Chapter Text
When Hebra touched down, the very first thing that alerted Kobb to the grave situation was Hebra itself. Rather than boisterously bounding over to the new visitor, almost bucking Kobb off, it gave Kobb time to dismount before creeping up on all fours gingerly towards the front of the lab where much commotion could be heard. Already Sahpira, Deferneh, and Yeates had filed out with a few of the other monsters shuffling into the grass with harrowed groggy faces. Initially Kobb could only see the tip of Zayl’s metallic tail, swishing around erratically, as it quickly walked on its shaky feet to get a better view of inside the lab. Impa was the last person it was expecting to see, having gotten wind from Rezek of her little disagreement with Purah a few days prior, but she looked about as begrudging to be stepping foot where all of Robbie’s mechanical contraptions were held. And yet her eyes still held a deep concern, a great urgency, that rippled across the rest that had all congregated near the entrance. Link stood out first as usual, stern and stoic as Impa, but his wringing hands exposed his true nervousness. Sledge’s color was a far paler blue, eyes continuously glancing back towards Robbie’s workshop with neither him nor Purah anywhere to be seen. Rezek gnawed at its knuckle, tips of its feet bobbing up and down off the ground, throat flexed and tightened.
Then there stood Fisher. And only Fisher.
Kobb sharply gasped, leaping forwards to join the pack, a thousand questions already in its mind about to pour out before Fisher halted it with a single hand.
“The others are safe,” he said, the smallest tension loosening across all of them, “But Donovan had to be brought back…it was our only option. The other Sheikah are looking at him now…”
For all his cordial and soft speech, Fisher's words held back terrifying thoughts that manifested in his paler clammy skin and his dulling red heavy eyes.
“What happened?” Kobb blurted out, regretting it quickly as Fisher merely winced and leaned his head towards the place where now a second soul was being brought in on death’s door.
“Is this everyone?” he said morbidly plain, looking across the entourage of monsters, “or should we retreat to a place less prone to eavesdropping ears?”
“How grave is the news?” Sledge asked.
Subtly Fisher darted his eyes left and right.
“We should…talk elsewhere…”
Already leery eyes from Hisstin and Indishay couldn’t help but creep towards the conversation, and the whole group heavily sighed. Kobb was too high up to catch a glimpse of Donovan when he came in, but from the looks on the surrounding faces it was not good at all.
And its fears were immediately confirmed after it walked into that workshop and came across the most cadaver-looking Hylian it had seen yet - had his chest not been weakly rising and falling. Robbie and Purah along with the other Sheikah medics were frantically applying topical salves from Robbie’s stash, cleaning wounds from the waist-up, checking vitals, and examining the legs as best as they could. Splayed off to the side were the tatters of Donovan’s old Yiga uniform, along with dozens of bloodied rags. His gnarled bumpy legs squished by the haphazard splints stung in Kobb’s vision, causing a retching in the back of its throat that even Hebra’s most nauseating flying couldn’t accomplish. Slowly it looked to Fisher, perhaps to offer any sort of condolences, but he merely nodded somberly with his fists clenched.
“When we reached his cell in the Grand Hideout…we saw the tail end of their cruelty. But if it’s even the faintest sliver of hope…Donovan never relented. Through all their interrogation, he did not crack. The secret of where Hyrule’s defected monsters lie remains hidden…”
A wave of small needed relief came across them, Robbie even saying a small thankful prayer up to the roof from across the room. But what replaced the anxiety and worry was a debtful gratitude and guilt, staring at the unresponsive Donovan. Sledge especially looked moved to tears, remembering well of the first time it had heard that name. With such knowledge, the strength in that spindly body shone brighter, every twitch of his muscles a bitter fight to the end - doing battle with death itself. And Donovan’s candle still smoldered.
“To successfully resist a mind dive…” Impa whispered with an air of astoundment, “while in such a state…that is a strong soul you have for a friend…”
Rezek closed its eyes, feeling through the ground, and witnessed the beat of Donovan’s heart against the world. But it also felt an odd stirring, as though it was drawn to him in these fleeting few hours he still had. Quickly, Rezek shook it off and resumed its cold stare forwards.
“Unfortunately,” Fisher said with a heavy head, “As much as we worked to keep the monsters uninvolved…they have been involved from the very start.”
A colder chill ran across them, Zayl shivering.
“What do you mean, Fisher?” it asked with pleading eyes.
He winced, almost afraid to say it, though knowing he had to.
“Besides Donovan’s cell…we found an imprisoned defected monster. A Gibdo.”
All the air in the room was forcefully sucked out, each and every listener giving a little lurch and stumble.
“One of the wingless ones. It had been captured by the Yiga Clan, too. And from what we can assume…it was not as successful as Donovan was in resisting the mind dive…”
Fisher could only stare at the ground, wrinkles covering his wincing face. To him it was as if he was tying a rope around each of their wrists to drag them along the ground right back to where he started. Rezek’s teeth audibly grit, like stone mills grinding against one another. The room began to smell distinctly and sharply of ozone.
