Errands in Zorana

Evening of Tuesday, September 4, 2018 ~ 2

Errands in Zorana

It was time to smarten up—I could at least aim for what materials I wanted. And Luminous Stone from Zora’s Domain was a pretty easy place to start.

I wandered around to Upland Zorana—finally spying on my way, via Magnesis, the Ceremonial Trident at the bottom of the channel beneath the western bridge. Trello had said it had fallen down there....

But I only took a mental note of its location and continued up into the hills, ranging all over, collecting Luminous Stone.

On a paraglide back down toward the Domain proper, I saw that Kilton had parked his balloon near Ralis Pond, so I went to pay him a visit.

Upon approaching him I noticed that the back of his hood (he always faced away from the counter at first) seemed to have.... a hole in it? What?

So I spoke to him, wondering if he had anything new.

And LO AND BEHOLD his hot new item tonight was the LYNEL MASK.

And he confided to me that he had recently nearly been killed while studying actual Lynels to design this mask! Well that explained the hole then! XD

Lynel Mask?

YES PLEASE!

I sold him monster bits for Mon—999 Mon!—and then exchanged again and the Lynel Mask was mine.

SWEET.

I tried it on right away—and laughed so hard—for similar to how he had done with other masks, Link immediately took on the stance and air of its.... what was that word.... exemplificator....

He stood up tall and puffed out his chest and held back his arms like some beefy bodybuilder posing for a film ad! XD Oh my gosh.... XD

Kilton warned me, though.... Lynels were smart. The mask might not fool them for long.

Well I’d just burn that bridge when I came to it then. :)

With my pockets full of Luminous Stone and my Lynel Mask in tow, I sailed down to try and pick up that Ceremonial Trident....

It was a bit of a chore to reach it. But only because I so often forget and neglect the Sheikah Slate power of Cryonis. With a little persistence I was able to ice-bridge my way out to the center of the channel, grab the Trident and get back to solid ground.

But I still didn’t know how to plunge it into the pedestal at the Veiled Falls. I spoke to Trello, I spoke to Laruta, I spoke to Keye.... Keye gave the same demonstration he always had: you jump up high and then slam your spear into the ground.

But I had already tried that with Lady Mipha’s Lightscale Trident, to no effect. And I gave it a go with the Ceremonial Trident. Still nothing.

What was I doing wrong?

I didn’t like damaging these weapons....

Jump up high.... jump up high.... Did I have to go higher? There was a way for that....

I put on my Zora Armor and jetted straight up the Veiled Falls, bursting out the top to hang in the air by my paraglider. Then down, down, down I floated....

I took care to center myself directly over the pedestal. And when I was still high up, but not so high that I’d injure myself.... I let go and plunged down with the weapon....

I didn’t hit dead center, but it was enough.

The Dagah Keek Shrine rumbled out of the earth just up near Ralis Pond!

Well that would make an excellent waypoint up into the hills! It would save a long jog up the stairs and across the bridge anyway.

I entered the shrine and received the monk’s blessing. Excellent.

Trello later mentioned something about a similar effect the Lightscale Trident might have on.... Mipha’s pedestal?

What like the one in the square?

Which I considered and.... might have even tried once or twice.... but....

I don’t like damaging these spears.

Full Circle

Waking of Thursday, April 6, 2017 ~ 6

Full Circle

Well I’d hiked to the dam and across to the north side once already. I could do it again. So I did.

But blast and confusticate that creeping PIANO always following me around! Jumping up from the bare stone whenever I least expect it.... Snaking out of the windswept grass to whisper dreadful nothings up my spine—WHY!

Uhuhuhh.... it gives me the jibblies, man.... .__.;

The world is wild.

The world is wild.

<3

I eventually hiked back toward a part of the winding road I had once traversed—the long road to Zora’s Domain. From there I deviated away from the track and made my way to a high precipice where I could see the last few bridges to the Domain proper laid out below me.

I paraglided in, landing partway along the last bridge—on top of one of its arches, actually. Not by design.... but I enjoyed the view and then hopped down to go the last stretch on foot.

Rivan and Dunma still guarded the outermost gate; I said hello.... and then set about looking for Fronk.

