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“This Era is huge,” Four remarked.
Time hummed in agreement. It really was. They’d been walking all day and had yet to see a hint of civilization. At least, not a living one.
They’d found themselves on the shores of Lake Hylia when they walked through the portal. It was far larger than any of their lakes, and the bridge crossing it was magnificent work- yet obviously old and abandoned, pillars crumbling and monsters roaming it freely.
The spires of Hyrule Castle were visible in the distance, yet those were damaged as well. Still, the Chain moved towards it- if they could find Hylians anywhere, it would be there.
They camped now in the ruins of what had perhaps once been an outpost, now little more than piles of stone. Strange statues (creatures?) that resembled pots lay scattered throughout. A tattered flag hung over it all.
Moblins had been there when they arrived, but the Chain had cleared them out before making camp in one of the least destroyed buildings. The roof was long gone, but there were still three walls, which was better protection than most of their camping spots.
“I wonder what its Hero is like,” Sky said, tilting his head to study the stars. “Maybe he has some way to travel quickly.”
“A horse?” Twilight offered dryly.
“Or maybe something that lets him teleport,” Wind said, showing his own Wind Waker. “That was really helpful on my journey, and this Era looks way bigger than the Great Sea.”
“It could be that his journey simply took a long time,” Warriors said. “Or that he didn’t need to travel all of Hyrule for it.”
“We won’t know until we find him,” Four pointed out. “Do you think he’ll be at Hyrule Castle?”
“The Castle is obviously damaged,” Time sighed, sitting back. Even at the distance they were at, it was clearly missing some spires. “And these ruins, that bridge… Something terrible happened here. But these are old ruins. It was a long time ago. Assuming we are here to meet this Era’s Hero, whatever caused this is likely defeated now, and the first order of business would surely be to rebuild the Castle. If the Hero isn’t there, the Princess should be, and she’ll know where to find him.”
Scattered agreement came from the rest of the Chain, and they settled in for the night, ready to continue their journey tomorrow.
---
Loosely following the road, they came upon two more ruins and a few more monsters before finally finding other people.
“Welcome to Riverside Stable,” the man at the counter greeted, looking remarkably unphased at the sight of eight heavily armed strangers. “Haven’t seen you around before. Are you familiar with the stable system?”
“I’m afraid not,” Time said. “But we’re only looking for directions.”
“Ah, sure, I can do that,” the man said. “Where are you headed?”
“Hyrule Castle,” Time answered, and a silence fell over the stable.
“By the Goddesses, travellers,” the man remarked, “Why?”
That was an unusual response.
And they could hardly give their honest answer, either.
But that was fine. They had a pre-prepared explanation for situations like these.
“We’re from outside the country,” Sky said, moving to stand beside Time. He always sold the story best. “We recently discovered we had family here, and the last place we’d heard of them was at the Castle.”
“Oh, dear,” the man said. “I suppose it’s good that we’re getting travellers from outside Hyrule’s borders again, but… ah, how do I say this? Outside of Hyrule… you must not have heard.”
“Heard what?” Warriors’ tone was sharp. Commanding. The man flinched back.
“Well… you see,” he started, before sighing, hanging his head. “No, I’ll put it simply. Your relative is dead.”
There was another beat of silence. Some of the travellers and workers at the stable exchanged glances, their meaning lost on the Chain.
“Explain,” Time said flatly.
The man at the counter dabbed sweat from his forehead. “You see. One hundred years ago, the Calamity emerged from under the Castle. It sent out its monsters and Guardians from there. There was devastation. The closer you were to Hyrule Castle, the worse it was. Almost no one escaped Central Hyrule. Let alone anyone in the Castle itself. If your relative was in there, they died. Not to mention, they’d be over a hundred now anyway. I’m… I’m very sorry for your loss.”
One hundred years ago.
Were they here a hundred years too late to meet this Era’s Hero, or had he been a hundred years too late to face his enemy?
“What about descendants?” Four cut in, pushing his way forwards. “We’re not sure how old he was when he was in the Castle. He might’ve had children, farther away.”
“That could be,” the man agreed, relaxing slightly. “Don’t know how you’d find out, but you can try.”
“Perhaps there are records in the Castle,” Time said, straight-faced, and the man’s face fell again.
“Listen, travellers,” he started, sounding despondent. “The Castle is dangerous. The Calamity is gone now, but its monsters and Guardians still remain. There’s no-where more deadly in all of Hyrule. People who go there don’t come back. Especially not unprepared foreigners who’ve never faced a Guardian before.”
“We’re acclaimed soldiers in our home,” Warriors put in. “We’ve faced things I’m sure you’ve never imagined.”
“Not like Guardians,” the man said, grim. “There’s nothing like Guardians.”
