Shrine Out Of Time 2.3 - Gifts

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

Shrine Out Of Time 2.3 - Gifts

It was a Modest Test Of Strength.

And I beat the Guardian.

Passed through the gate.

Looted the treasure chest.

And approached the meditating Monk....

Your triumph over the test of strength

subverts a prophecy of ruin. From the

ashes of Hyrule, a hero rises.

The Monk spoke the familiar words.

In the name of Goddess Hylia, I

bestow upon you this Spirit Orb.

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

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

And I clicked to dismiss it away.

And then it turned.

You have at last conquered all of our

trials.

the Monk said.

Having fulfilled our purpose, we monks

bestow upon you this...

The warrant of the true hero.

You must now depart for the

Forgotten Temple.

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

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

May the Goddess smile upon you.

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

And I was made to depart the Final Shrine.

Hahhhhhh.

I’d finally done it.

I had finally found every last Shrine.

!

And it wasn’t even over yet.

The Forgotten Temple....

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

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

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

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

I was ready now.

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

Nobody really got it.

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

Left....

Tunic of the Wild.

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

Right....

Trousers of the Wild.

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

Ah, that sounds fabulous.

And center....

Cap of the Wild

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

And I could feel the Spirit of the Hero.

I am the Hero.

They looked great. Agh, they looked classic.

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

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

I looked great.

To Cotera then!

Good old Cotera.

Hee!

The upgrades were:

Cap – 10 Acorns and 2 Farosh scales

Tunic – 10 Acorns and 2 Naydra scales

Trousers – 10 Acorns and 2 Dinraal scales

Somehow acorns were just.... so perfect.

So cute. ^_^

Basic and pure for the boy in the forest.

~

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

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

Do you know what my new job is?

I am a video game tester.

These horizons are definitely more exciting.

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

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

No, I can’t talk about it.

I signed an NDA.

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

And fight Ganon again....

....like I said I would.

                        Good night.

 

Maybe the Front Porch

Friday, May 10, 2019 ~ 4

Maybe the Front Porch

Oh gosh where would I pick up....

Okay last autosave.

Please be outside the threshold....

Okay.

I was standing outside the Sanctum. In my Climber’s Gear.

This was. Okay.

Oh my gosh I needed a breath of some real fresh air.

Okay.

Let me think....

No shrines in those upper reaches of the tallest towers. My hopes were beginning to wear thin.

I paraglided off the central Castle and onto the southeast pillar, considering.

Those guard houses maybe.... Maybe? I’d not gone into those....

This whole time I had been combing the Castle from the bottom up. But now, I’d try the closest guard house to the Castle’s front door. I was already pretty high up. I’d try combing top to bottom.

I floated down....

This was the guard house on top of which I’d found a Korok last time.

Bloody turrets....

I hunkered down on a battlement where I could safely see inside an upper window. The interior was thick with Malice and I was pretty sure I could see a mouth. Once I got inside, it would probably start spitting things at me. There were two eyeballs glopped onto the ceiling, but.... they wouldn’t open, no matter how close I got to them, how visible I made myself through the windows.... I would have to—

We’ll see....

I dropped down inside.

....

Okay.

The Second Gatehouse as it was called....

I shot the Malice eyeballs. As I suspected they hadn’t opened until I’d dropped in from the window and hit the central floor.

Also, the portcullises slammed shut.

And the dang little cursed skullheaded things came floating after me—a couple of ‘em had gotten out before I was able to dispel the Malice.

Also, Daruk went off.

And of course he yelled and everything, but that.... sounded like a bigger hit than normal.

And then I turned around and there was a White-Maned Lynel inside with me.

Oh.

One cursed Stalmoblin was still gumming after me.

I killed it.

And.... Then the Lynel beat me up.

For a while.

Oh. The sounds Link made.

Horrible choking gasps....

But I collected myself, got to my feet, replenished my health, and gave the Lynel what for. With the Master Sword.

And then he was dead, and I had his stuff. And another treasure chest with three Ancient Arrows.

My gosh, you think maybe the game is hinting at something?

I always considered my Ancient Arrows too precious and rare to use, but they were certainly as good as growing on trees around here....

However.... that was a different matter.

