Shrine Out Of Time 2.3 - Gifts

Evening of Tuesday, November 17, 2020 (comprised of some raw note editings from April 29 through April 30, 2023 that I really hope sound consistent because I left it alone for too long) ~ 3

Shrine Out Of Time 2.3 - Gifts

It was a Modest Test Of Strength.

And I beat the Guardian.

Passed through the gate.

Looted the treasure chest.

And approached the meditating Monk....

Your triumph over the test of strength

subverts a prophecy of ruin. From the

ashes of Hyrule, a hero rises.

The Monk spoke the familiar words.

In the name of Goddess Hylia, I

bestow upon you this Spirit Orb.

And the Orb emerged from his solar plexus, arced gently across the space between us, and entered into my heart, my face pensive and reverent as ever at these times.

The little fanfare played, and the pop-up popped up: Spirit Orb – A symbol of courage given to those who have overcome the challenges of a shrine.

And I clicked to dismiss it away.

And then it turned.

You have at last conquered all of our

trials.

the Monk said.

Having fulfilled our purpose, we monks

bestow upon you this...

The warrant of the true hero.

You must now depart for the

Forgotten Temple.

A Gift from the Monks – the new quest banner flashed across the top of the screen.

And then, at the last.... the Monk imparted those timeless words....

May the Goddess smile upon you.

And his body evaporated away into that swirling teal mist, borne of an unearthly wind....

And I was made to depart the Final Shrine.

Hahhhhhh.

I’d finally done it.

I had finally found every last Shrine.

!

And it wasn’t even over yet.

The Forgotten Temple....

I did not warp straight inside, but elected instead to warp to the Hebra Stable—Snowfield Stable—approach the Forgotten Temple from the outside and Tanagar Canyon.... and DO THE THING PROPER.

Good times.... sailing through that firestorm....

And this time, behind the Rona Kachta Shrine at the back, standing on the platform before the giant Goddess statue.... were Three Treasure Chests.

But first.... I prayed to the Goddess, and received my final heart container.

I was ready now.

“Should I do this twenty-three-is-number-one style?” I asked the room at large.

Nobody really got it.

But.... I didn’t do it that way after all. I would go.... left.... then right.... then center....

Left....

Tunic of the Wild.

This armor was apparently crafted for a hero who travels in the wilds. Strangely enough, it’s just your size.

Right....

Trousers of the Wild.

Legends say these pants were tailored for a hero who travels the wilderness. Strangely enough, they’re the most comfortable pair of pants you’ve ever worn.

Ah, that sounds fabulous.

And center....

Cap of the Wild

According to legend, this cap was crafted for a hero who travels the wild lands. Wearing it just feels so right.

And I could feel the Spirit of the Hero.

I am the Hero.

They looked great. Agh, they looked classic.

They looked like the Oldest School Link you could think of. Dazzling with more pixels. But still so Pure.

Heh, and there were little .... square-tooth dark bands around the sleeve hems. Just a simple design. Very nice.

I looked great.

To Cotera then!

Good old Cotera.

Hee!

The upgrades were:

Cap – 10 Acorns and 2 Farosh scales

Tunic – 10 Acorns and 2 Naydra scales

Trousers – 10 Acorns and 2 Dinraal scales

Somehow acorns were just.... so perfect.

So cute. ^_^

Basic and pure for the boy in the forest.

~

And now.... I have notated all.... and I am.... very tired.

[And as of 1:17am, Sunday, April 30, 2023, I have now finessed all.... save the last battle....]

Do you know what my new job is?

I am a video game tester.

These horizons are definitely more exciting.

Probably because.... I can barely see them.

I am in the bottom of a jungle valley, and every day is a machete salad.

No, I can’t talk about it.

I signed an NDA.

Maybe I will upgrade Link’s clothes.... another day....

And fight Ganon again....

....like I said I would.

                        Good night.

 

Shrine Out Of Time 2.2 - The Last Shrine

Evening of Tuesday, November 17, 2020 (comprised of some raw note editings from April 29 through April 30, 2023 that I really hope sound consistent because I left it alone for too long) ~ 2

Shrine Out Of Time 2.2 - The Last Shrine

I was in my Hateno House.