“Perhaps not,” Time conceded, “but we are adaptable. I’m confident we can handle it.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” a stablehand piped up. “I used to sneak in there, but it’s gotten way more dangerous as time went on. The monsters in there are all Silver and Gold, and there’s so many Guardians you can’t hide anywhere. I nearly got fried the last time I went, and that was years ago. It’ll be worse now.”
“She’s right,” a traveller agreed, standing. “This is about the farthest into Central Hyrule you can get without putting your life at risk. It’s far too dangerous out there even before you reach the Castle. Don’t go.”
“I appreciate your concern,” Time said calmly, “But we are not to be underestimated. As stated, we have fought many a dangerous foe before. Be assured, we will exercise caution, but we will be going to the Castle.”
The traveller who had spoken earlier groaned in defeat. The stablehand sighed, looking away.
The man they’d been speaking to closed his eyes, face falling.
“The Castle is to the north of here,” he told them, sounding exhausted. “You can see it from here. The roads will lead you to it. But please, travellers. Don’t do this.”
“Thank you for the directions,” Warriors said. “We’ll be going now, while it’s still light.”
“Fools, all of you,” was the response. And then, as they were walking away, he called after them-
“Don’t say we didn’t warn you.”
---
As they travelled closer to the Castle, they did begin seeing the Guardians they’d been warned about.
“The pots,” Wind muttered, examining the distant shape of a Guardian through his telescope. “The pots in the ruins were dead ones.”
“Then they can be killed,” Time answered. “By regular soldiers, no less.”
“I don’t know,” Hyrule murmured. “I have a bad feeling about this.”
Sky shuddered, agreeing in his own way. Fi was as silent as ever, but the Master Sword was heavy on his back, as if she was trying to slow him down.
“They look like machines,” Four observed, borrowing Wind’s telescope. “If they are, they shouldn’t have blood, and can’t be infected.”
“That would be nice,” Twilight said. “Some uninfected monsters to fight.”
“They’re not monsters,” Legend pointed out. “That guy at the stable made a pretty clear distinction. The Calamity had monsters and Guardians.”
“Another point towards them not being susceptible to the infection,” Time said.
“More ruins up ahead,” Hyrule said, and the Chain looked- indeed there were.
Familiar ruins. Time stopped in his tracks, Wind slamming into his back.
They were old and crumbling, but he would know his home anywhere. That was Lon Lon Ranch, left to rot.
A Guardian wandered through, mechanical legs crushing a fence post as it went. A pained wheeze escaped his chest. There was so little left of it now. A burned husk of a place.
“Oh, no,” Sky murmured, and the rest of the Chain made similar exclamations as they drew near enough to recognize it. Night was falling- they’d have to find somewhere to camp soon- but not here. No. None of them could bear to even propose it, making camp in the ruins of Time’s home.
“There’s more ruins over there,” Legend offered, pointing to what might have once been a village. “Looks a little more intact. Should offer cover.”
Warriors opened his mouth to chastise Legend for such insensitive words, but closed it at the sight of Time’s face. Blank, unfeeling, lost. He needed those blunt words now. Something simple and easy to follow.
“If we cut through the field diagonally, we should be able to avoid the Guardians noticing us,” Hyrule offered quietly. His suggestion was silently accepted, and they moved from the road, creeping past the ranch ruins and into the destroyed village unnoticed.
In the morning, perhaps Time would want to face the Guardian roaming what remained of his home. It would be as good a place as any to see what the machines were capable of. And a chance to avenge whoever had lived at that ranch a hundred years ago.
But not that night. That night, they huddled in the ruins of the village, as Guardians passed unknowingly outside.
---
Time did not want to return to the ranch in the morning.
“We should keep moving,” he insisted, and the Chain agreed without protest. They were quite close to the Castle now. At this pace, they’d be there by the end of the day.
First they would have to get through the ruins of Castle Town, though.
What had been invisible in the evening darkness was clear now. Between them and Hyrule Castle proper were the crumbling ruins of what had once been Castle Town, now empty of Hylians and crawling with Guardians.
“We should fight one on its own before we go in there,” Legend said. “Just to see how they work. You know, before we’re surrounded by them.”
“You’re right,” Warriors said, causing Legend to grin smugly. “And it looks like there’s one out there, between us and those trees.”
Indeed there was. A lone Guardian, patrolling the area between the ruined town and the circle of trees sitting outside Castle Town.
“Try arrows first,” Four suggested. “If it’s metal, they probably won’t work, but we should get them out of the way.”
“Got it,” Twilight said, grabbing his crossbow. “And what’re we doing if that doesn’t work?”
“Going for the legs,” Hyrule answered. “Those dead ones in the ruins didn’t have any, so that’s probably how the soldiers killed them.”
“Should make them sitting ducks,” Wind mused. “Doesn’t look like they have teeth or anything, so those are probably how they attack, too.”
Time shuddered, remembering the ease with which the Guardian had crushed the ranch’s fence. That force on a Hylian… yes, they would make for formidable foes indeed, especially if their legs were durable. Still, the Chain could handle it.
