The Legend of Zelda: After the Wild

by KingArthur99

10 years after the defeat of Calamity Ganon, Hyrule was met with a time of prosperity and rebuilding, but underneath the shadows an uprising from the Yiga Clan has started to threaten the new lives of the people in Hyrule. A squad of unlikely friends find themselves stuck in the heat of the conflict, as well as a special task that Queen Zelda herself wants them to complete.

21. Chapter 19: From Zora's to Gerudo

Chapter 19: From Zora's Domain to the Gerudo Desert

The party arrived at a river with Sidon and Uten. "Ride me!" Sidon said in reference to Poump and Tipa.

"What?" Poump replied.

"This river leads us directly to Zora's Domain." Uten said. "We Zora can easily swim through this river. Normally you would need to spend 2 hours hiking through these mountains in order to reach the domain, but since you have the Mighty Prince Sidon and I, we can make it there much faster together."

"Yup, she's right. Now hop on my back!" Sidon said and he positioned himself next to the river. Poump and Tipa latched onto Sidon's back, while Zhago went on Uten's back. Sidon and Uten dove into the river and as if it were nothing, the both of them weaved through the water like it was nothing, even with the other people on their backs. Sidon is built a lot bigger than most other Zora, so he is able to carry multiple people on his back. Uten is a lot smaller than Sidon, but thankfully Zhago is the same size as Uten as well.

It took around 10 minutes for the team to see the blue and glistening structures of Zora's Domain. Zora's Domain is located in a very secluded area, with cliffs surrounding it like a very steep bowl. There are waterfalls that fall from the domain itself that the Zoras use by swimming up them towards the main plaza of the Domain. Sidon and Uten swam the other members up to the main plaza. "Feel free to do whatever you want right now. I must check on the King." Sidon dove off of the main plaza and swam to a small facility that was built into the side of one of the cliff-faces. Uten and the party walked around a bit. After so much time away from home, Uten felt so at ease. Zora's Domain has a water system that allows for about 3 inches of water on the ground at all times, making the people of the Zora feel refreshed all the time. Uten walked into the blacksmith's area.

"Hey there, Dento." Uten said to the blacksmith Zora.

"Ahh, Uten. It's been a long time. What brings you here?" Dento replied.

"I'm here on business concerning King Dorephan."

"Oh yes, I've been expecting you. Sidon told me to make this outfit work on you. You are the smallest Zora from your family, the-"

"Runt of the family, I know." Uten said, feeling a bit impatient.

Dento looked back at Uten with a bit of offense, but didn't take it personally. He's had many customers ask for armor and weapons before and had them bite back at his words. He also knew that Uten was a lot more aggressive than most other Zora. "Here, take a look at this armor. Using Sheikah technology, I outfitted it to cycle water around these canisters on the back. They will hydrate you periodically, allowing you to be on your A-game all the time. Even in the Desert heat, this should provide you with enough hydration to survive the harsh environment."

"Thank you so much, Dento." Uten took the outfit for herself.

"Make sure you put this outfit on only when you need it. You can also refill it with a water bottle. In the desert, it should provide you with 6 hours of hydration. The outfit will make a beeping noise when it starts to run out, so refill it when that noise starts up." Dento made a face of concern. "And most importantly, be careful."

"I will be." Uten proclaimed.

"Very well." Dento started working on other weapons while the party walked outside to the main plaza of the Domain. Uten looked at the statue in the center of the plaza that depicted the former Zora Champion Mipha. She never got to meet Mipha in person, but knew about her significance to the Zora tribe. She remembered how Mipha's ghost apparently was speaking to Link, which made sense given that she knew about her relationship with Link. Uten panicked knowing that King Dorephan could die any time now.

"Can you look after this outfit for me, please?" Uten said to Zhago.

"Yes, I will." Zhago replied. He knew she had something urgent to look at.

"Thank you." Uten ran up to the side of Zora's Domain and dove off. She splashed into the water below and swam directly towards the medical facility. She arrived there and walked inside. There was a door that led to another set of doors.