He wasn’t in the square, and he wasn’t back around the sleeping quarters; maybe he was on one of the stairways....

I came back to the deck above the square and descended one of the grand staircases. It was quite empty, but in passing I noticed a Hylian on the adjacent rampway—a separate little footpath that wound in a sinuous course around the staircase.

It was rare to see Hylians here even now, but I had already seen at least one. Maybe more and more would come to visit again.

But I did a double take.

That Hylian was talking to the short, orange Zora. He was talking to Finley.

Why, that must’ve been Sasan!

He made it! 8D

I ran right back up the staircase and vaulted over the railing. It was something like a hundred-foot drop between them, but the staircase and the rampway platform were really quite close enough together that I could make the jump easily.

They were both so happy to see me again. They’d really hit it off it seemed! Well good for them. ^_^ Heh, and Finley was advising Sasan to do lots of swimming and lifting and other exercises—to get those big muscles he’d promised her!

And they told me they’d thought it over, and really wanted to thank me for helping to bring them together—and they gave me a gold rupee.

Ooh-la-la, that was worth three hundred.

Maybe I’d still have some pocket change left over if and when I bought my house after all!

In visiting the other denizens of Zora’s Domain yet again I learned a few more things.

In Dento’s workshop, wondering if he could perhaps just repair the Lightscale Trident I had been given, I found out that in order for him to make a new trident, he would need me to bring him some materials—including diamonds. Two diamonds for the Ceremonial Trident.... probably more for the Lightscale Trident....

So that’s what the diamonds were for. Good to keep in mind....

I also sauntered up to Torfeau for the first time since I’d slain the Ralis Pond Hinox, fully expecting an attaboy and maybe some kind of reward.

But all she said was, “So, ready to give it a try?”

:c

I ran out to Ralis Pond and discovered, much to my dismay, that even great fat minibosses like the Hinoxes must come back to life at Blood Moon.

It was there again.

Ah, poop.

But.... armed with my new know-how, I was able to get rid of it once again using far fewer arrows. And when I went to see Torfeau again—(“That stench,” she said, and knew I had done the deed!)—she gave me a silver rupee. One hundred. Excellent.

And BY THE WAY, guess what the Hinox had dropped....

A Korok Leaf! Ah-HAA!! Oh I finally had a Korok Leaf in my inventory!

I was going to GO places with THIS....! C8

At length among my wanderings, I did find Fronk, away in some unobtrusive corner and hard about his work.

He told me that he wanted to help me in any way he possibly could, and I let him know I would certainly welcome that.

“Where could she be?” I asked, for I really had looked everywhere.

“If Ledo’s group didn’t find her....” Fronk began, and I wondered if that was what Ledo had been doing when I’d first met him, searching for Mei.... (and a strong Hylian for the Prince, of course).

Fronk hypothesized a possibility or two about where she could have ended up along the Zora River before admitting, “Worst-case scenario, she might have washed all the way to Lake Hylia.”

Lake Hylia?

Where in Hyrule was that?

And the Zora River.... That seemed to be what it was called above the wetlands.... Was that what it was called downstream by the Woodland Stable as well? I couldn’t tell because my map didn’t extend that far, blast it....

Maybe she really had washed further down that river....

....

And maybe I should’ve spoken with Fronk in the first place—

It was in the past.

And my wanderings had not been fruitless.

But....

But.... in following the river.... in following that road along the river, I had come closer, and closer, and closer to Hyrule Castle.

I had seen the signpost right beside the stable: “Hyrule Castle ➔”. Straight up the road. Not even the mystery-hungry Zorona ever went that way.... he always stopped his horse within breathing distance of the stable, if he was heading that way.

Leastways every time I saw him.

What if the river wound too close to the castle? What if it ran right through it?

What if it passed right through the den of the beast?

Errand Boy

Waking of Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Errand Boy

The unholy smoke started curling from the ground, and I began to sprint up the stairs, accidentally chasing a poor hapless fox up in front of me. There was a bed up on top of the Reservoir wall, and I really wanted to sleep in it before the Blood Moon shone—

I was five feet from it when the final crash of darkness sounded, and the Princess’ voice warned me to once again please be careful.