“Everybody ready?” He asked, drawing his sword.
“Time,” Sky said.
He held out the Master Sword. It glowed dimly, casting an unearthly blue light on everything nearby.
“That’s unusual,” Twilight remarked. “Think it’s powered up?”
“I don’t know,” Sky said, studying the blade. “But I don’t like this.”
“It’s one Guardian, and there’s eight of us,” Four pointed out. “If this one’s really strong, we can turn back before Castle Town, but we can at least handle this.”
“You’re right,” Sky sighed, lowering the sword into a more battle-ready position. “I’m just nervous.”
“We have fairies,” Legend pointed out, opening his bag to show the faint pink glow within. Their other fairy was in Four’s bag, caught in his own Era.
“And plenty of red potions,” Warriors agreed. “With eight of us and one Guardian, I doubt we’ll be badly injured in the first place. But if we are, we’re well prepared.”
Hyrule slipped his hand into his own bag, grasping the well-worn doll within. He’d stopped finding them after his second adventure, and this was the only one he had left. Still, it brought him comfort to have. Unlike faires or red potions, his doll could save him even after death; could repair even the worst of wounds by switching its state with his own.
He wished he had some for the others, too. While their reassurances were correct, and they’d all surely faced worse than one machine, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this was going to go horribly wrong.
---
It started out poorly.
Their arrows broke against its metal shell, only serving to draw its attention. Its entire head swiveled to face them, legs moving in unison to bring it closer.
A beam of red light lashed from its eye, swerving around the group with its movement. An indication of where it was looking?
Wind, swiftest of the group, was already at its feet. He lashed out with the Phantom Sword, burying it in one leg. A screech and a shower of sparks rewarded him, but the leg continued to function, twisting away from Wind with his sword still embedded in it.
The sailor cursed, leaping forward to try and pry his weapon free. The red beam settled on him, as the Guardian seemed to deem him the most immediate threat.
“Its eye!” Sky exclaimed, startling as he drew closer. “It looks like a Beamos- use an arrow!”
Twilight, crossbow still out, took aim again. The red light on Wind’s back was turning white- what could that mean?
The crossbow bolt struck true, right into the Guardian’s eye. It whirled around, staggered, and Wind took the opportunity to wrench his sword free. Not one to waste an opening, he struck again, severing the Guardian’s leg.
That didn’t seem to affect its mobility, though. Its remaining five legs were more than enough for it to skitter backwards, red beam once again sweeping over the group.
It made a strange chiming sound. Sky frowned- it almost sounded like how Fi communicated. But could there be a connection? Was it just a coincidence?
There was a roar of magic as Legend used his fire rod. For a moment, the Guardian was completely obscured- but when the flames cleared a moment later, it was unscathed.
“Hell of a melting point,” the veteran cursed, as the beam settled on his chest. He pulled out his shield, bracing both arms behind it. “I guess I’m holding its attention. Get the legs while it focuses on me.”
Time and Warriors moved forwards before he’d even finished the sentence. The war had trained it into both of them- even when it’s a strategy you don’t like, you can’t waste time arguing with your allies.
One swing of the Biggoron Sword cleaved a leg off the Guardian. Like Wind before him, Warriors’ sword instead made it only halfway through a leg before screeching to a halt, but unlike Wind he had the benefit of example- with one leg already braced against the Guardian’s metallic body, he tore the sword free and swung again almost immediately. This time his blade sliced through the remainder of the leg, leaving the Guardian to topple forwards, unbalanced, with only half its legs remaining.
Yet that did not deter it. Beam still focused on Legend, now pure white, it fired.
The blast that resulted was unlike anything the Chain had expected. A lance of pure power, the laser exploded against the Veteran’s shield, knocking him off his feet and setting fire to the surrounding grass.
“Legend!” Hyrule cried, stumbling to stop beside him. Legend groaned, struggling back to his feet with Hyrule’s help. His shield, at least, seemed unscathed.
“Okay,” Legend ground out, “bit more of a punch than a Beamos, then.”
The Guardian’s beam was still focused on him, again back to red. Right beside it, Warriors and Time could hear it whirring quietly. Charging that laser, surely.
With renewed vigor, they sliced into its legs again. Its attention flickered away from Legend as they did, switching to Time as he cleaved through another leg in a single stroke. So, it focused on the largest threat, or whoever had most recently hit it?
Suddenly, unexpectedly, there was another blast of energy.
Not from the Guardian they were facing. A new one had appeared, wandering over on six intact legs, the mud clinging to them giving away its origin. This was the Guardian that had been wandering the ranch ruins. But what was it doing here? How had it found them?
…What had it just fired at?
The answer came as the smoke of its initial explosion faded. Lying limp in a crater, tunic shredded in the back, was Four. Sky cried out- there would be no surviving a wound like that.
And yet, bursting from Four’s bag came a fairy. She chimed frantically as she fluttered around his wound, healing magic already at work.
