All Heroes

Waking of Thursday, May 11, 2017 ~ 6

All Heroes

One thing left to do.

I warped back to Zora’s Domain.

I found Mei hiding in Kapson’s pool away behind the stairs. She told me her husband had given her a stern scolding. Well, good on Fronk. What had she been thinking?

I found her children in the square; Tumbo only ran in his hyper little circle as children do, carefree as anything, and Keye was still playing with Laruta beside Lady Mipha’s statue—imaginary spear practice.

They both seemed untroubled.

But where was Fronk?

As always it was a trek around the entire Domain before I found him, hard at work on one of the many pillars along the stairways and ramps.

“Oh Link... LINK... LINK!!” he shouted when he saw me, and promptly began almost to melt at my feet, words spilling, tumbling, cascading out of his mouth—

I honestly don’t remember the specifics of any of the things he said to me, though I know there were many Thank yous.

But—I remember his gratitude. His sincere, unadorned.... unfathomable relief and gratitude to have his family back together again.

And that was all.

And.... it was enough.

Maybe I had been a fool.

I knew setting out to find Fronk’s wife wouldn’t necessarily bring me any closer to resolving the ills of the world.

But I did it anyway.

And I knew Robbie was waiting. And Purah. And Impa. But....

I kept searching anyway.

I put the whole world on hold.

Why?

....

Well to find one slippery fish woman, that’s why.

I did it because I wanted to.

I did it because.... families should be together.

I did it because—

That’s what Heroes do.

They help people.

Even when it’s foolish.

Even when they’re laughed at.

Even when the thanks are small.

Even when it’s terrifying or painful....

They do it because it’s what’s right.

Maybe I’ll try on the flight gloves next time. Seems like Dad’s old occupation may just sum up my whole job as the Hero of Hyrule, my whole experience just playing this game:

I Search, and I Rescue.

Maybe I hadn’t been a fool, whatever all Heroes may be called.

I don’t regret anything.

Waking of Tuesday, May 23, 2017

After all the places I’d been, all the towers I’d climbed, all the memories I’d found, all the shrines I’d combed, and all the friends I’d made, at the end of my Fool’s Errand, I prayed once again before the Goddess Hylia, and received a Hero’s Reward, manifold greater than any yet that I had gained.

Because I am a Hero.

Calling it Quits

Waking of Thursday, May 11, 2017 ~ 5

Calling it Quits

I started back toward the lake. I had climbed everywhere. I had searched everything. I even found a familiar-looking tree at the top of one hill, two little statues standing beneath it....

I didn’t have to consult my pictograph album; I’d looked at it enough that I knew this place. Besides, I could see the place to stand that would unlock another memory of mine. It was right there. I even stood in it for a moment.

Actually I was glad to have stumbled upon this one so accidentally like this. The pictograph reflecting this memory location showed the mighty bridge in the background. And I had seen that bridge and realized the connection during a time David’s Link was dinking around on the Plateau. But my Link wouldn’t have known about it then. He was probably off somewhere in Zorana still.

So that was a lovely happy accident.

But.... as I stood there.... the memory gleaming before me....

My heart just wasn’t in it.

I couldn’t recall it yet.

I needed to find Mei.

But I retained a rough idea of this hill’s location—and that of the aspen wood by the water I had seen before. I would recall those two memories soon enough.... but....

I was running out of juice either way.

“Is this really the end of the waterway?” I said, “Is this Lake Hylia?”

David was passing through the room. Knowing my aversion to spoilers, he nonetheless wordlessly raised one hand to about ear-height, threw it at the screen, held it open there for one second in blunt gesture, and then let it fall back to his side with a slap.

I took it as a Yes.

She had to be somewhere down there.... It had been such a long rummage all over this lake and the woods and the valleys and the hills and the clifftops.... Where was she?

I decided.... to call it a day, and warped from the hilltop back to the Ya Naga Shrine. I would rest there and.... pick it up later.

The sun was still shining when I rematerialized. Seemed like it would be still for quite a while. I climbed up out of the shrine’s grotto (it was below the lake’s water level) and just.... had a look around. They were quite blank little islets. The green must have come from algae and moss.

I hiked a little higher, just stalling; it never feels good to go to sleep with a job unfinished.

Something moved in the water between the island I stood on and a smaller slip of land just adjacent to it. A duck, looked like. I scoped in with my Sheikah Slate.

That wasn’t a duck, it was—it had a weird light blue tail hanging down behind it like some Arcadian Moonfish.... WAIT, that was—

My eyes—this had to be—

The light blue thing walked up onto the islet—tall, limber and erect on two feet.

It was a Zora.

IT WAS A ZORA.

She stood on the island, light blue skin, looking around—lost?

“Oh my gosh....”

I hopped up and ran to collect David, who was hiding away marathoning through Bond James Bond as he had taken to calling it.

He came with a sigh and an eye-roll; he’s been mad trying to get me to forget Mei and just CARRY ON WITH THE GAME ALREADY....

I leapt from the island’s little crest to paraglide to the strip where Mei was—AND THEN STOPPED, dropped, and saved....

“Oh my gosh....” David rolled his eyes.

....And leapt again from where I stood!