I didn’t think there was a Shrine here.

....

Dratblast it, if I couldn’t find another one on the Castle Grounds....

....

Where could it be?

....

I wondered if I could run to the First Gatehouse; there was surely something just as fearsome in there, and that attack meal I’d eaten was still in effect. For like two more minutes.

I ran.

Not like me, I knew. The Creeping Mouse, ever cautious. Not like me at all. But it would be a shame to let that attack meal go to waste....

Out in the exposed dun and grey, as I pounded over the dust with no walls around me, two lasers settled onto my back.

They seemed to come from either side.... maybe turrets posted about the Gatehouse entrance behind me.

The angle between the lasers tightened as I increased the distance between myself and my assailants.... but it was not yet so skinny that—

The lasers flickered, strobed, beeped—

I skidded and rebounded off the dirt, doubling back right as the lasers fired.

The blue-white bolts skimmed my shoulders and their combined blasts went off right in front of me.

Rebounding once more, I pressed forward again, through the vestigial smoke and heat—the path had been clear for a good length ahead; I could still run all-out and be fine—

For a while.

I pelted out of the haze and considered the remaining road between me and the other Gatehouse. Another moment and a tall, horny barrier of Malice would give me trouble.

The lasers came back. The angle was too tight to double back between them now.

Be-be-be-be-beee—!

I dashed to the side this time, veering in a hard right angle off to the left; the lasers once again exploded where I had been about to step.

And I was running again. I could see the eyeball. Right in the thick of it. Had to be the one. But.... bad angle. The Malace wall veered, and the eyeball was somewhat secluded, drawn back and hugging toward the right, facing toward the left. And I wasn’t quite close enough that I was confident I’d be able to land an arrow on the first try. Just a few more paces.... Though it was dangerous to prolong the attempt....

I sprinted until I came near enough to the Malice obstruction, drew my bow—already the lasers were—

They got me this time, just after I shot the eyeball.

Get up get up get up.... The Malice was disintegrating. Still, I thought.... no sense wasting the smoldering fireball engulfing me. I jumped, whipped out my paraglider, and rode the updraft from the lingering fire, sailing over the last wisps of the vanishing barrier, toward the other Gatehouse.... out of range. Good.

I touched down safely and ducked beside the stone entrance. No Guardians could see me here.

Now.... What could be in here....?

I peeked in the entrance of the First Gatehouse and saw the Malice Mouth directly above me. It remained dormant, only pulsing and wiggling every now and again with no prey yet trapped in the room.

The time-limit of the Attack effect from that last meal was still counting down. I decided I would dash to the other side, and I did. And down came.... as if from the ceiling....

Heh, I’d hoped it would be you.

Blue Lynel.

The kind against which I’d never gotten to test my mettle.

But I did here. And I was collected. And I dodged his attacks, and flurry rushed him many times.... Until the dang cursed Stalmoblin caught up with me.

But I put it down soon enough and finished off the Lynel. And then shot the eyeball. And then killed the remaining two cursed Stalmoblins.

And the First Gatehouse seemed to be mine. What was in this chest....?

Ten Bomb Arrows. Not bad! :)

Found five more in a chest on the roof.

Aaaaand... A Korok on top of the spire. Just as I expected! I thought in Lloyd Irving’s voice.

Revali's Gale

Waking of Sunday, January 6, 2019 ~ 6

Revali’s Gale

Did I get all the chests? I thought I did....

But I wasn’t entirely sure, and so rocked Vah Medoh’s wings one last time to check, running up to the higher wingtip and leaping off in a paraglide toward the head, and—whope, chest on the tip of the nose.

It held a Giant Ancient Core.

“I’ll take that!” I triumphed.

After that it was another paraglide over to the lower wingtip, and then.... back to the dorsum. And the main control unit....

I righted the Beast one last time.

Still had that Rusty Shield on my back. I’d taken it all the way through this Divine Beast. Just thought I’d use it until it gave out. Trusty old thing....

Consistently.... quietly, stillingly, delicately and in small ways.... I was still amazed by the views. I could see everything from up here. Everywhere I’d been, everything I’d done. Vah Naboris. Vah Ruta. Vah Rudania. Rito Village and Totori Lake directly below.

