Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When Seto woke up, he was laying on a forest floor. Sunlight dappled through the leaves, and the breeze gently rustled the branches. Birds chirped above him, excited about their morning or whatever it was birds actually did up there.

Now, this all sounds rather peaceful, aside from the fact Seto had fallen asleep in his own bed, and that he had a meeting with Pegasus later today. Remotely, of course, because at least on a call, Seto could mute him whenever he was too annoying. Muting someone like Pegasus in person required a lot more effort than the press of a button. But it seemed he wouldn't be speaking to Pegasus at all, if he'd been left in a random forest.

He sat up.

There wasn't anything remarkable about this forest, really, but Seto didn't recognize it, either.

He squinted up at the branches above him. He saw a bird's nest, with two eggs in it, but no actual birds. 

Perhaps they would come back later.

Much like whoever had brought him here in the first place.

Seto decided to get up and leave, then. He had nothing in his pockets, since he was still in his pajamas. And, as Seto immediately stubbed his toe on a root, he was very violently reminded that he had no shoes, either.

“Fuck,” Seto hissed, hopping around on one foot in a way that definitely did not befit the way a CEO like himself should behave. “Fucking assholes couldn't even-” 

He stumbled out into the open and immediately made eye contact with some sort of statue that looked like an overturned urn. It was fairly large- taller than Seto was, anyway- covered in moss, and halfway embedded in the ground. It seemed to be looking at him. Some of the swirling patterns on the body had circled up near the top to form something that looked almost like an eye.

Seto hadn't ever encountered something like this before- But for some reason, he knew not to trust it. Which was ridiculous, because it was a statue.

And then it started shaking. The top section, which was actually separate from the bottom, even though it wasn’t immediately noticeable, started turning from side to side, crumbling the moss and the vines and roots that had previously welded the sections together. And then it faced Seto.

The eye lit up blue, and a red dot- much like what came from a sniper's rifle- pointed directly at Seto from the eye, followed by an ominous beeping that seemed to ramp up in intensity the longer he stood there.

So Seto did the only thing that one should do when faced with a weird statue pointing a laser at you and beeping ominously after waking up in a forest with no shoes.

He ran as fast as he could in the other direction, ducking behind trees and cutting off the statue's line of sight. The laser continued to follow him, though, and Seto heard a much more dramatic beep as soon as it finished charging up. 

He threw himself to the ground, going as flat as possible, and, above him, a bright beam of light completely obliterated the tree in front of him.

Inexplicably, the tree cracked from where stumps were usually cut, and fell to the side as a log, all of the leaves having fallen already. There were no scorch marks on the fallen log, even though it had been hit with a laser.

“That’s… Not how physics works,” Seto said to himself as he examined the log. There was no further beeping, as Seto had safely gotten behind another tree, so he had the chance to actually observe it. “Not in the real world.”

And then Seto, who had woken up in a forest he didn’t recognize with weird laser-shooting statues and birds he could hear but not see, realized exactly why the tree had fallen and cracked the way it did.

“I’m not in the real world.”

Seto took a deep breath.

“Mother fucker.”

----

This wasn’t Seto’s first experience with Virtual Reality, but it was definitely different than he was used to. 

For one thing, this wasn’t a game distributed by Kaiba Corporation. Seto would remember coding an enemy like that statue. Not to mention the physics- If Seto had coded a statue that shot lasers, and one of those lasers had hit a tree, the tree would have caught on fire, not snapped in half, leaving only a bare log and a stump behind. So he could assume that wood could be gathered in this game, much like in the sandbox game Mokuba had been playing with Yugi and his friends on a collective server (Seto had played a little bit, because Mokuba had asked him to. He built a Duel Monsters arena that actually worked using redstone, and hadn’t logged back on ever since Wheeler thought it would be funny to leave a charged creeper in his storage room.), but- At least the trees fell over in this game. Seto wasn’t going to have to deal with any floating leaves here.

So Seto was in a game that he hadn’t created. 

How he got in was something he didn’t remember- He didn’t fall asleep in one of his VR pods, as he was definitely in bed- but he knew how to get out.

Since Seto hadn’t created this game, he didn’t have administrator privileges. He couldn’t get into the code and find an exit button from where he was. And that also meant there were no Duel Monsters here. So he couldn’t summon Blue-Eyes and blast his way out, either.

Which left a solution that was much simpler: Beat the game.

Seto checked himself over.

All he had with him were a black t-shirt and his Blue-Eyes White Dragon-themed pajama pants. 

Perhaps he should focus on finding a pair of shoes before he started hunting down the final boss.

Now that he was out of the forest, Seto looked around at the environment of the world he’d woken up in.

It was quite beautiful, actually, now that Seto had in fact realized he was in a game, and now that he wasn’t having lasers shot at him. The sky was clear, and likely would be for a while, and the vibrancy of the grass spoke of healthy soil. The breeze was gentle, and the sun warmed his face.

To his left, there was a plateau of some sort, with manmade walls built around it, even though pieces of them had been destroyed (by what, Seto couldn't tell). In front of him, there was a field, and a distant structure obscured by more forest. To his right, in the distance, two mountains stood next to each other, with a river flowing between them. They’d likely once been part of the same mountain. And- Seto saw signs of life. There was a road next to the river, also going between the mountains.

Water was good. Roads were good. Water and roads next to each other meant Seto would be able to travel and likely find other people. Other people would be able to explain some of the rules of this game- As well as some of the enemies he may encounter as he made his way to the final boss.

Having made up his mind, Seto started walking, following the road towards the mountain.

When he stepped on one too many sharp rocks, and the sun beating down made him feel faint, Seto took a moment to sit down next to the river. He hadn’t eaten at all since he'd woken up in this strange world, but the water sparkled and was clear all the way to the bottom of the river. It was likely safe to drink.

Seto cupped his hands and reached for it, only to stop when he finally saw his own reflection.

He looked different.

The most shocking change in his appearance was his hair, which had been an ordinary brown when he’d fallen asleep, but was now completely white, from the roots to the tip. Seto's brows and eyelashes were also white, so the color shift was entirely natural. And then there were his eyes, which were no longer blue, but red, and were wide with the shock he was currently experiencing. Seto would have assumed this game had given him some sort of albinism, except for the fact that his ears, as well, had changed, but thankfully they remained mostly human. The only difference was that they were pointed, like an elf of some sort.

Seto pressed his thumb into one of his canines, and was relieved to see that the game had not turned him into some sort of vampire. (It was a legitimate concern, since being turned into a vampire would make travel and finding food incredibly difficult. It seemed Seto was safe, though, so he didn't need to worry about it.)

He could deal with being an elf. Elves were a staple race for fantasy games, after all, so that definitely confirmed the genre of the world he’d woken up in. There wasn't much he could do about it at this point, anyway. 

Seto, no longer distracted by the game’s changes to his appearance, finally drank the water from the river. It was cool and refreshing, and, as he’d expected, completely clean. 

After he’d drank his fill, Seto rolled up his pant legs and stepped into the river, letting the water soothe his bare feet. The cool effects of the water certainly helped relieve some of the pain from walking that far.

Shoes were definitely a priority. 

Absentmindedly, Seto wondered where he might find food. Now that he’d hydrated, and now that his feet didn’t hurt, the only thing left to do was to find something to eat, otherwise he might run out of energy. Seto wouldn’t be able to escape this game world if he starved to death.

“Hello, traveler,” said a voice from behind him. Seto jumped, not expecting someone to have gotten this close while he was lost in thought. The person who had approached was riding a brown horse with a white spot on its nose. They were wearing light armor, and had a shortsword at their hip. They also had pointed ears, though their hair was black and their eyes were grey. They waved when Seto looked up at them. “I’ve never seen one of the Sheikah this far away from Kakariko Village. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” Seto assured them, though they didn’t seem to believe him. What the hell was a Sheikah? “Just a bit lost. Could you point me towards the village?” 

Villages meant people. People meant information. Information meant answers. And from what the traveler had said, Kakariko Village was where Seto was supposed to be from. That was the ideal place to start his search. Thankfully, the traveler didn’t question him further.

“Of course.” The traveler nodded. “I’m bad with directions, but I can take you up to the stable, since they have a map you should be able to look at. They let me look at it whenever I’m planning my routes, though that might be because Fish always brings me back to the stable whenever I get lost.”

Seto wasn’t sure why the traveler’s horse was named Fish. He wasn’t going to ask. Seto stepped out of the river, entirely certain he was about to keep walking, but the traveler hopped off of their horse and gestured for Seto to get on. 

“I’ll walk you and Fish to the Dueling Peaks Stable,” they said. “You don’t have any shoes, and the path gets rockier once we get closer to the mountain.”

Seto had to admit they had a point. If they were offering to carry him over to where there were more people, then he should take advantage of that.

He hadn’t ridden a horse for a long time, but it was simple enough to climb up onto Fish’s back and situate himself on the saddle. The traveler held the reins, so Seto kept one hand on the saddle and the other on Fish’s mane as the traveler began to walk along the road.

“I bet you’re wondering why he’s named Fish,” they said. “Ah- My name is Eliad, by the way.”

“Kaiba,” Seto introduced himself. “And I wasn’t going to question it.”

Eliad nodded. “Oh, I see. Well- When I first found Fish, we both fell in this river. I didn’t have a saddle yet- We hadn’t made it to the stable, you know, and the stables have all of the saddles- so we were both washed pretty far away before we could swim to shore. And so, because we had both swum down the river and made it out alive, I named my horse ‘Fish’!”

Seto was not sure how to react to a story like that. Eliad seemed proud of themself, so he settled for awkwardly patting Fish on the neck.

Eliad gave him a pleased look.

Seto really wanted to go back to being by himself so he could focus on finding the final boss. But he also didn’t have shoes. 

He would deal with Eliad and Fish until he had a map and a general idea of where the village was.

----

Seto was dropped off at the stable, which wasn’t just a stable, but also an inn. Well, Eliad and Fish had not left, so he wasn’t really ‘dropped off’, but Seto was ignoring them in favor of memorizing the map that was pinned to the wall inside. The man behind the counter- Tasseren, who owned the stable- had asked Seto why he was so far from Kakariko Village without a weapon, and Seto had just glared at him. Tasseren had then decided, very wisely, to stop asking Seto questions while he was clearly busy. 

The fact the stable was a structure that was built to look like a horse’s head was a clear part of game design- The player must be able to tame horses, like Eliad had with Fish, and they should bring them back here to be registered- and was also utterly ridiculous.

Sure, Seto’s pajama pants were covered in Blue-Eyes White Dragons, and so was Kaibaland and most of the mansion. But they were dragons, not horses, and therefore his statues, roller coasters, buildings, and clothes based off of them were respectable. On the other hand, horse girls were not respectable creatures.

The road from the stable to Kakariko Village went further east, and then north. Seto was fairly certain he could get there on his own now.

“Hey! Kaiba!” Eliad called, finally sick of being ignored. “Do you want something to eat?”

Seto’s stomach clenched at the thought of food, unhelpfully reminding him that he did need to consume something. This world likely didn’t have coffee, but he would have to eat at some point.

And, since he currently had none of this world’s currency- Shining gems known as Rupees-, Seto would either have to fend for himself by hunting and cooking his own food, or by allowing Eliad to give him something from this world that was safe to eat. Seto didn’t particularly want to scavenge for berries only to find out the hard way that they were poisonous.

His knowledge of poisonous plants was limited to those of the real world. Everything was unfamiliar here. 

“Okay,” Seto said to them, joining them at one of the tables inside. Eliad had a plate of rice and meat, and they handed him a second plate of the same meal.

Seto wasn’t sure exactly what the meat was, but it smelled good, and likely wasn’t poisonous, so he picked up the provided utensils, quietly thanked Eliad for the food, and dug in.

It was delicious, but he wasn’t going to say it out loud. 

----

“Alright, Kaiba,” Eliad said. “I have to get going- These goods aren’t going to sell themselves, after all- but I have a gift for you.”

Seto was not expecting a gift from someone who was so clearly an NPC. He just gave them a strange look as they approached him.

“I know you’re trying to get back home, but- the path is dangerous. So, here,” Eliad said, pushing a bundle into Seto’s arms. It was heavier than he’d expected. “I got you some shoes, a weapon, and something to keep you warm.”

“I didn’t do anything to deserve this,” Seto said to them, trying to push it back, but Eliad refused.

“I’m not sure what your situation is, but it’s dangerous to travel the roads without something to defend yourself. I want you to get home safe.”

There was a weight to Eliad’s words, something they weren’t telling Seto but that definitely spoke of a tragic past. 

Perhaps someone they cared about hadn’t made it home? Seto had nearly died after barely waking up, so it must be more dangerous out there than he had initially realized.

“Thank you,” Seto said. That was probably the correct thing to say in this situation.

Eliad ruffled his hair, once again reminding Seto that it was now white, after his bangs were pushed into his eyes. “Stay safe, kid.”

And then they hopped onto Fish’s back and rode off.

Seto checked through the things he’d been given as soon as they were gone.

There was a sword and a pair of black boots wrapped inside of a cloak. Inside one of the boots was a small bag, that when Seto opened, contained some of the Rupees he’d seen exchanged for goods at the stable. In the other boot was a pair of thick socks.

Seto definitely looked ridiculous, wearing a cloak, pajama pants and knee-high boots, but at least he wasn’t stumbling around every time he stepped on a rock. And, armed with a sword, he could likely get to the village without too much trouble from monsters or laser statues.

He said his farewells to Tasseren, and set out on the path he’d memorized from the map inside of the stable.

The sun was still up, a bit higher in the sky than when he’d first woken up. If his calculations were correct, Seto would arrive at the village before nightfall.

----

Climbing up the path to the village itself was difficult, but at least the signs of life were there to point him in the right direction. 

Seto was sure there was some strategic reason why Kakariko Village was on top of a steep hill, but he was far too exhausted by the climb to think about why. 

He had encountered some monsters on the path, and he’d killed them, and that made some sort of tree creature appear and thank him by giving him deeper pockets. Which shouldn’t be possible, because Seto’s Blue-Eyes White Dragon pajama pants did not have pockets. He was fairly certain it was either a weird bullshit magic thing or that he was hallucinating. (The answer was, of course, a secret third option known as game design. Seto Kaiba would never think a dancing tree would be the answer to increasing inventory space, and therefore he did not know Hestu’s purpose, nor did he care to find out.)

Either way, he’d gotten the hell out of there after the tree creature had started to dance.

The village gate stood in front of him, and there were two guards with spears at the poles under the dangling talismans. They both had white hair, red eyes, and clothes that made no noise as they approached him, like some sort of ninjas.

But they didn’t actually come up to Seto. They walked behind him, to where someone had been crouching next to a bush, apparently having followed Seto like this without being seen or heard at all, which was highly concerning, in Seto’s honest opinion. (He hadn’t been paying attention. The enemies he’d seen had all made significant amounts of noise, so he’d figured he didn’t need to worry too much. Clearly, he was wrong, so he was going to be watching his back from now on.)

“State your name,” said a guard, pointing at the person who had just shot up, holding his hands in the air in surrender.

He had blonde hair, blue eyes, and pointed ears. He was wearing a shirt that was too small on the sleeves, but a decent pair of pants and boots. He was also armed, with a sword, shield, and bow.

But most curiously, there was a tablet-like device at his hip, with a glowing eye and tear symbol. It reminded Seto of the statue he’d seen after he woke up, and he watched as what he realized was the main player character introduced himself.

“Link,” said the player, and both of the guards flinched as he said it, for some reason. “I’ve been tasked to speak with Impa.”

“Link? As in, Champion Link?” one of the guards asked the other.

“Look. He has the Sheikah Slate,” said the other guard, gesturing to the device at Link’s hip.

Seto had no idea what he was witnessing, but Link had clearly been following him. And he had questions, too. 

“I’ve been asleep for a long time,” Link explained, as the guards pointed him towards the most important-looking house. “I don’t remember anything.”

“Lady Impa can guide you,” the first guard said, nodding solemnly.

The other guard patted Seto on the shoulder. “Welcome home, friend.”

Seto just nodded at him, but he narrowed his eyes in Link’s direction.

Somehow, he’d been followed. And, apparently, Link was a respected person in this world (as most main characters were), so it was unlikely that anything would happen if Seto brought up the fact Link had been following him. 

The fact Seto had realized there was a protagonist here meant he was closer to beating the game than before. So he needed to follow Link, most likely, in order to stand a chance against the final boss and go home.

It would be best to try and befriend him so Link wouldn’t think he was a stalker. The device on his hip looked very much like the tablet Seto had left on his bedside table with his phone, and, in a fantasy world where people still rode horses for travel and used swords to fight, any sort of technology could become incredibly useful in Seto's hands.

Link didn’t react when Seto followed him towards the big house. He waved to the other villagers who were heading to their homes as the sun went down, spoke with the young woman outside- Paya, she introduced herself, before blushing furiously and hiding behind her hands- and then entered. Seto followed him while Paya was distracted, and he slid the door shut after they were both inside.

“Ah,” said an older woman, wearing the same style of clothing as the guards, aside from the large hat she wore with it, looking over Link with the same red eyes as everyone else in the village. “I’ve been waiting one hundred years for your return, Link.”

She looked at Seto, scrutinizing him. “Young man, your journey here must have been difficult. Please, tell me your name, so we may find where you live.”

“Kaiba,” Seto introduced himself. If he wanted to follow the protagonist, he didn’t need to be tied down to this village he wasn’t part of. “I’m a traveler, so I don’t have a home here in the village.”

“Ah, I see,” Impa said, somewhat understanding. She watched him carefully, with what looked like both suspicion and pity- Seto had seen both expressions directed at him enough times to recognize what they were. “There are clean clothes upstairs if you would like to take the opportunity to rest here, before resuming your journey.”

Knowing when he wasn’t supposed to be seen or heard, Seto just nodded, walking over towards the stairs. Once he was out of sight, however, he held still, listening to the conversation Impa did not want him to hear.

----

So this world, the land of Hyrule, had experienced an apocalyptic event one hundred years ago. The Sheikah were a race that had developed technology- the Guardians and the Divine Beasts, and Seto was fairly certain the statue-like enemy he’d encountered after waking up was one of them- to stop this event, but had not expected it to be turned against them in the Calamity. That was likely why this game had decided Seto was one of them, so that he would have access to this old technology when he inevitably joined the hero’s side. Seto must be taking the place of a companion character, like someone who joins the main character’s party in one of those turn-based RPGs Mokuba really liked.

Of course, this was not a game with turn-based combat. Seto had killed monsters already, so he knew.

But, with Impa’s explanation, he now had a goal.

In order to beat this game, Link would have to free the four Divine Beasts (Seto needed to see if one of them was a dragon. If there wasn’t a dragon, he was going to be pissed.) and defeat Calamity Ganon to save the princess who had single-handedly been holding him off from destroying the entire world for a full century. She’d been the one to leave Link the Sheikah Slate, and the one to put him into a coma so he could heal after he’d nearly died saving her while shit went down. 

Seto, now that he had heard the backstory for this game’s plot, finally finished going up the stairs and got changed into something other than his pajamas. The Sheikah-style clothes the villagers wore, with the open kimono top and sleeveless turtleneck, were much more comfortable than he’d thought they would be, and he was even able to carry his wallet and his sword and cloak without any issues. He chose to wear some looser pants than what the other villagers wore, though, because the tight pants did not fit Seto correctly. They weren’t long enough for his legs, and those that were long enough were too wide on his hips. The loose pants fit him, though, so he wore them. They were also very comfortable.

Thanks to the weirdly deep pockets that tree creature had given him, Seto was able to keep the boots that NPC had given him, as well as his pajamas. The pajamas were more important than those boots, of course. Mokuba had liked the pants, and he had a matching set somewhere in his dresser. (It was here that Seto realized his footsteps didn’t make noise even in the heavier boots that NPC gave him, and also when he realized the Sheikah were a race of cyber ninjas. But since no one in the village seemed to be using the technology their race had invented, Seto supposed they were less ‘cyber’ and more ‘ninja’.)

Once he was ready, Seto returned downstairs. Impa had finished telling Link about what he needed to do to save the world, so he was now asking her about the Sheikah Slate. When Seto returned, Link handed the Slate to him, without even asking first.

“Ah- Kaiba, that’s a device that Princess Zelda herself-”

Seto powered it on with ease, swiping through its information and examining it.

For some reason, Link had put it in his hands, so Seto was going to take this chance to see how similar it was to the technology back home.

The Sheikah Slate had multiple functions, or ‘runes’. There was a powerful magnet, a way to stop the movement of any one object for a certain amount of time, remote bombs, something that summoned a block of ice on water, a map (which also showed the Slate’s exact location and the location of multiple shrines and towers to the west. Link must have traveled in the same direction Seto did.), a scope, and a camera- Though, despite the fact the Slate both had the space for an album and a camera itself, there was no way to access it.

“There’s a camera on here,” Seto muttered, turning the device over to examine the lens, which was in the eye symbol on the back of the Sheikah Slate. “But there’s no way to use it yet. There’s a significant amount of data missing from this device.”

“Kaiba,” Impa repeated, though she didn’t seem as hesitant as before. In fact, he was fairly certain that was curiosity in her tone. “Are you familiar with the researchers, Purah and Robbie?”

“No,” Seto said, handing the Slate back to Link. “I have no idea who those people are.”

“Ah. Well, I must ask you to join Link as he goes to see Purah at Hateno Village’s Ancient Tech Lab,” Impa explained. “I am sure you will find hers and Robbie’s work interesting. Not many Sheikah have continued to pursue an interest in ancient technology, especially after the Calamity.”

Well, Seto had gotten his answer as to why there weren't any Sheikah using their own technology. The Sheikah Slate seemed to be the only thing unaffected by the Calamity, aside from the lab that Impa had mentioned. He was interested in what they had there.

“Does this ‘Robbie’ have a lab as well?” Seto asked.

“Yes, in the Akkala region. It is far to the north of here.”

“Hm,” Seto said. This must be the way his character was supposed to join Link’s party in the story. “I’ll go. I think it’ll be worthwhile.”

“Link, are you willing to let this young man travel with you?” Impa asked. “I know I have tasked you with much, so it is alright if you refuse.”

“I’m fine with it,” Link said, not even questioning it. “I can trust him.”

That was strange. Seto had barely encountered him, and already, the protagonist was considering him trustworthy.

Still, though, his plan of freeing the Divine Beasts and then destroying Calamity Ganon was Seto’s ticket out of this game and back into the real world. So he would deal with Link's strangeness until he was able to go home.

He followed Link as they stepped outside, finding it to be nighttime. Kakariko Village was lit up, with torches, lamps, and fireflies, and they both entered the inn. The man behind the counter had been sleeping, but he startled as soon as the door opened. 

“One night’s stay for the both of us, please,” Link said, placing some Rupees onto the counter. “We'll wake up in the morning.”

“Okay,” the man behind the counter said, stifling a yawn. “Sweet dreams.”

Seto just about collapsed into the bed he was pointed to, and he fell into the first entirely uninterrupted sleep he’d had for a long time. It was much more comfortable than the forest floor, though it had nothing on memory foam. Of course, memory foam hadn't been invented yet, so Seto couldn't really complain too much.

Of course, before his eyes had shut entirely, Seto wished he’d been able to tuck Mokuba into bed the night before he’d woken up in the forest. Seto had been busy arguing with Pegasus that he was not going to meet with him in-person for a meeting over the next cards he was releasing, and Mokuba had gone to bed before Seto did. 

Seto dreamt of his brother, playing a game on his new Nintendo Switch, and showing Yugi and the rest of the Geek Squad what he was up to. He was laughing, and so were they.

It was always a good dream when Mokuba was happy. Even if the Geek Squad was there.

Chapter Text

“Good morning!” said the innkeeper, much more chipper than before. 

Link, who hopped out of bed looking well-rested, basically dragged Seto by the arm until he'd been pulled out from the covers and onto the floor.

Seto, who was not awake enough for being dragged around by anyone other than Mokuba, took his time putting on his shoes and outer layers. 

The Sheikah clothing he'd been gifted wasn't armored, or anything that would defend him if a monster happened to get a lucky hit, but it would protect him from the elements, and it was comfortable. Just like with the other Sheikah who wore it, rustling the fabric made no noise. Seto was likely taking the place of a character built for speed and stealth, which was annoying. He supposed it would make sense, though. Without his Blue-Eyes, he couldn’t overwhelm his enemies with sheer power… Unless he could use the Sheikah technology that had been excavated to build something to do it for him.

The Guardians and the Divine Beasts had once driven the Calamity back, after all. And Hyrule had been nearly destroyed when the Calamity had returned and controlled all of them, a century ago.

Impa had told Link to free the Divine Beasts, since they were key to weakening Ganon. Seto would have to see them for himself before he could make any further observations, but, in theory, it should be possible to do the same for the Guardians, as well.

Perhaps the laboratories Impa had mentioned would have some answers for him.

Once outside of the inn, Link started explaining his plan.

“To get to Hateno Village, we'll have to pass the Dueling Peaks Stable again. We should catch some horses!”

Catch some horses? What was he even talking about?

“What?” Seto asked. “How do you just catch a horse?”

“When I was there, I talked to the guy- I think his name's Tasseren- at the front, and he said if I caught a wild horse, he could register it with the system and give me a saddle for 20 Rupees,” Link explained, leading the way to another shop. “To free the Divine Beasts, we'll have to travel across all of Hyrule, so getting horses will help us get there faster.”

Seto could understand the logic in that. Clearly this was something that would help with gameplay- And the sooner he killed the final boss, the sooner he could go home, back to his brother's side. Mokuba must be worried about him, since he'd already been gone for a full day. Seto wondered if he'd recruited Yugi and the Nerd Herd to help with the search yet.

“You're right,” Seto agreed.

Link, however, had left him to his thinking, and had gone into the shop- Judging from the sign outside, it sold clothing- right when Seto had agreed with him. And he came out a few seconds later with a red tunic that was far more appropriate for travel than the worn shirt he’d been wearing before, and a cloak with a hood that matched the one in Seto's weirdly deep pockets (That NPC had told him it was so he could keep warm. But that was when he didn't have anything with proper sleeves. Now, with clothing actually fit for travel, Seto had no need to wear it yet.).

“Here,” Link said, handing Seto a skewer of mushrooms and another mystery meat. “We can eat on the road. We've got a lot of ground to cover.”

Well. 

Link had priorities, it seemed. 

Seto accepted the skewer, and then followed Link as he made his way out of the village on the road they'd come up on.

“I like cooking,” Link said, filling the silence. “It's a useful skill- And selling my dishes makes it way easier to collect Rupees.”

“Are you always this talkative this early in the morning?” Seto asked him.

“No,” Link answered. “Apparently I was the silent type, a hundred years ago- According to Impa, anyway. But I don't remember why I felt the need to be that way, and you're easy to talk to. The first person I spoke to after waking up with no memory was some old guy who ended up being the ghost of the last king of Hyrule. So you can imagine what that was like.”

“No, I can't,” Seto replied, flatly, and taking a bite of the skewer. The mystery meat appeared to be some form of fowl- It tasted almost exactly like chicken, but with a richer flavor that paired remarkably well with the mushrooms. “I don't believe in ghosts.”

“Huh.” Link didn't have much to say to that. He waved to the dancing tree as they passed him on the road, and Seto inched away, uncomfortable. “Hi, Hestu.”

The dancing tree waved back, using his maracas. “Hi! I have to go back to the forest or Grandpa's gonna be mad at me! So I can’t expand-a-band anymore!”

“I'll get to the forest with more seeds soon,” Link promised him. “I'd like to meet your Grandpa as well!”

Seto did not want to meet Hestu's grandfather. 

He and Link continued to walk.

Once they got to Kakariko Bridge, a different traveler waved at them. She was armed, but that was a normal occurrence in this world, so Seto didn't think much of it. This game wants the protagonist to be friendly, Seto thought to himself. It's annoying that he's talking to every NPC we come across, but- He's lost his memory. This is a way to gather information about this world, and if he’s talking, I can listen in. Maybe there's some kind of clue I can use to my advantage.

Seto did not want to speak with every NPC in the game. But he wouldn't stop Link from doing it- Or from repeatedly going up to Seto and pressing A. (Suddenly, Link’s talkative nature made more sense. Whoever was playing this game must be trying to see all of Seto's dialogue options.)

“Hello,” Link said to the traveler.

“You seem strong,” she gushed, and Seto had to repress his disgust as she got uncomfortably close to him. He failed, of course, visibly cringing away as she inspected the both of them. “You boys should join the Yiga Clan.”

“The what?” Seto asked, about two seconds away from snapping at her for getting too close.

“What's the Yiga Clan?” Link asked, at the same time as Seto did.

“It's a clan created by Master Kohga, dedicated to killing a hero thought long-dead!” the traveler said, just as excited as before. “You should have already known that, silly Sheikah!” 

Link froze in his tracks, and Seto found himself drawing his weapon at the same time as the traveler did.

“I will take your lives!”

With a flash of red and a puff of smoke, she disappeared- only to appear again, right behind Seto. Her weapon had changed to a curved sickle, something clearly designed for assassination- and Seto was the target. 

He caught a glimpse of her as he reacted- her clothing had changed so she was wearing a mask and a skintight stealth suit (which wasn't all that stealthy, since it was bright red), but the strangest thing was the Sheikah eye being upside-down on the mask. This ‘Yiga Clan’ must have been founded by someone who defected from the Sheikah, or perhaps they had stolen the symbol from the Sheikah and decided to use it for their own purposes. Seto didn't know much about the history of the Sheikah tribe (even though this game had decided he was one of them), but he imagined the eye with the tear to be rather important to their culture. Hell, that symbol was on the clothes he was wearing now.

Seto dodged the attack- He was faster than the enemy, somehow, which probably related to one of his character’s abilities- and swung his own blade towards the curved knife.

This was only a distraction, of course, something that would let him get close.

The enemy blocked his move, as expected, but she didn't block Seto’s elbow when he slammed it into the side of her head, nearly dislodging her mask. (If he'd had his Duel Disk, the attack would have been far more devastating. However, as there were no Duel Monsters in this world, Seto had no Duel Disk, but his elbow was certainly still a sharp blow she hadn’t been expecting.)

Both Seto and the enemy jumped backwards, landing on opposite sides of the road. Link was attacking her the instant her feet hit the ground, far more viciously than Seto had thought he would be. 

Link didn't give her a chance to breathe before knocking her down.

She vanished in another puff of smoke, leaving her weapon, some Rupees, and, for some reason, a bunch of bananas on the ground.

“Well,” Link said, picking up her weapon and the Rupees, “That was interesting.”

“Stop talking to suspicious weirdos,” Seto said to him, putting his sword away.

“We were fine,” Link said. “Stop being dramatic.”

“She was part of a cult that is trying to kill you,” Seto hissed. “I am being perfectly reasonable.”

Link seemed to consider what Seto was saying. And then he gave him a strange look.

“Are you… Worried about me?”

“I need you to live for my own goals,” Seto said, flatly. “I can't go home to my brother until you kill what's-his-face who brought the Calamity.”

