Castle Goods, COD

Waking of Saturday, March 23, 2019 ~ 2

Castle Goods, COD

I looked back at the castle. The current had carried me far to the west. When—

What? There were.... more Luminous stones? There on the more western side of the castle’s back. I could see them glowing in a little clump.

Did that mean another entrance? Another secret passage?

And what was that hole in the wall over there? Was that real? Or a trick of the polygons? For the polygons had tricked me before, over great, unresolved distances....

I considered the distant gleaming, but.... I had just been INSIDE THE CASTLE.

I had just escaped being inside the castle.

Never mind. I was hungry and my body was tired or it should have been.

I would go to Woodland Stable.

....

No, first.... I pulled up my Sheikah Slate, scoped in on the questionable spot, and tested placing a beacon through it.

The ascending light shaft broke through one of the great stone shelves of the castle’s island.

That was a hole in the wall....

What could it be....?

....

Later.

I hoofed it to Woodland and spoke to Kish, asking him to gimme Memory. It seemed appropriate.

Rode Memory to Riverside Stable, just going by sight mostly. Didn’t even stop for the Korok at Thims Bridge. I did stop for Leekah, though. Like I do.... That poor girl....

I got to Riverside eventually, and boarded Memory with Ember. Good lookin’ guy.

Gotter and Parcy were here, but.... it was raining. I couldn’t cook the royal recipes for Gotter. But I could still visit with Parcy in the Stable.

I showed her the Royal Guard’s Sword.

She was amazed.

So amazed in fact that she gave me 300 rupees for the privilege.

Well that was right dandy!

Then she asked if I’d be willing to trade it for a sapphire.

Dude. Do you know where I went to get this?

I declined.

It was late. I decided I may as well sleep off the rain. I could cook in the morning. Hopefully the wok would be lit....

Ember gave me a bed and I had Blood Moon dreams....

Woke up.

Wok’s not lit.

It wasn’t even raining.

I didn’t have time for this.

I SHOT A FIRE ARROW AT IT.

This startled Gotter, who was standing hard by.

I made a fruitcake. Wheat, sugar, one Wildberry and one Hearty Durian.

(It seemed to be a super-food, as indicated by the extra music and Link’s salivatory anticipation animation.)

Hhhh, and I’d only had two wheats.

That’s okay.

I gave it to Gotter.

“Fruit cake said to have been eaten by the Princess of Hyrule! How can I describe this experience?” he mused as he tried it. “A refreshing aroma reminiscent of galloping across these majestic planes on horseback...”

SSSSSIIIIICCCCC. Planes. Lol.

“No, that undersells the dish’s complexity,” he went on, “It fills me with that heart-thumping intensity that seizes your very soul when you’re spotted by a Guardian!”

Oh gosh I hoped not.

“A truly elegant dish! I never thought I would taste something quite so thrilling.”

And then he told me he must express his gratitude.... and he gave me 100 rupees.

Awesome.

Now for the Chancellor’s dish. Monster Cake—

Oh.... but the quest banner flashed across the screen and said Complete.

....

Maybe I’d make it anyway. Or another fruitcake. For me.

I talked to Gotter to see what he had to say.

“Recipes of the Hyrulean royal family... If there are more of them out there, I’d like to try them.”

Okay then!

One Monster Cake, comin’ up.

There went my last wheat, my second to last sugar, one of only a handfull of butter, and one of another handful of monster exract.

Monster cake!

Said to have been a favorite of the minster of Hyrule.

How had I guessed this recipe correctly when I made it on the first try for Hunnie?

“It tastes...beautiful... How can I put it into words?” said Gotter, “It’s like biting into a Chuchu...”

The heck?? XD XD

“No, no, that would be disgusting and dangerous. It stimulates the brain, much like being pummeled by a Hinox!”

Heh, I like this guy’s way with words. XD

“A truly elegant dish! I never thought I would taste something quite so thrilling,” he repeated, and gave me 100 rupees again.

Nice.

And when I spoke to him again....

“I think I’ll continue to practice my cooking on unsuspecting inn patrons like yourself.”

And that was all.

Heh, good luck, Gotter.

....

I’m going to Hateno to hang up these rare weapons.

Took out Knight.... rode, rode.... Man, rescuing people is a hassle. But I can’t not do it....

I finally get near Hateno, and.... fighting the dang silver Bokoblin what was attacking those sisters.... my weapon shattered.