This was the final Divine Beast.

Now.... for the main control unit.

It was sunset.

“Well I’ll be plucked,” Revali started. “You defeated him, eh?”

He walked elegantly toward me on Vah Medoh’s mossy back, a spirit free and unfettered, and haloed in flaming teal light.

“Well don’t preen yourself just for doing your job.”

Revali’s congratulations were.... Heh, he.... He hasn’t changed, I thought, Not a bit. He is still so pompous and arrogant.

And yet still he somehow found me worthy—me, this lowly, ground-crawling Hylian—to receive the sacred technique he had dubbed Revali’s Gale.

And he wound up.... that ball of holy light.... He even deigned to speed its conjuring with a forceful, “Hahhhh—!”

And then—fwooosh!—he speared the glowing sphere toward me where it entered my chest—and I was barely phased this time.

But its power manifested, and it caught me a bit off guard, as I was lifted off my feet! And that without the overpowering effect of the first time a Champion did this to me.... And the gale hurled me into the air, thrusting me into a backflip! But I came swiftly back down, released from Revali’s charm and left to the mercies of gravity, and landed firmly on two feet and one palm, and I looked up—

And LINK’S EYES.

The look on his face was just....

Revali enjoyed that, didn’t he? Tossing me up into the air like a sack of flour for a lark, just to see if I could land on my feet like a cat.

He was.... prideful to the last, as my form started to twinkle and sparkle away.... and as I could see it starting to happen....

I didn’t remember his words, just condescending words of encouragement, of direction. Of what I had to do. I had to defeat Calamity Ganon. I had to save Zelda.

And his last words.... “The Princess has been waiting an awfully long time.”

And I was gone.

And then that BOSS MUSIC—uh, music that is boss, not music for a boss.

That rugged, churning music started which heralded when a Divine Beast was on the move.... And Vah Medoh arced gracefully through the air and swooped down toward Rito Village. Its claws extended massively, and it clamped onto the jutting beak of the central rock spire, as if it had been a gigantic perch. Dust and rubble exploded from beneath the ponderous, clenching digits, but the Beak of the Crane held firm.

At rest from the air at last, Vah Medoh stood erect, its wings spread in enormous splendour, its head pointed toward the castle, and from the tip of its beak—the laser!

It blasted toward the castle with a fury that convincingly belied its intangibility.

All the same.... dreadful things waited on the other side of that beam....

Revali’s spirit stood high up on Vah Medoh’s form.

And here, only now, when he was alone, did Revali admit to himself that Link did get to the Divine Beast without his help. And he defeated Ganon’s demonic apparition. Link did do something he couldn’t.

And he brought himself to finally admit that.... “I was wrong about...”

—I just.... waited to hear this—

“... how lucky you would be.”

No credit!

Still he gives me no credit!

And.... a part of me laughed inside, in resignation.

That was all right.

He addressed Vah Medoh.

“This will be the perfect vantage point from which to deliver your final strike against Calamity Ganon.”

The laser’s gleam melted into the brilliant sunset sky.

“We have been artfully patient for the past 100 years,” he went on. And his voice simpered just the tiniest bit as he added, “You won’t suffer a feather to wait just a few more moments.”

I came back down on Revali’s Landing.

It was still sunset.

A muffled something sounded in my ears....

And then....

“Link... Link.”

I could hear it clearly. It was the Princess’ voice.

“Thanks to you, all of the Divine Beasts have returned to us and the spirits of the four Champions have been set free. We will all be awaiting your clash with Ganon at Hyrule Castle.”

So that was it, then. It was done.

“Free the Divine Beasts,” Impa had said so long ago....

It was done.

....

I took a pictograph.

High Hopes . . . Bogged

Waking of Saturday, December 8, 2018 ~ 2

High Hopes . . . Bogged

David asked me later about the shrine in Ludfo’s Bog, and how I had gotten the orbs down.

“I just climbed up and got ‘em,” I said.

He stared at me.

“....What?” I said.

“You climbed up and got them?”

“Well, I mean, it took some doing, but I had enough stamina—and the Climbing Gear!”