Without further thought, half the group rushed to protect him. Legend stumbled to a halt between the new Guardian and the Smithy, again raising his mirror shield. Hyrule dropped to his knees beside Four and the fairy, Life already at his fingertips. Sky rushed the Guardian, Master Sword now glowing brightly in his hands.
The sacred blade sliced through the body of the Guardian like butter. Ignoring the legs, Sky cut his way into the machinery, oil splattering over him as he did his best to destroy its vital parts.
The Guardian screeched as he went, skittering away and attempting to rotate its damaged body to its other side. But the chosen hero was relentless, carving away at it until black and magenta smoke poured from its body, and it collapsed, lights dimming and fading away.
He turned back to the others. Four was sitting up, Legend and Hyrule at his side. Time and Warriors had finished sawing off the legs of the first Guardian, and Wind had moved in to help them, while Twilight stunned it with his crossbow anytime its targeting beam settled on one of them.
Sky took a step forward, planning to help; the Master Sword would make quick work of the stationary Guardian, when he saw movement.
A lot of movement.
The realization struck him like a brick to the head. That chime the Guardian had made; so like Fi… that had been how the ranch Guardian had found them. It was some mechanical communication. A call for backup, or a hunting call, announcing the presence of prey.
The ranch was closer than Castle Town. So that Guardian had arrived first.
But the ones in Castle Town had heard it all the same.
“Gods,” Sky breathed, horrified, before raising his voice, the loudest warning cry he could give.
“MORE!” He screamed, pitching forwards into a run. “TWILIGHT!”
Indeed, most of their new company had set their sights on Twilight. Maybe because he was the nearest to them, or maybe because he was all alone. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was warning him before he was vaporized.
To his credit, Twilight immediately whipped out his shield, turning to put it between him and the threat.
Unfortunately, the shield Twilight carried was wooden.
The blast of lasers left spots in the vision of all who’d been facing it, but Warriors and Wind paid no mind as they rushed to their brothers’ aid. Twilight was still standing, having braced himself better than Legend had, but his shield was gone, and his arms were badly burned.
“Shit,” Warriors cursed, reaching Twilight with his own shield on his arm. “We’ve got to retreat.”
“The stable people were right,” Wind gasped, even as he grabbed the rancher and began pulling him away. “This was a bad idea.”
Twilight hissed through his teeth, running with Wind. More targeting beams settled on their backs as they ran, but Warriors swapped his shield for his bow, firing uselessly at as many foes as he could manage. It did no damage- but if it drew attention away from his brothers…
Time grit his teeth, still carving through the first Guardian. While his sword had made easy work of the legs, the body was proving a problem; he’d finally broken through the outer shell and was hacking through its inner machinery, but it was taking far too long for his liking. Especially when his brothers were facing a horde without him.
Especially when the Captain stood alone.
He ignored the sound of lasers firing behind him, instead desperately continuing to destroy the Guardian they’d first come to face. Every slash into its machinery stunned it again, leaving it without the opportunity to charge its laser; if he left it, it would surely strike him in the back.
Finally, malicious smoke poured from it, leaving the machine inert. Time didn’t waste a second, whirling around to see what had become of the rest of the Chain.
All of them save Warriors had grouped up, though Hyrule, Four and Twilight were leaning on others for support. The rancher was clearly in the worst shape- with his arms badly burned and Hyrule evidently saving his magic for lethal injuries, Twilight wouldn’t be able to wield anything for the remainder of this battle.
And Warriors…
He was running towards the others, melted scrap on his arm that must have once been his shield. Half a dozen targeting beams were fixed to his back.
But where were the other half…?
Time looked again, a new horrifying possibility occurring to him. And his intuition was right- the Guardians were fanning out, moving around…
Surrounding them.
Time broke out into a sprint of his own, tearing through the field towards his brothers. As he did, Warriors called out-
“We need to retreat!”
“They’re surrounding us,” Time barked in response, and saw the grim realization settle over the faces of the others.
The damn machines were fast, and those lasers had a long range. They weren’t going to be able to run away from this one.
Today, they would defeat these Guardians, or die trying.
Legend began sprinting towards Warriors, pegasus boots letting him cross the distance in seconds as he whipped out his shield. Not a moment later, the Guardians fired. Legend arrived just in time to stop them from incinerating the Captain, but not nearly fast enough to have braced himself; the force of the lasers sent him flying back into Warriors, knocking them both over.
New lasers flicked onto them. Warriors struggled to his feet, half-carrying a dazed Legend, and began stumbling towards the group again, even as the rest of the Chain rushed his way.
For a moment, he really thought they’d make it in time.
Then the Guardians fired. Too fast, far too fast, not even close to the time it had taken them to charge before. And the reason for that became clear- as the sudden barrage blasted into the Chain, knocking apart their tightly knit group, they were not badly injured. The burns were minimal; the force was minimal. Those had been very low power shots, meant to distract or stall them, not harm.