“Wherever its home is, and wherever the other Gibdo are…the Yiga Clan certainly knows of its location - right off the heels of one of the Gibdo’s own killing the Yiga’s own. They will have their revenge. They will descend upon that cave like angry hornets.”
“The hive…” Rezek whispered in pale distress.
In Fisher’s heart he knew the monsters would involve themselves, watching the fire slowly light up behind their harrowed dire eyes. As hard as he tried to keep them away from this mess, his mess, the mess that they had started, in the end it was all for naught. It felt ironic, that he would be the one to break this news to them, and equally seeped in guilt.
“How much time do we have?” Link asked, the only one whose head hadn’t lowered a single degree, “Do you know when their assault will begin?”
Fisher hopelessly shrugged.
“Not the foggiest. But it has to be soon. We must assume the worst, here: that the Yiga Clan have mapped out a route to the Gibdo’s hive. We were able to buy some time in our little…unplanned scuffle with the clan last night. But it could be any day, any hour. We don’t even know how long that Gibdo was imprisoned, how much they have already spent preparing. Our only hope…is that the caves beneath Gerudo Desert’s sand, even when knowing the way, are winding and confusing enough to buy us more time.”
The monsters looked away, each biting their tongue in bitter thought.
“So what do we do?” Zayl asked, hardly able to even begin to formulate an answer.
With a slightly labored breath, Fisher forced himself taller.
“The moment Donovan’s survival is assured, I’m heading back. The rest are waiting for me.” he said, quickly shuffling over to Robbie and Purah.
They each met Fisher’s eyes for a single snap second before turning away grimly.
“We stabilized him,” Purah said, “But we can’t leave his legs like this. If he lives, they’ll mend improperly. But setting the bones will be painful…and we’re not sure he has the energy to spare. How bad was it looking, Robbie?”
His lips smacked, horribly dry.
“Bad,” he said bluntly, “Both bones in both forelegs have been shattered in multiple places, from the look and feel of it. Setting the major foreleg should be easy, but it’s the minor foreleg that may…complicate matters. See, with the bone shards in his legs, straightening it out may cause more bleeding under his skin…blood he can’t afford to lose…”
Fisher turned nearly as pale as Donovan, Robbie shaking his head consolably.
“At the very least, these splints are sturdy enough to keep the legs in place. But that’s a double-edged sword. If the bones mend like that…it’s guaranteed Donovan will never walk again. And we would have to re-break his legs at a later date just to get them straight again.”
More shivers ran across them, Robbie hardly stirred except the trembling of the tips of his long ears.
“I can give him some pain medication and topical salves and…hope he rides this out.”
“He won’t,” Fisher said back with a raspy quiver, “If such little action is taken, then Donovan will die. That much is assured.”
Robbie’s seeds of skepticism were quickly quelled by the sheer conviction in Fisher’s eyes. Supernatural conviction. As though he had seen and heard what shouldn’t be gazed upon nor listened. He swallowed a lump in his throat then coughed.
“He’ll need a transfusion then. And quickly,” Robbie said, the mere mention of the word bringing a sharp tightness to the monsters and Purah that didn’t go entirely unnoticed. But Link shoving himself front and center unknowingly broke the tension.
“I’m an omni-donor,” he said, already offering his arm, “Let me give Donovan my blood.”
Fisher stared at Link with astoundment, that he would give something of his so freely, when the Yiga Clan’s main goal was to spill his blood. But after yesterday he really shouldn’t be as surprised.
“You sure, Link?” Purah asked, pursing her lips, “That’d make you quite feeble for a good while until you regain your blood. And our deadline’s only 15 days away. Should we risk you not being able to give your all?”
“Do we know any other omni-donors?” Link said rhetorically, spreading his arms out.
The far more tightened silence that followed caused him to raise an eyebrow inquisitively, and the speed at which Robbie tried to break it gave more pause for questions. Impa too had a far more suspicious glare towards her sister.
“Then I guess you’ll have to do, if we don’t have time to test Donovan’s compatibility!” Robbie quickly said, grabbing Link’s hand and urging him towards the table Donovan laid on.
As he neared, Donovan began to convulse and twitch more than the entire previous night. The medics tried to hold him steady, but still he fought against them. Fisher jumped towards him to see what was wrong, only to see his head rapidly shaking back and forth.
“Not Link…not Link…” weakly came from his lips, as though it hurt to merely choke it out.
“Donovan, we’re not in a position to be picky about this,” Fisher said firmly, to little avail.
“Not Link…” Donovan repeated, “He needs it…more than me…anyone but him…I’ll be fine…”
“Don’t try to fight this. You won’t win. We’re giving you that blood. Your say on this matter has come to an end for your own good.”
The smallest of smiles crept across Donovan’s cracked lips, creaking his eyes open to reveal haunting glassy pupils.
“I will…still fight…”
“I refuse to look Wren in the eyes and tell him we lost you because of your own stubbornness.”