And he stared at me like Gonzo stares at an imbecilic Rizzo, and I stared back at him like an oblivious Kreacher who doesn’t see the issue.

And then he shook his head and I kept playing.

Off to Hestu. I had enough Korok seeds. I asked for one last dance and Hestu did his thing and sang his song, his maracas exploding in a giddy burst of blue confetti.... and I obtained the final shield slot.

Now all my equipment pages were full.

“Shakalo!?” he started with a jolt, “You’ve expanded all your inventories!?”

But he recovered himself quickly and resumed his easy swaying stance dance. “Naaaaaaice!” he said, the word flanked by little music notes. XD

NOW what would he do?

“Thanks to you my maracas sound so... shakey-shake SHAKETY!”

Yes? OuO

“There are more children of the forest out there, and I’m sure they’d still love to meet you!”

Or some such words.

....Oh.

I guessed that really was it. Each equipment page now had twenty slots of hammerspace and.... that was it.

I guessed the rest of the Koroks were....

Well what would happen if you got the rest of the Koroks?

....

I might not pursue that in this playthrough.

Well! With my pockets deep as they would ever go it seemed, I ran to see what I could see in another unvisited piece of the world.

I’d seen this one many times in looking over my map of Central Hyrule—it was hard to miss with its contingent of giant ribs sticking out of the earth in unnatural arrangements, the tight cluster of weathered skull-dens, and the giant horned skull that sat atop the crest of the hill.

This was a place my map called the Bottomless Swamp. It was situated on the eastern edge of the central plains, just north of Whistling Hill. But I’d never ventured close to it for the rampant Guardians in the area....

It seemed a Guardian-free approach could possibly be made from the riverbank on the east side. But that direction led up through the forest of battlemented ribs, as well as an overabundance of sprawling, gurgling Pools of Malice. And it was uphill from low ground, no less. No.... I would take the back door.

I could handle the Guardians now.

I ran out into the grass until the Guardian Stalker saw me. It had the higher ground, but I could still time my parries all right.... Maybe due to my experiences outside the Pit Gate, it just made me nervous whenever they had the high ground.... in the grass....

I took the Guardian down, and proceeded to the top of the hill. At the crest, the grass died away and the earth became pale and hard, sinking into a large depression full of bogwater, in the middle of which rested the enormous horned skull. Monsters patrolled around on it, inside and out, except where one massive horn had partially broken off. That ponderous fragment rested alone and low in the muck. Around the edges of the bog, Malice pressed in toward the shore and sloughed heavily away downhill to the east and among the skull-dens clustered into the rock like trophies. By the river, the ribs stood clawlike in a challenging and grotesque barrier. Interspersed with all of this stood tall, jagged rocks that were pocked all over as if they’d been boiled.

Ugh, it was creepy. Malice and bogwater....

I stormed the castle nonetheless, knocking what baddies I could into the muck with my arrows before.... eugh.... paragliding over the bog and landing on the connected horn’s lower tip—for the horns curved back and down and around, like rams’ horns.

The number of silver monsters I was made to endure, Bokoblins and Moblins, was a right pain in my royally beknighted patushka. I knocked them into the bog as often as I could; any gemstones they might have dropped weren’t worth the hassle of beating it out with them over solid ground. Or bone.

After I’d cleared the top, I was blessed to discover a hole in the crown of the skull, via which I could rain terror from above on the inner inhabitants, courtesy of Ja Baij. And as the inner level was not well founded, the blasts were sufficient to knock most of the smaller baddies over the edges and into the sucking, mucky drink. But that big heavy Moblin.... him I just had to sail down and deal with personally.

When every last baddie had been sent back to the Evil Jar, I turned my attentions to the precarious plank of wood bridging a large and dangerous gap in the floor of the inner layer. On the other side, nestled in the cavity of the occipital bun, was a wooden chest.

Huh, wooden....

But appearances weren’t everything. This place was so dreadfully imposing, so heavily guarded, surely there had to be something valuable inside....

I tiptoed my way across the plank, and opened the chest.

It was a hundred rupees.

A cool hundred rupees.

Neat.

Thanks, guys.

