Several days had passed since Link and my arrival in Kakariko Village. I had conversed with Vorel and talked to the lead ninja in the village so we were all on the same page in regards to the alliance and preparations for Calamity Ganon's return. When I wasn't busy with that, I was with Impa, either training, walking around the village, or in her room talking. I hadn't had much time by myself, thus the Sheikah Slate had sat unused on top of my bag for the past few days.
But today I had awoke early and unable to fall back to sleep, I had decided to go out and explore with the Slate. I had headed East out of the village and ended up climbing until I reached a beautiful clifftop. There was a small lake that I found, surrounded by trees. I found a nice perch atop a rock and clicked on the Slate. I swiped between images, reading the descriptions for various plants. I jotted notes in my journal as I did so, wishing I could make notes on the Slate; however after jamming my finger repeatedly on the 'add note' icon and nothing happening, I gave up.
As I worked, the wildlife around me began to awaken and wandered around me, seemingly unphased by my presence. I smiled at the deer wading into the small pond. Raising the Slate, I began to capture images of the wildlife around me: deer, insects, frogs, birds, and plants. Everything was recognized by the Slate and captions would come up for each of the images, giving more information on each species.
The sun grew higher as I worked. I rotated between investigating the Slate as well as brainstorming ideas for some of the current projects I had. Before I knew it the sun was getting fairly high in the sky and I realized if I wasn't back soon, Impa and Vorel would begin to worry. I hadn't left a note or anything explaining where I had run off too.
Packing my stuff up, I began to sprint away from the pond, towards the cliff I had climbed up. The deer looked up in startlement and the birds rose into the air as I crashed through the grass. Swiftly I made my way down the cliff, skidding slightly as I neared the bottom. Once down I ran the rest of the way back to Kakariko village, my armor clanking slightly as I did so.
Finally the familiar buildings of the village came into view and I slowed my pace, relieved there wasn't a full search party waiting for me. I made my way back to the temple and found Vorel at his desk, busy at work.
He looked up as I entered and gave a relieved smile, "Zelda, where have you been?" He asked, "We were beginning to worry."
I gave a small bow of my head, "My apologies Vorel. I woke up early and decided to do a little exploring. I didn't mean to be gone for so long."
Vorel frowned, "Zelda, I know how capable you are, but you shouldn't go off on your own. While the areas surrounding the village have been safe for years, I think your experience with the bokoblins in the Ridgeland area the other day are proof enough that things are stirring."
"I promise I didn't go very far." I smiled reassuringly at him, "And I made sure to armor up and bring my bow with me." I pointed to the bow on my back.
Vorel sighed, "I suppose... still try to be more conscientious of these things in the future. That knight of yours did go looking for you when I told him I couldn't find you."
I rolled my eyes, "Where did he go?" I asked, wondering if I had to go fetch him now.
"Well, I think he and Impa were just going to look around the village for now. If you hurry you might catch them before they decide to explore outside the village."
I nodded and quickly exited the temple. I began to walk towards the southern entrance to the village, knowing that's where our horses were. If Link was going to search for me outside the village, he'd probably take his horse to cover more ground.
I didn't get very far before I heard Impa's voice calling my name. "Zelda!" She shouted and I turned around to see her and Link. "Where've you been?"
"Sorry!" I called back and walked over to them. "I was playing with the Slate."
"I figured." Impa said. "Told everyone not to panic."
I smiled, "Yep, I'm perfectly fine." My eyes shifted over to Link, "Also, today will be our last day here in the village. Make sure you're ready to leave tomorrow morning. We'll set out for Hateno."
"Aw." Impa pouted, "Leaving so soon?"
"Sorry Impa, I wish I could stay longer, but I have a lot of work to do."
"No worries." Impa reassured, "I know, you've told me all about your plans. I'm sure we'll see each other soon."
I nodded, a serious look in our eyes, knowing the next time we saw each other might be under grim conditions. Impa walked closer to me and put a hand on my shoulder, "If anyone can do this, it's you, Zelda. You're the most determined person I know. And on top of that, you're like, a genius."
I nudged her with my elbow, "Don't be ridiculous. I'm not on Purah and Robbie's level."
Impa shrugged, "Still a genius. A badass genius." She winked at me but I just gave her a serious look, which she laughed at. "You guys hungry?" In response, my stomach growled, not having eaten since the night prior. "Well, that answers that. Now to find some food."