“And I…refuse…to doom this land…to save myself…”
“Donovan, I swear on everything…” he said, his voice rising higher, “Link isn’t dying! It’s blood! He’ll regain his strength after a few weeks! We have the time!”
Donovan trembled harder, chin whipping like a whirlwind as if he gazed into the abyss of fate.
“Something will happen…it always does…”
Fisher slammed his hands loudly on the table with both his fists.
“I’m not letting you DIE, Donovan!”
His voice rose to a loud bark, harsher and angrier than anyone had seen him yet. A small ring echoed through the room as he stared motionless at Donovan, wide-eyed and breathless. A well of shame and misery came across him, his sullen body growing sullener as he looked over to a tense Link. For a brief moment all the agony and tingly numb pain subsided, turning back to Fisher staring down with his teeth clenched and just the smallest liquid gathered in the corners of his eyes. For Donovan it felt as though he committed an unforgivable sin, to bring to tears someone who for all assumptions had dried his tear ducts up after years of neglect. At every point he had been fighting against the possibility of living another day. He thought such an endeavor was impossible, improbable, inevitable to doom all those that tried to save him. But staring weakly with his blurry eyes, able to see just enough of monster and Hylian alike that had fought tooth and nail just to bring him this far, and for him to throw it all away here, he felt a small spark from within finally light up.
Suddenly Donovan wanted to live, to see what would happen if he did.
Right as he was about to open his mouth, to relent, to let go, he was prematurely interrupted.
“There is…another option,” came Zayl’s meek voice from the back of the crowd.
A wide heavy breath came from the rest of the monsters, as well as Purah and Robbie - their pupils dilating and arms tightening.
Hardly missing a beat, Purah pointed to the two Sheikah medics then to the door.
“You two. Out.”
Then to Fisher.
“Fisher, you. Out now.”
Then to Impa.
“You too. Out.”
And then to Link.
“Link. Out.”
Their feet were rooted, either out of surprise or belligerence from this sudden order.
“Out!” Rezek loudly and shrilly affirmed along with her, its shrieking voice kicking them into action. Quickly, they complied and filed out through the door: half confused, half irked. Of all of them, Link and Impa had the most leery of faces. They looked as though they had already figured it out, with the blocks falling into place for Fisher just as quickly. But still they remained silent all the way out. When the door was closed shut, all but Zayl let out a heavy sigh - both Robbie and Purah distinctly pinching the bridge of their nose.
“Oh why did you have to go and say that, Zayl?” she groaned, putting her head in her hands, “Some secret, only lasting two days!”
“After all I said about not a word leaving this room,” Rezek said with a loud snort.
Zayl raised a claw, about to contest that technically it didn’t directly mention their little blood secret, and they were still inside said room, but the disappointed stares from all of them was enough to recoil and bring its spirits down to the floor.
“I…I am sorry,” it croaked, low rattles coming from the scales under its throat, “I…I just…”
Covering its face, Zayl laid fully flat and wrapped itself into a little isolated ball.
“All I want to do is help…without making things worse…”
Wincing and burying its face into its tail, Zayl started to shiver. But quickly the other three sat down and laid a reassuring hand on it. Rezek fell instantly, wincing in guilt of its own, then followed by Kobb and Sledge simultaneously.
“Zayl, it is alright,” Kobb said, tenderly wrapping an arm around the base of its neck, “You are not wrong for wanting to help Donovan, or anyone else! If that is a weakness, we should not seek that kind of strength. We will face whatever consequences may come…as we always have done.”
“I agree, please do not be so nasty to yourself. It is bad enough to face that from everywhere else. Do not be your own enemy. If you had not spoken out first…I may very well have slipped, myself. It is hard…knowing we have the key to help so many but must keep it secret for our own protection…” Sledge said with a little bashful lean away from a sighing Purah.
“And it’s not like any of the others are untrustworthy either,” Rezek said, being a little cautious not to let too much of its electric magic ride from its hands across to Zayl, gently holding the ridge of its back with a paler hand, “Link, Fisher, Impa, the other Sheikah…they’d obviously keep their lips just as tight as ours. This is hardly a breach of information…or a mistake on your end. We will all be fine…just breathe, Zayl.”
Slowly, Zayl’s erratic breathing steadied, uncoiling itself and bringing its beady eyes up to look upon the three. With a burdensome sigh, it blew out all the words in its head it would’ve said to itself had they not been there and shuffled closer. The smallest crack of a smile stretched at the base of its snout, head bobbing up and down with a comforted contentment.
“Mmhmm…” it softly trilled, pulling itself back onto its feet with much labor, but still standing at the end of it.
“Everything will be fine. We will not let you fall any further,” Kobb said with a smile that lit a fire right back in Zayl’s belly.
“Yes! It will be fine! Right?” Zayl said, then looking at Robbie and Purah with wider watery eyes.
From behind it both Rezek and Sledge stared at them far firmer, unseen by Zayl.
“Water under the bridge, as they say…” Purah said with slightly clenched teeth.
