"Here we are."  Mohberra pointed towards a promontory facing the ocean.  "Chuson'll be here in a bit, he don't get up until like five-thirty."

        "Wow..."  Chihlo stepped forwards gazing upon the sun's rebirth.  "This is...kinda beautiful in a barren sorta way."

        "Hehehyeaaaah...I bet yer home looks much nicer."

        "It sure does...got more colours for starters."

The lonesome cliff seemed dark and foreboding at first until the light touched upon its peaks, the curtains drawn with ochre paint coveting the cliff face.  The sight of such a great expanse made her wings ache in their cuffs as she breathed a heavy sigh.

        "This guy really gonna help me?" she asked again.

        "Course he will, Chuson's mah best bud!  We been together fer like years."

        "That's good...how'd you guys meet again?"

        "We were both stationed out at thuh Gerudo Highlands...got to talkin', he taught me a lotta stuff."  The moblin leaned up against the wall, smiling down at Chihlo whilst he held a tray of food.  "I mean, I know all thuh kitchen staff, but Chuson's been with me longer than anybody else."

        "How long you known the kitchen buddies?"

        "Ehhhh...'bout five years or sumthin'?"

        "I thought this base had been here longer," she huffed looking out towards the southern lands of Akkala, "why even settle here?"

        "We move around-HR-URRP," he explained suppressing a burp with a fist to his chest, "we only been here fer at least seven months."

        "Including all those slaves working down underground?"

        "Yeah..."

        "Does Yigahnim even care about THEIR families?"  Chihlo turned her head accusing him with hard eyes.  "Or am I the only special one here?"

        "Just you."

        "Well I didn't ask to be my grandfather's daughter."

        "I know...'m sorry."

        "It's...it's fine, sorry I'm just so frustrated, it's insulting to all those people down below that I'M more important."

        "Wait, you'd rather be workin' in thuh mines?"

        "It'd be FAIR, right?" she insisted struggling to spread her arms.  "It's bullshit is what it is."

        "Mmmmm...I getcha," he nodded huffing through his swinging snout, "I mean, yanno, I told you's an' such."

        "You really can't leave, like not even ask?"

        "We're all Ganon's servants.  Those who wanna leave are traitors, an' traitors get killed.  So yeah, can't leave.  OH, hey there he is!"

Spilling from a crack in the rock came something bubbling in thick yellow spurts as Chihlo stepped back with revulsion.  Two gooey eyes came forming from what was now a ball of electric pus wiggling plaintively up at them both.

        "Eyyyyy g'mornin' sleepyhead, howsit going?!"

The slime burbled in a rather cheerisome inch as Mohberra handed him the plate of food.

        "Nice nice, uhhh this is Chihlo, thuh girl I told ya about.  Chihlo this is Chuson, mah buddy."

        "H-hi, uhhh...nice to meet you."

She walked forwards rather awkwardly before Chuson extended a tendril of his body towards her that formed into a hand.  She shook it politely expecting to be shocked, but somehow he managed to suppress his own field of energy to not do so as he gargled something before sliding on top of the tray and digesting all the food.  It was a rather disgusting sight, watching soups and meat slish up into his central nucleus and start to disintegrate down to melting the bone.

        "He's askin' if all rito are as pretty as you."

        "Wh-WHAT?!  S-s-seriously?!"

        "Yeah, whut I tell ya, guy's a real gentlechu."

        "Pffft, hahahaha...w-well I'm kind of an exception.  So Mohberra said you could help me?"

The chuchu soon digested all his food, nodding his eyes forwards with a growling sloshy sound that Mohberra translated.

        "He says he knows a thing or two about uh chemistry, kinda all that he's about, yanno?"

        "Really?  So...what is he gonna do?"

        "You got yer soap thing?"

        "Yeah."

She pulled out from her pocket the soap indented heavily with a key imprint.  Mohberra brought out a small bottle ad an equally small bag from his pockets.

        "What's this?" she asked.

        "I wuz talkin' with Chuson about yer uh, key issue, cuz wax is too soft to make into a key.  So he says 'yanno I could make a smart fluid outta flour an' oil, then electrify it into a solid'."

        "Wait...turn a liquid into a solid?"

        "Yeah he's like SUPER smart, he said that's how people make lenses fer like glasses an' telescopes, he showed me it before an' it totally works, see this frying pan I got?"  He swished his hip to show his skillet hanging off.  "HE made that!"

        "Wait, what?!" gasped Chihlo.  "I thought you just took that from someplace!"

        "Nope, Chuson made it for me, an' it's hard as shit, you seen me wallop Vinny with it right?!"

        "Well...jeez if he can make THAT then I-i guess...alright, I trust you."

        "Great!  Now hold still."

The cook dabbed cornflour into the soap imprint, then drizzled vegetable oil until it was almost overflowing.  He then handed it to Chuson who absorbed the soap into his body.

        "You ready buddy?"

The slime fizzled as they stepped back before violently electrocuting himself, a trembling aura of sparks criscrossing his body.  Chihlo watched in fascination as the yellow chu manipulated his energy field, the quivering gelatinous eyes focusing as the soap burned and fizzled.  Soon he was finished, and with a soft petering crackling arc he deflated slightly before extending a piece of his gooey body out to hand over the soap to Chihlo.  Inside the soap was a perfect black key.

        "WH-...whaaaaa?!"

        "HAH, I told ya it'd work!" said Mohberra triumphant.

        "Th-this...this is...o-oh my goddess that's AMAZING!"

        "W-wait wait test it out first, see if it works."

She took the key out of the soap and carefully pressed it into the lock of her cuffs.  It felt like glass in her hands as if her fingers would slip across its surface if pressed too hard, but then she heard a click.  The cuffs loosened and fell from her wings.  She stared at her arms now devoid of large manacled steel with a delayed shock, reaching her wings out to either side of her body for the first time in weeks.

        "Hahaaaaa, nice one Chuson!"  The moblin put a hand out which Chuson high-fived with a slimy tendril.  "I knew ya could do it, didn' I tella Chih-"

He stopped when he felt her hands around his body.  He looked down and saw Chihlo hugging him, gasping tears into his waist.

        "Thank you," she muttered.  "Th-thank...thank you."

        "U-u-uh...it...n-no, it's a-alright, Chuson did all thuh work I-"

        "N-no, both of you."  She pulled back with shaking wings drying her eyes.  "Y-you and everyone in the kitchen a-and your friend here you all...you didn't have to do this for me, you helped me so much.  Especially you Mohberra."

        "W-well...I uh..." the chef rubbed his thick arm nervously, "birds sh-shouldn't be in cages, I always th-thought."

        "PFFT hhhhmhmhhahahaa, ohoho that is cheesy as shit!  ...but yanno I'm glad we met.  You as well Chuson."  She knelt down and offered a hand which Chuson shook with a tentacle.  "You...I know we barely met but you're some kinda scientist right?"

The blob burbled humbly with rolling eyes about dabbing in various theorems and such.

        "Well you're awesome, and when I come back, I promise I'm gonna find a place for both of you."

        "Really?" asked Mohberra.  "Y-you'll come back?"

        "Of course I gotta rescue all the slaves, can't leave 'em here, AND I gotta get that book."

        "Oh right, th-that thing...you want me to help?"

        "What?"

The moblin put a hand on her shoulder leaning slightly downwards to meet her gaze.

        "Lemme help you more.  I'll get Chuson to make a key, fer where thuh boss keeps his book and I get it for ya."

        "Are you, for real, b-but, what if you get caught?"

        "I'll be fine, I know thuh boss an' how to get past him, same trick as you did with thuh spicy curry."

        "Hahaha, seriously the same trick twice?!"

        "Why not it worked!"

        "Alright...yeah, sure, you can help me if you want."  She pulled him close with a wing round his neck and kissed his cheek, much to his wide-eyed shock.  "You're doing so much to help me and I promise I'll find some way to pay you back."

