Shot in the Dark
AO3
Word Count: 4279
An exploration into the depths goes horribly wrong, and everyone decides that the buddy system might actually be helpful.
tags: Captain having a hard time, Captain hates arrows, Whump, Angst, anxiety attack, Near Death Experience, Gloom Poisoning, fluff/comfort(at the end), Multiple POV's
Link walked quietly behind the others, the thick darkness seeming to press down on the gentle glow surrounding their group. Wild and Twilight moved quietly up ahead, occasionally tossing a brightbloom seed ahead to light their path. Time stayed close to Link, his head swiveling back and forth, long ears flicking every time a boot scuffed against the ashy ground. Link smiled faintly, nodding in approval. Good to see Sprite’s senses were still sharp.
He sighed, straightening his shoulders slightly in an attempt to ease the tension across his back. He couldn’t wait to get back to the surface… where the darkness didn’t weigh anything and the back of his neck didn’t prickle constantly with the feeling of being watched.
They continued through the dark, until tall ruins rose out of the dark in front of them. A mine. Wild quickly skittered away, making happy humming noises as he dropped down a large hole, probably looking for some materials to mine. Twilight stopped near the edge of the mine, his mismatched eyes narrowed as he scanned the darkness. Time trotted off, pulling out several brightblooms to light up the area.
“Try not to wander off too far,” Link cautioned.
“Yes, Captain,” Time called over his shoulder, disappearing behind a large, aged stone pillar.
Link pulled a few of the glowing seeds out of his pouch as well, making his way around the opposite side of the mine. He continued with his routine, taking several steps between each tossed seed as he followed some massive, petrified ruin. Chief had called them conveyor belts, and said they could be used to transport large amounts of materials quickly between places. Sky had also confirmed this.
I should have Legend do a sketch of these, he thought idly, tossing another seed ahead of him. So I can take it to Zelda when we find a way home. These would be useful for trade… he reached for another seed, only to find there were none left in his pouch. He’d thought he’d had more… apparently not. He turned and began making his way back to the others. He could get more from Wild, though after this excursion, they’d have to spend some time in the surface caves, getting more of the seeds.
He carefully stepped down a series of small ledges, following the trail of lights he’d made back towards the mine. Though… It was taking him a while to get back. Surely he hadn’t wandered this far away from the others. His brow furrowed slightly, and he paused, glancing around. He didn’t remember climbing up any ledges… but he must have, because the brightblooms had gone up there. He looked ahead again. Yes… There was the trail of lights. He must have been really distracted while he was walking.
Forging ahead, he started paying more attention. With each small hill he reached the top of, he was sure he’d see the mine on the other side, only he didn’t. Just more darkness, and a trail of lights vanishing into it. He looked over his shoulder, a slight shiver running through him. He must have passed the mine… gone too far back. He wasn’t lost… he couldn’t be, they hadn’t explored this part of the depths before. He glanced down the trail again, then turned and began walking back the way he’d come.
The darkness seemed to press down harder on the small patches of light, and he quickened his pace, battling the shivers of anxiety that were starting to creep into him.
He was alone… alone in the dark… and lost.
At that thought, he started jogging, leaping over pits in the ground as he looked around frantically. On the trail went, until he skidded to a stop. Patches of gloom were starting to appear. They’d definitely not passed any gloom on their way to the mine. This was wrong.
Had he somehow stumbled across someone else’s path? He knew they weren’t the only ones exploring the depths, but surely they would have seen this earlier… unless…
His sense of anxiety doubled, as well as the prickling at the back of his neck. Alarm bells chimed in the back of his mind, each one ringing out danger. His fingers gripped the hilt of his sword, and he subtly shifted into a defensive stance. The darkness overhead was definitely thicker, almost smothering. Too close.
He had to fight to keep his breath steady as he edged backwards, his free hand reaching back to his pouch for his warp ring. It wasn’t there. Stolen. And this path of seeds… that had been stolen as well. He’d been led away from the others on purpose. He was alone, in the dark, in the silence- to be alone was death.