I landed beside her.

She seemed in fair health.

“The fish certainly are biting today!” she said, or something like it.

What was she talking about?

“Do you know Fronk?” I panted.

She stared at me.

She stared at me a little too long....

“He’s worried sick about you!” I pressed, “Your kids are worried sick about you!”

“Oh my goodness!” she started, her posture juddering inward, tensing up.

She’d.... gotten carried away. Fishing.

I mean Tumbo or Keye or Fronk had told me she was a fisherwoman, but....

“Here you can have these!” —she thrust a bunch of the fish she had caught into my hands— “I’ve got to get home!”

The screen briefly darkened. Came back to life.

And I was alone.

“That’s it?” David drawled through an incredulous grin.

I didn’t say anything.

He scoffed a laugh at the big dramatic conclusion to my long search.

I wanted him to go now, and told him so. “Go back to your Bond James Bond,” I said.

He did.

It felt.... soured.

Should’ve just left David to his movie.

But....

Would it have made a difference?

Old Friends

Waking of Thursday, May 11, 2017 ~ 4

Old Friends

Beyond the tree was a little gully running up over the hill of the shore. It looked like I could shinny up there....

I did, and came to a wooded land, indecisive between forest and marsh, for it seemed as much flooded as not.

This was Faron Woods.

The sun rose again as I wandered into the trees, the framerate keeping a valiant pace amid all the wood and water and floating leaves. I thought of the Yiga Clan. Would I run into any of them here? The place seemed quiet for the most part; I only encountered one Octorok I think, hiding in the ground, and I blew him up easily enough.

The silence otherwise was.... disquieting.

I pressed on into the woods, but.... was there any point, if I was getting so far away from the water? Or were these little pools and puddles remnants of Vah Ruta’s flooding? Dared I hope?

Where was Mei?

Had she been kidnapped by the Yiga?

Oh gads was this like a Kafei-type quest, that I wouldn’t be able to resolve until nearer the end of the game?

My mind drifted through what Yiga Clan minibosses might look like....

The land twisted through the trees; I found some huge crumbled statuary—of the dragon, I think—and another shrine. But.... I was getting too far.

I had to consult my Sheikah Slate to head back toward the water. There was no map, but the compass still worked, and I could register the direction of the Ya Naga shrine. I wended back between the trunks—

And a commotion played in the dappled water ahead.

There was a man.

And a bokoblin, a blue one.

“Come get some!” the man yelled bravely, even as he splashed a few steps back from his foe.

I ran in—what confusion was the sun through the trees in the splashing, shadow-spotted water!—and cut the offending brute down.

I turned, and spoke to—

“Tye?” I gasped.

He stood panting, gripping one arm. “Oh Sorelia please be all right—” he grunted.

Oh no.

I whirled around—there a stone’s throw away, a red bokoblin capered over her as she lay collapsed in the shallow water.

I bolted forward, hopped a fallen log in my way, and a few sloshing strides later collided with the monster, beating him back.

When the bokoblin was dead, Sorelia staggered to her feet—Tye joined us—and we moved to a dry spot where we could catch our breath.

Those two do seem to get around.

They were still searching for their elusive Silent Princess flower. But they hadn’t seen any Zoras along the way.

Satisfied they were at least out of harm’s way for the present, I bade them goodbye, and continued back toward the lake.

My raft was gone.

Hhhh, I’d known it would be, when I first ventured into the trees, but....

Well, there was nothing for it but to start sweeping the coastline. The ridge of big rolling hills to my right seemed an easy place to start. I hiked up to their crest and started back along the lake.

This proved largely uneventful, until very late into the night, when I came upon the ruins of a Deya Village, in a shallow little valley just over the other side of the ridge.

A chill stole over my soul at the sight of its rickety remains, the overturned wagons, the charred and splintered house-frames.... but my heart leapt to see that it was all flooded.

Would Mei be in there?

I moved in—cautiously. There was a very large dead tree beside it—I mean VERY large. I’ve seen these blasted hollow stumps here and there in my travels, especially along the road near the Honeydell. I’m not quite sure yet what they portend, if anything, but they give me the willies.

But this one near the Deya Village Ruins just had a few baddies hiding around it—and a Korok inside the adjacent fallen log. And that was all.

One end of the great hollow log lay near the flooded valley floor; I walked quietly down through it until I stepped out into the water. The village was big....

But in the end, after an extensive search, I found only two poorly-equipped Lizalfos lurking about. And a few well-hidden treasure chests.

But Mei wasn’t there.

I climbed all over the surrounding cliffs, stole a Flame Rod off a Wizzrobe, found out just how ineffective it was against stal-creatures, paraglided back into the village....

No sign of her.

Then I saw a cleft in the hills surrounding the Deya Village valley.

The water snaked away through it.

Follow the water, I thought.

I’d been following the water for weeks.

Just keep following the water....

But the water in the cleft ran dry after only a few score paces.

The only thing left was another camouflaged Lizalfos. They’re pretty talented, the Deya Lizalfos; they produce a most convincing mottle....

But there was no sign of Mei.

What was left?

I moved into the area beyond the cleft. Wound my way through a few more trees. Came upon a campfire. Saw a man there. Spoke to him and—it was—?