        "U-uhhh...w-w-w-well-MM-MMPH, it's n-no prob, just...helpin' you out."

        "All I need are my weapons back, you know where they keep 'em?"

        "Yeah down the armoury...we'll figure sumthin' out, we set a day fer when yer ready an' plan it out."

        "The sooner I can leave the better, how about two days from now?"

        "Great, I'll tell thuh gang once we get back but uhhhh...wanna just sit here an' chill with us?"

        "Sure, why not, least I can do after all you helped me with."

The slime bulged with a strange chortling sound that made Mohberra flinch.

        "Whut N-N-NO shuddup it's not like that!"

        "What what he say?!" the rito asked.

        "NUTHIN', nah nah just uhhhh a-a li'l joke!"

Again the blob snorted and gristled with teasing sounds making the moblin flush.

        "SH-SHUDDUP dude jeez whutcha tryna do?!"

        "PffffhahaHAH!"

They sat down together watching the sunrise as Mohberra translated most of what Chuson said, half of which the moblin did not comprehend as the electric chu tried to ask some surprisingly scientific questions concerning rito feathers and thermal clothing in frigid climes.  She humoured him best she could, having her cuffs off to savour the freedom for a little bit as they shared jokes until the sun was fully up, cackling at the little digs that Mohberra and Chuson gave each other even when she only understood half the conversation.

        "So then I wuz like 'you don't even got HANDS' an' then Chuson wuz all 'I don't need hands where I'm goin' and then he just creeps up the horse's leg-"

        "KHHHAHA, nohoho way!"

        "The horse just BUCKS him off so hard he slams into a tree like SPLLLLAT, like sumbody shot a banana out of a cannon!"

        "Ahahahahaaaaa oholy shit!"

        "He wuz fine though, just slipped wayyyy on down but thing wuz he got bucked so HIGH that it took like a whole THREE MINUTES fer him to reach thuh bottom, so I'm just watchin' like this."  He crossed his arms sternly looking up at the sky.  "An' Chuson is all like 'DON'T...say anything' but he's got one of his eyes hangin' reaaaaal low an' it hits thuh ground before thuh rest of his body."

        "SNRRRRKhmhmhHMHmhmhahahaha, ohoho wow you guys have some wild times huh?"

Chuson snarled a ribald explanation with jiggling eyeballs much to Mohberra's shock.

        "Whu-I can ride a horse no prob!"

The blob begged to differ with a waggling tendril.

        "Yeah I KNOW that wuz a cow, cows are like horses right you can still ride 'em!"

        "No they're not," said Chihlo, "they're a lot bigger and slower and-"

        "They got four legs!"

        "So does a lynel!"

        "Lynels are like horses!"

        "Oh yeah good luck riding one of THOSE!"

        "Huhuhahahah...aaaah, alrigh' we best get back."

        "Yeaaah I guess so," she stood up brushing her legs, "so we tell the gang?"

        "Yeah we'll set a plan," repeated Mohberra, "think I got sum ideas fer how to get yer stuff back."

        "Awesome, thanks a lot for everything, you too Chuson, was a lotta fun meeting you!"

The bulbous glob shloshed his goodbye to her as the moblin recuffed her arms for sake of appearance, before she pocketed the key and walked back down the cliff.  Mohberra watched her from behind with a heavy sigh to himself, hearing Chuson gurgle a curious thing.

        "N-...uhhh, wuz it that obvious?"

The blob confirmed that it was, to him at least as the moblin turned to him with a nervous rub of the neck.

        "I-i...I dunno whut it is, but...everytime I see her my heart...it hurts.  Izzat normal?"

Chuson replied with a gentle narrative amidst soothing blorbs, his eyes rolling whimsically up to him as he slithered around the moblin's feet.

        "I-i-it's not like that c-come on, I just...I-i-i just really like her."

The chu begged to differ, creeping his body gelatinous upon Mohberra's knees to slorp across his body like a slug and bat his eyes against his cheek.  His gurgles took on a more serious tone however, offering a genuine voice to his ear.

        "Hhhhh I-i know, I know but...sh-she don' want this.  No one would."

Inquisitive murmurs glooped from his friend.

        "Why would I ask her, not like she...she's goin' home anyway, that's where she wants to be.  Whut matters now is I do this fer her, long as I'm still her friend I...I don' mind whut else happens."

The blob understood with a solemn burp, glishing back down to sit back upon the edge of the cliff.  The moblin walked back to the kitchen as they started their preparations for the next couple of days.

Night soon fell.  The jailer slept in front of Chihlo's cell, snorting and smacking his lizard lips.  He didn't hear the soft click of a key twisting in the locks, nor the gentle slip of steel falling from taloned ankles or the grip of wingfeathers around steel manacles until they wrapped around his throat.  In the darkness of the stone halls, no one heard him scream, his throat strangling against the solid bars as hands pulled back the metal chain, creaking as his eyes rolled and feet started kicking.  She never said a word, even if he knew who it was.  No words to curse her in his last breath as he slumped with tongue lolling down his neck, a final crack of his larynx beyond the point of recovery.  Soon as his body slumped and muscles stopped twitching, the bird snatched at his keys and unlocked her gaol celldoor, taking the cuffed manacles with her.

        "Hhhalright...let's do this."

Taking careful steps, Chihlo snuck through the halls with eyes and ears open for anything, gripping her former cuffs like a steel wire bracing tight.  The night shift would be troublesome, but under cover of night she knew she had a better chance than in full daylight as she scurried between corridors and slipped past door openings where snoozing monsters were.  Corners she stuck to like glue keeping mindful of sconces where firelight gleamed and flickered her shadow across the way.  Her hands clenched as she steadied her breathing when she saw one guard block her way, a black moblin much taller than her.  A sound made him turn.

        "Wh-huh?!"

Something clattered down the hall, a small bejewelled ornament that glinted in the light as he trundled over to it and stooped down to touch it.  A beaded necklace.  Then he felt the chain round his neck.

        "HNN-HRRRHRRGHK!"

Chihlo twisted his head hard and snapped it violently sharp with all her strength, almost throwing him into the wall to stun his head and strangle him even tighter before his throat gave in with a brittle-sounding crunch.  The beast had a knife on him, rather a short-sword compared to her as the rito took it and headed on after picking up her necklace.  She caught sight of Bokorie sitting up in her quarters with her daughter as they met up.

        "We have a problem," said Bokonette, "the armoury's all locked up, I thought I could swing a key from the guy by seducing him but...uhhh-"

        "But what?" muttered Chihlo.

        "W-well he said he was gay soooo I couldn't do my thing."

        "Seriously?  Your only plan was to pull a guy away with his dick, that's real shallow Nette."

        "I agree," whispered the mother, "you're really demeaning yourself dear you can do better."

        "Well what you WANT me to do," snarled Nette, "I'm only four feet tall dammit!"

        "Ugh let ME handle this, come on dear."

Bokorie led Chihlo towards the armoury where there stood a white bokoblin.  Chihlo had rarely seen one before but knew they were the most elite members of their group, wielding a large sword that normally required two bokoblin hands to swing.  The armoury key dangled from his hip tantalisingly as the mother bokoblin walked over whilst Chihlo hid around the corner.

        "Ah, hello sir?"

        "Hmm?!  Who goes there?!"

        "No no just...my daughter came to you with a proposition before, yes."

        "Oh...you're her mom?  Listen I told her I'm not interested-"

        "No I understand I just wanted to apologise.  That was rude of my daughter to assume and I felt it only right to come."

        "Oh...w-well uh...i-it's fine," the white guard rubbed his ear feeling all askew, "I mean hey uhhh it gets kinda lonely, it's fine."