With that the three of us headed back to the temple. We stopped at the general store and ended up buying some sugar, wheat, eggs, and milk. I started a fire, while Impa grabbed some pumpkins and fresh fruits, and Link worked on mixing something together. Once the fire was started, I went to grab plates, leaving the cooking to those two.
Returning, I saw Link was busy cooking something over the fire. It smelled heavenly. I sat next to Impa and the two of us began to chat ideally. It wasn't too much longer and Link was done, giving Impa and I plates stacked with slightly orange pancakes. Impa instantly cut into hers and took a large bite. "These are amazing!" She said, mouth full.
Link was eating his meal as well, and he nodded in agreement. I took a bite, relishing the delightful flavor. The pancakes were soft, sweet, and fluffy with a slight flavoring of pumpkin.
"Pumpkin was a great addition to the pancakes, Link." Impa complemented.
I swallowed my bite, "Yes, I concur."
Impa grinned at me, "Of course you would. You'd put pumpkin in everything if you could."
"I would not." I frowned, "As delightful as it is, it doesn't go with everything."
Impa laughed, "Fair enough."
Once we were finished eating, we cleaned up and then Impa and I decided to do some training together. Link followed us to the training grounds, but went to practice on his own. We spent most of the afternoon there, sparring, practicing new moves, and taking a break to talk. Soon evening came and we made our way back to the temple. Impa and I went back to her room after dinner, where we sat, chatting from time to time as we each worked on our individual things.
Impa was paging through a book, while I was working on one of my research projects. Seeing me tinker, Impa put her book down and walked over. "What is it?"
I smiled and began to go into a lengthy explanation of what I was doing. This was a project I had been working on for quite awhile, and now, after some insights from the Slate, I was tweaking things a little bit. Hopefully I would be able to try it out soon.
Impa arched her eyebrow as I finished my explanation. "I think this is a project that would fall under the dangerous category."
"Only slightly." I replied.
"Slightly?"
"None of the coatings are that potent. So the effect shouldn't be too strong. I'll amp it up after I see what this does."
"Zelda, one explodes!"
I waved her off, "It will be a little explosion... Although this one is best for long range. Well I suppose they all are."
Impa shook her head, "Some of the ideas you have..."
"But if I can get the ratios right, these could be so handy in battle. They'll be so much more effective in battle and will have specific effects which can be advantageous depending on the enemy."
Seeing my point Impa nodded, "Yeah, I get that. Just be careful."
"I will!" I smiled at her.
In response she rolled her eyes at me and then wrapped her arms around me, squeezing me to her. "You're remarkable, Zelda."
I hugged her back, her words warming me inside, "So are you Impa. I'll miss you."
"Same."
Morning came quickly. I had packed up everything last night after I had finished tweaking one of my projects, so it did not take me long to get ready. I quickly dressed and then carried my bags downstairs. Link had already fetched the horses and had them saddled. He took my bags and slung them over Icefire's back. As he did this I turned to Vorel and Impa.
"It was wonderful to see you, Zelda." Vorel said and hugged me to him, "You've become such a smart and brave young woman."
I smiled, "Thank you Vorel, for your hospitality and help."
"Of course." He replied, "The Sheikah will do whatever we can to help prevent the return of Calamity Ganon." He frowned at this, "Although, I wanted to warn you before you left Zelda. Long ago, there was a division in the Sheikah. Some actually wanted for Calamity Ganon to return. They broke off from the Sheikah clan and formed a group called the Yiga Clan. I'm sure you've heard about them in your history lessons."
I nodded, "Yes, of course."
"It is said that the Yiga Clan disappeared many years ago, destroyed or they died out. However I fear that instead they have been biding their time, awaiting the perfect opportunity to return. If Calamity Ganon really is coming, then I fear the Yiga will also return. Be careful Zelda."
"I will." I promised.
"Good, because they can be serious trouble."
I gave a resolute look and then turned to Impa. We hugged each other, sad to part ways after such a brief time together.
"Good luck Zelda. Be careful out there. Try not to get that knight of yours killed."
"I won't." I shook my head, "And I'll see you soon enough."
Impa smiled and then whispered, "Make sure to keep me in the loop if anything happens between you and your silent knight over there."
"Impa!" I said fiercely, as she burst into laughter "That's not funny!"
