A Game More Dangerous

Evening of Tuesday, September 4, 2018 ~ 3

A Game More Dangerous

I touched down on the warp pad of the Ishto Soh Shrine, and was met with the buzzing sound of hundreds of flies.

I’d forgotten how much garbage Moza had piled up here.

But I dashed past it all and peered down into the Lynels’ Corridor! I had plans to try out my new toy.... On went the Lynel Mask and Link once again adopted a beefy, stoic stance. X-)

The canyon floor was too far distant for me to make out any creatures prowling along it, and so I relied on the skull stamp I had placed on my map—that was where the southern Lynel would be.

I floated down—there it was—and circled wide, landing some distance further south. Somewhat far away but not too far away.... but pretty far away....

The Lynel still stepped so grandly and paused so ponderously and roared.

And then it turned and SAW ME. FROM FAR AWAY.

We stared at each other. Usually when a bad guy sees its respective mask it starts walking toward you. But neither of us moved. We just stared. For a moment.

And then the Lynel circled round in a canter, faced my way again and nocked a Shock Arrow.

Nope! It was Ishto Soh for me again! I warped the heck outta there! :D

So wow, the mask really didn’t fool the Lynel for very long....

Well they were powerful creatures of many abilities.

But still....

I wanted to try again.

So I ran and jumped and floated down to the left this time, northward toward the mid-Lynel near the base of the Talus’ butte. I spied him as he walked among the baobabs....

With a crunch and a rush I hit the ground running through the long yellow grass. I wanted to get close this time....

It was a White-Maned Lynel, and when he saw my fast approach, he turned to face me, and stood his ground.

I just kept running. If things went south I could always just warp back to Ishto Soh....

The Lynel stood still until I had run right up in front of him, and could physically no longer move forward for his person. He had only looked at me the whole time. The way his head just dropped at the end.... looking down at me....

I was a tiny creature.

We looked at each other only briefly before I walked round to his left flank to see if there was a get on option. There wasn’t. Those zebra stripes. Broad tapers. So high over my head, the body so tall, so BIG. Thick, muscular legs, feathered hooves....

The Lynel turned as well; he wasn’t having me behind him. And we faced each other once more, staring just a bit longer. I was on the north, facing south now. The long south reaches of the Lynels’ Corridor stretched away into the distance behind my.... companion. The baobabs stood in the yellow grass. The Gerudo Highlands glowed bright ruddyrust in the daylight away to my right, the shade of the Zokassa Ridge cooling to my almost immediate left.

At precisely the same moment, I threw the game into a semi-pause by toggling toward the Stasis function, and the White Lynel reached behind his enormous back and fwipped out his gigantic spear.

Oh my.  ._.

I was able to Stasis him and get in a few hits.... But that charm works only briefly on living things, and briefer still on powerful ones.

I could have warped away, but....

Well I did need Lynel bits.... and I was here, wasn’t I?

I stayed.

I stayed, and stood, and fought. And remembering the Shock Arrows this one had pelted me with before, I tried the Thunder Helm for a spell. But apparently the Lynel only resorted to those at a distance, and no range I could give him on the ground would suffice—the ill-defending helmet was not helping. And so I switched to something more justifiable. Real armor. My strongest clothes.

Stasis could only help me so much between rechargings, but I employed it as best I could, capitalizing on every chance to land a Bomb Arrow right between the brute’s eyes. Head-shots dealt double the damage, or so I’d heard and witnessed elsewhere.

This one didn’t stun like the lesser foes did, though. Any Bokoblin would have been bowled over backward with a shriek, and not regained itself for precious seconds....

But a Lynel....

I don’t think he ever even had to shift his footing.

Then again he did have four of them. A leg at each corner. Huh!

I was a mouse to him.

Well the mouse could still bite!

More than once, more than thrice, more times than I counted, really, he sent me flying and tumbling and rolling across the grass with a groan—Get up get up get up, Link!—And I found myself chewing through my stocks at a vigorous pace!

