Aryll woke up at the crack of dawn and immediately started getting to work. She scoured the surroundings to see if she could find anything useful before she continued her way to the next shrine. Digging through the mechanical corpses that surrounded the temple, she found several parts that she would eventually figure out how to use. Climbing up onto the roof of the temple, she found a hole blown in the side of the steeple. Inside was a much better bow than any of the ones she had, either found or taken from monsters. She shoved the bow into her bag, only to be surprised when it was suddenly launched back out of it. The bag had somehow rejected it. She tried again and the same result occurred. A theory popped into her head that she decided to test. She took out one of the bows she had taken from a monster and stuck the new one in. This time it stayed in the bag. She tried putting the monster bow into the bag, and that one popped back out. It seemed the bag had a limited space for certain things. She did recall the old man saying that the enchantment on the bag was probably not as strong as it had been previously.
The first shrine she would attempt would be the one to the east of the temple. It was by far the closest one even at the distance it was. She climbed down the small plateau the temple was perched upon and made her way through a sparse birch forest. Nothing disturbed her along the way, allowing her to make it within the hour. Ruins had surrounded the shrine. What they were of she didn't know. More of those mechanical corpses were present within them. When she reached what appeared to be the center of the ruins, she came to a halt. One of the machines was moving. It glowed a dark purplish red with its "eye" and insides the same bright blue as the Sheikah constructs. A thin beam of light was directed at her, a ticking sound coming from the immobile machine. She dove behind cover at the last second, watching as a ray of blue energy soared past her, creating an explosion near where she had stood.
"No way I'll be able to deal with that thing as I am now," she said to herself.
Sneaking around the left side, she dashed across openings fast enough that the mechanical creature would lose her each time she went out of sight. It was painstakingly slow, but she was making progress. That progress was stopped when it turned out another of the mechanical corpses was alive. She dove behind another wall, her heart almost beating out of her chest. If she got hit by that beam, she would be a goner for sure. Going even further around, she made it to a point where she was close to the shrine, but the thing that stood between her and it was a large open space and a wall. She would have to be quick if she didn't want to get blown to smithereens. Eventually, she sprinted towards the wall. The mechanical creature was targeting her and she ran the way and started climbing. She managed to throw herself over the wall just in time as another ray of energy flew past her into the sky. Aryll took a moment to rest, she had earned it.
After her rest was finished, she walked over to the shrine and held the slate up to the pedestal. Looking at the map, she confirmed the blue marker had appeared, and noticed a label over the ruins: "Eastern Abbey". Obviously, the place could no longer be recognized as such, but it was interesting to know what it once was. She stepped into the shrine and descended into the darkness below.
"To you who sets foot in this shrine… I am Ja Baij. In the name of the Goddess Hylia, I offer this trial,"
This time, a cracked light-colored stone wall prevented passage further into the shrine. A pedestal stood in the same position as the one she had seen in Oman Au's shrine. She placed the slate in the slot and waited as a drop of blue liquid dripped onto the slate, the wisps of light being absorbed into it.
'Remote Bomb
A bomb that can be detonated remotely
- The force of the blast can be used to damage monsters or destroy objects. There are both round and cube bombs, so use whichever best fits the situation'
"Cool,"
She clicked on the square symbol and a glowing blue cube appeared in the air in front of her. Grabbing it, she tossed it up and down a few times to get a feel for it. Once she had finished, she walked over and placed it on the ground next to the cracked stone. Backing up till she was a few meters away, she clicked the button on the slate that had appeared next to her thumb like it had when she was using the Magnesis rune.
The cube exploded in a wave of brilliant blue, destroying the wall that it was next to. A covered passage was revealed to her and she ventured in. Seeing the two stone walls that were inside, she repeated what she had done before and blew open the way. One revealed a chest containing a claymore that she quickly traded for a wooden club she had stowed earlier. Going up a ladder that had been revealed by the other exploded stone, she found a moving platform in the air that went backwards and forwards towards another destructible stone wall. She placed the bomb on the platform, hopped off, and waited for it to get close to the wall before detonating it.
What waited her afterwards was a set of moving diagonal pillars that seemed to be used to launch objects, demonstrated by a ball that bounced between two. She managed to launch herself without problem onto a platform that held a chest, where she picked up a piece of crystalized amber. Using the spherical bomb, she managed to launch it into a bunch of destructible blocks that cleared the way for her to reach the monk of the shrine. Much like Oman Au, Ja Baij congratulated her, gave her a spirit orb, and then disappeared like scattered dust.
Night greeted her as she stepped out of the shrine. It also greeted her with a couple of monster skeletons suddenly popping out of the ground in front of her. She quickly grabbed a sword from her back and swung at their spines. They both fell to the ground, their heads popping off and rolling away. She sighed and went to look at the map, but stopped when she saw the bones suddenly gather themselves together and grab their heads to put back on. She swung again, this time aiming for their head, and managed to destroy both of them. Now sure that she was alone, she brought out the Sheikah Slate and tapped onto the marker for the Shrine of Resurrection.