“GIRO?” I gaped.

My gosh, I hadn’t seen him in forever! :D Giro! Buddy!

Wait where the heck was I?

I opened my map.

I had wandered back into West Necluda.

It was the selfsame campsite I had cooked so many dishes at, long, long ago with Giro, before the night of my first Blood Moon.

The very same.

To think that I had been so close to the lake back then.

But I wasn’t looking for Giro, I was looking for Mei.

And I couldn’t find her.

I couldn’t find her.

Water's End

Waking of Thursday, May 11, 2017 ~ 3

Water’s End

Farosh did move slowly. Before he had even touched back down into the water after first rising from it, I climbed and floated my way down to the little dock, and its raft.

The mighty bridge stood to my left, its near end connecting with a much higher part of the land only a short lateral distance away, and its far end angling somewhat rightward across my view before it connected with the opposite shore.

In this part of the lake I could see almost the entire shoreline. It was mostly just a grassmossy green all around, steep, and hilly, and unremarkably empty. The only things of import I imagined were those little islets out in the middle.

To my left, the other part of the lake, striped by the bridge’s huge dark pillars, seemed to go just a little bit further, bending away out of sight, oblong and obscure.... The river had to course further south from there....

I would explore the islands first.

The sun sank as I made ready to launch. One octorok some way offshore gave me a bit of trouble as I did this—they are devilish hard to see after dark, out there in the rippling water. I spent quite a few arrows pinning it down, dancing my way round its own pounding projectiles all the while; but eventually I dispatched it, and was soon blowing my way across the water’s surface, heading for the small cluster of green islets.

The rain came back as I neared them. And.... it was the queerest thing—I found some Lizalfos roaming around the little slips of land, but.... I’d never seen them act this way before....

I do believe they were playing! In the rain!

One of them was, anyway. He splished around in the water near a steep, rocky little beach—and then he would get up onto the land, climb a tiny bit onto the rocks.... and then jump back into the water! Whereupon he would splish around some more! :D

He did this like four times while I watched! Cannonballs!

I must say it was quite adorable. I almost regretted having to kill them all. But I really did want to explore these islands thoroughly.

Unfortunately all I found were more Lizalfos, a devious land-crawling octorok of a breed I’d never seen, which alarmed me something vicious before it escaped, and a shrine belonging to one Ya Naga.

The Ya Naga Shrine is the FUNNEST and also the SHORTEST shrine I have ever been through. Hahh.... like a rollercoaster over too fast.

The skies had cleared again by the time I came out, and I steered my little raft over toward the bridge. I sailed right between two of its mighty pillars, one of which had completely crumbled away; a Korok gamboled in the remaining foundations.

And the second half of the lake.... seemed empty.

But I kept on.

Surely the waterway had to continue....

I pressed my course on toward the south, the rolling moss-green shorelines passing by in bending hills, teasing at what lay behind them....

But there was no more river. This seemed to be the end.

There. On the far shore. The farthest shore. A tree.

One, single, tall, thick tree.

The only landmark touching the water.

I was forcibly reminded of the time I met Sasan after drifting downstream from Zora’s Domain. Surely this was the place where I would find Mei, here at the last edges of this body of water—was this Lake Hylia after all?

This was where I would find her, and she would be so despondent, possibly injured, and I would have to escort her all the way back.... Would she require a horse ride? And Fronk would be so relieved.... their family would be so happy to finally be together again....

The large tree drew nearer.

I blew my raft right up onto the shore.

There was nobody there.

Only a few castaway wooden treasure chests bobbed dimly in the light of the moon, just off the shore.

The Erhu Sublime

Waking of Thursday, May 11, 2017 ~ 2

 

The Erhu Sublime

Fortunately the Katah Chuki Shrine—which David kept calling the Cat-a-Chucky Shrine—only contained a Minor Test of Strength. And when I completed it, and collected the monk’s Spirit Orb, there was no more fooling around.

It was time to head south.

It was time to follow the river.

“Ignore the bird—follow the river!” my Mother had quipped to me on the occasions she’d seen me at it. I’d been following a lot of rivers lately. But I had a good feeling about this one....

I wanted to warp to the shrine by the Dueling Peaks Stable, but, at David’s insistence, I warped instead to the one by Proxim Bridge. Better to be direct, I suppose.

It was raining when I got there.

I thought of Brigo, the first human I had seen at the start of my travels long ago. And I did catch sight of him, but he was running east toward the woods, trying to get out of the rain.

Oh well.

Presently the rain left off. I started up the hill behind the shrine, and headed south along the west bank of the river, playing with what Koroks were convenient to my path.

The land climbed quite steeply about the river, especially on the west side. I hoofed it higher and higher until I came to a small ruin at the top of a hill.

It was small, and quiet. Far removed from much of anything else I could see.

I’m not even sure if it had a name. [It did – it was called Scout’s Hill.]

But from the top of its crumbling wall, I had an excellent view of the river’s course: There before me, spanned by a mighty bridge of dark weathered stone, filling up a vast green bowl it seemed, was an immense body of water.

Surely this was the waterway I’d been seeking!

