A/N: I apologize that this chapter took so long, but it's done! Since it's been so long, it probably wouldn't hurt to give past chapters a reread (I know that's what I'll be doing once this is up)
This chapter has some language and some blood, but otherwise there's not much else to point out beforehand.
Link stood stock-still, practically pressed against the wall behind him. He allowed Midna and Ghirahim to inspect the shape on the floor, too stunned to do anything else. Linebeck's clothes were stained with blood and torn in a few spots, showing old bruises that were large enough to convince Link that he'd been through some form of hell.
"…How long do you think he's been laying here?" Link finally asked. For a long while, he didn't get an answer. Bellum had disappeared after they found Linebeck, and didn't seem like he would show up again. Anything the AI had to tell them would probably be valuable, but Link suspected that whatever Linebeck had been through had somehow tired Bellum out as well.
"Some of the blood trail is still wet, so he can't have been here long," Midna breathlessly replied. "We can't leave him here, but we can't just ditch the castle, either."
"Let's bring him with us, then," Ghirahim suggested. "We did that up in those Rito mountains, we might as well do it now. I'll keep him safe." Without waiting for any sort of feedback, Ghirahim gently moved Linebeck onto his back and then picked him up, looking him over one more time. "I don't think anything's broken."
"His wrist looks really bad, though," Midna mumbled. "That's some nasty bruising. It… could've been broken, but I can't imagine why it isn't any more."
"It was probably healed," Link mumbled. "I don't think the shadow would've wanted to disable him." He peered at Linebeck, limp in Ghirahim's arms, and shuddered. "We really can't do much without him nearly dying, huh?"
Midna crossed her arms and turned to face the door behind them. "Well, if we want him to survive this, we'll have to be careful, right? Can't turn back, and this is the only way forward, not to mention a very interesting-looking door. I can't remember seeing this 200 years ago."
"It could be new," Link suggested.
"Either way, it's worth checking out," Midna mumbled in response. She glanced over at her shoulder and indicated at Linebeck. "He was trying to get to these doors when he managed to get out of whatever cell he was being kept in. He decided that whatever might be behind this door was more worth investigating rather than escape. Wanna bet that shadow probably went through these doors recently?"
Link stared at the Sheikah doors. He hadn't paid them much mind before, but now he studied it. "How do you think we open it?"
"Well, Zelda opens it somehow, so I'm sure we can figure it out." Ghirahim glowered at it, then cast a worried look down at Linebeck. "If you ask me, it might be a good thing that we found him without Damien. Poor guy would break down if he saw Linebeck in such bad shape."
"We don't need to worry about Damien right now," Midna muttered, running a hand along the door. "I'll try a few types of magic, and then we can try force or checking for a secret panel. If we do find the shadow, we need to be ready to deal with some powerful magic, I'll assume. Hopefully, you might be able to use the Master Sword to absorb most attacks." She nodded at Link. "Remember what happened with Agahnim, 200 years ago? I remember you using it to counter magic a few other times, too. Don't lose it."
Link nodded stiffly, managed to tear his eyes away from the Sheikah door. "There's a pattern to the design on the door," he mumbled. "The raised lines in between all of the glowing circles are part of a big pattern. And the pattern converges… here." He reached out, pointing at a tiny section of the patter that all other sections touched.
Midna frowned at it and pressed her hand into it. Almost immediately, her hand sank into the door, disappearing from sight. She flinched, then frowned. "T-there's stuff in here. This part of the door is just an illusion. Its… not very deep, not very big… Oh! I can feel some kind of lever…" She jerked her arm down, and all three of them hear a loud scraping from behind the door.
Ghirahim shuffled back a few paces, and both Link and Midna held their weapons up at the ready. For a while, the door did not move as the noises continued behind it. Then, the door slowly slid down into the ground, and pale light streamed into the hall. Link stiffened, and behind the door, he saw a large, dimly lit room, the walls covered in Sheikah text and markings. He lowered his sword, squinting at that room as the door slid down into the floor. With a small, slow exhale, he and Midna shared a wary glance, and the two of them shot a look back at Ghirahim. The demon gave them a stiff nod. "Go. I'll be right behind you."
After one moment of waiting for Ghirahim to catch up, the three of them slowly advanced into the room. Link took the lead, and he entered the room first and tilted his head back to get a look at the ceiling.
The whole room looked to be made of Sheikah material, the ceiling covered in intricate carvings of animals and monsters and landscapes. If he wasn't so worried about Zelda's location, Linebeck's condition, and their current quest, Link would stop and marvel at them. But they only made him more nervous, and he tore his gaze away from them.
The room was large and circular, with the only way in looking to be the door behind them. Ghirahim slowed his pace while Link and Midna advanced further into the room. In the middle of the room stood three other people, huddled together and most likely discussing something, too busy to notice the newcomers.