"See ya Zelda!" She called, still laughing as I walked over to Icefire. I climbed on top of my horse and gave a final look at Vorel and Impa.
"Best of luck on your journey, Zelda!" Vorel called as Link and I began to leave. I waved back at them, sad to leave them, but excited for the next part of our adventure.
By midday we passed through Fort Hateno. It was a pleasant day and we were traveling at a good pace. After a quick break, we were back on the road, probably arriving at Hateno in a few hours.
I glanced over at my knight, who was his usual quiet self. It had been an uneventful day and although it was a scenic route, I was growing bored. I racked my brain, trying to think of something to ask him to start a conversation, but nothing came to mind. Besides, he would probably just ignore the question.
Sighing, I held my tongue. My eyes fell upon the Master Sword and I felt my stomach clench. Why couldn't I have been the one who was chosen to wield the sword? My sword skills were lacking, but that could easily be fixed with training. And then Link could have been the one with the power of a Sage... perhaps he would have had better luck than I.
Rustling in the bushes nearby jostled me from my thoughts. Alert, my eyes focused on the sounds, wariness coursing through me. Instinctively I grabbed my bow. "Link." I called, a warning in my voice, but he had already drawn his sword.
We stopped our horses, waiting and observing. Then in the blink of an eye, a horde of bokoblins rushed forward, springing from the underbrush with wooden clubs, spears, and a few had rusty swords.
Link jumped off Epona and rushed towards the bokoblins, sword ready. I drew an arrow and fired, striking a bokoblin in the head. It fell, dead. From here, Link dove into the fray, while I fired arrows off, nicking them off before they overwhelmed Link. He slashed through the bokoblins as if they were nothing, easily dodging their attacks and then attacking them in a flurry of blows as an opening appeared.
As I fired another arrow, I recalled the arrows I had been working on the other night at Impa's. Now was the perfect time to try them. Pulling one from my bag, I notched it and fired, watching with anticipation as it arched into the sky. Then with deadly precision it sank into the skull of a blue bokoblin who was about to swing its club at Link. As the arrow sunk into the bokoblin, the creature spasmed and small sparks of electricity sparked through its body. The bokoblin died instantly, however I frowned. It appeared the electricity effect of this arrow was too weak. If the bokoblin had lived, it wouldn't have been stunned for very long.
Grabbing another arrow, I fired again, this time it landed on a bokoblin's back. The arrow shattered on impact, and a small encasing of ice appeared on the monster's back. Again, the ice effect was too weak. It ideally would be able to freeze an opponent in its track. I would have to concentrate the coating on the arrow more. I fired another arrow at the bokoblin, killing it this time.
Next I grabbed the fire arrow, hoping for better results from this one. I fired, and the arrow met its mark, however nothing else happened. I narrowed my eyes, displeased. Taking several more arrows, I fired them consecutively, falling enemies one right after the other. It wasn't much longer until all that remained of the horde was a pile of corpses.
Giving a slight jerk of the reins, Icefire walked over to where Link stood in front of all the dead monsters. This group was at least double what the previous bokoblin group had been back in Ridgeland, but was still composed of red and blue bokoblins, all wielding fairly useless weapons. However, their numbers made them more dangerous.
"I don't like this." I said as Link whistled for Epona. "This road is fairly traveled. Bokoblins typically stay away from areas the clans frequent. Although there have been known to be some bokoblin attacks over the years in Hateno..." I trailed off. This attack and the previous one couldn't be a coincidence, could they?
"Let's get going." I said to Link, who was already on Epona. Quickly we set off again, our pace slightly increased. I looked over at Link, inspecting him. He appeared unharmed, not a scratch or torn piece of clothing on him.
As we fell into place besides each other, I saw Link give me a questioning look. I arched an eyebrow at him in return. "What?"
"That arrow?" He asked.
"Oh." I grinned; it always made me happy when someone showed interest in my projects. "It's something I've been working on." I explained. "I've been trying to develop arrows with different effects. It's taken a long time to acquire the right ingredients for the effects I want, but I think I have it down now. Now I just need to get the right ratios."
"Effects?" He probed, curious.