Surely the others would be looking for him at this point. He’d been gone from them for too long. He didn’t know how long, just that it was too long. They’d be looking for him… Twilight could track him- or they’d find the false trail of lights- then they’d find him. They’d find him. He just had to stay put. Stay on alert, ready for anything. He wouldn’t be safe until he was reunited with the others, and back up on the surface.
Unless… the others had been led away and lost too… they’d split up at the mine… Sprite-
He slowly drew his sword, glancing around as a fragmented prayer floated through his mind. Goddesses Farore, Nayru, Din… keep my brothers safe- let them find each other and me- please- he let out a shuddering breath, trying to force himself to stay steady. They… would be fine. He had to believe that… he would believe that until he saw otherwise. They’d be fine.
He glanced around again, trying to find a wall he could put his back to. That would at least slim the chances of him being snuck up on. There was nothing. Just a plain of darkness that seemed to flicker and swim with distant patches of gloom, and the trail of brightblooms behind him.
He turned in a slow circle, looking for any hints of yellow or white, any sign of movement. The patches of gloom seemed to jump at him in the corners of his vision, ripples of faint red appearing to creep across the ground at him, then retreat as soon as he saw them clearly. Each time it happened, his heart almost stuttered, and he’d hold his breath, staring wide-eyed until he was sure nothing was there. His hands were shaking uncontrollably, and he could feel the darkness, prickling on his skin, tugging at strands of his hair, breathing down his neck- he whirled around, coming face to face with nothing.
He let out a short breath, almost a panicked laugh. There was nothing. Nothing. He stepped back slightly, almost crushing his brightbloom. He was fine, there was nothing there. Light of the Triforce, the fact that there was nothing was almost worse than if there was something. He could fight something. He couldn’t do anything against nothing.
He started slowly turning again, eyes flitting across the darkness, his heart thundering in his chest.
Wait- he froze again, staring into the wall of black with wide eyes. The silence was broken by a faint scuffing, something walking through the darkness. Multiple somethings. He shifted his grip on his sword, wishing desperately that he had a shield. He stared hard into the darkness, until he saw something distant and pale. The distant scuffing halted, and the pale thing stopped moving.
Then the thing started racing towards him, the scuffing turned to the thundering of hooves. Monsters.
He dove out of the way just as the first stalhorse shot past, brittle hooves trampling his brightbloom into the stone ground. A second nearly crashed into him, and he was sent reeling. He stumbled, tripping slightly before he regained his footing, and sprinted blindly into the darkness. His thoughts were reduced to a single, screeching note of panic, and he’d lost his sword somewhere- he crashed into something- it felt like a tree, and he was sent stumbling again. He could vaguely see pale shapes darting around him, the sharp crack of their hooves on the stone muffled by the rushing in his ears. He spun, darting off in another direction, away from them- a sharp hissing was the only indication that arrows were being fired. It narrowly missed his ear. They can see in the dark- he was blind and his enemy wasn’t- he was on foot and they were on horses- they were armed, he only had armor- he was alone- outnumbered-
I’m going to die- it was pounding in his head, just as loudly as the screeching was. Veins of fire shot up his leg as an arrow punched through his boot and into his calf. He cried out, stumbling before crashing to the ground hard. His vision flashed white, then sensation began slowly fading back into him. Throbbing agony pulsing through his leg, and a dull ache in the side of his head and behind his eyes. Chittering noises filtered in overhead, as well as the whispery snorting of the skeletal horses.
Don’t move. Don’t do anything. Play dead. The thought drifted through his foggy mind. That… he could do that. Safest option. He couldn’t run, his enemy was right on top of him- he just had to hope that they thought he was dead and left him.
Trying not to move was hard. The ground under his cheek felt hot and sticky, and his face was starting to burn, tingles racing through him. He’d fallen on gloom. A sick feeling began to settle in his gut, and he had to fight the urge to shift. He could feel the gloom sticking to him, all over. Had he run onto a patch without noticing?
The creek of a bow snapped him out of his thoughts, and before he could react, something slammed down through his hand, pinning it to the ground. He jerked, biting back a scream. Play dead- play dead- Goddesses help me- he could feel the gloom creeping into him, invading the area the arrow had pierced through.