Likewise, the newcomers were too high-strung to bother with the huddled trio. Ghirahim found a spot near the door and laid Linebeck against the wall, getting a good look at him. Midna stood between them and Link, occasionally glancing back at the door.
All three of them jumped when the door suddenly and loudly closed. None of them made a sound, afraid to provoke those standing in the middle of the room, but Link and Midna both turned on their heel and hurried over to Ghirahim. They hovered behind him as he checked Linebeck once more, and Midna suspiciously examined the room. "I… never knew there was a room like this in the castle. I never knew about that room Linebeck was held in, either."
"The shadow probably made them in order to get away with shady shit," Link growled, shooting a glare over his shoulder. "Ghirahim, he'll live, right? We just- we just need to keep him safe from… them."
"He's feverish and bleeding," Ghirahim mumbled, "but we've got some extra medical supplies, right? You brought stuff, right, Midna?"
"I- of course!" Midna tugged open one of the pouches at her belt and held out a small case. "I didn't actually bring much, I didn't think we'd get cut off from everyone else." Ghirahim took the case and opened it, peering at the handful of bandages and salve inside. "Hurry up and do whatever you're going to do, I really don't want to be unprepared if those guys attack."
Ghirahim nodded curtly and began wrapping what wounds he could reach, displaying a degree of skill that Link hadn't seen before. He didn't give himself time to think much on it, though; he got to his feet and faced the three people in the middle of the room, and narrowed his eyes at them. His eyes adjusted- it surprised him initially, then it became familiar- and his vision zoomed in. He couldn't feel the movement, but he could hear small gears and pistons shifting to adjust his eyes.
Two of them looked to be ordinary Sheikah soldiers; Zelda was the third. She had her back to Link and his allies, and if he didn't know better, he would assume that she didn't even know that they were there. He turned and considered asking Midna for Linebeck's bow, or asking her or Ghirahim to send a magical attack at Zelda while she wasn't looking.
But Link couldn't risk a possible counterattack when they weren't prepared. So, he clenched his fists and kept his eyes trained on them while Ghirahim and Midna worked behind him. His focus needed to be on protecting them- he could take more damage than them, could keep going for longer, so he needed to take on the brunt of the work once they began fighting Zelda. He took in a deep breath and pulled his Sheikah-material shield off his back. It was no Hylian Shield, but it would have to do.
He took one last look over his shoulder. Midna was tying off what looked to be the last of the wounds, and Ghirahim's hand drifted up to Linebeck's face. With a degree of care, Ghirahim opened one of Linebeck's eyes- it was dull, further proof of his unconsciousness, and still bloodshot, the whites of his eyes containing those strange lines that connected to his prosthetics.
All three of them, once certain that Linebeck was in stable condition, turned to face the group in the middle of the room. Midna rose to her feet, and ran a hand down the shaft of her spear, narrowing her eyes at Zelda. Ghirahim got to his feet more slowly, and after a moment of hesitation, waved his hand above Linebeck. A small shower of black-and-red diamonds fell from his hand, and lingered in the air around Linebeck. They glimmered in the dim light, and Link sighed. Though he wasn't sure how it'd hold up against any of the shadow's magic, a barrier protecting Linebeck would be sure to allow them to focus on fighting with less worry.
Midna added some of her own magic to Ghirahim's barrier, further strengthening it, and the three of them shared a quick look.
In the middle of the room, Zelda and the two Sheikah finally faced the newcomers. "You four are like a gang of cockroaches," the shadow shouted, barely-contained rage making Zelda's voice shake. "I try time and time again to have your four squashed, and it just doesn't work. At least, this time, you came to me. Makes my job easier if you and the Master Sword are all here in one place for me to destroy."
Link, Midna and Ghirahim took a few steps closer to Zelda and the Sheikah. They moved slowly, then all froze as the two Sheikah began to walk towards them. They were unarmed, and the shadow began to speak as they walked. "This room was created about a century and a half ago, now, and it's incredibly durable. It would take a great deal of magical prowess to damage these walls; I test my magic in this room, and I have yet to leave a scratch." As if to prove its point, the shadow flicked a wrist and sent a wave of black magic went flying across the room, slamming into the wall. It collided loudly, but left no mark as it dispersed. "See?"
Link scowled and crouched slightly, but refrained from moving further as Zelda faced them again. "You four… I've learned that it tends to be easier to kill someone when they're panicking." The shadow flicked a wrist again, and a barely-visible shockwave shot towards the two Sheikah. The Sheikah whipped around, fear etched into their features, and they barely had time to take one step back before the magic slammed into them. The magic dispersed on contact, dissipating into small fragments and soaking into the Sheikahs' bodies.
