Chapter 2: Collecting the Flute
The Monster Squad made it back out of the cave and got on their horses. They rode back into the direction they came from. They passed by the stable that they got their heat potions from. They met up with the Rito from earlier, who was chucking down a health potion. His wing suddenly propped back up in perfect flying condition. He noticed the squad arrive.
"Thank you for giving me that heat potion earlier. Here are some rupees that I promised you." The Rito then handed them 50 rupees. "Come to think of it, you all look very tired. Stay at the stable for a bit and have a chat with me."
The Rito ordered a meal for the squad to eat and they sat down at one of the tables in the stable. The cucco decided to feed on some corn that was leaking out of a nearby bag.
"So what brought you all to the Hebra region?" The Rito asked them.
Poump replied saying "We wanted to take in the sights of the snowy mountains for ourselves."
"Interesting." The Rito said, as he started to examine their clothing. "If you really intended to take in the sights across the Hebra mountains, the lot of you would be outfitted with the Snowquill Outfit. That is something that hikers in the area need to be wearing if they want to slow down and take in the sights of the mountains."
Poump, dumbfounded, couldn't think of anything else to say. The Sheikah spoke up. "We currently don't have enough rupees to buy ourselves full sets of it for ourselves. All we needed were the heat potions."
"Ah-ha, but the heat potions only heat up your insides for so long. You all seemed to be out there for much longer than a heat potion would allow." The Rito looked at the squad with a suspicious look. "You happened to wander into a cave, correct?"
"Correct." Poump said hastily, almost starting to sweat.
"Ah I see, you decided to go looting." The Rito said now with a more relaxed tone in his voice. "Lots of people tend to go looting out old areas in hopes to get some rupees off of what they find. Since you went into a cave, I assume you found some good stuff in there."
The squad started to feel less stressed. Poump replied "Yes! That's exactly what we did!" He then revealed the two clawshots they found in the chest. "We only found this weird old piece of junk, but I bet it'll sell for a ton of rupees!"
"Fascinating!" The Rito exclaimed. "I trust that you can probably put these to good use." The Rito then got up from the table. "Nice chat, kind strangers. I'm going back to Rito Village, so if you ever feel like meeting with me again, I'll be there."
The squad all waved goodbye to the Rito as it flew off towards the mountains. The Zora then added that she was very tired and that they should all take a rest, so they all paid to rest at the stable. The cucco found a good spot of hay to sleep in.
Unanimously, they all opened their eyes to find themselves in what looked like a large white field, with Hyrule Castle in the distance. Strange snake-like creatures swirled above them in the sky. One of them opened their mouths and apparently spoke some words. "We are the three dragons of the Triforce. You are seeing us right now because you have been blessed by the Goddess Hylia to fulfill her mission. Fulfill her mission while keeping yourselves pure at heart, and you will be able to see us in your normal lives." And then in a moment, they all faded away and the squad awoke, this time in the stable that they were sleeping.
Poump decided to go outside for a stretch, and then a group of stable children ran up to him, carrying masks. "Hey funny guy! Play hide and seek with us!"
"Really? Why?"
One of the kids handed him a mask. "Because you are going to be Bowser! We are going to be the Mario Bros and you have to find us!" The kids then put on their own masks, which depicted two brothers, a princess, a green creature, and a mushroom person.
"What the…" Poump decided to put the mask on as the kids started to find their hiding positions.
Meanwhile, the Sheikah and the Zora bought themselves another meal to eat.
Poump managed to find one of the kids but then told all of them that he couldn't spend more time there so he gave the Bowser mask to one of the kids and left.
The squad boarded onto their horses and started travelling towards Kakariko Village. They passed by many points of interest along the way, but made haste towards Kakariko for the sake of time. They arrived at the village, being its own peaceful set of land somewhat tucked between several cliffs. The villagers greeted the travelers with warm welcomes, especially with the Sheikah Warrior in their party. Some villagers were tending to their pumpkin crops and their cuccos. The children of the village were more fascinated by the water puddles that had formed on the floor than anything else. The squad dismounted from their horses and followed the Sheikah Warrior into a shop that sells musical instruments.
"I haven't seen your face around here for weeks!" the shopkeeper said to the warrior. "What interests you?"
"I am here for a flute. Not just any old flute, but a flute with magical abilities." The warrior said in reply.
"You want a magic flute? All of my flutes in this store are only made with man made materials, free of magical influence. If you were to find anything magical in this village, you would need to speak to the village elder, Impa."
"Okay, I see. Thank you Rola." The Sheikah replied and then gestured to the others to follow him.
"You're welcome and please do come again!"
The squad walked over to Impa's place, which overlooked most of the village. As they walked in, they observed Impa sitting at the center of the room. She seemed to already know they were arriving.
"What brings you here, warrior?" Impa said as they approached.
"We're here to collect a magical flute." The Sheikah responded.
"A magical flute? Why would you need our sacred heirloom?"