I was out of practice. The buttons. The buttons....

I knew those could give me trouble. And so I decided to journey on foot.

I needed the practice.

The fabled Roscoe would be down on a southern beach, far to the west. I could probably get into ample trouble by following the coastline. That would give me practice on the buttons.... And Hateno was close enough to the beach.... I’d go there first!—oh, after I got dressed.

I said it before—this blasted game preying on my girly need to try on clothes! I remembered! As I perused my closets, I remembered. I’d bought an extra pair of Well-Worn Trousers from Granté, down in—up in Tarrey Town, and brought them here, to the Dye Shop.

To Sayge.

I never bothered to remember his name....

I donned some ensemble more suitable for the road.... or lack thereof.... left my house, ran down to the main thoroughfare, and jogged and sprinted my way back up the mountain, toward the Ancient Tech Lab. I was close enough to the beach....

But upon cresting the highest hills and looking down on that beach.... and being so struck by the familiarity of it.... I decided I didn’t need to explore any regions I’d been before along the eastern coast. Several times. I would go south instead.

I could see the Muwo Jeem Shrine from here, way out on its prominent overlook. I warped there, ran inland, then jumped off the crag, and ran and climbed and paraglided until I came down over Lurelin Village.

But I didn’t stop there. I ran straight up over the following mountain and paraglided all the way to Aris Beach. And there.... I started walking.

There were Guardian husks scattered across the sand. I used Stasis to check whether any of them were alive and—oh, that’s a Talus. I’d been so focused on the Guardians I hadn’t even noticed it.

I killed it. With a big wind-up of my weapon, like Ben said he’d done. And Urbosa nailed the thing in one. Felt good.

Walked.... walked....

Lizalfos appeared, and I donned my Lizalfos mask.

Skeletons cropped up, and I put on my Radiant Suit.

Electric Keese came out, and I put on the Thunder Helm.

The cost of a peaceful passage was only so much juggling and juggling....

But I knew there was a live Guardian down here somewhere; that one would be trickier to bypass....

The Lizalfos didn’t mind me sneaking up and sneaksriking them. I took their treasure from under their noses and they left me alone. These masks were so handy....

Kept walking.

I knew there was a live one somewhere.... I was sure I’d seen one.... some place.... some time....

And there it was.

A Guardian Stalker.

Sitting still as a spider.

I hated it when they did that.

There was a Lizalfos kind of near it, hunkered down in camouflage, facing my direction. I didn’t want to deal with them both....

On went my mask again, if it wasn’t already, and I crouched down and continued my westward march at literally the slowest possible pace. I didn’t know the reach of the Guardian’s ken.... but I wanted to get behind that lizard and kill it!

I circled wide enough to evade the Lizalfos’ interest, if not his swiveling little eyes, and.... came around his back side without the Guardian taking notice.

One sneakstrike put him down, leaving the field clear for just me and my larger opponent.

I crept closer to it still....

But the Guardian, it seemed, was nowhere near as lively as I’d feared. I came quite close and it still didn’t move.

It wasn’t even decayed. What was wrong with it?

Maybe some of ‘em just get low on batteries.

I tried whistling. It had worked for that turret on the castle grounds. But here on the beach.... nothing.

So.... I shot it in the head with an arrow.

That got its attention.

It came on....

And I put it down in three Perfect Parries.

....

And kept walking.

The beach was long.

There were more Lizalfos occasionally.... always more Lizalfos....

And the weird, overhanging rocks from the cliffs to the right....

It was a strange place.

And there, another tide pool, with a big hump of black rock rising out of it near the edge.

And I climbed up on that rock.

And there—

Orange—

There it was.

The last Shrine Pedestal.

It was set into a cluster of rocks just a few paces down-beach from.... a very large, very strange.... mushroom-shaped rock? It was tall, it was immense, with a high-rolling, grassy top, like a hill, but.... weathering down so narrow toward its base.... like a tree trunk.... A house-sized tree-trunk.