And something else I hadn’t noticed from the lower elevations: a road seemed to come from the direction of the Plateau, and for a time run somewhat parallel to the river, until it came to one end of the dark bridge. Before it got there, however, it passed by an absolutely riotous-looking treehouse full of belligerent red-skinned creatures.

It looked.... like a delightful challenge, and sweet good looting, no doubt....

But I didn’t want to give time to it just now. Surely I was closing in on Mei.

I moved closer, and it was as I was studying the steep incline down to the water’s edge, catching sight of a dock—and a raft—down there.... that I heard it.

Something shifted in the wind. A new sound came, seemed to coalesce on the air....

One of the Piano’s tricks, I was sure, but what did it mean? It didn’t sound like anything bad was coming after me....

Actually it felt more like.... it wanted to preface the leap I was supposed to take from the high ground.... before I went gliding.... out over the water....

I shook my head and looked toward the treehouse—were they doing anything? No? It didn’t look like it. Why was this new music happening?

I turned back to the water.

“UH—DYIS—WHUH—TH—IDT—” I said, or something like it.

Head, neck and shoulders out of the water, the dragon Farosh was twining up out of the lake before a few scattered islets.

I was much closer to him than I’d been back in the river north of Satori Mountain. Now I could see his skin, his eye, his mouth, his limbs, his claws, the great jutting horn upon his head, all so clearly. Truly an enormous creature....

And then I understood—his was the music. This new sound on the air.... it belonged to Farosh.

And there was something else, another element aside from the Piano and its usual contingent of other shimmering sounds.... It moved as serenely as Farosh did, slowly clawing his way into the heights, bending over the water to loom low across the bridge.... An erhu.... What a beautiful sound. Sublime.

He dipped down into the water on the other side of the bridge.

David had asked me where I had first seen Farosh, and I’d told him about that river round the back of Satori Mountain, and looking up into the Gerudo Highlands. And I remembered he had looked skeptical, his eyes narrowed....

Because this lake was where David had first seen Farosh. Right over his head as he was crossing the bridge. He’d been looking at something else entirely through his scope when the mighty dragon had risen in the background—the most majestic of photobombings....

Farosh’s head surfaced again a great distance from where his midsection and hindquarters were still disappearing into the water. I could only imagine the great arc his serpentine body must have been carving deep beneath the lake’s surface.

And as he rose again into the air, little ball-lightnings began to manifest in his wake.

Heh, “little”.... They were still so far away; up close they must have been quite sizeable. But compared to Farosh they were tiny.

Maybe that was part of the danger my Compendium had spoken of, regarding approaching close to this dragon.

He continued his graceful arcing through the air, and in and out of the lake, beautiful creature.

Maybe this lake.... was Farosh’s home.

It was . . . . joyous to behold.

More Bad Things

Waking of Thursday, May 11, 2017

More Bad Things

Visible from the Wetland Stable, just across the river and toward the castle, there was a small, jutting plateau, something left over from erosion, looked like, in the otherwise wide, rolling plain.

From the stable grounds, I could see a distant fire, and smoke, rising from a spot on top of that plateau. And I wanted to find out why it was there....

Perhaps I was becoming more the Hero, more the Fool.

It wasn’t far; and I’d been on the bridge that led to it before—I’d saved Leekah from a bokoblin on that bridge.

Of course, I’d saved Leekah from bokoblins in most places....

A short jog across the bridge, a dash through the rolling grass, a little skip around a gang of stalbokoblins, and I was climbing the stony wall of the plateau, which was only a little unnerving due to the fact that one of the stalbokoblins seemed to be packing a bow—but he was a lousy shot, thank goodness.

On top of the plateau was a small lean-to beside a jutting hillock of stone that was half again as tall as I was. A woman rested there, beside a campfire and an unlit wok. She seemed well at ease considering her location; an apple and a bunch of some kind of grainstalks lay ready beside a log bench.

Her name was Benny, and she remarked to me that she and I were two of a kind, brave adventurers, and that there probably weren’t many like us roaming about—few people ever ventured out to where she was.

She invited me to climb the little hillock and have a look about—I might see some interesting things. So I did. And I saw the fields and trees all around, the distant mountains, maybe the eerie glow from Satori Mountain, perhaps a few unvisited shrines.... But I suppose the most interesting thing that I saw was just the pack of three stalbokoblins still doggedly throwing rocks in my general direction, their mean little red eyes aglow.

I was stalling, I knew that. David knew that.

I had a scary tower to get to.

When I’d taken in my fill of the surrounding views, I warped to the shrine of Kaam Ya’Tak. From there I approached a little hill that was near the Sheikah Tower, and before I ascended it—I caught sight of a loose six-legged Guardian free about the roads around its right side.

And with many vocalizations that I really can’t remember, I dashed behind the cover of the stone and up to the crest of the hill in a right frenzy.

I—don’t—like—Guardians.

At the top of the hill was a little statue, to which I offered an apple, and thus brought a Korok out of hiding. Its cute little twee-hee giggle was small comfort before the task I was about to perform.

I peered down at the Sheikah Tower through my scope. It seemed to be surrounded by a smattering of old ruins and scattered detritus—and then I caught the faintest glow of blue....