“Well I suppose we have little choice now, eh?” Robbie said, far more laxly than the rest, “May as well commit to it. It’s probably our best option, to be honest. Zayl is big, with more blood than a Hylian. Especially more than Link who only weighs a few bushels soaking wet.”
That lightened the mood just enough for Zayl’s spirits to carry it over to Donovan, who was breathing heavier from all the energy he expended merely talking.
“I will be giving you some of my blood,” it said, “Do not worry…Lizalfos blood is compatible with Hylians after we separate the hylear. But please…keep it secret.”
Silently Donovan nodded, mouthing the smallest thank you he could muster. A wave of relief washed over Zayl, turning back towards the group and extending the underside of its elbow.
“I am ready,” it said determinedly.
From outside Robbie’s lab, the others sat with varying amounts of malaise and tension. When the door was opened they all flinched to see Purah’s head stick out. She pointed to the Sheikah medics.
“You two, back in,” she said.
They quickly followed, not wanting to be asked a second time, while Impa merely stared fiercely at the door with both hands clutched onto her cane. A lump was stuck in Link’s throat that he just couldn’t swallow, coming to much of the same conclusions. The rest of the lab watched with bated breath from afar, having slowly poured back in. There also came a very distinct fishy smell in the air, one that Link recognized all too well - turning to see the Wizzrobe trio enjoying their own breakfast and even sharing some of that with the other monsters who softly squealed in delight. Yeates perked up upon seeing Link and handed its bowl to Sahpira, then floated right over to it while still looking slightly nervous. The Sheikah Slate was handed back, its arm shaking slightly from the weight. With a smile Link accepted it, finding some much needed solace in the relief across its face.
“Ralera is safely in Lurelin,” it said with tired faded yellow eyes.
“Thank you, Yeates,” he said with a small smile, “We knew you could do it.”
There was a small crack in the air as Yeates fiercely nodded with a wide proud smile of its own, floating back to Deferneh and Sahpira with a little victorious shimmy.
At least someone was having a more tranquil morning than the rest of them.
After an agonizing hour or so, the sun beginning to creep through the windows on its journey across the sky, a familiar hum of machinery coming from inside the workshop, Fisher tapping his foot impatiently from the borrowed time he was losing, the door opened once again and the rest were ushered in quietly. When they came upon the scene they were blasted by an array of conflicting emotions. Donovan’s splints had been changed, his legs now hooked to what at a glance looked like some torture device - a wooden frame clasped around his legs with a large screw and wheel determining how far they were stretched. His calves were softly cushioned, and his legs were straightened, no longer gnarled and squashed, but Donovan himself was just as pale. Perhaps even paler. And what was attached to his upper torso looked even more wicked and unnatural. Suspended above Donovan was a giant glass vial filled with a viscous light green substance. Around the base of it, several layers of cloth were wrapped around followed by a glowing red gooey substance clearly identified as fire-infused ChuChu jelly. From the bottom of the vial came some type of tubes wrapped in more fabric, then a midsection with some unnatural fleshy apparatus that Robbie periodically squeezed, then finally ending with a large metallic needle going right into Donovan’s arm. At first Fisher gasped, his emotions running far hotter than he ever thought they would, but calmed himself down just as fast. The world is logical, and there must be a logical explanation. If Link was offering to give his blood to Donovan, then this must be the apparatus used for transfusion. But then why was it green?
He looked over and saw Zayl splayed in a chair, hiding a gauzed part of its arm, and he knew.
They briefly met eyes, Zayl forcefully swallowing with a nervous grawp, but Fisher stayed his quieter self. Rather than speak anything aloud, he merely gave a polite bow of thanks and then moved on. It was better this way. For both of them.
“Setting the bones took a lot out of him, despite all we tried to numb…” Robbie said with a slight grimace, “and we only set the major forelegs. We didn’t even bother with the minor ones. Not worth the risk of digging around in there. It’s possible to walk with missing or improperly healed minor forelimbs, but not well. And with ones shattered this badly it’ll take a looooong time. I’d say we’re lucky he has a chance of walking. I first thought we weren’t even given that…”
“What’s the verdict on his…survival?” Fisher asked them with a tense bite of his lip.
Both Robbie and Purah shifted back and forth uneasily.
“Honestly…best it’s ever been. Although that’s hardly reassuring, I’m sure,” Purah said, lightly tapping her knuckle on the glass vial, “at the very least, we got a transfusion hooked up and set. Half of it we pumped in right away, while the rest will be gradually dripped in. That should keep him steady along with all the herbs and salves we put in him. The only thing that could…complicate matters is any infections he got from these injuries. We wouldn’t be able to do much about those, I’m afraid.”
“No ailments of the land will harm him,” Fisher said firmly, “that much is assured.”
The confidence that left his lips blew them back a little, Robbie and Purah staring at each other coming to conclusions of their own. Fisher did need to pass through Kakariko to get here, after all…
Fisher walked closer to Donovan, gingerly stepping to the side without the syringe, and sighed upon seeing his pale comatose face. Though it could’ve been his imagination, it didn’t seem as drained of color, and was perhaps tinting just a little greenish.