"Hold still, this is for safety reasons." A voice said above her. Some red laser lights scanned Uten. "You're clean. Put on a mask and come inside." A mask that had a water filter dispensed in front of Uten. She put it on and walked inside.

There were a few Hylian researchers, as well as a few Zoras in the room. Sidon was at the other side of the room, making sure he kept himself calm. King Dorephan, in all of his greatness, was laying on a large medical bed. Tubes were pumping through him. Sidon walked up to Uten. "Uten… it's worse than we thought."

Uten felt her heart sink. "What do you mean?"

"We only have three more days to keep him alive." Sidon said with great worry. "You must hurry now. We have very limited time, so by the Great Jabbu Jabbu, find the cure and bring it here as fast as you can."

"No second thoughts about it. I'll get going. To the Desert." Uten hurriedly went out of the medical facility and swam back to Zora's Domain. She met up with the others. "We need to go to the Gerudo Desert. NOW."

"Wait a moment, I was gonna buy myself some red potions." Poump said, feeling nonchalant.

"Buy them, and we have to go NOW." Uten said. She gathered up the red potions around the store that Poump was in and paid up all the rupees they needed to buy them. The total was 350 rupees. They equipped their potions. Uten walked up to some other Zora around Zora's Domain. "Can you help transport these folks with me up the river towards the Lanayru Wetlands?" She said to the other Zora.

"Sure, we'll help you out. We'll do anything for you or your friends." The other Zora prepared themselves to dive off of the Domain. The party members propped themselves onto the other Zora and they all dove into the water. The Zora swam swiftly through the river and made it to the Lanayru Wetlands in no time.

"Thank you for transporting my friends." Uten said to the Zora.

"You're welcome! Any time." The other Zora replied.

The party mounted their horses and started galloping in the direction of Kakariko Village. The party knew that the Gerudo Desert was far away in the South West, so using the sun and the landmarks across Hyrule allowed them to orient themselves on the correct pathway. They rode past Kakariko Village. Zhago knew that Uten was in a very urgent hurry, so he didn't want to halt her progress. The team continued riding their horses on the main pathway and followed the road signs pointing them towards the Desert. They rode past the Great Plateau. It had a large Sheikah Tower sitting proudly on it.

The road took them towards a dusty valley area, and there were only a few wooden bridges allowing them to ride across to the other side. As they continued riding forward, they noticed something in front of them. There were 4 Guardians with red eyes chasing after what looked like a platoon of Hylian Soldiers on horses. Uten didn't want to stop, so she ordered the party to keep on galloping.

Then as if from nowhere, an explosion went off and sent all of the party members tumbling off of their horses. Their horses ran away in panic. They regained their senses and noticed about 5 Yiga Clan Footsoldiers running at them. Zhago pulled out his katana and battled it out with 2 of them. Impa's blessing invigorated Zhago with more power, so he overwhelmed the 2 Yigas and killed them. 1 of the Yiga Footsoldiers attempted to attack Poump, but he parried the attack and slashed them dead. The other 2 Yiga Footsoldiers attacked Uten, who dodged out of the way and stabbed one of them with her spear. Tipa managed to get the drop on the last Yiga footsoldier. She pulled out her two katanas and stabbed them from the back.

The party looked around for their horses amidst the chaos. Some horses rode up, but on their backs were a few more Yiga. They raised their bows and shot at the party. Poump blocked some of the arrows while Uten got sliced by an arrow. Zhago jumped towards a nearby rock and spring vaulted off of it. He pulled out his bow and shot two of the Yiga soldiers off of their horses. The other Yiga surrounded Zhago on their horses, and the other party members couldn't do much to help him. Zhago prepared his sword and one of the Yiga tried attacking him. Zhago swung his sword and caused the engaging Yiga to fly away in two pieces. The others started to converge when all of a sudden a large figure jumped above one of the Yiga, causing them to be forcefully dismounted from their horse. Zhago looked at the large figure and saw a Gerudo Warrior with the Yiga soldier falling dead off of her spear. The other Yiga pulled out their bow and tried shooting the Gerudo Warrior and they brought out a shield and parried the Yiga's arrow right back at him, causing him to fall off of his horse. The Yiga recovered from the arrow attack, but the Gerudo swiftly rolled after the recovering Yiga and kicked them to the ground.