"Hello again," the old man greeted as she approached his fire after exiting the shrine.
"Hi," she said back, "Hope you don't mind me sleeping here for the night. Just finished a shrine and was attacked by a couple of monster skeletons,"
"Ah," the old man said with recognition, "Those would be the stalkoblins. They are animated skeletons of bokoblins that resurface during the nights,"
"Bokoblins… Is that what those red things are called?" Aryll asked.
He nodded, "Yes. They are a part of the plague that Ganon cast upon the land all those years ago. You should be mindful of them along your journey. Though they might not be much at the moment, over time they can become much stronger,"
She nodded in return, "I'll keep that in mind,"
After a few minutes of silence, the old man asked, "Are you planning to venture into the snowy peaks of the plateau tomorrow?"
Aryll nodded, "I have to in order to get all those spirit orbs for the paraglider,"
A smile formed on his face, "I admire your resolve. However, you'll freeze to death up there before you can make it. Here,"
He pulled out a piece of clothing from the bag on his hip, "I have an extra doublet. It'll keep you warm on your climb,"
She reached over and grabbed the garment, "Thank you,"
…
After donning her new piece of clothing and getting rid of the shabby shirt that she had gotten when she had awoken for the first time, she made her way over to the snowy heights of the plateau. Climbing up the cliff that the Shrine of Resurrection had been built into, she made her way forwards towards her next goal. The only thing standing between her and that was a river of freezing water that she would definitely perish in if she took a dip. Thankfully, she spotted a boat that she could use to cross. Grabbing the oars, she paddled her way over and began to the climb to the shrine. Her hike was interrupted when blobs of freezing goo with eyeballs popped out of the ground. She could feel the cold that nipped at her body when she was near them. She grabbed her bow and shot them all, grabbing the pieces of jelly that had been left behind for later use. Slashing past the bokoblins at the camp that attempted to bowl her over with snowballs, she had finally made it to the next shrine.
"To you who sets foot in this shrine… I am Keh Namut. In the name of the Goddess Hylia, I offer this trial,"
Just as before, she popped the slate into a pedestal and a rune was distilled into it.
'Cryonis
Create a pillar of ice from a water surface.
- Builds ice pillars that are very stable. These pillars can be used as stepping stones or as obstacles. Use Cryonis on a pillar to break it.'
"Hm…"
Aryll walked over to the ankle high water that was beneath a ledge. She aimed the Sheikah Slate below her and clicked the snowflake symbol. A square was projected onto the ground below her. She pressed the button to activate it and a pillar of ice formed below her. Pleased with how it worked, she continued the trial. She created a pillar beneath a closed gate, used one to block the beam of the small mechanical creature that she had seen in the other shrines, boosted herself up to gain a spear, and made her way to the monk at the end of the shrine. Keh Namut gave her a spirit orb and disappeared like the others had. Taking the elevator back up, she made her way back out into the chilly world above. Looking down at the clock on her slate, she figured with the amount of time she had, she could try making it to the last shrine. If she couldn't, she could always travel back to where she woke up and stay by the fire with the old man. While he was definitely trying to get on her nerves at time, she could tell he was genuinely concerned when she had told him she was going up to the frigid area above without proper gear. Maybe he wasn't that bad, but she still felt… a bit angry around him.
Along the way to the last shrine, she encountered her first differently colored bokoblin. This one was blue and definitely stronger than the red ones. It broke her shield with its reinforced club and nicked her arm with one of its swings. She backed up, grabbing her bow and taking aim. The bokoblin raised its own shield in defense, giving her the opportunity to close in while it was still hiding behind the shield. She raised her sword, slicing at the bokoblins legs as she ran by it. The creature let out a growl as it slammed its club into her side. She fell backwards, almost off the cliff, but managed to get a grip long enough for her to get back up. The thing hit hard. She could feel her bruised and possibly broken ribs as pain surged through her body. As it grew closer, she grabbed a fistful of snow and tossed it at the bokoblin's face, temporarily blinding it. She then took her sword and stabbed directly into the monster's brain. Her pain filled body made her let go of the sword, and she watched as the creature fell off the cliff and down below.
"Fuck!" she shouted as she held up her now bloodstained hand in front of her. The spikes on the club had managed to put a gash into her side that was now leaking blood. She tapped the marker for the shrine near the old man's campfire and traveled there. Slowly and painfully, she made her way out of the shrine and down to the fire, collapsing when she had finally made it.
"Goodness! What happened to you?!" the old man cried as he went and leaned over her.
"Blue bokoblin son of a bitch…" she groaned out, "Nailed me in the side…"
"Stay with me now Aryll. I will do my best to treat the wound,"
She nodded and felt herself pass into the realm of sleep.