“How do you feel, Donovan?” he asked, expecting not to get a response. But then his shoulder slightly stirred, Robbie needing to lunge to keep his arm steady.
“Warm…” his lips mouthed before his chest fell back into a slumber.
The wet towel on his head was replaced, and Fisher grasped his free hand gently. He whispered something, almost like a prayer, before letting Donovan rest and returning to the gaggle of monsters and Hylians.
“I will be leaving soon. As soon as I possibly can. Whoever may choose to follow…I can only carry one…with obvious stipulations,” he said, leaning to Sledge who looked away with heavy disappointment and anguish.
A weight of rocks was piled on top of each of their backs, a suffocating crushing presence to even think about who would be one to go with Fisher. Immediately Link’s hand drifted towards his Sheikah Slate, the rest of the room completely forgetting about it.
“I can go. You don’t need to carry me, either, so we can bring two,” Rezek said immediately and firmly, “My magic can keep up.”
“Rezek, you cannot expend yourself like that again,” Kobb said just as quickly, “Not after yesterday. You have not fully recovered. You will have no energy left to fight.”
Brushing it off, Rezek wagged its finger with its little tsk tsk that led to a loud aggravated snort from Kobb.
“I have more than enough now, after you forced me to rest. Tell me, Fisher, where are the rest of your squad located? And how long did it take you to arrive in Kakariko? As fast as you are, and as impressive as your magic is, you still must follow the shape of the ground unlike myself,” it said with a confident smirk.
Fisher smirked right back, feeling this burning competitive desire to humble this snarky Wizzrobe. He wasn’t really sure where it even came from, never being the competitive type, but the way Rezek carried its voice brought out what he thought he never had.
“From Spectacle Rock. Just south of Gerudo Canyon, atop the mountains. There to Kakariko…in less than six hours. I was told I would arrive faster than any horse, swallow, or Wizzrobe would.”
Even Impa coughed in surprise, Rezek gauging the distance in its mind - its arms falling slack upon realizing just how much land that covered. Nodding solemnly in defeat, Rezek smacked its lips several times.
“At that speed, I…could never hope to keep up,” it said with a begrudging wince, “Very well. I…will be the one you will carry.”
“Are you deciding for all of us, Rezek?” Sledge said worriedly, to which it confidently nodded.
“It has to be me. Firstly, I will weigh Fisher down the least,” it said, counting on its fingers, “Second, they have a Gibdo in their midst. I can communicate with kei directly using my magic, and lead them all to the hive. Third, Keene needs me to communicate with the Buzzards and any other Hylians or Gerudo, too. And fourth, both the Gerudo and Buzzards know me well. Perhaps I could…convince them to lend us some arms against the Yiga…”
A heavy deflated sigh left its chest.
“But that last part will be far more difficult without Riju. We will also need to…expose the Gibdo to them in order to get their help. And who knows how they will react to that considering…their past.”
Rounds of dissatisfied acceptance ran around the room. Perhaps it would be enough with just the Buzzards and Wren’s squad, but they all remembered well the tales of the Yiga Clan’s wrath from everyone misfortunate enough to feel their sting.
“I’m going, too,” Link said, holding up the Slate, “There’s a Sheikah tower right atop Spectacle Rock. I can displace there and meet up with Wren and the others before Fisher and Rezek arrive.”
Purah snatched it from his hand before he could recoil back, holding it up high and out of his reach.
“You certainly won’t! You’re staying here and keeping yourself away from your signature recklessness until our deadline!”
Link snarled almost like a dog when its favorite chewing rope was swiped, trying to maneuver around Purah to wrestle the slate back into his hands.
“Give me the Slate, Purah!”
“Nope!” she said with a little teasing laugh, “What if something happens over here, regarding The Calamity, and you’re all the way over in Gerudo Desert! We’d have no way of warning you promptly! For Zelda’s sake, we forbid you from venturing too far away from the rest of us!”!
Link stopped in his tracks. The very air in the room did. All except the slowest lowest breath from Link’s nostrils - his lips firmly sealed. From his face every trait of exhaustion seemed to amplify tenfold. His eyes were baggier, hair more disheveled, lips drier, ears twitchier, throat tighter, shoulders tenser. As he stared up to Purah his expression was a collage of turbulent emotions, none of them particularly angry, but none of them particularly pleased either. Purah was tinted slightly red, slightly pale, both out of embarrassment and unease. The frozen time lingered, seconds dragging for hours, before Link’s return to movement brought all perception back to the routine laws of the world. He pointed a finger up towards Purah, thumb sticking out, and bobbed it up and down several times scoldingly.
“That’s the last time I’m letting you evoke her name like that…”
Now that actual words came from him, Purah found it far easier to brush off.
“You know she’d be just as opposed to you going!” she said, raising her brows.
Link’s head bowed low with a long sigh, followed by the slightest of melancholic laughs.
“I do know…”
As he walked away, the exasperation built up too much and he exploded - throwing his hands into the air dejectedly.
