Link stood beside his car, looking up at the mountain range before him. The Yiga Clan hideout was tucked somewhere in the valley between the mountains, and Link was contemplating how he wanted to go about his assault. While it would have felt damn good to drive right through, guns blazing, causing as much chaos as he could possibly manage, he knew the best course of action would be to lay low. He had a rough plan in mind; he knew he wanted to utilize the C4 to blow the place to bits, but the C4 would need to be strategically placed throughout their hideout, and he didn't have a clue as to the layout of their base.
Which meant he was going in blind. He would have to navigate the hideout, place the explosives, and with any luck, have a few choice words with Kohga himself, all while keeping out of sight of any of the foot soldiers or blade masters inside. And it was unlikely that the entire clan would just conveniently be there for him to wipe out. Chances are, there were some soldiers scattered throughout Hyrule.
Or, perhaps they would be all in one place. Ganon had already infiltrated the palace, and it was likely that they would be preparing to move out soon to join in the fight. That made logical sense, but Link couldn't hold his breath for that. His best option, in the end, was to simply take care of the nest and the leader. Any stragglers that were fortunate enough to be elsewhere at the time of his assault would have to be dealt with later.
The idea of stragglers did make Link uneasy. Leaving any alive would still pose a risk. Worst case scenario, they remaining few would get together, pissed off as all hell, drag a few more into their ridiculous clan, and cause more problems for Link and Hyrule in an attempt to bring power to Ganon.
In the end, Link decided it would be best to exterminate the nest while he had the chance. At the very least, it would severely weaken their forces and, in turn, prevent them from coming to Ganon's defense. He would blow their hideout to bits and everyone inside, obliterate Ganon, seal him away, and the main threat would be gone. He could deal with the rest later.
Link secured his guns in each holster along with additional ammunition and threw the bag loaded with C4 over his back. He made a mental note of the location of the hideout and pointed himself in the direction. If the map Dorian showed him was accurate, it would be in the valley just on the other side of the mountains. If Dorian was lying to him, he'd probably get ambushed. But it would at least be an explosive display either way. He couldn't think of a better way to say 'fuck you.'
The glow of the moon was all Link relied on to guide him through the dark night. It was enough for him to see where he was going while still remaining hidden in the shadows from any Yiga soldiers that may have been guarding the area. It didn't take him long to scale the mountain and circle around tot he other side where he could see the valley below. And Dorian was right; the Yiga Clan hideout lay in the valley, in the shadows of the mountains, out of sight from any curious traveler and marked only by their recognizable symbol, the upside down Sheikah eye.
Link studied the valley carefully. There seemed to be a path that sloped downward, snaking its way in a small canyon and disappearing under an overhang that could have easily been mistaken as solid ground moving with the rolling curvature of the valley. He knew for certain that that's where their hideout was, and it seemed that path was the only way in.
Of course, he couldn't just stroll to their front door and ask if he could come in. There had to be another way for him to sneak in. But he probably wouldn't find that from where he stood, still high on the mountain. So he kept in the cover of the trees and began his trek down the side of the mountain, keeping the hideout in his line of vision, waiting for anything that could change his plans.
He reached the valley without incident, but the open valley lacked the covering of trees he had been using to hide himself. There was no way to get to their hideout without leaving himself exposed and vulnerable. His best option was to take the long way around, keeping in the protection of the trees, following the valley down to the far ledge. From there, he would get a decent view of the path that disappeared essentially under the valley where he could assess his next step.
So he made his way down the valley, keeping close to the base of the mountain, and circled around to the ledge on the far side. He kept close to the wall, his body in the shadows, and jogged across to where the ground dropped and the path moved underneath. He peered around the path carefully, but it seemed unoccupied. Though he still wasn't about to make his way down the road. He could see a soft glow where the road entered the base, and the room to the end seemed empty as well. He decided to climb down the ledge as close to the entrance as possible. At the very least, he could drop in and surprise any unsuspecting Yiga soldiers.
He climbed over the ledge and picked his way down carefully, keeping himself as close to the entrance as he could; a simple hole that would bring him into the hidden, underground cavern that made up the Yiga Clan hideout. He inched his way down slowly and quietly, taking careful steps with each foot, making sure not to loosen any rocks that would fall away and make his presence known.
When he neared the top of the hole, he paused, straining to hear anything that would suggest that the room was occupied. When he felt confident that it was empty, he moved further down and peered around the entrance, confirming that the room was, in fact, lifeless. He let himself drop the rest of the way down, landing lightly on his feet, and he pulled one of his loaded guns out of the holster, ready for any surprises.
He kept close to the wall at first as he entered the round room and took in his surroundings. Long banners were draped along the walls, each one bearing the symbol of the Yiga Clan. One fluttered gently at the bottom. With no breeze of any sort, Link came to the conclusion that it was due to a change in air pressure, which meant that there were other rooms behind these banners. Link listened carefully, but still, there were no voices or footsteps or other sign of activity, so he stepped into the room and made his way to the banner at the other end that fluttered at the edges. He pressed himself against the wall beside the banner, then peered carefully behind it.