"Yes. The three I tested each have a different effect." I continued my explanation. "The first one I tested is supposed to have a paralyzing effect due to the electrical coating on the arrowhead. However it appears the coating needs to be more concentrated in order to shock an opponent for longer. The same is for the ice arrows; ideally it should freeze an opponent in its tracks. Luckily I brought my supplies with me so I should be able to concentrate the coatings on the arrowheads more."
"And the last one?" Link asked.
"That arrow has a burning effect. Upon impact it should burst into flames, lighting your opponent on fire. However something went wrong with that arrow... the impact didn't cause any response, thus I probably need to add more contact explosive."
Link gave me a concerned look at this.
I chuckled, "It's not as bad as it sounds." I explained, "Basically this chemical causes a tiny spark upon impact. It's this spark that ignites the flames. So in terms of explosions, it's pretty mild."
Link regarded me carefully, the look in his eyes hard to discern. "Did you come up with this all on your own?"
"The idea is mine." I clarified, "But it's not like I discovered all these chemicals and what they do. I just kind of read about what they do and thought maybe if you combined some you could create something useful and unique." I looked over at Link, realizing this is the most I've ever heard him talk. His blue eyes met mine and he gave a very faint smile. "If I can ever perfect the formula, these arrows could make a big difference in battle or just for travelers who want a little extra defense." I continued, happy to share my research. "The bomb arrows too."
"Bomb arrows?" He inquired, a note of alarm in his voice.
"Yeah, those ones are the ones I need to be careful with. I didn't test them today as you were in pretty close range. I'm pretty sure I mixed it so the explosion will be fairly weak, but sometimes it is just my best guess. They'll be best for long range attacks that cause lots of damage to the target as well as its surroundings, so you don't have to be as accurate of aim with them."
Link shook his head, an amused smile on his face, "Well thanks for not blowing me up."
I gave a questioning look at the knight, surprised to see him express an emotion rather than his normal mask of neutrality. "I'm pretty sure Father wouldn't be too happy with me if I blew you up within the first few days of our journey." I replied haughty. Shaking my head, I changed the topic, "It's going to be growing dark soon. Let's pick up the pace. Hateno shouldn't be too much farther."
Before long we arrived in Hateno. We slowly made our way through the main part of the village. I stopped quickly to buy a quick meal for Link and I. Tossing the bag of food at Link, we quickly found ourselves on the outskirts of the town. The road split and recalling Impa's directions, I followed the road up a winding hill. As we headed up the hill, I made out a building and sighed in relief that we were able to find Purah's lab.
We dismounted our horses and while Link saw to them, I knocked on the door. There was a long pause and I contemplated knocking again, however I was stopped when the door suddenly burst open and I was greeted by Purah, her eyes distracted. "Who's here at this hour?" She asked and then her eyes fell upon me. "Why, Princess!" She exclaimed, "What brings you here? Did you talk to Impa? Did she tell you about the Slate? Quite fascinating really. If you have it with you, I'd love-"
"Purah!' I cut her off otherwise I knew she would never stop. "Is it alright if we come in? I did want to talk to you about the Slate."
Purah grinned, "Of course. Why not spend the night?" Her eyes twinkled, "I've got something pretty interesting to show you."
I furrowed my eyebrows, "What is it?"
Purah waved me off and grabbed my arm, pulling me inside. "That will have to wait until it's light out. Did you have the Slate with you?" She asked. I nodded. "Excellent!" She continued, not losing step. "Jomih!" She shouted as she scrambled around her desk, looking for something.
Suddenly a Sheikah around my age came from a side room, his lips turned into a frown. "What now?"
"We got company!" Purah sang, still rummaging through her unruly desk.
Jomih's eyes flitted to me and he gave me a look of disdain, causing me to bristle. "And? How's that my problem?"
"Stop being a pain." Purah called, still distracted. "Prepare the room upstairs for her."
"Why do I have to do it?" Jomih complained, a look of defiance in his eyes.
Purah frowned, however she still didn't look at the youth, who, now that I was studying him, looked a lot like Purah, he even had a streak of dark red in his hair. "Because I only said you could come with me if you agreed to be my assistant."
He huffed, annoyed, "I should have just stayed with mom and dad. Now I'm just your personal servant."
Purah chuckled, "You knew what you were signing up for." She turned to look at her brother, "No get that room ready. This is the Princess of Hyrule. Don't keep her waiting!"
Jomih gave me a startled look then. He quickly turned and left the room.
"Ah, youth." Purah muttered.