I got off the skull island and traipsed around the hillside to the east, skirting the Malice pools and sweeping up what baddies I’d missed. There was a small forest a short way to the north. The forest that spanned from one shore of the river to the other, just near the Wetland Stable. Pikango had said.... there might be a memory in there....

Or, well, rather I had shown Pikango one of the images from Princess Zelda’s pictograph gallery, and he had said the pictograph was probably taken in that forest, though on what side of the river he could not tell.

I knew David had yet to find the memory linked to the pictograph taken in a woods....

But David never stops to chat it up with the locals.

The only problem was.... David and Savannah were in the room with me now, and they wanted to watch a movie.

Huaaugh I killed time in pointless ways, examining boring-looking hills for Koroks, running back to climb a stone tower.... The forest was so close.... I wanted to explore it for the memory, but.... I didn’t want to let on to David what I was doing.... Plus with he and Savannah together in the room.... That was an as yet unknown variable, and I didn’t want to risk any buzzkill at all, especially with a memory cinematic on the line....

Eugh and there was that tense bit in the conversation; David kept pestering me to wrap it up and get off already.... but I kept pressing that I wanted to explore.... How did it lead up to what he said....?

“What is there a memory in there or something?” His voice was still chiding, not serious, but crap.

“I didn’t say that—” Wrong thing to say. “—I’ve been trying to find Koroks....” Or some such lame excuse when I’d ONLY JUST already maxed out my carrying capacity....

I ran around the riverside green like a distractible puppy—typical enough behavior in and of itself whenever I was running out of juice on playtime.... Did it throw him off the scent?

He pressed me further. They wanted to watch a movie.

“Okay, okay,” I said at length when I could think of nothing else to do.

I relented, and went to Pepp’s—it was 9:00 in the morning, game time—and slept until noon.

Good night.

It's Barbaric Out There

Waking of Saturday, November 10, 2018 ~ 2

It’s Barbaric Out There

I made just one more dash past the Lynels to get back to the labyrinth, and give it a proper explore.

This was the North Lomei Labyrinth.

Huh. But the Lomei Labyrinth Island was just as northward, wasn’t it?

I didn’t let it bother me. I just made my perfunctory circumnavigation—happily discovering a Korok on the way, in a green-leafed tree that was most out of place here in this frozen wasteland—before stepping over the threshold, and hearing the voice of the monk.

Qaza Tokki addressed me and informed me that his treasure awaited me at the labyrinth’s end....

I went to it. There were some Lizalfos nests in here, some of them SERIOUS. And more Malice. But this time, I actually FOUND AN EYEBALL. I shot it, and a few of the magenta pools evaporated to reveal some extra treasure chests.... neat!

It was a cool maze, and quite difficult! I had to look beyond the lateral to solve it.... But at length I finally came to the Qaza Tokki Shrine, where the monk simply granted me his Blessing.

And inside the treasure chest.... Here it comes, I thought.... OuO

BARBARIAN LEG WRAPS!

I HAD THE SET!  >⩌<

OH IT LOOKED SO COOL!

Aahh! Time to hit up the Great Fairies! .... Later.

I went back to the stable, and thought about climbing more of the icy hills on the other side of the snowfield, but.... it was late.

I satisfied myself with listening to a few bedtime stories from Old Man Monkton, who told me the tragic tales of his childhood friends Harry and Mary. They had always been warned of the dangers of going near the maze and the nearby canyon ruins. But one day Monkton urged Harry to go into the maze as a sort of test of courage. He never saw Harry again. He said the mere memory still breaks his heart to this day. And Mary? One day she and Monkton went to the canyon to get a glimpse of the ruins. But Mary lost her footing and in the blink of an eye she slipped and tumbled down the cliff. Monkton never saw her again. He said that memory would haunt him to his dying day.

He said he guessed children have no real sense of danger, and that innocent curiosity can sometimes cause tragedies that can never be taken back. But as he grew older, he learned to overcome his grief over losing them, saying that you can’t change the past, only the future.

I was pretty shocked at how.... dark this was turning! Until Monkton went on to say, “Harry and Mary never made it back, but two of their descendants are in that stall over there. My only friends out in these parts were horses, you see. I suppose that’s still true to this day.”

....Oh.

They were horses.