But I gave him his own headaches in return—a Bomb Arrow could slow down a galloping charge! Even if I had to take a bit of it myself at close range—he moved so fast....

It became inescapably dicey however whenever HE BLEW FIRE FROM HIS MOUTH AT ME. The fireballs were broad, far-reaching and enormous, and they set the grass alight all over. Remembering the Big Yiga Clansmen, I used the flames more than once to slip away into the air, a bit singed nevertheless. The Lynel watched me with patient, hungry eyes in one such maneuver as I glided over him, released a Bomb.... and then detonated too early.

Well, that happened sometimes. Good thing nobody else was in the room.

The fire kept coming. I never had the thought of a linear retreat, but rather circled round him in evasion as he kept blowing and blowing and BLOWING! It was deadly and dangerous!—And the best opportunity to get close enough for a strike.

I pulled weapon after weapon from hammerspace as my blades gave their all and shattered in glory. Daruk had leant me three good helping hands that had evaporated pretty early on. And Mipha saved me from the brink before she too had to withdraw her power for a time whose end I would not see in this fight.

But when that monster hit me, ripped me, shredded me so hard that I saw that gleaming little winged orb come swirling up out of my pockets to my aid—

THAT WAS A FAIRY YOU JERK! DON’T YOU KNOW HOW RARE THOSE ARE?

I’d had enough!

I spared no provisions in maintaining my health from then on, and GAVE NO QUARTER in hammering my foe! I did not relent until his mighty, immovable hooves finally gave out from beneath him, and his proud knees sank at last into the ground below his bowing head, wild with mane and horn, heavy with defeat and death.

His carcass was mine.

When I’d pocketed his remains, I looked around at the aftermath of the encounter.

....It was ugly.

The grass was scorched black in great hatching swaths, or shorn clean away in places by blade or hoof. What a ruin. We’d all but burned the whole valley down.

....

It did feel kind of epic, though.

I visited Tera once more in the chill of the desert night to do up my Radiant Gear. The tights were already at level two, but with the shirt and mask enhanced to that level as well....  surely there would be a perk.... I was pretty sure.... it had to be....

IT WAS A DISGUISE I KNEW IT. AND MY ATTACK POWER WITH BONE WEAPONS WAS UP BUT THIS SUIT WAS NOW A DISGUISE I COULD USE TO WALK AMONG STALCREATURES UNDETECTED. I KNEW IT.

AUGH BUT IT WAS TOO COLD TO WEAR OUT HERE IN THE DESERT.

SOON.

I warped to the Deku Tree’s Navel in the three o’clock hour of the morning.... and slept until noon.

GOOD NIGHT.

From: Andrea

To: David

2018-09-04 11:43p

By the way I killed a White Lynel

tonight. On foot. It was ugly. The

whole valley burned down.

From: Andrea

To: David

2018-09-04 11:43p

Love you good night. <3

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.

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.

Grace of Life

Waking of Friday, April 14, 2017 ~ 7

Grace of Life

It was dark when I had climbed to one particularly broad thoroughfare, high over the bog. It was comprised of a very worn-down bridge extending between two tall towers. Its planks were sagging here and there; some of them were missing entirely. A few explosive barrels sat scattered along its length.

I had cleaned up my end. At the other end, a great black moblin lay snoozing. I thought about casting bombs, seeing if I could detonate the farthest explosive barrel to take him out, but.... who knew if just one barrel would do the job? Did I really want to risk duking it out with a groggy moblin way up on this bridge?

....

Okay the Groggy Moblin needs to be a restaurant now.

BESIDES, if I made such a ruckus, other baddies might wake up as well; I didn’t want to have half the camp after me. And anyway the planks in the bridge were so skewed a bomb might not even be able to hit its mark.

But there were alternative courses of action....

I stepped out onto the planks. No need to make a mess.

I crept forward, sinking into a crouch as I drew nearer the slumbering brute. One sneak-strike would do it....

My father would have called it “a lack of situational awareness”.

A flash of red color, in some inward, downward motion—from above?—from the side?