The pair of them froze on the spot and the magic burst out of them a moment later, tearing them to pieces. Link jerked away, eyes widening, and Zelda only sighed. "Well, come on, now. Both of our goals include the death of the other, so we may as well begin this fight." She drew the sword that was sheathed at her side and lunged at the group.
Link dashed off to meet her halfway, aiming to keep her as far away from the others as possible. They met just past the remains of the Sheikah, their respective blades slamming into each other. In the split second that they were close, Link got a good look into Zelda's eyes; they were empty, dark pits filled with shadow. Despite the look of contempt on her face, no traces of human emotion were in Zelda's eyes. He shoved away from her and stumbled back a few steps, narrowing his eyes.
Zelda didn't give him a moment's rest; she rushed at him again, jabbing at his shoulders, chest, and arms, switching up to slashes whenever his block lingered a moment too long. They danced around the middle of the room for a few minutes, Link having to utilize his shield a few times, but he was grateful that the shadow didn't manage any magic. From what he could tell, it needed to charge up any magic it wanted to use.
"What are you trying to do?" the shadow asked, smirking slightly. "Just you facing off against me? Why not leave that stubborn, foolish engineer to his fate? He'll provide no help in killing me, even if he wasn't already on death's door. Of course, you're the only one who can kill me, as neither the Twili nor the demon can wield that sword…" With a twist of its wrist, the shadow brought the rapier up to its chest and jumped back a short distance. "If it adds anything, Zelda is truly dead. She died when her lifespan expired, and I am controlling her corpse- if you fools were at all hoping to save her, you're a couple decades too late."
"I figured as much," Link snapped. "Get on with it. You'll be dead within the next few minutes, so say what you want to say already." He straightened his back and pointed his sword at her.
The shadow sighed and dropped its arms to its side. Link started to advance towards her, but halted as the shadow lifted a hand, a red fog gathering around it. The shadow snapped its fingers, and a wall of crimson red energy rushed at him. An old memory flashing to the forefront of his mind, Link steeled himself and stepped forward, then sliced through the magic with the Master Sword. The blade split the wall in two, and the section that the sword touched seemed to get absorbed into it.
Link whipped around once he knew he was safe, and found Midna and Ghirahim both hovering over Linebeck, hands up as they held their barriers. Forgetting about the shadow, Link rushed to join them.
Ghirahim fell to his knees a moment after Link reached him. "That… that thing has some seriously powerful magic… Let's hope it can't pull off too many attacks like that." Taking in a long breath, he summoned his sword and glared hard at the shadow. "You cut that magic in half," Ghirahim said to Link, not taking his eyes off the shadow. "You're our ace in the hole, then. Can't you shoot that stuff back at it or something?"
"Yeah, yeah- mind joining me soon?"
"Not yet; get your ass back in there! We still need to make sure Linebeck won't get killed!" Ghirahim shoved Link away, and aggressively jabbed a finger at him when he didn't move. "Go! We'll be fine, but only if you go and kill that damn thing!"
Link set his jaw and turned away, running off and leaving Ghirahim and Midna on their own again. The Master Sword was hot in his hand; a quick glance towards it informed him that the blade had begun to glow the same crimson as the magic. He slowed and stopped only a few yards from the shadow and sank into a lower position than normal, and swung his sword in a wide arc- it made the joint in his shoulder creak as it reached its limit.
The red sheen disappeared from the Master Sword, escaping the blade and flying towards the shadow. Link stumbled forward from the force of his swing, and slide into a sprint. The shadow just barely dodged the magic wave, sidestepping it easily, but it was just barely able to block a jab from Link. He easily knocked her rapier aside, and the look of momentary terror on the shadow's face sent a thrill of ecstasy though his circuitry. With the shadow stumbling away, thrown off-balance by Link's forceful jab, he lunged closer to her and took the Master Sword's handle in both hands.
As the shadow continued to fall back, Link aimed to slash it from hip to shoulder; he miscalculated the distance, but the blade still sliced through Zelda's shoulder like she was made of smoke. And, much to his surprise, smoke was what escaped the wound instead of blood. Black, thick, fast-moving smoke seeped out from the cut, licking at the air like flames and dispersing rapidly. The shadow hissed and clapped a hand over the wound.
Despite that brief victory, Link didn't allow himself even a second of celebration. He rushed at the shadow again, swinging his sword as fast as his limbs would allow. He could practically hear the circuitry crackling and whirring under his synthetic skin; his heart thudded in its cramped space in his chest as his sword clanged against the shadow's rapier. It was thinner and shorter than the Master Sword, but the sheen on the rapier's blade implied enchantment.
Link slide the Master Sword off of the rapier's blade and leapt back, narrowing his eyes. "Are you using Zelda's skills, or have you spent time training yourself to swordfight? I can't imagine that a shadow like yourself having the best chance of doing that." He smiled slightly. "You aren't bad with magic, but I'll admit, you're not as formidable without it."