The Gerudo looked at the adventurers. "What are all of you doing here?! This is a war zone! I can understand you, Sheikah Warrior, but you three?!"

"We are trying to get to the Gerudo Desert!" Zhago replied. "These three are a part of my team."

"Oh, well if that's the case-" The Gerudo looked up. "Get down!" She raised her shield above herself. The team looked around and noticed some Hylian soldiers raising their own shields in formation. Instinctively, the party raised their own shields, while Tipa and Zhago took refuge under the other shields. A hail of arrows fell from the sky. They looked outside from under their shields and noticed Yiga soldiers on the sides of the valley, armed with bows. They were using some wooden walkways built onto the side of the valley. They continued firing their arrows down at the soldiers, the party, and the Gerudo. The Yiga were periodically firing at a specific manner that allowed every other Yiga to knock a new arrow while the others would fire their own arrows. They repeated this process for the next 18 seconds. The Gerudo Warrior put up her shield and started slowly walking towards a rock for cover. She made it to the rock and brought out a bow. She knocked an explosive arrow and fired it blindly at the Yiga on the side of the valley. The explosion caused about 6 of the Yiga to die and the explosion also destroyed a part of the walkway. The other soldiers who had shelled themselves together with their shields traveled together in formation. One of the soldiers took down their shield and another soldier within the formation brought out a blue glowing arrow. They launched it at the Yiga. A small blue energy emitted at the area where it landed, and then slowly the other Yiga stopped firing their arrows and ran away. The party got out from under their shields and started trying to find their horses. The soldiers assumed a different formation and started running deeper into the valley.

"What was that thing that the soldier used?" Poump asked Zhago.

"That was an ancient arrow. It's used to destroy Guardians with ease." Zhago replied.

"That must be a really powerful weapon. We should get a few of these soon." Poump said.

"We will, but first we need to get out of here." Zhago said. He looked around and saw that their horses had taken shelter underneath a wooden structure. He motioned for the party to follow him and they got back onto their horses. Zhago rode up to the Gerudo. "Where is the best route for making it to the Gerudo Desert?"

"Through there." The Gerudo pointed towards a long pathway that would bring them through the valley. It still looked like chaos. "That is the only way to get to Gerudo Desert. I wish you luck!" The Gerudo started running at an immense speed towards a group of Yiga that were running towards the party. About 6 other Gerudo Warriors joined her in the fight and they overwhelmed the Yiga. The party rode on their horses following Zhago through the chaos of the battlefield. Arrows flew, and Guardian lasers shot through the air. A large group of Gerudo warriors banded together with some Hylian soldiers and they stormed a small fortress that was being occupied by Yiga soldiers. One of the Guardians noticed the party, so it focused its gaze on Poump. Poump tried riding to the side to shake it off but it kept chasing him. The Guardian shot it's laser and barely missed Poump. Zhago pulled out his bow and shot at the Guardian's eye with a normal arrow, which reoriented the Guardian's gaze towards Zhago. They noticed a gate ahead of them which was starting to close. They rode their horses in with great hurry. The door continued closing while they made it to the other side. The Guardian's laser shot at Zhago causing him to fall off of his horse. The door was fully closed.

"Holy shit!" A Hylian on this side of the door exclaimed. They were wearing a stable outfit. "You guys actually went through that hell hole!" Some stable hands tended to Zhago's wounds. "You must be here for a very important reason it seems."

"We are." Uten said with haste. "And we need to go into the Desert right now. We need to speak to Lady Riju."

"Now, now, slow down. Your friend is hurt badly. Spend the night here at the Stable so you can freshen up after that battle." The Stable Hylian brought their horses into the Stable and the team ate some food.

Some time passed. "Looks like the sun is going down. That means that the desert is going to freeze anyone who dares to try and traverse it." The Stable hand said. "So you need to speak to Lady Riju about fighting a Molduga?"

"Yes." Uten said. Zhago was asleep while Poump and Tipa played with some Hylian Retrievers that were at the Stable. "Do you have any clue on where to find a Molduga?"