A clatter, a boom, and the world exploded, and I was flying forward, beyond the moblin, passing on its left, arcing and whirling like a drill bit—I paused, I needed food, no but was I dead?—and the moblin was awake, and its bright blue eye was open, and it was on fire, and then it crumpled down dead—and I was mad with pausing—what had happened?—what had I been foolish enough to miss?—what had I not seen?—and I skidded onto the planks near the other tower, inside the other tower, and a glowing, glimmering teal angel with a long head-fin and beautiful arms like an enfolding shroud shimmered up in the air around me, dissipating into twinkling lights like fireflies.

“Mipha, no—” I choked, feverishly pausing again. I didn’t want to waste her gift on something so foolish—

It would revive me, she had said, the moment my strength was completely depleted.

It would bring me back to life.

Like a fairy, I had thought.

Oh why hadn’t I just been able to use a fairy, and preserve Mipha’s Grace for a time more needed than this?

Was there really any silence after the blast? How could there be?

I staggered to my feet.

I was alive.

I had extra hearts.

I was strong.

But Mipha’s Grace—

I paused again.

Would it still be there?

And to my shock it was. There in my inventory. But it was hollow. No longer gleaming in holy blue flames, but empty, and stark, and red with its usage.

I hadn’t wanted to waste it on something like this....

But as I looked again—there was a timer beside it. Counting down. And the words “Ready in”....

OH SWEET NAYRU IT WASN’T WASTED! I had been so afraid that I would only be able to use it once—but it was going to come back!

Mipha’s Grace would come back!

It would take time, but it was there.

It was still there.

She was still with me.

I took stock of my surroundings. One bokoblin snuffled around, alert, on the platform directly above me. That must have been the one that—

Must’ve cast an arrow, or thrown something.

That blue bokoblin....

Or maybe it really was black this time.

Augh, Black! Blue! What’s it matter anyway? They would all end up both of those colors when I got through with them!

Mipha's Grace

Waking of Saturday, March 18, 2017 ~ 13

Mipha’s Grace

When the demon was dead, the air inside Vah Ruta finally cleared—the terrible Blood Moon haze disappeared and there was no more evil feeling.

You know there is a man at the Dueling Peaks Stable named Hino who studies the Blood Moon. I think I really should talk to him about what I saw here. Did it mean the monsters in this area would stop resurrecting....?

The water dropped back down to ankle-deep, and the way to the pedestal was clean, and clear.

When I activated the final pedestal, Mipha’s voice came to me again.

And I saw her.

She was surrounded with an unearthly teal light, as King Rhoam had been. She told me Yesterday she was awash in a pool of tears, fearful that her regretful spirit would be doomed to be trapped here in pain for all eternity. But now with my coming she was finally free. As was Vah Ruta.

But as she was now a spirit, she would have no need of her miraculous healing power, and by the grace of the goddesses, she gifted it to me instead.

Mipha’s Grace

It came from her and entered into my chest much in the manner of the spirit orbs of the shrine-monks.

But the power bestowed and the serenity felt in this particular exchange was such that I could only close my eyes, lean back my head and let spread my arms as Mipha’s Grace flowed through me.  I could have sworn for a moment there.... I was lifted off my feet. Floating.

Mipha and Vah Ruta would aid me in my quest to defeat Calamity Ganon. Their power would be my power.

“Save her, Link. Save the princess.”

And then, before I could take it in, Mipha was saying her goodbyes and—

The light swallowed me up and I was gone.

Goodbye, Mipha.

Even as a spirit, Mipha, the Zora’s Champion still, directed the mighty Divine Beast Vah Ruta to a wellspring on a higher mountain somewhat west of Zora’s Domain, from which Vah Ruta extended its mighty tusks and blasted a red beam directly into Hyrule Castle and the darkness of the Calamity still hovering there.

The beam was continuous. They would sap Ganon of his power for me, for when I fought him.

“Father, are you well, I wonder....” Mipha pondered as she stood miniscule atop Vah Ruta’s right ear.

She wished she could see him again.... even if just once more.