Hey guys ! I kinda had to chose which story I should continue while my main story is being checked by my Beta so here is the new chapter for my little experiment !
Make sure to leave a review or simply ask a question !
Zelda, Freya and Anton turned back, the two travellers knew a way around the main entrance of the desert.
"There is an abandoned stone-pit just above just, it used to be owned by the royal family, an investment to provide materials for the castle"
Zelda had heard about this, a lot of people used to work here about a decade ago, a lot of stones of the castle were made here ... but she couldn't recall exactly why it was abandoned at this point.
"Do you know what happened ?" She asked Freya.
"Stone talus, there is about twenty and more all around the pit, I guess the army didn't have the guts to fix the problem"
The stone talus, Zelda had already seen one once when she was on her way to the goron village, she witnessed Daruk chasing one All by himself. She was in fact really interested by this creatures, were they organic or simply animated by magic ? According to the Goron champion they always had the same weakness, a crystal places smewhre around their body, if it was destroyed then the stone talus would collapse.
Yet it was a bold comment to accuse the army of Hyrule, cowardice was probably the last of their default.
"Why are you saying this ? It's not as easy to defeat a stone talus as a simple moblin" commented Zelda.
"They didn't even try to defend the place, when they appeared everyone just left all the equipment where it was. Instead of finding a solution they decided to just forget this place. If at least they had tried something ... I'm just thinking about the people who used to work here and-"
A few stones fell from above.
"... Alton ?"
Freya's companion dropped his bag and opened it, he took out a bow with two arrows "Hopefully it's not-" right as Alton started to speak the ground started to shake, in an instant a massive boulder emerged from the ground.
"A talus ! Sheik behind us ! Quick !" Zelda dropped her bag just like Freya and Alton did, the talus grabbed a big rock and raised it in the air "He is about to throw duck !"
The talus aimed for Alton, Frey noticed that and pushed her companion away, making him drop the bow on the ground.
"The bow ! Quick someone grab it-" the Talus focused his attacks on the two travellers, Zelda used that momentum to take the bow and the arrows, and not any arrows, explosives arrow, obviously they knew they might have to go through the stone pit.
Zelda lit the first arrow "Make him turn around !" The crystal was on his back, Alton and Freya didn't have much space to move around but they seemed to understand what Zelda was up to.
Alton threw a rock at the Talus to get his attention while Freya repositioned herself to take the lead after him "Take that you fat piece of rocks !"
The Talus looked VERY offended surprisingly, and right as he was turning around a first arrow hit it straight into his weak point, the rock monster lost his balance. Freya noticed he was approaching from the pit "Sheik ! Another one now !"
Zelda didn't waste any time and shot another arrow hitting her target once again, The Talus completely lost his balance and tripped down the pit. Alton and Zelda joined Freya right on time to witness the monster exploding in the air before finally reaching the bottom.
"... Too bad we didn't get it's loot" complained Alton who was already going to pick back the bags.
"Oh comon ! We just defeated a Talus ! Isn't that great ?" Freya tried to cheer up everyone.
"We used our two arrows, that's very expensive you know ? If we managed to get his loot we might have been able to buy at least thirty of those" Alton stared at Zelda "... Anyway good job I guess" Alton didn't wait for either Zelda or Freya.
"Don't worry he is always like this, I think you impressed him in fact ... hey ! Where did you learn to use a bow like this ?" Freya asked with amazement in her eyes as Zelda still had the bow in her hands.
"O-oh uh well I-I used to hunt a bit so I guess it helps hehe"
Freya smiled and gently tapped Zelda in her shoulder, I guess you can keep it, you deserved it" she said gesturing at the bow "I might even ask you to teach me a thing or two later !"
Zelda smiled innocently, if only Freya knew she had only use a bow about twenty time in her life, she wouldn't call this luck but it was very close from the truth "You were prepared, I mean, those arrows are expensive, do you often cross the border throught the pit ?"
"More than you imagine, usually most of the Talus stay away from the center, they ... uh sleep, I guess, on the higher parts, and again most of the time they are either inaccessible or simply not that useful to add on our itinerary" explained her friend
"T-then ... don't you fear the-the Yiga clan ?"
The two travellers stopped to stare at Zelda showing confusion on their face then they exchanged a glance and started laughing "Hahaha Sheik you can't be serious, why would the Yiga attack people on the roads ?"
There was about a hundred reasons which would justify her statement, to steal food, weapons, kill innocent just of the sake of a certain god of darkness or who knows what ... oh and also even more innocent princess ... right ? Still Zelda couldn't bring herself to complain about seeing them being so careless "S-Sorry .. I-I mean . Technically they worship-"
"The great calamity ?" Completed Freya "So what ? As far as I have heard they never killed any citizen of Hyrule ... okay perhaps one of those Sheika guy because of some old affairs between the two clans. I don't see the problem worshipping another god, even the Gerudos do so !"
"It's not wrong to worship another god, I'm not saying this ! But ... I just don't understand why they wish for the destruction of their own world ..." Zelda was looking at the ground but she saw the two travellers exchanging a curious look.
"Perhaps ... perhaps they do not feel great in the current world ... if the great calamity is supposed to destroy this world then it might also be supposed to rebuild it right ? Like, who would want to destroy the only world they can live in if they can't rebuild it behind ?" Zelda had to admit that Freya was right, no one would be crazy enough to destroy the world without reason, not even a god.
"Say Sheik ... since you are not really going to the Gerudo city..." Freya paused, as if she was awaiting a reaction from Zelda "How about you go with us for a while ?"
