#soty44

[katedoesfics]

Shadows of the Yiga | Chapter 44

You’re Going Down - Sick Puppies

It's been a long time comin' and the table's turned around, cause one of us is goin', one of us is goin' down. I'm not runnin'. It's a little different now, cause one of us is goin', one of us is goin' down

Whether from the force of the attack or how hard he had landed on the ground, he was only unconscious for a fraction of a moment. But it was enough to knock the wind out of him. He felt the rough sand hit his face, but except for the pain of the force he felt against his body, he felt no other pain to suggest he was even remotely injured.

As Rusl pushed his son out of the way, Revali sprang into action behind him, moving at speeds faster than he ever had before, oblivious to the Yiga soldiers that held him and his friends at knife point. In one motion, he broke free of the Yiga’s grasp and grabbed the blade, slicing it immediately across the soldier’s neck. Before the Yiga soldier even dropped to his knees, he had the others free, bringing the blade across their captives’ necks as well.

Without hesitation, he moved to Kohga, but to his surprise, Kohga was seemingly just as fast, and the moment Revali appeared behind him, the Yiga Clan leader thrust a palm out towards him, sending him sliding across the desert sands. The force of it stunned him, and the speed at which he was knocked back caused road rash on his body from the sand.

All of this happened in only a fraction of a second. As Link pushed himself onto his knees, he realized, then, that the force that had knocked him to the ground was not Kohga’s attack, but his father. He quickly searched for his father, seeing Revali first groaning on the ground, not where he had originally been. When he found his father, he had his arms crossed as Kohga hurled another explosive attack towards them. The attack exploded against Rusl’s defense instead, the force of it bringing Rusl to his knees. The shield around them dropped immediately, and Kohga took advantage, stepping forward and grabbing Rusl, pulling him up violently.

Link watched in horror as Kohga thrust his blade into his father, and Rusl promptly dropped to the ground out of Kohga’s hold. Link screamed to his father, but a crack in the air drowned out his voice as Dorian appeared before them. In just another fraction of a second, Dorian’s power burst forth, and in that same instance, Kohga and his foot soldiers disappeared into thin air, narrowly missing Dorian’s attack.

Dorian’s shoulders dropped as soon as their enemy disappeared, and he hesitated before turning around. His heart dropped at the sight of his wounded friend; he was too late.

Link scrambled against the sand toward his father as Rusl clutched at the blade in his chest. His hand instantly moved to the blade to remove it, but Mipha’s voice stopped him suddenly.

“Don’t! If you move it, he’ll bleed out and die.”

Link’s hand hovered above the blade. His eyes turned to Mipha. “Fix it,” he growled.

When Mipha spoke again, her voice was barely audible. “I… can’t.” She swallowed at the lump that formed in her throat. “As long as the blade remains, the wound cannot be repaired. But he will bleed out as soon as it is removed. It will be too quick for anyone to heal.”

Rusl started to laugh, but choked and winced in pain instead.

“No,” Link started. He sneered at Rusl. “You think this is fucking funny?”

“Little bit,” Rusl managed to choke out.

“I don’t!” Link’s voice cracked slightly.

Rusl’s eyes closed. “It was me or you, Kid.”

“You’re an idiot,” Link said, his voice hard.

“Yeah, well.” His breath shuttered as he exhaled. He put his hand on Link’s. “Don’t let that bastard win.”

“Dad.” His voice softened and broke as his father squeezed his hand. “Don’t.”

Another shuttered breath left his body, and after another moment, his grip loosened on Link’s hand. His arm dropped to the ground where it landed with a soft thud against the sand.

“No!” His fingers curled into his father’s shirt, and he desperately search for a pulse, but his heart was silenced forever. His body shook with each breath he took, and without realizing it, he steadied himself against his father’s chest. In a moment of anger, he pulled the knife lodged in his father’s chest and let it drop to the ground.

The world was silent. His vision blurred as he looked upon his father. He let out his held breath, and with it, the tears fell. He closed his eyes and forced his grip to loosen. He struggled against the hard lump in his throat, cutting off his airway, but it only resulted in a soft sob. His tears dropped silently onto his father’s chest.

Link didn’t even notice the Triforce pulsing softly on his hand at first. It wasn’t until he felt the unsettling sensation of a strange power washing through him did he turn to watch the Triforce. In that instant, it grew and brightened until it seem to envelop him completely, and for a moment, he thought they had failed; that the darkness had won and was taking over.

But the feeling was not like the dark power that once surged through him. It felt lighter. Pure. And just as quickly as it began, the light from the Triforce was cut off abruptly, sending a force wave out from his body and across the desert, blowing the sand around them.

