"My house..." Link repeated between his gasps of pain. "Now."
"Link, are you crazy?" Dantz asked as he carefully helped his bleeding husk of a body up. "You need to go to the inn. You need medical attention; look at yourself!"
"I hadn't noticed," Link shot back in a weak voice. "There's... There's no time. He's at the house– the Yiga."
"What?" Dantz asked before instinctively looking up the path. "Are you tellin' me that's why Prima is nervous for Zelda and them?"
"Them?" Link questioned.
"Jules and Celessa..." Manny spoke up, who was staring at Link in shock from behind. "They went to check up on Zelda... Prima wanted us to make sure everything was okay."
"I have to get there. Right now," Link said. He made to take a step but immediately tripped, needing Dantz to catch him to keep him upright.
"You're in no condition to go," Dantz said grimly. After a nervous pause, he took a deep breath and looked at Manny. "I need you to take Link to the inn and then tell Mayor Reede what's going on. I'll head over there and check on Zelda and them—"
"No, I'm going there myself," Link said, grabbing the farmer by his red scarf to stay balanced. "He's different from the deers you hunt, Dantz. He's a trained killer. I have to go."
"And how do you expect to help anyone like this?" Dantz asked. "Just carrying you with me will take us forever to get there!"
"I'll move as fast as I can," Link argued. "There's no point in you getting there just a bit faster if it won't do any good, and if we waste any more time, it could end up being too late! Please... trust me."
Dantz stared into Link's bloodshot eyes before looking up the road again. He then looked back and allowed his eyes to follow their footsteps in the snow up to the inn sitting in the distance. Link watched as his brow furrowed in frustration, trying to decide what the best course of action was. Finally, he sighed and looked over at Manny.
"You go to the inn and let Prima know what's going on. I'm sure she'll know to prepare the beds for any injured, especially for this one right here. We'll be back soon," he ordered.
"You're really going to go?" Manny asked as Link nodded to Dantz in thanks. "But, that's an assassin! Look at what he did to Link of all people!"
"We don't have much of a choice right now," Dantz said. "There's not enough time, not with how long it'll take for Link and I to get to the house. If you tell Prima what's going on, I'm sure she can come up with something better, but for now, just go."
"B-but..." Manny stammered, yet Link spoke up.
"Manny."
Link gave the large Hylian a look, one Manny hadn't seen from him before. It was a look of understanding and one that was asking for help. Link was asking him for help.
"Yeah... Yeah, okay. I'll go tell Prima," he gave in.
"Thank you," Link said while Dantz nodded.
"Make sure Mayor Reede finds out what's going on too," the farmer added. "We dunno what this... Yiga guy can do."
"Y-yeah, got it," Manny said.
"Alright, let's get a move on," Dantz grunted, bending down a bit to let Link's bloody arm go over his shoulders. "Get going, Manny. Go!"
As Dantz and Link began to make their way down the road, Manny turned on his heel and jogged back down the road he and the farmer had come from. He could feel it inside: he was scared. There really was an assassin here in the village, and if he was doing his 'inspection' job, maybe he would have run into him. It was possible he would have died. The thought scared him to the core. His chest hurt, his heart pounded, and his thoughts were spiraling, yet he pressed on. He ran through the village before running back up the steps until he pushed the doors to the inn open.
"Prima!" he gasped loudly. After a few moments, a very confused clerk appeared from the dining hall.
"Manny? What are you doing back here?" she asked. "I thought I just sent you away—?"
"It's Link!" he said, still trying to catch his breath as he stumbled into the room. "He's hurt!"
"What do you mean he's hurt?" Prima asked sternly. "And where's Zelda and the others?"
"They're probably at the house," Manny said, still catching his breath. "But Link... Dantz and I found him just lying in the snow. He was covered in blood and everything! When we helped him up, he said there was a Yiga at the house!"
Prima froze.
"At the house?" she asked. "You're sure?"
"I-I didn't go see," Manny said. "Link went to the house with Dantz. He just wouldn't come to get bandaged up first. I was told to tell you what's going on so you can be ready, I guess."
"But if he's already at the house, and Link is already that hurt..." Prima mumbled beginning to trail off.
