GUT CHECK

Waking of Saturday, July 8, 2017

GUT CHECK

On the Great Plateau, King Rhoam had advised me to go see Impa.

In Kakariko Village, Impa had advised me to go see Purah.

In Hateno Village, Purah had advised me to go see Robbie.

On the way to Robbie’s, people had whispered about Kilton.

Those were the breadcrumbs as I tasted them.

That was why I wanted to stick to Akkala for now.

And that was why when I left the Spring of Power I headed straight for the Skull Lake, which Kilton was said to haunt. I could see the shrine high at the top of one of its ridiculous islands, even at this distance.... Perhaps I’d snag that first; it looked like there was some higher ground I could climb to in order to paraglide in....

I started in a somewhat northward direction through a high valley full of beautiful aspens in fair colors, the highland cliffs of the coast on my right, and the foothills of the volcano on my left.

But I did not get very far before I was interrupted—by an erhu.

I swiveled madly around, searching.... Where, where? And finally looking straight up.... I saw it, high, high in the sky above my head:

A Red Dragon.

I snapped the distant creature’s pictograph, and my Compendium told me this was Dinraal, a spirit of fire taken the shape of a dragon. The rest of the entry was very much similar to Farosh’s. But, benign as he might be, I somehow didn’t think if I rode on this dragon’s back that his flames would be so . . . . forgiving.

I didn’t take but a few steps more before I was interrupted again—by a Lynel.

That’s what that moving shape in the distance was—and when its head jolted in my direction I quickly got behind a tree trunk!

A Blue-Maned Lynel.

Tougher than the Reds. Tougher than that one on Ploymus Mountain.

Dear me.

So I backtracked around and up into the high eastern hills, giving it a wide berth. But there was a Lynel up that way, too.

It was a trick to tread between them! But I fared well enough until I got high around the east or northeast part of the cliffs surrounding Skull Lake. It would be an easy paraglide to the shrine from here....

But I saw something further to the west. Another orange glow beside an immense pillar of rock.

But it was so faint and so distant.... Was it really a Shrine?

I considered: If I paraglided down to the Skull Lake Shrine, it would be a long climb back up here to investigate that other orange glow....

And so I put Skull Lake on hold and plunged on ahead, up into the dread forbidding foothills of Death Mountain.

The land was bald, the trees scorched and dead. Not even any Koroks gamboled around here. It was an awful place to wait out another Blood Moon....

I saw as I drew closer to that great rock spire that the glow did not come from a shrine, but from fire. Campfires, torchfires. Something else anyway. And soon I came upon some walkways crudely plated with metal sheets, and jagged fenceposts and an archway. This led onto a narrow part of a wide and many-chambered pool of water so crystal blue....

And bubbling, I saw with a closer look.

Some rocks sat half-submerged in the water just after the archway. For jumping across I imagined.

Would I boil alive if I fell in there?

How brave was I feeling about jumping over those rocks?

“Andrea,” David piped up as I hemmed and hawed.

“Yeah?”

“This is about Zelda.”

Huh. “....‘Kay?” I said.

He hesitated and then said, “The water won’t hurt you.”

Oh, I thought.

“It’s a hot spring,” said David.

OH! 8D “A hot spring?” I smiled, and walked right ahead and into it until I was treading water.

But I already had full hearts. And then some, thanks to Mipha when I’d run into that treehouse north of the Lynels. It had been full of bokoblins with bomb arrows, which I harvested, as they were firing in the rain.... but then the sun came out and they’d blown me up before I could kill them all.

Never could figure out how to get up onto that treehouse....

Anyway I’d heard hot springs could fill you up some hearts. <3

I got out of the water, and headed for that giant rock. There was a signpost. It read:

GUT CHECK ROCK

WAT. ò.Ò

A couple of Gorons were at the base of the rock pillar, one standing, the other flat on his back. I went to check on this one, a bit concerned for his wellbeing.... and it was—

“KABETTA?”

“So sweaty... brother...” he groaned.

Heehl was the Goron on his feet.

It was those same Gorons. Accompanied by that same drunken Skyloft Trombone no less.

They both recognized me as “that guy who backed out of the endurance challenge”.

But here was another challenge for me it seemed. I ascended to the top of the rock pillar via air current, and found Bayge at the top—and a Shrine after all!

Bayge also recognized me as that quitter from before. Dang it, Gorons!

I asked him to move so I could get in the Shrine, but he said first I had to pass the GUT CHECK CHALLENGE.

“THIS IS WHERE GORON BOYS BECOME GORON MEN, BROTHER!” and oh so many other manly encouragements he spouted. XD

Well, I wanted in that Shrine, so I did their challenge, climbed the pillar, got enough rupees, and made it to the top before the time ran out. I really wasn’t sure I’d be able to make it! But I gave it a try and lo! it worked. And they made me their sworn brother to boot! ^_^

And the Shrine was mine.

And I received Gorae Torr’s Blessing.

Cool.

I think there might also be a Korok hiding up on top of that pillar but I’m not sure.

But with how high I was, I had quite a view! And I could see Dinraal twining through the sky.... It seemed he came down to a lower altitude as he bent westward, around the north side of the volcano.

Mmmm perhaps I really should have gone back and just gotten the Skull Lake Shrine, but....

I followed the dragon.