Oh but I was being careful, I thought as I came back to myself. I was going to have a good long sleep in this bed. You see because I wasn’t feeling very well, because a Hinox had fallen on top of me.

The rest I had until the morning was most welcome....

Earlier, I had paraglided down from Vah Ruta’s high spring and begun combing the Domain once more for those historical tablets, only becoming distracted by the other Zoras’ issues once or twice.... or thrice.... along the way.

I found a few new tablets, with some interesting and informative histories on them! But there were still a few more, somewhere waiting out there. Jiahto offered to tell me where some of them were, but I told him it was okay; I’d find them.

In fact, I was finding quite a lot in my searchings, including more luminous stones. But Ledo was still sleeping when I came back to him again.

One of Mei’s and Fronk’s children, Tumbo, was selling frogs to raise money while his mother was.... not working, so I donated some of my Hot-Footed Frogs to him. And in the square by the fountain, one Zora child named Keye, while at play, unintentionally gave me a helpful hint about the pedestal at Veiled Falls—perhaps I should try thrusting the trident into the pedestal.

Well, I tried it, with Mipha’s Lightscale Trident, which I had been loathe to actually use. But nothing happened. And now the Lightscale Trident doesn’t have its pristine luster in my inventory anymore. However, Dento assured me that I could come to him if it ever broke, and he could remake it for me. He’s handy in a workshop, that one.

But I’m still not sure if I’ve ever seen the Ceremonial Trident Trello keeps talking about; he said he dropped it somewhere under a bridge....

Guess I’ll just keep looking.

From Veiled Falls.... well, I was close enough to Ralis Pond to go try and have a go at Torfeau’s Hinox.... so I goed.

It was Torfeau who had asked me if I would try and kill it.

Of course it had been Torfeau. She’s the one always practicing with her spear, the first Zora I had seen wearing armor. Tula and Tona were only concerned with their Prince Sidon Fanclubbery.

Well, it started with the letter T anyway.

I drank a sneaky elixir and crept up to the big sleeping Hinox, my heart thumping madly, thinking maybe I could crawl on top of it to steal things off its necklace. And I did come quite close to it. Right next to it, touching it, even walking into it in fact. But I could gain no purchase to climb.

Instead, I thought Oh just blow it and began hacking at it with my Special Thirty-Eight Big Stick. It got to its feet....

Never hack the legs out from under a Hinox at close quarters.

You will regret it.

After a narrow escape and a good long rest and for my second attempt at the Hinox.... I just took David’s approach. Which, honestly, was kind of my approach too, or it would have been if I’d engaged a Hinox before now. It was a good approach—why would I think to go and start attacking one directly? In reach of its—oh Farore they’re so ugly....

Instead! I speared up through the Veiled Falls, made my way to the clifftop above Ralis Pond, and invoked the beautiful aid of Ja Baij.

Of course, the bombs were slow, and the great brute kept wandering—didn’t have a clue who was pelting it with tiny explosives. And so I switched to arrows. A bit faster, and more damaging, so that in a few moments.... I had slain my very first Hinox.

Felt good to clear up Ralis Pond of that filth.

Ralis....

There was a name I respected.

When I finally caught Ledo awake and at his work, I gave him the ten luminous stones. He made a great and humorous fuss about counting them all out—and then he rewarded me with diamonds.

Oh my, but I must look into what those could be used for, or how much they could be sold for—

I might finally claim that house in Hateno Village to be.... a home for me....

Ledo invited me to bring him any more luminous stones I might find, though he said any other sets of ten he’d only trade me one diamond for, not two.

Well that was fine with me! C8

I had eleven more on me just then, but....

Yes I should like to research this.

Adventures in Zorana

Waking of Saturday, March 25, 2017

I.... played from the activation of Vah Ruta again today.

Because.

Adventures in Zorana

After warping over to Cotera’s Forest to have her modify my new pants, I headed back to Zora’s Domain.

I had done the favor for Laflat—and that Lynel Safari had been brutal. Some other Zora—maybe Tula or Toma—had asked if I would go slay the Hinox at Ralis Pond.

“Not now,” I’d said.

Maybe later. Truly.