Manny watched as she leaned against the front desk. It was rare to see her so unsettled, but thankfully, it didn't last long. The clerk closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"This is just like work: multiple things to do and limited people to do them," she said to herself. With her eyes still closed, she took a breath and asked, "has Reede been informed?"
"N-no, not yet. Dantz sent me here first, but he did mention Reede should know," Manny answered. "Should I head there next?"
With a thoughtful nod to herself and another moment of silence, Prima opened her eyes and pushed herself off the desk. She didn't say anything as she walked away, disappearing back into the dining hall. Manny stood by himself, confused as to whether that meant he was supposed to go or if he was supposed to stay put. After about a minute had passed, Prima returned, now dragging a silver-haired man by the arm.
"Prima, I said hold on!" the man argued, yet Prima calmly chucked him over. With a stumble, the man came to a stop next to Manny. After dusting himself off and fixing his hair, he furrowed his brow and looked at the clerk again. "What are you doing? I was having a nice drink out there on the balcony!"
"I need you right now, Teli. It's important," Prima replied. "I need your help."
"You know, you've needed my help a lot recently," Teli said. "I know I told you to start accepting help a few months ago, but this is starting to get a little—"
"There's a Yiga in Hateno," Prima cut in.
Teli's eyes went wide. He looked over at Manny, who quickly nodded when he realized he was being silently questioned. After taking a few seconds to process, he swallowed to try and moisturize his throat.
"H-he's like... here?" he asked. "Like... Like here, here? Link was right?"
"He was, but looks like his anxiety finally caught up to him," Prima said. "And Link's house is where this guy is, so I have jobs for both of you."
She pointed a finger at Manny.
"You head to Reede's and tell him what's going on. Keep this between us, we can't have everyone in the village lose their minds. It's Link and Zelda he's after if I had to take a solid guess. Reede will most likely make sure everyone is home," Prima said. "Then you go home and get to safety. You—"
She moved her finger to Teli.
"I need you to tell Miss Purah what's going on.
"The old lady? Why her?" Teli asked. "And why do you need me to do it?"
"Because she hasn't been seen. She only lets you for some reason, excluding Link and Zelda," Prima said. "She's probably the one who would know what to do... maybe. At least better than anyone else here. She will open the door for you still, right?"
"Yeah... yeah, she'll open," Teli said, nervously fixing his hair again. "She'll probably think I'll have more ancient tech to sell her. She'll be disappointed. Alright then."
"Good, now then, get going," Prima said. "I need to hurry."
"Hurry?" Manny repeated. "Where are you going?"
"To Zelda's house," Prima said simply, heading behind her desk.
"You're going there?" he asked. "Y-you can't be serious! There's an assassin there!"
"And Link, Zelda, and others are there," she said, pulling bandages out from under the desk. "If no one's arrived, then maybe they can't get here. I'm the only other person besides Purah and maybe Seldon who can stitch and bandage. I have to go there."
"Wha... B-but—" Manny began to argue, yet Teli placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You aren't gonna change her mind. At least, not without a fight, and we don't have time for that," Teli said. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he placed his hands on his hip. "I'll follow you after I inform Purah. I dashingly know how to use a sword thanks to my travels. I'm probably one of the few here who knows how to use a weapon, after all."
"Thanks, Teli," Prima said. "Okay. Come on, get a move on!"
* * * * *
The moment Link opened the door to his home, he was blinded. Not by light, nor was anything covering his eyes. In fact, he could see perfectly fine. No, he was blinded by something else: rage. The moment he saw the Windcleaver's blade piercing through his lover's stomach, his fury coursed through his veins, powering his already struggling heart and his torn muscles. With a lunge, he leaped from Dantz's arms (who was frozen in place from the nightmare in front of him) and darted towards the Yiga.
"Link, wait!" the farmer shouted, breaking free of his petrification. He moved forward, pushing himself to help Link as best he could, but the moment he tried stepping forward though, his foot hit something. After crashing to the ground with a heavy thud, he pushed himself onto his arms and looked back at what he tripped over. "C-Celessa?"
As Dantz tried to process everything that was happening around him, Link flew forward, picking up the trident that had been left on the ground before preparing to thrust it toward his enemy. Angered and acting fast, the Yiga yanked the blade out of the two bodies he had skewered, allowing them to fall as he blocked the trident's tip just before it could pierce his heart.