"That is something that I wouldn't be able to say. Mainly because I was sent to work on this stable just two months ago, and the only place in the Desert that I've been to is Kara Kara Bazaar. Aside from the Bazaar, there is Gerudo Town, but that might as well not exist to males like me."

"How come?"

"There is a strict rule in Gerudo Town that prohibits any men from entering the place. Only women are allowed in there. It's a part of the custom, so I never bothered going in there. Since you are a female, you will be allowed into Gerudo Town." Something just dawned on the Hylian. "Wait a moment, you're a Zora!"

"Why yes I am."

"I've never seen a Zora come here to the desert! The place would fry a Zora whole."

"Not this Zora."

The Hylian thought for a bit. "Ahhhh. I see. I wish you luck. You'll need it. The Gerudo Desert isn't nice to anyone."

"I'll keep that in mind." The sun set on the desert. Uten felt a chill breeze and walked inside of the stable. She fell asleep and awaited the next day.

The next day came. Tipa's hair had started to become even redder. "Looks like the Lynel will awaken again soon." Poump said.

"We have a day." Uten said. "Let's get this done. Zhago, are you feeling alright?"

"I'm alright." Zhago said. "Our horses can't go into the desert, so we'll have to walk."

The area around the stable offered a lot of shade, as it was sandwiched between two rocky cliffs. Uten put on her special water outfit. She felt hydrated immediately, as the suit pumped water into her. The party walked down the pathway towards the searing hot desert. The bright sun made the sand look really bright. The stable hand stopped them right next to an animal pen. "Hold on there, you don't plan on actually walking through the desert, right?"

"We can't use horses." Zhago said.

"True, however you can use Sand Seals." The Hylian pointed into the pen. A few creatures that were very round with tusks in their mouths were inside of the pen. "These animals are called Sand Seals. You can use them to go across the desert really fast. As long as you have something to keep your feet in check, like a sled or something."

"How much for a Sand Seal?" Zhago asked.

"Just 30 rupees per Seal. If you need a sled, that's an additional 15 rupees. And although the Stable System doesn't want me to tell you this, I'll tell you anyway. If you have a shield, you can use it to sled across the sand behind a Sand Seal."

"That's just great! Two of us have shields!" Poump said.

"I'll pay for 4 Seals and 2 sleds, please." Uten said.

"Alright, here you go." The stable hand handed them their Sand Seals. "Oh and by the way, if you lose your Seal out there in the wild, the Stable System isn't obligated to any refunds!"

"What did you- AAHH!" Uten's Sand Seal started zooming ahead. She held onto the reins that her Sand Seal had. The other Sand Seals started swimming forward through the sand as well.

"AHRF!"

"AHRF!"

"AHRF!"

"AHRF!"

"AHRF!" All of the Sand Seals were making loud noises, as if they were communicating with each other. The party was trying their best to hold onto the reins of the Sand Seals. They quickly learned how to steer them. They noticed an area with a building and some trees, so they headed straight for it. The outpost got closer and closer and then the Sand Seals stopped abruptly, sending all of the party members flying face first into the sand. They looked up and saw a market place, with many people walking around. A Gerudo Guardswoman noticed the team.

"Welcome to Kara Kara Bazaar. I take it all of you are new here." She noticed the Zora. "A Zora! We don't see your kind around here much, if at all. You are welcome to look at the different shops around this Bazaar, and you can even visit Gerudo Town which is just West from here."

"Thank you for welcoming us." Uten said. The Gerudo nodded at her and continued her patrol around the Bazaar. "Alright guys, I am going to go to Gerudo Town with Tipa, since both of us are females."

"Why can't we come along?" Poump asked.

"Because Gerudo Town doesn't allow men." Uten replied.

"Ah. That makes sense." Poump replied. He noticed a body of water, so he decided to sit next to it.

"We'll stay here at the Bazaar." Zhago said.

"Alright." Uten turned to Tipa. "Come on, Tipa. Let's go to Gerudo Town." Tipa nodded her head and followed Uten. Uten quickly refilled her water for her suit with the nearby body of water and then got her reins back onto the Sand Seal, and Tipa followed suit. They rode their Seals off to the North, above the dunes and out of sight for the other two.