“UHHHH—”

“What!” David asked.

“It’s alive! That Guardian down there is alive!”

For there was a rusted old one crumbled into the earth near the tower—but its eye was still lit up, still functional.

Still deadly.

I looked further and saw with a most unpleasant thrill of horror that another rusted-but-functional Guardian lay roughly a hundred and twenty degrees round the tower from the first!

And somehow....

Somehow I didn’t need to see it to know that a third one must lurk where I couldn’t see it behind the tower.

David grinned horrible knowing grins at me. He’d already done this tower.

“How long did you say this took you?”

“Not long at all,” he said, “I just—” He moved his pointed index finger through the air and gave a little swoosh sound through his teeth. “—did it all at once.”

I entered into a frenetic bout of pacing side to side and round in circles, groaning for what lay ahead—

“Do it for Mei,” David urged in half seriousness.

o____o

....Well that steeled me right up.

At length I started down the hillside—

“Where are you going?” David asked with some urgency.

I stopped.

“You should paraglide in!”

“Seriously?”

“They won’t be able to hit you.”

Somehow I doubted that, but....

I climbed back to the highest point overlooking the tower that I could.... and jumped for it.

And after an all too short sail through the air.... the piano began to pound in rapid triplets.

The first Guardian’s targeting laser settled onto a spot over my heart and stuck there like a tight, red needle. I wanted to turn back—

“Just keep going straight!” David said.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes!”

And so I kept going straight for the tower.

I could hear the Guardian’s targeting systems beeping now. The laser began to flicker—

“It won’t hit you,” David assured me.

And in the split second the laser disappeared, the Guardian locked on to the position I occupied in space . . . . and fired.

The hot blue pulse whizzed behind my back by a good five feet—it seemed the Guardians—the mighty, terrifying, indiscriminately destructive Guardians—had not even the humble octorok’s foresight to lead their targets.

It still didn’t stop them from trying, though; and I couldn’t maintain my sufficiently fast flight-speed forever. The targeting laser came back, and I reached the tower, and crumpled onto a platform, ducking low—

And the Guardian lost me.

Oh Farore it lost me.

NOW WHAT? 8C

David directed me to ascend the tower, and to just jump in my climbing right before the Guardian fired. For the same effect I had just achieved while flying.

Oh gads I downed a speed elixir and just screwed up my courage and up I went....!

Mipha was getting overworked.

“That didn’t work, David,” I said.

“Oh....”

I crouched again on the platform.

“No wait, I think what I did was jump to get onto the next platform before the Guardians could shoot me.”

I looked at him.

My speed elixir was still coursing through my veins, becoming thinner by the second....

I reloaded a save from back on the hill with the Korok, and sailed to the tower again.

Now as I crouched on the first platform, the same speed elixir fresh down my throat, I stood up and leapt up the tower wall—the mad triplitive piano started up—and I scrambled, scrambled—jumped once straight up—scrambled a bit further—the lasers beginning to flicker—came level with the next platform—JUMPED SIDEWAYS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY MEMORY—came above the platform—GOT DOWN FAST AND DUCKED—

And oh my gosh I made it.

The lasers disappeared and the piano left off.

Well this was.... TERRIFYINGLY DOABLE.

Many platforms and a great deal of palm-sweat later, I reached the top of the Sheikah Tower. I ran to the center and activated the pedestal—I did NOT want to go through any of that again....

And the rune distilled down into my Sheikah Slate, AND . . . .

THAT SPLIT OF THE RIVER WHAT LOOKED LIKE JUST ANOTHER PART OF THE CASTLE MOAT—IT REALLY DID TRAIL AWAY SOUTH PAST THE WETLAND STABLE, DOWN TOWARD THE DUELING PEAKS AND RIGHT UNDER PROXIM BRIDGE.

THERE WAS MY MISSING WATERWAY.

“So warp to that shrine and follow it!” said David.

But no, I had expended a great deal climbing this tower; I wanted to have a proper look around first.

I gazed foolishly at shrines peeping out of the earth, away on dangerous ground, surrounded by who KNEW what....

There was one in the general direction of the castle.

“Did you get that one?” I asked him.

“No,” he said, “But I went for it. I paraglided down into a forest, and then a Guardian showed up—it got really close to me—”

“All up in your grill?”

“Yeah, so I just warped away.”

Hm, after my reload back on the Korok’s hill.... I hadn’t seen that loose, six-legged Guardian about.... Where had it got to?

The shrine glowed like a tantalizing torch. I thought.... What would be the harm in just seeing? I could do what David did, and if any Guardians caught on to my movements, I could just warp away too....

I leapt for it, north toward the castle. And as I lost altitude the rusted Guardians on the ground set their lasers into my back.... Uhuhuhuhh it was a terrifying float to the ground—with my angle increasingly parallel to their targeting lasers—did I dare try to weave?

But I touched down on the grass without incident, and the piano heralded no more stray Guardians out for my blood.

There were however three great Stalmoblins that popped up right in front of me—heck with those things, I was mad-dashing it!

I ran for the stand of trees just ahead, sprinting as I could until I was safe beneath their boughs.