"How are you alive?" the assassin shrieked, blocking more of Link's attacks.
His attacker paid him no mind though, and after a few more strikes and with a swing with the trident, the Yiga went flying away. The moment the masked man crashed against the opposite wall, Link turned his attention to the women on the floor.
"Zelda? Jules?" he called out to them.
Jules didn't respond, though Zelda seemed to flinch at the sound of his voice. Weakly, she tried to push herself up. Immediately noticing her struggle, Link crouched down, taking her into his arms to help sit her up.
"L... Lin..." she tried to speak, trying to raise her hand to place it on his cheek.
"Hey. Hey, it's alright," Link comforted as Zelda's eyes locked onto his. He reached up and took her weak hand into his own. "I'm here. Everything's okay now."
"How?"
Anger filled his heart again as the now too familiar voice filled his ears. With rageful eyes, Link looked back at the battered Yiga, who was shakily pushing himself up to his feet.
"You didn't answer my question, Champion!" he shouted. "How are you here? I saw the Calamity's power rise to take you!"
"Wait here," Link said, looking back down at Zelda.
He looked down at the bleeding wound in her stomach, something that only caused him to boil even more. There wasn't much time. After gently laying her back down, Link stood and turned, filled with rage as he prepared to face the Yiga once more.
"I will kill you!" the Yiga shouted again. "I will! I'll end you myself this time!"
Link readied the trident, but the moment he took a step, he felt a shock course through his body. He dropped the trident and fell to his knees, beginning to gag and cough. He felt as though he would throw up his own heart. Blood continued to drip onto the floor from his own stomach and shoulder. Even with just that, he had pushed his body far too hard. As he coughed, he noticed a shadow covering the floor. He looked up to see the assassin over him, angrily raising the Windcleaver up, ready to strike Link down. Before he could drop the blade though, a large figure rammed into the Yiga's body, sending him slamming into and over the dining table.
"Sorry about that," Dantz said to Link. "I'm not used to this... It's horrible."
"You fools!" the Yiga shouted. With a surprising amount of strength, he grabbed the table and flipped it out of the way to face the farmer. "You're just like that pilgrim and drunk! Do all of you wish for death?"
He readied his sword again, now aiming for the farmer that stood in his way.
"Dantz!" Link coughed, trying to pick up the trident to hand to him. As much as he hated to put a villager in danger, there wasn't much choice left. Catching on, Dantz bent down and quickly took the trident in hand. "Just— cough— use it as if it were a pitchfork!"
Listening to and trying to understand Link's idea as best he could, Dantz prepared the trident as if he would a pitchfork. The Yiga aggressively raised the sword over his head before yelling as he swiped down. The farmer brought the trident up, arching it as if he were raking up a stack of hay, catching the Windcleaver's blade between its points. Dantz twisted the trident's handle, forcing the Windcleaver out of the Yiga's grip and away. With a yell, the assassin tried to leap forward, ready to fight with his bare hands but stumbled to his knees.
"You're losing a lot of blood," Dantz said, pointing the trident toward the Yiga's mask. "If you go on like this, you'll die. Stop this now, and we can—"
"No!"
Dantz glanced over at Link, who was still trying to get up.
"I'm killing him!" he said through his struggles. "I'm ending this right now!"
"He can't do anything more," Dantz said, as the Yiga tried to push himself up, but collapsed onto his hands as he broke out into a fit of coughs. "We have more important things to worry about, right now."
"What's more important than this?" Link shouted as loudly as his weak breath would let him.
"Getting everyone in here treatment!" Dantz said. "Zelda is over there wounded! Fatally! You shouldn't be moving at all, but right now you're trying to move to kill a man while he's down. Shouldn't stopping them from bleeding be your first thought?"
"Even if I bandage them now, he'll come back to finish the job!" Link said between coughs. "After everything he's done... He needs to be killed."
"Link, we'll restrain him and let the Mayor decide—" the farmer began, yet the Yiga chuckled from down on the ground.
"Yes, Champion," he croaked. "Come kill me. Prove to me that you're no better. Do it."