…
"You're finally awake,"
Aryll looked around, soreness working its way through her body as she did, "What happened?"
"You passed out while I was treating you," the old man told her simply, "I supposed that is the first time you've felt extreme pain like that since your awakening,"
"Yeah," she nodded, "But somehow… it doesn't feel like that was the worst pain I've ever experienced… I don't know why I feel that,"
He sighed, "Going after a clearly strong opponent was quite foolish of you, young lady. You are lucky that I happened to have a strong healing elixir. If I didn't, you surely would have perished. Even still, I would recommend you rest for the day,"
…
The next day, the soreness in her body was much more manageable. She set out at her usual time. As she was passing by the pond that sat between the old man's shelter and the temple, she noticed a peculiar pattern in the lily-pads of the water. They had been arranged into a circle right underneath a ledge. It was like it was being asked to be dived into. Curiosity got the better of her, and she dove right down into it. As she breached the surface, she came face to face with what looked to be a creature made of wood with a leaf for a face. It was floating in the air thanks to a leaf that seemed to allow them to fly.
"Yahaha! You found me!" the creature then looked at her with… confusion she supposed. It was hard to read a leaf, "Huh? You're not Hestu!"
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked as she swam over to the islet in the middle of the lake.
"You can… see me?" they asked back.
"Yeah," she confirmed as she pulled herself up onto the small bit of land.
"I didn't know your kind could see the children of the forest!"
"Children of the forest?"
The creature nodded, "We are the Koroks, birthed from the Great Deku Tree in the Korok Forest!"
"I don't know what that is," she told them straight.
"If you go north, past that big castle, you can find the forest where the Great Deku Tree is! And my friends are hiding in lots of different places too!" they told her excitedly, "Don't be shy about poking your nose into suspicious places!"
"I'll keep that in mind,"
She was about to swim away from the islet before the korok interrupted her, "Oh! If you run into Hestu, please return this to him,"
It dropped a tiny, golden seed into the palm of her hand. The smell was… something, "I'll… do that…" she hastily put the seed into her bag and continued onwards. She started going past the temple of time, back through the birch woods that were behind it. Through the sparse trees should could make out a log cabin that rested in the middle of a clearing. Wondering who it could belong to, she made her way over to it. Inside the open door was a small table with a book and some fruit, a shelf with more food including a mushroom she hadn't seen yet, an axe that was leaning against the wall, a makeshift bed, and a couple of pots.
Looking through the open book, she discovered that the cabin apparently belonged to the old man. There were no hints towards his identity, but she did discover a recipe that involved the peppers on the table that would be sure to keep her warm. However, she decided it was better to keep the doublet. It was much better than the barely held together shirt that she wore before. And it had gloves. As she left the cabin, she noticed yet another bokoblin camp set up nearby. It bothered her that it was so close a source of shelter, so she went and took care of it. A throwing spear awaited her as a reward for doing so.
"Oho! Fancy seeing you here!"
She had run into the old man again. This time, he was chopping down a tree next to a ravine. Seeing him do so gave her an idea. She definitely couldn't jump the gap, but she could make a bridge if she felled a nearby tree. It only took her ten minutes to chop the tree and the result was very satisfying. Her bridge idea worked and she made her way across the gap easily. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said about climbing the large cliff to get to the shrine that was on top of it. That took her at least two hours to do. She had to make sure all of the places she was stepping to were safe and that she took enough breaks to restore her stamina along the way. Though, she will admit, she was slightly distracted by the mushrooms that were growing on the side of the cliff. Placing the slate on the pedestal, she opened the door to Owa Daim Shrine and took the platform down. The rune that this shrine gave her was extremely useful as far as she was concerned.
'Stasis
Stop the flow of time for an object.
- Stops an object in time while storing its kinetic energy. The stored energy will act upon the object when the flow of time resumes. Making good use of the stored energy can move even the largest of objects.'
The first part of the trial involved a spinning gear with a platform attached to it. Using Stasis, she stopped the flow of time on the gear, also stopping the platform and giving her a way to get across the gap it spanned. The second part had a rolling ball that was constantly blocking her path. She needed to stop the ball in its path, allowing her to make it to the other side without it hitting her. Pressing the button to activate the rune, she was shocked when it did nothing. Looking down, she discovered that the Stasis ability was on a cooldown. It appeared using the ability took quite a toll on the slate and it would need a minute to restore the ability. She kept that in mind for the future. The last part used stored kinetic energy to launch a ball that was blocking the path. After being pleasantly surprised with the results, she made her way over to the monk and obtained the last Spirit Orb. Stepping out of the shrine, she stopped when she heard the old man call out for her from above. He landed next to her using the paraglider and turned to face her.