“Brother?” Link asked, very much like he'd been given a dialogue option to unlock more of Seto's backstory. 

“Yes, my little brother,” Seto said, deciding he wasn't going to elaborate further about Mokuba to some stranger. He would tell Link why he was following him, though. “It's in my best interest to keep you alive if I want to see him again.”

“Okay,” Link said. “I'll be more careful about who I talk to in the future.”

Well. Maybe that would make this journey go more smoothly.

“Good. Let's get moving.”

----

In the field near the Dueling Peaks Stable, there were ruins, trees, and crowds of wild horses that Seto definitely hadn’t seen until he’d shown up with Link. They must only spawn in when near a player.

Link had explained what he’d heard about catching and taming them, that what they needed to do was sneak up behind the horse they wanted, hop on its back, and then soothe it until it let them ride.

Seto thought that befriending a wild horse required much more effort than that, but he didn’t actually know anything about horses, so he just shrugged and agreed to follow Link to see how it was done. The player is able to tame horses. The horses probably have different statistics, like speed and stamina, and the better they are, the harder they will be to tame.

Link had crept up behind a brown horse with a white mane and white spots on its nose and on the lower halves of its legs, jumped up on its back, and, as soon as the horse started bucking, clung to it like a monkey, petting it until it calmed down.

“See!” Link said, waving to where Seto was standing under a tree. “It’s easy!”

Seto wasn’t an idiot, but he also wasn’t above showing off. And, since Link was challenging him, Seto was about to do something kind of stupid. (What could he say? Yugi wasn’t here to challenge him at Duel Monsters, so Seto would have to make do with what was available, and he was very competitive.)

The fact his footsteps and his clothes made no noise meant Seto did not need to crouch when he walked up behind his target, a horse with a black mane and a solid blue-grey body. It had been grazing peacefully, and Seto had picked it out of all of the other horses because- And he would never admit this- the colors had reminded him of his brother. The black mane resembled Mokuba’s wild hair, and the blue-grey was very close in color to his eyes, though it was less blue and more grey. The resemblance was enough to draw Seto closer, and, since he would be traveling across this world until the Divine Beasts were freed and Ganon was defeated, Seto figured he might as well travel with a horse that was familiar to him.

Seto pulled himself onto the horse’s back- It startled when he touched it, not having noticed him until he’d made himself known- and prepared himself to cling to the horse as it tried to buck him off, but it just neighed, and went back to grazing, completely ignoring Seto’s presence after the initial touch.

Seto nudged the horse with his heel- Not too gently, since the horse wouldn’t feel it if he was too gentle, but not hard enough to hurt it, either- and turned it so it would start moving towards the stable.

Link, who was struggling to keep his horse on the road- He was still in control, but the horse was trying to turn away- gave Seto a dirty look as he passed him, trotting along without any issues whatsoever.

When they both registered their horses, Seto was given a saddle and reins first.

“What do you want to name your companion?” asked Tasseren, as he scribbled something in the ledger and put some of Seto’s Rupees into a safe spot.

“Adina,” Seto answered. It would be strange to name his horse after his brother, so instead he went with one of his own characters’ names- The princess who happened to look almost exactly like Mokuba in his VR game. Mokuba had liked her the most out of all the characters in that game, particularly after the stunt he’d pulled in which he’d disguised himself as her in order to free Seto when he was trapped in the game by the Big Five. Seto remembered it fondly, but it would be strange to name the horse after Mokuba when there was an existing name from one of their favorite memories that he could use instead. “I’m traveling with Adina.”

“Alright then.” Tasseren looked over to Link. “What about you? Do you have a name for your companion?”

“Kuriboh!” Link answered, grinning. 

“Kuriboh is a good name,” Tasseren said, and Seto had a bit of a revelation. Kuriboh was not a good name for a horse, since Kuriboh was a tiny fuzzball of a monster, and Link’s horse was sleek and shiny, even if it was brown, like a Kuriboh. But there were no Kuribohs in this world, and no other Duel Monsters like it.

And yet Link had named his horse ‘Kuriboh’.

This was solid evidence that Link was being controlled by a player outside of the game, and he was very limited in what he could say to Seto. Because people from the real world weren’t supposed to be in this game, the dialogue of the characters in the game was limited to topics only about the world of Hyrule. The fact Link’s horse was named ‘Kuriboh’ was concrete proof that someone from the real world was trying to communicate with him, someone who knew who Seto was and was trying to bring him home, despite not being trapped in the game with him. 

Link must be a protagonist that had a name that wasn’t customizable, so Seto had no way of knowing exactly who was behind the screen. 

It wasn’t like they could tell him outright, anyway. Whenever they spoke to Seto, they must be choosing between dialogue boxes to decide what to say, and those all related to the events of the game. Whoever was there, though, would be rewarded for their assistance, once Seto was out of here.

Once Link had his saddle and was ready to go, the both of them rode towards Hateno Village.

----

Purah was a very strange individual, and Seto didn’t particularly want to be in her presence if she was gonna keep posing the way she did, but she would have answers for him. Purah had apparently witnessed the Calamity destroying the country, and had been the one behind putting Link into a coma for 100 years so he might recover from his injuries (Well, the princess had told her to save Link. But it turned out Purah was the one to put him into this ‘Shrine of Resurrection’.)… And also aging herself backwards with technology to the point she had become a child.

She kind of reminded Seto of Rebecca Hopkins, in that he was actually putting some effort into arguing with her about whether or not it was possible to free a Guardian from the Calamity’s control using the Sheikah Slate, since it was apparently possible to do so with the Divine Beasts. Her stubborn denial of the possibility was the same as when Mokuba had Rebecca try and hack through Kaiba Corporation’s firewalls, even though Seto had designed them himself, and so she kept throwing herself at them until she found a weakness. Their interactions were always contests of who could be more stubborn… And Seto always won.

Link hadn’t even realized Purah sent him off on a quest to pick up blue fire so she could interrogate Seto without him interfering.

“Where have you even been, this entire time, to be coming up with outlandish theories like that?” Purah asked, not even posing at the end of her question. “Are you one of Robbie’s apprentices, coming here to spy on me?!”

“I’ve never met either of you before in my life,” Seto said, flatly. “Would freeing the Guardians work, or not?”

“Well,” Purah said, thinking. She put a finger on her chin. “We would have to do some testing. But it’s far too dangerous to try and wrangle a Guardian to a standstill. There are some warriors who have destroyed them, but it would be far more difficult to hold one down than to kill it.”

She nodded, apparently coming to a decision.

“I suppose eliminating the essence of the Calamity from within the Guardians would turn them back to our side, though we would have to be prepared for Ganon to take control of them again. And with so many of them, taking back control would take a hundred years.”

“So… The Calamity is a virus,” Seto muttered to himself. “And the ancient Sheikah never considered building a firewall, because they were the only ones with that technology. They hadn’t expected it to be turned against them, and that’s why this civilization has remained in the Dark Ages.”

“Sorry?” Purah asked.

“Nothing,” Seto said. “Just an idea. I’ll have to work on it to see if it has merit.”

The Guidance Stone in the corner of the lab suddenly turned on, and Link entered the building, smelling faintly of smoke. Purah completely forgot about Seto, instead focusing on thanking Link for his help and then installing the camera and the albums back onto the Sheikah Slate.

With a functioning camera, and an album of every single plant and creature in Hyrule (which was incomplete, unfortunately, but Link was already gathering information by taking pictures of the plants and ingredients he'd already gathered), as well as a series of landscape photos that were probably important, they were ready to check back with Impa and then start their search for the Divine Beasts.

Adina and Kuriboh brought them back to Kakariko Village without any further issues, and Impa had explained that the landscape photos that were restored to the Sheikah Slate had been taken by Princess Zelda one hundred years ago, and were likely the key to restoring Link’s memories.

Link and Seto had been instructed to go to one of the places in the pictures, and then to come back. Some painter in the village had identified where the nearest location was, for the cost of a picture of the Fairy Fountain. (Seto could appreciate the fact that gigantic woman in the spring had increased the defensive capabilities of his clothing. He did not appreciate the fact she stole his Rupees and then decided to flirt with him. Link did not have nearly the same reaction as Seto did, as he'd been staring up at her in awe the entire time.)

Kuriboh and Adina weren’t effective swimmers, so Seto and Link traveled along the Lanayru Promenade by foot, dodging monsters and hopping between ice blocks to cross the river. On the end of the path, just before entering the road that would lead up the mountain, there was a stone gate, the same one as in the picture.

Link had gone into a trancelike state as soon as he looked at it, and had completely frozen.

Seto wasn’t sure exactly when he would be back to normal, so he started picking the peppers that were growing nearby- When cooked, they increased resistance to cold, apparently. Link had shown him some of the edible plants of this world (what was already in the album on the Sheikah Slate, anyway), and he was able to sell what he cooked to merchants, as well as benefiting from the effects of the food himself. So Seto figured he might as well make himself useful and spend this time gathering- What the fuck was that.

A creature with the body of a horse, the torso of a man, and the head of a lion, complete with a red mane, was staring at him from between the trees that were in front of the snow field past the gate. There was a vicious-looking bow on its back, as well as a shield and sword that were both far too large to be wielded by an ordinary human.

And it had noticed Seto.

Nothing else had noticed him until he’d made himself known- Adina the horse hadn’t even reacted when he’d walked up behind her, and Seto’s footsteps and clothing were both silent.

Seto was the stealth-based character in the party. The enemy wasn’t supposed to see him.

This creature, whatever it was, was definitely a more dangerous enemy than the low-level mobs Seto had killed previously, and it seemed to know that. It was just staring at him, waiting to see what Seto did next.

Seto didn’t dare to look away. Link was still behind him, and the creature was clearly capable of great speed, judging by the muscles on the horse section of its body, as well as having a bow. Link was an easy target while he was lost in memory land, so Seto needed to keep the creature’s attention on him, so his ticket home didn’t fucking die before they even properly began their journey. That would be incredibly inconvenient. 

Seto picked another pepper from the plant he was crouched next to, still staring dead into the creature’s eyes. Some might find this an aggressive gesture, but the creature turned away as soon as it was clear Seto wasn’t going to get closer. 

It had lost interest. 

It was very likely that creature was more intelligent than the low-level enemies that Seto had killed previously, and had decided to avoid starting a fight with someone who was simply gathering peppers.

Seto was still watching the creature as it roamed the trees nearby, just as the creature was watching him. Once there were no more peppers on the plant Seto was crouched next to, he moved on to the next one, still warily keeping his eyes on that creature.

The creature suddenly froze again, and there was a rustling noise behind Seto- Footsteps.

For someone who had snuck up on Seto as he made it to Kakariko Village, Link had incredibly loud footsteps when he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings.

Seto didn't dare to look away from the creature, even though it was now watching Link.

Link, who walked up next to him with a puzzled expression. And only realized after Seto held a finger over his lips that there was something else there with them.

“Whoa,” Link said, looking at the creature. “Cool.”

And then he pulled his Sheikah Slate off of his hip and took a picture of it.

The creature roared, and Seto grabbed Link's arm and started dragging him away. 

Flaming arrows landed where they'd been standing seconds prior.

“Nevermind! Not cool!” Link shouted.

“Obviously!” Seto hissed, dragging Link behind one of the pillars on the road. The arrows had stopped now that they were out of sight. They could take a moment to rest- and then continue on their way, because there was no way in hell Seto was letting Link fight that thing before leveling up.

Seto continued to pull Link along, back through the ruined roads of the Lanayru Promenade, and Link, after consulting the Sheikah Slate, revealed that the creature the both of them had just escaped from was known as a Lynel. And that it was very rare for warriors to even bother facing them, because there was no way someone was going to get away unscathed from a lion-man-horse that could breathe fire and wouldn’t hesitate to decapitate someone with their swords and shields that both had razor-sharp edges.

Seto thought a Lynel would be an interesting Duel Monster- An ace monster, most likely, thanks to all of its effects. There were plenty of beasts in the game, so a Lynel would fit in with a beast deck, or perhaps with other magical creatures. 

There was no way in hell he was going to talk to Pegasus about it, though. Not only would there be a copyright infringement since Lynels belonged to this other game's creators, it also meant speaking to the man himself. Seto would rather turn around and fight the Lynel on his own than consider willingly approaching Pegasus for matters outside of using Solid Vision to render the monsters he'd painted. If there was any benefit to being trapped in this game, it was the fact Seto had missed the meeting he was supposed to have with Pegasus.

Once the both of them had returned to Kakariko Village, (Link was only now demonstrating the ability to teleport using the Sheikah Slate and the shrines that were scattered across the country) Impa seemed to have become more comfortable with Seto's presence while she discussed sensitive topics with Link. So she spoke about Zelda, and she gave Link a blue tunic that she'd kept safe ever since he was injured.

And then she asked Seto if he'd learned anything from Purah's laboratory. 

“I believe it is possible to free the Guardians from the Calamity's influence,” Seto said, when she asked. “I'll need some time to workshop it, but looking at the corrupted Divine Beasts should help me find that solution. I'm going to continue traveling with Link as he frees them.”

Impa nodded in understanding. “The pursuit of this knowledge will be dangerous, but I and the rest of our tribe are comforted by the fact you will not be alone in this endeavor.”

Seto, even though he wasn't really part of the Sheikah tribe, just nodded, accepting the words for what they were without argument. Most of Seto's accomplishments were achieved alone, so having someone who didn't know him telling him that they were there to support him didn't mean much. He wouldn't make a scene, though. 

Impa turned to Link, who had somehow swapped tunics while the both of them weren't looking. “Ah, that brings back memories. The nearest Divine Beast is northeast of here, in Zora's Domain. I am sure that both of you will be able to free it as long as you stick together.”

Link nodded, and stood up from where he'd been sitting on the floor. Seto got up with him, and nearly followed Link outside, but Impa stopped him.

“Here,” she said, pushing a scroll into his hands. It was much heavier than it looked, and Seto nearly stumbled under the weight. “If you truly are going to free the Guardians, you must learn how to use the tribe's secret techniques, as well as our chosen weapons. This scroll contains our history, Kaiba. Keep it secret, and treat it with care.”

Before Seto could even react, Impa pushed him, with far more force than a little old lady like her should have been able to muster, and he actually did stumble as he went through the door.

Link was waiting for him, next to their horses.

“What took you so long?” he asked.

“Nothing important,” Seto replied, figuring that Impa had given him that scroll after Link was gone so that he wouldn't see it. She'd told him to keep it secret, and after seeing Link get careless with taking a picture of the Lynel, Seto was fairly certain the information in the scroll would no longer be secret if he shared it with Link.

Besides. This was clearly an item meant for Seto to use in order to level up. There was no reason why he should share it. 

“Okay,” Link said, clearly believing him. “Well, I don't have Zora's Domain on my map yet, but once we get up high, I can probably see the Tower that'll put the map onto the Sheikah Slate.”

“Tower?” Seto asked, hopping onto Adina's back. Link did the same with Kuriboh, and the both of them started to ride out of the village, the afternoon sun breaking the cloudy skies from that morning. “I saw two of them on your map already. What's different about them compared to the shrines?”

“At the top of each Tower is a Guidance Stone, like in the Tech Lab,” Link explained. “Using those Stones gives the Slate an accurate map of the land.”

Another bit of game design, then. Unlocking the map opens up more of the world for the player to explore. 

“I see,” Seto said. He didn't have much else to add to this conversation. 

They rode in silence until Link found a good spot to survey the land and put a marker where the Tower was. It was getting dark by this point, so they set up a fire (Link had collected wood, and placed a piece of flint next to the pile before striking it with a metal weapon to start it. Seto was pleased to know he'd been right about that particular game mechanic.) and ate some roasted meat before turning in for the night.

Well, Link had turned in, sleeping while still armed, but Seto hadn't.

He was a night owl, and even though Mokuba complained about it, he got his best work done when the skies were dark.

Using the light of the fire, Seto finally opened the scroll Impa had given him, and pored over its contents in secret.

Chapter Text

The morning came with more clouds.

Seto had managed to sleep, after a decent amount of time, but he'd also learned much.

Link definitely noticed the upgrades in his weaponry- Instead of the traveler’s sword that NPC had given him, Seto now had an Eightfold Blade, as well as several other similar weapons stashed away- but he didn't comment on it. Even if he'd asked, Seto wouldn't have answered him. The things he'd learned were a secret, after all. He'd encountered the Yiga Clan before he'd learned their history with the Sheikah, and now that he knew they were a faction of Sheikah who had defected long ago to assist the Calamity, he needed to be on guard now that he also knew more about what they were after.

Seto was going against the Yiga Clan's entire belief system by coming up with his plan to free the Guardians, as well as actively helping Link free the Divine Beasts. Impa had clearly wanted him to be prepared for when he inevitably ended up at the top of their hit list. 

He could appreciate that she was acting as a leader, even for someone who was as much of an obvious outsider as Seto was. She truly believed he was one of her fellow tribesmen, and so she treated him as such. 

Seto hadn’t been able to read and practice everything that had been collected in the scroll, but it was clear that this was his way towards obtaining more strength. Link leveled up by completing shrines, and Seto leveled up through the teachings passed down from the Sheikah elders. (Seto would not benefit from entering the shrines with Link, just as Link would not benefit from learning Sheikah techniques. Well, Link would benefit from knowing some of it, but Seto was sworn to secrecy. This was a game, after all. Certain characters needed certain materials to level up, and the scroll was not one of Link’s materials.)

He and Link packed up their camp for the night, hopped back onto Adina and Kuriboh, and continued on their way towards the Tower.

There were monsters guarding the road up towards the Tower, so they got off of their horses and climbed up by foot. Seto was able to test out his Eightfold Blade, and was very pleased to see that he could kill these low-level mobs within one strike after sneaking up behind them. 

It turns out this technique, the one that made Seto’s movements make no noise, was something most Sheikah weren’t born with- Only the soldiers and older members of the tribe had learned this skill, so they (as the shadow organization that worked for the royal family) could do their jobs without being noticed- and was called Sheikah Art: Silent Steps. There was a higher-level version of this technique known as Sheikah Art: Shadow Steps, one where the Sheikah in question was able to vanish into the shadows themselves, but Seto hadn’t gotten far enough into the scroll to see what it was or how to do it yet. (He clearly had to get to a higher level first.)

Silent Steps allowed him to slip past most enemies, and to quietly strike from behind, ending their lives in one blow. He'd been using Silent Steps unconsciously, ever since waking up in this world, and only now was he learning how to properly take advantage of it. 

If Seto was going to be the stealth-based character in the party, he was going to be damn good at his job, alright? Since he wanted to go home as quickly as possible, Seto would need to play the game to completion, and he was clearly meant to be the character in the party who had quick attacks and silent movement. It was more efficient to accept these changes than it was to fight them. 

The Tower was wrapped in some kind of barbed plant, so Link lit one of his arrows on fire, and set the entire thing ablaze, leaving enough space to climb up without worrying about thorns.

Seto carefully watched where Link gripped as he went up above Seto, because while he had climbed up a steep cliff before (While holding a briefcase, after Pegasus sent his goons to make an attempt on Seto’s life before the shitshow that was the Duelist Kingdom tournament), that didn’t mean the rules of climbing were the same in the game. For one thing, the Tower had several grooves that were easy to cling to, and, for another, Seto did not want to risk losing everything because of fall damage. The physics of this world didn’t set trees on fire when they were hit by lasers, so it was unlikely the physics of climbing would be the same as in the real world, as well. The way Link was clinging to most surfaces like he was Spider-Man was evidence of that.

At the top of the tower, there was a Guidance Stone, and another person. Link didn’t seem to notice anyone else, so he went straight for the Guidance Stone and set his Sheikah Slate in the designated port, and Seto walked up to the stranger.

He was much taller than he had seemed from a distance, and had fins on his arms and hips, as well as a fish tail on his head. Clearly, this was one of the other races in this game- Probably a Zora, since Impa had pointed Seto and Link towards Zora’s Domain- and was most definitely aquatic.

It finally started to rain as Seto approached him. He was tan, with a white face and stomach, and lighter brown spots decorating his skin. He wore intricate silver armor over his neck, ankles, and wrists. He also held a silver spear as he peered over the edge of the Tower, as though he was looking for something in the river below.

When he turned around, seemingly only noticing Seto when Link activated the Guidance Stone, Seto could see the front of his face was vaguely triangular, meeting at a point towards where his forehead would be, if he had been human, and two fins framed the rest of his face, as though there was an actual fish on his head. Hazel eyes narrowed in suspicion, and Seto couldn’t help but think he’d seen this guy before, even though it was absolutely impossible for him to have met a fishman in the real world. (The sea duelist Mako Tsunami came to mind for an instant. This person did not look like Tsunami, but instead like one of the creatures in his sea deck.)

“Are you guys Hylians?” the fishman asked, revealing sharklike teeth as he spoke.

“I’m not, he is,” Seto said, gesturing towards Link. “We’re trying to get to Zora’s Domain.”

“Well, you’re in luck. Prince Sidon is down there looking for a Hylian,” the fish man explained. He pointed towards the bridge below, which was incredibly intricate and also seemed to be glowing. 

The fish man turned to look at Seto again, still looking very confused. 

“I- Sorry, have we met before? You look really familiar.”

Seto narrowed his eyes.

He’d definitely heard that voice before, and with the brown coloring and the triangle shape on the fish guy’s head… 

Well, now he knew for sure that the Geek Squad had definitely gotten involved in his personal business again.

“Did Mokuba send you into this game to try and save me, Taylor?”

Tristan Taylor’s eyes widened further, and he pointed at Seto, finally recognizing him for who he was. 

“Kaiba!” he hissed. “What have you done? Why did you turn me into a fish?!”

“Regardless of what your pea-sized brain considers a thought, I didn’t have anything to do with this,” Seto hissed back. “This isn’t one of Kaiba Corporation’s games. I’m stuck here, too.”

“Fine, let’s say I believe that,” Taylor said, crossing his arms over his chest. “How do we get out of here, then?”

“Beating the game,” Seto said. He jabbed a thumb back towards Link. “That’s a player from the real world. He has to win, and then we get to go home and move on with our lives.”

“How do you know that?” Taylor eyed Link suspiciously, as he was now crouched over his Sheikah Slate, messing with the buttons. He was probably getting a proper look at the new part of the map he’d unlocked. 

“He named his horse ‘Kuriboh’,” Seto explained. “There are no Duel Monsters here. Once he kills the final boss, the game will be over.”

“So that’s why you’re hanging out with him,” Taylor realized. “I didn’t recognize you at first because you’re usually on your own- Or with your brother.”

Taylor suddenly froze. 

“Hey, Kaiba… If I’m here, and you’re here… Are Yugi and the others here, too?”

“How am I supposed to know that?” Seto snapped. “Why should I care, anyway? They’re your idiot friends, and not my responsibility.”

“Well, I was just thinking that-”

“That’s a first.”

“-I was thinking that if my friends are here, then maybe your brother was brought here, too.”

Well.

That could be a problem.

Seto hadn’t thought that he wasn’t alone, but he should have expected it… Especially considering the Geek Squad’s determination to get involved in literally all of his business, no matter how personal it was. It had seemed illogical to assume they were also in the game, since Seto had woken up alone, and had also found the protagonist alone. 

But with Taylor’s presence… It was entirely possible that Mokuba as well as Yugi and the others were also here, trapped within the game until the final boss had been defeated.

“The player will have to travel across this entire country in order to complete the game,” Seto said. He'd seen the blank spots on the map. He knew that the four Divine Beasts were in the four corners of the world. “If Mokuba is in fact out there, I’ll find him.”

“We’ll find him,” Taylor corrected him. “You and I don’t get along, but I’m not going to let you do this by yourself. Your brother might be out there, but Yugi and the others might also be out there. They’ll be able to help us go home.”

Seto narrowed his eyes.

“And what can you do, exactly? How are you supposed to help win this game?”

“Well, as a Zora, I can breathe underwater and swim up waterfalls,” Taylor explained. “I’ve got a spear, so I can help catch fish for food or stab monsters. I also know the way to the Divine Beast, so I can show you where it is.”

Seto considered what Taylor was saying. 

He likely wouldn’t be deterred from joining the party even if Seto told him to stay away, and he was fairly large. If nothing else, Seto could always use him as a meat shield if he and Link encountered another Lynel or something. He highly doubted Taylor was the designated ‘tank’ character for the party, but he didn’t particularly care, either.  

“Fine. You might have some use,” Seto said.

“Who's this, Kaiba?” Link asked. He'd come up to join the conversation after Taylor and Seto had discussed matters like ‘the real world’, so he didn’t know.

“This is Taylor,” Seto said. “He’s-”

“Kaiba’s friend!” Taylor said, excitedly shaking Link’s hand. “I want to help you free the Divine Beasts!”

Link blinked, taken aback by the sudden cheer, and completely oblivious to the downright murderous glare Seto had fixed on Taylor’s person.

“Oh, cool!” Link said, excitedly. “If you’re Kaiba’s friend, then I don’t see why you shouldn’t come with us!”

“Of course, Prince Sidon wants to meet you and come up with a plan of attack, since he’s also trying to help free the Divine Beast in Zora’s Domain, Vah Ruta,” Taylor explained, pointing down towards the same bridge he’d shown Seto. “We should check with him before we go.”

“Okay,” said Link, jumping off of the Tower and gliding gently towards the ground with his paraglider, and leaving Seto and Taylor at the top, alone.

Seto slid down the side of the Tower, and Taylor climbed down next to him, until they were both on the ground next to the bridge.

“Ah, and you must be Kaiba,” said another sharkman, even taller than Taylor was, and who was red and white, rather than tan and white, and was wearing much more intricate armor. He gripped Seto’s arm and gave him a very firm handshake, without even asking, and Seto nearly fell over, because he was not expecting it. “Link says you are very reliable. I hope you will join us in freeing Vah Ruta.”

“Uh,” Seto said, elegantly, because the sharkman hadn’t let him go yet. And he was still smiling. Seto sincerely hoped his face wasn't red. “Yes. Are you Prince Sidon?”

“I am!” Sidon said, cheerfully. “The Divine Beast has caused this rain, and the cliffs closest to Zora’s Domain are unclimbable. You will have to take the path along the river, and Taylor and I can travel with you.”

“That’s alright,” Link said. “Let’s get moving!”

Sidon finally let Seto go, and he jumped into the river, swimming along as Link ran towards the path. They were talking, still, likely about this world, so Taylor and Seto were alone again.

“I’m going to murder you,” Seto said, straight-faced. “I’m going to make it slow and painful, and no one will ever find your body.”

“Good luck trying to catch me,” said Taylor, jumping into the river and swimming upstream at a speed that no human could ever hope to replicate.

Coward.

----

Zora’s Domain was a city that had been built in a gigantic statue of a fish.

Of course, it was incredibly intricate, judging from what Seto could see of it, but the sheets of rain pouring from the sky obscured its true beauty. Seto was soaked to the bone, and so was Link, who was much less cheerful than he had been when they’d first started running along the path.

Taylor had stayed close, pointing the both of them towards monsters, but Sidon had gone up ahead, checking in occasionally to make sure the three of them were alright.

Now that they were on the bridge to Zora’s Domain, all Seto really wanted was to take off his shoes and let them dry so he wasn’t squishing around in wet socks any longer than he already had been.

Passing through the gate to the city itself, Link and Seto and Taylor were greeted with another statue, this time of a shark woman, gracefully posing with a three-pronged spear. 

They were greeted by Sidon, who had informed most of the other people there that he’d found a Hylian and a Sheikah to free the Divine Beast.

Of course, some of the elder members of the tribe regarded Seto with suspicion as Sidon introduced them, while staring at Link in downright disgust… Even though Link was in a bit of a daze, staring up at the statue and not paying attention to them at all.

Seto and Taylor (who was better at mediating than expected, for someone who was notorious for joining Joey Wheeler in fights on the bad side of town) were able to explain that if they could get inside of the Divine Beast, they could fix it. The elder with the stingray head scoffed, saying that the Sheikah had failed to handle the Divine Beasts one hundred years ago, so they would obviously fail again. And Seto, of course, had to retaliate, because he wasn’t a geriatric fool that was too caught up in past grudges to even consider letting someone actually solve the problems they’ve spent one hundred years complaining about.

With Taylor and Sidon both on his side, the elder had to agree to back off and let them do their thing.

Link had shaken himself out of memory land in time to hear Seto insult that elder to his face. And Sidon had helpfully decided the four of them should talk with the king before they ran off to stop the Divine Beast from flooding the entire country of Hyrule.

The king of the Zoras was far larger than any previous Zora they’d encountered, which definitely said something, if they all dwarfed Seto Kaiba in height. If the Zoras he’d previously encountered were all sharks, King Dorephan was a whale. He towered above Link and Seto and Taylor as he spoke, in a booming voice that seemed to rattle their very bones.

“Link! It has been a while since I have last seen you!”

“Hello, sir,” Link said, the same way someone might respond to an estranged aunt at a family gathering who had just said something along the lines of ‘The last time I saw you, you were just a baby!’. “We’re here to free the Divine Beast.”

“... I see,” King Dorephan said. “You do not seem to recognize me. Do you… Do you at least remember my daughter, Mipha?”

“Yes,” Link answered. “She was very kind and very brave.”

“She created something for you,” King Dorephan continued, definitely lost in memories of his own. “Armor that would let you swim up a waterfall like one of us Zora. I wish to give it to you before you challenge the Divine Beast Vah Ruta.”

Seto did not say anything about how impossible it was to swim up a waterfall. It was, however, something to make the gameplay easier for the player. Instead of climbing up a cliff that had a waterfall, they could just swim up in much less time. 

“I appreciate your help,” said Link, as he collected the blue tunic detailed with scales and silver armor that was being handed to him. “We will not fail.”

“Alright,” said Taylor. “Ruta’s up near the reservoir, so we can-”

“Not quite yet, friend,” Sidon interrupted. “In order to enter Vah Ruta, we have to stall it. Ruta’s abilities will stop working when it is hit with shock arrows, and it is that moment of weakness that we will take advantage of.”

“Do you have shock arrows?” Seto asked.

“Unfortunately, no,” Sidon said. “There is a beast on top of Ploymus Mountain that carries them, but us Zora are very weak to electricity, so we do not dare approach it.”

“Let me get this straight,” Seto said. “You want to steal shock arrows from a creature on top of this mountain. Can’t you just kill it to take all of its stuff, and save yourselves the trouble of sneaking around?”

“I do not believe we should risk fighting a Lynel before facing the Divine Beast,” Sidon said, genuinely alarmed by the suggestion. “Someone will end up being very injured.”

“Okay,” Seto said. So, this Lynel had shock arrows, and Zoras were weak to electricity. It was perfectly reasonable that they weren’t going to risk facing it. If anyone was going to be able to walk up that mountain and successfully get away with stealing arrows from something like a Lynel, it was Seto, since he was the stealth-oriented character of the party. “I’ll steal the shock arrows, then, and we can move on with our lives.”

“Young man,” said the king. “Challenging a Lynel is foolishness.”