Link gritted his teeth but gasped when he tried to push himself up.
"Link, you're as white as the snow!" Dantz said worriedly. "Stay down. You don't have much time left, we need to—"
A creak echoed through the house and the room began to brighten. Dantz turned completely to see who had opened the front door, and in a puff, the Yiga disappeared. Link's eyes turned red as Dantz looked back at the now-empty spot in horror.
"No!" he shouted again before his entire body hit the floorboards. His coughs became weaker as his eyes began to lose whatever light had remained behind them.
"Link!" Dantz shouted. He quickly looked around, but the Yiga was nowhere in sight. After concluding he wouldn't be able to find them, he fell to his knees next to Link's body. "Prima! Prima, you have to snap out of it! They need help! Now!"
Prima stood in shock in the middle of the doorway she had just opened, holding an armful of bandages. She looked around at the bloody bodies that decorated the floors of the destroyed house interior. It was as if she didn't hear the farmer at all. She could hear a ringing in her ears. Dantz's voice sounded muffled and far away. It didn't seem real.
"I get this is quite the traumatic sight, but as the farmer said, you need to snaaaaap out of it," she barely heard a high-pitched voice say.
Prima turned around, yet to her surprise, she could see Teli coming up the path behind her.
"Teli?" she asked. "But, that voice wasn't–"
"Down here. Hellooooo."
Prima looked down at her knees to see a very short little girl standing in front of her with her entire calves deep in the snow. She blinked. That dress, the large white bundle of hair, and specifically the glasses and mechanical goggles. They specifically reminded her of—
"Miss Purah?" she asked. "Is that—"
"Yes, yes, it is. Now, skip your surprise and the questions that would naturally follow, please," Purah said, snapping her fingers a few times in a row. "We don't have time. The farmer in there is shouting for help, and you are currently blocking the door. Also, my feet are cold, so if you would."
Still a little shocked, she stepped aside, allowing the little girl through the door before looking at Teli.
"Yeah, that's her," he confirmed as he pulled up next to her. "Long story, she's had an experiment go wrong and— oh, goddesses..."
One look inside the house had completely dried his mouth.
"Th-this is what the assassin did? B-but, he was so outnum—"
"Prima, we're losing them!" Dantz shouted again. "We need to do something! Right now!"
Processing the farmer's words, Prima stepped into the house. Bloody footprints covered the floors, weapons were thrown everywhere, alcohol stained the cabinets, and glass shards were everywhere. Immediately she looked down to see Celessa's body at her feet.
"Prima! The bandages!" Dantz yelled, placing two fingers on Link's neck.
"Prima... What are we supposed to do?" Teli asked, who slowly stepped in after her. "Can we save them as they are now?"
"Prima!"
"Prima..."
"I... I don't..." Prima stammered.
She looked around at all the bodies. Celessa was bleeding from her chest, Jules and Zelda were dripping blood from their stomachs, and Link was almost beyond help from what she could see, and it had clearly been some time since they had been injured. Even a few minutes could be considered too late. The ringing in her ears had started to return.
"I can't... I've never..." she attempted to speak again. "I've never dealt with injuries like this. I don't think—"
"Prima, you have to try!"
"We have to do something though... Right?"
"Everyone be quiet please!" the high-pitched voice shouted. Everyone turned to the little girl standing in the center of the room, calmly inspecting the situation. After tapping a pencil she had brought against her cheek, she pointed it toward Prima. "You. I need you to do exactly as I say."
Prima didn't immediately answer. Her heart was still pounding, and the ringing hadn't subsided. Purah, however, stared with stern, yet calm eyes.
"You heard me," she said again, this time a bit more strict. "This isn't the first time I've dealt with wounds such as these, and panicking won't get us anywhere but behind. I will guide you, sooooo listen and do exactly as I say. Got that?"
The clerk remained silent, still internally trying to gather her bearings. Suddenly, she felt a hand land on her shoulder. She looked over to find Teli giving her a look.
"You can do this," he said. "I'll help."
She looked as though she wanted to correct him. This wasn't a broken nose, nor was this a simple issue that needed to be fixed at the inn. This was new... and yet, Teli trusted her. She looked back at Purah, whose eyes had remained sternly on her. After taking a deep breath, Prima focused.