Kapson had asked me to find just one more betrothed couple he could bless in his old age, and Jiahto, another elder Zora, wanted me to scout out the rest of the historical stone tablets scattered about the Domain so I could help him write his book.

And Fronk....

Fronk had seemed.... down.... whenever I talked to him. He always claimed to be just lost in thought, a few times he told me to just get out of his way, and once I heard him say something about.... something being all his fault.

At first I’d thought he was talking about Vah Ruta—what, had he triggered something? But now.... as I passed him again, he finally opened up to me.

I had heard a couple of the Zora children saying something about their mother, Mei, failing to return from somewhere—some kind of work she does, I gathered—but they were sure she was safe.

But now I found out that Fronk.... was Mei’s husband.

And he was worried sick about her.

Oh gads, perhaps he and others had been protecting the children—was the situation really much worse?

I told him I would help him find her.

I would help him find his wife.

....

If I’d been more in character, I might have rushed off to that right away. But first.... Ledo had asked me something a bit more simple than any of these things.

I’d seen him hammering away at the pillars and fixtures all about the Domain, and he said he had a lot of work to do yet. He asked me if I had any luminous stone.

As it turned out I did; I’d run into a sizeable quarry of them back near Hateno, when I went chopping—er, exploding wood.

But Ledo needed ten of them for his repairs, and I only had six. However, he did say they were plentiful to be found all over Upland Zorana.

I’d seen that region on my map. A slightly lower area of hills a bit west of Ploymus Mountain.

Vah Ruta had been won, the rain had stopped, the day was saved.... It was time for some friendly neighborhood hero work and a good romping explore.

Besides, now I had the Lightscale Trident, and the Veiled Falls were on the way to Upland Zorana!

But when I got there, there wasn’t really anything to be done. The falls didn’t split open as I waved Mipha’s weapon. All I saw of note was a great orange dais beneath the water. The kind those big heavy Sheikah orbs can be fitted into. Hmmm.... Maybe I’d have to speak to Trello—he said something else about a trident he dropped.... or perhaps Dento, the arms repairman. Maybe one of them could give me some clues....

Or perhaps that little Zora girl who sings the song....

Well, the Falls weren’t going anywhere, and so I speared up through them and onto the higher hills.

It rained for much of the time. Which was only a little wearisome—hadn’t the Prince and I had just gone through so much trouble to get it to stop raining?

But perhaps it was fortuitous—it did give me a little bit of cover and din to hide behind, for there were lizalfos up here. And moblins.

I spent a lot of time casting bombs down from hilltops. One lizalfos at a time I can handle, but.... when there are a few of them all in the same area.... And I still don’t feel comfortable fighting moblins.... That hammer incident seemed so distant and lucky now....

I just need to work on my timing. Maybe I can practice a bit back on the Plateau.

The luminous stones were tricky to find through the rainy haze—it was much easier at night, when they glowed bright blue. But I did find enough to bring me up to ten, and then some—for their description said something about.... they can be used in some kind of weaponry....

So I’d keep a few extras handy if ever I figured that out.

I jumped off a huge jutting rock to get back to Zora’s Domain all quick-like, and proceeded to ask everybody I met where Ledo had got to, but when I finally found him.... he was asleep.

The Zora sleeping quarters.... they’re these deep pools back beneath the throne room.

Ledo was zonked and there was no waking him.

Well.... guess I haven’t really been the model of circadian responsibility myself. You know, I think Link can run around for days on end without sleeping because.... well he’s been asleep for a hundred years!

Oh well, there was nothing I could do.

Jiahto stood nearby, studying one of the tablets. Thinking again about what I’d seen written on them.... I knew there was some treasure up there.... somewhere on the mountains....

I read the tablet near Jiahto’s spot again. This one was a replica of the one about the ancient Hero defeating the Lynel. He’d been given a helm in reward. And that helm rested.... ugh, but this tablet was still degraded! I couldn’t tell where the helm rested! It was near a lake with a four-letter name. Which sounds awful but, just—Well I’d kept thinking Lulu Lake, but—

AND THEN IT HIT ME LIKE A TON OF POUNDS.

In my wanderings around Zorana, I’d come to a Toto Lake.... and there were sunken ruins in it jutting from the water!