Well that made it.... a bit more bearable I guess. XD

Goodness.

Divine Beast Vah Naboris

Waking of Saturday, July 28, 2018 ~ 4

Divine Beast Vah Naboris

I stood on a belly-level deck of the Divine Beast Vah Naboris. The world moved and spun dizzyingly all around me far below as the gigantic legs turned and worked.

The ride was surprisingly smooth.

“Well, well, well,” said Urbosa’s voice.

What did she go on to say....?

Much the same as the other Champions had said, I think, though her tone was definitely her own.

I liked her. She always felt so straightforward and honest. Fierce but peaceable. No nonsense. She let nothing burden her, and focused on what needed to be done.

And the first thing that needed to be done was for me to download that map....

The Inside of Vah Naboris was largely cylindrical—and it came with its own share of Malicious Eyeballs and a few minor Guardian Crawlies.... which I dispatched.

But this Beast....

Vah Naboris seemed to have the most moving parts of any Divine Beast I had yet encountered. The barrel inside of its main body was comprised of three rotating drums, and depending on how I aligned these, the inner struts and ramps and platforms would allow me to access different portals to exterior decks—or the main control unit, mounted in the center drum. So this was where it would all go down....

And then there was the circuitry—each drum had a single, large, front-to-back conductive strip that could be rotated to top, bottom, starboard, or port. And when these were properly aligned, they transferred power to different areas of the Beast, setting further components into motion!

But there was more that was different here....

The music felt backward this time.

In Vah Ruta and Vah Rudania, when I had started out, the music had been open, up for grabs, awaiting possibilities. But here....

The Piano seemed.... malcontent. The underchords floated around, dizzy and obscure, bemoaning awful things I’m sure, but the Piano, just—it would just pound every once in a while.

Like it was angry at me.

Like it didn’t want me to be there.

Like something.... didn’t want me to be there.

And instead of the soft and open music catching on to my presence and growing darker and faster and more threatening over time.... here the music started out in BLATANT threat, and as I located and activated terminals.... a sound stronger and more organized seemed to commandeer the air—

The Champion Urbosa and I were going to take back this Divine Beast. And Ganon knew it. How we strove together in such terrific concert! But terminal after terminal, that HOPEFUL DORIAN GLOWING permeated deeper throughout the soundtrack, wrapping it up, encompassing it, and sounding to the universe and fate that Good was here, and it was able.

Well, able enough.

Though there were some segments of Vah Naboris that still boggled me right out of my head—not the least of which was that danged treasure chest hanging off the tippity-tip of Vah Naboris’ TAIL. By a ROPE.

I would not be able to sever the rope and Magnese the chest in time. I had tried on too many other objects. Magnesis was not fast.

Even the upward-position of Vah Naboris’ caboose didn’t bring the chest in close enough laterally to land on a deck should I sever its rope.

Where the chest was connected seemed to be an enormous hinge. Maybe if I Stasised the chest and then moved the caboose....

No good. The rope snapped and the chest fell into sandy oblivion.

You bet your Sweet Canadian Mullets I reloaded. Forgive me, dear Korok Leaf that I had to put down! For it vanished on the reload.

Maybe if I moved the caboose in the opposite direction, it could catch the chest from beneath when the Stasis let go....

Nope—it just pushed it down and away toward its doom.

Dang it!

What the heck kinda camel has a detachable caboose anyway? I haven’t seen one of those since.... the Opus and Bill cartoon. What was that even....?

I ran back upstairs so many times trying to get that chest—I am sure I walked in places I was never meant to walk.

David thought I was crazy when I would stand at the back of the caboose, manipulate the circuits to make it swing upward, and then step over the farthest edge as it rose to meet me.

It was terrifying when I would misstep coming out of a paraglide, and plummet suddenly toward the sand three hundred feet below. And how Vah Naboris kept walking! But the furthest reaches of its exterior structuring were blessedly free of the wind of its movements. My many jumps surely should not have been possible. But with a wreck of pounding in my chest I always managed to glide back toward a lower deck.... and try again.

In the end the chest solution was easier than I’d thought—like so many things. I grazed the rope’s base with the corona of a Fire Arrow. And as the rope burned, I clutched onto the chest with a vindictive Magnesis!