“Can’t give my blood, can’t help others, what can I do?! What am I allowed to do?!”
He felt Purah’s hand on his shoulder whip him right back around. She held onto him firmly, an earnestness in her eyes he was absolutely not used to seeing.
“Save us all when the time comes, Linky, that’s what you’ll do,” Purah said with a softer smile, but still holding that spark of snark, “But you have to make it to that day, first. You can’t be everywhere at once, and we can’t afford that risk either. Just let us lessen your burden of hero for once! That’s why we’re all here! We didn’t live through Hyrule’s greatest failure just to put all of our eggs in the same basket again!”
From the sidelines Impa stifled a little scoff, unheard by the rest. Purah’s words eased down Link’s tensed shoulders, slowly falling into his more tranquil default.
“Then it might be a good idea to send Riju over with Rezek,” he said, “I can collect her from Kakariko and quickly bring her up to speed on the way here.”
“Make it quick, please,” Fisher said, “We are already on borrowed time, and borrowing more with each second…”
Link’s more stoic serious face came right back, firmly nodding and bolting out the door.
…
“Absolutely not, Lady Riju.”
“Buliara!”
“My words are final.”
“You don’t trust Rezek to keep me safe?”
“Safe and ‘out of the path of danger’ are two completely different things, my lady.”
Rezek pursed its lips and bobbed its head, without much of a rebuttal to that.
“And I’m keeping my promises to Dinju.”
The Mother Card again, but Riju felt far more guilty about it being used here unlike the last time. The stern but concerned look in Buliara’s eyes told it all.
“It’s reckless enough that we agreed to head over to Kakariko, but to send you back with Rezek at your side instead of me…imagine what the council would say! I could lose my position as your guard over this! All the leniency I offer you already would blow away in the wind!”
Riju grimaced and turned away, crossing her arms in a huffy pout. Buliara pulled her back in and rubbed endearingly on her shoulder.
“I know you want to help their hive…but you can do that when our battle is won and you’re back on the throne.”
Still unsatisfied, she turned to Link.
“Could you get me some ink and paper, and a candle?”
Hastily she scribbled on some parchment, then dripped over some candle wax onto the bottom right corner then stamped it with a little seal held in a pouch around her waist. Wrapping it up, she handed it to Rezek.
“There! An official statement from the Chieftain declaring my support for the Gibdo hive, approving any military aid for their protection! It’d still have to get through the council…but it’s as good of a chance as any.”
Rezek quickly stashed it away in a safe place.
“Thank you, Riju.”
It then turned to Mar’ska, who had been debriefed along the two Gerudo, repeatedly biting her lower lip.
“Would you come along instead, Mar’ska?” it asked, “I know you are dealing with a certain…situation back at your home.”
She could hardly look it in the eye, feeling that burning urge to step forwards, to go on another grand adventure with Rezek. She wanted to go. She wanted to so badly, but she couldn’t stop thinking of what she would hear. Half the reason she was even halfway across Hyrule was to escape it all, to get the little reprieve she could before it would all get taken away from her. After all that fuss she made with her father, and he’d be seeing her again mere days later? Begging for more help? As horribly tempting as it was to just reach out and grab Rezek’s hand, she couldn’t take that step forwards. Too much weighed down her ankles.
With a loud heavy, Mar’ska’s feet stayed planted on the floor and that was that. Rezek nodded, trying to hide its letdowned expression.
“I will go with you, Rezek,” Kobb said, knowing if no one else spoke out Link would snatch the Slate right back while the moment was ripe, “That is, unless you wanted to keep your reputation as Wren’s most trusted ally, Sledge?”
Its tongue teasingly stuck out at Sledge, who snorted with an unsated appetite even after their battle with the Yiga yesterday.
“It would be far harder to move a Moblin across the desert than a Bokoblin, even while I have the Slate,” it said regrettably, “As much as I would want to go, you spoke up first Kobb. Tell Wren and the rest they have my support from afar, though.”
Kobb then looked to Rezek, a little gleam of concealed excitement in its eyes that Rezek just barely caught. Its motivations were first and foremost for the Gibdo hive, but Rezek knew that look well. The prospect of journeying to a place unseen, learning of new worlds with its own eyes and ears, especially when Rezek knew of it all and could share it with Kobb, was all too tempting.
“Please, be careful…both of you,” Zayl said, the only one sitting in a chair from its slight wooziness, trying to force down some bread and water, “Our battles have been wearing us down. And the Yiga Clan knows this. Just like Link, we all have our roles for when that day comes…”
A serious talk coming from Zayl of all monsters was a sobering reminder of that looming castle always in their peripherals, both Rezek and Kobb gritting their teeth with steadfast grit. As unnerving as it was, it instilled them in the confidence they needed.
“We still need to solve the problem of getting you back quickly, Rezek,” Robbie said gruffly, “Because we are fresh out of cores for the Hooks. I can’t dismantle any more from my devices without bringing the whole lab down!”