Maybe it had come to be this way from weathering near the sea.... maybe this area used to be sea caves.... Maybe.

Near the base of the MushRock I could see the light of a fire—a wok—a couple of large wooden crates, some barrels.... the silhouette of a dead Guardian there off the right side.... and the glow of—

The Orb.

Heh, the legendary Roscoe, I assumed.

And sitting on the ground beside it, leaning up against it with her palm upon its surface, her cheek against its face, her knelt legs folded off to one sultry side.... was a woman named Loone.

Heh. Fitting.

“So smooth and ancient...” I heard her murmur as I approached.

And as I came up to her directly.... “Your skin is so smooth and gorgeous, my little Roscoe.... Hm? Someone’s watching us? Oh, my sweet Roscoe! You’re so shy, aren’t you? YES, YOU ARE! Why not proudly show off your beaming beauty, my darling? You really MUST come out of your shell.”

This was amazing.

“Hm? The person watching looks like he wants something? Maybe he’s after... *GASP* Is he after you?! Don’t you worry, my sweet Roscoe! I would never ever EVER let you go!”

Well heck, that wouldn’t do.... I needed that thing!

“I’m head over heels for my special friend who’s been around since ancient times! You’re so ancient and special, Roscoe! YES, YOU ARE!!”

The way she just kept stroking it....

But then her voice dropped— “Sorry, my sweet Roscoe, but I fibbed a little... The truth is...” —and then rose again! “I wanna see Guardians! Flying ones! Small ones! Ones that walk around! I wanna see all the Guardians in the world!! Not the ones around here that have rusted away, either. I wanna see fresh and lively Guardians! If I ever do get to see them... I may just have to leave you, my friend.”

For a moment I panicked. Did I need to actually herd a Guardian over this direction and show it to her?

But no.... I remembered.... That’s what Ben had said—she only wanted to see pictures of different types of Guardians.

Well, there was my out.

“Oh, but don’t you worry! Getting near a Guardian is too dangerous for me. Flying ones, small ones, ones that walk... I’m afraid seeing Guardians like that is nothing more than a dream within a dream for me...”

Well, no worries, Loone. It wasn’t too dangerous for me. And it was already a waking nightmare within a waking nightmare to boot.

There was just one problem.

My album was full.

I hemmed and hawed a good long while. I didn’t like deleting records.... Well.... Lasli-in-the-Fireflies had replaced the picture of Impa’s orb....

I.... erased her pictograph. Ach.

Then it was a simple warp to the Castle; easy enough to find Guardians there. I found a flyer first. And the pictograph came out marked with a little red exclamation mark. Good.

I took it back to Loone, but.... she gave no different responses.

Uh.

....?

Let me see....

The quest was called Guardian Slideshow.

Oh no.... she.... she wanted to see all three of them at once?

Then I would need to delete.... two more pictographs?

How could I?

ajhglajgkeklr;ajkf

I pushed it aside, went back to the castle; I would decide when it was upon me.

I made my way to the Observation Room. And I erased.... one picture of Windblight Ganon. For I’d had two of them. The one I erased was less dynamic, but it did better showcase the blight’s four “braids”.... like Revali’s....

I’d just.... found it.... interesting I’m sorry, my friends....

Somewhere near the Observation Room, I snapped a pictograph of a Turret. But no exclamation mark appeared on this one.... Huh.... So by “little one” she must have meant a shrine-crawler, then....

I paraglided down toward Castle Town, got a pictograph of a Crawler, and then.... warped to the Shrine of Oman Au. There were crawlies in there.

Hemmmmmed and haawwwwwed and hemmmmmed and hawwwwed....

That picture.... that picture that I took of the Great Calamity, Calamity Ganon.... right up friggin’ main street.

I actually went and made sure it was on my computer first.... and then.... I deleted it.

It definitely needed better retaking.

And there were other facets of Ganon I had failed to capture as well.

I would find him again.

Soon enough.

