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The Voice
Chapter 86 - Up, Please! Up!

"There it is," Teba said, pointing to the north. "The last flare. That's our cue."

The relief that should have come at the sight of the red flare rising over the last gatehouse never arrived. Instead, Link felt like he was about to throw up. Truth be told, he hadn't even noticed the flare until Teba had pointed it out, too focused on the disaster that was taking place near the gates.

He should have known better than to assume the fog had been an ineffective display of power from Ganon. Instead, it had been a distraction. A smokescreen meant to obscure what was really happening.

They'd felt the tremors in the earth all the way up on the cliffs, an instability in the ground. Then the horizon had exploded in a shower of dust and falling rocks, revealing a small legion of Guardians emerging from the woods just south of the allied camp. The camp had noticed right away, but the ones who remained there were the wounded and other non-combatants.

For a painful, everlasting moment it had seemed like the tide of Guardians would sweep over the camp like it was nothing, crushing all in their path, but then something had happened.

The Guardians had stopped. It was only for a few minutes, but it had been enough for most of the camp to retreat northwards...right into the city. The Guardians had awoken all too quickly and continued their pursuit.

Link had been staring at the smoking, burning ruins of the camp, and the spider-like army following the allies into the city, when the flare came.

"Sh-Shouldn't we—?" Link asked, but Teba shook his head firmly.

"You shouldn't focus on anything other than your mission," the Rito said, gesturing to the rest of the warriors who were preparing to take off. "Once we've delivered you, we'll take to the skies and provide support from above. Trust me on this—we'll keep them all safe."

Their eyes met, and Link could see the sincerity in his bird dad's expression. Teba was right. Link didn't like it, but he had a job to do. He'd have to leave the battle in Teba and the others' hands until Ganon was defeated. Then he, too, could join and do his part.

"Okay," Link said, taking a deep breath, the nausea never truly leaving. "L-Let's go."

Teba nodded, giving him a slight smile. "That's my boy. Hop on."

The plunge off the cliff, clinging to Teba's back and waiting for the aerodynamics to do their job, did nothing to settle his stomach. As they rose sharply into the air, however, giving them a spectacular view of the city and chaos within its walls, and the castle towering above it, he was filled with determination.

I'll put an end to this, he thought. No matter what, this ends today.

The cliffs weren't the only location where scouts were looking for the flare. In the moat separating the city from the castle grounds, deep underwater, vigilant eyes were attentively watching the distorted sky above.

As the third sharp glare cut through the water's surface, illuminating the Zora that had been lying in wait for the better part of the day, Sidon felt his muscles release the stored tension for but a moment, before they clenched again, signalling Bazz to give the order.

A shrill sound cut through the water as easily as it would air, and as one the Zora army kicked off the moat's bottom, rising rapidly towards the surface. Emerging from the water and climbing onto the shore, facing south, they completed the last piece of the strategic puzzle.

Ganon's army was boxed in, with nowhere to go.

Problem was, none of them knew about the Guardians.

"For Hyrule!" Sidon shouted as his dripping feet hit cobblestones at the head of the army. "Charge!"

Everything was a blur. Riju had trouble remembering the exact events of the past fifteen minutes other than having spent most of them running. There'd been unclear images of dozens of blue, glowing eyes rapidly approaching the camp, a stream of non-combatants leaving the tents, and the old Sheikah scientist—Robbie, was it?—shouting something about a logic bomb, whatever that was.

Then everything had turned into pounding feet, burning lungs, and the taste of blood in her mouth. At some point her boots had stopped sloshing through bloody mud and hit solid—for the most part, at least—cobbles. There'd been shouting and screaming, rapid turns into alleys and half-crumbled buildings.

Her presence of mind only returned when they smashed down a door to take cover and found a small group of bokoblins hiding within. She'd instinctively given a battle cry and lashed out with her scimitar, cutting the nearest pig-like monster across the face before snapping the fingers of her free hand.

The lightning bolt smashed through what little remained of the building's roof like it was nothing. It was smaller than the other bolts, but it was all she needed to take out the four bokoblins in one swoop.

The air smelled of burnt flesh and blood as Buliara rushed past her, checking the other rooms with speed and precision despite her own obvious exhaustion.

"Clear!" she called out. "Come on, get in!"

Riju moved further into the house as more allies rushed inside—a motley collection of Gerudo, Hylian, and a few Gorons—to take cover.

Ayla quickly appeared from among the throng that gathered in the main room—which appeared to have been a tavern of sorts—sporting a new cut across her eyebrow. She was trying to stem the bleeding with a bloody cloth.