WAIT.

WHAT.

....

“Your Royal Guard’s Sword broke!”?

NO. NOPE. It was still equipped after talking to Parcy. Nope. I am reloading.

Back to Riverside. Give Gotter the second dish over again.

Just warp to Hateno.

Do. And display all the Royal Guard’s Crap in the center of their respective walls. Bow, Sword, and Shield.

9:50 am. Sleep ‘til noon.

G’NIGHT EVERYBODY!

The Rigours of Horsemanship

Waking of Saturday, October 13, 2018

The Rigours of Horsemanship

In the Deku Tree’s Navel I cooked me up some stamina-replenishing meals. Mmf! Mighty fine eatin’. Endura Shrooms. Good stuff. I didn’t want to find myself in dire straights on any bare cliff faces again.

After that it was a warp to the Highland Stable. More often than not I always went everywhere on foot, but now.... I wanted to do that equestrian obstacle course. Because I wanted to be a better rider. Ever since I’d heard of it I’d always thought to come back and give it a try some time....

No time like the present.

And after only the minor distraction of running the very longest Korok race I think I’d ever seen.... I came back, bypassing all the mounted Bokoblins in the field, and got to the stable.

One lady inside had a sidequest available: Horseback Hoodlums.

Evidently those mounted Bokoblins were making life difficult for travelers on the road. It wasn’t that hard to believe.

So back onto the field I went. I attracted all of their attentions while wearing my Bokoblin Mask, and drew them in close until they were walking their horses in one foul, leering circle around me. Out came my sword; I charged up for a spin-attack....

And one shot of Urbosa’s Fury took them all out. Completely.

Didn’t expect it to work all the way to death in just one hit.

Oh, and Sorry, horses.

But they seemed to be all right.

Mission completed, I went back to the stable. The lady gave me a Swift Carrot for my troubles, and told me that horses love them. “Really!”

So I fed a.... gosh I didn’t have a lot of Swift Carrots.... I fed an Endura Carrot to Brown. Aww, he liked that. I’d never dropped food for my horses before. :)

And then I turned to Blynne. The man behind the obstacle course. It was twenty rupees a pop, and all I had to do was jump my mount over ten gates. And stay on my horse. Otherwise the run would be over!

Blynne’s time was a minute and fifteen seconds; he told me to try for a minute-thirty. If I could beat that he’d give me a prize....

It was.... much more difficult than it looked. I knew theoretically that a galloping horse wouldn’t be able to turn on a dime. But it was difficult to actually command my mount through its various speeds, while on the move. And while trying to HURRY.

It was good practice at least. Good, irritating, infuriating, diabolical PRACTICE....

Blynne gave me a carrot for every attempt between 1:30 and 2:00 anyway, which was nice. And you know.... I do believe.... those carrots gave extra whip-cracks to my horse! Extra speed-bursts. If only temporarily. Huh....

It took a few tries, but when I finally beat a minute-thirty, Blynne gave me the Extravagant Bridle. Oh my gosh it had a feather springing from the crown....

But OHH-HO-HO-HOHH it was only the bridle—what a delicious tease—I wanted the complete set! And for that, I would have to beat Blynne’s time of 1:15.

Oh boy....

I ran the course. And ran it. And ran it backwards. And ran it forwards. And failed. And kept missing gates. And Brown kept refusing. And sometimes, fed up with irrecoverable time loss once again I would HOP DOWN from the saddle just to get Blynne to blow the whistle so the run would be over and I could try again that much sooner, even though I KNEW, from watching that adorable show Silver Spoon on Flixnet, that that was a bad idea, and that giving up mid-run like that would discourage and emotionally scar any real horse!

But I did it anyway. GADS if you weren’t lined up PERFECTLY PERPENDICULAR to the gate on your approach....

PRACTICE. IT WAS ALL GOOD PRACTICE.

I tried and tried and TRIED and tried and tried until FINALLY.... I did it in 1:08.

Blynne was shocked! “I never thought I’d see the day...”

“Me neither,” I said.

But Blynne said he’d better live up to his word, and he gave me the Extravagant Saddle.

Ah I had them both. And they do look extravagant!

I gave Brown so many carrots then. “Good boy,” I praised him, “Good boy, Good boy, WHOOZAGOODBOYYY???”