I got the crawly, beat the shrine, warped back to Ka’o Makagh.... climbed over the mountain, came back to Loone.

“My sweet Roscoe... Don’t you worry, my special friend! I would never ever, EVER let you go. ...Unless, of course, I find a way to see a flying Guardian and a small one and one that walks around.”

Ah-hah, my choices, “I’ll show them to you.” or “You’re...funny.”

She did seem maybe just a wee bit touched, but....

“I’ll show them to you,” I offered.

“Hm? Someone’s speaking?” she said. Oh gosh.

“You’ll...show me? A Guardian?”

Oh, she addressed me this time! But she was still glued to her precious ball.

“Hey, you! Could you please not bother my Roscoe and me?”

But I held up my Sheikah Slate, and showed her—

“It’s not like you can show me a Guardian or anything...”

—the Guardian Skywatcher.

Suddenly Loon was on her feet. “That image... That’s a flying Guardian! Wow, I feel alive with terror just from gazing at its beautiful form!”

Beautiful?

....Well, I know most of that feel, sister.

I then showed her Oman Au’s little crawly.

“A small Guardian! Awww, it looks so vicious for its tiny size! Adorable!!”

Adorable?

“Hold on... If you’ve been able to show me two types, then that must mean...”

And I held up my slate once more with the pictograph of the Stalker.

“A walking Guardian! I can’t believe it! Nothing could be more dangerous! What an exhilaratingly scary sight!”

Exhilarating? Wait, let me look it up.... “Ex-” plus.... “hilarus” as in “hilarity”?

....

Well maybe if your sense of humor is very, very dark.

“Phew... What a joy,” Loone sighed. “Hey, you! Give me that box, OK?! I wanna look at those images every single day!”

Uh oh.

“I can’t do that,” I said.

“You can’t? I see... How unfortunate.” Her face wilted into her palm. “I guess I’ll just have to burn those images into my imagination.”

“Can I have that orb?” My only option.

Loone raised her head again. “Hm? Oh, you mean Roscoe? Sure, that weird sphere thing is all yours. Really, I’m over it.”

Oh wow, Loone. XD

“Yeah, I’m all about Guardians now! If I close my eyes, I can see them in my imagination! It’s glorious!”

Heh, and I hope that’s the only place you’ll ever see them.

I’d been taking my time.

Mom and David were in the room with me, and David had been impatient, but.... he said if he’d known it were the last shrine....

He was understanding about that....

I picked up the Roscoe Orb, walked it over the few paces to the pedestal, and set it down in the hole.

Up came the Shrine of Shoqa Tatone.

The Final Shrine....

I stepped inside.

 

Rhoam's Gift

Continuation of Friday, May 10, 2019 (including raw note editings from April 5, 2023 through April 10, 2023 that I really hope sound consistent because I left it alone for too long)

Rhoam’s Gift

I leapt off the Observation Room’s balcony, due south for Castle Town.

It was night.

The Malcontent Piano was different at night. Only fitful, having nightmares.

Back in the town I was showing David the terrifying trick to Stasising sleepy Guardians and making them fall into oblivion.... when there was a Blood Moon.

The unholy smoke was so unwelcome as it began to drip up from the ground. In a place like this.... I was on the fountain in the ruined central square when midnight struck.

“Not like this,” I imitated Dean’s voice.

When the warning vision faded and I came back, one newly revitalized Guardian targeted me. I killed it before warping to the Plateau Tower.

I went to the Temple of Time to pray, but received no answers about shrines.

I climbed up into the Temple’s high chamber, but King Rhoam wasn’t there.

So I went to Rhoam’s old house. There was.... a chest.

I blinked, and opened it.

A Warm Doublet?

I.... I have his Warm Doublet now.

I looked at the Old Man’s Diary on the table:

Link...

Oh.

Bit by bit, you may come to realize who

I am. I am sorry for not revealing my

true identity to you sooner.

Have I.... seen this before?

The truth is, after you awoke from your

long Slumber of Restoration, I did not

know how to tell you all there was to say.