        "Well it was still rude of her and I wanted to ask, would you like something to make up for it?"  She walked past him until he was facing away from Chihlo's direction.  "I work in the kitchen so I can cook you something special?"

        "Really?  ...n-nah you don't hafta do that."

        "No no, I insist, I will not have this between us."

        "A-alrighty...uhhhh well, I...I do like pumpkin soup, not had that in months."

        "ooooh lovely, any vegetables with that?"

        "Well no but uh...I guess spicy peppers would be nice, m-maybe some stamella shrooms I guess?"

        "Well I will see if I can't fix you up something tomorr-"

        "HEY!"

The guard turned round sensing someone near, backfisting hard behind him to knock Chihlo away before swinging his sword forwards.

        "SOMEONE-GUH!  Wh-what the SHIT-GHRRRHHK!"

Bokorie slammed a rock into the back of the guard's head, causing him to turn in shock before Chihlo lunged for his throat and plunged her knife straight in.  She didn't stop stabbing him, pumping feverishly as blood spilled out of his neck with every thrust-and-pull of her shiv.  She only stopped when he collapsed into the floor, his legs giving out in a pool of crimson much to Bokorie's horror when she turned and threw up.

        "O-OHHhhh g-goddes-HRRRKH!"

        "I'm sorry," said the bird taking the key, "you knew I wasn't gonna play nice."

        "N-n-no it's...f-fine-oh GODDESS i-it's everywhe-GHHRRRRKH!"

Her whimpering gurgle poured a thick brownish puke onto the floor as Chihlo unlocked the armoury.  Spears filed in ranks along the walls, swords and daggers sheathed neatly into compartments whilst sets of armour hung from hooks.  In the midst of it all she saw her treasured aides, the falcon bow shining a golden peal and her gerudo scimitar.  She thunked the knife into the back of the white bokolin's neck and grabbed her stuff.

        "Awwww hello babies, I missed you too.  Come on, let's get outta this place."

        "I-is that, everything?" asked Bokorie shaking to her roots.

        "Yep, s'all I had uh...you okay?"

        "N-no, no I'm not I-i just assisted in a murder and what's BASICALLY treason, I know I want to help you b-but goddess forgive me!"

        "Hey, hey cummere."

Chihlo hugged her close feeling the pig snout push against chest, stroking her feathered hand along the back of Bokorie's head to soothe her.

        "You're fine okay?  You're doing fine, you've done so much to help me and I really appreciate it.  I'm sorry, alright?"

        "Do you...do you enjoy killing?"  The mother looked up at her sniffling back her tears.  "Do you enjoy this?"

        "If I'm being honest?  ...yeah, I'm not against it but I know it's not good."

        "Oh...well I...thank you for being honest."

        "If I had no reason to fight ever again, I'd be happy with that, just  go back home an' join my family's singing again, but this is the world we're in.  So come on, we can do this, be strong for me Bokorie."

        "I...alright."

The bird clapped her hands upon both the mother's shoulders as she forced a smile through, before taking her out towards the exterior passageways of the maze.  Guards lined themselves along the stone parapets making paths of careful rectangular formation to keep watch on anyone passing through the ridged valley below them, but thankfully there were shadows even they could not see as the bird and bokoblin slipped through them.  Moving between rotas they shifted through rocks with stealthy feet as they caught sight of Lizanaich hidden against a cliff's face jutting out from the wall in front of them.

        "Everything alright?" asked Liz.

        "Going good," said Bokorie, "how's your arm dear?"

        "Ehhh, I'll live," he shrugged shifting his sling a little, "just makes movement a little hard, can't run as fast as I normally want to but don't worry I'll keep up."

        "I have to get back to Nette, be careful alright?"  The black bokoblin hugged Chihlo for the last time.  "Good luck out there dearest, may the Goddess Hylia grant you safety."

        "Thanks Bokorie," she replied back, "you guys have been awesome for helping me, I promise I'll come back for you and the slaves."

        "I know you will."

The mother walked back as Liz took rein of the escape plan, skittering between cliff partitions out of sight from the guards.  Despite his crippled arm he was still relatively swift enough for Chihlo to keep a comfortable pace, the odd guard in their path soon taken down by an arrow from the bird, or a throat-slitting when close enough.  Not a sound was made between them or her victims underneath the waxing moon until they reached Mohberra waiting patiently at the bridge exit.  One large moblin laid conked out beside him in the shadows as he gripped his spear masquerading as a guard, whilst the other remained propped up like a dummy looking like the bridge was still protected from a distance.

        "We made it!" hissed Liz almost shocked at himself.  "C-can't believe we...haaaah-"

        "You alright?" asked the cook.

        "Y-yeah I just...augh I need to rest up an' fix this thing, I'm done here so it's all down to you Mohb."

        "You got it."

The lizalfos hugged Chihlo carefully with one arm as she wrapped her wings round his scaled back.

        "Be careful out there birdy," he said, "would break my heart to end up seasoning you in spices."

        "If that happens you make sure everyone gets food poisoning from me," she said back with a gentle jab to his chin, "look after yourself alright Liz?"

        "You too."

The reptile scuttled back as Mohberra propped up the second guard who had been lying on the ground, leaning his spear against him to keep up the prestige before Chihlo and him made their escape.

        "Here we go," he muttered, "once we're out there's no cover on that bridge."

        "We just run," she said, "I can't risk flying, not when that weapon of yours is still up."

        "We get to thuh forest an' yer home free," he pointed out the line of green straight ahead, "climb over thuh mountains then find sum water, it'll lead to a waterfall where there's a cave behind it, that'll help ya shake off thuh trail."

        "A secret behind the waterfall?"

        "I knowwww it's like uhhhh whutyoucallit-"

        "A cliche?"

        "Yeah, that...alright, you ready?"

        "I've been ready for five weeks, let's do this."

They ran towards the west, hoofing across the bridge as the cold winds from the sea howled and shrieked across the stone, pummelling their ears with sharp cold strikes as the waxing moon gleamed upon their fugitive bodies.  Soon they had reached the forest outskirts, but the moment they stepped off the bridge something came hurling towards them as Chihlo pushed the moblin away.

        "GET BACK!"

A shimmering triple-blade went whooshing past her cheek, cutting the feathered skin to drip blood down her face before she raised her bow quickly towards it.  A frigid white hand caught it deftly as a pale lizalfos strode out from the trees in front of them.

        "Wellll welll wellll, look what I found."

        "V-vinny?!" stuttered Mohberra.

        "Two little lovebirds out fer a moonlit stroll?  Ohoho, you have no idea how glad I am to see both of ya running away."

        "Get out of my way," snarled Chihlo, "cuz there is no way you're taking me back, and I WILL kill you."

        "You couldn't kill me back in the mess hall bitch, so whut ya gonna do?  I'm not alone by the way."

He clicked his fingers as four more lizalfos appeared, two with spears and two with swords.  Mohberra stepped up alongside Chihlo with his frying pan out and ready.

        "Vinny...don't do this."

        "Do what, kill your boyfriend?"

        "I don't wanna hafta kill you...you let her go, you can do whut you want with me, just let her go."

        "Why would I do THAT?!"  The ice lizalfos strode forwards twirling his boomerang in his claws.  "I bring back the bird, AND you, and I get exactly that when I tell the boss what you've done.  You."  He pointed at one of the sword-wielding troops.  "Get my father, alert the island about the fugitives."

The soldier saluted and scuttled past the fugitives, Chihlo trying to grab him but Lizarvinius flicked his ice-cold tongue towards her face and stung her bloodied cut sharply.

        "AH AH AH!  Don't even think of touching my boys you little freak.  You better hope yer family pay up for ya...cuz I'm real hungry for that thick body of yers."

The lizards chuckled cruelly as the moblin strode forwards to push his chest against Lizarvinius.  The reptile sniggered at this attempted dominance and swaggered against him.

        "Oh I'm sorry, did YOU wanna taste him first?"

