Depths of the Yiga

Chapter 1

The Beginning

It was raining, and she was miserable.

The figure muttered to herself as she hunkered in the grass, wishing she'd picked up a cloak or a hat or something before she'd left the last outpost. She'd known that the hills outside of Hateno got more rain than Gerudo desert ever did, but she hadn't expected it to be this bad. She wasn't soaked to the skin, but the disguise she wore wouldn't keep off the rain forever. That blasted hero better come along soon so she could kill him and go back to Gerudo.

It was late in the evening, or at least she was pretty sure it was. The sun was hidden behind dark rainclouds currently in the process of dumping their heavy load upon her head before moving inland to water some pretty flowers in a field somewhere. It was getting dark, and fast. For a moment, she considered giving up and going back to the inn at Hateno Village, where it was warm and, more importantly, dry. But she shook that thought out of her head. The Clan would never forgive her if the Hero slipped past her because she wanted to take a nap rather than stay at her post. So she stayed in the rain.

She hoped it wouldn't be too much longer.

Finally a small glow appeared in the darkness and the mist. Her eyes sharpened as she hid herself lower in the grass, senses on alert as she scanned the oncoming wanderer. Could she finally have found the hero, her target and enemy of the Yiga?

No. It was just a kid. Her muscles relaxed and she let out a silent sigh. The traveler she saw was shorter than her, blonde hair matted and wet due to the pouring rain. His equipment was sparse, clothing barely protection from the rain that beat down upon them both. Really, the only thing of note about him at all was the source of the glow, a brown and orange square hanging from his waist bearing the sheikah symb…

Wait. Her body tensed again as she lay flat in the grass, watching the traveler with a new sense of urgency. Only the hero of legend carried the sheikah slate. That was the one fact all the Yiga's information sources agreed upon.

But it couldn't possibly be this… kid. She thought to herself as the figure approached through the rain. He's so… short. And skinny. No way this kid could possibly be the hero who was destined to defeat Ganon.

But there it was, the proof swinging gently from his belt as he walked on, unwavering, through the rain. It didn't even seem to bother him.

This is too easy. She thought, confident rather than cautious. I'll just pretend to be a cowering traveler, fearful of some monster. Then, when he approaches, I'll kill him and end the threat against our Clan once and for all. Then I can FINALLY get out of this blasted rain!

She curled her body, putting her legs under her and her arms over her head, a poor, unwary traveler accosted by some bokobin that had been plaguing the road recently. There was a disturbing number of them between Dueling Peaks stable and Hateno. It was the perfect bait. She waited.

And waited. After a few minutes, she peaked under her arm. The hero really should have passed her by now. The fabled hero of legend wouldn't really pass by a soul in need. Would he? She looked cautiously. The hero was nowhere in sight. She cautiously uncurled and looked around. Where could he have gone? It's not like there were any caves around her to take shelter from the rain in. She'd looked.

She finally spotted him, heading away from her toward a small copse of trees in a valley formed over time by the cliffs. But there's nothing over there, just a bunch of creepy statues. She thought to herself. Curious, she followed, staying in her disguise and crouched in the rain. It was dark, yes, but her Yiga uniform would still stand out like a beacon. No sense in attracting unwanted attention and losing the element of surprise…

She followed, hiding in the shadows of bushes and trees, keeping her distance as the Hero approached the Staring Stones. She'd never seen them at night, but there was an added level of apprehension in the night rain. The shadows they produced seemed to multiply and overcome their sources in the darkness. Then there was the one with purple eyes. She could have sworn they all looked normal during the day when she had first scouted the area, but this one now had glowing purple eyes that stared into her soul.

The hero didn't seem to be bothered by them, though, except for the one with purple eyes. He pulled out a bow, simple yet worn from constant use, and nocked a single arrow. Seconds later it had struck its mark.

The ground trembled. She braced herself against the trunk of the tree she had been hiding behind. Dirt flew into the air as a strange structure, laced with orange just like the Sheikah Slate, emerged from the ground, rumbling as it settled to rest in the rain-soaked ground. She'd seen ones similar to this one on her path from Gerudo to Necluda, but this….

What. What just happened? She almost panicked, but managed to keep her head and stay in the shadows. No one said anything about him being able to summon buildings from NOWHERE. The hero didn't seem to be the least surprised by this. He instead walked forward to the small pedestal and held the sheikah slate up to it. The structure rumbled again and opened, revealing a hidden chamber. The hero walked in and vanished in the darkness.

What's happening? She asked, struggling to come to terms with what she had just seen. The hero is able to summon-and USE-these mysterious structures. He must be more powerful than we first anticipated. I should report this to Khoga…

Wait. A small voice said inside. How did he do that? Is there more he can do that we don't know about? If we go back to Gerudo now, what are we going to do when Khoga asks us for more?

We stay for now. She decided, settling into the shadows as the rain, ever so slightly, began to lessen. We stay and we observe. The more we know about the hero the easier it will be to exploit his weaknesses.

And he will fall.