Read more:

Perhaps deceiving you was not the right

thing to do. Still...you must admit I put

on a great performance!

Heh, you sure did. Had me fooled, that’s for sure.

But all joking aside...what I ask of you

is of the utmost importance, dear hero.

I implore you, with all my heart...

defeat Calamity Ganon and save

my precious daughter, Zelda.

I understand this is no simple task I am

asking of you, but I know beyond a

shadow of a doubt that you can do it.

I.... have faith in myself too, it’s just....

I do not doubt it for a moment. I see

courage in your eyes, just as I did

100 years ago. I believe in you, Link.

....Thank you, King Rhoam.

Read more:

Ah, yes, one more thing. I have left the

warm doublet here as a gift of sorts.

I’m sure it will be useful on your journey.

Heh, wish I’d known to come back here, back then.

You can also weather the cold with

cooking alone, but I caution against it.

There is no time for recklessness.

Good idea.

We are all counting on you.

....

That was all there was.

....

I could sleep in his little hut if I wanted to.

Hm but I did need more arrows.... I got down to nine for the first time in a long time.

....

I’m just gonna go plunder every town I know for arrows.

I hit Kakariko and cleaned it out.

But at Hateno.... I actually decided to make another stop first.

My closet was in a precarious situation.

I had two Warm Doublets.

And that terrible Sort button loomed threatening to wreak irreparable havoc on all my perfect messy piles.... I didn’t want to lose track....

So.... I decided to go to the Dye Shop, so I could differentiate Rhoam’s gift from the other Warm Doublet.

....

Good gravy. I have never logged about Hateno Village’s Dye Shop.

Well, Hateno did leave me with such a sour and sullen flavor when I first rode in. All these people.... So contented. So convenient. So wrapped up in their yarnball world of happy colors when there were terrors hunting the unwary on the road, just outside the gate.

Hunting me.

Hunting anyone I cared about.

Didn’t they know there wasn’t a thing I didn’t cherish?

Maybe that’s why it was such a pain.

I followed the thoroughfare until I came to the paint-splotched building with the big open wall like a garage. I had passed it many times but never gone further than chatting with the proprietor.

Ah, Zunari, from Wind Waker. That’s who he looked like. I remembered.

No, wait—researching—Doc Bandam, excuse me. That’s who he looked like. The Chu Jelly Shop owner.

But this man’s name was Sayge.

Hah, a colorful name.

“You can’t miss him,” his clappercalling wife had always told me when I passed. And she was right. Just a little way into the building and—the color, the face, the forehead, bare knees, that garish lava-pink combover—had he dyed it himself?

He wore a leather apron over what appeared to be his bare chest, and hanging in its row of loops was an assortment of vials filled with different colored liquids. Splashes and stains of different hues smattered his attire and the workshop at large.

I’d never given this place a try. The taste of the town was just too sour in my mouth when I’d first rode in, on that rainy day so long ago. The unfeeling, heedless color of the place.

Though.... perhaps I oughtn’t to have expected the world to turn for any misery I suffered.

I wanted the man’s service now. I wanted Rhoam’s Warm Doublet to stay its original friendly green. But the one I purchased.... Well, I went to see what Sayge could do for me.

“Hue do you do?” he started off.

Oh boy.

Well at least he loved his work.

It seemed clothing could be dyed for 20 rupees a pop, but it also required me to bring some ingredients of my own.

Well, my pockets were certainly full enough; I didn’t anticipate running tight just there.

Sayge also told me it was the tradition in Hateno to dye a person’s entire outfit, from head to toe, all at once.

Oh gosh, then these splatters on the wall—I wondered. Was he going to blast me with some kind of pressure hose?

He had me stand in a large empty quarter of the room at any rate, and—oh, but the menus were generous in letting me see what different colors would look like. And there were quite a few of them to choose from, too!

The menus also allowed me to get into my inventory to change or rearrange my outfit if I wanted—because it seemed when I previewed a color, the projected outcome of the dye-job was reflected across every item I were wearing.

They really would spray everything at once.