Ha—and what exactly was the definition of safe in these parts anyway?

Near one of the last trees—the northernmost—I could hear the telltale clinking wooden sound of a Korok. And that last big tree had a large hole in its side, with something that looked like an enormous acorn in it.

Somehow I’d always figured these were Korok puzzles, but I’d never taken the time to figure this particular kind out—but I was never coming back here again; if I wanted it I’d have to do something now.... Acting on instinct, I drew my bow and shot the acorn.

Just as it exploded in a happy little shower of confetti with a bang and a tiny fanfare, I noticed the loose Guardian up the hill to my left.

“Yahaha!” chirped the Korok, “You found me!”

I backed up hastily behind another tree. “Shut up Korok you’re gonna give us away!” I hissed.

But the Korok only tossed me a seed and giggled, “Buh-bye!”

I peeked round my tree.

The Guardian was gone.

This had been a silly outing, just a game, an experiment, a test—I’d meant to beeline toward that shrine, but....

Well I’d made it to the trees, and no Guardians were after me. Maybe I could make it a bit farther. But I’d need to stay low....

I bent away toward the right, sinking with the land, trying to hide with the folding of the hills as I dashed on ahead.

There was a bare, dead kind of riverbed crossing the way ahead of me, and beyond it a blasted stone ridge of some kind—perhaps earth thrown up and baked into crater-rings in the tumult of a hundred years ago.

Rusted Guardians littered the riverbed.

“Oh my gosh what if they’re aliiiive?” I groaned to David.

“Use your camera.”

“What?”

“Zoom in; it’ll show you if they’re an enemy.”

“UHH—” Taking my precious attention off my surroundings to peer into the constricted pictobox, I zoomed in to look at the Guardians—

“They’re dead,” said David.

I took his word for it, and kept running.

“Oh my gosh, you’re insane,” said David.

“Did you get this far?”

“No!” he gave a high-strung laugh.

There was a low, level spot between two sections of the ridge—the way to get to the shrine. But there were Guardian Flyers patrolling that corridor. I veered instead toward the section on the right, and scrambled up the stone.

“Oh my gosh you’re crazy!” said David.

As if I didn’t already feel it.... .__.;

One lonely red fox sniffed around the bare top of the ridge. I sank into a crouch as I moved toward it, wanting to get away from the ridge’s slope. I was on such a prominent jut of the land, but perhaps if I stayed low, I could still hide from anything close by down on the field....

The fox let out a little bark of surprise at my approach, and then darted away with a squeal. I hoped it wouldn’t attract any attention....

The shrine, I could see, lay on the other side of the left section of the ridge. And it was further hedged about by mounded earth on all its other sides. Two Guardian Flyers circled it in a clockwise pattern; they came north-to-south through the little corridor gap. One of them was coming right now.

“Oh my gosh it’s right there....” I croaked to David, my stomach tight.

The droning of it as it passed so near to where I was.... I could see the mountings of its propellers.... If I’d wanted to.... I could have run out and jumped on top of it....

“Those kind have fifteen hundred health, just so you know,” said David.

“Oh GREAT.” Thanks, David.

The Guardian Flyer passed so close, so close.... and then, miraculously, beautifully, perfectly, turned away to hover down the bare riverbed, toward the west, after the other flyer, which was already down that way—

The window was opening. This was the biggest chance. They were both looking the other way and it was the start of a whole cycle before they would come this way again—

I ran for it. I stood up, I bolted, I leapt off the ridge, and paraglided across the gap and toward the other section.

“ANDREA!” David yelped.

A laser settled onto my back.

The triplitive piano woke up—it sounded different than before....

My heart felt as if it pulsed to twice its normal size at every beat, harder and faster.

Another laser settled onto my back.

The flyers hadn’t seen me, the flyers hadn’t seen me....

“Oh my heart.... oh my heart’s goin’ that fast....” I strained.

A section of brickwork wall, a parapet, branched northward off the west section of ridge—was there a gate beneath it? A way through?

I didn’t check, and took the higher way.

Did one laser lose me?

One laser was flashing.

Sprinting, sprinting, sprinting—up to the crest—past the brickwork parapet—I leapt—

Crunch onto moldy sodden grass at the bottom—

“UH! MY HEART!” I cried.

There was the shrine. I bolted again. Forward, forward, up, up—Katah Chuki was its name—dashed to the pedestal—activated it—the door-opening cinematic was the longest I’d ever seen it....

“You’re CRAZY!” said David.

“Oh my gosh....” I clutched my chest. My limbs were shaking.

I ran to the elevator and hit the down button repeatedly, and after I descended and when I stepped out into the chambers of Katah Chuki....

David laughed.

It was a Combat Shrine.

The Long Way Back

Waking of Wednesday, May 10, 2017

The Long Way Back

I shared a somewhat.... irksome exchange with David the other day, as I lamented to him about all the dead-ended rivers I had searched. I told him I had searched every waterway downstream from the wetlands, and that none of them led to Lake Hylia.

And in a terrible digging voice and with shrewdly narrowed eyes he answered, “Are you sure?”

Well.