"Well," she said, sounding supremely annoyed, "those things just burned through our plans from A through D. Where the hell did they come from?!"

Outside, they could hear the screams and sounds of battle erupting all over the city as the allies ran into Ganon's minions, and the explosions caused by the approaching Guardians.

"South of the camp," an ageing voice said from somewhere. Riju had to take a moment to scan for the source until she spotted Mistress Impa, looking no worse for wear apart from her robes having acquired several spots of mud and blood during the mad rush. "An old Sheikah dig site," she continued, shaking her head. "We should have anticipated something like this. That's the second time Ganon has sprung our own creations upon us."

"Were you aware of the Guardians there?" Riju asked, finding herself wishing the Sheikah had never dabbled in that kind of tech. Without it, Ganon might never have unleashed its Calamity.

Impa shook her head, frowning. "We never managed to catalogue the contents of every dig site. We had only just found that cache, I believe, its contents were a mystery."

Riju felt weak at the knees, but forced herself to remain standing. She was absolutely knackered, but if she showed signs of weakness now, it'd wreck morale.

"What do we do now?" a Hylian horseman asked. His armour was dented, his mount presumably lost. He looked young, barely out of his teens, and afraid, voice shaking. "We can't fight those things!"

"We've been fighting them all morning, soldier," Buliara said, glaring at him.

"On an open field! And only a few of them!" he countered. "And now we're trapped in the city with all of Ganon's forces too! How the hell are we going to survive?!"

"Clearly," Ayla said, still dabbing at her brow with the cloth, "the time for fighting honourably in an open field is over. Now's the time to fight smart."

"I believe you are right, my dear," Impa said, nodding. "Luckily, I have some experience in that field. Urban fighting is quite different from fighting in the open, and I believe I may have some insight to offer."

"We'll take any help you can offer, Mistress Impa," Riju said. "I understand the Sheikah train specifically for this?"

Impa grimaced a little. "Well, perhaps not specifically for this sort of battle, but many of the same tactics apply, I believe. Now, young man, if you could see fit to calm yourself, we can plan how to survive."

The horseman didn't look happy about being addressed by the little old woman, but she spoke with such authority that it was impossible to say no. Around him, his fellow Hylians were nodding slowly, and the Gerudo fell in line with Riju.

Yunobo and the other Goron who'd made it into their shelter were also nodding.

"Well then," Impa said, standing a little straighter...which didn't really help her height-wise, but then this old woman commanded a presence of someone taller than Buliara, and that was all they needed right now. "The first thing we must do, is link up with our scattered allies..."

When Sheik came to, the first thing he noticed was that his internal clock had suddenly moved forward by at least twenty minutes. And he had no idea what had occurred in that time.

The second thing he noticed was that he was not in the same place he'd been before the blackout. They were no longer in the courtyard, facing down two lynels. Instead, they were inside what appeared to be an old guardhouse. Around him were the remaining Sheikah of the first and second squads, many of them nursing minor injuries, others more serious ones.

The third thing he noticed was that he was sitting on the floor, back against the crumbling wall, and was holding a mostly eaten apple in his hand. The sweet taste in his mouth suggested he'd been the one devouring it.

He blinked once.

Twice.

Stabby, he thought. What the fuck is going on?

Professor Robbie executed the program you gave him, brother, Stabby's message said. It had the desired effect, but it also knocked you out, as we anticipated. I had to take over for a bit, but I transferred controls back to you as soon as you rebooted.

Sheik nodded slowly to himself, looking through his system logs. There was indeed a whole slew of entries and activity he had not been responsible for. One series of instructions made him balk.

You killed the lynels?! How?!

Combat effectiveness, was all Stabby said.

Sheik vowed then that he would definitely double his efforts in training with this body. He was at a disadvantage in the first place, having not been 'born' in it like Stabby, but surely it was just a matter of time and dedication?

I'll help however I can, brother!

Thanks, kid, he thought. Why am I eating an apple?

Paya-nee gave it to me. It was delicious!

Sheik ducked his head down, hiding his smile in his collar. Scary as she was, Paya wasn't bad people. Definitely on the list of people he wouldn't be wary of letting Stabby play with in the future.

It went without saying that Robbie wasn't even on that list.

"Ichigo, are y-you all right?"

Sheik looked up and found Paya standing above him, looking at him with a worried expression.

"Hey, Paya-nee," Sheik said, giving her a grin. "Heard things were eventful while I was out."