Just like that a new obstacle erupted right in front of their trajectory, with not much time to come up with a plan - Fisher looking hurried and impatient. After a short moment of silence Kobb snapped its fingers.
“I do not need to transport to Spectacle Rock right away!” it said, “If there are any Guardians nearby we could harvest some cores in the time it would take Fisher and Rezek to get back to the rest of his squad, and I could bring them with me.”
Robbie rubbed his chin, a glint appearing behind the goggles.
“Yes…I believe that’s what we could do! There’s a spot only a few hours away on horseback! It’s where I used to go before my age caught up with me…well not anymore!” he shouted, purposely avoiding Impa’s stink eye.
He lunged forward and began to point.
“We’ll assemble a team pronto! Me, Purah, Link, and Sledge! We’ll set out within the hour!
His finger landed squarely towards Kobb.
“And Kobb! You’ll be taking a long nap in the meantime! Sleep up as much as you can so that when Link arrives with the new cores you’ll be rested and ready!”
It halfheartedly saluted, wondering how it’d possibly get any sleep with all this worry already spinning around its head.
“Then that settles it,” Fisher said, clearly at the end of the rope of his dwindling patience.
“One more moment,” it said, Fisher holding in an exasperated groan, “Ashen’s still sleeping. I can’t leave without it knowing where I’m going.”
Briskly it floated up to the second floor. Fisher curiously followed, only hearing of Ashen's name in passing and eavesdropping. When arriving at the same bedroom Rezek did, he stifled a small gasp at what he saw. All tucked under the heavy blankets was the small Wizzrobe he had never seen, undoubtedly a child. Age-wise it looked to be distinctly younger than Cail, though it was hard to tell both due to the blankets and the mysterious nature surrounding Wizzrobes and their life cycle. All his tension, all his haste, melted like snow in the hot sun seeing Rezek gently brush Ashen’s forehead to calmly wake it up. When its eyes opened to the world, that snowy sky blue brightening up the whole room, it softly stirred with a tiny little yawn and nuzzled closer to its tubayse.
“Ashen, I will be leaving soon for a little while, again…”
With a heartbreaking whine, Ashen rubbed even deeper into Rezek’s cloak - muffled complaints creaking through as Rezek gently rubbed its back.
“I know, Ashen. It’s hard to have me leave so often. But this is to help our Gibdo friends. Cross and Kehwees. Their home is in danger. And the tubayses of Cail will be helping us too. Kobb will also be coming with me, so I will not be alone. Everything will be okay, Ashen…”
With teary eyes, it nodded and blew a sigh that sent a little column of fog and ice crystals spinning through the air.
“You’ll be teaching the Trio while I’m gone, alright? I’m sure they have so much more to learn from you…”
It perked right back up, eyes brimming with excitement.
“Yes, of course! They’ve already learned so much! And their sleeve-less robes are amazing! Could I change my robes like them?!”
With a chuckle, Rezek endearingly rubbed on the top of its head.
“Let’s wait until your robes have been hemmed to a full size before making any large changes like that.”
With a playful pout, Ashen embellishingly crossed its arms, met with Rezek’s eyes, and then burst out in a fit of giggles and hugged it tighter.
“I’ll miss you, Rezek…”
“And me to you…”
It floated deftly out the room to where Fisher was waiting, far more speechless than usual. He felt almost embarrassed, that in all his time with the monsters even he had never considered they could have young ones. A small pat on the shoulder from Rezek snapped him out of his stupor.
“It’s always fun to see first reactions to Ashen…” it said with a little sly grin.
Back on the first floor they briskly made a beeline for the door. Right as they were about to reach the transport rune outside, Yeates from afar gasped with forgetfulness - too caught up in catching up with Deferneh and Yeates.
“Rezek, wait! Before you go! The Hylians of Lurelin gave me this! It’s important!”
That brought Fisher’s impatience right back, unable to fully hold back the groan that Rezek definitely heard. But Yeates made sure to be quick, mostly on account of wanting to finally rest its head after such an eventful night, already unrolling the scroll as it floated over. That drew the attention of the others who were gathering supplies for their Guardian core fetching, all eyes in the lab growing wider and wider as Yeates held more and more of the parchment out. When the full scene was illuminated, some were befuddled but Rezek and the other monsters froze in their tracks - mouths held agape as they stared at an impossibility staring them right back. Rezek had to hold back from snatching it up too quickly, holding it with its own hands and looking at the spitting image of Brine. Too many questions swimmed in its mind, questions it wouldn’t have time to have answered. Without a second thought it handed it to Robbie.
“Look into that while I’m gone.”
“Heh, as if you even need to ask me that,” he said, staring at the scroll with a ravenous hunger, even lifting up his goggles to get a better look - wonderment coating his eyes.
“I also felt…something in Hateno…” Yeates said in Malician with far more urgency, “It…might have been something magical, fiery, but…the presence came and went too quickly…”
Rezek’s whole body clenched, a low guttural cough coming from the back of its throat.
“Wizzrobe?”