So, I stripped off my pants and whatever was on my head until I stood there in the single, thick winter doublet and nothing else.... except for those first sleek blue undershorts I’d had from the Shrine of Resurrection.

It looked.... kind of ridiculous.

I tried to imagine my Hylian Trousers or the Snowquill Trousers still on me, as I cycled through the different colors for the Winter Doublet.... Some colors looked better than others. Why does navy seem to be so universally appealing? But grey looked nice, too. But.... mmmm.... cold....

I took the Warm Doublet I purchased, and chose.... white.

Oh, but Sayge still needed ingredients from me.

And again the menus offered me all kinds of free-reign; I could even still cancel back out if I wanted—

It’s just that the service seemed so scarily final. I mean, yes, this was just one spare Warm Doublet, but some of my clothes I had worked incredibly hard for!

Who could ever do this to his clothing?

Hhhhh—I flicked through my items. Everything I could use for white dye stood out strong; the rest was greyed out.

Flick, flick, flick.... I scrolled through the pages. Lynel horns? As dye!?

The nerve to even suggest it! Those were hard-won!

I guess they were certainly white enough, though.

How interesting.... the entire spread of everything that Link could carry in his inventory.... That the whole of it should be further engineered to provide a balanced rainbow of hues. Apples for red, rushrooms for purple....

Amazing.

I needed to provide five ingredients, and my store of White Chuchu Jelly was ample enough for that. I loaded up my arms with the stuff, and Sayge took my money. No turning back now.

This was it.

My first time dying something.

“All right then,” said Sayge, “hold on to your britches!”

Uh?

I’m standing there.... holding the Chuchu Jellies.... the camera looming in like a cat out for mischief, while the Piano wound up like a ticking bomb, and then....

The floor fell out from under me! And with a gasp and a start, Link fell into a big VAT below and poof!—

....

I stepped out from the glittering cloud as it dissipated, and looked down at myself.

My clothes were magically dyed.

....

Never done that before.

That was....

Well....

....

Never done that before. XD Heh, delightful.

Sayge complimented my outfit, and then I learned—he could change back any dyed item to its original color if I wanted? For 20 more rupees....

HOOOOO what sighs of relief were mine!

Then, I could try things out with no worries of losing any original coloration forever.... albeit a bit expensively....

Well that was good to know!

Wish he’d let on about that a little sooner....

Ah, delightful and lulzy.... But now.... really I needed to stay focused....

Back to arrow-shopping.

....

....

.......

. . . . . . .

Dang this game preying on my girly need to try on clothes.

NOT RIGHT NOW I need arrows.

LINK IS A MAN AND HE NEEDS HIS ARROWS.

FOR KILLING THINGS.

....

Went to Goron City, but no arrows there. Just some Sugar Cane and Goron Spice.

Went to Gerudo Town; always a good supply. I also stopped at that jewelry shop and got the Opal Earrings and the Amber Earrings. Just because.

Just because of all the outfittery on my brain? I wonder....

Went to Outskirt Stable and found Botrick nearby; bought all his arrows....

When did I start running out of juice?

I warped to the Sho Dantu Shrine and made for the head of Satan Canyon, and the Yiga Hideout. But in going through it I only found that it was eerily empty. What was I looking for?

Could I even tell anymore?

The place was creepy, and so I decided instead to go scope out some cliffside scaffolds on the north side of the Gerudo Highlands, which I didn’t think I had explored before.

But I didn’t find much. Just some ‘Blins to kill, and wolves like gangbusters.

....

I’m going back to the Old Man’s Hut.

I made the old Warm Doublet, the one I had just dyed white, Link’s new pajamas. Those and his Snowquill Trousers. I took everything else off.

8:45 pm.

Slept until the morning.

Good night.

 

 

Last Corners

Friday, May 10, 2019 ~ 5

Last Corners

Back to the Outside Track.

I followed it counter clockwise again. I was almost to the entrance to the Dining Hall. There’d be Moblins in there—

Ah—phoo, I’d forgotten that stretch. That stretch of road just off the Dining Hall, that stretch where a dead Guardian had fallen down from above right in front of me before.