“I am no fool.” Seto spoke with clear annoyance in his voice, the sort of tone he would use when Yugi’s friends tried to rope him into more magical bullshit, or when corporate scumbags like the Big Five were trying to manipulate him to further their plans to take his company from him. It was a tone that forced them to look him in the eyes, which was exactly what he needed right now. “It would do you well to realize that.”

With this, Seto dramatically left the throne room, back into the pouring rain, and vanished into the darkness of the falling night. If he’d been given his coat when he was dropped into this world, it would have theatrically flipped behind him, making the exit even more over-the-top. 

The assembled mixture of Zoras and one Hylian all watched him go, dumbfounded.

“Yep, that’s Kaiba for you,” said Tristan Taylor, sighing heavily and holding a hand to his head. “He always makes a dramatic speech and then runs off without letting anyone tell him he’s being an idiot. And then we always end up saving him once he inevitably gets into trouble.”

“Hey,” Link said, feeling a spot on his hip that suddenly didn’t have any weight on it. “He took the Sheikah Slate.”

“Wh- Right in front of us?!” Tristan yelped, startled. “How did none of us even notice that?!”

“The Sheikah are a very secretive tribe,” said Sidon, very wisely. “I imagine that speech of his was meant to distract us from the fact he just pickpocketed Link.”

“Kaiba’s filthy rich! Why does he keep pickpocketing people!” Tristan shouted, though no one had a response for him. In fact, they all seemed surprised that this wasn’t the first time Kaiba had pulled a stunt like this.

Ah, well. Tristan really couldn’t tell the story about Yugi’s grandpa’s Blue-Eyes without sounding like he was going insane.

----

Using the map on the Sheikah Slate, Seto quietly went up the mountain Sidon had mentioned. This time, he was paying attention to his surroundings, so the Lynel that roamed up here would not notice him.

Being careless would cost him his life, so Seto was handling this in a way that gave him no opportunity to be distracted.

There was an arrow with a yellow tip embedded in the tree next to Seto, and another two stuck in the ground nearby. Carefully placing his palm on the trunk and gripping the shaft, Seto yanked the arrow out of its trunk, and was pleased to see that it was still entirely intact.

Perhaps there was a bow in with the rest of the supplies stored in the scroll Impa had given him. He would have to learn how to use it, though, since arrows were much less predictable than guns were, and Seto only knew how to shoot a gun. 

Seto picked up more of the shock arrows in the vicinity, catching a glimpse of the Lynel stalking around at the top of the mountain, but it hadn’t seen him, so he continued to sneak around and gather every arrow he laid eyes on.

Sheikah Art: Silent Steps was more than enough to slip past that Lynel, now that Seto was actually paying attention to it (Thinking about it now, that Lynel near the gate next to the snowfield must have noticed Link, and not Seto, at least, until Seto had purposefully drawn attention to himself). And with no arrows left in the trees or the ground, Seto figured his job was done.

He slipped away, further down the mountain so he was out of sight from the Lynel, and counted his haul.

Forty-three shock arrows.

That was probably enough for what Sidon had planned. 

Seto went back down the path, sliding down the cliffs until he was safely away from the Lynel and back on track to Zora’s Domain.

----

“Kaiba hasn’t come back yet, and it’s nearly morning,” Link said, worried. “You know him pretty well, right? Is that normal for him?”

“Well,” Tristan replied, thinking. “He’s smart, but he also thinks he should do everything by himself. It's like he's allergic to teamwork or something. But he’ll come back. If Kaiba ever makes a promise like that, come hell or high water, he’ll keep his word.”

“Stop flattering me,” said Kaiba, from behind the both of them. This made no sense, as they were facing the door to the inn, but he’d somehow gotten behind them without them noticing. 

He dumped a gigantic bundle of arrows with forked yellow tips onto the floor. Some of them sparked as they made contact with the stone.

“I got your shock arrows.”

Kaiba then handed Link his Sheikah Slate.

“I needed your map to get to the mountain. But this is yours, so you should have it back.”

“I’m glad you’ve realized you can return things to their original owners without breaking them in half,” Tristan said, dryly. 

“I don’t care,” Kaiba replied, sitting down on the empty bed in the inn and taking off his kimono top and his shoes, setting them out to dry. He didn’t do the same for his pants, as they had somehow dried already. “Goodnight.”

Kaiba proceeded to turn over onto his side and stop moving, not even getting under the covers before he fell asleep. Tristan watched as the water stopped affecting the clothing he’d set out within seconds, but Kaiba wasn’t awake to see it for himself.

“Huh.”

He really didn’t have much else to say.

Kaiba had gone and gathered around forty shock arrows from the top of a mountain where a Lynel lived, and had gotten away unscathed.

Huh.

This probably had something to do with why Tristan had been turned into a fish man, and why Kaiba had been given white hair and red eyes. This game world had changed them, and, for some reason, had decided Tristan was a fish, while Kaiba was some sort of super ninja.

“This isn’t fair,” Tristan complained, to no one in particular.

“Yeah, you can’t even touch these arrows, right?” Link replied, having already bundled them up so Tristan wasn’t at risk of tripping over them and discovering what a severe weakness to electricity felt like for himself. “That’s okay. I’m sure you’ll still be helpful when we challenge the Divine Beast.”

“I sure hope so,” Tristan agreed.

Chapter Text

It was still raining when Kaiba woke up, only a couple of hours after he’d returned with the shock arrows and the Sheikah Slate. Tristan was certain he hadn’t gotten enough rest to be going out and fighting a Divine Beast, but Kaiba had glared at him when he’d brought up his concerns- With his eyes being red now, instead of blue, the effect was a lot more murderous than it used to be- and so Tristan backed off and ate his breakfast without looking at Kaiba again.

Tristan had been with the Zoras for a while, after waking up in a strange bed while some fish guy applied a cloth to his forehead and said something about a Hinox and a head injury, and ‘Don’t you recognize me, Taylor? We were best friends before you became one of the guards!’ to which Tristan had replied ‘Why are you a fish?’, and was promptly diagnosed with amnesia. 

Thankfully, this meant that most of the Zoras didn’t react when Tristan asked more questions, about the history of the land and the Calamity, what types of people and monsters were out there, and other general questions that helped him adjust to life in Zora’s Domain. Tristan had, as a result of this, had been told far too much about Champion Mipha and the Divine Beast Vah Ruta by one of the elders who had apparently decided he was a lot more agreeable after he’d had some sense knocked into him.

Tristan had found it strange that the elder was worshiping a dead girl like that, but she was a hero to these people, so he really couldn’t say anything. It wasn’t like he’d ever met her, so he couldn’t say anything about her character like the elder could.

Speaking of characters, it was fairly clear to Tristan that he’d replaced a character called Taylor in this game world. Tristan hadn’t ever actually been in one of Kaiba Corporation’s VR Pods (It was Yugi and Joey and Mokuba and Mai who went in the last time something like this had happened, and Téa and Tristan had been keeping watch), but he imagined it to be similar to what he was experiencing now. Except for the fact Kaiba himself was also trapped here, and that he hadn’t summoned his Blue-Eyes and blasted his way out again. So it was closer to that one dream he’d had where Tristan had been trapped in a virtual world by a bunch of creepy old guys and died… Only to turn into some sort of monkey robot. 

It was a very weird dream.

At least Kaiba had figured out a way to leave without breaking the game this time, and had also been nice enough to explain it to Tristan. Because Tristan definitely would not have figured it out as quickly as Kaiba did. If there was any subject he could trust Kaiba in, it was in how games worked. Since Kaiba had said, ‘The only way out of this game is to beat it,’ Tristan was inclined to believe him.

So, of course, Tristan was setting aside the fact he and Kaiba were not friends, and he was joining the party Kaiba had formed with Link… Who was apparently being controlled by someone from the real world. Kaiba didn’t know who, exactly, but it was definitely someone who knew who he was. Tristan wasn’t entirely sure what to think about that, or how Kaiba had gotten to that conclusion, but Link definitely seemed like one of the most important characters in the story, so he wouldn’t question it. 

Tristan was more worried about the rest of his friends than the lore behind this game, after he’d learned he wasn’t alone in here. Yugi would probably be fine in a world like this, since he was good at all sorts of games, and Joey and Téa would both kick monsters’ butts without any problems, but they might have also been turned into some sort of creatures, and not known how to adjust. 

Tristan had to relearn how to breathe, after all, since he suddenly woke up with gills, and he was not used to breathing with gills. Sure, he’d woken up and hadn’t realized it at first, but as soon as he thought about how weird it was, he was manually breathing, and it felt even worse than when he’d had a human pair of lungs. The others might have had it worse than manually breathing through their ribs and nearly suffocating multiple times. Or they could have ended up like Kaiba, and gotten lucky enough to stay human. Kind of. Kaiba was some sort of elf, but not the same kind of elf as Link, judging from the fact he had some sort of albinism? Tristan wasn’t exactly sure.  

Tristan would bet Joey, if he was in this world with him, had ended up becoming something much cooler than a fish. (Maybe not as cool as Kaiba becoming a ninja, but that was going to be hard to beat. Ninjas were never lame.  Except when they were frauds trying to kidnap one of your friends. Tristan looked back on the memory of Mai Valentine kicking the shit out of that B-list actor with a great sense of fondness.)

There was also the ‘how’ of the matter to worry about. Tristan had no idea how he’d ended up here, and Kaiba didn’t seem to know, either. Or, if he did, he hadn’t said anything. Neither of them had mentioned knowing what led to their appearance in this world, and Tristan certainly had no memory of how he’d arrived.

But that wasn’t a topic to bring up when the player was nearby, since it involved the real world. Tristan wasn’t an idiot, since he was Joey’s impulse control before they’d become friends with Téa, and so he knew that nothing good would come out of telling the player in control of Link and the other characters there that he wasn’t from their world. It might break the game, and things could get worse. Tristan didn’t want to break the game when there was already a clear path that could get them back to the real world.

“Good morning!” Sidon, who had run up to the inn and come inside without worrying that Kaiba was definitely plotting his murder with his silverware (Tristan had never dealt with sleep-deprived Kaiba before. But he did know what murderous Kaiba was capable of, and Sidon was very fortunate that he did not know what Death-T was.). “Hello, my friends. I’ve had no luck finding any shock arrows in the areas outside of Zora’s Domain, so we should-”

“No need for that,” Kaiba grumbled, and Sidon blinked, only now realizing he was there. “I got forty-three of them from Ploymus Mountain last night.”

“Surely you did not fight the Lynel!” Sidon exclaimed.

“No,” Kaiba said, sounding very much like he needed a cup of coffee. Tristan knew for a fact there was no coffee in Zora’s Domain. He wanted to keep his limbs, so he did not say this to Kaiba. “I found them on the ground and stuck in the trees nearby. I saw the Lynel, yes, but it didn’t see me.” 

Sidon clapped Kaiba on the shoulder, and Kaiba stared up at him, genuinely appalled by the casual gesture. Tristan was fairly certain the only reason Kaiba wasn’t trying to kill him was because Link was there, making more food in the cooking pot and stashing it away. Or because Sidon was twice Kaiba’s size and he was intimidated. 

“You are most impressive, my friend! Your tribe must be very proud of you!”

“Right,” Kaiba said, flatly. He ate another bite of his food, and Link handed him a second helping. Kaiba gave him a strange look, but he accepted it anyway. “When are we going after the Divine Beast?”

“That is what I came here to discuss,” Sidon said, finally removing his hand from Kaiba’s shoulder and sitting down on the floor of the inn with the group. “Ruta will retaliate if we get close. At each of its joints where its legs meet its body, there is a weak spot. That is what must be hit with a shock arrow.”

“The Divine Beast is up at the reservoir, so if it tries to fight back, anyone who isn’t a Zora isn’t going to be able to swim away and avoid it,” Tristan said. He’d learned a lot about it, and he’d even seen it for himself while on patrol. “Prince Sidon and I can either draw its attacks away from you guys, or-”

“Or you can ride on our backs,” Sidon continued. “We Zora are excellent swimmers, but we cannot touch the shock arrows you must use to shoot the weak spots. So we can carry you to them, before you attack, and carry you away when Ruta fights back.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Link said. “And then we can all enter the Divine Beast together!”

“Those are acceptable terms,” Kaiba said. He was done eating, and, inexplicably, he seemed far more energized than someone usually was without their morning coffee. It was a little disturbing, in Tristan’s honest opinion. Maybe Link had created some sort of energizing food in that cooking pot specifically so Kaiba would be awake for this. “Show me the way to the Divine Beast.”

“Us,” Link corrected him, without fearing for his life. “Please show us the way.”

----

At the top of a winding staircase (Which Seto had to climb, because Sidon, Taylor, and Link all decided to swim up the waterfall next to the stairs without waiting for him), there was a very large lake, and an even larger amount of water falling from the sky. The wall that had been built to contain the reservoir was massive, so if it happened to break, then… Well, Seto didn’t really want to imagine the destruction that would come with it. Tsunamis and floods were among the most costly of disasters in the real world, so stopping more water from falling would definitely spare the people of this world from losing anything else.

Seto looked out across this lake, after reaching the top, to see what was obviously a gigantic mechanical elephant, spewing copious amounts of water into the air through its trunk. It was covered in lights, making it easy to spot in the rain, and, even from the structure at the top of the reservoir wall, Seto could tell there was something seriously wrong with it. For one thing, it creaked and groaned like it was something alive, and for another, looking at it made the hairs on the back of his neck prick up, as though something was looking back.

It was unsettling.

“That’s the Divine Beast?” Seto asked. “It doesn’t seem very divine to me.”

“Well, that’s because the Calamity is controlling it,” Taylor said, gesturing towards it. “You see how Ruta is spitting all of that water into the air? That’s why it’s been raining this whole time.”

Seto ignored him. 

“I don’t have a bow, so I’ll hold the Sheikah Slate to provide support while you target the shoulder joints with shock arrows,” he said to Link, who seemed eager to start the fight. “I doubt the Stasis rune can hold the Divine Beast itself, but any attacks it throws are fair game.”

“That’s smart,” Link said, handing the tablet over. “As expected.”

“Okay, friends, it is time!” Sidon announced. “Champion Link, please climb onto my back! We must act quickly!”

Link did as Sidon asked, and both of them were off, with Link already having drawn his bow, and Sidon effortlessly cutting through the lake towards the Divine Beast. 

“Taylor, if you drop me, I will end you,” Seto hissed.

“Joey is never gonna believe this,” Taylor said, hopping into the water and allowing Seto to climb onto his back.

“Stop worrying about that mutt and pay attention to the elephant,” Seto replied, readying the Sheikah Slate as the Divine Beast started chucking massive blocks of ice towards Link and Sidon.

Using the Cryonis rune, Seto shattered the blocks of ice before they got close.

Sidon then jumped, tossing Link into the air so he had a clear shot at the joint’s weak spot.

Time seemed to slow down as Link fell, nocking his arrow, and then letting it fly. With a burst of electricity, he hit his target, and the Divine Beast’s gears seemed to wail from the sudden stress.

“Three more to go!” Sidon yelled, laughing when he caught up to Link as he plunged into the water.

“We’ve got your backs!” Taylor yelled back, and Seto shattered more ice with the Sheikah Slate as he said it. “Stay focused!”

Taylor hung back, leaving Seto enough room to both see and destroy the next blocks of ice that were being thrown from the Divine Beast towards Link and Sidon, who were speeding along, finding a proper opening. Seto had never particularly cared to think about what Yugi’s friends had been up to before they befriended Yugi himself, but he’d also been a student at Domino High School, so he’d heard the rumors that Taylor and Wheeler had been in several fights on the bad side of town. Wheeler was a ‘punch first, ask questions later’ type of delinquent, but there had to have been a reason he hadn’t ended up dead in a ditch somewhere after pissing off the wrong people, and it seemed that Taylor was the reason why, as he was always where Link’s and Sidon’s blind spots were, leaving Seto enough space to keep the ice from hitting them. 

That sort of behavior may be instinctual to some degree, but it was clear that Taylor had experience with this. Not with gigantic mechanical elephants throwing massive blocks of ice at him, of course, but with watching where his allies were weakest and placing himself there so he could support them. Seto should have expected this, after seeing Taylor sacrifice himself to ensure that Yugi got further ahead in Death-T, but he’d never been in a situation where it was required that he psychoanalyze someone who was so clearly incapable of intelligent conversation. Taylor wasn’t nearly important enough to bother with, at least until he’d also been stuck in this game.

This habit of his was useful, though, because Taylor had found a place where Seto could effectively use the Sheikah Slate to counter the Divine Beast’s attacks without getting hit himself. 

As Link shot the second joint on this side of the body, both Taylor and Sidon started to swim around to the other side.

“We’re halfway there!” Sidon called.

And then the Divine Beast brought out a different shape of ice- Something spiked, instead of cubic. Seto shattered one of the new ice blocks, but a second one landed in the water and started tracking Sidon’s path, following him at an impressive speed.

“Aw, it’s got homing ice?” Taylor whined. “That’s not fair!”

Seto shattered it with the Cryonis rune, giving Sidon the opportunity to swim in close to the third joint. “It’s four–on-one. Of course it’s going to resort to tricks like this.”

“You’ve still got it handled, right?” Taylor asked.

Link hit the third joint with another shock arrow.

“Don’t ask stupid questions,” Seto answered. 

“One more!” Sidon yelled, once again catching Link and zipping through the water until there was an opportunity to get close to the Divine Beast.

There was a lot more ice this time, but- There was an additional object in the air that was decidedly not ice.

“Is that metal?!” Taylor shrieked, and Seto suddenly understood what he was supposed to do as there were more homing ice spikes being summoned and thrown at them, along with a large spiked metal ball on one end.

Seto switched from the Cryonis rune to the Magnesis rune, and attached the Sheikah Slate’s magnet to the metal ball. He then yanked it to the side, completely destroying all of the ice and forcing an opening that Sidon immediately took advantage of. 

Link let another arrow fly, and there was a zap of electricity as it hit its target.

The Divine Beast stopped moving, and even the constant stream of water that had been coming from its trunk stopped. Sidon swam over to it, and Taylor followed him.

Link was already on a platform that led further inside, and Seto climbed up to join him. He returned the Sheikah Slate to Link once again. Taylor also jumped up, already prepared for further battle.

Sidon, however, stayed in the water.

“Aren’t you gonna come with us?” Link asked.

“As much as I wish to avenge my sister, it is best if I stay behind,” Sidon explained. “My people need me to protect them, and I trust you.”

“How much is that ‘protection’ going to be worth if we fail?” Seto asked.

“Yeah,” Taylor agreed. “I might not be as smart as Kaiba or as well-rounded as Link, but I can still tell that the best way you can help your people is by stopping these problems at the source.”

“I-”

“If you want to get out of your sister’s shadow, you’ll need to do more than escort some outsiders to the Divine Beast in your domain,” Seto interrupted Sidon before he could deflect further. “You’re a prince. This is your responsibility. And if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.”

Sidon blinked, caught off-guard. He was one of those sincere and naive characters, and he clearly meant well by leaving the party to fix the Divine Beast, but something about the way he’d spoken about his sister- Champion Mipha, who died 100 years ago- rubbed Seto the wrong way.

If Seto was in Mipha’s situation, and Mokuba was in Sidon’s, there wouldn’t have been any hesitation before Mokuba would have jumped on board. He likely would have gotten there faster than Link did- If he’d waited this long at all. 

Of course, Sidon was not Seto’s little brother. But he had a chance to avenge his sister’s death sitting here right in front of him, and he was willingly backing away.

Seto did not understand how someone could do something like that and still consider it a kind action. 

The Divine Beast rumbled, and the stalled machinery started to move again.

“Come on, quickly!” Taylor yelled, leaning down and offering Sidon his hand from the ledge.

Sidon didn’t hesitate this time. He took Taylor’s hand and allowed him to pull him up to the ledge, just as the Divine Beast finished rebooting. Or whatever the game wanted Seto to believe it was doing.

“Thank you,” Sidon said to both of them. “I still have much to learn about my responsibilities. I thought I was being mature by choosing the safety of my people over my revenge. But you are correct- By helping tame Vah Ruta, I am keeping my people safe and avenging my sister’s death.”

“Welcome to the team!” Link said.

----

It’s been a long time, Link. And… Sidon. You’ve gotten a lot bigger since the last time I saw you.

The voice coming from the air itself is gentle and quiet, but still something that forces the listeners to pay attention. Of all the things a ghost could say when someone entered their place of death, this one had chosen to welcome her visitors. (Seto did not believe in ghosts. But he was in a game world, and ghosts were common entities in worlds like this, so the presence of a ghost inside of the Divine Beast did not surprise him.)

Seto did not particularly care about the Champions. He’d never met them, and they had died long before he’d been dropped into this world, so he figured he would hear legends of their accomplishments, maybe, but not anything from the Champions themselves.

“Sister,” Sidon said, quietly looking up and around, attempting to pinpoint exactly where the voice was coming from.

“Mipha,” Link said, joining Sidon in looking up.

“Ghost,” Taylor muttered to himself, nervously. That was the sort of thing that would make Wheeler or Gardener smack him in the back of the head, if they had been here to witness it. 

“Don’t be stupid,” Seto said, flatly. “I imagine she’s trying to help us.”

That is true, said the gentle voice. To free Ruta, you must use the Sheikah Slate to take control of the five terminals located within its body. After doing this, activating the main terminal will purge the Malice from the system, and Ruta will no longer be corrupted.

“Malice?” Seto muttered to himself. The way Mipha had described the process made sense. If one of his products had been infected with a virus, then he would need the processing power of a different computer in order to safely get rid of it without leaving any traces behind. Mipha’s instructions were more along the lines of getting five computers to get rid of the virus infecting the Divine Beast, and apparently the Sheikah Slate had the program to do it.

“Malice is that gooey stuff,” Taylor said, pointing towards a pile of something that looked like melted tar if melted tar also happened to contain glowing pink acid and the capacity to grow random organs. There was an eye on a stalk in the middle of the goo. It was staring at Seto. “It can be destroyed if you shoot the eyes in it, but it’s really hard to completely get rid of. Like roaches.”

“What is a roach?” Sidon asked, confused.

Seto ignored him. 

So the reason the Divine Beast had been taken over was because of that ‘Malice’ stuff. Which was apparently less of a computer virus and more of a stubborn household pest. Mipha was providing the steps for completely getting rid of the nest that had made itself at home inside of the Divine Beast.

And also killed her.

Seto should probably reevaluate the threat level of something like Malice if it had killed someone. Taylor was the one who said something about roaches.

Link was at a Guidance Stone on the first floor, already gaining information about the Divine Beast, so Seto crouched down next to the pile of Malice. The eye on a stalk continued to stare at him.

Seto poked at the goo with his Eightfold Blade, and it started to smoke. The metal itself seemed to warp as it made contact, so Seto pulled it back before he permanently lost or damaged his weapon. 

The eye continued to stare.

Seto stabbed it. It popped like a balloon, and the entire pile of goo disappeared in a puff of black-purple smoke.

“Huh,” he said out loud. 

This was the stuff that had taken over the Divine Beasts? This was what had turned the Guardians against the people of this world? This was what killed the Zora Champion?

Perhaps Seto’s plan to free the Guardians would be even easier than he’d thought, if all that was controlling them was a pile of goop that vanished with little more than a poke from something sharp.

He’d have to see the inside of a Guardian, though, if he wanted to experiment with this idea further. Preferably with protective equipment, as well, and after observing how a Divine Beast was freed of Malice. Ruta was much bigger than that overturned urn Seto had seen in the forest, so there was more space for the Malice to infect, so the corruption should be stronger here than in a Guardian. He would have to see it for himself before he came to a proper conclusion, though.

“Look!” Link called, messing with the Sheikah Slate. “I can control Ruta’s trunk!”

A cascade of water then came in from the ceiling, immediately landing on top of where Taylor was standing. Sidon had jumped away when he noticed it, but Taylor had been caught off-guard, and proceeded to be completely flattened under the stream.

He was washed over to where Link was standing, face-down on the floor.

Seto reexamined the interior.

“Those gears look like they could be turned under that pressure,” he said, gesturing towards one of the structures inside. There was more Malice growing on a piece of it, and another eye on a stalk was staring at him. (Would Malice be considered a type of mold in the real world?) “Though if you want to keep dunking Taylor, I won’t stop you.”

“I think it is best if we remain focused,” Sidon reminded them. “This is the place my sister fell in battle. There is sure to be danger up ahead.”

“Sorry,” Taylor said, still laying face-down on the floor. “I’ll pay more attention from now on.”

----

The terminals that Mipha had mentioned were similar to Guidance Stones, except Link was the one giving them information instead of receiving it. Seto wasn’t entirely sure why Mipha knew how they worked, but she’d been quietly encouraging the party in the same way her brother had been even before they’d gotten to Zora’s Domain- And she’d likely had nothing better to do in the hundred years she’d been trapped in this dungeon.

Which is what Divine Beast Vah Ruta was. It was filled with traps and puzzles and monsters, as well as treasure. Traveling through the dungeon with a party of two Zoras with spears and a bit more than average strength (Sidon had a special ability to summon water attacks. Taylor just had the spear. It seemed he hadn’t leveled up yet.), a well-rounded fighter, and Seto, whose stats favored perception and speed- This truly was a fantasy game, even with the futuristic technology all around them. 

With the four of them working together, they were able to get through the dungeon without any real trouble along the way.

Now you must go to the main controls, Mipha’s voice told them as Link activated the last terminal. That will draw out the evil that corrupted Ruta. I believe in your strength, Link. Sidon. Friends. 

The room that contained the main controls was in the back of the Divine Beast, a half-circular open area with ankle-deep water on the floor. 

The main control panel was… Oozing. There was Malice leaking out from the base, and more purple-black smoke rising into the air. The place where Link was supposed to set the Sheikah Slate was thankfully clear, and so he placed it there- Only for more Malice to explode out of the main controls.

The Malice was forcefully flying out from the main controls, in a solid stream, instead of the leaking that had been happening before. It was like a leaky pipe that suddenly burst, but instead of water, it was a deadly goo. Sidon and Taylor had braced themselves for an attack, and Seto turned around to see the Malice gathering itself behind them.

It formed into a large entity, an amalgamation of Sheikah technology and Malice, with one glowing eye and an arm that formed a spear out of light. Floating above the water in this room, it was hard to tell exactly how large it was, but Seto was fairly certain it was even taller than Sidon.

It roared, and the party drew their weapons.

Boss battle, Seto reasoned, carefully examining the entity in front of him for any obvious weaknesses (So far, the only thing that seemed suspicious was its eye- the same as the Guardian he’d encountered in the woods after waking up here. Seto was fairly certain it was able to shoot lasers like the Guardian did.). It made sense that there would be a creature in the dungeon that would be waiting for them after they’d solved all of the puzzles.

It was really fucking ugly, though.

This is the creature that waited for me during the Calamity, Mipha said, and while the gentleness of her voice was still there, it was clear that she did not harbor any gentle feelings for the entity waiting in front of the party. It is a beast created from Malice, and it is what took control of Ruta when I was slain.

“Sister,” Sidon hissed, readying his spear. “We will defeat this evil.”

I believe in you!

The boss entity acted first- Teleporting away and reappearing in a different corner of the room. It readied its spear and then swung it like a sword, directly towards Taylor- Who stepped out of the way before he could be hit.

Link had swapped his own blade for a bow, nocking more of the shock arrows that Seto had gathered- But he slipped something to Seto before he did.

Seto had his Eightfold Blade in one hand, and the Sheikah Slate in the other, and then he realized what Link’s strategy was.

Both Taylor and Sidon would be up front, taking the brunt of the entity’s attacks, and Seto and Link would provide cover for them from a distance- Or. Maybe not, because Link had just shot that thing in the eye and charged in with his own sword to do damage while it was paralyzed with electricity.

Both Sidon and Taylor had backed off- Electricity is stronger in water, and the entire floor was covered in water, so it made sense for them to leap away- And Seto used the Cryonis rune to give them a place to stand. Ice did not conduct electricity like water did, even if it was the solid state of water (The rigidity of the molecules in ice’s structure did not allow electrical currents to freely go through it like with liquid water. Seto had learned this a long time ago, and it seemed to be true in this game world as well as real life.) Plus, the Cryonis rune’s ice did not melt like ice did in the real world. So there was no chance of the blocks of ice created by the Sheikah Slate being affected by the shock arrows. Seto jumped on top of one of these blocks as well, to gain a better vantage point. If he could get behind the creature, he could effectively attack it as well. 

Of course, the entity got up and teleported to a different section of the room before Link could do any more damage to it. It appeared next to the ice block that Taylor happened to be standing on top of, so he spun around and stabbed it with his spear.

And then it chucked its own spear at Taylor, who dodged, but the ice block he’d been standing on shattered… Just like the glowing spear attached to the entity’s arm, which reappeared shortly afterwards.

Huh.

Link took this opportunity to shoot it again. 

It seems the weak point on this boss monster was its eye. It also needs to recharge its spears, which aren’t strong enough to survive destroying the ice blocks created by the Cryonis rune.

This is a game, after all, and boss fights have predictable patterns.

Seto created another ice block for Taylor to land on, and Sidon charged in with a combination attack- Mixing the water he summoned with the shock arrows’ electricity to do severe damage. 

The boss monster screamed, shaking everyone present down to their cores. Seto could feel his own teeth rattling in his skull at the sensation- And because he was on top of a block of ice, he did not notice most of the floor beneath him vanishing until Taylor jumped down from his ice block and started to swim over to where Link and Sidon were.

So we’ve entered the second phase of this fight.

This was made extra clear by the fact the entity was now summoning ice blocks- Just like what Ruta had thrown at the party outside. Seto destroyed them with the Cryonis rune, and he created more ice platforms for the Zoras to stand on, if they chose to. 

He did not like the fact he’d been forced into the support role for this fight.

But Seto could see the strategy in what was happening here. He was the one who was good with technology, and Link was the only one who could hit the weak point on the boss. Sidon would boost Link’s attacks with his water, and Taylor… Well, he was stabbing it. Repeatedly. There wasn’t any sort of strategy there. Perhaps he would gain a new ability when he leveled up, but for now, he didn’t have a defined role. 

The entity moved away again.

Seto created more platforms with the Cryonis rune, destroying the old ones to get a better vantage point.

And then something unexpected happened.

A red laser pointed at Taylor, followed by an ominous beeping as it followed him. A familiar beeping that ramped up in intensity as it continued to track Taylor’s movements.

Taylor, who hadn’t leveled up, and who didn’t seem to realize he was being targeted.

If that thing hit him-

“Taylor, move!” Seto shouted, just as the entity finished preparing its attack.

It fired a blue laser, and Taylor’s eyes widened in shock. 

He moved too late to fully escape, and the blast ended up grazing his ribs.

Taylor went down, and both Link and Sidon stopped paying attention as he fell, clutching his side as he rolled over, splashing onto one of the remaining platforms with the momentum of the blast.

He stopped moving.