Which spoke of a terrifying intelligence. Strategy, even.
But not all of the Guardians had fired. A few had remained, charging their weapons. Ready to take advantage of the opening the other machines had created.
The targets were still on Warriors. Warriors, and his melted shield, still supporting Legend with one arm.
And yet, in the instant before they fired again, Legend struggled free, once again raising his enchanted shield. It wasn’t a bad plan. It had worked a moment ago. But what the Veteran had failed to realize, in the moments between being knocked down and getting back up, was that they were well and truly surrounded now.
And one shield couldn’t protect you in every direction.
The one laser, he weathered, as it lanced off his shield. The other came simultaneously, from the Veteran’s left. It seemed to happen almost in slow motion- Legend saw the other laser as he blocked the first. He turned, trying to block it as well, but couldn’t be in two places at once.
The laser flew past him, impacting Warriors and sending him crashing to the ground.
The Captain wore armor. From right beside him, Legend could see the chainmail under his tunic; melted and burned away, leaving an ugly wound on his back.
But Legend had a fairy. He reached for his bag-
Another volley of low-power shots. The Chain stumbled back, what shields they still had raised. But few of this volley had been aimed at them.
The Veteran was sent flying. He tried to get back to his feet, but more lasers came, all weak but far too many to brave. Huddled under his shield, he again grasped for his bag, and the fairy within.
Meanwhile, the Chain reached Warriors.
Four hissed through his teeth at the sight of the wound. He’d been sporting a similar one earlier, and knew that without the fairy, he’d be dead.
More low-power shots were coming. Even as they surrounded the Captain with their shield wall, they were stumbling, struggling to keep it up.
“He’s out cold, no potions,” Four announced, keeping the fear from leaking into his voice. They needed to keep a cool head.
“I can get him,” Hyrule croaked, dropping to his knees beside Warriors and letting Life again flow to his hands. He swayed, dizzy, but pressed his magic to the wound all the same.
“Hyrule, no,” Twilight snapped, wincing but pulling his hands away. “You’ll pass out if you do that, and we can’t afford to be protecting two unconscious folk.”
“Warriors will die if I don’t,” Hyrule insisted, but as he said it, Twilight caught a glimpse of a fairy fluttering towards them.
“The Vet’s sent his fairy, Rulie, it’ll be fine,” he soothed. Hyrule sagged against him, Life fading as he relaxed. But only for a moment.
The Veteran’s fairy. That left Legend alone out there, under fire and without a healer.
“We have to get to Legend,” Hyrule started, and that was when it really went to hell.
A sudden pair of full-power lasers fired. They hadn’t noticed them charging among the hail of low-power blasts, but they certainly noticed them when they struck, blasting through the shield wall and scattering their circle.
Hyrule and Twilight, protected in the middle, were the least affected. The others staggered, off-balance, and suddenly the Guardians were moving in.
“They’re trying to separate us,” Time barked, moving back to stand over Warriors. “Don’t let-!”
A third full-power beam struck him in the chest.
He collapsed backwards. Would have fallen onto Warriors, crushing him under his weight, if not for Wind, who caught him easily with his power bracelets. Time’s armor had done its job, protecting him from the blow, but it was half-melted, burning against his skin and hindering his movement.
A Guardian moved between the three of them and the remaining group. Another, still at a distance, fired again, low power, barely blocked by Four.
A third moved to cut Legend off from the rest of them. Unthinking, Hyrule tore away from the others, just barely ducking through its legs to reach the Veteran.
That left Twilight, Sky and Four to press their backs to each other. Or, it left Sky and Four- Twilight grabbed the crystal at his neck, transforming into Wolfie.
He thought, perhaps, the Guardians wouldn’t attack him like that. If they were machines, maybe they were programmed to ignore wildlife.
The targeting laser that immediately settled on him ruined that theory.
Still, he was better off as a wolf. His front legs were still badly burned, and walking had become painful, but at least he could fight like this. Growling, he lunged at the Guardian between him and Legend and Hyrule, biting down on its leg as hard as he could.
Four jumped to join him a second later. But Sky- where was Sky?
A blast of light answered that question. Not a Guardian laser, but a Skyward Strike. His wolf-enhanced hearing picked up on the sound of machinery exploding- and then Sky gasping for breath. Magical exhaustion.
Twilight risked a look over, and saw Sky raising the Master Sword again, grimly determined.
He couldn’t even afford to bark at him. Instead he returned to biting the Guardian’s legs, taking its attention while Four tried to get into its body, and hoped desperately that Sky wasn’t going to collapse.
---
Hyrule helped Legend up, both their shields raised. Legend’s was doing better than his- while both were holding up well, Hyrule’s was beginning to melt.
“Wars,” Legend croaked. “What happened to Wars?”