"Oh, y-you're awake?" she asked. He didn't miss the slight look of disappointment on her face. He pretended it didn't hurt a little. At least there was relief there as well, so that was something. "Are y-you w-well, Sheik?" She crouched down so their eyes were level.

"Can't complain," he said, shrugging. "Status?"

"M-Mission complete," Paya said. "All g-gates are d-down. G-Ganon's forces c-can't get to the c-castle now."

"Link's on his way, then?"

"J-just a m-matter of t-time, now."

Based on her expression, she had no idea about the mess that had occurred outside the gates. Sheik was receiving real-time updates from the Network and, based on the heat signatures and other data he was receiving, everything had gone to shit. For one thing, the allied camp was gone. No activity whatsoever within. For another, it appeared that both armies had retreated inside the walls of Castle Town...and were now duking it out in the streets.

A horrifying number of Guardians had been awakened from the dig site and had made their way inside the city as well. He made an attempt to hack his way into their controlling systems, but it was sealed tighter than anything he'd encountered yet in the Network, practically oozing with Malice.

Ganon wasn't taking any chances on him interfering with those, then.

A pity, it would've been amusing to turn them against Ganon's forces. He'd just have to trust Tiny, Roly-Poly, Sharky, Ayla, and Slagathor to keep things under control for the time being.

He definitely did not consider the idea that Impa had perished. He'd find her at the end of the day, sitting as serenely on a pillow as always.

For a moment, he wondered if he should tell Paya about the utter fiasco that was the battle...but looking around at the injured Sheikah who were still looking to her for instructions and leadership suggested to him it was a bad idea.

She needed to be focused on the here and now, not the there.

And speaking of the here and now...

"What's the plan?" he asked.

Paya sighed. "L-Link up with the r-rest of our w-warriors and d-do what we can in the g-grounds?" she suggested. "K-Keep Link's p-path a little c-clearer."

As she spoke, the Network sensors told him about two dozen heat signatures were rapidly approaching Hyrule Castle from above. They also told him that a bunch of Guardians had activated within the keep and were already moving to intercept...and a bunch of smaller heat signatures were emerging from the keep as well, spreading out across the grounds.

Fuck.

"I think we should get on that right away," he said, dropping the remains of the apple and standing up. A little wobbly, but he quickly regained his balance. "Tweety's squad just woke up the hive."

Paya looked puzzled but nodded. "W-We have w-wounded—"

"They'll have to stay here, then," he said.

The thought was abhorrent to Paya, but after a moment she nodded. "P-Pikango will s-stay here, in ch-charge."

"Fine by me," Pikango, silently appearing beside her, said. "These old bones aren't what they used to be, anyway." He twisted his upper body a little, wincing as his spine made a godawful cracking sound. "I'll protect our wounded, Paya."

"Th-Thank you," she said, pulling him into a quick hug. Pikango gave her a smile as they separated. He then turned to Sheik, arms out and an expectant look on his face.

"I'm not hugging you, old man," Sheik said sourly.

"It's not optional, kid," Pikango said, moving quicker than Sheik had anticipated, trapping him within his arms. "Be careful out there, eh?" he said quietly.

"If anyone needs to be careful, it's you," he hissed, glaring at Pikango's grin as he pulled way. "Old bones break easily, you know."

"Don't I know it," Pikango said with a laugh, heading back to the wounded, shooing Sheik and Paya away. "Go on. Show Ganon why picking a fight with the Sheikah was and is a bad idea."

Things were not going according to plan. Far below, Link could see the chaos happening in the city. Smoke rose from multiple fires, an unholy cacophony of screams and clashing blades carrying even this high, cutting right through the roaring wind. Every now and then, there was the bright blue flash of a Guardian cannon firing.

His grip on Teba's shoulders tightened. If the Rito noticed, he didn't mention it, his gaze firmly on their target below them.

Suddenly, Teba whistled. Or trilled. Whatever one called the bird calls Rito made. The sound easily brought everyone's attention to him.

"Thirty seconds! Get ready!" Teba's voice called out. Around them, the Rito formation relayed the message to each other over the wind. "Link, hold on!"

Link did so, unsure of just how bad things were going to get. The flight Vah Medoh had been terrifying in its own right, but during that they'd been high enough in the air to somewhat easily correct mistakes. Here, the ground was treacherously close, and a single mistake would be their last.