        "Shut.  Up."

        "Or what?"

        "Or I'll break you."

        "You're just a chef, you can't even fight."

        "I kicked your ass hard enough didn't I?"

        "Uhhh b-boss-" muttered a guard behind him.

        "Yanno what I hate about you most Mohberra?"  The ice lizalfos rose himself to his fullest height with cold unsavoury breath across his cheeks.  "You're just an ugly pig, like all the other moblins but you have to TOUCH everything in the kitchen.  You and your disgusting fingers creeping all over, no wonder you like that bitch."

        "Boooossss??"

He leaned in with a whisper and one eye towards her behind him.

        "Are you that retarded you can't even see that meat 'she' really has?"

        "SHUT UP!"

The moblin slammed his head against Lizarvinius' face making him fall back with a blinding stagger.  The bird and the reptile guards both saw something above them whilst the chef and the white lizard burned hate into each other's eyes, blind to the growing shuddering lights of stars shifting.  Mohberra continued ranting with an accusing finger.

        "YOU CAN'T EVEN TREAT A LADY WITH RESPECT, I DON' CARE WHUT YOU SAY TO ME!"

        "Wh-wh-WHAT!?" squawked Vinny.  "Are you REALLY that stupid!?"

        "You and yer father are miserable, but that's yer problem not ours an' it's no wonder your mom left you both!"

        "DON'T YOU EVER TALK ABOUT THAT BITCH!"

        "IF THAT'S WHUT YOU CALL HER THEN YOU ONLY PROVIN' ME RIGHT!  You can't even speak to miss Chihlo properly like us in thuh kitchen do, you an' everybody else gotta talk SHIT, I DON' CARE IF SHE'S A PRISONER VINNY, YOU TREAT PEOPLE WITH RESPECT!"

        "FOR THE LAST TIME, YOU PIGSHITTING MORON, THAT BIRD, IS NOT A-"

        "BOSS LOOK!"

        "DON'T INTERRUPT ME YOU SHIT, I-...wh-wha...WHAT IN GANON'S NAME IS THAT?!"

The sky was twisting on itself, the stars blinking out of existence as a great mass of fluid chaos covered the entire world like a dome bubble.  The air started burning, the trees shivered as the sounds of animals cried and shrieked feeling something very wrong approaching.  They watched all around them as the ocean seethed with frenzy, as they saw a curtain of light slowly circle the island then the beach then the forest and beyond the mountains south.  The ground shuddered with yawning quake as Mohberra held Chihlo tight to steady her whilst the lizards staggered and fell.  The sky bled with orange, crimson and indigo melting together like a watercolour painting, flames of pure liquid that seethed with such ferocity that the curved moon itself was blinded from their sight.

        "WHAT'S HAPPENING?!"

        "WHY IS THE SKY BURNING?!"

        "O-OH, GANON HELP MEEEEE!

Colours shifted between stars, ones they never recognised as the world itself made a beastly roar that paralysed their souls.  Mohberra's face turned white, falling to the ground as Chihlo hugged him tight to feel his body shaking as the night became a piercing white and the roar became a high-pitched howl of mechanical pitch.  For the next two minutes there was nothing but this sound, deafening the north of the Akkala region inside a screaming universe of itself.  Then it stopped.  The world shuddered back to a starlit night amidst a confused populace as cries of confusion rang from the maze island stronghold.

        "What, what's...h-happened?!" stuttered Chihlo.

        "I-i-i don't know," muttered Mohberra, "c-c-can't be...Ganon?"

        "No, he...he can't be back," argued Lizarvinius, "c-can he?!"

        "No...n-no it wuzn't like this...wuzn't like this."

        "LOOK, THE MOON!"

They looked up.  The moon was no longer waxing, but now full and much closer to the earth.

        "D-did it change?" asked one of the lizards.

        "That's impossible, i-it was just a few minutes when-"

        "I-i-i don't even know...but...the stars are different."

        "He's right," said Chihlo, "I don't...I don't recognise any of these stars."

        "WHO CARES ABOUT THE DAMN STARS?!" shouted Vinny.  "YOU are coming back with us, an' if you try to fight back I'll make you WISH you were dead!"

        "Not gonna happen!"  The bird readied herself with bow aimed towards him.  "If you wanna die here then come at me!"

        "RAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGH!"

The white lizalfos charged with brazen boomerang-blade in his claws, swinging fast as Chihlo dodged to shoot an arrow fast behind him and wound one of his subordinates in the arm.  She pulled her scimitar out in one hand to clash against Lizarvinius, striking between the crooked tri-blade and twisting fast to kick him in the stomach.  before he could counter however, there came another scream from the universe.  A scream of such monstrous sorrow that even the frozen lizalfos felt his heart twinge with pain.

        "Wh-what...what is it NOW?!" he ranted stomping nervously.

        "Th-that's...a spirit," mumbled Mohberra standing back up, "s-sum kinda ghost...I heard voices like that back in thuh Hyrule Town, when Ganon wuz still around."

        "A-a-a ghost?!"

        "Only spirits make that kinda sound...lissen, I think we all should get outta here."

        "Like shit you are, you're a traitor and HE is a prisoner!"

        "Keep talking icedick," said Chihlo twirling her blade, "I'll turn YOU into a she if you keep bitching off at me."

        "Ohohhh I'd like to see you TRY-A-AAAAARGH!"

He ran panicking towards the woods along with the rest of his group, seeing something come hurtling down the sky between them and the fugitives who stumbled back hard against the bridge.  At first they thought it was a shooting star, come from the heavens to bless them with fortune.  But instead they found tragedy, in the form of a burning black beast that stood up and showed itself as a skeleton of roasted ashes.  They could barely recognise it as a reptile of some sort, but smaller than a lizalfos standing at around 5'8'' as its ribs heaved with smouldering breaths.  The pale lizard and his cohorts skittered forwards nervously as the sound of crackling fire and whispered screams seemed to tremble around this entity.

        "Wh-what...is that?"

        "Sum kinda Stalfos?!

        "B-but...but Ganon's not back, why is it even here?!"

        "WHYSIT BURNING?!"

        "No...m-morning left for us."

Its claws tightened up into fists before turning its head towards them.  They stepped back shaking to their feet apart from Lizarvinius who stood his ground brazen.

        "No...morning left."

        "I don't know WHAT you are, but you're in my way, and if you don't get outta here RIGHT NOW, then I'm gonna break EVERY BONE IN YOUR BODY or what's left of it!"

The creature did not move a step.  Its breath shivered as if almost on the edge of tears whilst fire constantly bled from its fingers in almost liquid state.

        "FINE, FINE YOU WANNA DIE, YOU STUPID SKULLHEADED SHIT, THEN-GUH!"

Before he could even rush him the spirit had grabbed his head in both its hands.  They watched as the spirit's eyeless gaze burned into Lizarvinius' gaze, the reptile's head shook amidst soft trembling whimpers with tears rolling down his cheeks.  Suddenly he started crying, sobbing, howling as his arms drooped and his weapon fell free from his grip.  His face began to sizzle, popping the scales off his flesh in bubbling spurts as Lizarvinius choked with a torrid despair.

        "M-mommy...mommy d-don't leave me, mommy p-please I'm s-s-sorry."

        "No morning left.  No morning left...for you."

        "N-n-no...morning left.  M-mommy, mommy please mommy no, NO, NOOOOOOOOOOO!"

He dropped to his knees shrieking, bawling with hands to his scorch-marked face as he grabbed his triple-blade and suddenly plunged it into his own stomach much to everyone's shock.  Blood poured around the burning skeleton's feet who simply looked down upon the screeching sobbing lizalfos, plunging the blades in again, and again.

        "I'M-HRRRKH-SORRY, I'M SORRY MOMMY HE-H-HRRGGGKH-HE MADE DO IT!  HE MADE ME DO IIIIIT!  AAAAAAAARRRRRGH!"

