As the sun rose, Pearl stood from her seat at the Woodland Stable's cooking pot. "Right, time to get going." Following the trail south, she soon paused. "Hmm... That looks like a path, but it's not on the map... Well, if it helps me avoid the Zora's Domain, I'm game to try it."
Looking ahead, she frowned. "A monster outpost up there, and some sort of ruin ahead... Well, maybe the ruins have something interesting."
After passing through the ruins, Pearl followed the rough trail, glancing at her map. "Okay, I'm off the map here... Or what I have of it anyway... Uhh... That's the Sheh Rata shrine, which I've already cleared, so..." she looked up to the left. "That way, I think."
Pearl looked out over the landscape, taking occasional glances over her shoulder towards the nearby outpost. "Uhh... That's the Zora's Domain. Looks like a thunderstorm is forecast soon, so avoiding that." Turning, she looked north. "Another tower there... Can't see any shrines at all... Hmm..." Looking up the mountain, she shrugged. "Death Mountain it is."
As she looked out towards the distant tower, Pearl turned and stared at the expanse of steamy blue below. "Whoa... Those are some serious hotsprings..." She glanced at the slate. "But, there's also a shrine this way..." Taking out the glider, she shrugged. "I'll check the shrine out first. If it's close enough to the hot springs, I can bring the others here to clean up instead."
Climbing over the warm rocks, she looked down at the shrine with a sigh. "Well, it's not the easiest to reach... But I can at least clear it."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Leaving the shrine, she climbed over the warm rocks again to look down at the water below. "I can aim for... that rock." she nodded.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Pearl stood on the small rock in the hot springs and nodded. "Okay, there's a tower up there. Sun's going down though... I should be safe here for the night. Stals don't have any way to float, so they probably can't swim..."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Pearl hid behind the wreckage of a guardian and peered out. "Crap... a Guardian Stalker... Not going that way." she sighed, looking up at the tower above her. "Okay, backtrack, and climb." She went down the path a short distance, finding a trail of dark volcanic rock. "Looks alright."
She dodged the giant boulder rolling down. "Holy shit!" she panted. "That was close..." Shaking her head, she sighed. "But, it likely means that this is the way to the tower... Typical." she looked up, wary of more boulders. "Okay, I'll have to ditch this bow, it's just about had it." she said, dropping the cracked Knight's bow. "Cause there's a lot more hot goo coming..." Groaning, she started to chuckle. "Ugh, I'm glad Amethyst wasn't here to hear that... I'd never live it down."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Pearl breathed a sigh of relief as she finally found the base of the tower. Sweating, she paused to remove her warm doublet before she started to climb. "Great idea, Pearl. Climb the active volcano in the warmest thing you currently own. Genius..." she shook her head.
Examining the newest addition to her map, Pearl looked out across the landscape. "Hmm.. Lotta fire, lotta fire... lotta hot springs... Oh! A stable with a shrine. Okay. Well, I don't want to get too close to Goron lands just yet... Right, in the morning, I'll glide down there. Then maybe I'll try for that tower. It looks like there's a path leading to it anyway."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Pearl landed easily and jogged the rest of the way to the stable. Stopping briefly to buy more arrows, she made the short trek to the shrine on the hill above.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
As she explored through the stone archway to the north of the stable, she heard the beeping from her slate. "Oh. Um, I'll take out those fire blobs and the Lizalfos first, then I'll look for the shrine."
Once the monsters were dispatched, she examined the slate, turning around until she pinpointed the shrine's direction. "That way. I'll have to climb up there first, by the looks of it."
At the top, she ran ahead, climbing up another round stone outcrop. At the top, she frowned. "Still no sign of anything except a monster-filled outpost." she checked the slate. "Hmm... According to the map, there's a small dead-end canyon down there..." Jumping down, she cautiously neared the edge, watching the Bokoblins in the outpost ahead as she glanced down. "Yes!" she whispered, quickly hopping down and using the glider to land safely.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Pearl left the shrine and started to scramble over the low boulders to the east, skirting across the north of the lake. Her slate started to beep again, and she paused. "Another one? Okay, I guess I'll look for it at the top."