The castle was almost directly beneath them now. Little dots were swarming around the grounds, looking more like ants than people or monsters. Some of those would be Sheikah, but Link couldn't tell who. There were also larger dots climbing around the parapets and walls...wait...were those...?

"T-Teba—"he began, but he knew it wasn't loud enough.

Teba whistled again, barely giving Link time to react before shouting "Dive! Dive! Dive!"

What followed next was a stomach-churning, almost completely vertical plunge straight down. They cut through the light layer of clouds, the ground approaching at an alarming pace that made Link want to close his eyes, but he knew that'd be a huge mistake if he couldn't see and anticipate Teba's movements.

He'd hoped his suspicions weren't correct, but his eyes had not failed him. The castle walls and parapets were crawling with Guardians, clinging to the sides, eyes directed upwards, directly at the Rito formation. Red lights shone as they began to target them.

"Guardians, break formation!"

Teba and the Rito veered away just as the air around them exploded with lasers, lighting everything a bright blue. Link felt the heat of the weapons on his face as they rushed past.

"Split up, split up!" Teba called out. "Work in pairs! One draws their fire, the other lights 'em up!"

"Just like we practiced!" another Rito called out.

The formation broke up, and the Guardians were suddenly forced to spread out their fire across a wide area.

"We planned for this!" Teba said for Link's benefit. "Don't worry!"

"I'll t-try!" Link called back.

"Do feel free to take some of them out, though!"

He didn't need to be told twice. Or even the first time, as one of his hands had already begun to creep towards the bow Harth had made for him.

"Remember Medoh?" Teba asked. "Same procedure! Let me know when you're ready!"

This close to the ground? Link frowned. That mistake was looking more and more likely.

"I won't let you fall, Link! I promise!"

Link really wished he could believe Teba on that. He truly did. But...worst case...if he fell from somewhat high up...then the paraglider could possibly be unfolded in time.

Fuck it, it was either take out the Guardians or wait to be shot out of the sky.

He gripped his bow and found a target—a Guardian clinging to the ceiling of what appeared to have been a temple. It was sighting and targeting a pair of Rito who were busy with a Guardian of their own.

"Th-That one!" he called to Teba. "On the r-roof!"

"Got it!" Teba adjusted his wings so they rose a little higher. "Coming in for a run! Three...two...one...now!" He stabilised himself in the air, giving Link a window.

His other hand let go of Teba and reached into his quiver, gloved fingers deftly finding a shaft and pulling the arrow out. It was a bomb one. Perfect. He nocked the arrow and drew the string back, the wood of the bow resisting just the way he liked it. Harth had done a great job.

He aimed, found his target, took a breath, and let go.

Ducking down and gripping Teba's shoulder again, he watched the arrow sail through the air, just short of hitting the Guardian. But that wasn't his target.

It struck the crumbling roof the Guardian's claws were clinging to, and exploded, sending dust and stone fragments and roof tiles flying every which way. The roof, now even more weakened, couldn't hold the Guardian's weight and crumbled beneath it, sending the machine plummeting into the temple and out of sight, and hopefully smashing it to pieces against the floor.

"Good shot!" Teba praised. "Hang on, we've been acquired!"

He dove again, just in time to avoid a shot from a Guardian. It took them low, uncomfortably low. So low Link felt he could probably scrape his feet against the rooftops of the castle grounds.

Below, Ganon's minions were swarming the grounds, but Link could swear he saw flashes of blue here and there. Would he see Sheik, if he looked close enough...?

"Coming up on another one! On the side of that tower!" Teba said. "Ready?"

"Yeah," Link called back.

"Here we go! Now!"

They passed underneath the Guardian that was clinging to a tower, one of its legs firmly lodged through a window. Link's hand found an Ancient arrow this time. He nocked it, the glowing arrowhead springing into life. The Guardian noticed them, its eye turning to target them, but it was too late.

Link loosed the arrow when they were just beneath it, and it struck the machine just where the legs connected to the central core. It almost looked surprised before the arrow detonated, its head bulging out grotesquely before bursting in an explosion of brilliant white and blue, its now lifeless body falling to the ground below, crushing a group of lizalfos rushing out from the castle.

"How many minions did they manage to stuff in there?" Teba asked. "At least our strategy is working!"

He was right. Across the castle grounds, Guardians were exploding left and right, unable to keep up with the swarm of Rito archers harassing them.

Not all the Rito were able to escape, though. One pair was caught in the crossfire between two Guardians and vaporised. At least it was quick.

"Okay!" Teba said, drawing Link's attention. "I think we've thinned 'em out enough to get you down there! See anywhere we can land?"