His scream rang out through the forest before he made the final thrust, fully hilting his weapon to the point it shanked through his spinal cartilage with fluids and sinew twisting out.  His eyes rolled to the back of his skull before he slumped with hot spasms and shivering whimpers, causing the rest of the reptiles to shake in their knees as they tried to rush the demon.  One had her throat slit open into gashing hot blood, whilst the other two males swung their spears hard against the creature.  The wood burned fast around the base of the steel tips, rendering them worthless as they panicked and tried to knock it around with neutered staffs, but the phantom gushed brazen liquid fire deep into chests, causing them to fall back and scream in burning fatal agony.  Mohberra and Chihlo were the only ones left to face the haunted beast.

        "What...what in Hylia's name are you?" gasped the stricken bird.

        "Dust...takes the sun away."

        "Wh-who are you?!  What did you DO to him, wh-why was the sky burning?!"

        "I can never escape."

The creature walked towards them as blood sizzled beneath its feet, steam of porous mist amidst the constant cracking burns.

        "I can never ESCAAAAAAPE!"

        "CHIHLO!"

The moblin struck fast with a clung to the spectre's head, knocking it off balance briefly as she snapped into her battle stance.

        "Wh-whut?!  I managed to hit it, i-is it even a poe?!"

        "Does it matter?!" she barked at him.  "If this thing wants to kill us we gotta stop it!"

        "Alright, soon as you get thuh chance, you run!"

        "What about you?!"

        "I'll be fine, I've seen a lotta weird shit over thuh past sixty years I can take this thing!"

        "...alright."  She slipped her scimitar back in its sheath to notch her bow with an arrow.  "Just don't let it touch you, you saw what it did to Vinny."

        "Heh, least he got whut wuz comin' to him.  Alright, whutever you are you best walk away, or else!"

        "No...morning left, FOR YOUUUUUU!"

The spirit rushed with sweeping claws, striking hard with a burning slash that roasted the air in front of them as they stepped back sharp, Chihlo firing a bow at its head where an arrow thunked harmlessly into its skull before melting into ash.  It lunged for her once again as Mohberra whalloped its face with a hefty thunk of his skillet, batting it away before it suddenly shot itself backwards like a sheet in a typhoon.  Fire trailed beneath it into a scorching black line as it circled around them, forming a ring of fire as they quickly escaped from its trap by jumping over the smallest flames and closer to the woods.  The circle complete made a shuddering pillar of flame that tore upwards into the sky amidst a roaring scream from the entity within.  When the pillar subsided the beast's flames became stronger around it as if sucking the fire back into its body.

Chihlo fired two more shots towards its head, the scorching tongues lashing them to cinders as she put away her weapon with Mohberra standing out in front with his solid heat-resistant pan.  The beast rushed with a screaming frenzy, claws sweeping out to burn the air itself against the moblin's skillet.  The spirit didn't hard but its arms swung with relentless blows piling onto Mohberra's shield as five hits became seven, then seven became twelve as the cook struggled to stand amidst the shrieking pummelling attack before Chihlo came from the side with a large branch to crack against its skull.  The moblin pulled back to recover himself before the shrieking phantom tore towards Chihlo, forcing her to swipe back and dodge using the branch as a pole vault almost to swing round the spirit's body.  The flaming ghost spun round fast lashing its claws towards her, giving Mohberra time to strike the back of its head knocking the skeleton down on its face before it roared a blasting shockwave across the scorched land.  Trembling fires crawled through the grass and burnt the trees

        "Wh-what's it doing!?" she cried with burning stick.

        "I-i dunno!" stammered Mohberra.  "Think it's givin' up?"

        "Not sure, keep your guard up..."

The wrothful spirit stood back up slowly, shivering with soft whispers that lingered across the air before looking at them both with one single word.

        "Cxulub...cah."

        "What?" asked Chihlo.  "Wh-who are you?"

        "Cxulub...cah."

        "Choo-loob-kah?" muttered the moblin.  "Whussat even mean?"

But the ghost did not say, fading into a spark of brittle embers and disappearing with a sudden wind that carried them.  The tiny flickers of red flew into the sky beyond their sight as the two looked at each other.

        "Did...d-did that just happen?" murmured Chihlo.

        "I uh...think so," he replied, "sumthin's not right that's fer sure."

        "I can't stick around, I have to go."

        "Alright."

She pulled him close into a swift hug, squeezing him tightly as he did the same politely to her.

        "I'll be back in a few days," she said, "will you be ready?"

        "I will...now get going, I'll see ya later."

        "Thanks for...being a great friend Mohberra."

        "No prob."

He waved her off as she started running through the forest, the moblin waiting for the search party to come as he stood amidst the burnt lizard corpses.  They'd never believe the truth, so he took one of Chihlo's burnt arrowheads and pushed it into his shoulder.

        "N-NNNNNGH!  Hhhhh...d-dammit...th-things I do fer love...heheh..."

Two days since the Petrie had crashed, the small group of rescuers stood watching the maze island from afar in the midst of sunset.  The mountains of the north Akkala point had been a struggle to climb especially with a hostage in tow, the yiga footsman tied with rope and guarded by Shantae with Oddclaw alongside.  The bird and the humans stood out in front, surveying the coastline as Chihlo planned out a schematic in the dirt.

        "Alright, korok team will come in through the south side here, I'll swim up through the crevice in the west wall here, Shantae you come in through the front and lead the main attack squad."

        "Really?" asked Andrea.  "You want US in the front line?"

        "You have those fire rods, plus they run outta magic, you can pin them all down whilst Shantae keeps you covered."

        "You have way too much confidence in us."

        "Uh yeah, cuz you kicked ASS back at the camp, if you can handle a surprise attack you can take these guys on!"

        "I suppose."

        "I'm not even a bloody soldier," argued Jane checking her handgun, "how do you expect ME to fight?"

        "Just follow my lead."  Dixon put a hand on her shoulder.  "We'll be fine, we can do this, you wanted an adventure right, and we got a genie with us!"

        "Half-genie!" said Shantae with finger raised.  "That reminds me uh Chihlo can I talk to you for a sec?"

        "Sure!"

The rito walked over to a quiet spot behind a rocky plinth, whilst Oddclaw kept his gun trained upon the yiga woman.  She sneered at him from beneath her mask with a rancid tone as he tied her up against a rock to prevent her escaping during the plan.

        "You'll make a fine leather hide for my master, dumb beast."

        "Shut up," he smacked her across the face harshly, "you are only here because you cannot fight."

        "Then why wontcha kill me huh?!"

        "Give me a reason."  He pressed his gun against her face until she tasted gunpowder.  "I only have to squeeze my finger."

As their hostage decided to bite her tongue quietly, Chihlo and Shantae stepped out of view behind the large rock where the djinn asked cautiously:

        "So...that village we stayed at?"

        "Yeah?"

        "Well...there were ghosts hanging around that I could talk to and...they were telling me about this book that the monsters took."

        "Oh, huh, really?"  The bird leaned back against the rock.  "So what, you wanna get this book back for the village ghosts?"

        "No, that'd be pointless, they just want me to stop them from USING it, apparently it's some kind of really rare magic grimoire called The Book of Sheikh, used by some ancient princess to disguise herself from evil forces."

        "That's new to me but, uhhh sure, we'll go grab this book when we can."

        "You mean after you use it for yourself?"

Shantae smirked crossing her arms as Chihlo pulled her coolest expression.  She shrugged nonchalant with a cocked head replying:

        "Why would I want some old book?"

        "Because you went to Nabooru specifically searching for this book, that's what the spirits told me."

        "Ugh...really?" she spread her wings with a huff through her nostrils.  "Woulda thought the ghosts were a li'l less chatty, but alright fine I want this book too.  BUT, I promise once I get what I need from it I'll return it to someplace safe."