"Strong magic takes time," the shadow snapped. It peered at its wound, then grinned past Link, at Ghirahim and Midna. "Though if you're a weaker magician, even weak spells take time."
A new, green fog gathered around the shadow's hand, and Link felt his breath catch in his throat. It fired off before he could even move, a deep green magical missile rushing at his friends. Link abandoned the shadow without a second thought, trying to catch up with and stop the magic- and slid to a stop when it burst upon contact with a new barrier.
The fog of burst magic scattered as Midna rushed through it, lowering her barrier as she ran. She sprinted past Link without hesitation and even managed to catch the shadow off-guard for a split second. Midna swung her spear around and sank its blade into the shadow's shoulder, staring it in the eyes with barely-restrained fury. "Quit talking with her voice, you worthless parasite."
The shadow scowled and grabbed the shaft of Midna's spear. It kept it in place even as Midna attempted to yank it out, and Link took the opportunity to rush over and open a gash in the shadow's leg. He leapt back and sprinted at the shadow, still rooted in place as it kept the spear from leaving its shoulder. Just as the tip of the Master Sword was about to sink into its chest, the shadow fell backwards, taking Midna, still gripping her spear, with it.
Link reacted just before his sword cut into Midna- the joints in his shoulders suddenly jerked, tearing his arm to the side so that he merely stumbled into her.
Midna let go of her spear and grabbed Link's arm instead, dragging the both of them away from the shadow. It stared curiously at them.
"Close call," Midna mumbled, her voice trembling with anger. "Now what?"
"Can you attack with your magic?" Link quietly asked.
"I can try- my stuff can't directly harm things the way Ghirahim's can, but I'll help you out until he joins us." Midna set her jaw, then suddenly tapped on Link's shoulder. "I can distract it," she hissed. "I see the shadows coming out of that one cut you made. You think that's how we kill this this? Get it to basically leak out of Zelda's body?"
"That's our best shot right now," Link mumbled.
The shadow all but ignored them, inspecting the spear stuck in its shoulder. Without a change in expression, it jerked the glowing spearhead out and tossed the weapon away behind it. Blood leaked from the wound, but neither Link nor Midna could see any smoke. Even the wound inflicted by the Master Sword in the other shoulder had long since stopped leaking fog.
"Looks like the Master Sword is the only thing that can hurt it, and even then it only loses a little bit of shadow," Midna mumbled. "I'll distract it." She dashed off towards the shadow, who immediately flung a ball of writhing magic towards her. Midna leapt to the side, and Link cleaved the magic in half, absorbing it and swiftly shooting it back at the shadow. The shadow dodged the returned magic and swung its sword at a swiftly approaching Midna. Midna sank into its shadow the moment it tried to run her through, and she reappeared right behind it. Moving with frenzied speed, she grabbed the shadow, wrapping her arms under its shoulders and restraining its arms.
Link's heart quickened and he nearly tore the wires in his legs as he rushed towards the vulnerable shadow. He pulled the Master Sword back and swung it in a large arc across the shadow's chest. The blade tore the dress that echoed the very ones that Zelda had worn while alive, but it was only a mimicry of those old designs; now that Link was close and tearing through the material, he finally recognized it for what it was.
He opened a large gash across the shadow's chest, and it shrieked in fury. Midna released it, and Link stepped back as it collapsed to the ground, thick black smoke billowing from the wound. It wouldn't last long, he knew, but unlike that shoulder wound, it was from shoulder to hip, and the fog escaping the shadow's body was thicker and in larger a volume.
Link grit his teeth, briefly exchanged a glance with Midna, then approached the shadow once again. He stowed his shield on his back, hearing the slight hum of it powering down. He clasped his right handle on the Master Sword's hilt above his left, and stood over the collapsed shadow. He could still see fresh smoke leaking from the wound, and it shuddered without a sound. He thrust the tip of the Master Sword down, failing to notice the magic glowing in the shadow's hands.
As the blade was inches from the shadow's neck, it shoved itself off the ground, rolling away and out of harm. It reeled back as much as it could, aiming magic at Link's vulnerable chest.
Before it could release that magic, one of Ghirahim's daggers pieced its right hand, and it cried out in pain. "Kill that damned thing already," Ghirahim roared at Link from somewhere behind him. Link didn't even give him a single glance. He rushed at the shadow for one last time, raising his sword above his head and bringing it down upon the wounded shadow.
It was like the shadow had no neck at all- the Master Sword sliced through it with terrifying ease, and black fog billowed out from the neck. Zelda's headless body crumpled on the ground, and her head rolled away, silent and leaking inky smog. Link, Midna, and Ghirahim all walked over and stood over the severed head. They watched the smoke stream out until no more fog remained, and both the head and the body began to crumble to dust. Midna let out a harsh gasp, and Link gently took ahold of her hand as the three of them watched Zelda's long-dead body finally crumble into nothingness.