Zhago and Poump looked at some of the stands and bought some fruits which they immediately ate. They noticed someone standing on top of the building in the area. They were motioning for them to come up. "Hey, that person looks like they want something to do with us." Poump said.

Zhago pulled out the Eye of Truth and looked at the person on the building. They didn't change at all. "Let's see what they're all about." Zhago and Poump climbed a ladder towards the top of the building. It was pretty high up and even allowed them to see around a lot of the desert. They even noticed Uten and Tipa riding up to a settlement of some kind, which was definitely Gerudo Town.

"Hello there, fine customers!" The person said. They seemed to be a guy who had a light voice and were wearing feminine clothes. "Do you want to go into Gerudo Town?"

"Uh, yeah. We'd like to." Poump said.

"Alright, I'll let you in on a little secret. If you buy my clothes, you will be able to fool the guards and they will let you into the town." The clothes seller pulled out some threads. "These are worn by Hylian women as a way of being comfortable in the desert heat."

"That sounds like a good offer, but I think I'll pass." Poump said.

"Me too." Zhago added.

"W-what?!" The clothes seller said, feeling surprised.

"Cross dressing is an experience for another time." Poump said.

"Neither mine." Zhago added.

"B-but… men always buy my outfits… and it always works. They're allowed inside of Gerudo Town…" The clothes seller looked at both of them, "Don't you want to go into Gerudo Town?! And see all of the pretty sights for yourselves?"

"We don't have much of a reason to go there right now." Poump said. "We're just waiting for our friends."

"Damn… well you know what, it's fine that you didn't buy my clothes. I'll respect your decision. I just don't usually get this reception."

"Should we kill him?" Poump said as he looked at Zhago.

"WHAT?!"

"No, we don't need to. He just seems to be a troubled individual." Zhago replied.

"Alrighty then." Poump put his hand off of his sword.

"You guys are crazy." The clothes seller said. He turned around to look at Gerudo Town and made a heavy sigh.

Meanwhile with Uten and Tipa. They rode their Sand Seals right in front of Gerudo Town and managed to slow them down enough so they didn't fall. The Guardswoman at the front of Gerudo Town approved of their presence. "Sav'aaq, vai." One of the Guardswomen said.

Uten had no clue what that meant, so she awkwardly waved hello to her and walked through the doorway that lead into Gerudo Town. The Town was marvelous. A line of Gerudo women walked around carrying large boxes, there was a marketplace filled with fruit, jewelry, and clothes. Uten was sort of intimidated by all of the really tall red haired Gerudo women. She was short in comparison to a lot of people that she met, but she never was surrounded by this many Gerudo before. Tipa looked at the different shops with great interest. She noticed a shop that sold stuffed toy Sand Seals. Tipa pointed at them.

"We won't be buying that, at least now. Come on Tipa, we need to find Lady Riju." Uten said. She continued walking around and saw two Gorons. "Wait a moment…" Uten walked up to the Gorons. "Why are you two here?"

"Us?" One of the Gorons replied.

"No, I'm talking about the two pots that are behind you. Oh of course I'm speaking to you two Gorons. How are you allowed in here? You Gorons are exclusively men."

"Oh yeah! We get that question a lot. The Gerudo Tribe allow us inside for two reasons!" The Goron raised his hand and showed two fingers. "Reason one! We excel at mining! We mine so many ores at Death Mountain, and the Gerudo Tribe loves buying our ores, so we sell them here for good profit. Reason two! Because we Goron brothers are all one gender, they allow us in here on principle! It would be unfair to exclude an entire species just because we're all male." The Goron looked at Uten's special outfit. "Say, we don't see many Zora around here, but that suit looks like it will be really useful for the future of the Zora Tribe in traveling here to the Gerudo Desert!"

"Oh well thank you." Uten said. She realized she had no reason to thank them, but the Goron wasn't judgemental about it at all.

"You're welcome!" The Goron said. The two Gorons turned around and started shuffling through their bags.

