So Different, Yet the Same - Linked Universe

Chapter 3: The Summoning Shrine - North

BOOM!

The sound of stone against stone snaps the men into action. Link swiftly hangs the torch on the wall and draws his sword, the others dawning their weapons with anticipation. All at once, the doors drop and lock them inside, cutting them off from all of the paths.

"What is that?" the captain asks, genuinely confused.

"They're-" Link is cut off by Red.

"Armos!"

Link plants his feet and stands his ground, holding his mirror shield in front of him as the first armos notices his presence. He waits for it to slam into him, but Red comes out of nowhere and pushes him out of the way. Link tumbles to the side, but easily skids to his knees. Eyes widening, he takes out his hookshot and pulls Red out of the way.

"Hey! What the heck, old man?"

"Since you clearly know what an armos is, then you should know it's impenetrable to a blade. You had a weak stance, it would have crushed you," Link responds sternly.

He furrows his brows. "What? I've taken plenty on with just a sword before. I know how to fight, believe it or not."

"Well, I unfortunately think that the old man here is right!" the captain yells, becoming surrounded by the fighting statues. He performs a spin attack, momentarily stunning the others while also knocking the stone statues back. However, his blade doesn't faze them. The captain grits his teeth and he makes a sour face, looking as if he's thinking of something.

"You still have those bombs?" Link asks, a small smirk forming across his mouth.

Red raises an eyebrow, but the third of the trio understands. "Now we're talking!"

Link pats Red's shoulder and says, "Stay back, kid. This is about to get real explosive."

"What did you just call me?"

He runs into the fray. Jumping high and flipping so that he is back-to-back with the captain. Both of them pull out bombs, getting their shields ready with their free hands. Nodding, they chuck the Goron's special crop at the statues before they can get too close. Upon impact, they instantly explode.

"Nice!" the captain yells. "There's another wave coming. We should brace ourselves."

"I like the way you think." he responds. Link looks over to make sure their third member is alright, but his heart almost stops when the next wave of armos goes for the kid. "Red!"

He pulls out a bomb, but knows he can't throw it now as the kid is too close to the enemies. Instead, he starts running. Red bashes an armos with his shield while the one behind him goes to stab him in the back. However, Red has amazing reflexes and lifts his arm to avoid the stone blade. He uses it to hoist himself up and over the armos, doing a backflip and landing gracefully. Before the enemy can turn, he rams his sword in the back of the stone statue, nicking a kink in the rock. Letting out a yell, Red lifts the statue with his sword and swings it at the wall, effectively smashing it to pieces.

Link takes this opportunity to throw his bomb, shattering the second armos. Red covers his head and turns away from the explosion, peeking over his shoulder to make sure the monster is gone.

"You okay?" Link asks, reaching out to make sure Red didn't get singed.

He smacks his hand away. "Peachy. I'm lucky you have decent aim."

He shakes off the slap, only squinting his eyes for a moment. "Captain, where do you think- captain?"

"How odd..." The two turn to their member of the royal guard who is kneeling in the center of the room. "These statues seem to have been guarding something."

This peaks their curiosity, and the two quickly gather themselves to join him. Link observes the text, but it is very hard to read. It is in a circular shape, surrounding a symbol of the Triforce. The top triangle has been scratched out, the bottom right filled in. The left remains untouched.

"To this... I summon the-" Link reads, but then stops. The word was crossed off, another written above it. "Nine heroes of the chain."

"The chain?" Red asks.

"Heroes?" The captain stares off, and it seems like he comes to a conclusion. His head turns to Link, and he looks at him with wide eyes. "No way."

"What?" His question isn't answered as the captain presses his hands on the sides if his face, meshing his cheeks together. "Uhhh." Still no response as the captain leans closer, this time staring right into his crystal blue eyes.

"What is happening?" Red asks, but also doesn't receive an answer. The captain goes to him next, though he tries to push away. This guy is super strong, so he decides to let the guy have his existential crisis.

"My name is Link," the captain says. "What's yours?"

Link, er, this is going to get confusing, isn't it? The real Link clutches onto the handle of his sword firmly, and he bites the inside of his lip gently. We don't know for sure if he's lying. I'll just hear him out. He looks down, and sees Red's arms shaking, though he is trying to hide it.

"How do you know that name?" Red asks sternly, his voice quiet at first. He pushes the captain away and points his sword at him. "How do you know that? I knew I should have never trusted you!"

"Hey, if I wanted to harm you, I would have left you alone with those armos!"

"Psh! All of the doors were locked, we had to defeat them!"

"Calm down, both of you!" he yells, staring at both of them. "My name is also Link."

"Is this some kind of sick joke?!"

"Red, I said to calm down." Link drops his sword and shield, putting his hands up in defense. "We need to work together to figure out how and why we are all here."

"The inscription said nine heroes of the chain. If that's true..." the captain's voice trails off.

"Then, there's sure to be more of us." He turns back to Red, a calm look on his features. "Look, I won't call you by your name if you don't want me to. I'll stick with Red until we figure this out."

"Fine," he responds shortly. "But, you two lead."

Link nods, signaling the captain. "It seems we have all been scattered around these catacombs."

"Splitting up would cover more ground, but I'd only allow that if we had a map and a way to communicate," the captain says. "Stay close, we have a lot of people to find."

He leads the way, Link in the middle of the group. He looks back at the third member of their trio, seeing the scared look behind those fierce eyes. "Come on, Red. Don't fall behind."