But even after all that.... the Extravagant Tack just didn’t really suit him.

I tried it on Memory, and the effect was pretty good, but.... honestly he just looked embarrassed.

Hmmmm if I had a big, pure black horse... maybe.... yeah....

Big Sticks

Waking of Saturday, August 11, 2018

Big Sticks

It was always nice at Dueling Peaks. My very first stable.

Poor in both money and supplies, I thought about taking a horse out to ride over to Faron Woods, combing the land for materials along the way. There was also that pesky leaf stamp I had left over there; couldn’t remember what that was about; needed to clear it up....

I chose Memory, and we started out well enough, but on the way we ran into a Big Yiga.

I’d seen David duke it out with these guys. They were slower than their lithe and lean, scythe-wielding counterparts, but thick and tough as old jerky. And they had a few nasty tricks of their own, one of which sent some burrowing devil-flame toward you through the ground....

Fortunately I’d seen David deal with that too.

I leapt as the flame came near and rode the updraft as it combusted beneath me, sailing toward my assailant to get in a few hits of my own....

He went down in due time, and at the end of it all I came back to Memory and found him unharmed; that was good. We weren’t even safe while riding....

The Yiga had dropped a Windcleaver, its long blade shimmering in a ripple as if from water-reflected light....

Nebb wanted to see that. It was a long way to Hateno, not to mention in the opposite direction from Faron Woods, but.... as long as the Windcleaver had just fallen into my lap like that.... I decided to head that way anyway.

However, I was still combing for materials, regardless of my destination. And I found that you can’t really make good progress in any direction when you make it your top priority to chase every little thing you spy along the wayside.

I became VERY distracted near Fort Hateno, climbing all over the hills to the north after Rushrooms and Swift Violets and mineral deposits and critters.... I wandered all OVER those hills and all the dips and climbs beyond....

For certain it did slow me down, but I definitely did not come away emptyhanded—for aside from my scroungings I discovered another Meteor Rod. It was held in the clutches of a prancing Fire Wizzrobe whom I sniped with an Ice Arrow from a high hill. Poor devil never knew what hit him.

I wonder if it respawns when he does at the Blood Moon....

I’m pretty sure that was the case with that insanely powerful Trilizal Boomerang in the western desert. The one with which the Silver Bokoblin zlashed me in the face.

That brute could hit.

The Meteor Rod Wizzrobe danced at the head of the river that ran beneath Kakariko Bridge. I’d definitely have to see whether he’d come back later.... and what heat he’d be packing.... No pun intended.

I eventually came back to the deep-grey clifftops at the south end of all the ranges I had wandered, and looking down to the valley floor saw poor Memory still standing, waiting for me between Fort Hateno and the ensuing forest. He’d been so patient with me. Good boy.

I sailed down and we continued to Hateno, where I showed Nebb the Windcleaver, for which privilege he dropped a sweet hundred rupees. Cool.

Return to Hateno

Waking of Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Return to Hateno

I wanted to play, but there were people around; I could not continue on with my main quest with that kind of buzzkill risk hanging in the air.

Have I only lost faith in humanity?

Hm.

I warped from Gerudo Canyon to the Shrine of Kaam Ya’Tak. There were plenty of crawlies in there; surely one of them would drop an Ancient Core for me....

No joy.

So I warped to Hateno—I could have sworn there was somebody who sold Guardian parts SOMEWHERE near there.... someone I’d met a long time ago on the road....

No luck.

But I did buy that fancy armor set David had reminded me of in his playthrough—the Soldier’s Armor. And I showed Nebb the Moblin Club, for which viewing he gave me fifty rupees! That was nice. :) The next thing he wanted to see was a Duplex Bow....

Haeh, well.... given where I was fixing to go in the near future that didn’t seem like too tall an order.

I also cleaned up an old sidequest by stepping behind the counter and addressing the lady inkeep directly. Dunno why I hadn’t tried that before.... I asked her what she liked, and she told me “Darners!” more out of a desperation to get rid of me than out of honest consideration. I relayed this to the lovesick chump down the street who’d put me up to it, whereafter he paid me a royal rupee for a handful of my own darners. I don’t even remember which kind.... I had plenty to spare.