"Is that your brother?" I asked Purah.
"Yup." Purah rolled her eyes, "He's got an attitude, but he's a pretty decent assistant when he feels like cooperating."
"He's grown a lot since I've last seen him." I stated. "I didn't recognize him."
Purah laughed, "Well you did hang out with Impa mainly when you stayed with us while training in Kakariko Village over the years."
It was at that moment another knock sounded at the door. I answered it, letting Link in. Purah arched an eyebrow at me, curious. Before she could make any comment, I said, "Purah, this is Link. He is my knight as well as the one that wields the Sword that seals the Darkness."
Her eyes widened in surprise. Turning to Link, I said, "This is Purah, the researcher I wanted to talk to."
Link gave a nod of his head. "Well this is interesting." Purah replied and grinned at Link. Her eyes darted to the Sword on Link's back. "So that's the sword." She walked over to Link and began to circle him, her eyes intent on the sword.
I sighed, "Purah, don't ogle him like he's an experiment of yours."
Purah leaned towards the sword, a finger on her chin. "Yes but if we could inspect this sword, perhaps we'd discover the reason why it's so powerful."
"Well according to the legends, it was blessed by the Goddess." I supplied.
Purah gave one final look at the sword and then backed away, "Yes, that makes sense. Still it would be nice to gain a better understanding of it." She shrugged, dropping that line of thought. "Oh, I'll have to tell Jomih to get the cot out since we have another guest." Purah walked into the adjacent room, yelling "Jomih!" as she went.
Purah returned shortly, rolling her eyes. "My brother can be so dramatic. Anyways, you two should be situated now. We only have one spare bedroom and it's upstairs. It's a little small, so sorry about that."
"Don't worry about it, Purah." I responded, "Thank you for letting us stay with you."
"Anytime." Purah glanced over at Link, "If you want, you can take your stuff upstairs already. Jomih should be done soon." Link nodded and walked into the other room, our saddle bags in his hands. "Very quiet, isn't he?"
"It's kind of his thing." I explained.
"Guess I don't blame him. He's got a pretty big responsibility to shoulder."
I furrowed my eyebrows. "He already fulfilled his responsibilities. He was able to claim the Master Sword and now he's just following me around Hyrule. How much of a burden could that be?"
"Well he is guarding the Princess of Hyrule. I would imagine your safety is important."
"I can take care of myself." I snapped. Realizing what I had just done, I let out a long breath and turned to Purah. "Sorry Purah. I didn't mean to lose my temper with you."
Purah shrugged, "I'm not that big on formalities. But I take it your training hasn't been going well based on your outburst?"
I looked down, "That would be correct."
Purah gave me a reassuring smile, "You still have time, Zelda."
"That's what everyone has been saying."
"Well it's true. Sometimes these things are slow to develop. You didn't learn how to use a bow overnight."
I narrowed my eyes, my fists clenching. "No, I didn't. I put in years of training, but even when I was just starting, I would see progress. But after all these years of trying, I haven't seen anything." I bit out bitterly.
Purah raised a finger, "Perhaps awakening your powers is more like flipping a switch, than developing a skill. You just need to find what triggers the switch."
I look at Purah, the desperation seeping out, "I've tried everything I can think of. I don't know what more to do."
Purah smiled. "I feel that way too sometimes when I'm trying to solve a problem. Believe it or not, but taking a step back from the problem actually helps more than anything. I might drop a project for a week or a month, but then suddenly inspiration hits and the problem is suddenly clear. Perhaps you just need some inspiration."
"That would be nice." I replied.
"Maybe this journey will bring you some inspiration." Purah suggested, "Or maybe the Sheikah Slate will spark that mind of yours!" Purah winked at me. "You said you had it with you, right?"
I nodded and pulled it from my belt. Purah grinned and ran over to her desk, picking up what looked like a black pen. "Can I see the Slate?" She asked and I handed it to her. She clicked it on and fiddled with it for a moment, tapping the screen with the pen several times until her eyes lit up and her face beamed in delight. "It worked!" She cheered.
"What?" I asked, eager to see what she had been doing. "What did you do?"
"Here!" Purah handed the Slate over to me as well as the odd pen. It was a smooth, thin cylinder that was pointed at one end. "When Impa first showed me this, we noticed there was a way to add notes to it, however we didn't know how to do it. So I thought about it and after some tinkering, I developed this pen. You can now write in it like a journal and add notes to entries currently in there."