Seto put another block of ice in front of him- Cover, so Taylor wouldn’t be hit again. 

There wasn’t a real reason why Seto had done it. Strategically speaking, it was bad for any party member to go down in the middle of a boss fight, even if they weren’t contributing much. (This was the excuse Seto was using, as he was not going to consider any other reasoning behind why he was protecting Taylor now, when he’d been considering using him as a meatshield not even 24 hours ago.) 

Apparently satisfied with the thin layer of protection that Taylor had been given, Link’s efforts redoubled, with Sidon buffing his attacks at every turn.

Seto was the target of the next laser the boss monster was going to fire, but Link didn’t even give it a chance to finish charging up, shooting it in the eye with another shock arrow as soon as the red light showed up again.

Seto would have been able to dodge it. He’d managed to dodge that same type of attack directly after waking up in a forest with no shoes from something he’d never seen until that exact moment. Now that Seto had shoes and experience, and that he’d leveled up, he wouldn’t have had any trouble dodging the attack.

Link clearly didn’t know this. And neither did Sidon, who was holding the boss monster in place with his summoned water, forcing it to take the residual damage from the shock arrows- No longer worrying about keeping himself safe, judging by the way he pressed onwards regardless of the Zora’s increased weakness to electricity. 

This final attack was too much for the beast.

It screamed again, as Malice began to leak from its body in considerable amounts, dissolving before it even hit the ground. More of that purple-black smoke appeared, and blue light erupted from what could be considered its chest.

The entity exploded, and was no more.

The Malice inside of the Divine Beast was gone, completely eradicated. The lights inside, which had been red, started to glow blue.

The water in the back room with the main controls began to lower, and the ice Seto had summoned was shattered as the water in the room went back down to being ankle-deep. He jumped down from his block just before it shattered, and went over to where Taylor was laying face-first in the water. This would be concerning if Taylor was still human, but he was part of an aquatic species, so he was very unlikely to drown. Seto turned Taylor over onto his back, as he still wasn’t moving, and Seto needed to see how bad his injury was, and if he was still breathing.

There was a significant burn on Taylor’s ribs- And on the gills that were also there. Parts of the skin had blackened, and other parts had started to bubble up with blisters. A lot of the skin around his ribs was raw and red, and Taylor was unconscious. His chest didn't rise and fall like a human's should, but considering the gills Taylor had, Seto wasn't sure if that was a bad thing.

Now, Seto wasn’t an expert on fish, or how their breathing worked, but he was fairly certain damaged gills were a deadly injury. It was probably the same as how damaged lungs could kill a human if they weren’t treated immediately. And Taylor had been laying here ever since being hit, multiple minutes ago. (How did injuries work in this world? Was Taylor at risk of dying? Because dying from something entirely out of anyone’s control was a shitty way to go. And Seto did not want to have to explain to Yugi that he’d let one of his friends die. Seto may be an asshole, but he wasn’t heartless.) Humans could go about three minutes without oxygen. Five minutes and they'd get permanent brain damage. Eight minutes, and they'd be dead. Seto did not know if these rules were different now that Taylor was a Zora, but killing the boss monster had taken precious time. 

Seto held his fingers underneath the corner of Taylor’s jaw, finding his pulse. It was there, but it was weak. And when Seto held a hand over Taylor’s mouth (Zoras didn't have noses, so this was the best he could do), he didn't feel any air puffing out. So Taylor was still alive, but he wasn't breathing.

A red-skinned hand, decorated with intricate silver armor also joined Seto as he continued to examine Taylor’s condition- Only it wasn’t Sidon who had joined him.

The Zora who was checking over Taylor now was slightly transparent, and much smaller than Sidon was, even though they looked similar. The silver armor she wore and the blue sash wrapped around her torso were both symbols of her status as a princess, and as a Champion. Gentle blue-green flames floated around her, though they did not give off heat.

“Hello,” Mipha’s ghost said to him, kindly smiling. “Fear not, for I intend to save his life.”

Oh. Great. This detail wasn’t like the RPGs Seto had watched Mokuba play, where a downed party member would wake up with 1 HP as soon as the battle was over. 

She turned to look at Link and Sidon, who both approached the scene, slowly, taking in her appearance and Taylor’s condition.

“I had planned on giving my ability to you, Link,” she explained, quietly. Seto was fairly certain she was blushing, if it was even possible for ghosts to blush. “But…”

“You can give it to Taylor,” Link said. “He said he’ll be coming with me and Kaiba to free the other Divine Beasts. I trust them to have my back.”

“I am glad to see you will not be alone,” Mipha said, kneeling down next to Taylor. “I will give him my gift- So that he may use it to heal your injuries once again.”

With a gentle burst of light, the injury on Taylor’s ribs completely faded, and he started to breathe again. Seto backed off. He wasn't a healer, and Mipha knew what she was doing. But… At least Seto wasn't going to have to tell Yugi that he'd let one of his friends die. Taylor was fine now.

Mipha took a step towards her brother.

“I am glad I got to see you, Sidon, even if it was like this,” she said, taking his hands. “You’ve grown so strong. I’m so proud of you.”

“Sister,” Sidon replied, eyes wide and voice thick with grief. “I have missed you so much.”

“Tell Father that I will carry out my duties as a Champion, now that Ruta is free,” Mipha said, stepping away.

She then held out her hands, creating an orb of some sort. It looked far more solid than she did, and it glowed a blue-green color that felt like the soothing nature of a cold stream on a hot day.

Mipha kneeled down again, and placed the orb on Taylor’s chest. It sank beneath his skin, fading from sight. Somehow, the small flames that followed Mipha around grew dimmer. Taylor’s eyes flickered open, as he finally regained consciousness.

“This is my power, Mipha’s Grace,” Mipha explained to him. “I trust you to watch Link’s back, and to heal him when he is hurt.”

“I always- I always help my friends,” Taylor said, weakly. “I’ll never turn my back on them.”

Mipha smiled. “Good.”

A golden light appeared, and Seto felt oddly weightless as it lifted him up into the air. It also picked up Link, Sidon, and Taylor.

“I will be there when you face Ganon,” Mipha promised. “Stay strong.”

With that, the light grew in intensity, and Seto had to close his eyes so he didn't blind himself looking at it.

And then he landed on his feet. Seto opened his eyes to finally see Zora’s Domain in all its beauty, no longer obscured by sheets of rain. It was late evening, so the glowing structures stood out from the darkness of the mountains nearby.

The others were all with him. Taylor was standing up, examining his palms with a strange expression. Link was staring up at the mountain- the Divine Beast Vah Ruta was moving, so there were plenty of other stares in that direction. Sidon was also looking towards Ruta, but he was quiet, lost in thought.

Seto watched as Ruta stopped at the edge of the mountain, and then pointed a red beam to the west- Aiming directly at the castle where the Calamity was locked away- in the same way the Guardians aimed their lasers, and in the same way the beam that had nearly killed Taylor had charged up. Ruta was preparing an incredibly powerful attack. Mipha had sworn she would carry out her duties, and clearly she was going to keep her promise.

“I… I must speak to my father,” Sidon said, breaking the silence. “The Divine Beast is free, and my sister…”

“You don’t have to do this alone,” Link said. “We’re here for you.”

“Thank you.” Sidon smiled at him. “It’s just… A lot to process.”

Seto did not have any advice for Sidon. So he did not say anything to him as he led the party back to the throne room. Taylor hung back for a second, pulling Seto aside so that the others couldn’t hear him.

“Kaiba,” he said, worried. “Did you know this was going to happen?”

“You’re going to have to be more specific.”

Taylor huffed, annoyed. “That I would almost die, and that a ghost would give me her healing powers. And now it’s gonna be really awkward when we talk to her dad.”

“No,” Seto said. “The only thing I knew about was the laser. But even you aren’t stupid enough to ignore a red light and beeping like that.”

“Red light?” Taylor questioned, sounding genuinely confused. “What are you even talking about?”

“Did you really not see that the boss monster had locked onto you?” Seto asked. “There was a red light following you- Like how snipers target people in movies.”

“Huh,” Taylor said, narrowing his eyes. “I guess I didn’t. I’ll have to keep an eye out next time.”

Seto shook his head. “Whatever. Let’s finish this quest so we can move on.”

“Right.”

----

The encounter with King Dorephan after freeing the Divine Beast was incredibly emotional- At least, for Sidon, Dorephan, and Link. And probably Taylor, though he just looked more uncomfortable than anything else.

Seto had absolutely nothing to contribute to the conversation, so he stood in the corner of the room and said nothing. None of them even noticed him. Which was definitely an advantage in social situations that he was going to miss once he was out of the game- Seto could easily see himself annoying Pegasus by showing up to an event and avoiding him the entire time. He already did this, but imagining Pegasus not even being able to find him to bother him brought Seto great pleasure. 

But, to put it simply: King Dorephan had given up Mipha’s diary to Taylor, so that he might understand how to use her ability better. And apparently, since Mipha had chosen him, Taylor was destined to help Link save the world.

Of all the roles Seto had expected Taylor to level into, he did not even consider ‘healer’. Neither did Taylor, by the looks of things. Clearly, this diary was the material he would use to level up- Just like how Seto leveled up with the scroll Impa had given him when he left Kakariko Village.

Healers were important to a party’s survival in turn-based RPGs, so it was clear that Taylor would need to start reading that diary as soon as possible.

King Dorephan finished up by giving Link the three-pronged spear that used to belong to Mipha. And then he sent them on their way, so that they might free the other Divine Beasts to save Hyrule. 

Sidon stayed behind. Now that Ruta was free, he could focus on his princely duties. 

He wished the trio well as they left the throne room.

Seto found himself wondering when he’d see Mokuba again. It wouldn’t take one hundred years, obviously, but he was sure to be worried out of his mind- And if Mokuba was in this world, then he was in danger, too.

When Link teleported the three of them out of Zora’s Domain and back to where the horses, Kuriboh and Adina, were waiting for them, he was thinking hard.

“There are three other Divine Beasts,” he said. “Where should we go next?”

“Do you have an idea?” Taylor asked.

“Not really,” Link admitted. “I mean- Impa told me and Kaiba to go to the Zoras, so maybe we should ask her?”

“We’ll be crossing the entirety of Hyrule to get the other Divine Beasts,” Seto said, flatly. “It doesn’t matter which way we go now.”

He paused when Link and Taylor both looked at him strangely. Taylor was shaking his head, in what was definitely disapproval, and Link just looked… Sad.

That didn’t bode well. Seto paused, and then came up with a solution.

“I’ll make it easier for you. Pick a number, one, two, or three.”

“Two,” Link answered. Seto had just given the player a clear dialogue option, so whoever was behind the screen had chosen that number.

“We’ll go northwest,” Seto said, pointing in that direction. It was the opposite side of the castle that Ruta was targeting- There were mountains in the distance, but other than that, it seemed safe. There was likely danger in that direction, as well, but for now, filling out two complete opposite corners of the map would make future exploration significantly easier.

Seto had already picked the direction, of course. No matter what number Link would have chosen, he would have said to go northwest. But Link and Taylor both seemed pleased to have a proper goal, so Seto wasn’t going to tell them that he hadn’t given them a choice.

Besides. There was a volcano to the northeast of the castle. Seto figured his solution was better than letting a low-level healer go up a volcano with him. 

With their next destination figured out, the party made camp for the night, and decided they would get moving in the morning.

Taylor read some of the diary before he turned in. He probably didn’t read enough to significantly increase his strength, but he’d also nearly died earlier, so Seto wouldn’t get on his case about leveling up until the next day, at least. 

Seto himself kept watch for a while, unrolling more of the scroll he’d received from Impa, and absorbing more of the secrets it contained before he determined nothing was going to be attacking the camp they’d made, and resting. 

The moon was full. And Seto missed his brother.

Chapter Text

Tristan had not thought his week could get any weirder than it had been after he’d woken up and become a fish. And then he’d run into Kaiba, proceeded to carry him on his back around a lake while fighting a massive robot elephant, and then been shot and almost killed by the boss monster inside of the Divine Beast Vah Ruta… Only to wake up again when Champion Mipha, who had been dead for one hundred years, decided she was going to save Tristan’s life and that he was also apparently worthy of using her powers.

So now he was a healer.

At least- That’s what Kaiba was muttering about. Tristan had no real way of knowing what was going on in Kaiba’s head (nor did he really want to. Kaiba was much smarter than Tristan was. Trying to decipher Kaiba’s thoughts would probably fry Tristan’s brain), but even he knew he had to have a different role in the party than being an ordinary attacker. Tristan knew from experience that an adventuring party wouldn’t get very far without a healer. 

To be fair, he didn’t remember much of the game of Monster World with both Bakuras, other than the fact one of them (The evil spirit inside of the Millennium Ring) was trying to kill him and his friends, and the other (Regular Bakura, who did not deserve to get possessed like that) had taken the role of a white mage and saved Tristan and the others with healing magic after they encountered the final boss while still being Level One. 

So healing magic was actually pretty okay, even if he and Joey had both called it lame before they ended up trapped in Monster World. 

Even though Tristan really didn’t have any idea what he was doing, Mipha’s diary had a lot of really useful tips. As if she’d known she would pass this power on one day. (Come to think of it, hadn’t she said she was originally going to give it to Link? Tristan couldn’t remember, as he was a bit more focused on the fact he was actively dying when she’d been talking about it.) 

“You should keep reading that diary,” Kaiba said to him, as Link prepared breakfast. It was completely out of the blue, since Tristan had not said anything to Kaiba after he’d woken up (He’d learned his lesson about bothering sleepy, caffeine-deprived Kaiba already. He was not keen on repeating it.). “You’ll get stronger.”

Tristan had no idea exactly what Kaiba was alluding to. Of course, what he said made sense, but it also didn’t. Why was Kaiba so invested, anyway? He didn’t care before Tristan had gotten this new ability, but now he seemed to be actually paying attention to him.

Well… Tristan did almost die yesterday. Maybe this- Giving Tristan useful advice for getting further into the game- was Kaiba’s way of apologizing for not warning him sooner about the laser (as if Kaiba would ever stop being an asshole for long enough to actually apologize for anything). Or maybe it was a preventative measure, because Kaiba had realized that if he got hurt while adventuring with this group, Tristan was going to be the only one able to heal him. 

“I’ll keep reading it,” Tristan said to him. Link decided to suddenly start worrying about misplacing some of the fruit he’d gathered (He was mumbling something about bananas, and Kaiba instantly looked as though he’d bitten into a lemon, so there was clearly a story there) and ran off, over to where he’d left his pack next to the remains of the campfire.

Kaiba took the opportunity to say, “Healers shouldn’t be a lower level than the rest of the party,” and Tristan finally understood what he meant.

He supposed Link was doing more damage than him in that boss fight. And that Kaiba (who hadn’t played Monster World with Bakura, but had apparently been turned into the equivalent of the thief class, which had boosted stats in speed and charisma, if Tristan was remembering correctly) had managed to steal forty-three shock arrows from a Lynel without being noticed.

Tristan was a low-level healer on a team with a higher-level warrior and a higher-level thief. He’d forgotten that since he was in a game, there were certain rules that would help him get stronger- Or, as Kaiba put it, to level up.

It was a simple solution, and it made Tristan realize he had been complicating things for no real reason. 

The secrets to make his healing magic stronger were inside of Mipha’s diary. So Tristan should probably be reading it every time the party had down time like this-

“Hey, Kaiba,” Tristan found himself saying, without really thinking about why he was doing it, “How’d you figure out leveling up, anyway?”

“Link levels up by completing the shrines scattered across this world- They’re also waypoints he can teleport to with the Sheikah Slate, so there are several benefits he gets for completing them aside from strength increases,” Kaiba explained. “You and I cannot benefit from those shrines aside from using the Travel Gates with him, so there are different materials we must use to level up instead. For you, it’s that book. So keep reading it.”

“What about you?” Tristan asked. If Kaiba was feeling talkative, perhaps he wouldn’t try to kill Tristan for having more questions. “What do you use to level up?”

“The Sheikah are a race with a very bloody history. We’ll probably run into the Yiga Clan again, so you’ll see for yourself what happens when Sheikah secrets are exposed,” Kaiba said, and Oh, that really made the mood worse, didn’t it? Oops. “Of course, I’m more interested in their technology than their history, but it is partially the Yiga’s fault this world is stuck in the Dark Ages. So until I am able to use Sheikah technology, I’m studying the same sort of thing that their current soldiers would be. Including the art of secrecy.”

“So what class would you be, if we were in, say, Monster World?” Tristan asked. “I think I’m a white mage.”

“Rogue,” Kaiba answered. “At least, at this point.”

“There isn’t a rogue class in Monster World. Bakura said that they had thieves, though, which is basically the same thing.”

“I don’t have time to play tabletop RPGs, or to debate the differences between Monster World and Dungeons and Dragons,” Kaiba said, waving him off like there was no point in debating this. “To put it simply, I’ve got boosted stats in speed and perception. One of my character’s effects- Like how you can breathe underwater or swim up waterfalls- is basically a permanent veil. Entities have to succeed at a perception check to notice me, unless I make myself known to them first.”

“Wow,” Tristan said. “I guess that makes sense. Do you know how the Sheikah became super ninjas? Because the Zoras and the Rito- They’re bird people, if you haven’t met any of them yet- share a common ancestor.”

“All I’ve learned is that they were servants and guards of the royal family in the past, before they were free to start creating the Guardians and Divine Beasts,” Kaiba said. “Servants aren’t supposed to be seen or heard unless they’ve been called.”

Kaiba didn’t sound like he was guessing here. Which… Made sense, considering he was a billionaire back in the real world, and he lived in a mansion that had servants. Tristan had been there once. 

“I’ve seen your maids and bodyguards, though?” Tristan asked, because he had been to Kaiba’s house and met them, before he and Yugi had first started their rivalry. Kaiba had green hair back then, which had been an… Interesting fashion statement. 

“My staff are paid fairly for the work they do. I wouldn’t call them ‘servants’,” Kaiba said, bitterly. “My stepfather, on the other hand-”

Kaiba stopped, and stared at Tristan then, who had turned away and pretended he heard nothing as soon as the word ‘stepfather’ came out of Kaiba’s mouth. Tristan was well-aware that Kaiba had Daddy Issues with a Capital D, and he also knew that it was not his business that Kaiba had accidentally mentioned He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. 

Fortunately, Tristan didn’t have to say anything along the lines of ‘Huh? Sorry, I didn’t hear you’ (Like he used to, whenever Joey had accidentally referenced his dad’s drinking or gambling problems back in middle school. Kaiba definitely hadn’t intended to say anything, and that line was what Tristan used to say so Joey could comfortably change the subject. Tristan had a very convincing ‘dumb’ look, so his conveniently forgetting to pay attention wasn’t even questioned. It would not have worked on Kaiba, since Kaiba was smarter than Joey, but Tristan would have still attempted it on instinct, if nothing else.), as Link was returning to the cooking pot with more ingredients. Which included the bananas that made Kaiba’s expression look like he’d taken a bite out of a lemon. Though that could just be the uncomfortableness of the previous conversation sticking around, poisoning the air and dampening the mood.

Aaaaaand that’s the last time I try to have a civil conversation with Kaiba, Tristan thought to himself, accepting the simmered fruit Link handed him for breakfast and digging in. It was hard to chew, since Tristan had a mouth full of pointed teeth meant for eating meat and not vegetables, but he was not going to say anything else, or Kaiba might actually bite his head off.

Kaiba also started eating, no longer saying anything at all.

“We can get pretty far today,” Link said, completely unaware of the previous conversation and the now-awkward air between Kaiba and Tristan. “I bet there’s more stables around, so we can get directions to Rito Village as we go northwest!”

“Hn,” Kaiba grunted, noncommittally giving him an answer that didn’t say anything other than acknowledging that he’d heard him. 

“I like that plan!” Tristan said, incredibly pleased that the subject had been changed. 

“There’s more Sheikah Towers over there, too,” Link continued. “I’d like to get the map of the area before we go too far.”

“That’ll be helpful,” Tristan said. “Having a specific route planned should make getting to Rito Village much faster.”

“We’ll have to pass through Central Hyrule,” Kaiba said, setting down his empty dish (When had he finished eating?) and gesturing in the direction of the castle in the distance. “In order to go northwest, we’ll be traveling close to the castle. I imagine there will be some Guardians or other strong enemies roaming the area, so we’ll have to be careful.”

“We should go on foot, then,” Link said. “I don’t want our horses to get hurt on accident- And the stables people can grab them for us after we go through that area.”

Kaiba looked like he actually understood what Link was talking about, or he was just really good at pretending like he knew what was going on. 

“Taylor, can you ride a horse?” Link asked.

Tristan blinked. 

“I don’t know. I’ve never tried to.”

“Hmm…” Link seemed to consider this. “Well, we can teach you and then we can catch one for you. It’s super easy!”

“Uh… Okay.”

“We’re going by foot today,” Kaiba said. “Focus on horses after we’re away from the castle.”

“Right.” 

----

Central Hyrule was mostly flat plains. There were some hills and clusters of trees scattered around, but most of the area was very flat as the party approached the Tower closest to the castle where the Calamity was currently imprisoned.

Seto could see a Guardian (A fully working, not-broken-down-at-all Guardian, with six legs and a lot of movement as it patrolled the area) in the distance. It hadn’t seen the party yet. Seto made sure he could keep his eyes on it at all times. The one he’d encountered in the forest after first waking up in this world had been overgrown and had no legs. It likely wasn’t as strong as the one in the distance was. Seto was not keen on figuring out how much damage a fully-working Guardian was capable of. The party definitely wasn't a high enough level to survive a fight like that just yet. 

The Central Hyrule Tower was surrounded by ruins and a small collection of trees, but the tower itself was in the center of a clearing. It all seemed pretty normal, aside from the fact there were no sounds of birds or any other animals nearby. This game would play those sounds even if the animals weren’t actually there, so this complete silence was odd.

Something was fishy about this area. 

Seto realized it before the rest of the party did, and he pulled Link and Taylor back before they could rush in without seeing the obvious trap up ahead. 

“Hey!” Taylor said, rubbing at the spot on his fins where Seto had grabbed him. “What was that for?”

Seto pointed to the four corners of the ruins. There were four Guardians there, just as broken-down as the one he’d encountered after first waking up, but he could see that they were all moving their heads around, swiveling in place as they scanned the area. From all four corners in the ruins, with the Tower in the middle, whoever tried to climb it would be shot at no matter which angle they came from.

“Guardians,” Seto said. “They’re surrounding the tower.”

“Oh,” Taylor said, blinking as he noticed them. “What should we do?”

“Either we kill them and climb the tower, or one of us has to get to the top while the others distract them,” Seto said. “I’m the fastest, so I’d likely be the best choice for getting up the Tower quickly, but-”

“Here,” Link said, handing him the Sheikah Slate. “Taylor and I can distract them while you get the map.”

“Are you sure?” Taylor asked.

“I have an idea,” Link said, and Seto suddenly found himself thinking that he had been given the easiest job out of the three of them.

----

“Break!”

On Taylor’s signal, both he and Link went charging across the clearing, running around and through the ruins, being followed by four separate homing lasers- All charging up as they prepared to fire.

Seto sprinted through next, running directly to the Tower in the center and launching himself upwards. Link had given him an elixir that boosted movement speed, which meant that Seto, who already had a high speed, was able to get to the Tower within a matter of seconds. 

Taylor and Link continued to bob and weave through the ruins, cutting off the Guardians’ line of sight before they could fire. Which also meant that Seto was free to climb without worrying too much.

He’d climbed a Tower like this before, so it was fairly easy to find hand and footholds again. With the help of the speed potion, Seto was tearing his way up the Tower without any trouble whatsoever.

It didn’t feel real, that his fingers were only ghosting over handholds and still pulling him higher, but Seto reminded himself that he was in a game, and he’d been given a powerful buff to one of his highest stats. If he wasn’t flying up the Tower after all of that, then there would have been an issue.

Seto reached the top much faster than he had the last time he’d climbed one of these. In the center, he placed the Sheikah Slate on the Guidance Stone, and watched as the new map was downloaded. 

Below, there were more shouts, and one of the Guardians finally fired its beam.

Seto was looking over the edge in an instant, just to see that Taylor was perfectly fine, and Link was the same, only a bit frazzled. So they’d managed to avoid it.

The map had been downloaded, so there was no reason for Seto to still be at the top of the Tower.

Carefully, he gripped the side, and slid down, watching the direction he was going and, when he was finally targeted, jumping from the wall of the Tower, landing on the ground, and then running past the Guardians, before ducking behind the ruins so they had no chance to fire at him. The haste potion had not been wasted, Seto knew, as he felt the effects wear off. 

“Didja get the map?” Taylor yelled, from where he’d ducked behind a different section of ruins across the field from where Seto was.

“Why else would I go down the Tower, you moron?” Seto yelled back.

“Okay! Fair enough!” Taylor called. “We’re going south so we can regroup away from the castle!”

Well. That was a half-decent idea, at least.

And no one got hurt, either, so it seemed leveling up like this had been worth it. 

----

There was a stable further east. Tabantha definitely sounded like the sort of name you’d hear an eccentric old woman use to introduce herself, but it also happened to be the region of Hyrule the party currently found themselves in, so that was an entirely useless observation. Seto looked around as the sun was setting, though he didn't see much. Yet.

Tabantha was a bit chillier than the Lanayru area (With the exception of the Naydra Snowfield, where Seto and Link had encountered and then fled from a Lynel) and Central Hyrule, so while Seto and Link were both able to regulate their layers with their cloaks, Taylor had started to shiver as the sun went down.

“Are you cold-blooded?” Seto asked, as Link paid for their beds at the stable counter. Since Taylor was from an aquatic species, it was a reasonable question.

“I think I’m just walking around without pants on,” Taylor answered.

“Oh, if you think this is bad, just wait until you get to Hebra. Hebra's really cold,” said a merchant who had been listening to their conversation. He had a massive backpack, shaped somewhat like a rhinoceros beetle. “You'll want to get something warm to wear before you go- Or to brew up a warming elixir!”

“Warming elixir?” Taylor asked.

“Indeed, my scaly friend!” the merchant answered, pulling a shelf out of his backpack and setting up, as though he was about to sell. “I happen to have some bugs you can make into these elixirs, if you have the Rupees for them!”

“Um,” Taylor said, looking at Seto.

“No,” Seto said. 

“But you're rich! You can spare some money, right?”

“All of my shit got stolen by a fairy. No.”

“Y'know, if you're gonna be stingy, you could at least make your excuses believable!”

“And if you're gonna be a bum, you can beg someone else for money. I have spicy peppers. They can make a dish that has the same effect as that elixir.”

“Oh, Mr. Beedle!” Link interrupted by rushing over to the merchant. Whose name was Beedle, apparently. At least the backpack made sense now. “I have more stuff to sell you!”

“Link!” Beedle seemed genuinely happy to see him. “How wonderful it is to encounter you again!”

And then they started bartering. Seto may be a businessman, but this exchange was not particularly interesting. Link sold Beedle food, and then bought arrows and other necessities. There wasn’t anything special about the economy in this game, it seemed. Higher-quality dishes sold for more Rupees. It was very simple. 

“What were you saying about peppers?” Taylor asked, after realizing Link and Beedle were no longer paying attention. 

“They can be cooked to make a meal with cold resistance,” Seto said. 

“Explain how that works,” Taylor said. “I’m confused.”

Seto sighed.

“It’s a part of game design, Taylor. If you have certain ingredients, you can use them to make potions or meals with different effects. Link gave me a speed-boosting potion when I climbed the Tower earlier, but he could have made a meal with the same effect.”

“Oh.”

There really was no cure for stupidity, was there?

“If cooked, the peppers will provide cold resistance, so you could theoretically eat them and then wander about in the snow with no shoes on without getting frostbite.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Taylor continued. “I don’t think they make warm clothes for Zoras, since- Y’know, it’d be hard to breathe in them- but I’m glad there’s a way I can still go with you guys to cold places.”

“It’d be foolish to think the party healer wouldn’t be able to go to the same places as everyone else,” Seto continued. “I imagine there are other effects we haven't encountered yet simply because those ingredients grow in a different part of this world.”

“Y'know, it's times like these where I remember you're like, the smartest guy I’ve ever met. Because there is no way I would have figured any of this out by myself.” Taylor gave him a strange look. “I'm glad you're being helpful, though, because most of the time, you're a severe pain in our ass.”

“The only reason I'm doing any of this is so that I can go home to my brother and hopefully never have to speak to you again,” Seto said. “The sooner that this game is beaten, the sooner that can happen.”

“Where's Yugi when you need him?” Taylor mumbled to himself. “Even Téa would be better at this than I am, and she literally told me last week that she'd roundhouse kick Kaiba in the head for two dollars.”

Seto decided to ignore that comment.

----

Rito Village was built on a massive stone pillar in the center of a lake surrounded by cliffs. There were islands connected to the land that surrounded the lake with wooden bridges, and another stable close to the entrance. Seto could see ice-capped mountains in the distance, both north and west from where they were standing at the first island. 

Above them, a large Sheikah-style machine was lazily circling the pillar that made up the village. The Rito guards nearby all had their attention turned skyward, anxiously watching as the Divine Beast that was shaped like a bird of some sort continued to circle above them. Seto couldn’t tell what species it was supposed to be, but he was disappointed that the flying Divine Beast wasn’t a dragon. Well, there were two other Divine Beasts. Perhaps this game could redeem itself at some point.

There weren’t many Rito flying around, despite the fact all of them had wings. Seto could see one smaller member of their village circling nearby, and even then, they weren’t going very high up. And that was it. This village, built with landings and takeoff points at strategic areas, wasn't flying at all.

Perhaps this Divine Beast targeted whatever was in the air?

So… The Rito, who were birds, weren’t able to fly very far.

This didn’t seem nearly as immediate a disaster as the potential  world-ending flood from Zora’s Domain, but it was definitely a depressing situation.

The small Rito landed nearby when one of the guards waved to them. They hopped over to where he was standing, and immediately were chewed out. Probably for flying when the Divine Beast was so close.

Seto could see they had mostly black feathers, though their head and wings were tipped with pinkish-purple feathers, and a few yellow feathers sprouted from their forehead. They wore similar clothes to the Rito guards, but with less armor, and a scarf that wrapped around their neck that was pinned to their chest armor with a triangular pin. They were also armed with a bow and arrows. The vibrant colors of the small Rito and the way the feathers on their head had settled into a very wild and familiar shape- It made Seto and Taylor able to recognize exactly who had just landed in front of them.

“Yugi!” Taylor yelled, rushing over to where he had been pouting up at the guard, who wasn’t done scolding him, but had cut himself off and started to panic as Taylor charged towards them. Which was a pretty reasonable reaction to seeing a rapidly approaching eight-foot tall sharkman. Whatever Yugi was in trouble for definitely wasn’t as important as what Taylor was doing now.

Yugi turned around after hearing his name being called, only to be picked up and squeezed within an inch of his life by a sharkman three times his size.