I also made a friend at the inn, Worten. He was just sitting out on this patio I had never explored, looking content with the world. He was a traveler like me, and he told me about a few of the places he’d visited—or at least tried to; he hadn’t actually made it to Goron City. Nor had he been able to enter Gerudo Town. But he said if I was looking for adventure, I might try Zora’s Domain or Rito Village, though both of those were quite a ways away.

The sight of him contentedly sipping from his mug as he sat there in the breezy shade was so happily striking that I took a pictograph.

It’s a good one.

I felt like I might have been overworking poor Cotera, so I warped to Mija’s fountain in Akkala to see what she could make of my new armor set. She was able to enhance each piece two levels at least—three levels for the greaves. But I needed Hinox guts for further upgrades.

Fortunately I knew where a few Hinoxes could be found.

At Digdogg Suspension Bridge I left I think it was Memory a couple of bridges out while I marched straight in and killed the Hinox myself—ON FOOT! And I didn’t even get squished. :)

But the brute didn’t drop any guts. Cheapskate.

I boarded Memory again, warped to Dueling Peaks, took out Brown, and—dear me.... as I had done long ago in the dreary, dreary rain.... rode him down the long Hateno Road.

I had not taken that road in so, so long.

Why is that?

....

I don’t know.

Maybe my very first Yiga encounters had made me shy of it.

Maybe the pressing danger of the Yiga and the madness of the Valley of Terror had made me detest Hateno, and its road.

I still have not purchased that house.

....

We’ll see.

I spoke to everyone I met along the Hateno Road, and this time.... good luck was with me—I met a man named Teli, who sold GUARDIAN PARTS. Er, Ancient Tech, I mean.

However bad luck was with me too, for he carried no cores.

Hhhhh.

I rode Brown onward into Hatenooooish lands. One more place to check.

David keeps saying They’re in shrines! The cores.

Well, I knew of one shrine with a high chance of core capacity, that’s.... an odd way to word it.... core containment, no.... breach the core, um.... mockingbirds—

—I knew of ONE shrine with a high chance of containing an Ancient Core. I had quit from it many moons before in a bid to preserve mine own life. Just quit from it—I hadn’t known how to load a previous save from within the menu.

I had Brown take me back to it this time, while I maintained a rotation of different masks; for we passed roaming Moblins in the Woods of Concussion, and Bokoblins in the heights beyond.

The great, jutting mountain-cliff beside the sea was perhaps not well suited for horses, but we picked our way as best we could between stones and along ledges (Brown at one point attempting to align to a path crossing forty feet below us), and we made fair progress until we reached the highest, broadest open shelf.

The Shrine that stood at its tip over the ocean may very well have been the most prominent Shrine on the map. You could see it for miles from many directions. Maybe that’s what had drawn me to it so long ago. I’d been out of my depth, then. But now.... I was stronger.

On the flat, open ground Brown and I broke into a welcome gallop, slipping past the strong camp of curious Bokoblins until we were safe about the reaches of the shrine.

Even so, I led Brown around to the shady back of it, out of sight of the baddies.... just in case.

And then I stepped inside the shrine—the Muwo Jeem Shrine—and faced the long-feared Modest Test of Strength that had so daunted me into retreating before.

I beat it easily this time.

But there were still no cores for me.

Hhhh.

Well, it was another Spirit Orb anyway. I was overdue to pray at a Goddess statue....

I rode Brown back down the mountain [back toward home I wrote in my original notes—To Hateno? Strange of me....]—it was a little tricky to reclaim the path we had imagined for ourselves to get up here in the first place. And when we finally reached the road, I met Teli again.

I asked him about his wares just to see.

AND HE HAD A CORE!

I BOUGHT IT. FOR A COUPLE HUNDRED RUPEES AND THEN SOME.

SWEET.

Aha! So Ancient Cores could be bought!

It was raining as I galloped back westward. But I was feeling too jubilant—this called for a change of outfit! I ripped off my Bokoblin Mask. And then.... I ripped off everything else! And rode back to Dueling Peaks in my skin.

“Well, you’re looking peppy today, stranger!” said Tasseren the stablehand when I came to board Brown again, and I laughed.

Fooling Myself

Waking of a Saturday, February 3, 2018 ~ 2

Fooling Myself

There were too many people around.

I tried to figure out the password to that place behind the clothing shop again. And who was Pokki? Nobody in town that I could find.... or at the Ice House.

And why wouldn’t that other Gerudo in the bar wake up? I wanted to talk to her....