"That's incredible, Purah!" I exclaimed, grabbing the pen. Purah quickly showed me how to use it, and before long I had started my own journal on the Slate, excited to use this new feature. "How did you make something like this?"
Purah giggled, "Well I had some spare parts."
"Spare parts?" I asked, confused.
"It has to do with what I'm going to show you tomorrow." Purah explained.
Before I could reply, Jomih walked back into the room, his hands in his pockets and an annoyed look in his eyes, "Well, the room is ready."
"Excellent Jomih!" Purah exclaimed, "Such a good boy!"
He glared at his sister, "I'm not a dog!"
Purah laughed, "But you are my personal servant!"
Jomih huffed, "I'm going to bed. If you need anything, don't ask me!" He spun on his heel and left as quickly as he had entered.
Purah chuckled, "Goodnight!" Jomih did not reply.
Yawning, I looked outside to see the sun was setting. "Is it that late already?"
"Tired, Zelda?" Purah asked.
"A little. It's been a long day of traveling. And we were attacked along the way."
Purah's eyes turned serious. "Attacked?"
I nodded, "Yes, by a band of bokoblins. They weren't much of an issue, but it was a bit strange seeing so many of them along the road."
Purah frowned, "It's not the first time this has happened. It's occurred several times in the past month."
My eyes darted to Purah's face, "Really?"
Purah nodded, "Yes. It is concerning that these monsters are growing bolder. It could be merely coincidence, but I hypothesize that the rumors could be true and Calamity Ganon is rising."
"If that's the case, then this is only the beginning." I stated, "These are all low level monsters, but as Calamity Ganon gains more power, even stronger monsters will come out of hiding."
"Well, I guess it's a good thing we have you and Link." Purah said. "Link has the Master Sword, and you're taking every measure you can to prepare for Calamity Ganon. And I think I have something that can help in your preparations." I arched an eyebrow, but Purah just grinned, "Tomorrow."
I shook my head. "Well, I think I'll head upstairs then Purah. Thank you again for letting us stay with you."
Purah waved me off, "It's honestly easier this way."
"Well I appreciate it either way." I stated and then turned away. "Goodnight Purah."
"Goodnight Zelda!" She called, already distracted by the contents of her desk.
I swiftly made my way through the other room and up the stairs. The stairs led directly to a door, and opening it I found a small room, big enough for a bed, a nightstand, and a desk. There was a cot placed on the other side of the bed with a pile of books next to it and our bags were stacked in the corner next to the desk. On the wall above the desk was a large window that looked towards the South, where the sea was. Another window was on the opposite wall, where Link's cot was placed. It looked towards Mount Lanayru, its icy beauty a site to behold.
"Well, it's cozy, I suppose." I concluded. The faint lighting of candles amplified this effect.
Link was sitting on the cot, eating his food. Seeing me, he handed me the bag of food, the rest of it my meal. I took it hesitantly. I sat down at the chair by the desk and shuffled through the bag's contents: a plain sandwich, an apple, and some nuts. I set the bag down, not really interested in food at the moment.
Instead, I grabbed one of my bags and began to dig through it, grabbing the items I needed. Once everything was out, I grabbed my notebook and flipped to the pages with the ingredients for the coatings I used on the arrowhead. Reading over my notes, I began to rework my math, making the active ingredients in the electric and ice arrows doubling the concentration of the electrical component and quadrupling the concentration of the ice arrows. Then I went to the fire arrow notes and decided to try doubling the amount of impact explosive I had originally used.
Once this was done, I began to mix together the ingredients, until I had three new concoctions to test out. Quickly I labeled the jars I put the coatings in and left them on the desk. I would apply them to arrowheads tomorrow. Rising from my bed, I turned to see Link, lying on the bed, reading a book. From the looks of it, it must have been one of Purah's books.
"Ah Link." I began, trying to remain collected and not make this awkward. "Could you turn away for a moment. I want to change out of my armor."
Link put his book down and instead of turning away, he got up and walked out of the room. I sighed and not wasting any time, I swiftly changed into a set of joggers and a T-shirt. "I'm finished." I called and Link came back in. "Thanks." I murmured to him. "I can leave for a moment too if you'd like to change." I offered, noticing he was still in his blue tunic and tan trousers.