She jumped over to another boulder and started to scrabble up the steep rocky cliff, the slate beeping the entire way.
At the top, Pearl looked to her right and frowned. "Great, more flying Guardians... Hopefully there won't be any around this shrine..."
Following the radar, she neared the edge and peered over. "Another stable and shrine!" she grinned as she started down the slope nearby.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
With a groan, she stood on the shrine's platform. "Ugh, that was tricky..." she muttered. Looking at the darkening sky, she sighed as she put the doublet back on. "Guess I'm staying at the stable here tonight."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
In the early morning gloom, Pearl looked up at the mountain, the tip of the tower shining far above. "Hmmm... It looks climbable... If I go around the back like that, I can hopefully avoid those Guardians..." she shrugged. "Eh, sounds like a plan."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Hauling herself onto the ledge, she paused as the Guardian hovered high above. It stopped for a second, then turned and disappeared from view behind the cliffs. Pearl let out a sigh. "I'd best head further left, if I want to avoid that." She glanced down at the pile of boulders nearby. "After I find out what's behind those."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Pearl stopped, the stone wall hiding her from the view of the Bokoblin archer waiting above. A quick peek, and she spotted another Skywatcher patrolling behind it. 'Crap ... now what?' Pearl sighed softly. 'Okay, kill the Boko, get up the cliff before the Guardian turns around.'
Carefully, she waited until the Bokoblin had started down the path before she sprung up and over the wall. Drawing her sword, she rapidly struck it multiple times in quick succession, sending it flying down the stairs. Quickly, she followed it, delivering a final blow.
Immediately, she turned and darted back up the stairs, jumping at the rock face and starting to climb up just as a Skywatcher came around the corner. It scanned briefly before it turned away, and Pearl let out a sigh. 'Nearly there...'
She paused on a ledge with some trees and giant metal crates before continuing. Above, she could see the base of a stationary Guardian just peeking over the edge of the stone wall. Uncertain if it was still active, she veered left.
As she sheltered and rested behind a piece of stonework, she used Stasis, noting that the decayed Guardian glowed yellow on the screen. 'Still active.' she nodded, slipping away to the left.
On the other side of the wall, she found a large pile of oozing purple and black sludge. "What is this stuff anyway?" she whispered, her eyes on the hovering Skywatcher nearby. She looked over the area with Stasis again, taking note of a long object on the screen. 'Better check that out...'
Once the Skywatcher had turned around, Pearl slipped past, running up the stairs. Through the rusted portcullis of the citadel, she spotted a large yellow eye. Drawing her bow, she took aim and fired. Some of the ooze disintegrated, and a long slim piece of metal fell.
Pearl used Magnesis to pick it up, moving it up and over to the floor above. Eagerly, she jumped and clung onto the stonework, climbing up to join the piece of metal. The Bokoblin nearby screeched, and Pearl swiped it with a sword, sending it flying off the stone into the ooze below. The sword broke, and she sighed, flinging the pieces away before grabbing another from her bag. Then she picked the metal slab up and used it to bridge the gap between herself and the tower. Grateful for her sense of balance, she easily walked over and started to climb up the tower proper.
New map section downloaded, she looked around. "Looks like another maze all the way up there... Why would anyone even build these things?" Putting the slate away, she looked down into the night. "Shrine down there... Whoa." she paused, looking at the decayed Guardian sitting on the edge of the tower. "Huh. It must have popped up in the middle of the citadel. Damaged the ruins and carried this up here." she grabbed a small screw from its base and moved on, looking for targets through the scope. "Hmmm strange curly sandbar... Probably should check that out... Oh, and other stable there. Possibly some sort of structure over there?" She set beacons on each spot and sighed. "Okay, I'm exhausted... I might take a short break, maybe until tomorrow morning, then I'll set out for that shrine."