Yugi squawked, alarmed. He couldn’t escape Taylor’s grip. He was certainly trying to, since there were feathers flying everywhere, but Taylor was not letting go, sobbing with relief at seeing someone other than Seto. Which, honestly, was relatable, because if Seto had to spend much more time pointing out the obvious to Taylor, he might end up actually strangling him. It didn’t matter that Taylor was eight feet tall and breathed through his ribs and not his neck. Seto would still find a way.

Speaking of strangling, though…

“Taylor! His bones are probably hollow!” Seto yelled, before Yugi could be crushed to death. “Don’t you know anything about birds?!”

Taylor stopped crushing him immediately. Yugi, entirely bewildered by the situation, struggled to keep standing, and Taylor seemed to realize what was happening, so he awkwardly set Yugi down so he could lean on him to catch his breath.

Seto and Link both approached them at the entrance to the village itself. The guard eyed them suspiciously, but he seemed to recognize that they weren’t a threat. They had just helped Yugi, after all.

“Tristan?” Yugi asked, once he was aware of himself again. “And- Kaiba? What are you guys doing here?”

“We’re gonna free the Divine Beast!” Taylor said, grinning down at Yugi, whose eyes had gotten comically wider. He definitely wasn’t an owl, as he looked closer to some sort of tiny raptor (Yugi’s beak had a hook to it, and was incredibly sharp. Seto could see he also had deadly talons. Unfortunately, the fact he was even shorter than usual made him far less intimidating than a bird of prey should be.) but the resemblance was there. 

Taylor blinked, looking Yugi up and down.

“Where’s your Puzzle?”

Yugi looked away, scuffing his talons on the ground and leaving deep gouges in the dirt.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “When I woke up here… It was gone. And so was Yami.”

“Well then,” Taylor said, much less cheerful than before but still far too happy in general. “Guess you have to come with us so we can go find it.”

Yugi blinked up at him.

“Sorry?”

“We’re on a quest to save the world!” Link said, finally joining the conversation. “We’ve already freed one Divine Beast, so now we’re gonna free this one too! You should come with us, since Kaiba and Taylor already know you!”

“I- I guess that would be a good idea,” Yugi said. “Let me take you to the village elder! He can tell you what’s up with Vah Medoh!”

“You still can’t fly around the village!” the guard interrupted. “Honestly! Your father should have taught you better before he left the village- You’re still just a fledgeling! Medoh is dangerous!”

“I’m not a child!” Yugi shouted, like he’d had this argument several times before.

“Yeah!” Taylor backed him up. “He’s just small for his age!”

“Tell that to his four nestmates who are all smaller than him, then,” the guard said, rolling his eyes. “Kids these days…”

“Can we pass?” Seto asked, staring directly at the guard until he was forced to look away from them. Intimidating others wasn’t difficult for him, because Seto could out-stubborn just about anyone. He’d had plenty of practice in the real world. Having red eyes in this game world made him look a bit more unsettling, so it was no surprise that the guard relented very quickly.

“Y-Yeah, sure,” the guard said, feathers ruffled from just one glare. “Don’t get in trouble again, kid.”

“Whoa,” Yugi said, staring up at Seto once he led them across the bridge and into the village itself. “I’ve been having problems with that guy all week!”

“Heh.” Seto crossed his arms, smug. “He knew he would have regretted it if he didn’t let me through.”

“Us,” Link corrected him, before running ahead to a statue of a goddess and quietly praying. 

Seto did not know the history of this world well enough to identify which of the four goddesses the statue was depicting, so he just kind of stood there awkwardly, waiting for Link to finish whatever it was he was doing. Yugi and Taylor followed him, catching up over a hushed conversation.

“Yugi, what role did this game give you?” Taylor asked. “And- Why do you suddenly have four siblings? You’re an only child!”

“I don’t know why I have siblings now. They’re nice, but… Well, they’re not my actual family. And I’m a long-range fighter, but I’m not sure what my role is specifically,” Yugi explained, apparently very aware that he was in a game world and having already taken inventory on what his character build was supposed to be. “I’m also pretty good at flying, so I guess my highest stats would be in movement and accuracy?”

“Oh, good,” Seto said. “Mine are perception and speed.”

“Want to race to the top of the village to see who’s faster?” Yugi asked.

“Is that a challenge?” Seto asked in return.

“Yes? Yami would be disappointed in me if I didn’t challenge you, and there’s no Duel Monsters here.”

“Uh, guys?” Taylor awkwardly raised a hand to try and stop them, but it was definitely too late to even bother trying. “Can you wait until we-”

“Three… Two… One!”

On ‘one’, both of them sped into the village. Yugi flew over the other villagers, able to make tight turns and dodging obstacles that he'd already learned. He had the advantage of knowing the area.

Seto had the advantage of being taller. And also having impeccable balance. He hopped between wooden railings and the rock wall of the pillar that the entire village was built around. He could make the turns even tighter than Yugi could, since Yugi wasn't taking the inner path, as he would disturb the villagers who didn't even notice Seto was there. Seto darted past them with little more than a slight breeze. And Yugi was being yelled at for being reckless by everyone he almost hit.

Of course, there were more important things to worry about. As Seto climbed higher, the pillar got colder.

“Top of the village or-” Yugi swerved to avoid a Rito woman holding a large bundle of groceries- “Top of the pillar?”

“Why would you ask that, when you already know the answer?” Seto asked.

And then he ran directly up the rock wall.

You see, Seto had figured something out, after watching the other members of the party and their movement. Link had a paraglider and could scale any vertical surface like he was Spider-Man. Taylor was very fast in water, and could swim up waterfalls (So could Link, if he wore a certain piece of armor). And Yugi, the newest member of the party, could fly, so there wasn’t really a way to limit where he could go.

So, logically, Seto shouldn’t have to be stuck running up seventeen flights of stairs when everyone else had a way they could scale a cliff with ease. This was a game world, after all, and there was definitely a way for Seto to keep up with all of them, as a member of their party. He hadn’t really had to think about it until now, but since Yugi had challenged him to a race where Seto was at an obvious disadvantage, it was worth making a gamble like this.

He’d nearly flown up the Tower when getting the map of Central Hyrule, after all. This was basically the same thing, except he didn’t need his hands for it.

So he ran up the rock wall, treating it like just another floor.

Seto was fast. And the physics of this world weren’t all that realistic. There was no way he’d be able to replicate what he was doing in the real world, but as he overtook Yugi, who had started flying upwards after recovering from the shock of seeing Seto’s ascent, Seto couldn’t find it within himself to really care about all of that. 

Of course, as he got closer and closer to the top, the air got thinner… And colder. Much colder. Seto’s breath came out in thick white clouds, and even though he’d covered most of his face with the cloak he’d received from that NPC at the beginning of the game, the icy wind still bit through it. His face was numb, and his fingers and toes felt like bricks more than actual appendages. Seto came to the realization that he was not at all equipped to deal with the cold like this, which was made even more clear once he slipped.

There was a small outcropping of rock on the pillar, and Seto hadn’t noticed it until he’d jammed his foot into it. Since his toes were numb, he didn’t feel any pain from slamming his foot into a rock, but he certainly felt the way his stomach jolted as he suddenly started falling. 

“Kaiba!” Yugi swooped in, digging his talons into the back of Seto’s clothing, and then slowing their descent with powerful wingbeats. Yugi didn’t seem to struggle at all with Seto’s weight, which seemed strange, as he was far too small to do something like that. Then again, this was a game world, and Seto had just run up a vertical wall. It could be entirely possible that Yugi was able to carry him. “Are you alright?”

“I just s-slipped,” Seto hissed, through grit teeth. If he wasn’t as tense as a board, he’d be shivering. “It’s fine.”

“Maybe- I’m sorry, I should have made sure you were prepared to deal with the cold before going to the top of the village,” Yugi said, carefully dropping Seto on one of several landings built around the village. There was a white symbol painted into it. Seto did not land on his feet, so he was left sitting on the wood and waiting for his limbs to regain feeling. “Are you sure you’re okay? We can race again later.”

“I’m fine, Yugi.” 

It was here that Link and Taylor decided to finally catch up to them, panting and wheezing respectively. Taylor just about collapsed to the floor once he finally reached them both.

“Guys!” Link gave them both a very disappointed look. “Can’t we focus on trying to free the Divine Beast before we start messing around?”

“I was challenged,” Seto said. As if Link had any room to talk about messing around when he’d nearly killed the both of them by taking a picture of a Lynel just a few days ago. 

“Sorry,” Yugi said, not remorseful in the slightest.

“Why… Can’t… You… Chill?” Taylor groaned, chest heaving. “Oh, man… Manually breathing sucks when you have gills.”

“Oh my gosh, are you okay?” Yugi asked, rushing over to the fallen Zora. “I’m so sorry, Tristan!”

“I’m good, man, I just… Need a minute.”

Taylor sat up after a few seconds, and then he got to his feet. Yugi and Link both seemed pleased when he did.

Seto, sensing that the party was about to advance, also got to his feet.

Except he did not stay on his feet.

Seto’s leg gave out from under him, and he would have fallen on his ass if he didn’t grab onto one of the railings at the edge of the landing and heave himself into an awkward standing position. He didn’t feel the pain he was sure he was supposed to be in, which was decidedly not good. Whatever had happened to his foot was definitely more serious than he’d first thought.

“Kaiba?” Yugi asked. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Taylor frowned. “I don’t think ankles are supposed to look like that.”

“Is it broken?” Link asked, crouching down so he could get a closer look.

“Hey-”

Oh. Oh, there was the pain. As soon as his foot was grabbed and inspected, Seto regained feeling in his limbs. 

“Let go of me!”

Link released him like he’d just grabbed a handful of hot coals. Which was an appropriate description for the throbbing sensation now coming from Seto’s injury and shooting up the rest of his leg.

“Kaiba- Oh, no, what do we do?” Yugi was definitely panicking at this point. Probably blaming himself for Seto’s misstep, too. “He’s hurt- How are we supposed to free the Divine Beast if he’s not with us? We can’t just leave him behind!”

“Taylor,” Seto hissed, while Yugi was rambling.

“What?” Taylor asked, confused. 

Seto gestured to his injured foot with one hand, the other clutching the railing in a death grip. “Fix it.”

Taylor just stared at him, blankly. Yugi paused his rant to look between them both, absolutely bewildered. And Link was… Not really contributing anything to the conversation, since he was frowning at the landing behind the group, blankly staring past them- Just like he had when he was lost in Memory Land and Seto had to stare down a Lynel. 

“I don’t… I mean, I’ve helped with some of Joey’s and Yugi’s injuries before, but I’m no expert in first aid, and especially not broken bones-”

If Seto had been able to move from his current location, he would have thrown something at him.

“With your healing magic, you fucking imbecile!”

“Oh! Right, sorry. Hang on, let me just…”

Taylor crouched down and let his hands hover over the injury, starting to mutter as he prepared to cast.

“Man, this thing’s definitely not bent the right way, I’m sure of it. Okay, so the diary said I’m supposed to focus and envision something along the lines of…”

Seto tuned him out. Taylor was casting the spell now, and Yugi was watching, curious. Seto could feel the lasting effects from the cold (He must have taken damage aside from slamming his foot into the rock, so getting geared up to face the cold was the most immediate priority. Medoh was much higher up than the pillar the village was built around.) vanishing along with the pain his foot was in. 

“Whoa!” Yugi’s jaw (did it count as a jaw when he had a beak?) dropped as soon as Taylor backed off and Seto put his weight back onto his leg without falling over. As though nothing had happened. “I had no idea you were a healer, Tristan!”

“I didn’t expect it, either,” Taylor said to him. “It is pretty cool, though.”

“Whatever.” Seto was done. He was entirely over this, and they weren’t even halfway done with the game yet. Whenever he got home, he was going to lock himself in his lab with the new Duel Disk prototype for five full business days just so he could get some peace and quiet. And this was barely half of the Geek Squad. It'd be worse once the other half joined them.

At least Seto would have his brother with him at that point. Hopefully. 

“Since Kaiba is okay, can we go see the elder?” Link piped up, apparently no longer in a trance from staring at the landing. 

“Right!” Yugi flapped his wings so that he was able to hop up and perch on Taylor’s shoulders. Taylor seemed happy about this, even though Seto knew it could not have been comfortable for Yugi’s talons to be digging into his skin. Most falconers wore thick gloves so they would be protected when they carried their birds. Yugi was bigger than any of the birds in the real world (save for a select few. Like ostriches or shoebills, but they weren’t birds of prey like Yugi clearly was) so Seto was surprised Taylor wasn’t bleeding. Yugi then pointed (because he had feathers that worked like fingers, for some reason.) towards one of the birdhouses on the other side of the landing. “He’s right over this way, since he lives at the top of the village!”

Taylor led the way, then, excitedly charging forward with Yugi on his shoulders. Link followed them, but he turned around to make sure Seto was coming too. 

Just like Mokuba did when he ran ahead of him at conferences or conventions, rushing to see all of the different things on display, and making sure Seto was there to see them, too.

There hadn’t been any sign of Mokuba in any of the villages the party had visited, and Seto was growing more concerned by the second. 

The fact he was now comparing the actions of a video game character to the ones of his real life brother wasn’t helping his case. 

Fuck, Seto thought to himself. I need to get out of here.

“Are you coming?” Link asked him.

“Yes,” Seto found himself saying. 

And then he followed the group.

Save the breakdown for later. You've embarrassed yourself enough already.

Chapter Text

Yugi was unfamiliar with this world. He hadn’t been having many issues with adjusting to it, since it was a game world, and he’d overheard enough adults in the village talking about the Champions and the Calamity to know that this game was similar to an RPG. Yugi was also fairly certain he’d join whatever adventuring party came to free the Divine Beast Vah Medoh, so he’d focused on learning what his strengths were ever since he’d woken up here. He’d gotten very good practice with a bow, and with learning how to fly. 

Apparently, Yugi’s character had four younger siblings and an absent father who left the village to wander the world as a bard. Or something along those lines, judging from what he'd overheard. Yugi didn't really know what to do with that information, as he'd never had younger siblings before, but he did know what it was like to not have a father. That part of his life hadn't changed, and Yugi completely ignored it, just like he had in the real world. What was truly unfortunate about all of this, though, was that he was still seen as a child who didn't know anything.

And he didn’t have his Puzzle, either.

So there really was no way of getting out of the village to try and find the adventurers who were going to go after the Divine Beast, or to leave the village to search for Yami. Yugi had been dragged back to the village three times since he’d woken up here, with a verbal warning not to go looking for his father each time. It had been repetitive, no matter what Yugi had done to correct them. Which meant, as per the game’s rules, Yugi was stuck. By himself. With four siblings he didn’t know and without Yami there to give him advice. (Yami probably didn't have answers about what to do in a situation like this. If Yami did have siblings when he was still alive, he'd forgotten them.)

When Yugi had been called down from flying by that same guard who had been repeating these warnings to him all week, Yugi had prepared himself to bite his tongue and go home once again. 

And then Tristan had showed up out of nowhere and nearly crushed him to death in a bear hug. (Or… A shark hug?)

This game had given Yugi wings and feathers, and it had also given Tristan fins and sharp teeth. But… It was clear, once Kaiba appeared (with white hair, red eyes, and weirdly silent footsteps), that it was finally time to join the party and stop Medoh. The third person in the current party was someone called Link, who Yugi was pretty sure he’d seen before- He lived in a game shop, after all- but he couldn’t remember where from. If he did, he’d forgotten. (Yugi didn’t remember how he’d ended up here, either, so maybe these things were related to his lack of knowledge about this game world.) But both Tristan and Kaiba seemed to be following him, so there had to be a good reason for it.

After racing Kaiba and watching Tristan heal his broken ankle, Yugi perched on Tristan’s shoulder and pointed him towards the elder’s house. Kaiba was in a hurry, likely because he wasn’t with his brother, and he followed them without making any noise whatsoever. It was uncanny, but at least Kaiba was agreeing to work together in order to get out and go home, even if he was being prickly about it. 

The elder was a very large Rito that looked more like an owl than the songbirds or birds of prey most of the village resembled. He blinked at his visitors with wide eyes and hooted at their arrival.

“Hello,” Link said. “We’re here to free the Divine Beast.”

“And who might you be?” the elder asked. He gave Yugi a disappointed shake of his head when he noticed where he was perched. “Little Yugi, please be careful of strangers.”

Yugi squawked. “These guys aren’t strangers! They’re my friends!”

“Look,” Kaiba interrupted, startling the elder with a surprisingly intimidating glare. “Do you want us to deal with the Divine Beast or not? We’ve already freed Ruta from the Calamity, and we're here to do the same to Medoh.”

“A-Ah, yes, of course… And who might you be?”

“Seto Kaiba, that’s who,” Kaiba said, crossing his arms, and without providing any further information. He’d never needed to, before. 

“Tristan Taylor,” Tristan introduced himself next. “I was there when Ruta was freed. Champion Mipha gave me her healing ability so that we could carry on her mission.”

“And I’m Link, the Hylian Champion,” Link introduced himself next. “I’ve been in a healing coma for the last century. I knew Champion Revali when he was still alive. He didn’t like me very much, but he deserves to rest in peace despite that.”

“This is… Well, you are very welcome, dear guests,” the elder said, looking extremely bewildered. “Little Yugi, if you-”

“He can stay,” Tristan said. “It’s not like he weighs much. Besides, we want him to come with us!”

“He’s a child!”

“And yet he has more sense than you do,” Kaiba said, sounding bored. He inspected his nails, visibly showing the elder his disinterest. Yugi caught a glimpse of something sharp and silver hidden in his sleeves. So did the elder, by the way he was now watching Kaiba's movements extremely closely. “Even if Yugi doesn’t have permission, do you really think that will stop us from taking him?”

Kaiba had experience in dealing with stubborn people, Yugi remembered. Mainly because Kaiba was more stubborn than they were, and they didn’t like that very much. But because he had this experience, Yugi was finally going to be getting out of here. They'd work together to save Medoh, and then they could look for his Puzzle and Yami! 

Kaiba had said that his best statistics were in speed and perception, but Yugi couldn't help but feel like Kaiba had just succeeded at a charisma check. Rogues usually had a high charisma, and that was clearly the role Kaiba had. For now. Stealth didn't really suit Kaiba’s personality. Yugi knew, however, that the Sheikah were the ones who invented the Divine Beasts. And he knew that Kaiba was the most technologically-driven person he'd ever met. So Yugi was fully expecting Kaiba to gain artificer abilities or something similar when he leveled up more.

Kaiba was probably already making plans for a new Duel Disk using Sheikah technology, even though this world didn't have Duel Monsters. Yugi would have to ask him about it later… After finding his Puzzle. Yami wouldn't want to miss out on a duel with Kaiba. He'd already be upset that Yugi had raced Kaiba without him- But he would understand why Yugi had done it. 

Yugi would hold off on bothering Kaiba about a Duel Disk until his suspicions were confirmed, then. Or until he found his Puzzle and was reunited with Yami. Whichever came first.

“I believe Teba is making preparations for driving Medoh away again,” the elder said, defeated. He’d realized he was not winning this argument, so now he was giving them the information they were after, instead of interrogating Yugi again. Yugi appreciated it. “If you need to know about Medoh’s weaknesses, Teba is the man who can tell you.”

“Cool,” Tristan said, shifting slightly. Yugi stayed balanced on his shoulder, trying not to move from his perch. “Where can we find him?”

“I am not sure, as he left the village earlier this morning.” Yugi hadn’t met Teba before. He knew of Teba, but he didn’t actually know him. Tulin, his son, often played with Yugi and his siblings. Tulin was nice. He’d been the one who helped Yugi fine-tune his flying and bowmanship, so Yugi considered them to be friends. “His wife may be able to tell you.”

Kaiba’s eye twitched. Only Yugi noticed. 

“Great,” Link said, matching Tristan’s tone. “Where can we find her?”

“Next door.”

Kaiba’s eye twitched again. This time, both Tristan and the elder saw it.

Tristan braced himself. Yugi, who was still on his shoulder, realized Tristan was expecting Kaiba to say something. Probably a scathing insult of some kind. 

But Kaiba didn't say anything. He just turned around, walked out of the house, and then marched directly up to the woman who lived next door without even knocking.

Yugi recognized this woman. She often watched over him and his siblings when his own mother was busy. He didn't really know her, but she'd been nice to him. 

Kaiba was very curt when he spoke to her, but she didn’t seem offended by his actions. The way Kaiba got directly to the point was easily the most efficient way to get the answers the party needed. 

Yugi couldn’t help but feel this was a result of his annoyance at the elder’s rambling.

He could understand it, honestly. Yugi hadn’t been able to leave for a good amount of time, so the impatience to get out of here certainly wasn’t a foreign feeling to him.

Within a minute, Kaiba came back.

“Teba’s at the flight range, which is in the mountains to the north,” he said, flatly. “Considering the amount of snow in that direction, we should get geared up to face the cold before we leave.”

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea,” Tristan said, grimacing. “I don’t want to turn into a popsicle.”

“I think I saw an armor shop on our way up,” Link said, helpfully. “They looked like they had warm gear.”

“I won’t need any,” Yugi said, puffing up his feathers. It was an extra layer of protection against the cold, even though he looked like a goth version of Winged Kuriboh every time he did it.

“All right,” Link said, taking his wallet out of his pouch and counting his Rupees as the group exited the elder’s house. Yugi and Tristan waved goodbye to the elder, but Kaiba did not bother, and Link was too distracted to. “I’ll have to sell some things. We should save any ingredients that will make warm or spicy foods.”

At the armor shop, further down in the village, Link was able to ask about warm clothes. Yugi was pretty sure his eyes bugged out of his skull when he heard the price.

Link asked the shopkeeper to hold on for a moment, and then proceeded to run to a different birdhouse where there was a cooking pot.

Kaiba went with him, for some reason. 

Yugi decided he would go back to perching on Tristan while they waited for them.

Tristan was reading something (it looked like a journal, but Yugi didn't really pay attention to it) as he sat outside of the shops, so he didn’t notice Yugi at all. He didn’t mind when Yugi was perching on him earlier, so he wouldn’t mind now.

Kaiba and Link returned to the armor shop, then, and then they started to haggle with the Rito inside who ran it. And, a few very tense moments later, both he and Link left the shop.

Kaiba looked smug. Yugi had seen that look on his face enough to know that whatever deal had been made had been significant enough for Kaiba to call it a victory.

“We got the armor!” Link cheerfully announced.

“And we made some spicy food for Taylor,” Kaiba added. “Let’s go.”

Tristan looked up from his book and grinned at them, putting his sharp teeth on display. 

“Okay! Let’s get moving!”

----

Yugi had never been outside of the village before. He’d seen what was nearby, but he’d never flown out far enough to properly explore the forest or the mountains, but now that he was with Link and Tristan and Kaiba, he was free to fly around as much as he wanted. So he glided around the trees when the party trekked through the forest, and slowly flew in circles over the group as they finally made their way into the snowy fields at the base of the mountain range. He’d land if the weather started to make it hard to see, but it was a very clear day, so Yugi was able to keep an eye on his friends while still being in the sky.

Tristan had initially complained about the spicy food Kaiba had shoved in his face, but he wasn’t complaining now, considering he was walking through snow without any problems whatsoever. And Link and Kaiba were matching, which was slightly odd to see, but they’d gotten the same armor set from the same store, so there was bound to be some sort of overlap. Kaiba had wrapped his cloak around his head and neck, turning it into a headscarf, which was the only difference in his and Link’s attire. The fact Yugi could hear Link’s footsteps and rustling clothes and not Kaiba’s was still slightly unnerving, but he’d get used to it. 

The flight range was in a crevice of mountain that had a constant updraft coming out of it. The wind made it easier to glide, but harder to actually fly in. Arrows were thrown off-course by the wind as well, so it was a challenge to actually hit the targets on the walls.

The flight range had a small structure built at the entrance, a place for the Rito who trained here to rest and restock, and it had a balcony that led to a landing much like the ones in the village. Sitting at this landing, a Rito with white feathers was polishing a bow. Yugi recognized Teba, but Teba didn’t acknowledge the party until Link approached him.

“What do you want?” Teba asked, glancing up from his work. “This isn’t a time for games, kid.”

“The elder said we could find you here,” Link said, unbothered. “You’re trying to drive Medoh away from the village, right?”

Teba waited in silence for Link to continue. Tristan coughed, drawing attention to how awkward it was.

“We already freed Ruta from the Calamity,” Link continued, only slightly unnerved. “We want to free Medoh next.”

Teba finally regarded the party, and then he stared at Yugi in confusion.

“You all seem to be capable fighters, but only one of you can fly, and he’s no older than my son,” Teba said, dismissively. “How do you intend to get to where Medoh is? How do you intend to break past its shield? I can’t let you join me unless you can prove that you can keep up.”

Kaiba finally said something, and Teba blinked, finally noticing that he was there. “I’d imagine Yugi and Link could simply glide, since Yugi has wings and Link has a paraglider. As for Taylor and myself, I have something I’d like to test. If it works, you’ll let us join you.”

“You may use the flight range as you see fit,” Teba said. “I will test the speed of your companions until you are ready.”

He turned to face Link and Yugi.

“You two will hit every target in the flight range. I will time it. If you are able to do this quickly enough, then I will consider you capable, and allow you to assist me in subduing Medoh.”

“Great,” Kaiba said, dragging Tristan away. “Link, hand me your Octo balloons, and then get in there.”

“Wh- Kaiba! What are you doing? What are you dragging me into?!”

“Octo balloons? What can you do with those?” Link asked, handing them over. 

“Flying isn’t hard, if you have the right tools,” Kaiba said, accepting them. He didn't elaborate further. Considering the Blue-Eyes White Dragon jet he had back in the real world, Yugi was just glad he was limited by the lack of technology in this game world. If left unsupervised for long enough, Yugi was pretty sure Kaiba would be able to create his own Divine Beast based off of his favorite monster. That was just the sort of person Kaiba was, and it was also slightly terrifying. “I'll just need some time to make this work.”

“What are we doing?” Tristan asked, incredibly concerned that Kaiba’s apparent plan to carry them into the sky relied on a handful of monster parts. 

“Are those boxes empty?” Kaiba asked Teba, who only nodded in response. He ignored Tristan's complaints, which was probably a good thing, considering Kaiba's usual memo of responding to Yugi and his friends with insults. 

Without another word, he dragged Tristan over in that direction, and got started with… Whatever he was doing. Yugi wasn’t sure. He was also under the impression that he’d be better off not knowing, so he didn’t bother paying any more attention to them.

Yugi picked up one of the bows that were waiting for use, as well as some arrows. Teba had given him and Link a task, so he was going to do his best. 

Thanks to his practice flights with Teba's son, Tulin, Yugi was fairly prepared to face what was ahead of him. Teba, of course, had doubts, since Yugi was seen as a child among the Rito, but Tulin was well-known as a prodigy. Since Yugi had practiced with him, his own skills were nothing to laugh at.

So, while Kaiba and Tristan were doing something with empty boxes and Octo balloons, Yugi dove into the flight range, bow and arrows ready. Link jumped after him.

The wind buffeted his feathers and nearly sent him spiraling out of control, but Yugi was able to remain steady as he started shooting the targets.

Link glided above him, the wind providing enough support for him to use his paraglider to move without descending. And then, when he dived, time seemed to slow down, as Link hit four targets with his own arrows, before pulling his paraglider out and allowing the wind to push him back into the air.

Yugi was impressed. He didn't slouch, though, as he hit three targets, before flapping his wings and heading to a different section of the range.

Between him and Link, all of the targets were utterly decimated in under thirty seconds.

"That's all of the targets," Teba called out, over the wind. "Head back over."

They landed back at the building just as Kaiba finished tying some ropes to some cloth 'wings' fashioned out of what seemed to be canvas and bows that no longer had their strings. 

"What have you made?" Yugi asked him, because other than the 'wings', there was a mess of parts laying on the ground in front of him.

"It's similar to a hot air balloon," Kaiba said, not even looking up from what he was doing. "The wings will help it change direction in the air up by Medoh. Taylor, hold this down."

Tristan, who had resigned himself to being ordered around, did as Kaiba asked without questioning it.

"Do you think that's gonna be fast enough to escape Medoh?" Link asked.

"Ruta didn't move very much," Kaiba said. "If you, Yugi, and Teba all fly in circles faster than Medoh, you'll keep its attention off of the balloon."

"Medoh is surrounded by a force field," Teba explained. "There are four devices outside of it- And they fire dangerous beams of energy towards whatever approaches them. We will need to use bomb arrows to destroy the devices and get rid of the force field."

"Bomb arrows?" Kaiba asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I've been stocking up, as I was going to drive Medoh away myself, but Link and Yugi have impressed me with their speed and accuracy," Teba explained, gesturing towards another crate that was filled with the very arrows he mentioned. "And Kaiba here seems convinced this craft he's building will be capable of flight."

"If the balloon doesn't work, Link can use the Sheikah Slate to bring us to the Divine Beast through the Travel Gate," Tristan said, shrugging as Kaiba shooed him away from what he was previously holding down for him. "Seriously, he can teleport."

"I won't be able to use the Slate while I'm flying," Link said, thoughtfully. "Kaiba, will you be able to use it again? This aircraft doesn't have any weapons on it, and you'll be slower than the rest of us."

"I can use it." Kaiba looked up from what he was doing. "Taylor can steer. And I can throw bombs at whatever controls the force field."

Yugi looked between them, more than a little concerned. Teba raised an eyebrow, but he didn't comment on it. Tristan, meanwhile, hadn't been informed that he was going to be steering the balloon. 

"What?!" 

"Are you experienced with handling explosives?" Kaiba asked him. "If not, then shut up."

"Hey! I don't have experience with flying things, either! Duke and I nearly fell off of your blimp during Battle City!" Tristan argued. "Why are you making me steer this thing- We're both gonna fall and die!"

"What is a blimp?" Teba asked, completely lost.

"Don't worry about it," Yugi said to him. Teba did not appear to be listening to him, but at least Yugi could say he tried.

"You nearly fell off of the blimp because of your own stupidity," Kaiba said, returning to his ropes, and then lashing them to the metal hooks embedded in the boxes. "I'll be there to ensure that you don't fuck it up this time."

The Rito race did not pick up boxes like humans did, by leaning down and using their hands to carry them, because a Rito's fingers were made of feathers, and, therefore, were better used in flying. Instead of using their fingers, a Rito's talons would clasp a sturdy rope, and that rope would be secured to the boxes so they didn't fall, and the Rito would fly to wherever the package needed to go. Heavier packages would be strung between multiple Rito, flying next to each other in a specific formation. (In the past, Rito were very efficient with delivering mail and other messages quickly, as no other race controlled the skies like they did, but, in the present, Vah Medoh's presence kept the Rito out of the sky, otherwise they would be shot down.) Kaiba was using the ropes and hooks that the Rito used to carry their boxes in this vehicle he was creating, and apparently there was a steering system he was implementing into it, as well. 

Yugi was incredibly impressed. No one but Kaiba could see a collection of ropes, boxes, and monster parts and then decide that he was going to create a vehicle that could take to the skies alongside two people with wings (and whatever sort of main character Link was). 