In response, he went to his bag and grabbed a different set of clothes. Quickly I excused myself and promptly sat on the top stair as I waited for him to change. It wasn't much longer when the door behind me opened and Link's face appeared. I stood up and re-entered the room, finding Link back on the cot, book in his hand. This time he wore gray sweatpants and a dark blue tank, his well defined muscles much easier to see.
I grabbed the bag of food and sat on the bed. I picked at the nuts, eating one at a time as I played with the Slate, jotting notes into it. I quickly added a note section for my arrows, writing down the ingredients I used and the ratios I had tested and the results. Using the Slate would be much more compact and organized for keeping notes.
As I continued to work, my eyelids grew heavy. The candles had shrunken a considerable amount and resolutely I shut off the Sheikah Slate and put it along with the pen on the nightstand. I was about to ask Link if I could blow out the candles, however when I looked over at him, I saw the book he was reading was lying open on his chest and his eyes were closed. He must have dozed off while I was working.
Quietly I walked over to Link and grabbed the book, marked the page, and set it on top of the pile of books nearby. I grabbed a spare blanket and threw it over him. Then I blew out the candles on the desk and crawled into the bed. Pulling the covers up, I buried myself underneath them and then blew out the candle on the nightstand. Moments later, sleep claimed me.
Morning came in what felt like minutes later. The sun poured through the window, waking me and making it hard to fall back to sleep. I threw my forearm over my eyes and sighed. Sitting up I saw Link was no longer sleeping on the cot. Instead there was a neatly folded blanket resting atop the cot, while Link and his sword were gone. Begrudgingly I dragged myself out of bed and began to put on my armor. I ate the apple and sandwich, my appetite seeming to have returned. Then, I grabbed the three bottles containing the mixtures I had prepared last night and my quiver filled with arrows.
Walking downstairs, I saw Jomih was up and jotting down notes. "Where is Purah?" I asked him.
Without looking up, he replied, "Sleeping."
I shook my head. She was probably up until the wee hours of the morning working on something. It wasn't surprising at all that she was still asleep. Leaving Jomih, I went outside and found Link practicing with his sword, effortlessly swinging the sword from side to side and then twisting it forward. He leapt back, dodging an invisible attack and then countered with a swift jab of his sword.
Turning away from him, I sat down by the tree, the two horses grazing nearby. I began to lay out my arrows, sectioning them off into three groups. Then I grabbed a spare cloth I had brought with me and ripped three pieces from it. Slowly I took the first bottle, dipped the cloth into it, and began to smear the contents onto the arrowheads until a thick coating rested upon the arrows. Once this set was done, I placed them to the side to let the coating dry and solidify.
Continuing the process, I moved to the next sets of arrows, working my way until they all had a coating on them. Once this was done, I left them all to dry. Rising, I walked over to Icefire, patting him on his neck. He nudged me and I smiled.
"Princess!" I looked up to see Purah walking from the lab, her face bright and excited. "Are you ready?"
I patted Icefire goodbye and ran over to Purah, "Yes, please show me!" I answered, anticipation filling me.
"Do you have the Slate on you?" Purah asked.
I nodded and grabbed it from my belt. "What do we need this for?"
Purah smirked, "Just a hunch."
I arched an eyebrow in question, but she just turned and walked behind the lab. Following her, I gasped when I saw what was there. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before, but was certainly some sort of ancient technology. It appeared to be some kind of giant mechanical spider, only with six legs rather than eight. It had a large body that was divided into two sections: a lower, larger section that the legs attached to and a smaller, bucket-shaped head.
I took a step towards it and reached out my hand to touch it. The metal was smooth and cool to the touch. "What is it?" I breathed.
"I call them guardians." Purah said, her eyes gleaming. "It's definitely some kind of ancient Sheikah tech; Robbie and I think it's a weapon."
"A weapon?" I asked, glancing at Purah. "How?"
Purah grinned, "Well we're still trying to figure that out." She gave me a sly grin, "But if my hypothesis is correct, that Slate should tell us how to operate this thing. It may even be able to control it."
I grabbed the Slate, "It's worth a shot." I said and handed it to Purah.
She tapped it and it lit up. Holding the Sheikah Slate up, Purah took an image of it. Instantly, details of the guardian appeared on the screen:
Sheikah technology developed to combat the return of Calamity Ganon. It is extremely mobile due to its six legs and can lock onto enemies with enhanced sensors. It is able to produce powerful lasers from its eye that can kill enemies with one hit.