I did wonder about that lake beneath Digdogg Suspension Bridge, and I hiked to the actual bridge (upon which I had never set foot) to have a look. In skirting round the sleeping Hinox and peering down over the edge, the water really did seem to come to a dead end just there.

But I wanted to be thorough. I pressed on into the desert landscape of the other side, had it out with a couple of mounted bokoblins—and one of their horses, a pretty, peach-dusty thing with a sandy mane, decided he didn’t want me on his back, and promptly jumped us both into the drink.

David lost it completely.

I just.... blinked.

....

The horse looked like a good mount, but I had no stamina for swimming after him, and so warped to the shrine just away beneath the bridge. After that it was a boat-ride back to the waterfall, a quick ascension in my Zora Armor, and.... I was still quite far away from where I had been....

But, as I was so close to the Great Plateau, I simply put on my Warm Doublet, warped to the shrine on the icy mountain, ENCOUNTERED A STRANGE TREASURE CHEST with the letters “EX” on it—for a moment I was terrified it might be a T-shirt or something.... but it was Bomb Arrows—don’t ask—and PARAGLIDED back to Digdogg Suspension Bridge.

I’d dealt with the bokoblins, and I finished off their friends in a nearby treehouse—David got quite a kick out of the Great Thunderblade I had acquired from Sheem Dagoze.

And after a good look about the place.... I decided that Yes, this really was a dead end to the river.

Ignoring my shrine-locator’s beeping, I ran all the way back to the Outskirt Stable.

It was....

It was time to start back. And set my face toward Akkala. And Robbie.

I did still decide to do this all on foot, however.

“Aren’t you gonna just.... Beam-Me-Up-Scotty?” David asked.

“I don’t wanna Beam-Me-Up-Scotty,” I said.

“You’re gonna walk the whole way?”

Well, maybe I’d Beam-Me-Up-Scotty just a little. I warped back to the Sheem Dagoze Shrine, and started north, for the Elma Knolls.

But first I came to that big toothy crack in the earth, found a shrine in the bottom of it, and completed that—I’m up to nine Spirit Orbs now; I really should find a Goddess statue....

And after that it was a very long jog past that sparse ruin over the water where I’d played hide-and-seek with the Korok—The Ancient Laboratory Ruin or something like that—aaaaall the way across the Elma Knolls with their endless wolves, and those mounted bokoblins with the fire arrows or whatever they were.... Got hit a couple of times there—

I didn’t feel like chewing through my food, but decided that, if I fell, I would just rely on Mipha.

What good is a gift avoided? And Mipha’s was a very good gift.

It was a very long trek, and the bokoblins cut me down to one heart, and a mob of giant blue chuchus cut me down to one quarter heart—but I kept running. And I kept killing wolves, never shying.

And it was raining, and I found Mils and Mina—not Nina, as it turned out—fighting against some bokoblins on the road, and I helped them out, and—

“Well there’s a split off the river,” said David.

I looked toward the castle. Beneath the unholy Calamitous Clouds, one fell fork split off and meandered away into the blackened landscape. It looked just like another part of the moat.

“I don’t think Lake Hylia’s in there,” I gestured to the castle lands.

“But.... open your map; maybe it connects with.... these down here.”

He indicated some rivers along the vein that ran between the Dueling Peaks.

“ . . . . Huh,” I said, “Maybe.” Perhaps.... this warranted some looking in to.

Also I had the feeling David was . . . . mmmm maybe nudging me around a bit.

The sun came out like a bad cliché when I finally jogged onto the friendly grounds of the Woodland Stable. It was 11:15 in the morning. I decided to take a forty-five minute nap to rejuvenate my aching one-quarter-heart body, and at noon, I took Thrice out for a ride.

We took the Thims Bridge road, over the mossy mounded hills and past the Honeydell—saving Leekah from a bokoblin on the way of course. But I stopped at one junction of the road I had never explored.

“Stay here,” I told Thrice, and climbed a bit over the rocks beside the long stretch of a T-junction. The stretch that pointed toward the castle....

“In my experience,” said David, “The closer you are to the castle....”

The farther you are from harm? I thought hopefully.

“The closer you are to trouble,” he finished.

“I’m just gonna take a little look,” I assured him, inwardly thinking how VERY like Famous Last Words those sounded....

I crept among the rocks until I was high enough to peer into the central plain before the castle. There at the base of the hill I was on.... coursed a little river. Flowing north to south. One that very probably could only have come from that split David had shown me earlier, among the big cubic stones surrounding the castle.

. . . .

Maybe....

Maybe....

I looked at my map again.

The river system near the Dueling Peaks.... the river that this one by the Honeydell may have connected with.... was called the Hylia River. And it was joined by the Squabble River from the Dueling Peaks....

But further downstream it was still called the Hylia River....

And then it ran away southward off of my known map.

Could it be . . . . ?

I came back to Thrice, and we pressed on to the Wetland Stable—saving Leekah again on the way—and I stopped.

Oh I was aching to go on. I had arced all the way north around the castle again in a great upside-down U, and I still had the drive and energy to keep going....!

But it was late again, and I did have to get up early.

But to be absolutely sure....

To see those waterways....

There was one more thing I could do in pursuit of the hapless missing Mei.