I went to the Ice House, I went back to town, I went to the Bazaar, and somehow.... found that I could take the heat in my Gerudo clothes now? I thought I couldn’t before.

I couldn’t find out the password.

Mmm not all my clothes were enhanced. A trip to Cotera remedied that.

I didn’t want to do anything important with all these people around.... and so decided.... to just look for Mister Hestu.

I rode Memory from Dueling Peaks to Faron Woods, and walked him cautiously in among the trees.... But after a while of encountering a few too many Bokoblins and other nasties, I rode him back to the Highland Stable to board him—No more endangering the horses.

After that I warped back to that shrine in the woods I had unlocked so long ago—the one near which I’d saved Tye and Sorelia in the shallow, dappled water—it was near to the path—and continued into Faron Woods on foot.

I wandered around and onward, meeting a few other travelers, some of whom claimed to hail from a nearby village. And I was sorely, SORELY tempted by the prospect of discovering a new, friendly habitation, but.... Hestu.

And I could see on my map—there was something about this forest that had piqued my curiosity every time I looked upon it: the river which twined through it in great looping curves and which ended in (or sprang from; I wasn’t really paying attention to the direction it flowed) a box canyon....

It had always looked like a dragon to me. The long course of it like a serpentine body, and the last distant pool of it shaped like open, toothy jaws. Perhaps more akin to a typical charicature of a venus fly trap than anything else.... but drawn there in the geography and hinted at all the same.

I had often imagined myself traveling into this forest, wondering what I might find at the dragon’s maw. But now that I was here, my intentions of being so straightforward began to melt away, and I was longing to maintain a stealthy distance from the road as is so my wont.

The deciduous trees gave way to palm trees, tall and thick, and a racket of birds and bugs began to fill the air. This was the jungle I had always seen from the Talus’ sporting field on the slopes of the southern Dueling Peak.... but never ventured into.

There were a few more Bokoblins; a lady called Meeshy, whose words and wants I didn’t really catch because I was giggling at her name—it’s the name I call the neighborhood cat (an Anglicized variant of the Spanish for “Kitty”) when she comes around and wants something to eat; and—

That accordion!

Kass!

He treated me to a song about a dragon’s mouth, and I was sure of it then—something important had to be at the end of that river.... And I wanted to find it for certain, but.... the road to get there twined among the trees in almost as circuitous a route as that of the river. Great place for an ambush or three....

I was wary of roads.

Leastways those upon which I’d never traveled.

But then again.... what else was new?

Pausing only to solve an INFURIATING Korok Puzzle involving metal balls tethered together by a chain like enormous bolas—infuriating!—I plunged into the foliage to the left and kept well off the track, clinging to the hills on the edge of the giant jungle-bowl instead.

The whole valley seemed to be nestled between the foothills of the Dueling Peaks and an appreciable red mountain of steps and buttes which I had never explored. Or at least, that’s what I had always surmised by the view from Talus Junior’s Field.

I set the high rim to my left and the cascading, sweltery depths to my right, and crept forward, ever cautious. Tropical rain came down in sheets to claps of thunder and lightning, and I quickly found myself having to unequip anything metal. The palm trees rattled in the din. They really were huge, and they grew more and more thickly as I pressed on.

And then of a sudden I emerged from the leaves and was confronted by a level clearing set with a weathered old square of foundation ruins.

It positively stank of Korok to me.

A number of large, flat paving blocks made up a hollow square shape on the ground, with grass and foliage filling its wide center. On three of the cornerstones of this formation sat three very large stone boulders. Where was the fourth....?

And at each corner of the grassy central space, a huge pillar towered out of the earth. Three of these were empty, but atop one of them—SOMEHOW—was the fourth boulder.

Oh boy....

Stasis and arrows didn’t make it budge. And I didn’t want to spend any specialty arrows.... Or maybe I just didn’t have any left after that last Lynel encounter. I would need something more powerful....

I didn’t want to throw any of my heavier weapons and damage them in the process. A Bomb would do, but.... I couldn’t throw them so high. Mm, but I could drop them....

I set myself to climbing the pillar in the rain, slipping again and again, but forcing myself onward. This course was made even more difficult by the fact that the boulder was so huge and the column just thin enough that there would be no place to stand until I had scaled the boulder itself, crawling up around to its top like a spider!

