damien sped up, checking each cell until he ran into his own team members. He spoke quietly with them for a moment, then looked back at Link. "...They've freed pretty much everyone. I'll leave one or two of my soldiers here to open the rest of the cells, but I guess... we're going to go join Ganondorf. Good luck."
Link quietly found Ghirahim and Midna and shook his head. "...We'll have to look somewhere else."
"Zelda should know where he is, then," Midna mumbled. "We'll find her and make her tell us where he is, along with everything else."
Damien and his team were slowly leaving the dungeons. Link watched them go and sighed. "I want to check the end of the corridor again. Just in case."
They walked back down to the end of the long corridor, Ghirahim squinting in the dim light. "Well. It doesn't look like anything remarkable. Can either of you see anything?"
"Just... a cobblestone wall." Midna sighed. "Are you looking for something, Link?"
Link shrugged. "Something to imply a secret passageway, but nothing seems obvious-" He cut himself off and blinked hard.
Ghirahim scowled at him. "Yeah? What were you going to say? Did you get dust in your eyes or something? Would that even bother you?"
"No, I... saw something." Link took a few tentative steps towards the wall and flinched as he saw it again. A flash of yellow. Too well illuminated for it to be natural. Yellow tinged by a faint blue; Link saw it again, moving back and forth in front of the wall, flickering, trying to get his attention. "S-something's there. Flickering. Hang on." Link squinted at it. It zipped around in one area like a bug, then suddenly sped off to the side, and now hovered in a cell to the right. Link followed after it, squinting at it, watching it continually flicker and twitched around. "C-can you guys not see it?"
"It feels like... somethings there. But I can't see anything." Ghirahim frowned at Link, then hesitated. "What does it look like?"
Link didn't hear Ghirahim; he ran after the flickering, familiar shape, coming to a stop before the wall of a cell. The shape shuddered and hovered in front of one of the bricks, twitching away as Link reached and pushed on the brick. It slid inwards and the back wall of the cell swung open like a door. Link followed the shape down the hallway that was now revealed to him, and Midna and Ghirahim followed after a moment of hesitation.
"Did that... thing show you to do that?" Midna shouted after him but didn't get a proper answer. She shared a look with Ghirahim, but continued to follow after Link down the nearly pitch-black hallway.
The hallway opened up into what looked to be a separate dungeon, smaller, a circular room with only a few cells. All of the cells were closed and dark inside, but one singular cell's door was open, and a trail of blood led from it and down a hallway across the room. Link didn't hesitate a moment longer and stumbled after the flickering image as it led him over to the hall opposite their entrance.
The shape halted at the doorway, waiting for Link to reach it. Link reached out and his hand passed through the image. "...You look terrible," Link murmured to the flickering shape, and it seemed to look sadly at him. "You can't even talk right now? You've always been talkative... Where are you taking us? I didn't know you could go too far from him."
"Link!" Midna grabbed him by the shoulder. "You want to fill us in on what's going on?"
"It's Bellum," Link mused, staring at the flickering AI. "He's... flickering and can't talk. Weak, I guess. I think Linebeck's nearby, he must be leading us to him."
The three of them followed Bellum, moving slowly and carefully in the dark, flinching when they stepped in the trail of blood. Before long, they reached the end of the tunnel and found a pair of Sheikah-material doors with a single light shining down on them and the ground before them. The light was bright and illuminated a circle of ground in front of the doors, casting light on the figure that lay motionless before the doors, curled up, blood pooling on the ground around him and soaking through his crumpled, torn shirt and dirtied vest.
Bellum's form stabilized, but he remained silent as he flew down to the figure. The man's only movement was a shallow rise and fall of his chest. Bellum looked back at the stunned group, then disappeared.
The trio dashed over and huddled over the collapsed figure, checking for a pulse and for the injuries. Link found his neck first. Despite Bellum's continued existence and the silence in Link's head, it was still a relief when the slow pulse in his neck confirmed that Linebeck was still alive.