The chittering above him sounded almost like laughter, then, mercifully, the creatures turned and began riding away. He forced himself to wait until the clattering of hooves faded to nothing, his face scrunched as tears began to slide down his cheeks. The sickness was feeling worse, as was the burning, all pulsing in time with the arrows in his hand and leg.
Even after silence fell, he lay there for several long seconds, waiting to see if the monsters would return. There was nothing. Time to move. He shoved himself up, wincing and shaking, then snapped off the shaft of the arrow pinning his hand. Without giving himself time to think, he pulled his hand off the broken shaft. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t hold back the thin whine as he held his hand close. He had to… had to stop the bleeding. He could feel it, soaking through his glove and down under his armguard. Bandages… he didn’t have any. He blinked hard, shaking his head to try and get rid of the dizziness. He… had to get off the gloom. The sickness had turned to pain, a deep, wrenching, twisting sensation in his gut.
He quickly wrapped his injured hand in his cloak, then looked around, trying to find the lights. It seemed the stalhorses had trampled more of the blooms, and the only sign of them was a faint glow behind a small slope. He took a deep breath, then struggled to get to his feet. After two tries, he gave up, resorting to crawling. His bad leg dragged behind him, and he held his injured hand close to his chest as he slowly dragged himself across the sticky, gloomy ground.
Sharp pain jolted through his body, and he paused, wheezing and panting before continuing to struggle forwards, looking only at that faint light beyond the hill. Keep going. Just keep going. Get off the gloom. Get away from here. His thoughts were coming more slowly. He was shaking, breathing hard. Another flash of agony burst through him, and he lurched forwards, retching.
Just breathe- keep breathing- keep going- he was shaking so badly, and he could see the gloom clinging to him, tendrils of it snaking up his arm and across his shoulder. His wounded hand was practically glowing a bloody red. He dragged in another gasp of air, then pulled himself forwards along the ground. Streams of hot tears ran down his face, hissing as they fell onto the gloom.
A third wave of pain surged through him, nauseating and more intense than before. He collapsed onto his side, dry heaving and shivering uncontrollably. The red light under him swam across his vision, gloom reaching up to take him. But he couldn't bring himself to move anymore. It hurt too much… he could feel his life being sapped away. Physically feel it being ripped from him, consumed by the bloody mass he couldn't escape.
Another wave of agony washed over him, and everything faded to white briefly. When he returned to himself, he was curled up in a ball, sobbing. This is it.
“Goddesses above…” he whispered. It wasn't a proper prayer. There wasn't time for a proper prayer. “Goddesses please-” he cut off, twisting fire coursing through him and sending him flailing.
“I don't want to die-” it came out a strangled yell. He didn't want to die- he was scared- he was alone- helpless-
A flicker of light faded into his vision, gentle blue. He heard a voice, but it was distant.
“Shifting sands- Link, get over here!” A woman's voice? Calling him? More light poured into his eyes, there was… someone leaning over him. Pale skin and hair, a deep red cloak…
“H-Hero?” He managed, straining to focus. The person leaning over him froze, then vanished out of his line of sight.
“Stay with him. I'll bring the others here. Try and preserve him as best as you can.” A voice said.
“Okay- go hurry! He's not going to last much longer-” there was the woman's voice again. She sounded like…
“Zelda?” He whispered, then hot agony crashed through him again and everything faded.
******************************************************
Link shot through the darkness, a trail of pale flame flickering in his wake. He paused at the top of a ledge, where he and Almajara had last seen the group. They were still down there, slowly making their way through the darkness, tossing lights ahead of them. His eyes narrowed slightly, and his sword and shield appeared in hand, then he darted down the cliff, blazing across the ground before crashing into the dark shadow that had replaced Captain. The illusion around it shattered, and it screeched, vanishing like smoke. The other three whirled, eyes widening.
“Hero- what-” Twilight stuttered. Link held up a hand to stop him.
“No time, Captain is in trouble. Follow me,” he said, then he darted off again, leaving behind a trail of spirit fire for them to follow. Within minutes, he was back with Almajara and Captain. She was attempting to pull him out of the gloom, somehow managing to drag him a few inches before slipping through him. Not good.