        "What place?" asked Shantae with hands on hips.  "Nabooru's gone."

        "I know, but it's a Sheikah book so I'll take it to Kakariko Village where all of them live, they'll look after it."

        "Oh...Sheikah?"

        "They're this tribe of warriors back in the day who protected Hyrule, full of mystic arts and weird powers, the Yiga that we fought?  They were once Sheikah too and they got the same powers, but then they went and worked for Ganon instead."

        "Ahhhh I see...so what's up with this book?"

        "I just need it for something.  I can't tell you."

        "Can't or won't?" asked the half-genie twirling a finger through her hair.

        "I have a right to not tell you," said Chihlo with a foot forwards, "all you need to know is that this is very important to me."

        "Well...listen, I think you're a good person, I want to help those spirits find peace, so if you promise you'll take this book somewhere safe after you're done with it, I'll help you find it."

        "Wait...really?"

        "I wanna help, I mean you saved those girls back there at the ship so I trust ya...do you trust me?"

        "Well...yeah, I mean, you're...you're a cool gal."  The bird fidgeted with a rub to the back of her neck as Shantae giggled.  "You sure know how to kick ass too with your weird magic."

        "You bet I do!  So, that a deal Chihlo?"

        "Heh...yeah, deal."  The two shook hands firmly, but not before Chihlo added one thing.  "Can I ask you something though?"

        "Sure, anything!"

        "Could you...you got magic, maybe you can...help me?"

        "With what?"

        "The book..." the rito clenched her fingers with a tightness in her chest, "there's...o-ohhh goddess this is really hard to explain, I really hate this-"

        "Hey, it's alright."  The girl touched her arm calmly with a gentle smile.  "You can tell me, I'll listen.  I won't tell the others if you're worried about something."

        "Really?  I mean n-not like they seem to care but-"

        "I won't say anything.  I'll help you with what you need, we get back the book, we do whatever you want and then you return it, alright girl?"

        "Right.  Thank you."

The plan was set.  Things would start off by having two moblins standing at the island's entrance, waiting for the night shift to take their place in about forty minutes.

        "HEY, GET OUTTA HERE!"

        "Huh?!"

They looked over towards the south side where a small crowd of guards was rushing over to.  One of the moblins stopped a passing lizalfos to ask:

        "Whut's going on?"

        "Some koroks are messin' about over there, we're trying to get 'em to leave!"

        "Cantcha just shoot 'em?!"

        "Uh YEAH but the li'l bastards are fast!"

        "GET LOST YA LITTLE SHITS!"

        "YAHAHAAAA!"

        "AAAAARGH S-STOP DODGING FER GANON'S SAKE!"

        "CAN'T CATCH MEEEEEYAHAAAA!"

        "IF YOU DON'T GET OUTTA HERE RIGHT NOW, I'M GONNA CHOP YOU UP INTO WOOD CHIPPINGS!"

        "Awwwww is da widdle piggy all saaaad now yeeheeHAH!"

        "AAAAAAARRRRGH!"

Upon the southern cliff, floating above the sea with little propeller-leafs were three cheerful boys made of bark dodging every arrow and stone that was hurled at them.  At least a third of the guards were now busily trying to fill the air with enough shots so at least one of them would hit, but the skill and unerring mischief of the korok was not to be underestimated.  No matter how many archers they brought, no matter how deviously accurate a stone-thrower could be, they just couldn't get one single shot to crack upon their wooden faces which laughed and jeered at them constantly.  The moblins at the entrance simply shrugged rolling their eyes at this foolishness.

        "If I didn't know better I'd say that wuz a mighty poor distraction," said one of them.

        "Suuure sounds it," said the other guard stretching his legs, "hnnnnn remember that time Link tossed a boulder at us only to sneak round the hill an' stab you in the ass?"

        "He didn't STAB me, he sliced my freakin' spine open."

        "Still, yanno, sneak attacks, that happens."

        "Gonna be hard to sneak into here, I mean where you gonna go, swim up the well?"

        "I told Mobunaa about that," said guard number two pointing a finger at his friend, "like whut if someone came climbin' up the well, yanno what he said?"

        "What?"

        "He said that'd never happen cuz only zora are good enough fer swimmin' and that zora can't even climb."

        "What?!" blurted guard number one.  "What does THAT mean?"

        "He thinks zoras can't climb for some reason, like their hands are too slippery to climb up anywhere."

        "Wow......is that racist?"

        "I'm not sure we should ask a zora sometime if it is-"

        "Hold up."

They saw something on the horizon, some sort of large shape as they squinted their eyes harshly.  The sound of rumbling feet on the bridge.

        "Ehhh?"

The shape continued running towards them.

        "Whussat?"

        "Ah dunno, go look."

        "No way."

Still the shape came running.

        "I'm lettin' it come to us."

        "Why?"

        "It can run right into my spear that'll teach it."

        "Whut if it's too big?!"

        "Nuthin's bigger than us here, cummon!"

The shape was now a large orb with thundering feet.

        "Uhhh...is that a bear?"

        "Naaaah bears aren't grey, they don't got long noses like tha-"

        "BRRRHNNNNN!"

An elephant barged through and crushed both moblins against the wall, their spines creaking into the rock as its heavy sides scraped past and lumbered powerfully through the labyrinth to the weakened groans of the guardsmen.

        "H-hhh, heyyyyyy..."

On top of this elephant were two humans and a raptor, the women firing off their shots at any guards before they caught sight of them.  The alarm soon rang out as a brazen horn bellowed across the cliffs, with archers mounting along the paths aiming their bows upon the intruders.  Screams tore throughout the place as the elephant made a beeline towards a rickety wooden platform whilst Oddie, Jane and Andrea leapt off and guarded it with a firing line towards a small horde coming towards them.  The guards who had all clustered on the south side were completely vulnerable having left their posts, staggering back with frantic feet to assault the main force but not before the koroks came floating in to attack the last and slowest of the beasts.

        "NOOOOW!"

        "G-GHRRRRARGH!"

Tiny arrows punctured the backs of knees, a small sword plunged into one of their eyes and a butterfly net hurriedly tripped one of them hard enough to send one bokoblin falling down the cliff and cracking his skull open.  During this, the pachyderm transformed herself back into the half-genie as she rode the lift down, much to the surprised moblin who tried to drop her by releasing the winch before she lashed out a whipping wind strike that slammed him back, as well as pushing the lever to maintain a steady descent.  The cavern of slaves gasped at the stranger coming down as a cruel-looking icy-breathed lizalfos stood in her way with a nine-tailed whip.

        "WHAT are you doing in my lair, harlot?!"

        "I'm here to give all your workers a free permanent vacation!" she barked back moving into battle stance.  "Either you get outta my way, or I melt ya into a sad little puddle!"

        "INSOLENT GIRL, YOU SPEAK BACK TO ME?  I AM LIZARKOLIOS, MASTER OF THESE WORTHLESS HIDES!"

        "Only thing YOU'RE a master of is getting DUNKED, RIGHT HERE!"

The reptile rushed with a striking slash, the gasping cries of the slaves hugging the walls around them echoing partly through the caverns as Shantae dodged with a backflip to the wall, rebounding into a forwards roll to shoot past the lizardman's head.  He turned instantly to lash out his whip towards her face, the half-djinn ducking fast with a spinning low kick that he jumped over before lashing down upon her head.

        "TRANSFORM!"

She had already started a small dance by twirling half her body on the floor, spinning her legs behind her in capoeira-style before morphing into a small beast.

        "WH-WHERE ARE YOU!?"

Sneaking past between his legs, a small purple monkey sneaked the key off his belt and quickly ran over to the largest slave, freeing a boulder-sized hulk with a wide face and jagged stony back.

