The Legend of Zelda: Blood and Spirit

Chapter 26: Standing Together

Chapter 26: Standing Together

Zelda frowned as she glanced down at the still-bleeding gash the Interlopers had left in her left arm almost soon as they brought her, Sheik and Fi down to their stronghold a few hours ago. They hadn't given any reason as to why they inflicted the cut, but the girl could only assume it was simply for the purpose of making her suffer, just as her hero was, only his pain was most likely amplified a thousand fold. Thankfully, the wound in her arm wasn't too deep, but since the rebels had stolen her sailcloth for some reason, there was nothing she could do to staunch the flow of blood. Before they took it away however, they rubbed the white cloth up against the bleeding cut until it was covered with the red liquid, much to Zelda's confusion. Unfortunately, she hadn't had the chance to convene with Sheik or Fi on the Interlopers' strange actions, even though both of them were bound by the wrists just as she was and were walking along right behind her as a group of Interloper guards led their three newest captives down the dark corridors of their fortress. This was all part of the girl's plan though; silence between the three of them and temporary compliance towards their captors were key to ensuring that they would not be found out before things even came to fruition.

Carefully observing both her surroundings and her enemies, Zelda searched for a sign that would tell her just the right moment to put her plan into action. As Sheik had said yesterday, their purpose in infiltrating the stronghold was twofold: first and foremost they were there to rescue Link, but this was also an opportunity for them to learn more about the Fused Shadow, and, it they were lucky enough, destroy it before it could cause any more damage. But if her plan failed, the girl knew that it cost them all so much more than their lives. The surface rested in solely the hands of all four of them, and if they were defeated, the Interlopers wouldn't hesitate to conquer it along with the Triforce.

As they were guided along at a continuous, monotonous pace, the girl's ears suddenly started to pick up on the same subtle noise she had heard when she had been wandering the halls of the Interlopers' fortress the first time, the feeling of a dark presence that had guided her to the Fused Shadow. Her eyes widened as she realized that they certainly must have been close to it, since she could hear its odd, low hum as clear as a bell. She stifled a sly grin as she realized that she had just found her sign.

Moving inconspicuously, Zelda casually glanced back at Sheik and Fi and gave a small nod, signaling that it was time to put their plan in motion. The sword spirit, who was at the end of their surrounded line, nodded back in silent confirmation and slowly raised her tied hands, staring intently at the Interloper who stood towards the front of the line, carrying all of their weapons that had been taken from them. Fi flexed her hand out and concentrated, using her powers of telepathy to communicate with one of her rapiers and summon it towards her. She waited for just the right moment and, when she saw that the rebels' guards were down, she called out to Sheik and Zelda. "Now!" the sword spirit shouted as the girl and the Sheikah leader ducked in unison, allowing Fi to call her blade back to her and use it to cut the ropes around her wrists before the Interlopers could even react. The guards were suddenly thrown into confusion and chaos over what had just happened, and in the midst of this tumult, Sheik took the opportunity to deliver a low kick to knock the Interlopers who surrounded her on both sides to the ground, including the one who held their weapons. After letting Fi free them from their ropes, Zelda and Sheik reclaimed their own weapons and used them to fend off the already attacking rebels. Fortunately, they only had to deal with about ten of them, which they were able to make relatively quick work of by working together. Much to their great fortune, Zelda's plan had been a complete success.

"Alright, where to now?" Sheik asked Zelda as the trio regrouped and started booking down one of the narrow passageways.

"This way!" the girl said as she led the way in the direction of the dark presence. "The Fused Shadow is close. I can feel it!"