Uten looked around Gerudo Town some more. She saw a bunch of steps leading up to a palace of some kind. It had a rock spire built above. She assumed this was Lady Riju's place, so she walked up the steps. The Guardswomen at the front of the palace blocked the doorway with their spears. "What brings you two here?"

"We've come to speak to Lady Riju." Uten said.

"What for?"

"Regarding the Molduga in the desert."

"The Molduga?!" The Guardswoman looked at the other Guardswoman. "This must be serious. You may enter." The Guards took their spears and stood in position to the side of the door. Uten and Tipa entered the palace. The ground was dressed with a red carpet, and there were also a bunch of Sand Seal sculptures dotted along the side of the carpet. The carpet led to a throne, and sitting on it was a Gerudo woman, about 22 years old. There was a bulky Gerudo Guardswoman, a lot bulkier than the other Gerudo women, and that's saying something because Gerudo women are naturally really bulky. This bulky guard was standing next to the throne, and a fancy looking piece of headgear sat on it's own pedestal off to the side.

"Lady Riju, who are these two? We have never met them before!" The bulky Guardswoman said.

"Buliara, no need to be so upset. We have guests here with us!" The Gerudo woman sitting on the throne looked back at the two. "We are meeting them now, so we don't need to be so alarmed."

"But Riju, what if they are Yiga assassins?!" Buliara said with a bit of hot headedness.

"They can't be Yiga assassins. How would this Hylian girl have horns on her head? We have also been informed by Sidon that we would be meeting a group of people which included this horned girl and this Zora. What is your name?"

"Uten."

"Uten! Very good. Sidon told us to be expecting you."

"How do you know Sidon?" Uten asked.

"Because he is the Zora Champion of Hyrule, and I am the Gerudo Champion of Hyrule. Therefore we know each other."

"What if the Yiga clan killed them and took on their forms as a disguise?!" Buliara said feeling paranoid. "We've had 8 Yiga sightings in this town recently, and I'm not too keen on having them walk right in here like this."

Lady Riju sat in thought. "You have a point, Buliara. We can't risk having the Yiga in our town, especially in our palace no less."

"We aren't Yiga assassins!" Uten said.

"Prove it." Buliara said. She walked towards a table in the room that had lots of food on it. She grabbed some bananas and put them right in front of Uten's face. "You want it, don't you."

Uten stood there in confusion. Then she remembered the guards back at Lon Lon Ranch that almost arrested someone over selling bananas. "I don't eat bananas." Uten said blankly.

"You Yiga are becoming more and more resistant to this. It shows you are evolving." Buliara said with great determination.

"But, I really don't eat bananas." Uten said. "I don't like eating them."

Buliara looked at Lady Riju. "Enough Buliara. She is not a Yiga assassin. She would've voraciously eaten those bananas right up in the past 12 seconds."

"Fine." Buliara put the bananas back onto the table.

"She is the real deal, and she has something to speak to us about." Riju looked at Uten. "I take it that you're here to find the cure for King Dorephan."

"Yes, that is exactly why I am here." Uten replied. "I am here to find and hunt after the Molduga."

"Ah yes, the Molduga. We have only ever seen one of them out in the desert. The last Molduga usually travels around some ruins to the North of this town." Riju got off of her throne. "Walk with me." Uten and Tipa followed Riju while Buliara followed behind closely with her great sword in hand. Riju led them towards an outlook that overlooked the Gerudo Desert. "I just realized, you had to travel through Gerudo Valley to get here. That place is a war zone right now. I sent many Gerudo Warriors there to deal with the Yiga forces. Chancellor Aghanim, when he was alive, sent more Hylian forces to assist with our efforts to drive the Yiga away. I heard he even sent Guardians with the Hylian soldiers. There must be chaos in that valley."

"It really is chaotic over there." Uten said. She looked across the desert back to the cliffs where Gerudo Valley was.

"Anyways, you've come to me regarding the Molduga. In that direction, you will find the ruins where the Molduga usually travels. We've installed a tracking device on it, and any Sheikah Slate will be capable of tracking the device. Sometimes we see the device lose its signal, but we see it come around again. It probably loses signal because of the sandstorms. Once you've made it to the ruins, you can attract the Molduga with vibrations on the ground. Make enough noise, and it'll come right for you. Be careful though, it could swallow you whole."