“Hey- help me out-” she said, waving him over. He knelt down next to them, watching the gloom retreat from his light. He slid his arms under Captain, trying to ignore the fact that he could touch the younger man. He wasn’t dead yet. He managed to drag him closer to the edge of the gloom before the others arrived. They skidded to a halt at the edge of the lake of gloom, each one looking different shades of horrified. They talked amongst each other for a moment, before Wild sprinted out onto the gloom, skidding to a stop next to Captain. Link and Almajara scooted back as Wild pulled Captain up over his shoulders. Then the pair vanished into long strands of blue light.
A glance over his shoulder confirmed that the other two had vanished as well, all of them headed up to the surface. Thank the Goddess…
“Are they… going to be okay?” Almajara asked softly, stepping up behind him. Link was quiet for a long moment.
“I hope so…”
*********************************************************
Link blinked at the sudden evening light hitting his eyes. He stumbled away from the shrine, carrying Captain with him. They made it to a small patch of trees, and Wild carefully laid Captain down at the base of the closest one. Dear Hylia… he looked awful…
His skin was ashy and gray, and deep black veins spread across the skin of his face and hands. The hand he’d had wrapped in his cloak was caked with blackened blood, still shimmering faintly with gloom. The arrow in his leg was in a similar state, though the gloom was worse there, faint tendrils of it melting away under the sunlight.
He quickly checked Captains pulse, breathing a quiet sigh of relief when he found it. It was faint, but still there. He could still be saved. If Hero hadn’t shown up when he did… Captain would have been dead, and they wouldn’t have known the Dark had infiltrated their group. It might have managed to kill one of them…
He began quickly pulling off Captains scarf and armor, trying to expose him to the sun more. That would help deal with the gloom while he cleaned up the wounds. He had to keep Captain stable until Twilight and Time arrived with the rest of the group.
Since he’d traded his slate for Twilight's ring, he didn’t have access to any of his inventory. He should have grabbed some things before running off, but then again… he hadn’t known if Captain was even alive. He pulled off Captains gloves, wincing at the hole through the center of his left palm. Probably caused by an arrow… he didn’t have any water.
He straightened, looking around, his ears pricked. If he recalled correctly… There was a clean pond nearby, up on the hill. He glanced at Captain one more time before hopping to his feet and racing away through the tall grass.
It took him a few minutes to reach the pond, then a few more to find a round stone the right shape to carry water. He scooped the water up, then started making his way back down the hill towards where he’d left Captain. He only spilled a few drops, but that was fine. He carefully set the stone bowl down in the grass, then used his sword to cut a strip out of the bottom of his shirt. Zelda was going to have a fit about repairing that… oh well.
He soaked the cloth, then began carefully washing away the cursed blood from the wound in Captain’s hand. It looked like most of the gloom in the wound had burned away from the sunlight, but once he’d gotten his slate back, he’d definitely be making some sundelion food. He’d also make sure both Zelda and Sun worked some healing on him. Goddess only knew how much he’d need it.
He worked carefully until he was sure the hole was clean, then he cut another strip from his shirt, wrapping it tightly around Captain's hand. Now for the arrow wound in his leg. He’d need more water…
After another few minutes, he was kneeling next to Captain again, with clean water. The arrow had gone through Captains boot and into his calf which… from the shape of the hole in the leather, the arrow was barbed. It would have to be cut out, which Link would prefer one of the more experienced medics take care of.
He looked at the mess for a long moment before taking his sword, stepping several feet away, and shattering the blade on a stone. He took a medium sized shard, then used it as a small knife to carefully slice away Captains boot and pant leg. Then he ripped a third strip of cloth from the bottom of his shirt and began to gently wash around the arrow, trying to clean it up as best as he could. There was less blood, as the arrow was still in his leg, but it was still messy.
Just as he was finishing, Captain stirred slightly, his face scrunching as he made a faint whimpering sound. Link hummed worriedly, scooting up and gently resting his hand on the other man’s shoulder. He’d fallen still again, and when Link checked his pulse, it had grown stronger and steadier. He was looking healthier as well, the grayness fading and the black veins retreating.
He heard a sudden burst of sound at that moment, and he glanced up to see the rest of the group appearing in front of the shrine. Several of them caught sight of him and Captain, and sprinted over, Time arriving first.