Kaiba had always been this way. Where certain duelists had an advantage with magic, Kaiba was able to keep fighting on their level purely with the technology he was famous for.

Kaiba then lashed the Octo balloons he'd gotten from Link to the boxes and the canvas. They began to automatically inflate, and he jumped inside, dragging Tristan with him.

The vehicle remained intact even with the insane wind around the flight range, and they slowly ascended, not nearly high enough to reach Medoh just yet, but certainly too high for someone to jump.

Yugi flew up after them, and so did Teba, but Teba grabbed Link's shoulders with his talons as they followed him.

Meanwhile, Kaiba was instructing Tristan on how to steer the balloon. There were a series of ropes attached to the wings he'd created, and, because of the hooks, ways to adjust their movement.

Tristan listened attentively, because he was too high up to risk losing control or falling.

"We're going to follow you up there," Tristan said, when Link handed Kaiba the Sheikah Slate, with Teba still having a clawed grip on his shoulders, up in the air. "I think I've got the hang of this now."

"We aren't going to be as fast as you are, so make sure you keep moving, and don't let the machines target us," Kaiba instructed, hooking the Sheikah Slate to his hip, just like Link did. "You'll see a red light when they're targeting something, and you'll hear a beeping noise that will keep increasing in speed. When the beeping stops, the machine will fire at the last spot where its target was. You have a small window to dodge, and, since you can fly, you should have no problems doing it while also keeping any beams from targeting or damaging the balloon."

"So, what's your role in all of this?" Teba asked. "Your craft here is impressive, as humans and Zoras cannot fly, but you do not have a bow to attack from a distance."

Kaiba proceeded to pull a glowing blue orb out of nowhere, and he held it up for Yugi and Teba to see. Both of them realized, fairly quickly, that this was one of the bombs that he had been talking about earlier.

"I won't run out of these," he said, and the bomb dissipated into blue sparks. "Go on ahead. We'll catch up."

Yugi and Teba both flew higher, satisfied with Kaiba's answer. Link, as he was currently being carried by Teba, was taken with them as they approached the airspace where Medoh was circling above the world.

Chapter Text

So, Medoh had a force field. Teba had said as much, but Seto had yet to actually witness what that force field looked like.

Transparent red energy surrounded the Divine Beast, which felt just as unsettling to look at as Ruta did, only marginally less so because Seto already knew what sort of entity was within it. Floating outside of the energy were four turrets, fastened at each edge of the machine- And, just like Seto had thought, their targeting systems were exactly the same as the Guardians' and the boss enemy that the party had faced within Ruta. Everything in front of him was Sheikah technology, of course, so obviously there would be some similarities to what he'd seen already.

The balloon he'd fashioned with spare parts wasn't nearly durable enough to survive a direct hit from any enemy, but it continued to ascend, boosted by the wind up above Medoh, and giving its occupants a view of the three specks firing bomb arrows and dodging lasers far faster than they were moving. For being something thrown together haphazardly, the balloon functioned exactly as Seto hoped it would. Perhaps it was because of the game world not having completely realistic physics. Seto's apparatus would never be capable of flight in the real world, but here, in the freezing wind and thin air, it continued to hold up, and Taylor, through pulling on the ropes, was able to steer it. 

Thanks to the cold resistance armor Seto and Link had haggled for back in the village, and to the spicy food they'd cooked for Taylor, neither occupant of the balloon was taking damage from the icy wind. 

Since they were now up higher than the Divine Beast, Seto used the round Remote Bomb rune on the Sheikah Slate to call a bomb to his hand, and he chucked it downwards, towards one of the turrets that Link, Yugi, and Teba weren't currently trying to shoot at, the one next to the left wing.

Immediately, the wind sent the bomb flying upwards, as it was too light to cut through the wind to the turret below.

Seto realized he'd fucked up, and he switched runes to the square bomb. That one didn't fly back up towards the balloon, instead being thrown exactly where he'd intended for it to go. As soon as it hit the turret, Seto detonated the bomb, and the turret exploded.

"Woah," Taylor said, appropriately impressed.

"Nice one!" Yugi called, faintly, from below the balloon.

Teba expertly dodged another laser attack from the other wing, and Link, diving downwards, blew up the turret that had fired it, before pulling out his paraglider and once again floating upwards, pushed by the wind towards the turret in front of the Divine Beast's beak.

Taylor, having noticed this, steered the balloon towards the back of the Divine Beast, where Yugi flew in circles around the turret's attacks, unable to get in close just yet. 

Seto chucked another square bomb towards the turret, and detonated it when it reached it.

Instead of completely destroying the turret like the first bomb did, Seto could see that this one was only halfway destroyed.

So. The turrets had two hit points. And the one that Seto had destroyed had clearly already been attacked once.

"Fuck," Seto said, out loud, as he realized that the turret was now ignoring Yugi and pointing directly at the balloon. A red dot appeared and pointed towards the boxes, and the turret charged up.

Thanks to the remote bomb's recharge time, plus the amount of time it would take to throw it down at the turret, Seto was currently unable to finish destroying it, and the balloon was not nearly fast enough to avoid the inevitable.

"That beeping sounds awfully close, doesn't it?" Taylor asked, looking back at Seto and sounding rather nervous.

"Yugi!" Seto yelled, leaning over the edge of the box.

A blur of black and pinkish-purple darted towards the balloon, but not faster than the laser that had just been fired. And he was not faster than Teba, who had managed to fly in between the laser and the balloon, intercepting the blast and leaving the balloon unharmed. Scorched white feathers flew around in the wind, and Teba sailed downwards, a new black and red burn appearing on his leg and a pained grimace on his face. 

During all of this, Link dived again, shooting the final turret with a bomb arrow and completely destroying it. 

The red force field that had previously surrounded the Divine Beast fell, finally exposing it to the outside world.

"Go on without me," Teba hissed, awkwardly allowing the wind to carry him up next to the balloon, and gliding forwards. "I will return to the village- The healers there can treat my wound. You four must free Medoh."

"You have our word," Link, who was gliding along with them, replied, deadly serious.

"We freed Ruta," Taylor assured him. "We can free Medoh, too."

"Can you tell Tulin that I'm alright?" Yugi asked, flapping his wings so that he could keep up. "We left before I could tell him where I was going…"

Teba's face softened slightly. "Of course."

Teba then pulled away from the group, carefully sailing over the snowy fields and the forest on his way back to Rito Village.

"Taylor. We need to start letting air out of the Octo balloons," Seto said, breaking the silence. "Start steering us towards the Divine Beast."

"Got it," Taylor said, tugging at the ropes, and the wings on the balloon turned so that it began to descend.

Meanwhile, Seto began to let air out of the Octo balloons, and the vehicle he'd crafted, while being capable of flight, was in fact too heavy to fly without the floatation capabilities of the monster parts. With the wind and the wings of canvas that Seto had thrown together, the descent to the Divine Beast ended up being rather smooth.

As soon as the craft landed on Medoh's upper area, Seto released the balloons completely, and the vehicle did not move again.

Taylor jumped out of the box, shivering. "I t-t-think the eff-f-f-fects of the food j-j-j-just wore off," he declared, sharp teeth chattering.

"Here, eat this," Link said, pulling another plate of spicy food out of nowhere and offering it to him. "It'll be warmer inside, but we don't want you to turn into a popsicle."

Taylor wolfed down the dish within seconds. And then he relaxed, because the special effects of the food had kicked in, and he stopped taking cold damage. 

Yugi landed on the Divine Beast's roof directly afterwards, a few loose black-and-magenta feathers flying in the wind.

"So, what do we do now?" Yugi asked. "How do you free a Divine Beast?"

"Well!" Link announced, walking to the nearest entrance. "I need to find a terminal, and then Revali's ghost should explain what we need to do!"

"The Rito Champion?" Yugi asked. "You said you didn't get along with him. Is he really going to help?"

"Yep! Mipha helped us out a bit when we were in Ruta, so-"

"Oh, it's you." An unfamiliar voice drawled, completely unamused. "It only took you a full century to get here, and, from what I observed, you weren't the one who taught humans how to fly."

"Hey, Revali!" Link said, approaching the nearest terminal. "I've only started to recover my memories, but you were kind of an ass to me, and I see that hasn't changed at all."

"Some things are true even in death. You and your friends, here, freed Ruta, correct?"

"Yeah, I almost died but Mipha gave me her powers to save me," Taylor said. "It's kinda weird."

"... Well, then, you know the drill. Activate the terminals, and then go to the main controls to purge this place of the evil that's affected it."

Revali seemed hesitant, but he didn't say anything else.

Seto didn't know much about the Rito Champion, but he knew the story, thanks to what he'd overheard from Impa. The Champions were imprisoned inside of the Divine Beasts one hundred years ago, during the Calamity, and they died fighting the evil that had possessed the machines. Thanks to freeing Mipha, Seto was aware that the evil took the form of an amalgamation of Malice and Sheikah technology.

Currently, Seto held the Sheikah Slate, as he'd been using the Remote Bombs rune to damage the turrets that generated Medoh's force field. So, he placed it on the terminal, and watched as the lights changed from orange to blue as he was given control over the Divine Beast.

Judging from the blueprints he could now see, the holder of the Sheikah Slate could adjust the angle of Medoh's wings. That was likely necessary to solve some of the puzzles inside.

He handed the device to Link. The protagonist was controlled by a player, and the player was supposed to be the one solving the puzzles. Besides, the device didn't actually belong to Seto… 

Perhaps that wouldn't have to continue to be the case. 

It was rather inconvenient to keep passing the Sheikah Slate between them, and the player couldn't utilize the Slate's gameplay mechanics when it was in Seto's hands. Seto knew he would find it annoying, so he decided that there needed to be a duplicate Sheikah Slate. Perhaps it could carry the antivirus that purged the Malice from the Divine Beasts as well.

An idea started to form in his head. He didn't have to make a Slate, so long as it was still capable of doing what a Slate could. And… Wearing it on his arm would make it much easier to wield. A very familiar shape started to come together in his mind.

This was something he would have to work on after freeing Medoh. And it should be rather effective in getting him closer to his goal- Freeing the Guardians from the Malice virus.

"It is actually warmer in here," Taylor commented, though he still seemed to be feeling a chill.

"Oh, guys! Look at this!" Link called, from further inside, and then the angle that Medoh was flying at suddenly shifted. "I can make the wings move!"

"Is he always this excitable?" Yugi asked Seto.

"I can't stop him from running up to us and pressing A," Seto muttered, and Yugi seemed confused by this response, so he further clarified, "He's being controlled by someone from the real world. The game has limited what he can say to us, so I haven't been able to deduce his true identity yet, but keeping him alive and killing the final boss is the fastest way to return to the real world."

"I see," Yugi said. "I was wondering why you and Tristan were traveling with him. But if he's our ticket out of here, it makes sense that you guys would be working together."

"This game isn't distributed by Kaiba Corporation," Seto explained. "I am unable to use any of the codes in my Virtual System to shut it off. This is the only path out."

"Maybe my Puzzle is still in the real world," Yugi said, thoughtfully.

"I woke up in this world in my sleepwear," Seto said. "I'm unsure if the circumstances were different for Taylor, but if you fell asleep with your Puzzle, it's probably here."

Yugi paused, thinking. "I did. Yami and I often talk when I'm resting."

He blinked, satisfied with the information he'd been given.

"I'll have to look for him here in the game, then. The village guards wouldn't let me go out to search, so I'm gonna need to stick with the party after we free Medoh."

"If you leave me alone with Taylor for much longer, I will find a way to strangle him."

"Please don't."

----

The puzzles inside of Medoh were about as challenging as the ones inside of Ruta. Seto was able to observe more Malice, though, and he picked up some of the monster parts left behind by the Guardian Scouts that were protecting one of the terminals. Seto also picked up their glowing weapons, curious about them. Nothing inside of the scroll Impa had given him mentioned anything about how Sheikah technology actually functioned, but the readings did clarify that all of the development and construction took place around ten thousand years ago. So Seto was going to have to reverse-engineer these things on his own, because that information was thoroughly lost to time.

This was fine. Seto would get a chance to tinker with these parts after freeing the Divine Beast. 

Yugi proved to be incredibly useful in solving certain puzzles, simply by using his wings and his small size to squeeze into the areas where the rest of the party could not get into. All Link needed to do was hand him the Sheikah Slate, and Yugi could even squeeze through the bars a couple of the terminals were locked behind.

Revali provided sarcastic commentary the entire time. Seto didn't know what to expect from him, but from what Link had said, he and Revali were not really friends, one hundred years ago, and that relationship hadn't changed, even though Revali was dead and Link was suffering from amnesia. Every comment contained a challenge of some kind, inviting Link to push himself further and questioning whether or not he was actually capable of achieving his goal of freeing the Divine Beast.

Seto would admit the comments were entertaining, if nothing else. The rest of it wasn't his business. He didn't need to be involved in their problems outside of what had happened to Medoh.

"That's the last terminal," Yugi announced, flying back towards the main body of the Divine Beast after activating the terminal underneath one of Medoh's wings. He handed the Sheikah Slate back to Link. "Where do we find the main controls?"

"It's on the roof," Taylor answered, grimacing. "I dunno what's gonna come outta there after you activate 'em, but it's gonna be ugly."

"What do you mean by that?" Yugi asked, because he hadn't seen the entity that had been inside of Ruta.

"Well, I nearly died last time," Taylor explained. "But there was a really gross dude made of Malice and Sheikah tech that popped out of the controls in Ruta. And killing it let Mipha out."

"I imagine it'll be similar to what we faced previously, but not the exact same," Seto said, because this was what he was here for. "The weak point will still be its eye, but the only attack that will be the same as the entity we faced within Ruta will be the beam. Don't let it hit you this time, Taylor."

"Yeah, I'm gonna try to avoid repeating that injury as best I can," Taylor agreed, vehemently. He may not be able to cure his stupidity, but he at least had enough sense to learn from previous mistakes. 

"Here," Link said, handing yet another spicy meal to Taylor. "It's really cold up there, so. Take this."

"Thanks," Taylor said, accepting the food, holding his spear in the crook of his elbow so that he was able to use his hands to eat it. "I appreciate it."

"Let's go," Seto said, walking towards the exit and leading the way. 

The party ascended to the top of the Divine Beast, where the wind howled around them as Medoh circled above the world, and where the main controls were leaking Malice in concerning amounts. Just like last time.

Yugi didn't seem to be very affected by what he was seeing. It was likely because he knew he was in a game- Or because no one had bothered explaining exactly what Malice was to him yet. Maybe he just didn't care.

Link didn't hesitate.

He knew what was coming, and so he carefully placed the Sheikah Slate on the main controls. Just like last time, the Malice that had been leaking from it suddenly exploded outwards, and it gathered together to form another shape in the air- Just like Seto predicted, it was similar to the previous entity that the party had killed, as it was also an amalgamation of Malice and Sheikah technology, only, this time, instead of a spear on its arm, it had a large cannon.

"Careful with this one," Revali's voice came from behind the party as they whirled around, preparing to fight. "It plays dirty. That's what killed me, one hundred years ago."

Seto drew his Eightfold Blade from its sheath. He wouldn't be delegated to a supporting role this time. Similarly, the rest of the party also drew their weapons, and then the fight began.

The entity started by creating a whirlwind and throwing it at the group, which scattered, splitting up to avoid being blown away.

Yugi took to the skies, using his talons and beak to draw his bow and firing a bomb arrow towards the entity.

Link did the same, jumping up and using his paraglider to fly upwards with the natural updraft around Medoh. He fired an ordinary arrow in its direction.

Yugi and Link's combined attacks hit their targets, and the entity fell, stunned by the explosion.

Seto used this chance to swoop in, dashing to where its body lay, and attacking it with no mercy. Taylor wasn't as fast as he was, and he'd been separated from the group while avoiding the wind attack, so his spear only joined Seto's sword after Seto had done damage.

It wasn't incredibly significant, since the entity was up and teleporting away shortly afterwards, but Seto could see the pattern emerging when Yugi shot the entity again, causing another explosion. He didn't know how many arrows Yugi had gotten from Teba's collection of explosives, but, like the first entity had been weak to electricity, this one seemed to be weak to bombs. Yugi was good at games, so he'd certainly figured this out already.

It fell again, and Seto once again ran in close to do damage, stabbing and slicing in proper form.

Since there were two party members with bows who continuously hit the entity's weak point every time they attacked, there wasn't much of a chance for the entity to actually do anything to damage them.

Was the party overleveled for this? Seto wondered, as the entity teleported away from his sword attacks again.

More whirlwinds were whipped up, and Taylor was blown away- Clinging desperately to one of the pillars on Medoh's upper layer so that he wasn't thrown off of the flying Divine Beast. Link and Yugi were both sent off-course, but since they were already in the air, they were able to recover and resume shooting arrows at the entity.

And Seto, who was lighter than Taylor was, got picked up by the wind and thrown into the air, where he somehow ended up witnessing the entity entering the second phase of its boss fight, because it screamed directly in his ears, and four homing missiles suddenly came out of its back and started flying around it.

"Careful," Revali said, just as Seto was starting to fall. "Those attacks are extremely accurate."

"Fuck you and fuck this game," Seto hissed, getting picked up by yet another whirlwind and thrown in a different direction before his feet even had the chance to touch the floor. Already disoriented by the first whirlwind, and with the added damage to his eardrums by the entity's screech, Seto's world was quite literally spinning.

Phase two of this boss fight involved more wind and more beams- Far too many for one person to keep up with (which explained how the previous champion, who had fought by himself, died here), but Link and Yugi seemed to be managing to dodge well enough.

Taylor wasn't clinging to a pillar anymore, because when Seto was slammed into the ground, he was there- Healing his wounds. The world stopped spinning long enough for Seto to notice the new patterns in this fight.

The entity was relying on what had come out of its back to do damage to the party this time- And they weren't actually homing missiles, unlike what Seto had thought initially. These devices flew around on their own, catching blue electricity when the entity fired at them, and then bounced it between themselves before targeting a member of the party. They could also attack on their own.

Bomb arrows weren't stunning the entity's main body like they were before, so Seto realized that the party's strategy needed to change.

"Yugi!" He yelled, sitting up, because Taylor was done healing him. "Shoot the turrets, not the main body!"

Yugi, who had avoided the attacks fairly easily due to his small size and some creative flying, took his words to heart.

He shot down one of the devices that was about to fire at Link, and it fell, useless.

Link noticed this. Or maybe he'd also heard Seto, because he did the same.

With both of them attacking, the four devices that had been causing trouble were stopped, and, just like Seto had expected, the entity suddenly fell, stunned.

Seto took this chance to get up and run in close yet again.

Cutting through the Malice and Sheikah technology was getting more difficult- Seto could feel the blade of his sword getting knocked loose from the handle, and he knew that it was close to breaking. He'd seen Link break enough weapons to have already known that they had a set durability- And that, when thrown, directly at their breaking point, they did critical damage to whatever unfortunate beast received the attack.

So, just when the entity was about to get up and teleport away yet again, Seto chucked his damaged Eightfold Blade directly towards it. It shattered, and the entity fell back down, stunned once again by the critical blow.

"Woah, dude! Do you have another weapon, or-"

Taylor was cut off as Seto immediately drew the Guardian Scout's sword he'd picked up back inside of Medoh and charged in again.

Seto couldn't help but realize he was doing more damage now, because cutting through the Malice with a blade made of light was far easier than with a blade of metal. He smirked, because it was clear that his character build had just gotten an upgrade with this new equipment. 

After Medoh was freed, it was likely that the party was going to rest for a while back at Rito Village. Seto could use some of that time to tinker with the ancient parts he'd picked up. And if Yugi could distract Taylor from continuously asking incessant questions, maybe Seto could actually get something done.

For now, though, with a particularly vicious plunging attack from Link, descending from the sky like some sort of vengeful seagull, the entity finally lost the rest of its health points, and it screamed again as it died. Thankfully, Seto wasn't directly next to it as it did, so he watched as light exploded from out of the Malice that made up most of its body, and then it was gone.

"I suppose this counts as a victory for you," Revali commented, landing next to Link and Seto after apparently having been in the sky all this time. "The Divine Beast Vah Medoh has finally been freed from the Calamity's influence."

Seto observed him. Revali was taller than he was, his feathers were blue, white, and yellow, and he didn't look much like a bird of prey. That same blue-green fire that had floated around Mipha also floated around him- Which must be this game's way of identifying ghosts. The scarf around Revali's neck was the same light blue as the Champion Tunic that Impa had given to Link back in Kakariko Village, and the same color as Mipha's sash. So, despite all of the Champions being different fantasy races, they matched. Seto could appreciate good character design when he saw it- And if this game hadn't already been developed and produced by a different company, he'd likely hire this team to assist in creating the art of future games for Kaiba Corporation. If only so that he didn't need to rely on Pegasus or Industrial Illusions' people to come up with designs that Kaiba Corporation needed to render with Solid Vision.

"Was it like this when you freed Ruta?" Yugi asked, landing next to the group, more than a little winded. 

"Taylor got shot and almost died," Seto answered him. "Other than that, not really. The Divine Beasts all seem to be similar dungeons."

"A 'thank you' would be nice," Link said, to Revali.

"Fine," Revali sighed. "I suppose I can grant you this. However, my ability to create an updraft, Revali's Gale, will have to go to the Rito child who came with you. He'll be able to use it to its full potential, and I loathe the idea of what you would do with it."

Yugi seemed confused, but he didn't hold back from accepting the orb that Revali's ghost handed over to him.

"Thank you, sir," Yugi said, after the orb sunk under his feathers. "I'll use it well."

"And you," Revali said, turning to Seto. "Before you leave, are you taking that thing with you?"

He gestured towards the abandoned device that had somehow survived the whirlwinds and lasers being tossed around on Medoh's top layer. It was currently lacking balloons, but it had previously been capable of flight.

"No," Seto said, flatly. "I have what I need."

"Very well." Revali accepted Seto's answer and sent the group off. "Goodbye, then. Give Ganon hell for me."

The same golden light that had transported the party from the Divine Beast Vah Ruta descended around the party, and so the group was sent away from Medoh.

Their job here was done.

Chapter Text

"Champion Revali gave me his ability to create an updraft," Yugi announced, and the elder of the village- Who had exited his home to see Medoh finally perch on top of the pillar that Rito Village had been built around, before taking aim at Hyrule Castle- still seemed doubtful. Yugi wasn't entirely sure why the elder was still so insistent on keeping him here, in the village, but now that he had been given Revali's Gale, it wasn't like any of the other Rito would be able to catch up to him, even if he was still smaller and weaker than they were. "I will be going with Link and the others to free the rest of the Divine Beasts and to stop the Calamity."

The elder sighed.

"Little Yugi," he said, wearily. "I had hoped that you would be given the chance to grow up a bit more before you went out into the world. But Medoh's threat to us is gone, and the people you have allied with are strong. Promise me- And promise your mother and your siblings- that you will come home safely."

"I promise," Yugi swore. "I'm doing this so that I can protect them- And everyone else."

It wasn't really a lie, per se, because Yugi truly did figure that his character was close to his family, but he himself didn't know much about them. And it sounded like the sort of thing that would make the elder realize he'd 'matured' enough to be allowed into the world outside of the village. 

Considering they'd all previously kept him here so he didn't wander off and go looking for his character's absent father, a more grown-up motivation was the key to finally being allowed to come and go as he pleased.

Revali had given him freedom by giving him his powers, and Yugi intended to properly thank him by doing what he'd asked. 

Calamity Ganon wouldn't know what was coming for him.

"You truly have grown, haven't you, Yugi?" the elder said, smiling as much as someone with a beak could smile. "I will let you take Revali's journal with you- He kept his notes about his technique in it, so I can at least make sure you are prepared for the journey ahead of you."

"Thank you," Yugi said, bowing deeply as the journal was pressed into his hands.

Kaiba, from where he was standing just outside of the elder's home, scoffed quietly, but he didn't say anything to interrupt what was probably a bonding moment of some sort.

Tristan, who had relinquished his role as Yugi's preferred perching spot (for now), grumbled under his breath about being part of a 'really awkward family reunion', but he didn't say anything loudly enough to be picked up by the elder.

And Link, who had been given Revali's bow, because they had been allies-maybe-friends in the past, didn't protest any of this. Kaiba had said he was controlled by a player from the real world, so Yugi figured the player didn't mind too much that Yugi and Tristan had been given the abilities that would have gone to the player originally- If this happened to be a single-player game. Yugi didn't know for sure if it was or not, but forming a party with other players that all inherited the Champions' abilities seemed to be how things were going now.

That raised the question of what sort of abilities Kaiba was going to get when he leveled up again, because the Sheikah did not have a Champion to inherit special powers from, and Kaiba had been extremely secretive about the scroll he was carrying.

Tristan had told Yugi that Kaiba used the scroll to level up, just like how he used Mipha's diary to improve his healing abilities. And now Yugi had Revali's notes to do the same with his updraft technique. 

So, even in this world, Kaiba had no magic to speak of (Aside from whatever made it so his footsteps and clothing made no noise, but Tristan had said it was a character attribute of the Sheikah race- Like how he could breathe underwater because he was a Zora or how Yugi could fly because he was a Rito. So Yugi supposed that didn't really count.). Yugi was certain that Kaiba's character would be able to keep up with those who had the Champions' abilities through the use of Sheikah technology.

The Divine Beasts were something that the Sheikah had created, after all, and it was through the Divine Beasts that the Calamity had been driven back once before.

Now that things had calmed down, the party was left mostly to their own devices. Yugi figured he was meant to use this time to go speak with his family, but he didn't want to leave just yet. There were some things he wanted to get in order with the people he knew from the real world.

So, Yugi pulled Tristan along to where Kaiba was standing by himself near the cooking pot. It was a secluded enough area that the three of them could talk freely while Link was busy- Yugi had seen him speaking with the elder about a magic sword of some kind, but that wasn't nearly as important as figuring out answers to his own questions.

"What's this about?" Kaiba asked, sounding annoyed.

"Yeah, you dragged me over here, and I don't know why," Tristan said, slightly tilting his head to the side, but not trying to pull away from where Yugi had let him go.

"There are a few things I need answers to- And you guys have been able to follow the plot of this game for longer than I have, so this is just so I can catch up completely," Yugi said, rushed. "Firstly- Kaiba, exactly how did you figure out that Link is controlled by someone from the real world?"

"He named his horse 'Kuriboh'," Kaiba answered, turning up his nose, because he had a serious distaste for that particular monster card. "Hyrule doesn't have any Duel Monsters. Considering this, as well as the fact that Link is clearly meant to be the protagonist of this game, it's obvious that whoever is controlling him in the real world used the name of his horse to send me a message. Whoever is on the other side of the screen is our ticket out of here."

"Okay. Do you know who's helping us?" Yugi asked.

"No." Kaiba scowled. "Any and all dialogue options they have relate specifically to the events of this game. Whoever is there, though, will be fairly compensated for their assistance after the final boss is defeated."

"And you're certain that beating the final boss is the only way to get out?" Yugi asked.

"It's that or we're stuck in this game for the rest of our lives," Kaiba said, flatly. 

"I don't know about you, but I'd like to stop being a fish at some point," Tristan said, sounding incredibly concerned. 

"Okay," Yugi said. "One more thing. Do either of you remember how you got here?"

"Nope!" Tristan replied, cheerfully. "I woke up in Zora's domain after my character apparently suffered a head injury against a Hinox. I don't remember- As far as I can tell, I went to school, hung out with you and Joey and Téa at Burger World and the arcade, and then…"

Tristan's face fell. 

"After that, it's blank."

"I woke up in a forest in my sleepwear," Kaiba explained, reluctantly. "The day before, I was at work. Mokuba was on the couch in my office, playing a-"

Kaiba blinked, apparently remembering something. 

"He was playing a game on a handheld device. I don't remember which one- Which is odd, because he was excited to try it out, despite it being from a competitor in the market. I believe he said something about meeting up with you geeks because he thought you all would be interested in it as well, and then dragging me along with him."

"So we must have met up, then, before we were sent to Hyrule," Yugi mused.

"I don't remember meeting Kaiba at all before ending up here," Tristan interrupted. 

"I don't, either," Yugi agreed. "But something must have happened to make us end up in another game world."

"Whatever it was, it happened after I'd gone to sleep," Kaiba huffed. "None of you would be present for that. And this isn't a game I recognize or have any control over, so it's not the Big Five attempting to assassinate me again."

"So we have no explanation on that end yet," Yugi said, thinking. "But considering that all three of us are here, it's logical to assume that Téa and Joey might also be here, too, right? Since Tristan and I met up with them before we all ended up here."

"And Mokuba." Kaiba's eyes narrowed. "He must be involved, too."

"So, our goal should be to find them, right?" Yugi asked.

"Considering where you and Taylor ended up, I imagine we'll come across more of the Geek Squad in the places where the other Divine Beasts are," Kaiba said. "The only places left are Death Mountain and Gerudo Desert."

"What about your brother?" Yugi asked.

Kaiba's expression grew darker. He didn't provide an answer this time.

"So, we've figured out where our friends are," Tristan interjected, changing the subject. "How do we figure out who is controlling Link? And- What else do we need to do to beat this game?"

"He needs to catch another horse," Kaiba said. "And whoever is behind the screen can give us another clue. That mechanic seems to be the only way the player can properly communicate with us. Their dialogue options are a barrier, but naming a horse requires direct player input."

"That sounds reasonable," Yugi agreed.

"Okay. We've figured out what our plan is," Tristan said. "What do we know about our characters? Because apparently Yugi just had a story arc- And there's obviously some reason why Kaiba got to join Link before we did."

"Well- It seems the villagers are under the impression that I kept trying to leave so I could look for my character's absent father," Yugi explained everything he was aware of. "Apparently he's roaming this world as a bard of some kind. And considering my character has four siblings, it's completely understandable that I would be angry and would want him to come back to support our mother."

"I woke up in some forest by myself and was immediately attacked by a Guardian," Kaiba said, casually. Both Yugi and Tristan stared at him, because they hadn't known this, and they were both very aware of what Guardians were capable of. To hear that Kaiba had encountered one immediately upon entering this world and surviving was both alarming and impressive. "I figured out I was in a game, followed clues to where my home village supposedly was, and met Link there. He's obviously meant to be the protagonist, so I decided that if I wanted to leave this place, I would have to keep him alive long enough for him to beat the game. As such, I led the Sheikah leader to believe my motivations were to free the Guardians from the Calamity's influence, just like how we've already freed two of the Divine Beasts. It was a similar enough goal to Link's that it only made sense for me to accompany him."

Kaiba paused.

"The Yiga Clan likely intends to keep me from achieving this goal I came up with. They're a branch of the Sheikah who turned traitor and assisted in bringing about the Calamity a hundred years ago."

"Is that why you've been so secretive about the scroll you use to level up?!" Tristan asked.