It took a few tries, but I made it, standing at last in sodden triumph at the top. The view from up high was nice, even in the rain. I could see over some of the trees and deeper into the valley....

But now for this boulder.

What I did next also took a few tries, to get the timing right. But fortunately Ja Baij is a gernerous chap, and I had an infinite number of Bombs to play with.

I Stasised the giant boulder beneath my feet, took out a Bomb, rolled it over the edge, and detonated it while it was close enough to exert some force upon the boulder, but far enough away that it wouldn’t blow me up!

And when the Stasis let go.... over the boulder keeled and finally fell to the ground (I paraglided down after it) where I could manage it with a bit more ease.

Ha, yeah—ease. Surely. The thing was still huge.

I tried pushing it toward the empty cornerstone. No good; it was too big. So I tried Stasis and another Bomb. Not enough force. Stasis and two more Bombs.... got it on the square!

And the Korok appeared!

YES! ^_^

That had to be the heaviest Korok I’d ever chased up. Epic.

There was something supremely satisfying about that one.

Really made you work for it.

The Ultimate Game

Waking of Saturday, October 28, 2017 ~ 3

The Ultimate Game

It was strange remembering that there were other climes I loved. There were too many mysteries on the volcano; I wasn’t ready to leave them unsolved.

But at length I paraglided down to the Foothill Stable. There was something I’d seen David do in his game.... maybe it was the only thing that could get me to finally come down, for I wanted to try it, too....

~

David had been at the Outskirt Stable. I had directed him there and told him there was a man named Trott who would buy his Raw Gourmet Meat for a hundred rupees a cut.

And as he visited around with the other people at the stable, he came to that girl by the stalls and manger, and she made the offer to style his horse’s mane and tail.

“They can change the mane and tail design?” David blurted through an open grin.

“Yeah,” I said, and then added wryly, “Man, you really don’t talk to anyone, do you?”

David laughed.

I guess we’re each ahead of the other in our own ways.

I myself hadn’t even looked at the mane designs. But David did then, with.... Shooper I think was that particular horse’s name.

There were so many fun and amazing styles.... XD

~

Now at the Foothill Stable below the volcano, I took out Brown. I knew I could have just warped, but....

I like riding the roads.

I rode Brown aaaall the way to Kakariko Village, by way of the Sahasra Slope, and then aaaall the way to the Outskirt Stable.

But.... I couldn’t bring myself to do up his mane and tail. He just looks so good the way he is!

Thrice, however, I gave a long mane and tail, reminiscent of his wild upbringing.

And Memory? Mmm with his royal tack he did not look out of place wearing braids. Ehhhhhh BECAUSE.

And as long as I had a mount under me, thinking of new lands and new stables.... I decided it was time I took the road out across and beyond Digdogg Suspension Bridge.

And so Memory and I set out toward the desert canyon....

But we hadn’t been traveling for more than five or ten minutes—game minutes no less—before my swiveling view gave me a glance of Satori Mountain.

It was lit up.

The sun wasn’t even down.

I looked at the clock: the time was five pm, and the whole of the night lay ahead of me.

....

I brought Memory to a screaming halt, dashed back to the stable, and boarded him again.

I wanted to try and catch those Blupees at their meeting!

When I warped to Satori Mountain it was raining, and I shivered in the cold, but my Warm Doublet was enough for that.

I hiked up the slippery slope to the three-way crevasse at the mountain’s peak, and creeping forward to the highest split, I once again saw those little blue rabbitkabobs visiting with each other in the ghostly teal haze.

I was able to snap their pictograph this time. Blupees, my Compendium said.

Huh, from David’s mention of their name I’d thought of it spelled ‘blupies’ in my head.

Ah well.

I edged toward them, wondering how they would react—

There was something else in the clearing beyond.

Big. And glowing.

Crystal-blue like the rabbits.

Was this the Beast that Quince had told me about so long ago?

I snapped this one’s pictograph, too. And—

The Lord of the Mountain, my Compendium called it.

Huh. o.o

This was that beast.

It pawed the ground like a horse, looking about like a nervous deer, and its face.... made me think of an owl for some reason. Strange antlers sprang from its crown.

The ultimate game, I thought.

Wasn’t that what somebody had said?

Satori Mountain was the place to find game.

And this Lord of the Mountain.... wasn’t this the ultimate game?

I nocked an Ice Arrow, took aim, and let fly.