“He’s fine,” Hyrule lied. Had the fairy gotten to him? He hadn’t seen it in the chaos. It could have been blasted apart as far as he knew. But the answer soothed the Veteran, and they staggered forwards together- only for Hyrule to be slammed into Legend full force with his shield nearly turned to scrap.
A full power laser. Maybe two. He hadn’t even noticed them being charged.
The Guardian between them and the others was looking worn down, with Wolfie tearing through its legs and Four through its body, but it might not be fast enough. Past it, Sky sent another Skyward Strike- far more than he’d ever done in sequence before- and stumbled, falling to his knees, even as one of their foes was felled by it.
There was another strange chime. The Guardians were communicating again.
As one, they twisted to face Legend and Hyrule. Two targets with only one shield… of course they were the clear prey. Even the one being taken apart by Four and Twilight was facing them now. And it was charging.
They were all charging.
“Shit,” Legend hissed, pulling his shield up and frantically looking around.
There was nowhere to hide. Not enough time to find Hyrule a spare shield. Nothing to be done.
“Get down,” he decided, pressing closer to his predecessor. “I’ll cover you.”
They both knew he meant it literally.
“No,” Hyrule said, moving to be at Legend’s back. “I have a shield spell. I’ll use that.”
I didn’t think your shield spell worked like that, Legend thought, and then the Guardians fired.
And, unexpectedly, Hyrule shoved him over.
No, Legend thought, dazed as the lasers collided just over his head. And then, with more clarity, No!
He scrambled to his feet. For one, horrifying second, he was greeted by the charred corpse of his successor.
And then, suddenly, the Traveller was fine. A faint glow emanated from his bag.
“I’m okay,” he gasped, as Legend lurched towards him, desperate to make sure he was real. “I had an item. I’m fine.”
As he said it, the Guardian Four and Wolfie had been facing collapsed. Wolfie raced towards them as soon as it hit the ground, while Four went to support Sky. With the Smithy to lean on, Sky made it back to his feet; they were making to move towards the three of them when more Guardians poured in to reform the line. More than had been in Castle Town, surely. Were they coming from the Castle? The rest of Central Hyrule? Were there an infinite amount of the damn things?
Sky used a final Skyward Strike, slicing through a single one of the Guardians forming a tight circle around them, and collapsed.
Four dropped him without a second thought. He needed both hands for this.
Or, rather, they did.
All Twilight, Legend and Hyrule saw was a flash of light, four copies of Four, and then the Guardians closed ranks again, surrounding the two (five?) other Links.
“We need to go around them,” Hyrule gasped. “Time and Wind, and- and Warriors-”
A strange beam settled on his chest.
Not strange in its unfamiliarity. It looked just the same as all the other Guardian targeting lasers.
It was strange because it came from above them.
Flying in was… well, a flying Guardian. Legend pushed Hyrule behind him as it fired, and its beam was just the same, failing to get through his shield but knocking him back.
Wolfie growled. He wouldn’t be able to hit that. But he couldn’t leave them, either. Hyrule was one too many spells away from passing out, and Legend wouldn’t be able to protect him on his own.
He transformed back into Twilight.
“Vet,” he said, “Give me your shield.”
“Don’t be an idiot,” Legend responded, even as he blocked a laser. “You’re way too hurt for that.”
“I can hold it,” he promised. “Get out your bow. Deal with that thing. I’ll cover you.”
He could see the hesitation in the Veteran’s face, but Legend handed it over. His arms shook as he strapped it on, the pain making itself known, but he ignored it.
His brothers needed him.
---
Time ran, Wind in his arms and lasers at his heels.
“What about Wars?” Wind cried, even as he used what remained of Time’s shield to cover their back.
When Wind’s shield had been blown to bits, the Sailor injured in the aftermath, Time had known- they couldn’t stay still.
And he could only carry one of them.
He just had to pray that Warriors would pull through without the fairy, and that the Guardians wouldn’t target him while he lay dying. He had to protect Wind. The Captain would understand.
Still, tears ran hot down his face.
If only he had the mask. He had no idea where his bag was- he must have lost it at some point, but he had no idea when or how. It didn’t matter- it was lost to him now, along with the mask.
They wouldn’t have needed it if they hadn’t been so damn overconfident, though.
He felt like such an idiot. All the people of this land had warned them, and yet they’d pushed on, stubbornly sure they could handle anything.
When had hubris gotten the best of him? Of all of them?
There was no time to dwell on it now. Time aimed desperately for the copse of trees and the cover it could provide.
Wind cried out as a laser struck his shield and shattered it. There went both of their shields, then. Time’s armor was compromised from the first hit, and Wind wasn’t wearing any at all.
If they were hit again…
---
The Colours held the line around Sky as best they could. Each had a copy of Four’s shield, specially enchanted to split with them, but it wasn’t enchanted for protection against concentrated heat- and it was wooden.
Still. They held.