He stepped behind the banner, which hid a corridor with a soft light at the end. Link crept along, his breathing slow and steady, until he reached the bend at the end where the light was. He peered carefully around the corner and saw that it would lead him into a more open and dimly lit room. He kept himself against the wall as he moved forward and saw that the room fell away from where he came out. Steps brought him into the room to his left and like the first room, this one was empty. He took the stairs down into the room, his eyes scanning the area as he did so. It seemed as good a place as any to place his first bomb.
He placed the C4 behind the stairs in hopes of concealing it as best as he could. He inserted the blasting cap, which he had rigged himself to detonate remotely with the use of his phone. In a matter of seconds, the first bomb was planted, and he was ready to move on. That was the easy part. Sneaking his way through the rest of the hideout was the hard part.
He moved across the room, pressing himself against the wall once more and making his way to the open doorway that would bring him to the next room. He froze against the wall as he heard footsteps and voices. He waited, listening as the footsteps moved through the room, then paused. Two voices spoke to one another.
"Dorian won't come through," the first voice said.
"It doesn't matter," said the second. "The kid will get the sword. He has no choice. Whether Dorian comes through or not, we will take the sword back. Even if Master Kohga needs to do it himself."
There was some shuffling and another set of footsteps entered the room. The voice that belonged to this third soldier spoke. "Everyone's here," it said. "The Divine Beast at Zora's Domain is the only one we have left. Link was seen leaving the desert and should be en route."
"What does Master Kohga want us to do?" the first voice asked.
"This is our chance to move," the third voice said. "Half of us will be waiting for him in the forest where he will have to surrender the Master Sword to us. The other half will ambush Zora's Domain before he can take back the Divine Beast."
"What makes you think it will be that easy?" the second voice asked with a sneer.
"Ganon has the girl. It will be an easy trade; the sword for her life. Master Kohga wants to leave at dawn, the chopper being the first to leave to beat Link to Zora's Domain and force him to come to the forest with us if need be. This will be a full assault with everything we've got."
"Both choppers have be refueled and are ready to go when you are," the first voice said.
"Stand by, then," the third voice said. "It's only a matter of hours before you'll be leaving." Footsteps moved through the room, suggested that the person belonging to the third voice had left, leaving the original two alone in the room. They chatted casually amongst themselves and seemed stationary for the time being.
Link glanced around him, searching for some way he could get through without being seen. The walls stretched up to the ceiling, offering no window or other additional form of entry. He listened as they moved about once more, and their footsteps moved away from him. He readied his gun just in case, then peered around the corner.
The two Yiga Clan foot soldiers had their backs to him. They stood on the far side of the room against a railing where another set of stairs moved further down into their hideout. In the center of the room rose two wide pillars, offering support for the ceiling.
Link didn't waste any time hurrying as quietly as he could to the nearest pillar. He pressed himself against it and listened. As he waited, he prepared another explosive, then darted across to the second pillar, cast in the shadows. He slid the bomb into the dark corner, then pressed himself against the pillar once more just as the footsteps started to move once more. He watched the shadows move across the floor, away from him, leaving the stairs open. Link inched around the pillar, staying out of sight of the two soldiers that moved into the other room where Link had come in from.
He moved along the shadowy wall quickly, peering over the railing to make sure the room was empty, then descended into the lower portion of the room. Two more pillars were erect in the center of the room and a doorway carved out of the wall was just across the way. Link moved swiftly through the room, placing another bomb in a hidden corner, then followed the wall to the exit. He peered around the corner of the doorway and saw that it was a short corridor with more light streaming from around the far corner. As he neared the corner, he paused and listened. There were more voices in this room, but they seemed distant. He poked his head around just enough to see that the immediate area was clear. A clustering of shadows from behind a pillar on the far end of the wall reassured him, and he dared press further.
The voices were low and they seemed busy in casual conversation, offering Link a chance to take in his surroundings. This room was much bigger than the previous rooms. Four pillars marked each corner of the room, the ceiling much higher here. He looked up and noticed catwalks that moved between the pillars and stretched across the room. The catwalks moved around the perimeter of the room and in a couple corners, they seemed to lead further into the wall and into additional rooms. The room itself suggested that it were a sort of barrack where most of the soldiers gathered, as they were currently in preparation for their supposed assault on Zora's Domain.
Not wanting to pause too long and risk being seen, Link hurried down the length of the wall, behind one of the pillars where he paused for a moment. It seemed he had gone unnoticed for the moment, and the Yiga soldiers were still busy amongst themselves. He peered around the corner, checking for a clear passageway once more, then hurried across to the far wall where a ladder would bring him up to the catwalk. The corner was dark from the shadow of the pillar, and he proceeded to climb up as quickly and quietly as he could manage.
Though his heart raced with adrenaline, nothing stopped it more abruptly or caused it to drop into his stomach then the sound of one of the Yiga soldiers shouting across the room.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?"