The dust gathered, then blew away in a non-existent wind, disappearing out of sight. Link sighed heavily, and looked over at Midna and Ghirahim. "We're… done? The shadow's dead?"
Just as he finished speaking, a cloud of darkness rose from where Zelda had died. Link jerked his sword at it and felt his friends stiffen besides him. All three of them stared at the fog as it gathered into a vaguely human shape, posed like it was hunched over. Link swung the Master Sword at it; it managed to duck out of the way, but Link was quick enough to get it in the shoulder. What shadow the blade touched was sucked into it, and the rest of the shadow staggered away as though fearful.
Ghirahim snapped his fingers and sent a small volley of knives at the shadow; he scoffed when it just barely managed to dodge. "This is all this thing is? This is the thing that screwed everything up?" He snapped his fingers again, tossing more knives, one of them slicing through the shadow's arm. "Worthless."
Link stepped back as Ghirahim flung more knives at the shadow, then sigh, turning away. "That thing doesn't deserve any more of our attention. Just… get rid of it, Link. Let's go home already." He shared a look with Midna, who nodded solemnly.
Ghirahim and Midna left Link alone to toy with the shadow. The Master Sword practically burned in his grip, begging for Link to kill the shadow, but he relented for a time, watching it dodge and stagger away from his attacks. After a few lazy attacks, Link turned to face Midna and Ghirahim. They were both crouched around Linebeck, looking him over, seemingly having removed the magic around him. "How's he looking?" Link shouted.
"Not great," Midna shouted back. "Once some healers get to him, though, he should be fine! Keep an eye on that shadow and kill it already!"
Link laughed humorlessly and turned back to the shadow again, eyeing it up and down. "You're nothing without a host, huh?"
It seemed to stare back at him, despite lacking visible eyes.
With a muffled growl, Link swung the Master Sword at it again. The blade seemed to hum as it tore through the air, and it sliced through the shadow's shoulder with ease. The shoulder melted away, and the shadow's right arm fell and shattered into fog. The shadow itself barely reacted, slightly shifting to the side, staring past Link. Once its arm fully dispersed and Link moved to strike at it again, it took off sprinting past him.
It dashed away before Link could react, missing substantial portions of itself, practically bleeding smog. Ghirahim and Midna both saw it barreling towards them at the same time, and they both sprang to their feet. Ghirahim sent knives flying at it, and the shadow merely allowed the knives to tear through it. Midna rushed to meet it halfway and thrust her spear through its head. The shadow stumbled, but continued and leapt past a charging Ghirahim, reaching for Linebeck.
The shadow was hardly more than a vaguely-humanoid cloud, missing its right arm and sporting holes throughout its body. With its remining arm, it reached towards Linebeck. A bleeding, battered, injured and unconscious mess, no longer protected by magic, Linebeck lay prone and undefended as the shadow loomed over him.
A loud buzzing sounded in Link's head, and every bit of circuitry and wiring and engineering in his body practically threw him after the shadow. If he were still human, he would've tripped over his own feet and dropped the Master Sword, but his robotic body moved flawlessly and desperately, trying to beat the shadow to the man who'd created it. Link rocketed towards the shadow, moving as fast as his limbs would allow, almost reaching it.
Almost.
The shadow reached Linebeck and dissolved and seeped into his body. It disappeared from sight just as Link caught up with it.
"Shit-" Link fell to his knees in front of Linebeck. "Where the hell- no-!"
"What happened!?" Ghirahim demanded, grabbing Link by the shoulder. "Where did the damn thing go?" He tore Link away and lowered himself down by Linebeck, staring intently at him. "What- I saw it get to Linebeck! Where'd it go?" Without thinking, Ghirahim grabbed Linebeck's shoulders and turned him over onto his side, peering past him. "Where…?"
Linebeck twitched. Ghirahim flinched and hopped back, and Midna and Link rushing over, and all three of them stared silently at Linebeck. He twitched once again, and very slowly he drew his hands up and placed them on the ground. His eyes remained closed, and his movements were shaky, but he managed to push himself into sitting up.
Linebeck blinked, looking disoriented as he stared around the room. Link was the first to approach him, and he fell to his knees in front of him. "…Linebeck?" Linebeck stared at him, trembling slightly. Blood still leaked from his wounds, and his eyes were dull as he peered around, his gaze finally falling onto Link again.
Link held out a hand. "You… you're awake."
Without a word, Linebeck looked down at Link's outstretched hand. He drew his own hands back, and managed to straighten up a bit more, then staring up at Midna, then Ghirahim. He leaned back a little bit, his hands shifting slightly behind him, and he let out a long, unsteady exhale. Link smiled faintly, and Linebeck tilted his head at him.