“I didn’t try Magnesis!” I shouted, and David perked up from his phone and watched me at whiles as I made the long, long climb back up Veiled Falls, back round through the twisting hills, back eastward toward the mysterious Toto Lake.

This seemed to be the very border of the Zoras’ Kingdom.... and I’d seen things from these hilltops.... and some of them looked spectacularly welcome.... and some of them made me want to crawl into a hole and never come out again.

There was another Sheikah Tower very near here.

But it seemed to be guarded by .... something I have no name for. Something that patrolled in a hover, and searched the ground with a beam of red light. It looked.... like a machine.

Agh, and there were shrines so close.... but....

These Zoras first.

I found the lake again, crawled out to a high jutting point of the sunken ruins and waved my Slate around....

There! There beneath the water was a chest! I pulled it out onto an exposed part of the ruin and opened it.... and it had a Zora Helm inside of it!

Ah! My ensemble was complete! How DANDY I looked! ^_^

Ah, very regal, sleek and blue and silver and scaled, with that slick protruding helmet bit at the front.... very menacing.... Ah, yes. Ah, and the asymmetricality of it! For on the left temporal fin there were what looked like little ornamental earrings or something, just two of them, small silver hoops, very subtle; but the right fin was bare.

Very nice, I liked this get-up.... and I could swim faster in it too!

And with that it was time to pay Cotera another visit!

She really is a nice Great Fairy. :3

Zora's Domain Again

Waking of Saturday, March 18, 2017 ~ 14

Zora’s Domain Again

I coalesced into myself near the gates of Zora’s Domain.

Rivan was the first person I saw.

He marveled to me at the clearness of the sky.

I felt different.

I walked inward, passing familiar faces, Fronk, Trello, Laflat....

I showed Laflat the pictograph I had taken of the charging Lynel, and she made a rather undignified squeak at the sight of it. But she was grateful to see it; it would help her scare the young Zoras from going near the mountain.

Scare away, Laflat. The terror of that thing was completely justified.

In return for my high-stakes pictography, she gave me a pair of Zora Greaves. She said they used to be very common—Zoras had gifted them to visiting Hylians after the Hylians had collaborated with the Zoras to construct the Eastern Reservoir wall. Now, however, you didn’t see them all that much, because Hylians didn’t visit so often anymore. The very pair she had given me was the last one in the stock room before her father had to close down their armor shop.

Well, I could certainly look the part now, couldn’t I?

But I didn’t don them just yet. It felt.... a little presumptuous, on my way to see the King once again.

Back in the throne room before King Dorephan. Sidon and Muzu were there, too, as were many of the Zoras I had met. A small throng of blues and greens and reds and blacks—I could pick out a few individuals....

There followed from the King some pomp and circumstance, but.... beneath all that, I think what struck me as perhaps the heaviest honor—or perhaps the most dearly bought by its bestower—was Muzu, repentant. He hoped, he said, that I would be able to forgive him for his words to me before, if not now, then some day.

Many of the elders I passed on my way back into the Domain still resented me for stealing away their princess. And I don’t suppose I can blame them, trying to see it from their side. But.... Muzu’s olive branch was a gracious and most welcome gesture.

The King awarded me with a treasure that had belonged to Lady Mipha—the Lightscale Trident—which reminded him....

“Where is your trusty sword, Link? The one with the power to seal away the darkness?”

I looked at him. “What sword?” I said.

“...So you have forgotten that as well,” he replied mysteriously, his eyes shrewd. He assured me that it was a weapon only I could wield, and that it was no doubt only resting somewhere in Hyrule, waiting for its master’s return.

The King lauded me a little further until the meeting finally dissolved into the cheers and shouts of gratitude and relief from the attending Zoras....

I spoke again with the King after everyone had left, and he asked after his daughter. After all, she had not returned with me. So the King had held out some hope yet....

“I met her spirit,” I told him after a moment.

He leaned forward all at once toward me again—that one his size could move so....

“Her spirit, you say? Did she say anything?” he asked.

And I told him.

“I see...” he said, “so she really is....”

What could I say?

What do you say to a father?

“She really loved you, Link,” he said to me. And he asked me to promise to him that I would remember her always.

“I’ll never forget her,” I said.