The thing reared and froze and I was paragliding in. The nearby blupees scattered and disappeared. I hit the beast again and again while the ice held, but when it finally broke free—

It vanished.

It was gone.

All the blupees were gone, too.

And the night was clear; the teal haze evaporated, and I could see the stars.

It seemed the mountain wouldn’t light up anymore, if that one got scared off.

Procrastination

Waking of Saturday, July 29, 2017

Procrastination

I came out of the Tah Muhl Shrine and headed northeast to another shrine I had marked: the Sah Dahaj Shrine. This one lay in a deep hole beside a mad treehouse full of nasties. I cleaned them all out—after I completed the shrine.

Was it just me? Or did all these Eldin shrines contain fire-based trials? ¬.¬

I’d been picking up Koroks here and there, but THAT CIRCLE—that circle of stones behind the treehouse—for the life of me I could not find a spare stone ANYWHERE that would complete that circle and tease out the Korok!

I climbed all over the mountain above, and found nothing but more Fireproof Lizards—dandy for making more fireproof elixirs and made me wanna have another go at Bayge & Co.’s endurance challenge in the Gerudo Highlands but that wasn’t what I was looking for just now.

I even backtracked to another Korok I’d found hiding under a rock.... but that rock had long since vanished. Dang it.

I knew where there were more rocks.... somewhat nearby....

They were down in the shallow lake, near another Korok puzzle I’d solved: throw the rock in the water-goal.

Rocks for those kinds of Korok puzzles never run out.

There was only one problem: that lake was about a hundred feet lower than where the treehouse Korok Circle was—separated from it by terrain that was steep and ill-suited for walking. And walking.... was the only way to carry a rock for a Korok Circle. You couldn’t climb with those things.

....But those were the only rocks anywhere....

....

Yeah, I used one of those.

Yes, it was a chore.

No, the Octo Balloons weren’t that helpful—and I injured myself more than once.

Turned out I didn’t need them anyway.

NO I’M NOT TELLING.

ANYWAY!

I climbed a little more around the mountain—and found just one more Korok in a very frightening location, in a pool right next to a Guardian that patrolled back and forth along a section of road that passed beneath a delicate arch of stone.

Well, when the Guardian’s back was turned, I paraglided in and ran for it! I got to the little hot spring and ducked behind a large rock just in time.

It was tricky picking up that Korok—it was another rock-in-the-water-goal puzzle. I missed with the first rock I picked up—my nerves were on edge with that Guardian so close! But I got the second rock right where it should be.

I know when the Korok is interacting with you, the world of the game is frozen. But.... man, you still feel a pressure to hurry up when you’re on such dangerous ground!

I collected the Korok seed, started for the cover of the rock, and the Guardian saw me. It turned glowing hot red. “Oh man that thing’s agitated,” I muttered.

But it did not enter the spring to look for me.

Maybe they can’t walk on water.

I climbed a little more, started going up a pathway haunted by too many Fire Keese.... but, deciding I didn’t want to burst into flame anymore in the volcano’s heat, I hopped over the mountain’s arm and climbed into Akkala.

I came down almost right on top of the South Akkala Stable! I played some bug games with the stablehands there; they were cute. ^_^ After that I took the road north through a place I’d been curious about for a long time: Shadow Pass. I wondered what was in there....

Turned out it was just a lot of game. And of course all the beautiful Akkala plant life. <3

I also ran into a bear.

It growled at me, its eyes shining green in the moonlight....

I quickly jumped onto a big rock and climbed right to the top in a trice!

But the bear was already running out of sight.

Maybe we scared each other.

I continued north, looking for I don’t even know what....

I saw Karsh again. “Sav’saaba!”

I saw Chabi again. She’d heard Kilton was on the move now.

I basically just made a big circle, coming back toward the South Akkala Stable via the road that ran through the wetlands.

Those wetlands were another fine Valley of Terror, let me tell you. I set my detector once again to Decayed Guardians. And it chirped a foreboding beat....

I scavenged all the dead Guardians I dared, only backing off when I saw that I was nearing the live ones—I mean the ones that move. There are two of them down there. I’d seen them when I paraglided out of the Akkala Tower.

It was a fairly good haul anyway. Made me want to go visit Robbie again, and see what Cherry could make for me.

Back at the South Akkala Stable I met a guy whose dark skin was at odds with his platinum-blonde hair, and his name was Rex.