"Yes," Kaiba answered. "I was told to keep it hidden. Considering I encountered a member of the Yiga Clan shortly after receiving it, I have reason to assume my character has some sort of history with them. Whether my character has met them previously or whether it's simply a clan rivalry thing doesn't matter. They won't stop me."

"Whoa," Tristan said. "You never said anything about those guys until now."

"Ask Link where he got those bananas," Kaiba grumbled, looking like he'd just swallowed something unpleasant.

Tristan blinked, and then he started snickering, showing off sharp teeth as he held himself back from cackling. Yugi was sure he was missing some sort of reference. The idea that Tristan now had an inside joke with Kaiba of all people disturbed Yugi to a degree he hadn't thought possible.

"What about you, Tristan?" Yugi asked, trying to get back on topic.

"I dunno," Tristan said, shrugging. "I got hit in the head while on patrol as part of the Zora guard and then diagnosed with amnesia after waking up, because I asked another Zora why they were a fish. Before I realized I wasn't human, anyway."

That… Was one hundred percent something Tristan would do. There probably wasn't anything else to get from his character backstory. But it sounded like Kaiba's character still had an important role to play in future events of this game. He'd come up with an important quest so he had an excuse to stick with the main character, and that quest had yet to be completed. 

The search for Yugi's Puzzle was similar to this quest, but it had nothing to do with the actual story for this game- Not like the character arc Yugi had gone through while fighting to free Medoh. 

Yami would have many thoughts and questions about how this game world functioned- What the rules were, how the abilities of the Champions worked, and even the story itself- but he wasn't here to provide any commentary. 

Yugi really did miss him. He hoped Yami was alright, wherever he was.

"Okay." 

Yugi sat down on the floor next to the cooking pot, refocusing. While this group had figured out some things that had happened, there were still several questions to be asked about where they were and what they were doing. It was probably a good idea to go over them now, instead of later.

"Do either of you… Have you ever seen Link before today? Like- Not in this game? In promotional material, advertisements, or anything like that? Because this game isn't small- And while it isn't something distributed by Kaiba Corp, I live in a game shop and I don't remember seeing anything like this in any of the new games that me or my grandpa put on display this week."

"No, dude, I got nothin'." Tristan shook his head. 

Kaiba's scowl grew deeper. Out of everyone here, he was the most aware of the gaming market (as he actively contributed to it), but he didn't have an answer, either. "No."

Yugi sighed. "I guess whatever brought us here erased our memories of what this game is. Probably to keep us from cheating."

"I could just say we're dreaming and leave it at that," Tristan offered. "I had a dream like this once. I died and got turned into a robot monkey. You guys were there too. Kaiba swordfought the dude who stole my body and then chased him down on a motorcycle after he kidnapped Mokuba. It was kinda sick, not gonna lie."

"What the fuck, Taylor," Kaiba said, looking genuinely horrified.

"Hey, it was just a dream," Tristan hastily explained. "Don't look into it too much."

"I'd rather not look at you at all."

"Okay, now that's just mean, man."

"We've got a plan, at least," Yugi said, sighing. "But we should let the player decide where we're going next."

"Not the volcano," Kaiba said, immediately. "The party isn't a high enough level to go there yet. Volcanoes are more dangerous than any of the other terrain that we've traversed thus far, and I doubt either of you are fireproof. In the real world, scientists who visit active volcanoes need special gear to avoid catching fire or breathing in poisonous gas. And while it is entirely possible that the developers of this game didn't include poison gas, they included temperature-based damage. Those of us without feathers have been freezing our asses off basically the entire time we've been in this section of the map. I wouldn't put it past this game to include something like extreme heat and lava to keep the player from going to the volcano too early."

"That makes sense," Yugi agreed. Kaiba had a good point. This was why he was such a fantastic opponent in a duel. No one else had managed to push Yugi and Yami to be better like Kaiba did. "I guess our next destination should be the desert."

"I imagine we will need to search for cool or cold ingredients," Kaiba continued. "The desert will be hot, but not like the volcano is. Our main concern will be heat stroke, not spontaneous combustion."

"As an aquatic species, I think I'm going to be miserable no matter which place we go," Tristan sighed, depressed. "I'll dry out either way."

"Which is why we need the ingredients," Kaiba said, rolling his eyes, the red flashing with the reflection of the fire from the cooking pot. "I'm not letting the party's healer die because of a weather condition. That's fucking stupid."

"I appreciate your concern for me," Tristan grumbled. "Thanks."

"So… Our plan is to get cold ingredients, and then to travel to the desert?" Yugi asked.

"I believe it to be the best course of action at this point in time, yes," Kaiba replied. "Since these ingredients will be found in cold areas, we can unlock more of the northern map while we're at it."

"Then I'll pass your plans on to Link."

"Whatever. Do what you want."

----

Northern Hebra was windy, rocky, and completely frozen. Link had agreed to Kaiba's suggestion to search for cool ingredients to prepare for a trip to the desert, and so now the party had traveled into the mountains during a snowstorm to explore and search for them.

Yugi was the one who managed to get to the Towers, as he could fly up to the Guidance Stones without worrying about any traps or puzzles that could surround them, so the Sheikah Slate's northwestern map was practically complete. Link seemed to know the way to several shrines, which he used to create new teleports on the map and to level up, as Kaiba helpfully explained, while Link was inside of one and the rest of the party had to wait for him to come out.

Yugi was fairly certain the player in control of Link had found a guide online and was using it to locate the shrines, because the mountains were very hard to navigate, and, even with a complete map of their topography, utterly impossible to find a tiny shrine in. He honestly couldn't even complain that much about it, since there were definitely a lot more shrines than he had initially realized- And even Kaiba and Tristan didn't care, because Link grew stronger after clearing the shrines. That was the player's way to level up, and the player was a necessary component for completing the game. If they wanted to kill the final boss, they needed to let the player get stronger, too.

During the times when the player was doing a puzzle within a shrine, Yugi, Kaiba, and Tristan would all go through their own materials, which would let them increase their own power. Yugi learned some interesting flying tips during these moments, and there were times when he would look up and see Tristan testing various healing spells on himself- before Kaiba appeared out of nowhere and berated him for letting the effects of his food run out specifically so he could try the new spells to restore his health. Even with Yugi's enhanced eyesight, it was getting harder to notice when Kaiba was there. He'd been fading into the shadows a lot more frequently than before.

And then, after going back down the mountain, the party entered a snowfield and found themselves at a stable near a road.

"Hey," Kaiba said, initiating a conversation with Link as they entered the stable, where it was warm enough to finally relax a bit. "You should get Taylor a horse. He can't swim in icy water without dying."

"That's a good idea," Link agreed. "I dunno if these guys make saddles for Zoras, though."

"Excuse me," Tristan asked the stable manager, who had come inside to ask how many beds the group was going to pay for. "Do you guys have saddles that could fit me?"

"We are able to adjust our saddles to fit one of your stature," the manager confirmed.

"Oh, neat," Tristan said, before turning to Link. "Name my horse something cool! Please?"

"Name it whatever you want," Kaiba interrupted, dropping some Rupees he'd snuck out of Link's pockets onto the counter. "I'm going to sleep."

Kaiba then vanished under the blankets on one of the beds and did not stir again.

"Name it something that speaks to you," Yugi suggested. "I'm sure you can come up with something!"

"Huh," Link said, thoughtfully. "I think I understand."

I hope he does. Still, it's important to ensure that the player knows to use this to send us a message. 

Whether it's about their identity or their plans, this is the only way we can properly communicate with each other.

Who knows what could happen if we announce that we're actual people from the real world who all got trapped here? We lost all of our memories of what this game is, so something bad is sure to happen if we try to cheat the system.

"Honestly, you can do better than 'Kuriboh'," Tristan said.

"I take offense to that," Yugi said.

"Hey. You're a Winged Kuriboh. That's a totally different guy."

"Shut up and let Link name the fucking horse," Kaiba grumbled, from beneath more blankets than before. He then pulled a pillow over his head and disappeared into what could be considered a nest- Except Yugi was the one with bird traits here, not Kaiba. 

"Fine," Tristan sighed.

"Yeah, you can come up with the name," Yugi repeated, cheerfully. "It can be anything you want!"

"You guys are acting really strange," Link said. "But I'll find a horse for you, Tristan."

"Thanks!" Tristan replied, not bothered at all by Link's comment. Considering he'd been traveling with Kaiba for a while before he'd met up with Yugi, he'd definitely been called worse, and was now most certainly numb to jabs and mild insults. "Welp, time to sleep!"

"Yeah," Yugi said, deflating. "Time to sleep."

Link regarded them strangely, but he didn't say anything else. Instead, he took his Sheikah Slate and his warm armor with him as he left the stable, in search of a horse.

Yugi, who hadn't properly slept since leaving Rito Village, decided to copy what Kaiba was up to, and he buried himself like an ostrich underneath a heap of blankets. Sure, his feathers were certainly going to be ruffled by this, but they were warm and comfortable. And he closed his eyes, falling into a deep slumber almost immediately.

…

…

…

Yugi.

…

Yugi, where are you?

This darkness is like nothing I've ever faced before. I cannot defeat it on my own. This body has been severely weakened- And its host is barely responsive.

I need your help, Yugi.

Please. Hurry.

Yugi woke with a start, flinging his blankets off of himself, and wildly looking around, only to find himself in the stable, with his friends all sleeping nearby.

"What was that dream?" Yugi whispered to himself- A habit he hadn't quite managed to drop, even though he didn't have his Puzzle. His hands- Feathers, now- reached in front of his chest for something that wasn't there. "That voice- Where could Yami have gone to be facing darkness like that?"

Since Yugi didn't have his Puzzle, he didn't get an answer to what his dream could have meant. Yami wasn't there to provide his thoughts, but this dream had confirmed that he was somewhere in this world. He'd mentioned having a host- So the Millennium Puzzle had fallen into someone else's hands after being separated from Yugi. Yugi had no idea who could have it, though, as the only identifying details Yami had mentioned were that his host had been incredibly weakened… And that he was fighting some sort of darkness he'd never encountered before.

It was unlikely that he was going to be able to sleep, so Yugi climbed out of his bed and walked outside so that he might look at the night sky to continue sorting through his thoughts. Maybe there was an answer in what Yami had told him.

The snowstorm from earlier had cleared up. The stars glittered in a black sky like diamonds. And the moon, which was usually a bright white, was glowing an ominous red, directly in the middle of it all.

Yugi stared up at it, unable to process what exactly he was looking at. Something was wrong, because the moon wasn't usually red, but he couldn't put a finger to what this actually meant. 

"The Blood Moon," Link said, solemnly. He'd just rode up to the stable on an unfamiliar horse, one that was completely black aside from having white hair by its hooves and a white streak up its nose. "Enemies return from the grave on nights like these."

Oh, so it's a respawn mechanic! 

Yugi's thoughts immediately turned to what this meant for the game. He hadn't seen any enemies come back from being killed before- And considering they all dropped useful materials, it made sense that this game had a way to respawn them.

Lorewise, Yugi didn't know what it meant, though.

"I haven't ever seen one before," Yugi said, truthfully. "It's… It's kinda scary."

"Part of why the Calamity has affected Hyrule so much is because of the Blood Moon," Link replied. "Every monster that's been struck down suddenly revives- Just as strong as they were before. It's an endless wave. That's why we have to defeat Calamity Ganon as soon as possible. The people of Hyrule are growing weaker, while their enemies cannot die for good."

"That makes sense," Yugi said, thinking.

Is the Calamity the 'darkness' that Yami was describing in my dream?

…

Where on earth did my Puzzle get sent to?!

"I had a strange vision, while the moon rose to its peak," Link said, unprompted. "Princess Zelda has spoken to me before- And she warned me that the Calamity was regaining its strength."

"I had a weird dream, too," Yugi admitted.  "I don't think I can go back to sleep now."

"I'm sorry," Link said.

"It's… It's fine. I'll be alright," Yugi said. He then regarded the new horse. "What are you going to name your new friend?"

"I was thinking about calling him 'Immokuba'." Link patted the horse's side with a small smile.

Yugi blinked. 

And then he realized exactly what the player's message said, and his heart plummeted into his stomach.

"Oh, Kaiba is going to kill someone when he hears this."

Chapter Text

Yugi, of course, waited for Link to lay down and go to sleep before he acted on this new information. Firstly, he shook Tristan awake, because Tristan was closer to the entrance to the stable than Kaiba was.

Tristan stirred easily- partially because Yugi's talons were digging into his blankets while his feathers were gripping his shoulders.

"Whassat- Yugi? What're ya doin'?"

"Tristan, the plan worked!" Yugi hissed, trying to keep his voice down. "I know who's playing this game with us!"

Tristan sat up, dislodging Yugi so he flopped back near the foot of the bed, scattering a few black and magenta feathers in the process. Yugi struggled to get upright, writhing in the blanket trap Tristan had unintentionally caught him in.

"You do? How?"

"I asked about his new horse, and he named it 'Immokuba'. Immokuba, Tristan. I'm Mokuba," Yugi emphasized, going still. "Mokuba is playing as Link right now."

"I guess that explains why Link hangs out with Kaiba more than us," Tristan said, casually. He looked over to the nest of blankets that Kaiba was currently buried underneath. "If you wanna wake him up to tell him this, I ain't gonna stop ya, but he will probably try to stab you if you disturb him."

"I think he won't mind being updated about where his brother is," Yugi said, hesitantly.

"Your funeral," Tristan replied, carefully pulling his blankets out of Yugi's talons so they didn't rip, and turning back over so he could go back to sleep.

Now that he was free, Yugi hopped off of Tristan's bed and then approached where Kaiba was resting.

His sleep was eerily quiet, as were all of Kaiba's actions ever since being put in this game, but that didn't change the fact that Yugi had heard Tristan breathing before he'd woken him up. In Kaiba's mountain of blankets, he couldn't even tell if there was a person there.

Still, though. Kaiba would want to know immediately that his brother was okay.

So Yugi gently patted the part of the blankets where he assumed Kaiba's shoulder was.

Almost instantly, the pillow lifted, and red eyes glimmered in the darkness underneath it- Still heavy with sleep and filled to the brim with murderous intent.

"What," Kaiba snapped, obviously displeased with being woken up in the middle of the night, especially with how cold it was outside. Kaiba didn't have a layer of feathers to keep him safe from the cold, so lifting his pillow to look out at Yugi was letting frozen air into his fortress of warmth.

"Your brother's the one in control of Link," Yugi said, because he didn't want to waste any time.

Kaiba didn't react for a second, processing what Yugi was telling him.

And then a hand shot forwards from the darkness, gripping Yugi by his scarf, and Kaiba emerged from his blankets, somehow even more murderous than before.

"Explain, Yugi."

Yugi, fearing for his life, hastily told Kaiba everything. About waking up from a weird dream, seeing the Blood Moon in the sky, and then Link coming back and talking to him, before revealing that he'd named his new horse 'Immokuba'. 

Kaiba was able to understand what that meant, unsurprisingly. And he let Yugi go once he knew.

"Mokuba is outside of the game world, and he's the one who is playing as Link," Kaiba said, more to himself than to Yugi. "So there's nothing to worry about in-game, then. Mokuba likes these types of games- RPGs, adventure games, that sort of thing- And he's good at them. Not as good as he is at Capsule Monsters, but that knowledge hardly applies here."

"At least you know he's okay, right?" Yugi asked.

"He's been left alone in the real world," Kaiba said, scowling. "This changes nothing. We still need to beat this game as quickly as possible."

"I agree," Yugi said. "I just figured you wouldn't want to wait to hear this news, so- Sorry for waking you up like this."

"You're… Fine," Kaiba bit out, releasing his grip, and then apparently realizing he was cold, because he started shivering. 

He then glared at Yugi again, before pulling his warm blankets back over himself, and completely vanishing beneath them once again.

That could have gone worse, Yugi thought to himself, readjusting his scarf and walking back over to his bed. I might as well try to rest more. We have a long day of travel ahead of us.

So, Yugi, even though he wasn't tired, laid back down, tucked himself and his feathers underneath his blankets, and simply appreciated how warm it was. 

He remained curled up in silence until the sun rose. 

----

According to Yugi, Mokuba was still in the real world. In fact, he was the player in control of Link, which meant that Mokuba was the protagonist of this game. 

Seto was, of course, relieved to know where his brother was. Mokuba's location had been something he'd been concerned about ever since waking up in this game world- Partially because it was far more dangerous than the Virtual World Seto had designed (Even after it had been taken over by the Big Five and changed into a prison), and partially because if Mokuba wasn't in the game world, he was on his own back in reality, and Kaiba Corporation had many enemies who would certainly use this time to strike while Seto wasn't present.

Seto could assume the party had made it halfway through the game's main story, now that they had tamed two of four Divine Beasts. Which was incredible, considering the size of the world and how much there still was left to explore. 

But it wasn't fast enough.

Seto wouldn't stop moving until he was back with Mokuba. His brother was young, and their enemies were dangerous. 

He had to consider, though, that since Mokuba was currently playing a game, things hadn't been affected that much in the real world just yet. If the situation was truly dire, Mokuba wouldn't have any time to waste here. And perhaps there was a shorter day/night cycle in the game's world than there was in the real world- So what had felt like weeks of travel could actually be a mere day or two in reality. 

What was truly unfortunate was the barrier in communication that was currently between them. Mokuba couldn't actually say anything directly to Seto through Link, even if he did repeatedly come up to him and interact… More than the others, Seto had noticed. Originally, Seto had believed that Link talked to him more than Yugi or Taylor because Seto was the first person to join the party. Now, though, he was aware it was because Link was being controlled by Mokuba.

…

Whatever.

Seto’s goals hadn't changed. The final boss stood between him and his brother, so the final boss needed to die.

The party was getting stronger. They had freed two Divine Beasts already, with… Minimal casualties.

Seto needed to get his hands on more ancient parts. Passing the Sheikah Slate between himself and Mokuba-as-Link had worked so far, but… For the sake of completing the game faster, Seto needed to hurry up and get his own technology instead of relying on what the game had given him. 

…

If the party was strong enough to defeat a Guardian, Seto might be able to dismantle it for its parts… Provided that it didn't disintegrate like monsters did, of course. 

It was unlikely that there was a Guardian in the snowy plains of northern Hebra, anyway. There had been no sign of any Guardian presence in the exploration the party had already done.

It'd be better to test their strength against a Guardian that wasn't completely functional. Seto knew he was fast enough to dodge the beams that a broken-down Guardian fired, as well as the malice amalgamations that had infected the Divine Beasts, so even if the others weren't interested in running his experiments, Seto could handle this part of his quest by himself.

So.

The morning came, and the party regrouped over breakfast next to the cooking pot, sitting on the small stools that surrounded it, and feeling the crisp air on their skin. The sky was clear, though, and it was looking to be a bright and lovely day.

The Rito armor Seto and Link were wearing kept them warm, and Taylor still shivered occasionally, despite the warming food that Link was handing to him, before turning back to the cooking pot, making more food.

"I'm tired of spicy food," Taylor complained, but he still ate it. "This is not a normal breakfast. Joey would agree with me, and he'll eat anything."

"Don't ruin my appetite by talking about that mutt," Seto scoffed.

"Sorry, Sleeping Beauty, I'm just worried about my friends," Taylor said, with a forced smile.

"Guys," Yugi said, pained. "Can we just have a calm breakfast before we start trying to kill each other?"

"No one's killing anyone, Yugi," Taylor told him. "Though, if Kaiba happens to get stabbed, I might let him bleed a bit before I help him."

"I can assure you, you are far more at risk of being stabbed than I am," Seto told him, honestly. And then he turned to Link, who was done with his next dish. "Do you have any ancient parts?"

"Yeah," Link said, immediately. "Do you need 'em?"

Seto nodded.

"Okay," Link said, not even questioning it. He hadn't questioned Seto's judgment before now, and, in the present, he was doing the same. Seto now knew this was because Mokuba was the one playing as him, and Mokuba knew he could trust Seto implicitly. So, when Link dumped all of his Guardian weapons and ancient parts into Seto's lap, Seto accepted them. "Here you go."

There wasn't a large collection to work with, really, but it was enough that Seto could safely experiment with it. If he could figure out how they truly functioned… Then he could properly bring his idea into this game's reality.

Of course, it was unlikely that it would function exactly the same as it would in the real world. But now Seto had the resources to begin attempting it.

"So," Link said, sitting down on the free stool with a plate of some eggs and rice, "Are we gonna start going south?"

"We have gathered a lot of cool ingredients, and we've explored these mountains pretty thoroughly," Yugi said, thoughtfully. "I guess we can always come back if we've forgotten something, can't we? The Travel Gates can transport all of us back here without any problems…"

"I, for one, am sick of being cold all the time," Taylor added, with a nod.

"The faster we get to the desert, the faster we can free the next Divine Beast," Seto said, carefully counting out the parts he'd received and stashing them in his pack. It was mostly gears and screws, but there were a couple of Ancient Cores, as well as a Guardian Sword similar to the one Seto was using as his main weapon now, and a shield and axe. All of it fit into his magically-deepened pockets. "I imagine there'll be some sort of complication with approaching the Divine Beast, the same as the ones we've encountered previously. The village leader will have the exact details for that situation, most likely, so we should be prepared to talk to them."

"I mean, I knew Kaiba was good at plotting and scheming, but actually having him on our team really shows how good he is," Taylor said, whispering in Yugi's ear even though Seto was sitting directly next to them.

"Tristan," Yugi said back, still incredibly pained, "You shouldn't gossip about people when they're right in front of you. It's mean."

"But- Kaiba's been talking shit this whole time!" Taylor squawked. "Joey's not even here to defend himself, and-"

"Kaiba's actually pretty nice if you look past his thorns," Yugi said, interrupting. "I mean, Link told me about how you guys freed Ruta! Kaiba saved your life!"

"I don't remember that, and I am choosing to ignore any and all implications that Kaiba did anything of the sort," Taylor said, genuinely horrified by the idea.

"He did, though," Link said, using his finger to wipe his plate clean, and then licking the finger to finish off his food. "I saw it. We can go to Zora's Domain to ask Prince Sidon, if you want."

"Absolutely not," Taylor said, immediately. "I am not talking to the guy whose dead sister decided to give me magic healing powers. It was awkward enough the first time."

"Believe what you want," Seto said, standing up.

"Finish your food," Link said, shoving another plate in his direction.

Seto stared at him. Link stared back with the same audacity that only his little brother could pull off.

He sighed, and then sat back down, taking the plate. He hadn't been thinking about exactly why Link had been so insistent on having the party sit down to eat together, but since it was a time to strategize and to talk about the world they'd found themselves in, Seto had just played along. It was easier that way.

But now he knew it was Mokuba actively making that choice. Which explained a lot.

Mokuba was worried about Seto's health and well-being, so he was doing what he could to make sure Seto ate something healthy and fulfilling. Since Mokuba wasn't actually there, in the game world, he was simply doing what he could, likely for his own ease of mind. If Mokuba was in the game and Seto was outside of it, trying to free him, he'd be the same way.

"Fine, fine. Whatever," Seto said, and Link beamed at him while he started eating. "We're leaving as soon as I'm done."

----

The journey south wasn't direct. Link ended up taking the party to a Travel Gate near Tabantha, and then, after stopping at a different stable, leading them along a winding road towards a different sort of mountains in the distance on the backs of their horses while Yugi flew overhead, scouting the area. Seto could see a Sheikah Tower poking out from one of the peaks, nearly hidden by the fog above the far-away mountains.

There were, of course, monsters and other enemies along the way. Bokoblins and Moblins were no issue, but Yugi ended up shooting a Yiga Clan member who had appeared on the road and tried to ambush them- Only to have them scatter, leaving behind some Rupees and bananas. (Taylor found the entire thing amusing, apparently, considering he was cackling for thirty minutes after Yugi picked the bananas up, completely bewildered.)

The Yiga Clan hadn't really shown their faces in Zora's Domain or in Hebra. This could be because they were not suited for the water or for the cold, but Seto couldn't help but think it was odd to see them here.

It was unlikely that the Yiga Clan would show up in the desert itself, since it was also a hostile environment. And since their clothes were skintight, any sand that got in them was going to be distinctly uncomfortable. 

Even though it was unlikely that the Yiga Clan would show up in the desert itself, Seto was still a target, as he'd been told by the Sheikah chieftain- And, with his current plans, he was about to make himself into a much larger priority. He'd need to keep an eye out until the party got to the desert.

"What's with the bananas?" Yugi asked, landing on one of the large rocks inside of the canyon the road winded through, while Link was inside of another shrine and the party was waiting for him. "I mean, I understand that there's ninjas that can just spawn in the same way monsters do- But why do they drop bananas when they're defeated?"

"Who cares?" Seto told him, honestly. "They're a branch of the Sheikah that defected, deciding to bring about the Calamity or something. Since we're traveling with the hero who's supposed to bring about the end of the Calamity, they're enemies."

"And what about you, Kaiba?" Yugi asked. "You're a Sheikah, so…"

"Yugi. You killed that enemy in one shot to the head without any trouble whatsoever. I dodged a beam from a Guardian immediately after waking up here," Seto said. "I don't think the Yiga Clan is anything to be impressed by. It was the Guardians and Divine Beasts being corrupted by Malice that made this country fall, not those weaklings."

"That doesn't explain the banana thing," Taylor said, looking up from where he was reading Mipha's diary. 

Seto stared at him in silence for a few seconds. Yugi, if he'd been human, probably would have broken out into a nervous sweat. Instead, his feathers ruffled, despite there being no wind in this canyon.

"I can only assume they like bananas because they went bananas," Seto said, with a shrug. "It wouldn't be the strangest thing to see in this world."

"What is the strangest thing, then?" Taylor asked.

"Either the dancing tree who put pockets in my pajama pants or the gigantic fairy that robbed me," Seto said.

"Dancing tree?" 

"Fairy?" 

"I'm not talking about the tree," Seto said, flatly. "Frankly, nobody should talk about the tree. It was disturbing."

"What about the fairy, then?" Yugi asked.

"The Great Fairies enhance armor… At a price." Seto scowled. "I was caught off-guard. It won't happen again."

"...But you have enhanced armor?" Taylor asked.

"Hardly," Seto scoffed. "Sheikah clothes are meant for stealth, not defense. The whole thing was pointless."

"What do you mean?" Yugi asked. "Surely by having armor enhanced by a fairy, you're stronger than we are?"

"Do I need to remind you that the Yiga Clan is a branch of the Sheikah that defected?" Seto raised an eyebrow. "And that you defeated that member with one arrow, Yugi?"

"Oh, I get it," Yugi said, and his feathers relaxed, just a bit. "Your strengths are in your speed, not in how well you can take a hit. That's not the sort of character you're meant to be. Because… You're fast enough to dodge."

"Armor isn't a necessity if you can just avoid being attacked," Taylor realized. "Since Yugi's arrow was faster than the Yiga member… They went down easily."

"There isn't a designated 'tank' character in the party," Seto said. "The closest we've got are Link and Taylor, and they're clearly a fighter and a healer, not a shielder."

"Do you think we'll find a shield in the desert?" Yugi asked.

"Or in the volcano," Seto said. "Given that we are halfway through the game, we have yet to see every possibility."

Seto hummed.

"The Champions… They've passed their abilities onto you. Describe them."

"Mipha's Grace allows me to use magic to heal injuries," Taylor said. "Even, uh, fatal ones. Supposedly."

"Revali's Gale lets me create an updraft, making it easier to move in the skies," Yugi said, blinking.

"So a movement and a healing ability." Seto paused. "I assume the other Champions had an attacking ability and a shielding ability when they were still alive."

"How can you be so sure?" Taylor asked.

"This is a game," Seto said. "There are rules."

"It does make sense," Yugi agreed, providing his insight to Taylor. "Since a lot of this game requires exploration and combat, the player should have ways to improve that experience as they progress. The healing ability restores their health if they get hurt, and the updraft makes it easier to reach difficult places… So it's not that crazy to assume the other Champions had abilities to increase the party's attack and defense capabilities, since we already have the ones that don't affect them."

"I think I get it," Taylor said, though he still sounded confused. 

At this point, Link exited the shrine, so any conversation about how the game worked promptly ended. Yugi figured that breaking the rules of the game by talking about it was a bad idea, and even if they all knew that Mokuba was controlling Link, something had affected their memories before they had awoken in this game world. Direct communication with the player was impossible, and it was too much of a risk to try it.

So, the party got back on their horses (Or back into the air, in Yugi's case), and continued on the winding road south. 

Eventually, just before entering the desert itself, there was a decent-sized alcove in the canyon- Which opened up to the desert. In that alcove was another stable, as well as a shrine, and a small number of people crowded around a Rito with blue feathers and an accordion as he played. Seto recognized Beedle, the merchant with that massive bug-shaped backpack, sitting nearby, and…

"Oh my gosh, guys!"

Yugi and Taylor were accosted by a rather familiar woman, dragging both of them into a crushing bear hug, thankfully completely avoiding Seto... Because he probably would have stabbed her on reflex.

"It's been forever since I've seen you!" Téa Gardner announced, and both Yugi and Taylor's faces lit up.

Great… Another member of the Geek Squad has arrived.

Chapter Text

The first thing Tristan noticed was that Téa had been changed by this world, too. Only… She wasn't a fish or a bird or a ninja. She looked quite like herself, but with pointed ears similar to Link's, and, of course, the fact she was six inches taller than usual and apparently built like a brick shithouse due to the sheer amount of muscle on her person.

She was wearing armor similar to some of the Gerudo merchants and travelers Tristan had seen around, but she was not a Gerudo herself- Just wearing their clothes. Téa's stomach (abs) and shoulders (easily as big as Tristan’s head) were exposed, and her pants and the fabric she had wrapped around her waist were bright colors (Blue and pink, like Dark Magician Girl), standing out despite the golden armor and jewelry she was wearing. Her hair was tied up into a ponytail, and she was wearing a pair of intricate ruby earrings.

Téa had clearly ended up in the desert and had probably befriended multiple merchants to get her new threads… And the gigantic two-handed claymore strapped to her back. Which she wouldn't have been able to even lift back in the real world, but apparently didn't even notice now- Especially while dragging both Yugi and Tristan into a group hug.

"It's so good to see you!" Téa declared.

"Téa," Yugi squeaked out, from where his face was being squished into her abs, "My bones are hollow-!"

"Oh, sorry!" Téa chirped, letting both Yugi and Tristan go. "I got excited- And I guess I forgot about my strength!"

"Yeah, uh… What exactly happened to you?" Tristan asked. "You look… Taller."

"Oh, I-" 

"Save the formalities for later," Kaiba interrupted, and Téa startled, apparently not noticing him until he'd spoken. He briefly gestured towards Link, and then held one finger over his lips- Shushing her. "We need to get to the Divine Beast."

"Really, Kaiba?" Téa said, flatly. She put her hands on her hips and scowled at him. "Your attitude could use some work. I know about the Divine Beast, but I don't feel like telling you anything about it, so there."

"Suit yourself," Kaiba said, rolling his eyes and dragging Link away from their group and toward the stable, on the complete opposite side of the alcove. Ignoring them all, he started talking to Link. "There's a cooking pot over here. It's time to use the cold ingredients before we enter the desert."