With his right hand, Linebeck reached out towards Link's hand. He leaned in slightly, and Link smiled wider, relief flushing through his system.
Just as Linebeck moved to take Link's hand, he tore his knife from its sheathe and thrust it at Link's throat.
Link shoved himself away, the knife only just barely cutting into his neck. He scrambled back, gawking at Linebeck. He still held the knife out, his arm shaking, but his eyes remained dull. His eyes flicked between Link, Ghirahim, and Midna. He narrowed his eyes and shoved himself to his feet with a dexterity and physical sureness that was not something that a heavily wounded and exhausted man was capable of.
Linebeck lunged at Link again, trying to stab at his throat, not even flinching as Link grabbed him by the arms to hold him away. With a great heave and the help of his joints locking into place, Link managed to shove Linebeck away. Link stumbled backwards, nearly falling into Ghirahim. He felt Ghirahim start to rush past him, but grabbed him by the arm and tugged him back. "What are you doing?" Link hissed, dragging him back, Midna nervously following them, her eyes on Linebeck.
"Something's wrong," Ghirahim rasped. "He's- something's wrong."
"No kidding," Midna growled. All three of them halted a safe distance away from Linebeck. He swayed and stared silently at them, seemingly reeling from Link's shove. "He's not just confused or lashing out in reaction to being touched- if that was the case, he'd probably be cursing at us. It's like he's sleepwalking or something."
All three of them flinched as Linebeck lunged at Link once again. He moved too quickly for Ghirahim to put up a barrier, but Midna managed to get between them. Linebeck tried to go around her, but she jabbed her spear at him, stopping him in his tracks. Those dull eyes met hers, and she scowled. "You… you have no right to use his body."
Linebeck stared blankly at her, then opened his mouth; a hoarse noise exited his throat, but he didn't speak. He switched his grip on his knife and narrowed his eyes at Midna, his free hand going up to his throat. He seemed to try to speak again, only managing another weak sound. Midna jabbed her spear at him again.
Link stumbled towards Midna, nervously keeping his eyes on Linebeck. "What- Are you saying that the shadow-"
"Obviously," Midna spat. "Fucking bastard- It's probably too weak to actually kill us in a real fight." She and Link shuffled backwards as the shadow- using Linebeck's body- took one trembling step towards them. "The problem now is how to get it out of him."
Linebeck charged at Link, switching his grip on his knife and thrusting it at his shoulder. Link grabbed his wrist as the blade was inches away, and Midna shoved Linebeck away, nearly throwing him to the ground. In an attempt to keep his footing, Linebeck twisted around and stumbled away, fresh streams of blood leaking from his wounds. He winced in pain, but lunged at Link again.
This time, Link deflected the knife, then carefully exchanged blows with the shadow in Linebeck's body. Midna watched and readied her spear, but Link quickly cried "Don't! We need to figure out how to handle this, first!" He grunted as he missed a deflect and the knife as thrust into his chest. Against his better judgement, Link shoved Linebeck away. "The shadow clearly doesn't care about making his wounds worse or even killing him so long as it gets the Master Sword or kills all of us! We need to figure out how to get rid of it without killing Linebeck!"
"Wounding Zelda was enough to weaken the shadow," Ghirahim called, rushing past Link. "Maybe- Maybe since the shadow is so weak now, just… just hurting Linebeck a little bit might be enough to get it out of him!"
Ghirahim grabbed Linebeck from behind, pinning his arms to his side. Linebeck struggled, even almost managing to free his prosthetic arm, but Ghirahim held on tightly. Link gripped the Master Sword with both hands, glaring at Ghirahim for a moment- but they had no other ideas. He held the sword up, arms stiff, and then scored a small cut on Linebeck's cheek. Linebeck bled like normal- but thin trails of black fog leaked out along with his blood. He cried out in pain, writhing in Ghirahim's arms.
Link sucked in a large breath and scored a second cut under the first. Linebeck cried out again and Ghirahim winced. The second scratch leaked shadow as well, but as Link let out a slow breath, he despaired that simply giving him small cuts would not be enough to free him from the shadow.
While Link hesitated, Linebeck suddenly threw his head back into Ghirahim's face. A wet crunch preceded Ghirahim's pained cry, and his grip on Linebeck loosened. The shadow wriggled out of his grasp and rushed at Link once more, burying Linebeck's knife hilt-deep in Link's left shoulder before he could even react. Pain jolted down his arm and his grip on the Master Sword weakened. The sword almost slipped out of Link's half-numb hand, but he quickly switched it to his right as the shadow yanked the knife out of his shoulder.
Ghirahim blindly staggered backwards, clutching his broken nose. Midna left him alone and ran after Link and the shadow, who were slowly advancing across the room. Link struggled to fight with his right arm, but managed to block the shadow's frantic attacks.