And all my Foolish persistence was worth it—the chest contained an Ancient Core.

Ah.... Happy Day.

That chest was the last thing I cleaned up. I had already activated all the terminals, Urbosa’s voice guiding me onward in strength and encouragement; she knew I was ready to proceed.... But I just hadn’t wanted to move forward without picking up every last thing....

But now that Vah Naboris had been completely cleaned out—I’d even found a few sweet mushrooms in deep storage up in its back; that was nice—it was time to return to the central drum, and activate the main control unit.

The Value of Not Being Seen

Waking of Wednesday, June 20, 2018 ~ 2

The Value of Not Being Seen

Clicking “Continue” from the Game Over screen respawned me back in the Hall of Heroines. I trekked back up the dark, narrow passageway to Barta’s cell....

There was still nothing I could do to help her. I did not rescue Barta.

But I did make it past the infamous pillar and on into the lower part of the passageway, where the next Yiga guard stood sentinel before the only doorway out.

He did not move.

When the circuitous patrolman’s back had been turned, I had paraglided down off the pillar, and landed behind a long pile of storage boxes in this lower part; there were a couple of them down here. But while they shielded me from the second guard’s gaze.... they did nothing to help me progress.

That guard wasn’t moving. He was just standing there so attentively.... How was I supposed to get past him?

It was a cruel joke that I could see a treasure chest across the way on the far side of the room. Yeah, right! This was too much. What could I—

....Bananas, Barta had said.

Hmph. There were bananas here and there throughout this terrible dungeon, but.... what could I do with those?

I looked to where the nearest bunch of them sat, on a shelf high off the floor, on the wall directly opposite the guard.

The single supporting strut beneath the shelf seemed very flimsily put together; it was almost as if it were made of two simple sticks, banded together to increase its length. The white wrapping in the middle of this shoddy construction looked as if.... it were secured by something extra.... like those little metal clasps used to tie off athletic bandaging....

Why it almost looked.... like an X.... Like a tiny.... little.... TARGET.

Well, that chamber back before had offered me a bow....

I shot the strut out from under the shelf. It collapsed, predictably enough, spilling the bananas to the floor.

And the Yiga—he gave the same human-sounding start I had heard the other give before, so low and mundane that it caught me off guard—and then he started tiptoeing his way toward the bananas on the floor—like as if he were afraid someone was gonna see him??—at each step emitting some stupid, careful little “houhp” that nearly threatened to make him sympathetic! Like as if he were being so SNEAKY or something???

He was distracted anyway. I ran for it.

I did not attempt to make the far treasure chest.

I just ran for it until I was safe around a corner.

There were strange rooms further in—some dead-ended stone corridor full of spikes—couldn’t go that way—and more furnished chambers full of Eastern architecture—er, Sheikah architecture—no, the Yiga version of it. Oh it was all rather similar anyway.

I once heard.... probably a cousin or something.... say the Japanese were rather fond of inserting themselves into their video games. I’ve seen it a few times, or what has looked like it.

....I enjoy it.

From there on in I reverted very tightly to my first and wonted way of letting Caution dictate all else. Big Yiga guards patrolled thickly about the constricted spaces. Everything was waiting, watching, crouching, hiding, hesitating, and timing. All my movements were supremely delicate and slow. Silent and threading half-calculatedly, half-madly through the holes left between their patrols. My arrows whizzed below shelves, knocking out supports and throwing out bait-bananas and luring in the great lumbering guardsmen who, for all the acrobatics and rapier-quick mystique suggested by their cohorts whom I had met in the field.... moved like land-bound seals and circus clowns. Always “hup-hup-hup”ing along until they reached the bananas I cast in their way, whereupon they would look around carefully, quickly pocket the fruit, and then sneak back to their original positions. Poor blackguards....

In a catwalk corridor above the largest chamber I was forcibly reminded of Donkey Kong when I caught sight of that pile of bananas at the far end. Sweet Hylia, that was a lotta bananas. Where did these guys get them all, anyway? Not in this desert....

