Aloy and Link take a moment to gaze from the top of the Sheikah Tower out over the path that they are to take as the rain keeps falling. Just as the updated map had shown them, the trail is a long one that continuously winds its way up the mountainside to disappear from view. They can also see the enemies upon it at various intervals.
"We gotta fight through all that," Aloy said dourly. "It's a pity that I don't have one of those paragliders like you have. Then we could just simply glide from here to go further up the trail."
Link agrees and tells her that after they help the Zora, they will go and find this Robbie at the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab. He takes out the Sheikah Slate once again to search for the lab in question, and discovers it is north of where they are in a blank section of the map.
"Hopefully he can make a paraglider for me," Aloy said.
Link puts the Sheikah Slate away while also telling Aloy that he hopes it too, then tells her it is time to head out to Zora's Domain as he turns and heads toward the way down.
They carefully descend the tower and reach the ground to look over the cliffside.
"I think climbing down the cliff is going to be a lot more difficult," Aloy noted, then gets an idea. "Can your paraglider hold two people? If only for a short drop such as this?"
Link confesses uncertainty, but tells her that there is only one way to find out as he takes his paraglider out. Link holds it over his head and Aloy carefully though firmly wraps her arms around his torso; feeling his firm warm body and causing a tingle in her hands, feet, and groin.
"Ah, on the count of three, okay?" Aloy said as she tries to remain casual, and Link agrees. They get into a ready crouch.
"One," Aloy begins the countdown as the tension builds. "Two . . . Three!"
They leap simultaneously off the edge of the cliff. The sudden gravity causes Aloy to hug Link all the more tightly as she also partially wraps her legs around him. She can feel his heartbeat, as she is sure that he can feel hers as well.
The paraglider, while only half as effective with Aloy's added weight, does slow their fall so that they can land safely. Once on the ground, Aloy is quick to let go as she gasps with relief.
"Well now that was an experience I won't soon forget!" Aloy rasped, then sighs to contain herself. "So . . . let's go."
The duo walk up the road. As expected, they fight off monsters such as Lizalfos and Octorocks along the path. They pass various lamp posts carved from that same fluorescent blue substance and also have to cross the river at various points. It is at one point after they crossed the river that they are about to ascend a steep hill alongside the river when a familiar voice calls out their names and they look to see Prince Sidon in the river.
"Sorry for calling out to you from the river! Since I pressured upon you two into coming, I was not sure you would really come through. I am pleased things are going well. Ever since this strange occurance, there have been a lot of monsters around here. Be careful as you proceed! And hurry! All of my fellow Zora are anxiously awaiting your arrival!"
Sidon swims away as he does a blackflip. Aloy humphs. "With his size, you'd think he'd help us fight our way up to his domain." As her tone held annoyance.
Link tells her to put her feelings aside and they continue up the slope. Boulders suddenly fall and roll toward them, forcing them to jump aside to avoid getting hit. They reach the top, passing another lamp post and the trail turns away from the river into an area surrounded by coniferous trees as the trail passes through a trench. They fight a Lizalfos and manage to overwhelm it. Before them is a quasi-tunnel as it is almost enclosed by rock. Thorns block their path and Link takes out a fire arrow to shoot it and burn it away. Once it is burned away, they also see a chest in there. They enter and Aloy opens the chest to find a purple rupee worth fifty green rupees. Link tells her that she can keep it and she does, further telling her that any rupees she finds first are hers.
"Thanks a lot, Link," Aloy grinned.
They continue onward through the quasi-tunnel and emerge to where a pair of fluorescent blue pillars are on either side that expand upward. They are quick to hide behind either as they see Lizalfos stationed atop on either side of the trail going down in a row. There are wooden planks that act as shield walls and sharpened stakes along one side. Large puddles of water are up ahead as well. Link motions for Aloy to follow him back into the quasi-tunnel.
"What are we gonna do?" Aloy whispered. "If they're armed with something like shock arrows, then we're gonna have a difficult time dealing with them."
Link asks her if she could use one of her corruption arrows.
"Tempting," Aloy admitted. "But there are too many of them and they're spaced too far apart. If I shoot one and it started to attack the others, the others will manage to kill it before it can kill more of them. And besides, I don't have very many of these arrows and and I won't be able to make any more since this world doesn't seem to have the necessary materials for me to make them. How about this? We go up along the banks in the forest and snipe them from the trees."
Link discourages that plan as he explains that it would take too long to do that, then suggests that they should take down the first two, then run for the nearest wooden shields.
"Best plan so far," Aloy sighed as she takes out her war bow.
Link takes out a spiked Boko bow and each nock an arrow. Quietly, they sneak back to the blue pillars and carefully take aim at the unaware Lizalfos. They release their arrows almost simultaneously and score direct headshots upon their opponents, causing them to fall dead. The duo are already running toward the wooden shield walls to hide behind. Again, they each take an arrow out and carefully peek around the corners to spy two more Lizalfos and are quick to duck back as the Lizalfos are now looking in their general direction since their fallen comrades have gotten their attention.