It just did it again.

Ahahah....

Now I was back inside.

I wanted to see if I could reach the Malice Balcony. It had been blocked on the west side.... and completely shut off on the south side opening. I had to be able to reach it from here, from the east....

I made it through the Dining Hall, down the corridor to the left, and to a doorway that led into the room below the balcony, some antechamber.

There was Malice blocking the way here, too. But this time there was an eyeball. I shot it, and the way cleared.

The room beyond was new to me.

There was a Moblin. Right in there to the right, squatting at rest on the floor and facing perpendicular to my entrance.

I walked in with my mask. I thought for sure—for SURE—he would see me, but.... Dang. I mean, I stepped into the room right at his 10:30, but he never stirred. Not when I crossed the threshold, not when I walked slowly along the inner wall, further down his left side. Not when I passed his 9:00, nearly brushing his ear. I came all the way down and back behind him.... and sneakstruck him in one.

Well at least it was quick.

Now, the balcony....

A broad and perhaps still handsome staircase led up to the south, opposite where the Moblin had been squatting. No Malice blocked my way here; the path to the last room was open. I started up the red-carpeted steps.

Another Moblin waited at the top. Oh this one saw me all right, as I came straight up his 12:00. And like they do, he started at my mask, and then began lumbering toward me to investigate this new, tiny brother.

I let him come down and draw close, maneuvering him onto lower ground before—“Don’t try it....”—dispatching him on the staircase.

After this I ascended further, but did not leave the mouth of the stairway. There was an eyeball up there, high and away on the far side of the upper room.

My Royal Bow was extremely damaged. But it had at least one shot left in it, if I could be sure not to waste it....

I took aim before the eyeball could spot me, and—“Royal Bow.... fly!” I urged it. And the arrow struck true, as the bow shattered in my hands.

And the eyeball shriveled and died.... and the Malice evaporated.... and I could see....

The rain.

The Observation Room this was called. Fitting.

A crumbled statue of the bird motif from the royal crest, its wings spread back and wild, stood on a plinth in the center of the room.

It must have been handsome once. Was this.... a stylized Loftwing?

I went up one of the smaller side-stairs, which led to the upper platform, and outside. A Thunderblade was embedded in the high, central floor, but I had no room to carry it. I did have room for the bundle of arrows I found just over the threshold, however. Handy.

And that ridiculous longshot Korok was still there. Yeah don’t think I’ve forgotten you, you little guttersnipe.

But....

My gosh, the view.

The balcony was splendid without the wall of Malice choking it closed. This really was a spectacular vantage point from which to look out over the castle grounds, and the town below. How green and alive it might have looked once, with birds chirping and people milling.... soldiers’ armor clinking.... wagons rattling.... melodious voices....

....

The giant gate, on the earthbridge over the moat, had closed its doors again.

The Guardian Flyer still circled, ready to murder in a dun world.

....

The grey waste of Castle Town looked inviting. To escape to.

How ridiculous.

...

I.... don’t think I can find another shrine inside the Castle Town.

....

How am I to do?

....

....

I consult my map.

I think I have visited all the inside areas of the castle.

Observation Room, Guards’ Chamber, the long corridor down to the Grand Staircase, and back to that Shaft Room, the West Passage on into the Lockup.... And on the east side from the Observation Room.... the Dining Hall, the other little Guards’ Room, back into the Library, leading off into the East Passage, and down to the Docks.

And Zelda’s Chambers isolated high on the west side.

....I’ve been everywhere inside.

And a fair number of places outside.

....

I don’t think there’s another shrine in here.

My fear was that it would be like the Toto Sah Shrine, which I did not recall hearing my Shrine Detector brreep-brreep about. Hidden behind that rock barrier below Misko’s Treasure Cache.

But another thing I did not remember about that encounter was whether or not my Slate was even set to detect Shrines at that moment.

Would I be able to hear a hidden shrine?

I don’t know.

....

I’m really low on arrows.

Revali.

Take me outta here.