Blue’s shield was gone, lost to a full-power shot, but he’d taken up Sky’s instead, and it was holding better. Vio didn’t have his out, opting instead to shoot at the Guardians, interrupting their blows with arrows to the eye. Without his support, they’d probably all be dead already.
On the ground, Sky groaned, hopefully a sign he’d be awake soon. They were loath to push him any further, but they would need more Skyward Strikes to get out of this.
A Guardian beam struck Vio in the side.
It wasn’t one of the full power ones. Just a low power shot, meant to knock him over. But the Guardians were intelligent and practically a hive mind- they’d known Vio was about to be knocked over.
That was why several of them had been charging their full power.
Red screamed, throwing himself between most of the blasts and his brother. His shield was shattered and he was thrown to the ground, but he’d blocked most of it.
Most.
Vio was struck twice; once in the front and once in the side. For one heart-stopping moment, Green and Blue thought he was dead.
Then a small, pink figure peeled itself out of the grass.
It was the fairy from earlier. Legend’s fairy. She must have been hit in the blast that separated the group- one of her wings was gone- but she ran to Vio’s side as fast as her small legs could carry her, and Green had him by the arm, pulled back into the safety of the group, a moment later.
Green sighed in relief.
Blue was not relieved.
“Warriors didn’t get the fairy,” he said, words tight with anger. “He wasn’t healed.”
That put a bit of a damper on the mood.
“Maybe he’ll pull through,” Red choked out as he rejoined the group. “We have to believe in him!”
Red, Vio thought, but didn’t say, I think we’re all going to die anyway.
---
There was a crash of Thunder.
The flying Guardian fell from the sky, its circuits fried. Hyrule fell too, narrowly caught by Legend.
There weren’t many Guardians nearby anymore. And the ones remaining were mostly part of the circle around Sky and Four.
The ones who had left were all racing in one direction. In pursuit of something. It had to be Time or Wind. (Or, maybe, if they were incredibly lucky, Warriors.)
But there was no way they were making it over. Legend needed to support the unconscious Hyrule, and Twilight needed to defend the two of them from the stray blasts of the few Guardians still focused on them.
Though it was less than it had been, even one could be deadly. There were perhaps three now, slowly fanning out. Soon Twilight wouldn’t be able to cover them all with Legend’s shield.
“Twilight,” Legend said, holding Hyrule to his chest, “tell me you have a plan.”
Twilight smiled mirthlessly. “Funny. I was about to ask you the same thing.”
---
They were hit.
Time wasn’t even sure where. All he knew was one second they were running, and the next he was falling, burning pain clouding his mind and weighing down his limbs.
It seemed many of the Guardians had followed them. Even as he tried to stand up, he heard the whirring of them charging. Saw the red light of their targeting lasers on him. On Wind.
“Sailor,” he wheezed. “Sailor- run.”
“What?” Wind paled as he tried to pull Time to his feet. “No! I’m not leaving you!”
“Wind,” he tried. “Tune.”
Wind wasn’t Tune yet. The older brother Time remembered had not yet come to be. Tune hadn’t been as bright and optimistic as Wind was. A little sad. Being around Masks and the Captain had only seemed to make it worse, which Time hadn’t understood.
The targets on Wind turned white.
Time understood it now.
With a final burst of adrenaline, he stood, pushing the Sailor behind him in a single motion.
It was too bright. Wind couldn’t see for a second.
When he could, he wished that second had lasted longer.
Time lay still before him. The back of his armor was intact, if somewhat melted. But the man inside it-
Wind could see straight through him. A hole in the Old Man; a cavity where his chest ought to have been.
The targets closed in on Wind again. He had no more shields. Couldn’t run fast enough to escape. And there was no one left to protect him.
Wind sobbed, helpless, as the Guardians charged up again.
A shrill whistle cut through the air.
As one, the Guardians swiveled away, all focusing on whatever had made the sound. Wind saw the source- a figure on horseback, charging straight towards them.
For a moment, he thought the stranger was doomed. Just another fool come to die with them.
Then there was a flare of blue light. Streaks of blue shot away from the figure, five arrows, and all struck a Guardian, leaving smoking craters and exposed machinery in their wake.
And then there was another volley.
And another.
Wind watched, stunned, as the Guardians that had been seconds from striking him down were obliterated so easily, by one stranger with odd arrows.
They didn’t stop when he was out of danger. They turned their horse, pivoting towards the others, and drew their bow back again.
---
The Colours couldn’t see what had happened, but suddenly the Guardians surrounding them were dropping like flies.
Strange blue arrows were flying in from somewhere, decimating the Guardians as easily as the Guardians' own attacks had decimated the Heroes. Within seconds, they’d all collapsed, and their savior, whoever it was, had moved on.
---
Legend and Twilight watched, slack-jawed, as a stranger on horseback shot arrows of blue light with deadly accuracy, and each struck down the Guardians they hit with ease. Those terrifying machines, so close to wiping the Chain out, now reduced to piles of scrap metal by the stranger.