Link scanned the crumbling remains of Hyrule Castle. The central structure was probably their best bet, but the verandas and rooftops there didn't look stable enough for a landing, rough or gentle. The eastern parapets seemed to be their best bet, looking somewhat solid and not too riddled with cracks in the stonework.

There was an obstacle, though. A lone Guardian. Link almost felt sorry for it.

Almost.

He pointed it out to Teba, who trilled and adjusted his flight path. "You've got this, right?"

"Yeah!"

It saw them coming and flashed its red targeting light at them.

"All right, going to veer right and—"

"Dive!" Link shouted at the blue flash. Teba managed to drop just in time for the laser to pass directly overhead, the beam thinner. Had it purposefully stopped charging the weapon to fire faster? Could they do that?

Not that he had much time to consider it as they were suddenly gliding at street level, buildings, archways, and bokoblins flying past them at breakneck speeds.

"Up, please!" Link cried, clinging to Teba's back. "Up!"

"I'm trying!"

It took what felt like an eternity, but they began to climb again, leaving the streets below. The skies they returned to were busier than before, more and more blue lasers slicing through the air.

"Guess they figured out a new trick for themselves!" Teba said. "Let's try this again!"

They approached from below this time, at an angle where the Guardian couldn't see them before it was too late. Teba beat his wings and had them rushing directly upwards. The wall of the parapet rushed by Link's eyes.

"Get ready...and now!"

Link leaned back, his legs wrapped around Teba's torso, both of his hands free to nock another Ancient arrow, draw, and loose.

The Guardian took the arrow directly to its eye. And then it was gone, Teba climbing high above it to avoid the explosion. The edge of the shock wave reached them, but Teba expertly handled it.

"This is it!" Teba said as they turned mid-air, heading for the parapet. The explosion had caused some damage, cracks appearing in the stonework and some loose slabs falling. All the while, weaker beams seemed to be homing in on them, the Guardians working in concert to stop them. "Looks like we won't be able to land! Going to have to drop you! Ready the paraglider!"

Link quickly shouldered his bow and reached for the folded-up paraglider. "Ready!"

"Okay, ready to drop in three, two, one...go!"

Letting go of Teba was one of the most terrifying things Link had ever done. Luckily, muscle memory took over and he quickly unfolded the paraglider, letting the canvas slow his fall and ride the wind towards the parapet. He didn't drop at the edge, not willing to take the chance on it falling apart under his feet. Just a little longer...there!

He came to sliding stop along the parapet, stumbling but managing to keep his balance...for the most part. He did have to drop to his knees to slow himself enough to avoid slamming into the door leading into the castle proper.

He folded the paraglider back up and stuck it into the holster in his pack, ready to be withdrawn at any given moment. He remained crouched by the door, mostly covered by the parapets and roof, checking his weapons. Bow was okay, as were his arrows. The Master Sword was ready (and eager, as she was quick to add), and his shield was fully charged.

This was it.

"Link!" Teba's voice rang out as a white blur shot past. "Good luck!"

And then he was gone, a black blur (Harth, most likely) joining him in battling the remaining Guardians.

Link took a moment to breathe, ignoring the sounds of battle below. He could do this. He could do this.

He had to.

He stood up, grabbed the thick handle of the door, pulled it open with a mighty heave as its hinges squeaked, and ran inside.

Prince Sidon snarled as a moblin came charging out of nowhere and crashed into him, sending them both sprawling on the dusty, debris-strewn and bloodstained ground. The monster snorted and growled, claws raking at Sidon's chest, which was thankfully covered in a tough, scale-covered leather cuirass. Realising it couldn't cut through, it tried to go for Sidon's eyes instead, but the prince was far from helpless on land.

Plus, he had the mass.

Roaring, Sidon wrapped his arms around the moblin's middle and squeezed until he swore he could feel the creature's ribs popping, its breath forced out of its lungs with a wet wheeze. It swiped its hands at his face, and one of its claws caught his cheek, cutting a small line along his cheekbone, but Sidon continued to squeeze, and squeeze...

And then the moblin's ribs did pop, and the struggle went out of it. Sidon let go, and it fell wheezing to the ground on its stomach, gasping wetly as blood poured out of its mouth. Sidon hooked his arm around its neck and wrenched its head up and to the side. The neck snapped like a dry twig, and a shudder went through the moblin's body before it went still.

"My prince, are you all right?!" Bazz said, coming up from behind, tossing Sidon's trident to him as he approached.