"It has lasers!" Purah exclaimed, a wild look in her eyes. "But how do we get this thing to operate?" Purah fiddled with the Slate for several minutes. As she did this, I studied the guardian, finding the design on the guardian was similar to the Slate. It was then an idea struck me.
"Purah." I said, gaining her attention. "Can I have the Slate?"
"Have at it." Purah replied and gave me the Slate. Walking up to the guardian, I placed the Slate on top of the ancient tech. As soon as the Slate made contact with the guardian, it gave an odd beep. At the same time, the guardian before me began to move, the bucket-like head turned and portions began to glow blue.
I stumbled backwards and fell into Purah. She took no notice though, her eyes were glued to the guardian, filled with wonderment. "Incredible!" Looking down at the Slate my eyes widened.
"Purah!" I exclaimed, "Look!"
Purah tore her eyes away from the guardian and looked at the Slate, her eyes even more delightful if that was possible. "This is it!" She yelled. "This is how we control the guardian!" Upon the Slate, a new feature had appeared. It had a 3D image of the guardian that we could look at and rotate with our fingers. If we clicked on certain things, it would show us the inner mechanisms of the guardian. Purah seemed to be in heaven, however not having much background in mechanics, it looked very foreign to me. I couldn't make much sense of it at all.
There were also icons that looked like they were used to move the guardian as well as for the laser. Thankfully Purah hadn't noticed the laser button yet. After scanning through the inner contents of the guardian, Purah backed out until the outside of the guardian was visible on the screen. Then she began to make the guardian move back and forth and side to side.
"This control must be what enables the guardian to act on its own." Purah pointed to an icon that read autopilot. "I'll have to see if I can find the settings for it. We want to make sure it isn't programmed to shoot at whatever moves. Otherwise we'd be in trouble. I'll have to find out how it differentiates friend from foe."
"If we can figure that out, Purah, we could use these guardians to combat Ganon." I spoke, my eyes lighting up.
Purah beamed, "That's the plan!"
"How many of these are there?"
"Oh maybe a hundred or so." Purah said nonchalantly.
"A hundred?" I said in shock. "Where are they?"
Purah chuckled, "Why do you think Robbie up and moved to Akkala? It wasn't just to follow in my footsteps and start his own research lab. The discovery of the guardians is what motivated him. Most of them are up by his lab, however we were able to transport a few here. This one I have in the back of the lab because sometimes it's annoying to travel down the hill for every little thing."
"Where are the others?"
"At the bottom of the hill. In the crevice by the trees." Turning around, I walked to the edge of the cliff and indeed, just as Purah has said there were several rows of guardians, probably around 15 of them. All were dormant, awaiting to be turned on. Two of them looked like they had been torn apart to various extents, probably so Purah could study their anatomy or use their parts for other purposes. That's probably where she got the parts to make the pen for the Slate.
Making my way back to Purah, I saw she was still staring at the Slate. The guardian was still glowing blue, however its head had stopped turning. It appeared to have one eye at the center of its head. "Oh!" I heard Purah mutter, "I wonder..."
"What is it?" I asked as I stopped next to her. Just as I did so, I saw her press the laser icon. My eyes widened in horror and I shouted "Purah NO!"
However it was too late. My cry was drowned out as the guardian seemed to straighten and then from its eye, a red laser fired, blasting into the cliffside across from the lab. I stared in shock, unable to move. Purah was also speechless and motionless, both of us staring at the large chunk taken out of the cliff and the rubble that was plummeting down to the sea.
Footsteps sounded behind us, and I turned to see Link, his sword drawn and his eyes ready. I stared at him for a second, still processing what I had just seen. Swallowing, I finally was able to say something, "It's alright Link. It was-"
"That was fantastic!" Purah shouted, cutting me off. She seemed to be bouncing up and down, excitement flooding though her. "Did you see that Zelda? Wait until I tell Robbie. He's going to be so jealous he didn't discover this."
I put my hand to my forehead. If I could have chosen my profession, I would have been a researcher, like Purah, however as much as research was my passion, I didn't think I could have ever been as intense about research as Purah. "You could have killed us, Purah." I muttered.
"Nonsense!"