"It looks like it's going to become more difficult," Aloy whispered to Link, who in turn agrees.
They jump out and take aim at their respective Lizalfos, who both become startled by the sight of Aloy and Link, who release their arrows into their heads just as they were raising their horns to their mouths to sound the alarm, but are dropped before they could do so. Not that they needed to as another pair of Lizalfos were quick to notice and raise their own horns to sound the alarm. Aloy and Link are each quick to take out another arrow and launch those into the pair that raised the alarm, but fail to score a headshot and wound them instead. Those wounded Lizalfos manage to nock their own arrows as Aloy and Link are quick to duck back. A pair of yellow fireballs fly past them and land in the ground, creating a seething yellow glow that makes a sizzling sound.
"It looks like Sidon was right about enemies attacking with electricity after all!" Aloy called to Link. "My Shield Weaver can resist electricity, but I think we'll share that drink he gave us!"
Link takes out the bottle and drinks half of it. He stops it and urges Aloy to get ready to catch it as he will toss it over to her. She nods and Link tosses the bottle to her. She catches it just as another shock arrow flies past to land into the ground further back. Aloy drinks the rest of the bottle down, wincing at the sweet yet bile-like taste, and puts the bottle away.
"Alright," Aloy sighed. "Link, it looks like we'll have to go all out on them. So this is what we must do . . ."
Link listens and agrees. They each take out their respective arrows and ready them, with a nod from Aloy, she springs up and darts out to stand a little ways out fully exposed. Link is quick to follow her and stand behind her. Together, they launch arrow after arrow into the Lizalfos closest to them while those further back also launch shock arrow after shock arrow at the duo. The Shield Weaver armor does the job of protecting Aloy and Link, since he is standing right behind her. The Lizalfos finally fall from their rock toppings and do not get back up. Two more shock arrows strike Aloy, causing her shield to glow orange. A warning that it is close to failing for a time.
"Go! Go! Go!" Aloy shouted as she runs to the next wooden barrier, compelling Link to do so to the other across from it.
Aloy slides up to one of them as does Link with the other, right before two shock arrows pass over either of them. Aloy looks over at Link, both exchanging satisfied smiles.
"Now we wait until my Shield Weaver recharges," Aloy said.
For what seems like a couple of minutes they wait. It is a tense situation as the Lizalfos are waiting, each with an arrow ready to release.
"Get ready," Aloy said. "Now!"
They rush out and do the same that they had just done before. Link's spiked Boko bow breaks. After these two there are two more to take down. One of the last rows gets smart and shoots an arrow into a puddle nearest to Aloy, causing a jolt of electricity to go through Link but not Aloy as her Shield Weaver prevents that. The shock serum Link drank gives him resistance, so the electicity has little effect upon him and he is able to help Aloy kill the next row of Lizalfos.
"Let's end this now!" Aloy shouted as she puts her bow away, then runs at the Lizalfos on her side, coming at it with a shout, causing Link to do the same to the other, startling the Lizalfos and making them panic and fumble with another arrow.
The duo each jump up and grab their respective Lizalfos by a leg and fiercely pull back, using their body weight to drag them off their perches so that the Lizalfos fall violently to the ground, knocking them senseless. Aloy takes out her spear and stabs her opponent through the throat while Link takes out an ancient short sword and does the same. Neither Lizalfos move.
"That went well," Aloy quipped.
They take a moment to look about the place, especially at a chest that Link opens to find a soldier's bow and takes it.
After checking around the place, they continue onward and go through another nearly enclosed part of the trail and emerge at the other end at Zora River once again.
"Hey! Over here!" Sidon called from the river with a wave. "Sorry for calling from so far away! The domain is still a ways off, but you're making a good progress! I shall be along soon myself. I won't be much longer! In the meantime, I'll be cheering you on from here in the river, so hang in there! You can do it! Stay strong!"
Sidon swims away.
"Now if only his cheering would strike our enemies dead," Aloy quipped with annoyance.
They continue onward, once again going away from the river. Flashes of lightening begin appearing in the sky, causing Link to pause and give Aloy a fearful look. He tells her that lightening strikes metal.
"Doesn't it usually strike the highest point around?" Aloy said.
But Link urges her to hurry. They enter another quasi-enclosed area and have to contend with keese, bat-like creatures with a single large eye. They are weak, save that these exude electricity as they have that seething yellow glow about them. Together, Aloy and Link shoot them off the walls and enter. Up ahead, they see a tunnel.
A flash and an explosion of thunder sounds nearby, startling the duo. Link urges Aloy to run to the tunnel. Aloy can see the ever building seething yellow starting to building up around Link's weapons. And her own, as she feels that tingle. It gets stronger by the second.
They enter the tunnel and there is a yellow flash with a near deafening roar of thunder, louder than the previous.
"Th-That was right above us!" Aloy gasped with bewilderment. "I-If what you say is true, th-then we'll have to wait out the storm! Oh wait, that's right. This rain still won't stop falling."