The Hero. It had to be.
“Legend! Twilight!”
They turned. Making his way through the now-inert Guardians behind them was Four, an unconscious Sky slung over his back.
“You’re alive,” Twilight wheezed, dropping Legend’s shield and running forward to help Four with Sky. “Thank the Gods.”
“Don’t thank them yet,” Legend murmured, still holding Hyrule close. “We don’t know what happened to the others.”
“The others,” Twilight gasped, and then Wolfie was there, and he was racing away as fast as his burned legs could carry him.
By silent agreement, the remainder of the Chain rushed after him.
---
Twilight found Warriors first.
He was still lying face down in the dirt. The chainmail that had been melted in the blast had cooled off again, leaving it melted against his skin. The crater of a burn on his back had stopped bleeding.
Twilight didn’t think that was a good sign.
Still, he nosed against the Captain’s face as gently as he could. Turned it sideways, so he could see the expression.
Blank. Empty. No breath warmed his face.
Twilight staggered back, whining, but he couldn’t stay.
He still had to find Wind and Time.
---
Wolfie found him first.
After the stranger had saved him and rode away to save the others as well, he’d… sat down.
Just sat. Or maybe collapsed was a better word. Either way, he was sitting now, beside Time’s cooling body, and Wolfie had found him.
Wolfie had yet to acknowledge him, though. He was busy nosing at Time, whining desperately.
Wind started to cry.
---
They caught up to Wind and Twilight quickly enough.
Warriors wasn’t there. Legend and Four could fill in the reason for that easily enough.
Time was… well.
Time wasn’t really there, either.
The stranger rode up to their little group, though much slower than they had when arriving. They must have been trying not to startle them.
A wasted effort, really. Legend doubted any of them had enough energy left to be startled.
They slid from the saddle, pulling their hood back to reveal heavy scarring. Blond. Blue eyed. A face like all of theirs- unique and yet with some inexplicable resemblance to them all.
This was the new Link.
“I’m sorry,” he started, soft. “For your loss, and for not getting here sooner. But it will be nightfall soon. We need to leave.”
“Can’t you give us a fucking moment?” Legend rasped, with only half the venom he meant to put into it.
Still, the new Link winced. “I’m sorry. I really am. Um, Ember said you were from outside of Hyrule. I don’t know if you get Blood Moons there. But trust me, we really need to leave.”
“Blood Moons?” Twilight questioned, suddenly a Hylian again.
Link flinched back, startled, but recovered quickly. “Yes. They resurrect all the monsters and Guardians in Hyrule. They happen because of the Malice that powers them- when monsters and Guardians die, they release their Malice, and when enough of that is loose, it’s enough power for another Blood Moon. That was… a lot of Guardians, that you were facing. There’s definitely going to be a Blood Moon tonight. We need to be far away when that happens.”
Resurrect…
All these Guardians… were going to be back again tomorrow? As if nothing had happened?
No wonder everyone thought going here was going to get them killed. Even if they’d won, somehow, the Guardians would have just… come back. Gotten them on the way out, probably.
Legend put Hyrule down as carefully as he could, walked a few paces away, and was sick.
“Our friends,” Four said. “We can’t leave them here.”
Link cast a mournful look at what remained of Time. “You don’t have to, if you can carry them, but it… will be unpleasant.”
Twilight walked off without a word. To get Warriors, surely. What was left of Warriors.
Wind continued to stare blankly ahead. Link removed his heavy cloak and draped it over the younger boy’s body; his hands came up to grasp it unconsciously.
“I can carry Hyrule,” Legend croaked, wiping his mouth. “And… Twi’s volunteered to carry Wars, I guess. Can Wind sit on the horse with you…?”
“Wind is… him?” Link guessed, pointing at the Sailor. At Legend’s nod, he softened. “Of course he can. What about, ah… your other friends?”
By which he meant Sky, still unconscious, and Time…
“I’ll carry them,” Four said. “I’ll carry them both.”
“Uh,” Link said. “...Okay?”
How, Legend wanted to ask, but Four answered by raising his sword above his head, and there were four of him again.
Huh. Legend had been starting to think he’d hallucinated that.
The blue one marched off to lift Time, power bracelets glinting on his wrists. The purple one gathered Sky onto his back. The green one wrapped the red one in his arms, as Red was crying inconsolably.
Twilight returned, carrying Warriors. His face was grim. Not that any of them looked better.
“I really am sorry,” Link said, soft grief in his voice. “I’ll… I’ll try and pass along that people should be more firm with their warnings, in the future, so this doesn’t happen again.”
Legend tried to laugh, but it came out as more of a sob. “The warnings weren’t the problem. The problem was the idiots not listening to them.”
“If there’s anyone not listening to the warnings, we need better warnings,” Link insisted. “It’s not your fault. What happened today- none of you are to blame for it.”
What remained of the Chain found that hard to believe.