"What is it you need me to do?"
"I need you to focus on that traveler at your feet first," Purah immediately began to explain. "She's not as injured, but she's clearly lost the most blood. Teli—"
Teli nodded in response.
"—I need you to take some of those bandages and cover whoever that is and Zelda's abdominal wounds as best you can. Prima, it'll be up to you to bandage them when you finish up with her," Purah said before turning to Dantz. "You. I forget your name."
"Dantz," the farmer said, only just now realizing a child was giving them orders. "Uh, aren't you Purah's grand—?"
"I need you to help Teli," she continued to explain, blatantly ignoring his question. "You will leave Link to me. Do you all understand? If you do, snap to it."
Everyone listened, with Dantz choosing to ask questions later. As Prima quickly passed out bandages to everyone, Purah crouched down next to Link's broken corpse.
"Oh, Linky," she said, reaching up to take the bandages that were being handed down to her. "I had hoped not to be in this position with you again. It's an illogical thought, considering your duties and destiny, but one I wished to entertain nonetheless."
The house echoed with nothing but stretching bandages and the occasional gasp from the injured. While Prima taught Dantz and Teli how to bandage as best she could, Purah worked efficiently on Link, covering his gashes in almost half the time the rest had worked, even with his excessive amount of wounds. The moment she recognized more bandages would do no good, she took the ancient slate from off his belt and tapped the screen.
"Purah, is this really going to help?" Teli asked, currently bandaging Jules's stomach after lifting her top slightly up. "They lost a lot of blood. Their skin has lost all color..."
"This will only stabilize them," Purah said simply as she swiped through the slate's screens. "Nothing more."
"Wait, so they're going to die?" Teli asked. "We were too late?"
"Far too late for bandages to work," Purah replied. "We have to put our hope in something else... I was hoping Linky had stocked up on tonics or fairies, but nothing's in the slate."
"Zelda hadn't let him travel," Prima spoke up, who was currently working on Zelda. "He probably didn't see a point... or didn't have a chance to."
" And Linky gave up the champion's abilities... Then she's our only hope," Purah said, turning the slate off. Leaving it on Link's now bandaged chest, she quickly walked over to where Zelda was being bandaged before lowering to her tiny knees. "Has she responded at all?"
"She passed out," Prima answered. While she was trying to stay composed, her nerves echoed in her tone. "She's not doing good, Purah."
After a brief pause, Purah brought her little hand to Zelda's cheek and began tapping it.
"Zelda. Zelda, I need you to wake up," she said. "It's urgent. This is by definition a life-or-death moment. Wake up."
Zelda didn't respond. Purah took a moment to think before looking back at Teli.
"Bring me one of those bottles on the floor," she said, pointing to the alcohol bottles near the cabinets. "Make it snappy."
Quickly, but gently, setting Jules down, Teli hurried over and took one of the still-sealed bottles in hand. Taking the bottle from him, Purah yanked the cork out before placing the bottle's opening under Zelda's nose. She coughed.
"Zelda. Princess," Purah said, setting the bottle aside before placing her hands on both of Zelda's pale cheeks. With colorless eyes, Zelda looked over at her. "Zelda, listen. You're dying; everyone is. There isn't anything in the slate to heal you all with. Is there anything in here that can help us save you? Anything at all?"
Zelda didn't answer. She continued to look blankly up into Purah's large sapphire-orange eyes.
"Zelda, please," Prima spoke up. "Come on, I still need help at the inn. There has to be something in here..."
"Linky won't last long, Zelda," Purah suddenly said. "Neither will the other two."
This brought some light back to Zelda's eyes, though she still didn't speak. Teli stood over Prima and Jules from behind while Dantz sat by Jules (having taken Teli's place). Teli's face fell after a few moments of silence. Prima closed her eyes, accepting that they were possibly lost.
"D..."
Prima's eyes snapped open.
"D... De..."
Zelda was trying, yet failing to speak. Her eyes were no longer on Purah's, but now near the staircase. With a weak and extremely shaky hand, she was reaching out for it. Both Prima and Purah looked over at the staircase.
"De... De..."
"De? De... Desk! The desk!" Purah exclaimed.
