Demons, and Nightmares, Endai In Between

Waking of Saturday, May 11, 2019 (comprised of raw note editings from April 5, 2023 through April 12, 2023 that I really hope sound consistent because I left it alone for too long)

 

Demons, and Nightmares, Endai In Between

 

I went to the Coliseum and killed the Lynel. No sweat. It was awesome and I was feeling pretty good!

David said I was just showing off—to which I absolutely preened. Never done better with dodges and flurry rushes before!

However.... there was no shrine in the area. Nothing I could trip or activate to make one appear after clearing the dangerous space.

But I was not left completely without a prize; I took my new spoils to Kaysa to upgrade my Barbarian Armor. Now that I had seven Lynel guts, I could spare two apiece for each of the three armor pieces and still have one left over.

After that.... I went to Cotera, just because I hadn’t seen her in a while. I had her do up my new Amber Earrings all the way—I’d never seen her do the fourth level before—and my new Opal Earrings up three levels. But I would still need more Opal for the fourth level on those ones.

I ran around the Electric Lizalfos Baobab Grove in the Gerudo Highlands.... climbed further up into the range.... circumnavigated Spectacle Rock, just about.... Found a Korok beneath the little land bridge.... And a new Meteor Rod from a Wizzrobe who didn’t look like he really needed it....

No shrines though. Just wolves.

I circumnavigated Lake Mekar. I killed all the baddies on Mekar Island in the middle again. I even stayed on the island a few days waiting for respawns, though none ever came.

But still.... there were no shrines.

....

Hhhhhhh.

Hmm.

I would try Batrea Lake, by the Riverside Stable.

The Riverside Stable was on the west side of the Hylia River, but Batrea Lake lay in a forest on the east. There were two bridges convenient to the area, but.... Owlan Bridge seemed the shorter route. I jogged southward to cross.

On the other side, I found hecktons of Koroks, and megaBUTTtons of mushrooms of all kinds. And a very interesting giant hollow log stump in the middle of the lake.... with metal boxes inside of it.... Why?

But no shrines.

I meandered northward and came back across on the other bridge, Horwell Bridge—where I saw Leekah was in trouble again.

I saved her from her assailants, saw her to her feet, and began to escort her back toward the stable, when—that glowing, that fluttering, that cursed laughter....

We were waylaid by two Yiga and—just to complicate things—a friggin’ Octorok along for the ride.

I killed the archer in short order, but the big Yiga was more.... insistent. Amid the tussle I saw Leekah make a break for it—good. While she moved toward safety I continued to have it out with the big guy, but he was giving me such trouble.... And then as he leapt backward from my advances yet again, he landed shin-deep in the waters of the Hylia River.

I’d taken out my bow by this point and finally just shot the Octorok to get him to leave me alone. I still had the bow in my hands. A Forest Dweller’s Bow. I pelted the Big Yigaman with one of the bow’s triple-arrows, but upon seeing the paltry effect even this had, I fished into my quiver for something a little stronger—shin-deep in the water....

Ah! Shock Arrows!

Switching over to the new stock and aiming low into the current, I took him down in two juddering, spasming hits.

And he was down.

....His rupees must’ve sunk. But I sure as heck got his bananas.

I ran after Leekah, passing Beedle and Spoone on the way—Doctor Spoone—we really were already quite close to the Stable. But I caught up with her and escorted her the rest of the way nonetheless.

“I feel less anxious with you around,” she said, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” I said back, and I meant it.

That makes me feel good.

 

Uh.... And then I remembered something.... and made a manual save.

 

I wanted to test this Hylian Shield.

Strength 120.

Shield Guard Up +30.

What did it mean?

 

I ventured out into the lands around the Riverside Stable, looking for trouble.... Funny how it never showed up when you were looking for it.... until I finally was able to scare up a couple of Stalmoblins with sticks.

They banged their puny whackers against the brilliant, ringing shield of many ages.

This could take a while, I thought.

Un/fortunately, some time later, another Big Yiga showed up. Now we’re talking.

The sun or my impatience eventually claimed the two stalcreatures, and I faced my new opponent.

Man, that thing took a beating, but the Hylian Shield did not bow or break under the blows of the Yiga Soldier. I followed the man, pressing in close, giving no blows of my own but only allowing him to swing his Windcleaver at me again and again, clanging and banging off the Hylian Shield.... until this one likewise leapt away from me straight backward and into the river.

As it turned out, the river ran deep just there and.... the Yiga Soldier despawned?