Midna grabbed Linebeck by the arm and tried to yank him away from Link. "Goddesses," she growled, dodging a wild stab. "Shit- he's bleeding again- damn shadow's making his injuries worse." Linebeck tried twisting out of her grasp, his prosthetic trapped in her grip. The shadow froze for a moment, and then Midna howled in pain; the shadow tore Linebeck's hidden razor through her arm and managed to squirm out of her hands.
Blood streamed down Midna's arm and the shadow bolted after a now-sprinting Link. As he hoped, the shadow ran after him- it gave up on anything beyond its immediate goal. Linebeck ran with a pronounced limp. Fresh blood seeped through his clothes and left a trail on the floor behind him. Once far away from Midna and Ghirahim, Link turned on his heel to face the shadow, who skidded to a halt just out of range.
Link gritted his teeth, brandishing the Master Sword in his right hand. "What'll you do if you kill him?" he asked, pointing the sword at Linebeck's chest. The shadow made no move to respond. Link tilted his head at him. Bellum's absence during the whole fight was worrying, but he was certain that Linebeck was still alive. "If you kill him, there's nothing you can do. Linebeck is the weakest of all of us and badly injured. This method is doing nothing but prolonging your death."
Linebeck twitched, his eyes still dull. The shadow switched the knife to Linebeck's prosthetic hand and took a step forward. Link rushed forward and slashed at Linebeck's right arm, and fresh blood sprayed out among thick black fog. Linebeck tried to retaliate with a thrust to Link's throat, but his hand spasmed and he dropped the knife mere inches from Link's neck. His right leg buckled under him, and his eyes widened and he let out a low groan.
Link staggered back a step, then realized; Linebeck's phantom pains. His heart hammered in his chest as seconds dragged by. The small, shallow cuts didn't leak any more shadow, and while the wound on his arm still leaked fog, it certainly wouldn't be enough if a beheading was what was required to rip the shadow out of Zelda's body. Nearly every attack that would be capable of leaving a similarly large wound would kill Linebeck without question- and Link didn't even want to entertain the idea of cutting off one of his remaining limbs to do the job.
All of his knowledge of human anatomy rushed to the forefront of his mind and his synthetic veins seemed to turn to ice as he recognized his one option. Linebeck- the shadow- was still reeling from the phantom pains, but in the few seconds in which Link hesitated, picked the knife back up.
Linebeck, with jerky and twitch movements, tried to sink the knife into Link once more. Link, with a stiff and nearly hesitant motion, plunged the Master Sword through Linebeck's abdomen, stopping him in his tracks.
For the first time since the shadow took control of him, emotion flashed through Linebeck's eyes. Link's arm trembled. Blood began to seep around the blade imbedded through Linebeck's navel, and when Link moved the sword a fraction of an inch, he felt it scrape against narrowly missed bones. Deep, inky fog billowed out of the wound, and Linebeck let out a low, agonized moan, his eyes locked fearfully on Link's face.
If Link removed the sword, there was a very good chance that Linebeck would bleed out. Even with the sword still in the wound, it was bleeding profusely. Across the room, he could see Midna and Ghirahim beginning to hurry over.
Linebeck coughed, drawing Link's attention back to him. He was trembling, staring down at the sword lodged through his abdomen. He shook violently, then coughed again, blood dripping from his mouth.
"I'm sor-" The words died in Link's throat.
Black fog still seeped from Linebeck's injury, and his knife slipped from his grasp when his prosthetic arm spasmed. Before long, the dark smog stopped leaving the wound, and Link watched helplessly as it all gathered to form a vaguely humanoid shape once again. It hovered just out of range, mocking him, daring him to remove the sword from Linebeck's wound to kill it. It seemed to think he wouldn't move if it meant Linebeck's possible death.
Link grit his teeth and yanked the Master Sword out of Linebeck's abdomen. The blade was slick with blood when Link pointed it at the shadow. His arm stayed perfectly still, but Link could feel his heart racing in his chest. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Midna sprinting over to him, and he dimly heard the muffled thud of Linebeck falling to the ground.
The shadow rushed at Link, and he slashed the Master Sword through it once. The shadow didn't make a sound- what was left of it dispersed and was absorbed by the Master Sword. Link froze in place, the tip of the sword hovering inches from the floor after the slash. Blood slid down the blade and dripped onto the floor. Behind him, he could hear Midna vehemently cursing.
Link straightened up and surveyed the room, searching for any possible signs of the shadow. He turned and checked the other side of the room, doing his best to ignore the bloody heap Midna and Ghirahim were fretting over. They had magic. They could use magic to temporarily stop the loss of blood. It would be fine. He dragged his gaze over to the far end of the room, his attention drawn by muffled shouts and a low creaking.
