The Legend of Zelda: Zelda's Honor

Chapter 81 - Demons Among Us

Cayla had been running for several minutes looking for her in the disorderly crowd. She didn't know when it had happened but it was clear that Princess Zelda had disappeared. She tried trailing the dust print tracks across the cave floor but so many were intermingled that it was near impossible to detect which one was Princess Zelda's. She began to despair until she remembered Zelda showing concern for Link when he was stumbling back to his room. Could she have gone anyway to ensure his safety in getting back to his bed?

With that thought at the forefront of her mind, she dashed up the slope and swooped into the side passage and began sprinting down the hewn corridor. She didn't know exactly why she felt a certain dread in her heart but there was something not right and she couldn't put her finger on it. A blood curdling scream rent the night as it echoed down the hallway coming from Link's chambers. She redoubled her efforts and increased her pace, bringing out her baton in the process.

The cries and screams were getting louder as she rounded the bend and came to his door, it had been left slightly ajar and a familiar voice emanated from within. Someone else was in there with him and it was not Princess Zelda! She slammed the door open to reveal a horrific sight. Sasha was leaning over Link with her belly ripped open, laughing as a terrible demon was forcing its way into Link's mouth, opening it near to breaking.

"Dear Goddesses," Cayla whispered, "a Defiler."

She had heard of these demons before but had never encountered one up close. They were vile demons that killed their victims as they wriggled down their throats, ate their hearts and lungs before taking position as the primary source of life for the host body. They would then implant an egg in the host's belly that would later mature and remove itself to infect another host.

Sasha spun around and snarled at the intrusion from the one person she did not expect. Without a second thought, Cayla whipped out three daggers and flung them across the room with deadly accuracy. It caught the tail of the demonic bug and skewered it against the wall ripping its talons out from Link's mouth. Link coughed and hacked as he brought his hand to his bleeding lips, having been scratched profusely by its hook like forearms.

"Cayla?" Link said uncertainly, still clearly intoxicated from the obsidian booze, "What's going on?"

"Link." Cayla said firmly, pressing a button at the baton's base extending the lethal spikes from its tip. "Get away from that demon, now!"

Link wasted no time as he crashed to the floor and crawled on all fours away from the false Sheikah and the writhing demon still attempting to remove the offending knives from its tail. Sasha was insanely quick and leapt upon his prone form before smashing a boot heel on the backside of his wing, right where the fleshy mound and its disgusting growth was. He screeched in abject misery at the pain radiating throughout his wings and body.

"I knew something was wrong with you the moment you came back from that one expedition." Cayla accused as she vaulted over the rock plinth in the center of the room, bringing the baton swiftly down on Sasha's cheek drawing blood.

Taking the force of the blow in stride, Sasha twirled around and lifted her leg in a roundhouse kick. Placing the full force of the blow down onto Cayla's right shoulder, Sasha smashed her to the floor. "You should have killed me when you had the chance then fool! Sasha was dead the moment she faced me!" The false Sheikah cackled.

Recovering quickly, Cayla swept a leg out tripping Sasha onto her rump. The demonic Sheikah flipped over and tackled Cayla to the ground before punching her fist towards her head. Sensing the danger, Cayla shifted her neck to the side as the knuckles contacted bare rock and cracked in several places. Ignoring the searing pain, Sasha raked her claws across Cayla's face before a swift headbutt to the nose disabled her long enough for Cayla to perform a brutal knee to the groin.