He pulled his bloodied hands away and stared at the sand as the wind softened, blowing steadily across the desert. His fingers curled into his palm, his nails cutting deep into his skin. Only then did he look up, first to Dorian. The Sheikah’s expression was an odd combination of surprise and grief that Link had never seen before. He didn’t utter a word to Link, but instead stared at Rusl’s lifeless body. Link then turned his gaze to his friends, but found no comfort in their similar gazes.

Link forced himself to his feet. His eyes moved to his father’s body one last time. He reached for the weapon at his side automatically, realizing then that he no longer needed it. He turned an angry gaze back to Dorian. 

“Where is he?” he hissed.

Dorian met his gaze, his expression still pained. “Link -”

Link thrust his arm out and the ground began to tremble. “I’ll fucking kill him!”

Dorian’s gaze hardened on his. He nodded once. The air snapped, and they were all pulled through violently through the world in an instant. When the world snapped back into focus, they could see that they were in the heart of battle. The Sheikah fought against the Yiga, but this time, with a few extra Sheikah on their side. Cottla, Koko, Impa, and Purah had all returned from defending the Divine Beasts and now fought alongside the rest of the Sheikah.

The Champions quickly sprang into action, but Link’s mind was elsewhere, the rage still pulsing through his veins as he searched out Kohga, his only target. But in the chaos of the battle - between the Sheikah and the Yiga and the explosion of their power - it seemed that that task would be impossible. His gaze narrowed as he searched for his enemy, and after a few minutes of studying the battle, he noticed a break in the chaos. It seemed Kohga, too, had been seeking Link out, and at that moment, their eyes met.

A grin split Kohga’s face and his chin lifted, taunting Link. But the moment Link took a step forward, he lept into the air and disappeared in a snap. Link’s gaze moved frantically around the battle as he sensed the air snap once more, finding Kohga on the far end of the battlefield. Link sprinted to him, but just as he neared, the air snapped and Kohga disappeared again, his laughter lingering and echoing in Link’s mind.

When Kohga appeared again, he was atop one of the dunes, and he beckoned to Link with a single finger. But Link had tired of the cat and mouse chase, unwilling to give Kohga the advantage of tiring him out or drawing him further away from the protection of his friends and the Sheikah. Instead, he forced himself to think rationally, slowing his mind and his breathing as he focused his attention on Kohga.

He noticed, then, a change in Kohga’s demeanor. He regarded Link warily, and in that moment, the world seemed to slow around him. He watched as Kohga’s muscles twitched, indicating he was about to make his escape, but before he could disappear, Link thrust his palm out toward him. The power surged and pulled through his body, practically pulling the breath right out of him as it collected in the palm of his hand and shot forth toward his enemy. His attack was quick, and the force of it was enough to knock Kohga to the ground, stopping him from disappearing once more.

Though he took a moment to regain himself, Link knew he could not close the distance between them without him disappearing again. He broke into a sprint across the sands and up the dune, hurling another attack at Kohga before he could regain himself. The attack sent him sliding across the sand along the dune, and as Link neared, he thrust his hands toward the ground, causing the sand to erupt around them and sending Kohga high into the air.

But Kohga was able to regain himself as he plummeted back towards the ground, and in a snap, he disappeared before he landed, appearing just behind Link as he crested the dune. Sensing his presence just a fraction of a second before he appeared, Link spun around, pulling his blade out in the process and catching Kohga off guard. He swung the blade at Kohga, and Kohga stepped backwards, narrowly missing Link’s attack. Link lunged forward, but Kohga leapt back, another grin splitting his face. He raised his arm in a one swift movement, the blade was knocked from Link’s hand. It flipped through the air until it landed several yards away.

But this didn’t discourage Link. In fact, he had hardly noticed that it was missing, and instead threw another attack towards Kohga. Kohga continued to leap backwards, and in between dodging Link’s attacks, he hurled his own attacks at Link. And when Kohga tired of the endless back and forth, he disappeared, only to appear once more behind Link in an attempt to throw him off and catch him off guard. But Link was prepared for Kohga’s desperate attempts to break the cycle, and he ducked just as Kohga appeared behind him. He swung his leg around, knocking Kohga to the ground. Before Kohga even touched the sands, Link sprang toward him, throwing his arm out toward him and promptly paralyzing his body, pinning him against the ground.

Kohga grinned up at Link. Though Link had him paralyzed, he was unable to kill him.