Tristan watched him go, actually pretty astonished that Link followed without saying a word, simply agreeing.

"And there goes Kaiba, giving us an opportunity to explain everything without being overheard by the player," Tristan said, feeling faint. (He had actually started to understand Kaiba better, against both of their wills. Of course Kaiba didn't want to talk to Téa about what sort of situation they had all ended up in, and of course Kaiba would know to get Link out of the way so that Yugi and Tristan could talk with Téa freely. And of course he would be an asshole about it the entire time.)

"I didn't even see him until he started talking." Téa shuddered. "I'm gonna have nightmares."

"We shouldn't waste this opportunity," Yugi said, staring over at where Kaiba and Link had managed to catch the attention of the Rito with the accordion. Link struck up a pleasant conversation while cooking, and Kaiba just leaned on the wall, pretending that he wasn't watching Yugi and Tristan talking to Téa. "So, uh, we're all stuck in a game, and the only way to get out is to beat it."

"I figured it was something like that," Téa said, quietly. "This type of thing tends to happen to us."

"Link over there- Uh, in the blue- Is the protagonist of this game, and he's being controlled by someone from the real world," Yugi hastily explained. "We figured out that it's Mokuba. So we know Mokuba's outside and doing okay… And he's doing his best to try and get us out of here."

"Alright. So how did you guys end up traveling with Kaiba, anyway?" Téa asked. "I understand going with the protagonist, but Kaiba’s always doing his own thing… Did something happen?"

"Kaiba was actually the first one to join the adventuring party, of his own free will, unbelievably," Tristan said. "I was, uh, second. And we just got Yugi out of Rito Village, so he was third."

"Huh." Téa thought for a moment. "Why'd Kaiba ask about the Divine Beast?"

"Because part of our quest to save this world and beat the game is by freeing the Divine Beasts all across Hyrule," Yugi explained. "We just freed Medoh. And, uh, Kaiba and Tristan freed Ruta before they went to Rito Village."

"I'm not sure how on earth you're supposed to be able to free Vah Naboris, but the Gerudo chief will probably have some information about it," Téa said, cheerfully. She pointed out to the desert, where a large cloud of dust shimmered on the horizon, warped by the heat into a smudge Tristan couldn't exactly identify. "All I know is that it kicks up sandstorms and it hits people with lightning strikes if they get too close."

"Uh… Zoras and electricity don't mix," Tristan said, slightly panicked.

"I'm sure there's… Probably some electricity-resistant foods we can make?" Yugi offered, but Tristan shook his head.

"Even then," Tristan said, knowing precisely why none of the Zoras had been able to approach the Lynel at the peak of Ploymus Mountain to get those shock arrows. He'd seen some of the injuries. He tried not to remember them. "We don't mix."

"Well, that sucks," Téa said, bluntly. "I'll go with you guys. Maybe I can help protect you."

"If… If worst comes to worst, Tristan, you should be able to heal yourself," Yugi said. "But we won't let that happen."

"Tristan, you have healing abilities?" Téa asked, actually surprised.

"Uh… Yeah, I inherited Champion Mipha's powers after freeing Ruta," Tristan explained. "I don't remember much about it, since I was kind of… Passed out, at the time… But there was a whole thing with a laser hitting my gills, so I think I get a pass on trying to remember what happened."

"Kaiba saved his life, if you'll believe that," Yugi said, and Téa frowned, clearly not believing it.

"There is no evidence to suggest that he did," Tristan said, hastily. "And I refuse to even consider otherwise."

"Okay… So, I guess I should tell you guys how I got here, right?" Téa asked.

Both Yugi and Tristan nodded.

"I woke up in the Kara Kara Bazaar in my pajamas, with no way of getting out, because I couldn't traverse the desert at all without heat resistant armor or other supplies," Téa explained, pointing to a much closer smudge in the desert than the cloud where the Divine Beast supposedly was. "And I freaked out a lot, but there were a bunch of nice women around who decided to take me under their wings. So I've been staying in Gerudo Town, hanging out with the guards who found me and learning how to use my sword."

She sighed.

"I was eventually going to head out of the desert to look for proper answers, but I've really… Well, I've been escorting travelers from the stable to the Bazaar to Gerudo Town, mostly, and asking them for information as payment for protection. I've heard a lot of rumors of a hero who'll make his way here, so… I figured that was probably related to what I was looking for. And now you guys are here!"

"So you basically know everyone around here?" Yugi asked.

"Oh, yes." Téa nodded. "I haven't met the Gerudo chief yet, but I know mostly everyone else."

She gestured around the stable.

"There's Beedle. He's always selling stuff out of his backpack- Essentials for travelers and ingredients for elixirs. He's a bit odd, but he has a good heart."

She pointed to the Rito with the accordion.

"That's Kass, a wandering bard. He's been trying to decipher the words and poems his teacher left him- And he's been all across Hyrule, so he has a lot of stories."

Yugi made a pained noise, but he didn't actually say anything. Tristan blinked, realizing exactly why that was the case.

"Uh, Téa," Tristan said, leaning in close so he could whisper in her ear, "We've, uh, kind of maybe sort of taken the place of some existing characters? I think? And Yugi… Well, he's technically… Kass is his-"

"It's not important!" Yugi interrupted, batting Tristan's hand away from Téa with one of his wings, jumping up and scattering feathers everywhere. "I'm- I'm gonna go scout around! Be right back!"

With that, Yugi took off, flying up and out of sight.

"What was that about?" Téa asked, confused.

Tristan might as well rip the Band-Aid off, now that Yugi wasn't here to say anything. That might make him a bad friend, but… Téa deserved to be aware, at least, in case she would try to force a friendship between the two. She thought the best of people, and she clearly had some positive thoughts about Kass, so since she knew him, she'd probably befriended him. And because Tristan knew Téa, he was aware that she liked to have her friends be friends with each other. Which wouldn't work in this situation.

"Téa, Kass is Yugi's character's father," Tristan said, bluntly. "Who, uh, left him and his four siblings behind to travel the world."

"Oh," Téa said, with a judgmental glance in Kass' direction… And then that judgment faded to pity. "I guess it's not my place to say anything, so… I won't. It's a bit more complicated than just that, but- Yugi should get to make his own choices about whether he talks to Kass."

"Yeah, it's… Probably for the best if we don't mention it," Tristan agreed. "I've already been a part of one awkward family reunion. I don't think I want to be part of another."

"Me either." 

Tristan then blatantly changed the subject. Téa allowed this without any complaints whatsoever.

"So, you're gonna join our party?" Tristan asked.

"Of course I am!" Téa smiled at him. "You guys look like you could use some muscle… And I've been through this part of the desert a lot! I can be your escort!"

"Great, then let's go introduce you to Link," Tristan said, already walking across the alcove to the stable… And the cooking pot.

Kaiba regarded them both as they arrived, but he didn't say anything. He just stared through them with those creepy red eyes of his, and Link waved excitedly.

"Hello!" Link said, to Téa. "You're a Hylian like me! It's nice to meet you!"

"My name's Téa. It's nice to meet you, too," Téa said, taking his hand and shaking it. "Tristan and Yugi asked me for a favor, so I can escort you guys through the desert to the Bazaar and then to Gerudo Town."

"Where is Yugi, anyway?" Link asked, having noticed his absence.

"Avoiding confrontation," Kaiba answered, before anyone else could. He didn't say anything else, just looking off towards the desert and scowling. Apparently, he'd picked up on the tension as well and wasn't pleased by it. Not much pleased him. The guy's default emotion was angry.

"Okay," Link said, not even questioning it. "He'll probably need to eat the cold foods if we're gonna be traveling through the desert… His feathers keep heat in really well, so it's important to make sure it's not too much for him to handle."

"We may be able to pick up some appropriate desert clothes at the Bazaar," Téa offered. "Depending on if the merchant is there… She lives in Gerudo Town, so she travels between the city and the Bazaar pretty frequently."

"That's a good idea," Link said. "We had a lot of cold ingredients to make food that can resist the heat, but desert clothes will last longer, making it easier to explore… And to get to the Divine Beast."

"I'm happy to help," Téa declared. "If there's any rumors you want to know about, I've probably heard them. And if I haven't heard them, I know who to talk to!"

"We should stop wasting time," Kaiba said, from where he was still leaning on the side of the stable. "None of us want to stay here for much longer."

"Kass' story was good, though, right?" Link said. "I wouldn't mind listening to a couple more songs."

"I don't particularly care," Kaiba said to him. "But preparations are complete, and those idiots managed to convince someone to guide us. We shouldn't sit around doing nothing when we're all ready to go."

"Hmm… Okay!" Link agreed. 

"We'll go to the Kara Kara Bazaar first," Téa said. "From there, we'll go to Gerudo Town to talk to the chief."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed, and Téa glared back at him. Tristan… Really didn't want to get involved in a fight, especially one that Téa would likely win. 

Seriously. That sword was massive.

Tristan then felt a familiar set of talons carefully landing onto his shoulder as Yugi took his usual perch, much calmer than before. (In unrelated news, Kass had gone inside of the stable to speak to the owner about something.) 

"Hey, guys," Yugi said, like nothing at all had happened. "I'm back."

"Oh, hey," Link said. "We're about to head out, so- Here."

Link then passed out several cold dishes, cooked with the ingredients that the party had gathered in Hebra, and everyone chowed down except for Téa. She already had armor that could protect her from the heat, so she'd refused, telling Link to save it for himself for later.

So, now that everyone was ready, the party set out into the desert proper.

It was mostly flat, and incredibly wide- After having been in a canyon on horseback for the past few hours, it was eerie to see so much more than just a glimpse of the sky, hidden behind rocks and cliffs. There were a few dunes that made small hills nearby, and some cacti and other desert plants in bunches, but everything else was just… Sand. Golden and endless and constantly shifting in the wind- Which carried no relief from the heat bearing down on the party.

"I miss Yami," Yugi muttered, quietly enough for only Tristan to hear him, because he was still perched on Tristan's shoulder.

The party progressed in a straight line towards a distant smudge of color, guided by Téa, who had taken the lead. They were all on foot, because a horse was not going to handle desert terrain well enough to travel. Kuriboh, Adina, and Immokuba were all in the care of the stablehands while the party went on their way.

The sun beat down from above, completely relentlessly, but since they had all consumed food to give them heat resistance, they proceeded uninhibited.

"The Bazaar is centered around an oasis," Téa explained, chipper and cheerful, like a tour guide. "So we'll be able to replenish your supplies and, most importantly, your water, as soon as we get there."

"So, what do you know about the Divine Beast?" Link asked.

"The Divine Beast… Vah Naboris," Téa said, nodding towards one of the dark clouds on the horizon. "It kicks up dangerous sandstorms, and hits anyone who gets close with lightning strikes. I haven't seen it for myself, but… The Gerudo Champion, Urbosa, was said to have control over lightning, which was why she was suited for piloting Naboris."

"Like a special kind of attack?" Yugi asked.

"Yeah, exactly." Téa nodded. "Supposedly, with just a snap of her fingers, she could turn part of the desert into glass."

"Impressive," Kaiba commented.

"The Gerudo chief should have more exact details, but that's just what I've heard from some of the merchants I've escorted," Téa said. "The Gerudo were very proud of Urbosa's achievements."

"The Zoras were the same with Mipha," Tristan said. "They built her a statue in Zora's Domain."

"They didn't build Revali a statue, but Revali's Landing is a key part of Rito Village's infrastructure," Yugi added. 

The Bazaar drew closer. Tristan could see palm trees gathered together, and several colorful tents and stalls built near them… Along with a sandstone watchtower on the northern side of the oasis itself.

Now, the group had been walking for a long time. Tristan was the one who had eaten all of the spicy food they had when they were exploring Hebra, so he was fairly aware of what the effects of food wearing off felt like. And when the sun suddenly seemed to get a lot hotter, or when Yugi started panting, gripping Tristan's shoulder a lot more tightly with his razor-sharp talons, drawing a small amount of blood, and Link also had a distinctly uncomfortable expression on his face, Tristan became aware that everyone's food had worn off. (Creepily, Kaiba didn't seem to be bothered at all, though Tristan knew he had no heat resistance.)

"We're almost there!" Téa assured them- Only hesitating once Yugi fell from Tristan's shoulders and into his arms, unconscious from the heat. Kaiba actually removed his kimono top and threw it at them both, the light-colored fabric just large enough to provide a shield from the sun for Yugi. Kaiba didn't actually say anything about it, but he hadn't hesitated, even though he had become more exposed as a result. 

Tristan used a bit of magic to try and restore Yugi's health, healing some of the heat damage he'd sustained, as well as the scratches on his shoulder, before hoisting Yugi up over that shoulder with Kaiba's kimono over him like a blanket… Or a baby swaddle, because Yugi was small enough to be a child compared to Tristan's current size.

And that was how the party managed to get to the oasis. Hot and irritable and stumbling through the sand, their ragtag group certainly drew the eyes of bystanders and merchants.

Next to the water, the temperature from the sun had cooled significantly- Going from unbearably hot to just another summer day. 

"Okay, let's rest for a bit," Téa decided. "We'll get Yugi some water once he's up, and I'll check with some of the merchants around here to see if they have more appropriate desert gear for sale."

"I think I need to lay down in the water for a bit," Tristan admitted, feeling a bit faint himself. "My poor scales are drying out."

"I have a few more cool ingredients," Link said, before dashing off to the nearest cooking pot. "I'll go cook!"

"Hmph," Kaiba said, taking his kimono back from Tristan, though he didn't start wearing it again. "I'll meet up with you before we go to Gerudo Town."

"You're planning on going to Gerudo Town?" one of the merchants asked, from where she was laying in the shade of one of the stalls, among a pile of melons.

Téa, Tristan, and Kaiba all looked at her.

"Yes," Téa said, blinking.

"Silly vai," the merchant chuckled. "No voe are allowed in the city. Surely you're aware of that much."

"Vai? Voe?" Tristan asked, confused. "What do those words mean?"

"Why, 'vai' means 'female' and 'voe' means 'male', of course!" The merchant laughed.

"Oh," Téa said, realization dawning on her face- Along with what appeared to be terror. "I didn't realize… I just thought that the guards were strict with who could enter the town. I could get in and out with no problem, so I figured that you guys could come with me and be fine, but…"

"Explain," Kaiba demanded, flatly.

"Well," Téa said to him, "The Gerudo are a race of only women."

"And?" Kaiba's eye twitched, dangerously.

"No boys allowed," Tristan realized, echoing a sentiment his sister had shoved in his face several times as they had grown up. 

Téa nodded. "No boys allowed."

"So what the hell are we supposed to do if we want to learn the Divine Beast's weaknesses?" Kaiba asked. "We can't approach it ourselves, because we'll get fucking smited, and we can't directly ask the chief of Gerudo Town for information because none of us are women."

"I can get in," Téa countered.

"You've never once talked to the chief in all the time you've been here," Kaiba argued.

"Why don't we figure out a plan after we make sure Yugi isn't going to die of heat exhaustion?" Tristan asked, because he really didn't want to see Kaiba and Téa start a fight in the middle of the only calm part of the desert. He was pretty sure no one would get out of that unscathed. "You guys could stand to cool off."

"Fuck you," Kaiba said, but he walked away, storming off in a random direction and vanishing among the tents.

"God, he's such an asshole," Téa grumbled.

"Yeah, you're not wrong," Tristan agreed. "But he's just as motivated as we are to get out of here, which means he's our ally for now, and he's actually pretty good at it. Which sucks."

"If I just go ahead and kick him now, will you still give me two dollars?" Téa asked.

"Of course I will. Don't be stupid," Tristan answered, immediately.

"Right." She shook his hand, sealing their pact. "I'm going to go talk to some of the merchants. I'll leave Yugi in your hands."

"You can count on me," Tristan told her.

----

Annoyingly, Taylor had been right.

Seto had been so thoroughly distracted by the heat of the desert and the Geek Squad's incessant chattering that he'd completely forgotten that there were rules.

This world was a game, and the conundrum about approaching Gerudo Town and the Divine Beast was a puzzle. Which meant that there was a solution.

The game developers wouldn't leave the protagonist stranded in the desert without a way to speak to the Gerudo chief. Previous patterns had established that the village leader held the information necessary for approaching the Divine Beasts, and that there was some sort of quest the player had to complete in order to earn that information.

But blocking their entrance to the village leader? There had to be a clear way around. The party just needed to find it.

Seto sat by himself in the shade of one of the palm trees, a few ancient parts in hand. Working on projects like this helped him think.

Problem One was that the Divine Beast was unapproachable. It kicked up sandstorms and shot lightning at anyone who could get near- And since the party's healer was a Zora, a race that was notoriously weak to lightning attacks, trying to get there without a real plan was simply impossible. Even bothering to attempt it was a terrible idea. It'd just mean Game Over.

Problem Two was that there was no real way to get into Gerudo Town to ask the chief for the solution to Problem One. Everyone in the party aside from Gardner was not a woman, and so they would not be allowed to enter the town.

Gardner was the key, then.

She was the only one who could get into the city, so she would have to be the one to get the information from the chief. And she'd already revealed that she knew most of the people around this area- And who to talk to for learning rumors.

But that… Didn't make sense. 

The player was meant to be the one to collect the pieces of the puzzle and then solve it. Which meant that, somehow, Link would have to find a way into Gerudo Town to speak with the chief. Gardner couldn't do it for him, because that wouldn't be good game design.

Seto connected some ancient wires together, and they lit up blue in his hands as he thought.

Would Link have to sneak in? Was it even possible to sneak in? Gardner had said the guards to the city were strict- And it would make sense that it would be impossible for the player to get inside without solving the puzzle. That was the sort of game this was.

The solution… In the end, it was probably stealth.

If Seto could get a good look at the town itself, he could identify any weaknesses in its defenses… But it couldn't be that simple.

There was something else he was missing.

"Damn it," he hissed, shoving his current project back into his pouch.

Gardner needs to explain the rumors she's heard. The solution is in what she knows.

Which means I need to talk to the Dweeb Patrol about making a plan.

Seto stood up from where he'd been resting, and made his way back to the oasis itself.

He could see Link, staring off into the distance in the same way he had when Seto had stared down a Lynel- So he was probably taking a walk down Memory Lane, which meant he wasn't available- and Taylor, floating on his back in the oasis itself, completely undisturbed. Yugi was laying down under one of the stalls in the market, taking shelter from the sun so that his feathers couldn't absorb the heat, but he seemed to be awake and alive. And Gardner… She seemed to be talking to one of the merchants, just as cheerful as ever.

Seto decided he would sit nearby and wait for Link to be done remembering whatever it was that he was remembering before trying to regroup. 

A few moments later, Gardner joined him next to the water, though she seemed reluctant to do so.

"Look," Gardner said. "I'm not sorry."

"Great," Seto said to her. "Neither am I."

"We're supposed to be allies. I can tolerate you being here if you can prove you're as reliable as Tristan said," Gardner challenged him. "I saw that you helped Yugi. His feathers are black, so they absorb heat better than light colors- And you gave him your clothes without even hesitating, even though they were protecting you from the sun. So I'm giving you a chance."

"There's definitely a way to get into Gerudo Town," Seto told her. "This is a game. Which means that this puzzle has a solution. I doubt we'll be able to just charge through the front gate, so this is a stealth mission, of sorts. Anyone who enters Gerudo Town illegally will have to sneak in."

Gardner blinked, apparently surprised that Seto was doing what she asked.

"I'm absolutely certain there are clues as to how to solve this puzzle scattered around this area," Seto continued. "So what you need to do, as someone who has more information about Gerudo Town than I do, is talk to the people. Find a rumor, maybe, of someone getting into town who wasn't meant to. Or find a weakness in Gerudo Town's defenses that can be exploited. The solution to the puzzle has to be something that Link is capable of, since he's the protagonist. He has to be the one who learns how to approach and defeat the Divine Beast from the village leader."

"That's… Not bad," Gardner said, with a begrudging respect in her tone. "I'm already known around here, so if I ask a bunch of questions, no one will suspect me."

"Just make yourself useful," Seto told her, pulling his contraption back out of his pouch. "I imagine we'll be spending some time here before we can go."

"Okay. I'll ask around, Kaiba," Gardner said, standing up. "If this doesn't work, I'll kick your ass into next week."

Seto snorted. "Good luck with that."

And so Seto was left alone as Gardner set out to seek the rumors he'd told her to.

Link joined him after she'd left, a bit quiet but otherwise normal. He didn't seem to be suffering heat exhaustion nearly as badly as Yugi or Taylor.

"The Yiga came here once," Link said, unprompted.

"To the oasis?" Seto asked him.

Link nodded. "I was protecting the princess… And they ambushed us, disguised as a few travelers. I stopped them."

"I can't imagine them being very comfortable out here," Seto said, honestly. "If any sand gets into their clothes, they'll have a hell of a time trying to get it out."

Link grinned, and then he noticed what Seto was doing with his ancient parts- fiddling with bits and pieces to experiment.

"What are you making?" he asked.

"I'm not entirely certain yet," Seto told him. "I'm testing how this technology works before I make anything with an actual function."

"I see," Link said. "Well, whatever it is, I'm sure it'll be cool."

Seto huffed, not really laughing, but still showing some sort of reaction- Because this was Mokuba, behind the screen, checking in on him. And Mokuba was more than aware of exactly what Seto was capable of when it came to creating technology. "Sure."

Link then glanced around, noticing Taylor in the oasis and Yugi under the shade, still recovering.

"Have you seen Téa?" Link asked.

"She's asking around for rumors," Seto said. "We're trying to find a way into Gerudo Town."

"Even though no boys are allowed?" Link asked.

Seto nodded. "There's a way in. We just have to figure it out."

"Okay," Link said, not even questioning it. "I'll go find her and see if I can help. You keep an eye on our friends!"

"Yeah, alright," Seto said, as Link stood up, ready to explore the Bazaar itself- And to solve the puzzle, as the game intended.

So. The solution would appear fairly soon.

Seto got back to his tinkering, taking the Guardian Axe he'd received apart completely. Sure, it wasn't the ideal lab environment, but ancient parts and ancient weapons seemed to be immune to the elements. Whatever was powering them wasn't electricity, nor were they made of metal. Seeing what was inside of this weapon made it easier to understand- And it made it easier to change its shape and function.

Taylor remained in the water even after the sun went down- And as soon as it set, Yugi emerged from the shade, coming up to Seto now that it was safe for him to do so. 

"Where are the others?" Yugi asked, quietly.

"Chasing rumors," Seto told him, now that his contraption had changed shape. It wasn't too difficult to get it to do what he wanted it to do… But he'd need the Sheikah Slate to actually program it and give it a proper function. "We're stuck here until there's a way into Gerudo Town. They don't allow men into the city, and Gardner can't approach the chief by herself."

"So are we going to sneak in?" Yugi asked, awkwardly.

"Who knows," Seto grumbled. "It depends on what the game's rules allow."

Yugi thought for a moment, looking up at the stars. Since the sun had set, night had fallen. Seto could still see what he was working on because the wires and blades of the ancient technology he'd been taking apart all glowed with orange or blue light. 

"I think I'll fly above the desert- Just to scout around Gerudo Town itself now that it's not hot out," Yugi told him. "Maybe there's a weakness in its defenses that we can use?"

"Probably not, but I won't stop you," Seto told him. "Don't get struck by lightning. The Divine Beast is somewhere out there."

"I think I'm quick enough to dodge," Yugi said, though he didn't sound sure. "And- Really, I'm just gonna check."

Seto waved him off. Yugi spread his wings, and then, with a small scattering of feathers and an unnatural burst of wind, he took to the air and disappeared- Black feathers blending in with the black sky.

Gardner, apparently done interrogating people for the day, came by herself to where Seto was sitting, watching him work without saying a word. She just sat down, stretched her legs out across the sand, and looked up at the stars.

"And?" Seto asked, after a moment of silence. "Have you learned anything?"

"Yeah," Gardner said, with a pained expression. "A man supposedly snuck into Gerudo Town without being caught or exposed."

Seto looked up from his project and stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

She grimaced. "From what we've been able to find… He did it by disguising himself as a woman and just walking through the front gate."

"Okay," Seto said. "So the solution to the puzzle is to get disguises?"

"Well, that's part of the problem," Gardner said. "We haven't found the guy himself. And… Well, there's rumors of thieves around here, too, disguising themselves as merchants and travelers. If we follow the wrong person, we might end up uncovering a thief, not the person we're looking for."

"So be thorough," Seto told her. "Yugi went ahead to scout around Gerudo Town, but he is a raptor. Which means his eyesight isn't terrible."

"Don't you have a stupidly high perception stat, too?" Gardner asked.

"Do you really want me to call out the guy you're looking for?" Seto rebutted, flatly. "Because I won't be nice about it."

"No, I suppose I don't," Gardner acquiesced. "What have you been doing, anyway?"

"Working." Seto placed another small component into a tiny gap between some of the ancient pieces he was putting together. "This should make life easier once I'm done."

"...Okay." Gardner blinked, clearly not comprehending what she was looking at. "I won't ask."

Next to the water, Link came out from behind one of the merchant stalls, wading in until he reached where Taylor was still floating on his back, half-asleep. He handed Taylor a skewer with meat and mushrooms on it, and then waded out, heading over to where Seto and Gardner were still sitting.

"I haven't found the guy yet," Link said, handing both of them some of the same food, which they took. Seto just held the stick between his teeth as he twisted something else into place, rather than eating it. "But I'll keep looking."

"We can ask Yugi once he gets back from scouting around Gerudo Town," Gardner said, between mouthfuls of her skewer. "A birds-eye view of the oasis could point us in the right direction."

"That's smart," Link said. "And… It'd probably be easier on all of us if we traveled to the town at night instead of during the day. I'm running out of ingredients."

"Have him take pictures of suspicious people with the Sheikah Slate," Seto offered, removing the skewer from his mouth now that he had a free hand, and then taking a bite. "Picking out the correct person would be easier if we had a lineup, and that thing has a scope, so observations can be made from a distance."

"Do you really think Yugi will be comfortable with that?" Gardner asked.

"People generally don't look up when trying to identify a stalker," Seto told them. "Besides, you two have definitely been seen asking questions. Yugi hasn't." 

"I hate that you're actually making sense," Gardner sighed. "I really do."

"I imagine we'll be here for a while. If you idiots can come up with a better plan, then I'm all for it," Seto told her, flatly. 

"I like the plan," Link said.

"Of course you do." Gardner sighed again, heavier this time. "Of course you do."

----

Kaiba's plan was pretty roundabout and made Yugi more than a little uncomfortable, but it worked. 

Yugi had scouted Gerudo Town from a distance during the night, when it was cold in the desert and his feathers, which had kept him warm even in the frigid temperatures in Hebra, blended in with the sky. It was built in a square, and there were thick sandstone walls surrounding it- And every entrance was protected by guards just as muscular as Téa had become. Which made sense, because they were the ones who had trained her, supposedly.

The town was centered around a palace of sorts, the type of place that Yugi imagined Yami living in before he died, since he was a pharaoh. It was higher than the other buildings and far more ornate, which meant it was important. Grandpa's rants about archaeology would agree, as well, that this was the building where Yugi and his friends would find the chief.

So. Yugi had identified the location they were going, though he wasn't able to find any way to sneak in. There were no cracks in the walls, and even if Link and Kaiba could climb up them, Tristan was not nearly as coordinated as they were. 

So, Yugi had returned to the oasis on one of the winds he'd created using Revali's Gale, and landed on top of the palm tree closest to where the party had made camp for the night.

After catching up with his friends and letting them know what he'd seen, they sent him out to take pictures of potential suspects. Now, Yugi figured the solution to the puzzle was a bit simpler than what Kaiba had been thinking, since not everyone was a genius and this puzzle was for sure meant to be solved without any trouble… But he also knew that Téa was being reasonably cautious about accidentally uncovering the wrong disguise.

Personally, Yugi figured that even if they found the thieves instead of the man who snuck into Gerudo Town, the game would still allow them to find who they were looking for, just… After a bit of combat.

Still, he flew above the oasis with the Sheikah Slate, observing everyone present and taking pictures of a few people who were behaving oddly. 

And then the sun started coming up, so he took shelter in the shade- Allowing Link and Téa and Kaiba to discuss the information he had found.

Well. Kaiba wasn't actually there to contribute any further, because he'd taken the opportunity that came with Yugi flying above the oasis to disappear into thin air. Probably to keep working on his project with the ancient parts.

…Admittedly, Yugi hoped he was making a Duel Disk.

----

"So you found the guy?" Tristan asked, after being debriefed on the weird amount of reconnaissance that Yugi and Téa and Link had done to uncover the person they had been looking for. 

He'd been spending this entire time in the oasis itself, soaking up as much water as he possibly could before he would inevitably have to return to the arid wasteland of the desert, and, somehow, had also managed to sleep for two full days, completely missing the action until the sun started to come up on the third. Thankfully, Tristan could breathe underwater, but he was surprised to learn that he'd been asleep the entire time the party had been busy. 

"Yeah," Yugi said, though he seemed… Uncomfortable? Or worried? Tristan wasn't sure. "We, uh, figured out how to get in."

"The guy's selling women's clothes," Téa said, bluntly. "So you guys are gonna have to dress up if you want to get into the town."

"What," Tristan said.

"It's desert clothing, so it should help with protecting you all from the heat, but… You're gonna have to pretend to be girls," Téa continued, like what she was saying wasn't making Tristan want to swim to the bottom of the oasis and never come back up. "Link's going to come with me to Gerudo Town, but… We could use some backup."

"I'm going," Yugi said, quietly. "I need heat resistant armor, anyway, and… Well, it's heat resistant, though it's not very defensible."

"I don't think that'll work out for me," Tristan said, pained. "I, uh… Well. Zoras don't wear pants. Regardless of gender."

"Ideally, I was hoping to get Kaiba to come with us," Téa said, with a slight smirk. "We got an outfit in his size, but he pulled off another disappearing act before he could try it on."

"Fuck you, Gardner," one of the shadows next to a merchant stall said. Kaiba was there… But he also wasn't, because Tristan couldn't actually see him. That was more than a little concerning. "You're perfectly capable of taking Yugi and Link to the chief to get information on the Divine Beast without me."

"Oh, but Kaiba," Téa said, false sweetness oozing from her voice, "You had so much to say about this mission earlier."

The shadows did not answer her. Tristan knew for a fact that Kaiba was long gone and he wouldn't be back until the party had the information they needed about the Divine Beast.

"I'll stay here with Kaiba," Tristan said, sighing. "I can keep him from killing anyone."

"What, you think you can convince him not to stab someone who might annoy him?" Téa asked, incredulously.

"No," Tristan admitted. "But I have healing magic. If Kaiba does stab someone, I'll be able to fix it."

"Oh. Right." Téa had apparently forgotten Tristan's role in this adventure. "I guess that works. We'll head out to Gerudo Town, then, before it gets too hot."

"See you when you get back," Tristan said.