"I'm fine," Sidon said, grimacing at the smell of the creature before turning his attention to the street.

This was, as Sheik would have said, a fucking mess. By the time the Zora emerged from the moat, the other allies should have established clear battle lines in the southern end of Castle Town. The Zora would establish their own and slowly push southwards, boxing the enemy in.

No such lines had been established. In fact, the orderly battle envisioned by the army leaders had devolved into a chaotic brawl. It was impossible to discern where the lines went, and everyone simply found an enemy to fight, and the moved on to the next. The chain of command had broken down entirely, leaving squad leaders to helplessly try to regroup their own men and then meet up with other squads who were just as clueless as to what to do.

Sidon's own men were much in the same way. They'd charged through the first set of streets they'd found and suddenly found themselves in the middle of an enemy platoon...with a Guardian at the rear.

They'd been forced to split up or risk getting annihilated in seconds. And that was how he found himself in his current predicament, with barely two dozen Zora with him, the rest scattered or dead.

"We need to keep moving, my prince," Bazz said, pointing to a broad avenue. "I think I saw some of our colours near the end of that street."

"Good," Sidon said with a nod, glaring up at a wizzrobe that was rearing up to burn one of his men while he was busy dealing with a lizalfos. "Bazz, stand aside."

Bazz did so immediately as Sidon reared back with his trident and, with a mighty roar, hurled it at the wizzrobe. It barely managed to turn its head in time to see its approaching doom. The trident was thrown with such force that it pinned the monster to the side of the building, a hoarse giggle coming from its grinning mouth as its dangling legs stopped moving.

"A fine throw, my prince," Bazz said, looking up at him. "I'm not fetching it for you, though."

"Don't need it," Sidon said, drawing his silver sword from it sheath on his belt. "I don't think close quarters will be an option from here. Let's go!"

"Squad, to the prince!" Bazz called out, cutting down the lizalfos the nearly burned soldier was struggling with from behind. "Down the street! Push, push, push!"

The broad avenue seemed to have been some sort of market street...and it was lousy with enemy troops. The colours Bazz had spotted were long gone, but by then it was too late to do anything but charge into the thick of it and hope they'd make it out the other side.

They made it about halfway down before it became apparent that the enemy had been hiding in the houses as well, charging out through broken doors and windows with triumphant squeals and shrieks.

"Well done, Bazz," Sidon said, blocking a bokoblins spear with his sword. Another moblin tried its luck with a crude knife, but Sidon gripped it by the snout with his free hand, sinking his teeth into its neck and ripping out a large chunk, spitting it into the moblin's face as it staggered backwards, looking utterly confused. "It's an ambush!"

He spat again. Moblin blood tasted disgusting.

"I didn't do it on purpose!" Bazz growled, ducking under a club and gutting a bokoblin with his sword. "How was I supposed to know?!"

Sidon roared as he saw one of his men get overwhelmed and cut down, rushing in get the bastards off him. A single swipe of his massive silver blade got three of them across the throats and sent the others backing down. It was too late for the Zora.

Sidon saw red.

His combat instructors would shake their heads at his lack of discipline as he threw himself into the enemy ranks, lashing and clawing and biting at whatever presented itself, ripping and tearing until there was nothing left.

It took Bazz to pull him out of his rage-induced slaughter, dragging him back to their perimeter.

But the enemy kept coming, and as more and more of his men fell, they were forced into a tight defensive ring, surrounded by enemies.

"This isn't going according to plan at all," Bazz said, his voice tight. "We weren't meant to fight on land, my prince!"

"Just a minor setback," Sidon said, kicking an approaching bokoblin with such force it went flying into a group of its buddies and was skewered on one of their spears. "We'll figure something out, Bazz!"

Another Zora fell, but she took her enemy with her, opening the moblin's throat with her blade.

"Whatever you're planning, you'd better do it now!" Bazz said.

Sidon had no plan. He couldn't even begin to think of one. They were surrounded on all sides by enemy troops, with nowhere to go. If they could get inside one of the houses, they could set up a defensive perimeter, but that'd require going through an enemy line five ranks deep.

He might manage to get through on his own. It'd take considerable force to stop him in his tracks.

But that wasn't an option.

He refused to turn tail and flee while Bazz and his men were left behind to die.

"Don't even think about it, Bazz," he growled when he saw his friend open his mouth, undoubtedly about to voice the idea. "We stay together!"