The doors leading in slowly slid open, and Link lethargically walked over to his friends. "…The shadow's gone. I didn't… Linebeck's wound should be non-lethal, so long as he doesn't lose too much blood." He got an incredulous stare from Midna, then tilted his head and monotonously added, "I just barely missed an artery. I'm…" Link peered down at Linebeck, his clothes torn and bloodied, his hair matted and his right ear missing chunks. "I-I'm sorry. I… I didn't know what else to do without… without just killing him. You guys…" He let out a shuddering breath but did not move. "You guys can at least keep him alive, right? Until we find a healer."
"I don't know how long he has, even with we do block his wounds. I didn't bring any bandages." Midna clutched her bleeding arm and gave Ghirahim some space. He said nothing, but held a shaking hand over Linebeck, weakly manifesting a barrier to close off the newest wound.
Link dragged his feet on the way over to his friends. He considered sheathing the Master Sword, but figured that the inside of the scabbard would get terrible stained by the blood. He lowered himself onto his knees and watched Ghirahim work. The doors out of the room slowly opened, and a crowd of Yiga burst in, shouting to one another. Midna pushed herself to her feet and ran over to meet them. Ghirahim worked slowly and stiffly, carefully blocking the tear in Linebeck's navel as best as he could.
Midna met with the Yiga, and the shouting became louder after a minute, and soon she was rushing back to Link and the others with one of the Yiga. Link stared at them approaching, then slouched down next to Ghirahim. "…How's this going?"
Ghirahim wiped at the blood on his face. "He might be able to survive for about an hour until we can get him actual medical help." He glanced over his shoulder and mused. "Damn it- I was hoping we might be able to get him out of the castle before Damien sees this." He pushed himself to his feet, Link doing the same as Damien sprinted over.
Damien gave Link and Ghirahim the briefest of glances before falling to his knees in front of Linebeck. After a moment's hesitation, he scooped him up into his arms and wordlessly stared at his bloodied face. Then he unsteadily got to his feet and whipped around to face Link. "W-what happened?"
"Zelda's dead. The shadow's gone." Link's words were hollow. He avoided Damien's eyes. "We found Linebeck collapsed outside the room and brought him with us. He got caught up in everything- the shadow tried to use him against us."
"What the hell are you saying-"
"The shadow took control of Linebeck after we killed Zelda," Link coldly interrupted. "I… He's alive. I promise. The shadow is gone and he's alive. We need to find a healer."
Damien took a step towards Link, but Ghirahim put himself between them. "We need to go," he insisted. "We've won. We need to get out of here and get him help. Blame us for what happened later. Is there still fighting going on?"
Damien stared wordlessly at Ghirahim. His head drooped and he held Linebeck closer to his chest. "…There's still fighting. I don't know if they'll stop… if you tell them that Zelda's dead." He lifted his head, tears present in his eyes. "I think the last healer I saw… Damn it. I- let's go. You're right. We should…" His voice wavered. "…Hurry."
Link started walking off without a word, meeting Midna on his way to the door and simply saying, "We're leaving. We need to get out of here."
She said nothing in response. He didn't give her a second glance. He reached the door out of the room and paused. Link waited for the other Yiga in the room to leave first, then remained motionless until Midna, Ghirahim, and Damien reached the door. "Zelda- the shadow- is gone," he said. "I don't know if the Sheikah will believe us, but right now our priority is to keep Linebeck alive. We killed the shadow. We finally won. We've finally finished that quest that was given to us. We're done." His voice sounded dead, and he avoided looking at Linebeck.
"…I'll run ahead and find a good route out, or a healer," Ghirahim volunteered.
"Go ahead," Link mumbled. The demon ran off without another word, and Link turned to Midna. "You'll stay and help me protect Damien?"
"No problem."
Not another word was exchanged and the three of them hurried away from the hidden room. Link paid little attention to their surroundings on the way out of the dungeons, but felt a distinct sense of nausea when they passed the trail of blood on the flood. Damien looked like he was going to be sick when he saw it.
They hesitated in a circular room that Link, Ghirahim, and Midna had initially paid no attention to on their way in. As Midna and Damien passed through, Link paused. He spotted the trail of blood, finding it to lead to a cell, hidden by the shadows in the dark room. The door was ajar and the lock was covered in dried blood. He peered into the cell, finding small shreds of clothing and spots of even more dried blood. Link left after only a few moments of looking.
Now a fair distance behind everyone else, Link held up the Master Sword too peer at the stained blade. He lowered it and wiped the blood off on the edge of his tunic under his armor. The blood might ruin the cloth, but Link was too tired to care. He sheathed the Master Sword. He hadn't slept or done anything to recharge in a long while.
They could rest once out of the castle. Once Linebeck was in a stable position. Once everything was finally over.
Then everything would be okay.