And as I gazed down at the large chamber from all angles, thinking hard on how to proceed.... one of those ridiculous giant barrels—the kind you can hoist up over yourself and hide beneath—had the GALL to fall under my attention, sitting there so still and helpful and quiet and upright and perfect, offering itself as if I were insane enough to actually try to USE it! YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. THE NERVE!

No, I was quite content, content as any mouse in a fox-den could be, up here on my completely separate level....

A handful of breathless skywalks on rickety rafters later, just for the sake of some treasure chests that ultimately would not affect the fate of the universe—I was able to displace the guard who protected the last room.

And down I floated—and away I dashed and hid, until his back was turned again.

The final chamber seemed a little more closed off and private than the others. There was a bed, and another loose Duplex Bow. And it somehow felt quieter in here....

There were more treasure chests too, stuck in the ground. I was a little afraid to Magnese them out, for the noise they would make, but I unearthed them all right with no problems. I don’t even remember what they contained.

Ha, but I think I know now what their purpose must have been....

Using Magnesis for the chests, I could see the Magnesability of one of the walls. And when I had checked and searched every corner and looted everything that wasn’t nailed down.... I swiveled the Magnesable wall on its central hinge, and proceeded through one of the two openings....

Girl Stuff

Waking of Friday, August 25, 2017

Girl Stuff

Nieces are delightful creatures.

Mary just really wanted me to “Play Zelda!”

So eh.... what the hey.

I started up the game, and found that the last time I’d played I seemed to have ended up at Cotera’s spring above Kakariko Village.

Mary wanted me to play whatever the main quest was but ehhhh I didn’t think so. Not under so much threat of buzzkill with all these people in the house.

Instead, I warped back to the volcano to see if I couldn’t find any of those Smotherwing Butterflies I needed to up my Flamebreaker clothes one more level. They were tricky little beasties! Especially when I tried to get a picture of one; it was difficult to keep it centered in the frame while it kept fluttering around. I think I barely snapped a pictograph of the tips of its wings when it finally alighted over the tiny horizon of a rounded rock.

But it did help to have the picture—and thus the ability to search for it—in my Sheikah Slate. I needed something like nine of them, and the girls and I did a lot of walking around Goron City and the surrounding areas. We even found a few Koroks along the way. And a couple of new shrines. And some hidden treasure I think too! A fruitfully circuitous hike.

Once we’d caught as many butterflies as we could stand, we warped back to Cotera, and had her do up my Flamebreaker armor. The giant fairy kiss made the girls laugh. XD They asked questions, and that led to my giving them answers, which led to more questions.... which led to somehow.... they wanted to see the Elephant.

So Zora’s Domain it was.

But how did we get into the menu? One of my weapons must have broken—maybe a bow; you can’t switch via the shortcut to a different bow if you don’t have one equipped.

So in I went to the menu. And Dorothy became quite enamored of just how customizable Link was. She wanted to choose his clothes.

I took off all of Link’s equipment and stripped him down to the skivvies. “Okay, what should he wear?” I said as I hopped the avatar around Vah Ruta’s bare black rock.

“He’s naked!” Dorothy laughed.

Mary and Dorothy were soon taking turns issuing orders for different combinations of clothing. They both quite liked the beautiful set of Zora Armor. Dorothy thought the Champion’s Tunic was a very pretty blue. Both seemed to prefer his open hair to most of his hats, though they thought the Firebreaker Helm was funny. The too-small Old Shirt and Well-Worn Trousers made them laugh too. But Mary and I got the biggest kick out of the regular Hylian Trousers, no shirt, and the Barbarian Helm. I threw in a Dragonbone Boko Club for good measure, and man our hero looked right fit to eat somebody’s face! XD

We rollicked around Zora’s Domain a bit more. They had me scale the giant fish tail above the throne room, and as I had more stamina under my belt this time, it worked! I was even gratified to find a hidden Korok up there. ^_^

But soon the girls had to go, and so.... at the end I warped back to Cotera’s spring where I had been before.... and quit.

The next day, David asked me what all I had done while playing Zelda with the girls.

When I told him we’d spent our time catching butterflies and playing dress up—

“UGHHH,” his eyes bugged, “How does Ben stand it with all girls and no boys?”

I’d never seen him look so disgusted.

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.