Rex said he was looking for that Legendary Sword. I chatted with him about it. He said he reckoned the sword was somewhere near the volcano.... but not on this side. He said it was probably closer to the Woodland Stable.

Huh.

You know.... I’d had a feeling about the Lost Woods for a long, long time.

When I chatted with Rex about it again, he became defensive, aggressive, saying he was going to be the one to find it! And I’d better just stay out of his way....

Huh.

....

Well now that my on-screen avatar had received a proper clue about it....

....

Well.... I do like chasing the scripted breadcrumbs.

Eh.

I took Memory from the South Akkala Stable, and rode him all the way to the Woodland Stable.

That.... was a pleasant ride.

And the Piano came out to accompany us, splashing in the wake of Memory’s hooves in its sunlit-raindrop song, and swaying and dipping its lovely Violin dance partner as they told us some of Koji Kondo’s best stories....

Zelda’s Lullaby.

The Legend of Zelda.

Beautiful themes.

I kept a sharp eye as we clipped along the riverside leading out of Lanayru.... and there she was, flailing away from a Bokoblin.

“Leekah.... Memory stay here,” I said as I dismounted....

When I’d escorted the disaster-prone girl back to the Woodland Stable, I checked up on Memory’s stats.... and saw that the last seven percent had finally filled up to max out our bond to each other.

He is willful, and wild.

And he is mine.

Somewhere around the stable I saw Laroba, another Gerudo. “Sav’aaq,” she hailed me, and then said something about where to find all the strapping voe.

Voe....?

....

I wondered if it was some concise term for boyfriend material.

I’d momentarily forgotten that the Gerudo couldn’t possibly find mates among themselves, as they are all women.

Hmm.

I wondered how they’d receive me once I ventured into their lands.

Well I ran up the hill to the Lost Woods and, more confident against wolves, even ventured inside a bit.

The mist was weird, curling in unnatural scud all across my view. The Piano came to heel again, tapping out once more those repetitive descending notes in a watchful key of G. It sounded more.... assertive this time, as though it knew there was something to be sought after hard in here.... though that may only have been my imagination.

I followed a few lit torches into the green misty gloom....

But....

I considered my surroundings. I mean my surroundings. In my house.

There were too many people around. The buzzkill risk was too high. And this seemed too important.

I didn’t want to do it right now.

I backed out.

But on my way I thought I saw something faintly glowing in the distance, something.... orange or pink....

I tried to climb a rock to get a better view and—

EVERYTHING WENT WHITE—and I swear I heard some.... someone.... laughing....

And I wound up back at the entrance.

....

Unlike Ketoh Wawai’s shrouded island.... it seemed the path in here.... could not be strayed from.

I came out and decided to climb north around the volcano.... looking for more shrines maybe. I found that epic treehouse I’d seen before [or rather what I thought was that epic treehouse I’d seen before—there’s a couple of them on Death Mountain’s western slopes], got up behind it, and cleared it out with an equally epic game of Bomb-Golf.

You know.... I really.... really love having infinite bombs in this game. =3

After I killed the treehouse.... well the volcano was just so massive....

What was I doing, anyway?

I changed course, and started to go after my blue marker instead. As far away as it was, it was probably closer than any north part of the volcano I thought about exploring—Death Mountain was huge.

I hiked west around the north side of the Lost Woods, getting quite close to the edge of my visible map. I could see the way to where I’d put my Blue Marker. It was so close!

But.... as I’d suspected, it did get too cold before I got there. Too cold even for my Warm Doublet. I could even see the boundary where the falling rain turned into falling snow.

I met a nice lady merchant walking along the road there. Yammo was her name. But she and her donkey didn’t have any cold weather clothing I could buy....

The two of them just kept walking toward the freezing air.... and a moose. A Tabantha Moose. I snapped its pictograph as its head was turned in my direction. It had the same green eyes as that bear had had....

When Yammo and her donkey got close to it, it spooked, which spooked them, and they all ran away from each other. XD

Well, the way up the road and toward my marker was too cold, but I could plainly see a shrine and a stable far away in the west, amid a grassier, gentler clime.

But.... I could also hear a shrine beeping much closer than that....

It was in that place I’d seen in the northern reaches of my Woodland Map. Those huge, huge angular structures in that low valley....

I wanted to find it....

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.