But a fresh one showed up just a moment later.

The same one? Did the game recognize that neither of us had yet prevailed in our quarrel? Or was it a newcomer?

I never found out.

I don’t suppose it mattered.

My shield took a BEATING. I could see in my inventories that its pristine sparkle had long since gone away, but still this Hylian Shield would just not die.

As we sported all up and down—well, as one of us sported and one of us did science all up and down the riverbank.... the Octoroks began to crop up again. I didn’t need any stones to the face—I tried to keep the Yigaman in between me and them. They hit him in the back of the head several times. I don’t suppose it was unexpected, but it still made me blink and then give an irreverent little chuckle. The way they just smashed and crumbled off his poor noggin....

My Hylian Shield stood strong against every blow. I never even parried. I just took hit after hit after hit, head-on, every time seeing those tiny sparks fly as the shield’s unplumbable durability was chipped away. Pebbles from a mountain.

Again, and again, and again, and—

 

What in Hylia’s name was that ungodly sound?

 

It was a voice—definitely a voice, and it was coming from the Yiga, but.... inhuman. Layered.... rippling.... Demonic.

Oh my gosh, I thought, had I carried this fight on for so long that the Yiga was glitching out?

“Zwuauzwuzwuzwuaezwaeuwa—” Incomprehensible sounds.

The unholy utterances persisted through the fight now, as long as we ever kept going, the Yiga repeatedly chanting weird demonic things at me as he conjured his ground-burrowing explosions.

Daruk came back to thrice look in on me—what on earth must he have thought?—only to be hammered away once again, and then it was back to shield-beating.

But the Hylian Shield just would not die.

But I wondered whether my game might, at this rate.

But I would like to know the shield’s limits....

But this demon in my ear.... I didn’t want to hear much more of this....

 

I fled into my pause menu and reloaded that manual save.

 

My shield was pristine again.

 

It had never broken.

 

“I’d rather have this guy with me,” the memory ran through my head.

Brother Mow indicated the man who, while he had finished the obstacle course within the time limit, was now so wrung out and huffing and puffing that he had been reduced to puking his guts out onto the ground.

The other course-runners were taken aback. Oh? Not the bigger, tougher man who had aced his way through and finished first?

“I told you to leave it all on the field. I know that this guy [the puker] is willing to push himself until he’s falling over sick on the field, but him? I have no idea what his breaking point is. I have no idea what could make him just snap out on the battlefield, and be unable to carry on when it counts.”

 

Or some such words....

 

That Hylian Shield....

I wanted to know its limits....

I didn’t want it to ever fail me when I needed it....

 

I’m....

I’m going to bed somewhere. Maybe my house.

 

But before I did, I met a man on horseback whom I didn’t think I had ever met before. His name was Endai.

“Ah, I’ve seen that look in your eye before,” he said, “You’ve lost track of what’s important in life, haven’t you?”

Huh. Remarkably.... astute.

“Catching bugs, swimming, infiltrating the castle, sleeping... The possibilities are endless, don’t you think?”

....!?

Who is this guy??

....

Just another man on the road.

And then too soon.... we parted ways.

 

....

 

He was right. I had lost track.

The Princess was waiting for me.

Calamity Ganon.... was waiting for me.

 

But where were the last two shrines....?

 

....

 

I went to Hateno—I went home.

This is my house.

♪  This is my house. ♪ ....

I put on pajamas.

Yes, these are my new pajamas.

Because I’m a girl playing this game.

It was roughly 11:00 pm.

I slept until the morning....

Good night.

 

~

 

And in my dreams.... I was escorting someone.... a woman and child, I think.

It was a dangerous time and place. Near to the castle.

I had to protect them....

A laser was targeting us—But we made it out of range....

Safe for the moment, and for the moment only. We were near to one of the gatehouses.

I could see something.... there near the castle....

There on the base of one of the rock pillars supporting the bridge over the moat... was that.... could that be.... some kind of opening into an inner part?

And on the bridge....

A Golden Lynel.

I had only heard of them in rumor.

But I had to get these people to safety.

Did they go on ahead? Did I send them? Or were they spooked by something?

Did they dash into the gatehouse too quickly? But there were Malice Mouths in there!

Or did a new laser find us?

They moved ahead to where I had thought that they would be safe, because I was busy fending off whatever was behind us, whatever was coming.... but something happened, something new, something spotted our movements.

No!

I was supposed to look after them. I couldn’t let them be hurt.

I had to save them—

Please no—

I had to keep them safe—