        "WHAT?!  YOU, get BACK AGAINST THE WALL SLAVE!"

        "Or WHUT?!" roared the beast.  "Lessee how you handle my FISTS when they're not in chains goro!"

        "I'LL SKIN YOU ALIVE!"

The goron charged against Lizarkolios, bearing the brunt of the whip across waist to grab the slavedriver's arm and punch him across the face.  Shantae went to work hopping from slave to slave throughout the underground quarry freeing them one by one, the sound of clicking locks and clanking chains falling to the floor as she re-emerged back into her human form.

        "GO, GO!"

        "W-wait, wh-who are you?!"

        "I'm here to rescue ya, my name's Shantae but let's get you all out first!"

        "Not before we deal with HIM first!"

The people revolted almost instantly, incensed by the taste of freedom from cooling wrists and ankles still reddened from their clasps, as well as the sight of the goron wrestling with their cruel master.  More of them attacked, piling on top of Lizarkolios as it turned into a gangland beatdown, feet and punches flying all over the white lizard body as he struggled and screamed with fury.  Even when he stopped breathing, when his body began spasming into a state of comatose concussion, they didn't stop beating him until he fully stopped moving, the welts of purpling bloodied bruises covering his entire body in minutes.  Shantae said nothing, nervously waiting for the 30-strong former prisoners to be finished with their deed before she asked:

        "Sooooo you guys okay now?"

        "Y-yeah," muttered a scar-faced hylian, "s-sorry for that, we...we've been here so long it's just-"

        "Hey hey, it's fine dontcha worry, listen I gotta get up there and start winching all of you out so just get on the lift and wait for my signal."

        "Alright...thank you, whoever you are just thank-"

        "Hey hey thank me when we get out, now LET'S GO!"

        "Wait!"  The goron put his hand up stepping through the crowd.  "Whut about the rest of Ganon's thugs goro?"

        "My friends'll deal with them!" she replied with a heroic pose putting fists to her waist.

        "How many of 'em you got?"

        "Uhhhh...well, seven?"

        "WHUT?!  You can't take on all of 'em with seven people goro!"

        "What are you gonna help?!" said the scarface.

        "You bet I am!" cried the goron slamming his fists together.  "I wanna get PAYBACK on those punks!"

        "YEAAAAAH!"

        "Woah woah hold on," Shantae said putting her hands out to them, "I was just gonna get you out!"

        "Yeah but some of us can still fight, we can help you!"

        "A-are you sure?"

        "Let's put down a vote, all you who wanna run, put yer hand up goro!"  Thirteen hands rose up trembling.  "Alright, an' who wants to fight?!"  The other seventeen rose up their fists.  "Then it's settled goro, you got a small army with ya now!"

        "R-really?!" she gasped astonished with a hand to her heart.  "A-are you sure you wanna do this?"

        "We are."

        "Alright then...let's do it, I'll bring up those who wanna fight first so you can help my friends, then I'll bring up the rest, that okay?"

        "Sure now come on let's DO THIS, ORRYAAAH!"

        "ORRRYAAAH!"

Meanwhile above ground, a barrage of laser shots came hurtling down the rocky passage towards any beady-eyed monsters that ran shrieking round the corner.  A small valley of dead beasts lay between them and the oncoming force with various degrees of pockmarked burns and exploded heads, organs increasingly spittling across the stony path whilst the three gunners covered each other.  Jane would cover Andrea when she had to reload, just as Andrea would do the same for her.  Oddclaw dealt with any beasts that managed to survive the dual-pistol barrage, pumping his shells into stomachs and skulls before reloading.  Unfortunately his ammo was limited, and he was soon hitting the halfway point which started to worry him.

        "I cannot keep shooting," he warned his allies, "my fire will run out!"

        "Then get another weapon!" said Dixon popping a clear shot through a moblin's snout.  "Plenty of 'em lying around here!"

        "Where the bloody hell is Shantae?!" cried Jane struggling to steady her shots.  "We've been fighting here for five minutes!"

        "HEY, NEED SUM HELP GORO?!"

Up from the elevator behind them was a small force of five beasts, as much as the lift could carry without breaking as a four humans and a goron stood ready to fight.

        "We're here to fight!" added one of the hylians.

        "We wanna get revenge on these bastards!"

        "Oh thank god," murmured Jane, "are you sure-"

        "YES WE'RE SURE NOW LET US HELP!"

        "Right...right, g-grab some of those weapons, we need to fight through to the mess hall!"

        "And then we gotta get to the top," explained Dixon, "we have to take down the anti-aerial weapon!"

        "No problem goro!"  The hulking boulder stepped out in front to crack his knuckles.  "I'll clear you a path, just get behind me alright?!"

        "Alright...ready?!  Let's go!"

        "YOU READY TO ROCK GORO!?"

The goron slammed himself down into a curled foetal position, head forwards before suddenly rotating his entire body like a giant stone wheel.  Dust sparked from behind him as he revved with powerful muscular torque, steadily rumbling forwards in a hard roll before he shot like a cannon ball towards the incoming horde.  Scattered limbs from fragile bokoblins cracked against walls as they went bowling like pins, lizalfos legs crushed underfoot and moblin faces crunched against walls all to the shock of Oddie and his friends.  They followed soon after as the small Hylian group grabbed the enemies' weapons and went charging with swords and spears, with Shantae quickly trying to move the lift up and down at its fullest strength to get everyone out.  Four minutes after the goron's charge every slave had been freed, with the rest of the seventeen following the path of destruction as the half-djinn took the thirteen pacifists out towards the bridge.

        "HEAD FOR THE FOREST AND WAIT THERE!" she cried to them.  "IF WE'RE NOT BACK BY NIGHTFALL, JUST KEEP HEADING SOUTH TOWARDS A CRASHED SHIP IN THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS, YOU'LL BE SAFE THERE!"

        "OKAY, TH-THANK YOU MISS SHANTAE!"

        "THANK YOU, BY THE GODDESS THANK YOU!"

Between sobbing harrowed faces she touched each and every one who thanked her, prayed to her and bowed in utmost gratitude as they made their escape.  Once she was certain they were all out of enemy reach she rushed back, transforming into an elephant once again by a spirited dance as her body grew with paling skin and stretching nostrils, feet widening to hard stumps as she trumpeted the call of battle.  Now the enemy was hard set against a small militia of 21 fighters armed to the teeth, with three gunners and two forces of nature barging through by their sheer superior strength.  The goron and elephant smushed creatures underfoot, trampling with brazen gusto and shaking off the many arrows and and swords that tried striking upon them.  Sometimes Shantae would reassume her regular form to set up shields protecting the fighters, or volley fireballs into the enemy ranks and cause panic especially when she caught sight of a few munitions with volatile contents.  Screams echoed throughout the isle amidst explosions and the clashing steel, as hylians bedraggled locked swords against snarling bokoblins and screeching reptiles.  But there was another battle taking place elsewhere.

        "WHAT'S GOIN' ON?!"

        "WE GOT ENEMIES AT THE GATE!"

        "EVERYONE GRAB YER WEAPONS!"

        "THE SLAVES GOT OUT TOO!"

        "Wh-WHAT?!"

        "MOBLINS, COME OUT IN FRONT, BOKOBLINS GRAB YOUR BOWS AND LINE UP ALONG THE EAST RIDGE, LIZALFOS YOU COME WITH US!"

Amidst the sounds of barking orders and rushing feet, no one paid attention to the well from which two feathered wings scrabbled from to pull herself over the rim.  Chihlo was soaking as she shook herself clean, preening feathers glistening with water droplets as she pulled out her short scimitar and snuck her way out through the halls.  Her memory of the place was still clear as day as she navigated herself towards the kitchen whilst avoiding any guards, playing cautious with stifled breaths in her throat.  Occasionally a guard was too late in following the troops, not hearing her gentle steps from behind as she slit their throats with dragging curved tip before pulling their corpses into a quiet room.  With all of their forces focusing at the front, the only obstacles left for her were the guards at Yigahnim's room, standing firm to attention on either side of the portcullis.  She made a small detour towards the prison where she found two beaked creatures wearing robes sitting up in the corner.