"Zelda wants us to fulfill a mission of hers and we need it."
"I hate to say it, but the magic flute has been stolen by some Yiga assassins. They have a camp just south of here. It was stolen recently, so you could possibly catch them closer to the village."
"How do you know they were Yiga assassins?" The Sheikah asked.
"They are the only group of people that would go through the trouble of stealing precious heirlooms from our village." Impa replied. "Get it back, and it will be yours, although do make an effort to tell me it's in the right hands once you get it."
"We will do this with precision, my lady." The Sheikah said as he bowed down to Impa and then exited the building. The squad proceeded back to Rola's shop, since the Sheikah said that they should be well equipped before they face the Yiga camp. They bought some bombs. The Zora then asked Rola a very weird question.
"Do you have any cucco armor?"
"cucco armor? For a cucco? Why would you give a cucco armor?"
"Because this little guy needs some armor." And then the Zora held up the cucco that was in their party.
"Oh. Uh. Okay. I'll tell the village blacksmith to work on some armor to fit a cucco. Expect it to be ready in a day."
"Thank you." The Zora said as she pet the cucco's head.
Night had fallen. They then mounted their horses and headed south down the hilly cliffs that overlooked a large field with the remains of old and run down guardians. A lot of the area remained untouched by people, as it was a historic sight. The only form of hylian implementation in the area were clear cut pathways with information cards set up at certain areas.
The squad was able to make out a small campfire just off the beaten path, with two tents set up in the area. They got off of their horses and followed the Sheikah Warrior's lead. "Poump, you take the tent on the left and plant a bomb next to it. Zora, find the nearest water puddle and be ready to use your magic on any Yiga that come out. I will be listening for conversations to make sure we don't blow up the tent with the flute in it." The other two agreed and got into position. The Sheikah started listening to the people from inside the tents.
A voice from inside the tent started speaking. "Are you sure no one spotted us stealing the flute?"
Another voice replied saying "Yeah, they wouldn't have noticed. The elder was outside when I stole it, and that assistant girl is totally oblivious."
"What's her name, Paya?"
"Yeah, Paya."
"Are you sure they wouldn't have noticed the heirloom wasn't in it's spot?"
"What's the worst they can do? Send some people to come and kill us?"
"Yeah, I don't feel like dying over just stealing a random flute."
"But this is a magical flute that the boss wants us to have."
"And that's the problem. Our new boss is making us take way too many things from the Sheikah clan, when the whole point of the Yiga clan was to go away from the traditions of the Sheikah. We're already using Sheikah tech to our advantage, why would we even need this?"
"We need this flute because it has magical energy that the boss wants. Honestly, that's all I know about."
"I guess you're right."
The Sheikah then motioned to Poump to set the bomb down, and he ran away for cover. The tent blew up and the Yiga in the other tent walked out prepared for a fight. Unaware of the Sheikah warrior from behind, one of them was stabbed in the back by the Sheikah, while the other Yiga assassin teleported away briefly to assess the situation. The Zora tried to use the water nearby to drown the Yiga, but he noticed the water start to form and charged for the Zora. The Zora used her spear to combat the Yiga, and she eventually pinned the Yiga to the ground by his neck. The Sheikah, Poump, and the cucco made it to the Zora and her victim. The Yiga was choking with the spear to his neck.
"Will you just die already?" The Zora exclaimed.
Under the pressure of the spear, the Yiga replied "No way! I will die with honor!"
The Sheikah and Poump walked into the tent trusting that the Zora would kill the Yiga. Eventually the Zora was fed up with this persistent Yiga and released him. "You don't mean to kill me?" The Yiga said, just before he teleported away. Poump searched through the tent and eventually found an ocarina that was colored purple.
"This is it, right?"
"Yes, that should be it." The Sheikah said. The squad rode their horses back towards Kakariko Village and entered Impa's building. As the squad walked in, they revealed the flute to Impa.
"Ah yes, I see that you successfully recovered it." Impa said, feeling relieved at the sight of it.
"Of course. We intend to use this, but once our mission is over, we will give it back to you."
"I know what you plan on doing with it."
Dumbfounded, the Sheikah warrior couldn't come up with a response.
Impa continued, "You plan on escorting different hordes of monsters across Hyrule to fulfill Zelda's mission to keep the monsters away from our civilization."
"How did you know?"
"I am one of Zelda's most well trusted friends of course. Why would I know all of this in the first place? That flute you possess isn't just any enchanted flute, but the Ocarina of Time. That flute contains a magical aura powerful enough to influence people all around you, something which cannot be replicated by any other flute. Use it well and take good care of it."
"As you wish my master." The Sheikah said as he bowed to Impa. The squad left the building. Paya, Impa's assistant, was a bit puzzled by this choice. She was sweeping up the room but didn't really understand the whole situation.
"Why would you just give them our heirloom like that?" Paya asked.
"Because they are on a very important mission given to them by Zelda." Impa replied.
"Oh."