“How is he? Is he okay? How-” Time paused, glancing down at Captain for a moment. “How bad is it?”
Link scooted back, allowing Sky to take his place, then started signing for Time.
He’s recovering. I cleaned his wounds as best as I could, and the sunlight is helping clear the gloom. Sun and Flower should heal him though. I don’t know how long he was in the gloom, but it almost killed him. The others winced.
“You did a good job taking care of him… I’ll handle the rest,” Sky said, patting Link’s shoulder before moving to work on the arrow. Link nodded, hopping to his feet and trotting off to find Flower.
*********************************************************
Link quietly made his way through the camp, the last light of the sunset fading behind the mountains to the west. He carried two bowls of dinner, one for himself, and one for Captain.
Captain had woken up a little while ago, and had been able to take a potion. He was healed, but still weak from the gloom poisoning. Guilt twinged through Link’s gut, and he fought to stop a wince from crossing his face.
He sat down next to his and Captain’s bedroll, setting his bowl down on his knee and offering the other to Captain.
“Oh… thank you, Twilight,” Captain said, his voice hoarse. He sat up slowly, taking the bowl and scouring the sundelion porridge.
Link picked up his own bowl, staring at the contents. He… wasn’t hungry. Everything inside felt so awful and twisted up… he wouldn’t be surprised if Captain could smell the guilt on him. He should have known… should have seen that something was off…
“Twilight? Are you… alright?” Captain asked after a moment, and Twilight glanced up, briefly making eye contact before looking away again.
“I’m… fine,” he said, picking at the grass.
“No you’re not. You have the look of someone who’s guilty for something that’s not their fault,” Captain said softly. Link winced.
“Grabbing the goat by the horns tonight, I see,” he sighed, slumping a little.
“You do know that it wasn’t your fault… right?” Captain said, brushing his hand against Link’s arm. His hand felt cold.
“I… know it wasn’t… my fault,” Link managed, “but still. I should have… noticed something was wrong. I’m usually more perspective than that…”
“The shadow took my place?” Captain asked. Link grimaced, nodding slowly.
“I see… I had suspected as much. I believe it was the shadow that led me away as well. It stole my bightblooms and warp ring. When I realized, I tried to find my way back, but I’d already strayed too far away.” Captain explained.
Link rubbed his temples, frustration battling with the guilt in his chest. He should have known…
“We won’t be able to have anyone alone in the depths… not until the shadow is dealt with. It’s gotten too good at mimicking us. I couldn’t even smell a difference,” he grumbled.
“Yes… groups of three or more is safest… Wild and Legend won’t be too happy about that…” Captain muttered, his tone exhausted. Link glanced up at him, concerned. He was looking… worn. He needed rest.
“Yes, well, we can worry about that all tomorrow. You should rest now,” Link said, scooting closer and taking Captain’s mostly empty bowl. He set the bowl aside, then started fluffing up their shared pillows, ignoring the amused glance Captain shot at him.
“I doubt the pillows are going to fight back tonight, not after the beating you’re giving them,” Captain said after a moment, his tone teasing. Link flushed slightly, setting down the last pillow and ‘glaring’ back at Captain.
“Don’t poke fun, I’m just trying to help you sleep comfortably tonight,” he retorted. Captain raised an eyebrow at him.
“You know what would help me sleep the best?” he asked. Link blinked at him, frowning slightly. Captain scooted closer, gently pushing Link onto the pile of pillows he’d just made, then laying down next to him, his head on Link’s shoulder.
“I would sleep best if you stayed here with me,” he said softly, wrapping an arm around Link’s torso.
Link hesitated, then smiled softly, nodding. Some warmth filled his chest, pushing back the guilt somewhat.
“I can do that,” he said, putting his arm around Captain’s shoulders, and relaxing a bit. Captain smiled, his eyes fluttering closed, and he sighed.
“One last thing,” he muttered, “Do try to actually sleep. Don’t stay up worrying or beating yourself up.”
“Alright, I’ll try,” Link replied. He couldn’t truly promise that he’d sleep tonight… sleep never came easily to him. But… he’d do his best.