And it lay at the top of the alleged scariest Sheikah Tower in all the land.

One Last Look

Waking of Tuesday, May 2, 2017 ~ 4

One Last Look

The game’s rendering of the distant environment really played some cruel mirage jokes on me: I thought for sure I saw a crack in the stone that the water might flow through, but.... no, it must only have been the joint between two very large polygons.

Some way upstream, a convenient pathway led up from a sandy bank on the non-Satori side. The rock formations surrounding it were.... strange and impressive! Arcing over the path and jutting ruggedly into the air. I climbed to the highest point I could on these formations, considering what to do. I could think of only one more course to take....

My last option... was to climb Satori Mountain itself.

From its crest I could make doubly sure that the river really did stop there.

I studied the craggy mountainface over the opposite bank—the back of Satori Mountain; there was one ledge it seemed I’d be able to make if I scrambled.... I pulled out my paraglider and leapt for it.

And it was a scramble. Even with my Climber’s Bandana on, I had to drink my very last stamina elixir—the one I hadn’t used taming Memory—to get on top of it where I could properly stand again.

That had been close. And the next ledge looked.... pretty far away. But I was sure I could make it.... if I could beeline most directly....

I started climbing....

I got.... close....

But my grip was failing....

And I hadn’t found level enough footing to rest—

And I was out of elixirs. And my raw Stamella Shrooms wouldn’t help me.

I started to slide.

I dug my heels into the rock, balancing madly and slowing myself somewhat—I could feel my energy coming back to me if I could just stop my sliding—the rock slid up before my face—I dropped from slope to slope—my toes wouldn’t grip—my arms were burned out—I couldn’t hold on—

And then there was nothing but air. The rushing grew louder in my ears as I dropped, too winded even to pull out my paraglider.

I fell two hundred feet.

My boots slammed onto a large boulder beside the river as I crunched down onto heels and tibias and fibulas and femurs that should have snapped like dry twigs—

But the shimmering teal spectre of a she-Zora enfolded me in its gentle arms before dissipating in a twinkling and a loving whisper . . . .

I stood stunned for a moment.

I was whole.

I was fine.

....I was back at the bottom of the river.

“....Thanks, Mipha,” I murmured, and started swimming toward the pathway out again.

In the end I simply made the little trek back to Jeddo Bridge, and crossed over to Satori Mountain from there. The climb to its peak was easy enough, and, as I traveled by daylight, no glowing beasts crossed my path, which was nice. I did however encounter a great unkindness of ravens higher up [it was actually a murder of crows]—I snapped the pictograph of one of them as my shrine-detector began to beep.

Satori Mountain was hilly; the shrine was difficult to find. It seemed to be directly on the other side of the peak from where I was.

But that was fine with me—I needed to climb up there anyway. And I did. And it was cold at the top.

I didn’t think to put on my Warm Doublet, but just quickly scanned the surrounding landscape.

The rivers did not continue further that I could see.

They really did stop.

I shivered—the altitude was beginning to affect my wellbeing. I had to get lower, and find that shrine....

The shrine belonged to one Mogg Latan, and he seemed to really enjoy making life tremendously difficult. That was a hard-won Spirit Orb. Well played, Mogg Latan.

It was dark when I emerged from the shrine, I don’t remember whether from the night or only the rain. But there were still no glowing beasts about, which was just spiffing.

I surveyed the land as best I could from a lower perch.

The splits of the river seemed to encompass Satori Mountain for most of its circumference. They did all seem to head in a general south-southwestern direction before they ran out.... all of them reaching just to the left of that tiered red mountain range....

Maybe....

Maybe if the rivers had been overflowing.... did they connect to something further? More waterways?

I would take just one more look—just one more.

I would paraglide across the little valley, climb up over the shoulder of the tiered mountains, and if there was no water over on the other side....

Then I would need a new plan to find Mei.

I first took a little break to investigate an enormous skeleton crashed on a high meadow of the mountain—there was a mighty Gerudo sword buried in its ribcage—and then with a flying leap took the long sail through the air to the foothills of the tiered red mountain range.

The Gerudo Highlands they were called. And they were full of Koroks, and wolves.

It was not a long climb. Just to the shoulder. Just to the shoulder—I stopped to riddle out the most elaborate Korok stone-circle I had ever seen, and then kept running—killing more wolves along the way—

Just to the shoulder....

And I mounted the last wide hill and I looked over the land on the other side—

More mountains met my gaze.

Just a beigesandy expanse of valleys and canyons and plateaus that looked.... vaguely familiar actually....

“Wait a minute,” I asked David, “Isn’t this the place where you found the giant golden statue of Tingle?”

He said it was.

But there were no waterways.

“Is there water in the bottom of that canyon?” I pressed.

David said there wasn’t.

There was no water on this side.

I did not know where the lake was.

I couldn’t find Mei.

I couldn’t find Mei.

After a long while....

I went back to the Outskirt Stable.

It wasn’t far, just a long paraglide back across the other split of the river, and a quick dodge round a skipping Fire Wizzrobe.

I booked my bunk again, and slept.

Memory is not fully bonded with me yet. But I don’t begrudge him some part of himself to keep to himself.

He is a noble stallion.