"My prince, I—"

Luckily, they didn't have to think of a plan of their own. The loud creak of rotten wood struggling under the weight of something big was all the warning they had before something huge fell at them from above, blocking out the sun.

"Watch out below, goro!" Yunobo's voice called as he conjured up his shield, landing on top of the closest group of enemies and crushing them beneath it. Not content with that, Yunobo then began to roll. The effect was immense. The enemy, not used to seeing a giant ball of energy—which had just crushed about ten of their friends—rolling ponderously towards them was a very effective deterrent.

Many of them simply dropped their weapons and tried to run away...only to crash into the next line of enemies, causing a great deal of confusion and clumsy shuffling...until Yunobo rolled over them.

Any other day, Sidon might have winced at the screams and sounds of bones being broken, but at the moment it was sweet music to his ears. As was the battle cry that sounded when a motley collection of Gerudo and Hylian soldiers came charging out of several alleys, catching the enemy by surprise and running them down from behind.

A lightning bolt striking from the clear sky took out another group that still dared to approach Sidon and his men, Riju emerging from the smoke like a goddess of war, flanked by her bodyguard and her spymaster. They were all bleeding from various cuts and nicks, but none appeared to be too hurt.

"Prince Sidon!" Riju called, raising her hand as a squad of Gerudo came to the Zora's aid, finally getting the enemy off them. "Fancy meeting you here!"

"Lady Riju," Sidon said, grinning. "You arrived at the nick of time!"

"So it would seem." She smiled up at him, eyes lidded with exhaustion. She'd been fighting all morning, and Sidon wished the flare had come just a little earlier (he desperately tried not to think of Sheik and his squad running into trouble), so he could have alleviated some of that burden. "Come, we're regrouping! We found some of your other men and brought them into our fold!"

Ayla, the spymaster, whistled loudly and waved her scimitar around. "Back to the alleys, go!"

The troops obeyed immediately, pushing the enemy back a step and then disengaging, running back the way it came.

"Yunobo!" Riju called. "That's enough! Come back!"

The giant ball that was the Goron Champion stopped rolling for a moment, and then adjusted its trajectory, heading towards them.

As they retreated with Riju leading the way, Sidon looked back at his fallen men, remembering where they lay so they could be retrieved.

"Where are we going?" he asked, wishing his legs were longer so he didn't have to move his legs so damned fast.

"Nowhere in particular," Riju said. "We keep moving, and we won't get bogged down. We strike where we can and disappear as quickly as we show up. Yunobo is a very good surprise to drop on the enemy, literally! We keep collecting more of our men until we can mount a defensive line...and try to take out whatever Guardians we can! We're playing the long game, now! We'll simply have to wait until Link gets the job done!"

The mental image of Link smiling at him before they'd separated appeared unbidden before Sidon's mind. "Have you heard anything?" he asked.

"We saw the Rito flying towards the castle!" Ayla said, coming up to his side. "There seemed to be a bunch of Guardians there too, but they've had better luck with them than us! Swore I could see someone touching down at the castle, but I didn't have my telescope with me so I couldn't confirm!"

"That's all I need to know," Sidon said, grinning. "I know he made it!"

Link was just too stubborn to let a few Guardians stop him...even if he didn't know it himself.

You can do it, Link, he thought. I believe in you!

Sheik probably should have kept his attention on the battle happening above and around him, but for the moment he couldn't help but stare at the weirdest thing he'd ever seen.

And he'd seen a lot of weird things.

A group of enemies were trying to establish a defensive perimeter around the entrance to the castle, but they kept having to shift and move around because something else was also trying to occupy the same space.

That something else being a cuccoo.

Just a normal, white-feathered cuccoo. Walking around and pecking at the ground, oblivious to the armed moblins and bokoblins around it, who were all eyeing it warily as they carefully stepped out of its way.

Sheik would've laughed, but the longer he stared at the bird, the more unnerved he felt by it. It was as if it was radiating some sort of threatening aura. One that told the viewer this was not a creature to be trifled with.

Then it suddenly turned its head, and he swore one of those evil, beady little eyes were looking directly at him. It held its gaze for several seconds before looking back at its quarry—a half-rotten apple. It pecked at it, like the evil monster it was.

He let out a shaky breath, stepping back into the small alley between the buildings.

He did not squeak when he turned and found Paya's inches away from his, her back pressed against the wall. Behind her, the twenty or so Sheikah that were still fit for a fight were waiting.

"W-Well?" she asked.

"We're not going in the front, that's for sure," Sheik said, jerking his head to the mouth of the alley. "Too many to fight head to head."