“Well?” Kohga started. “What’s wrong, Hero? Can’t kill me?” His slow, wicked laughter grew manically. “I gave you strength and power,” he continued. “But instead, you chose to be weak. That choice has cost you a life, and it will continue to cost more lives.” He watched as the pain flashed across Link’s face, and he grinned. “What will you do, then, if you cannot finish me?”

Link tore his gaze away. Every part of his being wanted Kohga dead, and he wanted to be the one to do it. Despite that, he couldn’t bring himself to end his enemy’s life, and it only infuriated him more. As long as he kept his power moving through him, Kohga would be unable to escape, but it was he who felt paralyzed. It was only a matter of time before he would exhaust himself, and Kohga would be free again. Free to bring Zelda and him to their knees. Free to use the Triforce against them and bring Ganondorf back into their world. Free to continue to kill and destroy. Everything and everyone he loved - gone.

Link hadn’t even noticed, then, that the battle that was behind them had quieted. The army of Yiga soldiers that had swarmed the Champions now lay defeated, their bodies scattered over the battlefield. The Champions looked upon their lifeless enemies before turning their gazes to Link as he stood over Kohga, neither moving. Revali’s brows furrowed and he shouted to Link, but Link still did not move.

Link felt the slight snap in the air and the breeze against his skin as Revali appeared suddenly at his side, an arrow drawn in his bow. His eyes were determined and angry as he looked down at Kohga, the arrow pointed at his neck. Kohga, however, was unfazed by the turn of events, and he grinned up at Revali. Revali sneered at the Yiga Clan leader.

“You know you have no other options,” Kohga continued. “You’re a killer, Link. A murderer. And now, you don’t have anything to blame for it.” He smiled. “You and I aren’t so different now, are we?” He let his words linger for a moment before he went on. “It seems that without me, you wouldn’t have made it this far.”

“Say the word,” Revali hissed to Link.

“You know,” Kohga pressed on. “I regretted it when your father escaped. But it worked out so much better. You had the ability to kill me and you didn’t even know it. You could have saved him. Watching him die right in front of you, by my hands, well, that was a treat for me.”

Revali released the arrow and it plunged into Kohga’s neck. He instantly gasped as his airway was cut off. He choked and sputtered as the blood pooled and seeped out from between his lips. It would not be an immediate death, but one that Revali hoped would be slow and painful. Still, he drew another arrow in preparation for whatever could happen next.

Link dropped his arm then, releasing his hold on Kohga, but Kohga was slowly dying, and he made no effort to retreat. His hands clutched at his throat, his fingers scratching desperately in an attempt to grasp the arrow and pull it out, but he could not seem to get a grip as his strength quickly started to fade.

Link turned his back on him and paused. He listened to Kohga’s desperate gasps for life and felt the anger rush through him once more. Through his dying breaths, Kohga still managed to speak, digging deeper into Link’s fresh wounds.

“Hero… their deaths… are on you…”

Link grasped the gun on his hip and spun on his heels, firing three quick shots, one after another, and Kohga fell silent forever. Link held his stance as if expecting Kohga to spring back to life. His eyes were fierce as he glared at Kohga’s body, his shoulders heaving with pained, heavy breaths, until he finally found it in himself to lower his arm. He tore his gaze away, pocketing his weapon once more, and stepped away, moving down the dunes with Revali at his side.

All around them, bodies were strewn over the desert sands. Sheikah moved quickly to the bodies that still showed signs of life, working frantically to heal them and keep them from their untimely deaths. Bodies that belonged to Sheikah and Hyruleans alike. Those who battled against all odds to help keep Hyrule safe. And all for what? A dark future was all that was in store for the people of Hyrule. Despite all they had done, Hyrule would fall to the very thing they protected it from. The lives sacrificed… it was all for nothing.

Link’s mind began to spin as he looked over the bodies. His stomach churned and his blood boiled. He was suddenly overcome with a wave of emotions. Anger, fear, depression, anxiety. It all rolled together inside of him, ripping through him, causing him to panic and hyperventilate. He suddenly felt more out of control than ever, and there was nothing he could do to fix anything. All he knew was that he couldn’t be in that damned desert any longer.

He didn’t even hear Revali calling to him until he gripped his shoulders, forcing Link to meet his gaze, his eyes wide with the anxiety that pulsed through him. He couldn’t hear a thing as Revali regarded him with concern. He spoke to Link, but Link could not make out his words. He glanced over at Dorian as he appeared at his side. Dorian’s brows furrowed. He pressed two fingers against his forehead, and Link’s vision darkened.

#loz #botw #legend of zelda #breath of the wild #fic #fanfic #soty #shadows of the yiga #soty44