"Thank you for the advice, Riju." Uten said.

"Now before you deal with the Molduga, I must ask you about something concerning the monster colony here in Gerudo Desert."

"How do you know about it?" Uten asked.

"Zelda told me about it. You are a part of the squad that deals with escorting the monsters away from Hyrule. I am one of her closest friends, so I know how important her mission is." Riju walked to the other side of the outlook. "Over there to the South lies a place called the Arbiter's Grounds. Link has investigated the place. He's said that he found Divine Beast Vah Naboris stationed in the area, as well as a whole squad of Yiga assassins patrolling outside the structure. He says they seemed to have excavated a large temple of some kind." Riju walked to the other side of the outlook. "In that direction, there lies a large skeleton of a leviathan. The monsters were forced to live there, and because of the harsh desert environment, they never bothered straying away from their colony. Except for the Lizalfos. Those monsters specifically can travel a great distance in the desert. Because of the harsh desert, we need to escort them with the assistance of Vah Naboris."

"You mean to tell me that you also need me to go through a whole Yiga stronghold in order to get a Divine Beast? Last I heard of them, they just stopped working. Even if we managed to get to the Divine Beast, how would we have any hope in making it do our work?"

"You will be able to make it work because you will have Link on your side. He's dealt with all of the Divine Beasts before. He told me that there was a mysterious device within Arbiter's Grounds that was capable of controlling the Divine Beast, so perhaps that would be the key you're looking for. I will call for him to assist you when you are ready. For now though, you can focus on dealing with the Molduga."

"Alright then. We will deal with it as best we can."

"Very well." Riju said as she ordered them to walk back down to the palace.

As for Zhago and Poump, they stood on top of the building overlooking the desert. Zhago equipped his Hawkeye and looked around the desert. Through it he noticed a strange structure towards the South. "Alright Zhago, I'm gonna go down to the bazaar and do some shopping."

"That sounds like a good idea, Poump." Poump climbed down the ladder back to the marketplace and shopped around. Zhago brought his gaze down to the Bazaar and noticed something peculiar. He wore the Hawkeye and the Eye of Truth at the same time. All of the visitors and Gerudo Guardswomen didn't change at all through the Eye's gaze, except for one single person in the crowd. Without the Eye of Truth, that one person looked like a hooded figure, wearing white robes with a red lining. Through the Eye of Truth, the hood disappeared and revealed a tall and slender man, wearing what looked like a white outfit. Zhago didn't like the sight of such a strange individual, so he teleported down into the crowd next to the strange figure. "Who are you?" Zhago said as he raised his sword to the strange figure.

The strange figure turned around. "Oh, the people of this land. So violent, so enraged! It is a delight!" They had a somewhat chilling voice, despite their somewhat light, albeit menacing voice.

"You didn't answer my question." Zhago said with his sword still pointed at the figure. The crowd stopped what they were doing and looked at the two in their confrontation.

"Who am I, you ask? Why would I say my name to a lowly individual like yourself. Especially a stupid individual, like you."

"Enough!" Zhago swung his sword at the strange figure and as if at lightning speed, the stranger's hand grabbed Zhago's blade mid-swing. "What the?"

The strange figure tucked at Zhago's blade causing him to lose his grip. The strange figure now had Zhago's sword. "You don't know when to pick your fights, don't you?"

Poump weaved his way through the crowd and saw the strange figure confronting Zhago. Poump drew his sword. "Back off from my friend, you creep!" Poump swung his sword at the strange figure and then the strange figure teleported out of the way of the attack. Poump felt the metal of Zhago's sword meet his neck.

"Dead." The strange figure said. They removed the sword from Poump's neck. "Looks like the Goddess cooked up a land of idiots who don't know self control!"

"I don't care!" Poump swung his sword at the strange figure again, but this time the figure also grabbed the blade of the sword. The strange figure took Poump's sword for himself.