Plus, that monster. No way was Sheik taking his chances on picking a fight with that.

"We're n-not going in at all," Paya said, shaking her head. "All r-right, b-back."

The Sheikah behind her moved back as they withdrew further into the alley created by three collapsed buildings. The rubble from the broken walls and roofs formed a sort of ceiling that gave them cover from above, letting them use this place as a hideout as they figured out what to do next.

"I know we're not going in," Sheik said with a grimace. "But we can't just hide either. We need to make a lot of noise and draw their attention so none of Ganon's little minions feel like it's time to give their master a little assistance. Tweety and the others can only hold their interest for so long."

Something exploded above them, as if to punctuate his sentence.

"W-We'll just have t-to do what we d-do best," Paya said. "C-Create a distraction."

"We still have plenty of explosives," one of the others said, opening his belt satchel and showing the unused bombs within.

"And a w-walking Guardian," Paya said, pointing at Sheik.

"Oh, so now I get to blow shit up?" he asked, fighting down an excited grin. "Make up your mind, already."

Paya rolled her eyes. "Let's go."

They crawled out from beneath the debris and headed a block down from the castle entrance, where the enemy numbers were fewer. Those with explosives left fished them out of their satchels while Sheik summoned one to his left hand.

Paya pointed to a cluster of enemies and gave the signal. Whooping and shouting and screaming, the Sheikah emerged from the shadows and threw everything they had at the enemies, causing no small number of casualties with the bombs alone, limbs flying every which way.

It drew the attention of more enemies, who gave chase.

Which was the entire point. Above, Rito flew overhead and fought the Guardians, though every now and then one of them launched an arrow at the Sheikah's pursuers.

"S-Split up!" Paya ordered. Sheik stayed on her heels, but the others divided up and ran into side streets and alleys, aiming to break up the large throngs into more manageable groups, leading them on a wild chase.

As luck would have it, very few of the bokoblins left in the grounds chose to pursue Sheik and Paya. By the time they found a good ambush spot (a small courtyard near a cracked portion of the castle wall), their end was inevitable.

Sheik's Ancient sword lopped the head off the first white bokoblin to enter the courtyard while Paya's shuriken nailed the second one right in the eyes.

The three remaining bokoblins must have considered leaving, but Sheik and Paya were on them too fast.

Sheik watched Paya pull her sword out of the last bokoblin's chest before he turned away, noting the cracked portion of the wall having a space just big enough for one of his bombs.

Link was on the other side of this wall. Tantalisingly close.

He wasn't worried. That was far from the truth. Link knew what he was doing, and he had all the skills, tools, and motivation needed to finish Ganon on his own.

...but what if something went wrong? What if he needed help? And what if Sheik wasn't there to make sure he stayed in one piece? Link was so prone to injuries it wasn't even funny!

He summoned a bomb and walked over to the wall, stuffing it into the crack.

"Wh-What are you d-doing?" Paya asked.

"I'd take cover if I were you," he warned her.

The amount of force exerted by the bomb in total wasn't a very impressive amount, truth be told. When unleashed in such close quarters, however, it did wonders. The crack turned into a giant cavity of broken stone and raining shingle, and then collapsed under its own weight.

Smoke and dust billowed outwards, covering the courtyard in a thick blanket of fog.

Sheik made sure Paya was okay before heading for the newly created hole he'd just made in the wall, his Guardian eye doing a generally poor job of partially seeing through the dust. An infrared vision mode was definitely something he needed to look into.

"Wh-Where are you g-going?" Paya asked, suddenly behind him, grabbing his arm. "W-We're not g-going in," she said, glaring at him. Her breath was laboured, the dust making it hard to breathe even with her mask.

"You're right," Sheik said, shrugging her hand off his arm. "We're not going in. I am." He continued heading for the wall.

"That's insubordination!" Paya called. "You'll b-be punished!"

"I know," he called back, pausing to give her a cheeky wave. "You can tie me into knots all you like when we get back, okay? I need to help him, Paya-nee. I have to."

Paya looked ready to start wrestling him right then and there, but eventually she sighed and gave him a nod. "G-Go, then. Help him f-finish the job."

Sheik was about to answer, but she stepped back into the fog was gone. Sheik was so impressed (and grateful, but he'd never admit that in a million years) that he didn't even say he could easily find her through the Network sensors.

Turning back to the hole in the wall, he checked his equipment one last time before beginning to climb through.

Link would need help.

And Sheik was the best at helping.