"I-I don't-"
"Oh comon admit it, the guards at the entrance of the desert, you definitely didn't want to get close from them right ? I promise that if you join us they will never bother you ! Beside I really need to talk to someone else than the other angry guy behind us"
Both girls barely heard their companion protest with a low "HEY" meaning he probably didn't care that much about what other people might be thinking of him.
"You are offering me something I can't repay"
"It's okay ! Let's add that to the Talus you just killed a few moments ago ! Comon Sheik I'm sure you will do just fine among us !"
Among us ... what did she mean by among us ? Of course she was talking about Alton an herself but Zelda felt like Freya meant something deeper.
They pursued they journey in the desert, the night was approaching fast, they had the luck to not encounter a single monster on their way, Zelds thanked the goddesses more than one time.
"Where are we going to spend the night ?" She asked a bit worried that their fabulous luck might run out soon or later.
"I can't tell you exactly ... yet, but well you see this canyon ? We are going here" explained Freya, the monsters know this place, they aren't going here"
This sounded even less reassuring "Why ?"
"Well uh-" Aton coughed interrupting Freya "Yeah I-I meant ... like you see the stone pit ? People don't go here anymore because they know about the Talus ...mostly, right ? Well it's technically the same with this place, the monsters know they have absolutely no reason whatsoever to go around this place"
About when the sun was disappearing over the horizon they finally reaches the entrance of the canyon, here the air became suddendly cold, not too cold but Zelda really missed the desert she had been walking throught just a few minutes ago.
Soon Zelda started to see weird statues placed all over the inside of the canyons, and also ropes ... perhaps a refuge for travelers ? And some decorations to scare the monsters away ? In fact Zelda felt like she was figuring out something.
"We are almost completely safe now, there is about less than 1% chance that a Molduga suddenly decides to charge inside the canyon for a reason or another" declared Freya who suddendly became VERY excited.
"Just move please, I'm REALLY tired and I want to be able to sleep asap" Alton didn't wait for any of them and kept on walking further into the canyon.
"I swear his temper is going to get him killed one day and- .. wait, did they just put back all the flags ? Oh comon talk about being discreet" Zelda followed Freya's look above them, there were indeed flags attached to the ropes.
And not any flags, Zelda's blood froze ... Yiga flags everywhere, all around her. She was right in the wolf's maw. Since the beginning she had been travelling with people who's first goal is to kill her ...
Great, she had to see the good point, either her "disguise" was really working for se reason or they were just pretending until the end to brutally kill her later, she hoped for the first option of course.
"Hey Sheik ? Something is wrong ?" Freya didn't waste any time noticing that Zelda was staring at the flags "Oh ! ... well ... yeah I guess you might have learn this sooner or later ... no hard feelings ?"
Zelda managed to mutter "N-no"
"... I'm sorry it's not like I can tell the first person I meet that I'm a member of the Yiga clan ... but it was different in your case, you were hiding from the guards to you some fighting talents, I couldn't miss the occasion ! I know you don't really like the Yiga, we discussed during our journey, I'm just offering you a place to live, a job if I may say, you can refuse if you want but ... Sheik, consider this"
Freya held Zelda for a moment, the shock was already hard enough to take "I- ... I'm not sure I should-"
"You have nothing to fear ! We aren't the evil assassins described by the people of Hyule I swear ! Please Sheik don't go, if you turn around now the monsters will definitely get you at this hour"
... The occasion was too great, Zelda remembered why she chose to leave, hatred, sadness, fear ... curiosity. The answer to all her problems was right here and she was even being offered it.
"I- ... I guess I can take a look around" probably not the thing she would have said in a different situation"
"I'm glad you accepted, I'll make sure you feel comfortable, you might not be allowed to stay as long as you want but I'm sure I can find you something to do so Master Koga can let you stay here"
Zelda stayed right next to Freya her only source of protection for the moment as far as she knew. As they progressed the amount of statues and flags increased, they were about to reach the end of the canyon when they simply ended up in front of a dead end.
"... F-Freay is this-" Zelda pointed at the small stone block stuck into the cliff.
"Well yes that's supposed to be the entrance of our hideout ... what did you expect ? Cranes ? Massive doors ?"
Zelda indeed expected a mix of both ... but more the massive door honestly "How do we open it ?"
"Password" Freya hit the stone block two times and soon she heard someone yell behind.
"PASSSWOOORRRRDDDD ?" their voice was muffled so the stone block had to be thick.
"YOU IDIOT ALTON JUST ENTERED IT'S ME FREYA !" She yelled back ... after a moment no response.
"DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME ? I SAID PASSWORDDDDDD ?"
"Oh by the great calamity itself ..." Freya put her hand on her forehead.
...
"Did you forget the password ?" Zelda dared to ask.
"W-well uh ... it's supposed to be a silly joke between a Rito and a Gerudo but I can't remember it ... it tells about reproduction or something"
"... oh ! Oh I think I know it !" Probably the last thing anyone in her entourage would have found useful and indeed it was very silly "It's a rito and and a Gerudo talking about baby's ! The rito explains how eggs work and then he asks the gerudo how do they produce eggs and then the gerudo answers "bird's magic" or something simi-" the stone block started moving, revealing a short tunnel.
"... Well good job ! You- ... in fact I don't even know if you either found it or guessed it at this point but you did gre-" Freya was interrupted by the yell of the voice from the inside of the hideout.
"WOULD YOU MIND GETTING IN ? I DON'T HAVE ALL DAY AND I MUST REMIND YOU THAT I AM HOLDING THE DAMN LEVER IN PLACE TO PREVENT THE DOOR FROM CLOSING"
"Oupsy so sorry !" Freya grabbed Zelda's hand and dragged her inside.
They reached a circular room filled with greater flags, Zelda didn't see any other way toward another room.
"Now what do we have here ?"