Link tells her that there is a probability that the lightening won't last for long and they could even wait it out, even though it is now evening. In the meantime, he takes out his iron sledgehammer and breaks up the black boulders, gaining flint, amber, and rock salt.
"I don't know if my Shield Weaver can stand up to a lightening strike," Aloy said. "But we simply cannot wait out that storm in here."
The lightening seems to have passed over and they hurry out of the tunnel back into the rain, with more quickness in their step. They meet up with the river once again with a lamp post nearby. This time, they have to go downhill alongside the river to where another blue bridge much like the first one they met Sidon at extends over it. Down below are three Lizalfos gathered around a fire that is underneath an overhang as they cook something over it. Just a little ways up from those three is another Lizalfos at its own fire also underneath an overhang. And directly across the bridge is yet another Lizalfos sitting at a fire under a cooking pan.
"I wonder why those two Lizalfos are alone from the other three?" Aloy mused.
Link answers that maybe they are on bad terms with their comrades.
"Now is one of those situations where I can use this," Aloy said deviously as she takes out a corruption arrow. "Wait here while I go put those lone two on permanent bad terms with the other three."
Link hides as he watches Aloy sneak off to one side so that she is hidden from the other three. She focuses on the lone Lizalfos that is across the river as she takes aim with her sharpshot bow for long distance. She releases the corruption arrow so that it flies through the air and across the river, striking the lone Lizalfos over there. Quickly, she takes out another corruption arrow and takes aim at the other lone one on their side and releases. That arrow also strikes true. And just in time as the first corrupted Lizalfos is now across the bridge with the intention of attacking the second one she struck. But instead, those two corrupted Lizalfos run at the other three Lizalfos and begin attacking them.
The Lizalfos continue to fight until only one is left alive, that being one of the corrupted. The duo walk up to it as Link takes out the broadsword and beheads the corrupted Lizalfos, breaking the sword in the process. He next picks up a Lizal sword, a sword with a blade shaped like a boomerang, and then harvests what he finds.
They cross the blue bridge.
"Hey! Link! Aloy!" Sidon called from the river. "You're almost halfway to Zora's Domain! Oh, by the way, there are a few spots up ahead with lots of enemies . . . but I'm sure you will both be fine! I believe in you two!"
And he swims away.
"He's really starting to annoy me," Aloy grumbled. "Like his confidence in us is going to give us both the power to destroy all the enemies up the trail."
Link touches her shoulder to get her attention and he smiles helpfully at her. Aloy feels flushed, yet calms.
"Ah, well then," she said in a somewhat embarrassed tone. "Let's go kill those enemies."
They cross the bridge and continue up a slope on the other side along the river, having to avoid boulders coming down their way once again. At the top where there is a lamp post nearby, they turn away from the river once again, only to have their route suddenly blocked by a boulder.
"That looks too heavy to move," Aloy sighed.
Link takes out the Sheikah Slate and in quick order, puts the boulder into Stasis and takes out an iron sledgehammer then strikes the boulder repeatedly. The Stasis wears off and the boulder goes flying back up the slope. The duo hurry upward and come upon a Lizalfos as it lies dying after being struck by that flying boulder, which has gone over a nearby cliff since it is nowhere to be seen. Link takes out the soldier's claymore and deals the Lizalfos a deathblow. He notices a Lizal spear with a jagged metal point lying nearby and takes it.
They look around to see that there are sharpened logs nearby, along with wooden and metal crates and wooden shield walls like the ones they used for cover to combat the previous Lizalfos that were shooting shock arrows at them. There is also a cliffwall with writing on it being illuminated by two lamp posts on either side of it. They do not take the time to read it as they are attacked by Lizalfos, one of which is blue and wielding a Lizal sword and a Lizal shield that is heartshaped with spiked ends. The other two Lizalfos launch shock arrows at them. Due to the closeness of one of the arrow launching opponents, Aloy is quick to make a dash for it, her Shield Weaver helping to protect her. Link busies himself with the blue one.
Aloy cuts the leg out from underneath her opponent and stabs it through the chest, then rushes toward the other one further down as it hurriedly launches shock arrows at her, only for her Shield Weaver to deflect them. Her shield glows red by the time she is in spear's length of it and also cuts the leg out from underneath that Lizalfos, then gives it the same treatment as the previous one. She hurries back to help Link, only to discover that he had won.
They next take a moment to look at the writing on the wall. Link explains to her that it is the history of the Zora and that they had settled in this region.
"Ten thousand years," Aloy mused. "I guess the Zora know this area pretty well. Hey, I just realized something: Zora rhymes with Nora, the tribe I was outcast from."
They go past the writing and over a hill, where they come upon another blue bridge. This one much higher up as the river is far below.
"I get the feeling that when we're upon that bridge, Prince Sidon will be bellowing out to us from the river," Aloy said dryly, then looks up at the overcast sky that has since grown dimmer. "And I really do hope we reach Zora's Domain before dark."