“Could have been…could have also been some ChuChu jelly used to light a stove. With the time I had, I couldn’t tell…it was there, and then it was gone.”
Rezek gnawed on its knuckle nervously, continuously eyeing Fisher whose concern managed to break through his agitation in waiting. It tried to silently suss out Yeates for any more information, anything it might’ve been hiding, but no, it was truly earnest in its unsureness. That made things far worse, knowing that it had sensed something but none of them knowing what it was.
“What should we do, Rezek?”
It became plagued with indecision. Should it risk infiltrating Hateno, and all the repercussions that would follow should it be caught, all on a hunch? On the smallest blip of magic sensed by a Wizzrobe that was just learning to sense it? The memories of a wailing Zayl that fateful night, splayed out tailless, swayed it in both directions. And then there was Fisher waiting right behind it, and the Gibdo hive all the way in the Gerudo Desert who actively needed its help - when it possessed exactly the help they needed. Was it willing to abandon them, turn away from its fellow monsters right before the first step out the door, just for something that might be another Wizzrobe? Something that just as easily could be a false alarm? And if it was another Wizzrobe, why hadn’t it heard about it? Why hadn’t The Calamity heard about it? Where was the storm of enemy Wizzrobes ready to intercept the newsprung child? And the friendly Hylians in Hateno were quick to notify them of Ralera’s plight, but were silent on the Wizzrobe? It’d rather believe they were equally in the dark on this matter. It had to. Looking to Kobb, Sledge, and Zayl, begging for guidance, it was only met with solemnity back. This would have to be its own decision, its own judgement.
It was all so much easier back on Mount Lanayru, when it could tangibly see, hear, and sense Ashen in that split crook of a tree. Here it felt truly blind.
As little porous holes leaked little wisps of magic from its bitten fingers, Rezek regrettably turned away from its selfish thoughts.
“Inform Link of all of this, and ask him to contact his allies in Hateno,” it direly asked Yeates, “Have them keep an eye out for any…magical disturbances. Although I doubt that would help much at all. Really, it’s for our peace of mind rather than any tangible help…”
Shuffling with pained unease, Rezek smacked its lips several times nervously.
“I will simply have to…infiltrate Hateno myself after I return, and hope nothing happens between now and then…”
“Rezek…” Sledge said, its soothing deep voice commiserating the decision, a deep hiss leaving Rezek’s mouth.
“We cannot change course now,” it said, “I would not be able to look Cross or Kehwees in the eye if we did…”
Solemnly, Yeates nodded and grumbled along with Rezek. Truly it felt like there was no ‘right’ answer. It wondered how it’d ever fully tune this news out while on its mission to aid the Gibdo, that little wicked kernel reminding it over and over it might be turning its back on a Wizzrobe. With a loud growl Rezek shook its head around and forced as many of those suggestions as far away as it could push them, then turned to Fisher with darkened determined eyes.
“Let us depart…”
A folded-up sailcloth was then draped over Rezek’s shoulder, flinching and noticing Zayl in its peripherals bashfully tapping its claws together. But before Fisher was just about to snap after this many delays, he noticed that same ingenuitive spark that came from Zayl when they were discussing Gale’s rescue - and thought it prudent to see what it had to say.
“I had an idea with your wind magic and Fisher’s kinetic magic…the spell that makes his feet slippery,” it said, “Where Rezek blows wind into this cloth and makes Fisher move even faster! It is like a kite and a sail in one!”
Fisher examined the cloth, a few ropes hastily looped through it creating little rings to hold onto. A thin smile crept across his lips, already seeing the made up time they had seemingly ‘lost’ in these delays. Rezek’s smile was even wider, gleefully anticipating the fierce winds whipping at its robes.
With hardly another moment to lose, after so many moments had been lost already, Rezek and Fisher stepped on the rune and Purah pulled the switch - whisking them back to Kakariko in a flash. When the light had settled back to the natural rise of the sun, the lab was left eerily quiet as Robbie and others scrambled around wordlessly for their weapons and supplies. Purah tried to hug the wall subtly and out of sight, but soon found that gray wispy head of hair standing at her waist. She pinched the bridge of her nose and winced, feeling the pressure arise from the back of both of their throats.
“Intersting to see how double-edged your ideals are when it involves anyone other than your selfish self,” she grumbled, “Keeping necessary secrets buried, pushing away from the megalomania of sole heroism, showing restraint against the easy path, yet you can never apply those onto your own ego. You have hardly aged a day, Purah - in both body and mind.”
Fists clenching, teeth gritting, Purah could hardly stand it. Side-eyeing her from afar was bad enough, but to hear those scolding words again in her ears, that same cadence, that same tone, it brought an eruption. Stomping her feet loudly on the ground, she forced her head down to Impa’s level - beet red face filled with rage.
“YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THESE PAST ONE-HUNDRED YEARS HAVE DONE TO ME, SISTER!” she screamed from the top of her lungs, then stomped over to Robbie’s workshop before Impa could bring a rebuttal.
The door closed with a loud slam, reverberating all throughout the lab inside and out.