She jumped up and rushed over to the desk that sat under the stairs, followed by Teli and Dantz, who had again laid Jules down.
"Search the barrels and crates," Purah ordered. "Come on, snap to it!"
The three began to search, opening every wooden lid they could find. After what felt like an eternity of searching, Dantz opened a lid that revealed something.
"P-Purah? You are Purah I'm gue— anyway, look!" he said, cutting to the chase when the little girl gave him a look.
He reached into one of the crates and pulled out a slightly dusty bottle of sparkly red liquid. Purah quickly took it away from him and opened the bottle, wincing suddenly at the intense smell. Furrowing her brow in displeasure, she looked at the tag.
"Fairy Spice?" she asked herself. "Is this an attempt at one of her own creations?"
"Will it help us?" Teli asked.
"If it's got any kind of fairy essence in it, it will," Purah stated. "How many are in there, including this one?"
"There's... uh..." Dantz mumbled. "Six, seven... Eight. There's eight of them."
With a hum, Purah looked over at the bodies on the floor.
"One to traveler girl, three to Link, two to purple one and Zelda each," she said. "Grab what you can right now and go. Hurry now!"
Each quickly took two in hand, before hurrying over to the injured.
"Dantz, give Zelda you're two," Purah demanded as they jogged. "Teli, go and give traveler girl one now. Then head over to purple-girl over there. We'll grab the other two in a second. For now, just make them drink what you have."
Teli did as he was told, moving to Celessa first. Opening one of the bottles in his hand, he sat her up before forcing the liquid down her throat. After a few seconds, Celessa's eyes opened. She coughed and gagged as tears fell down her face.
"What is that?" she asked weakly. "It burns... That hurts..."
"It's, uh... some sort of healing spice," Teli answered. Before he could explain further though, Purah called out to him.
"Teli! Running out of time!" she shouted. "Change of plans! We're losing Linky! Give me your second bottle, he needs all three, right now! Then hurry and get the other two for the purple one!"
"Right! Coming!" he called back before turning back to Celessa. "Sit tight. We'll get you dashing in no time."
Celessa nodded, pushing herself up against the wall next to the door, trying to control her breathing for the spice she had just swallowed. Teli hurried over to Purah, who was forcing Link's now unconscious body to down a second bottle of the healing spice.
"Here," he said, handing the bottle down to Purah, who quickly took it and sat it next to her, watching as the bottle in her hands drained its contents down Link's throat. Suddenly, another fit of coughing echoed through the house.
"Is that Zelda?" Purah asked, not taking her eyes off Link as she pulled the bottle away and reached for the third next to her.
"She's up," Dantz called back, helping sit Zelda up as she coughed. The spice scratched her throat, especially with two being chugged right after each other. After a few moments, she felt herself gag, something that Purah heard.
"Cover her mouth!" she shouted sternly. "Don't let her throw that up! It needs to digest! It works quick, but doesn't mean immediate!"
Prima listened, covering Zelda's mouth the moment it looked like she was about to puke it up. Her cheeks puffed out as tears formed in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Zelda," Prima said, watching helplessly as her employee fought against her. "I know it burns, and coughing must hurt your wound, but you have to. You have to—"
She tilted Zelda's head back, forcing the spice down her throat again. As if responding to Zelda's pain, Link began coughing, as well.
"Relax, Link! Relax!" Purah said loudly, pushing her small hands against his chest. "Stay still, these will help, but you've lost too much blood and your wounds are deep. Zelda's fine, or at least she will be."
"Where's the Yiga?" Link asked in a raspy voice, ignoring the burn in his throat. "I have to kill him."
"Have to, or want to?" Purah asked, returning to bandaging him up. "There's a difference. Teli, get the other two bottles! I can see the purple girl's breath starting to go away!"
"On it!" Teli said, quickly pushing himself to his feet. He began to hurry over to the desk again—
"I'm taking these."
In another puff of smoke, the bloody Yiga appeared in front of Teli just before he could reach the crate that contained the spice. Before the merchant could respond, the Yiga kicked him away with the last of his strength before turning and taking the bottles from within. Gasping for life itself, the Yiga vanished in another puff of smoke, leaving everyone alone in shock.