"Foolish! I could kill you two in a myriad of ways!" The strange figure looked at the crowd surrounding them. "In fact, I could kill all of you in 3 seconds if I wanted to!"

The crowd gasped. One of the members in the crowd spoke up. "You can? Prove it!"

The strange figure snapped their fingers and then a bunch of knives started revolving around the figure. The figure snapped their fingers and the knives floated right up in front of everyone in the crowd's face. "Move one step, and you will all be stabbed all over your body multiple times without a chance of survival!" The people in the crowd stood there. The Gerudo Guardswoman noticed the commotion.

"Halt!" The Gerudo jumped into the center of the crowd's circle and attempted to slice at the strange figure. The strange figure teleported away from the attack and then reappeared. The floating knives all went away from the crowd and surrounded the Gerudo on all of her sides.

"Good night." The strange figure snapped his fingers and the knives all stabbed the Gerudo from all sides. She tried escaping the storm of knives but they were too much for her. She fell to the floor, bloodied. The crowd ran away in fear and escaped the Bazaar. Amidst the chaos, the strange figure grabbed Poump and teleported away with him.

"No!" Zhago exclaimed. He looked around and eventually noticed that the strange figure was on top of the building. He teleported up there and saw the strange figure holding Poump hostage with a sword to his throat.

"Move any bit closer, and he dies! Move any bit farther, and you die!" The figure said with a new menace to their voice.

"Put him down and tell me what you want!" Zhago said.

"Oh, is that a semblance of intelligence I see before my eyes? I would've expected you to say that earlier, Sheikah Warrior." Poump tried squirming out of the figure's hold but they kept him held up. "I am here to meet with my old master, Demise!"

"Demise? Never heard of it."

"You never heard of it because YOU WERE NEVER GIVEN THE RIGHT INFORMATION! Demise walks upon this land. I've felt his presence for quite some time now." The figure closed their eyes. "He is near!" The figure let Poump go from his grasp. Poump felt his neck and recovered his wind. The figure looked out at the desert. He took special note of two people coming towards the Bazaar on their Sand Seals. "There he is!"

Uten and Tipa rode up to the Bazaar on their Sand Seals. They arrived and saw someone crouching in fear. They also noticed the dead Gerudo on the floor. "What happened here?" Uten asked.

"Someone… almost killed me. They are up there." The person pointed up the building. Uten and Tipa climbed the ladder and made it to the top.

"Demise!" The figure said at the sight of Tipa. "What a strange choice to house your body in. It's weak!"

Tipa all of a sudden had red eyes out of nowhere and a malicious voice spoke from out of her mouth. "Funny you say that, Ghirahim. You weren't the one who had to survive in this realm for a long time."

"According to my findings, you had this land in a bind 10 years ago! What gave way?"

Tipa walked up to the figure. "The Mischievous Hero. He destroyed my host and vanquished a large part of myself across this forsaken land." Poump looked really confused when he just realized that Tipa was talking with such a menacing voice. "I've had to find other hosts in order to survive and keep my curse alive. This girl is the best option for me right now, despite being weak in nature."

"Actually, that's not a girl, that's a cucco." Poump interjected. Tipa and the figure both looked at Poump.

"Shut up." Tipa's malicious voice said.

"Well I don't care about what form you take, I am so glad to see you here again!" The figure stated.

"Wait a moment, did she call you Ghirahim?" Zhago said.

The figure looked at Zhago. "YES SHE DID. SPEAK ONE MORE TIME AND YOUR THROAT WILL BE DISLODGED!" The figure summoned more floating knives and sent them at Zhago's face. They floated just in front of him.

"They are gullible." Tipa said to the figure. "Together we will accomplish what we set out to do 100,000 years ago. For now, I must reside within this body. We will meet again at the Arbiter's Grounds."

"Very well, my Master." The figure teleported away and left Poump and Zhago's weapons on the roof. The knives in front of Zhago's face disappeared as well, and Tipa's eyes went back to normal. She looked at the party with a look of confusion.

"Whu happene?" Tipa said with difficulty.

"A lot has happened. And I have no clue what any of it meant." Poump replied.