        "Hey!"

        "[Wh-h-h-huh?!]"

        "Adenine and Ribose right?!"

        "[Wha-how do you know our names?!]" stuttered Ade.

        "[Watch it,]" Bose pulled him back by the sleeve, "[might be a trap.]"

        "[But, that bird knows our names, no one else does!]"

        "I'm, here, to rescue you," she explained through basic gesturing, "Jane, Andrea and Oddclaw are coming to save you."

        "[Wait, Andrea, Jane?!]"

        "[A-a-and Oddie too?!]"

They both stared at each other thinking the same thing.  No one knew the names of their friends in this place.

        "[I think this bird's legit,]" said Ribose finally.

        "[Yeah uh, nobody else would know that.  Alright, we'll go with you!]"

The two alchemists stood up as Chihlo smiled opening the door with the key she had used to escape before.  She rolled her eyes at the fact they didn't even change the locks as she led them carefully to the kitchen where she found all of the staff waiting.

        "Guys!"

        "Wh-WHAT?!" stammered Lizanaich.

        "O-oh my GODDESS!" cried Bokorie.

        "You came back?!" squawked Bokonette.  "Like for real?!"

        "I said I would didn't I?!" she replied with a click of her fingers.  "You all okay?!"

        "We are," said Mohberra with a breathless gasp, "you...you really came back fer me-I-i mean us!"

        "Course I did, sheesh!"

        "Wait, whut're ya doin' with those prisoners?"

        "They're friends of some people I met outside," she brought Ade and Bose forwards who waved sheepishly, "we're starting a revolution!"

        "Sure sounds like it!" cried the daughter Nette with a fistpump.  "Just say the world and we'll do what we can to help!"

        "Thanks, well you can help by looking after these two, I need 'em somewhere safe until we take out Yigahnim and whatever that secret weapon is up top."

        "Woah you really gonna take that out?!" asked Lizanaich scratching his cheek.  "I mean, we don't even know what it is, only the yiga know it!"

        "It's still a threat and we gotta take it out, not just for our friends but for the good of Hyrule!"

        "No no I know watcha mean but it's still BIG!"

        "Well either way, can ya look after these two until my other friends come to pick 'em up?"

        "No problem dear," said Bokorie kindly walking forwards to take Adenine's hand, "come on now you're safe here."

        "[What the hell are these guys saying?]" asked Bose.

        "[You're asking me?]" replied Ade stumbling forwards at her insistence.  "[They sound nice either way, and if this brid knows our friends they can't be bad!]"

        "[I guess not...mmmhhh that smells good.]"

        "Are you hungry?" asked Bokorie taking them both over to a trayful of food.  "You're practically salivating let's get you fed before your friends get here."

        "Thanks for this," said Chihlo making her leave, "I just need to get in your boss' room."

        "Well yer gonna need this."

The moblin pulled out a key made of hardened wax much to Chihlo's excitement.  She grabbed it from him with shaking wings of glee before hugging him tight.

        "Ohohoho YES, YES you are the BEST Mohb!"  She smooched his cheek sending a hot warmth flushing through his face.  "I can't believe you actually did it, I was totally expecting to have to break it open myself."

        "Told ya I'd be able to get it, didn't I?"

        "You did, you totally did, thank you, thanks to all of you!  I just need a couple of things to get rid of those guards..."

        "I think we got some ideas," added the lizalfos cruelly.  "Take this bag of flour, we put a li'l something in it, you shoot through it and it'll go BOOM."

        "W-woah, really a flour bomb?!"

        "Yep, an' flour's flammable, you put it against a direct flame, it's like having yer own grenade."

        "Nice...well I better bring my own spark then don't I fellas?"

Chihlo warmed up one of her arrows on the kitchen hob until the metal tip was burning hot, before she snuck round to the hall where the clan leader's room awaited.  She hurled the small sack of flour down towards the guards and fired her hot arrow when it reached just above their heads, causing a thick cloud of burning white to dash across their faces like purest phosphorous as the yiga guards screamed and hollered clutching at their faces.  Roaring shrieks of agony from the explosive burst rendered them incapacitated, before Chihlo walked over to shank both of their throats in a merciful kill and took their key to open the boss room.  Not a single creature was within it, much to her suspicion.

The bird carefully stepped round towards the desk in case of any traps Yigahnim laid before clicking the key into the drawer.  She gently pulled it back and steadied her breaths, clenching fingers with raw excitement as she licked her beak turning dry from how much she shook.  It was there that she found...nothing.

        "Wh-what?!  WHAT, wh-where is it?!  WHERE'S THE BOOK, WHERE IS IT, HE PUT IT RIGHT HERE-H-HUH!?"

In her feverish grappling around the drawer she found a small piece of paper tucked at the corner.  Her feathers ran cold as she scrunched it in her hands, racing out towards the kitchen.

        "Wow that was fast!" said Bokonette.  "So, we ready to go-"

        "NO!"  She slammed the note down on a table with bristling beak.  "He's gone, the SMUG BASTARD TOOK THE BOOK!"

        "What?!  B-but when, we didn't see him!"

        "Ohoho he KNEW I'd be coming back, he left me a NOTE!"

They gathered round to read the note stating thus: "If you want your book, face me on the northern cliff."

        "He wants to fight you?!" gasped Lizanaich.

        "B-but, you," stuttered Mohberra, "whut'll happen to ya?!"

        "I'LL KILL 'IM THAT'S WHAT'LL HAPPEN, NOW WHICH WAY IS IT TO THE NORTH CLIFF?!"

        "U-uh, you uh, turn right at the armoury an' just keep runnin' straight but-"

        "I'll be back, just stay here!"

        "CHIHLO WAIT!"

They watched her run out from the mess hall and straight towards the northern passage.  The four of them looked at each other fearing the worst as Bokorie rubbed her arms.

        "Wh-what'll we do," she asked, "Ch-chihlo could, I mean I know she's strong but-"

        "Yigahnim'll kill her," muttered Lizanaich, "his sword'll cut through her no matter how good she is."

        "But we can't fight," said Bokonette clasping her head in her hands, "what do we-M-MOHBERRA WAIT!"

        "WHAT ARE YA DOIN'!?"

The moblin stormed off with frying pan in hand, shouting back to his friends:

        "I GOTTA DO SUMTHIN', SHE'S GONNA DIE!"

        "YOU WANNA DIE NEXT YOU IDIOT?!"

        "I DON' CARE LONG AS CHIHLO'S SAFE!"

        "M-MOHBERRA WAIT!"

Liz screeched at the top of his voice, but his friend had left hurrying after her.  He threw up his hands and slumped against the table much to the confusion of Ade and Bose who just kept their mouths shut and ate all the food they were offered.

        "Goddess," whimpered Liz, "dammit Mohb why you gotta be so stupid?"

        "I think I know why," said Bokorie.

        "Whatcha mean?"

        "You haven't seen the way he looks at Chihlo half the time?"

        "N-no?"

        "Because if you had, you would understand."

Chihlo had raced with the flight of angels beneath her feet onto the northern coast of the maze island, skirting past the armoury and heading through out onto the large plateau-shaped peak.  Just below her on a small slope, a grand jutting corner of the cliffs stood with smooth flat land and the old crusted scars of dried blood gracing its surface.  She ran down onto it seeing the endless sea before her stretch to the horizon, the glowing amber ripples across the waves giving a brief moment of peace.

        "You've finally come."

She turned to face the voice as a dark muscular shape leaned against the rock, just below the overhanging slope.

        "My little bird's come back to roost."