"With this, you have now acquired all the Spirit Orbs from the shrines on this plateau," he gave a hearty chuckle, "Extraordinary!"
"Yep," she said nonchalantly.
"That means…" his face darkened, "it is finally time,"
She was taken aback, "What?"
"Aryll, it is finally time for me to tell you everything. But first…" he gazed out into the distance, "Imagine an X on your map, with the four shrines as the end points. Find the spot where those lines intersect. I shall wait for you there,"
"Why not tell me here?" she asked.
A teal glow suddenly began to overtake his body, "Where two lines connecting the shrines would cross…" every word, his body suddenly began to fade, blue wisps floating around him, "There… I will… be waiting…"
"Huh," she said to herself as she took out her map. Using her fingers to trace lines on the slate, her finger eventually landed upon a single place, the Temple of Time. She tapped on the Shrine of Resurrection, the closest marker to the temple without danger, and began the walk. The sun was already going beyond the horizon as she made her way through the ruins. In the back of the temple, the statue that had almost been unnoticeable, was now glowing brilliante colors. She approached the statue and looked up towards its face. In her mind, she could hear a voice that sounded similar to the one she had heard when she woke up, but it was definitely wasn't the same person.
"You who have conquered the shrines and claimed their Spirit Orbs. I can offer you great power,"
"Who are you?" she asked the air.
"I am Hylia, the goddess worshipped by the people of Hyrule. Now, it appears you have claimed four Spirit Orbs. In exchange for four Spirit Orbs, I will amplify your being. So tell me, what is it that you desire? The ability to handle more damage to your body? Or to have more stamina to last longer throughout the day?"
Aryll though to herself for a minute before coming to a conclusion, "I'd like to be able to take more damage,"
A warmth came from the statue, "I shall grant the power you seek,"
The Spirit Orbs suddenly flew out from her chest, coalescing until they formed a brilliant red heart. The heart floated back into her chest and she could feel the new energy within her. She would definitely be able to handle more damage.
"Go forth and bring peace to Hyrule… brave little wildling…"
The voice of the old man suddenly called out to her from above yet again. This time, however, he was standing on the roof looking down upon her.
"The blessing of the Goddess has made you that much more resilient, I see…" he mumbled, "Here I am… Get up here–quickly!"
She raced up the ladder to the top of the Temple of Time. The old man was standing in the steeple next to where she found the strengthened bow that currently sat in her bag. A laugh accompanied her entrance into the steeple.
"Well done there, young one," the old man said to her, "Now then… the time has come to show you who I truly am. I was King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule. I was… the last leader of Hyrule. A kingdom which no longer exists,"
Aryll had to shield her eyes as a light began to shine from the old man. When the light dimmed, she was greeted by the man wearing royal clothes with a crown upon his head. He was floating a foot off the ground, confirming what she thought. The man was a ghost.
"The Great Calamity was merciless…" the king continued, "It devastated in its path, lo, a century ago. It was then that my life was taken from me. And since that time, here I have remained in spirit form. I did not think it wise to overwhelm you while your memory was still fragile, though personal feelings would say otherwise. So rather than that, I thought it best to assume a temporary form. Forgive me,"
"Yeah, I don't think I can't after all you've been through," she said to him.
He remained stoic, though there was a small pull at the corner of his lips, "I think you are now ready. Ready to hear what happened one-hundred years ago,"
Aryll walked over and sat on the chest that sat in the corner and focused intently on what the king was saying.
"To know Calamity Ganon's true form, one must know the story from an age long past," he began, "The demon king was born into this kingdom, but his transformation into Malice created the horror you see now. Stories of Ganon were passed from generation to generation in the form of legends and fairy tales. But there was also… a prophecy,"
"Prophecy?"
He nodded, "'The signs of a resurrection of Calamity Ganon are clear. And the power to oppose it lies dormant beneath the ground.' We decided to heed the prophecy and began excavating large areas of land. It wasn't long before we discovered several ancient relics made by the hands of our distant ancestors. These relics, the Divine Beasts, were giant machines piloted by warriors. We also found the Guardians, an army of mechanical soldiers who fought autonomously,"
"Wait," she interrupted, "Are the guardians those… mechanical corpses,"
"Indeed, but I shall explain more later," he told her, "This coincided with ancient legend, oft repeated throughout our land. We also learned of a princess with a sacred power and her appointed knight, chosen by the sword that seals the darkness. It was they who sealed Ganon away using the power of these ancient relics. One hundred years ago, there was a princess set to inherit a sacred power, and a skilled knight at her side. It was clear that we must follow our ancestors' path. We selected four skilled individuals from across Hyrule, and tasked them with the duty of piloting the Divine Beasts. With the princess as their commander, we dubbed these pilots Champions–a name that would solidify their unique bond. The princess, her appointed knight, and the rest of the Champions were on the brink of sealing away Ganon…"
His face darkened, "But nay… Ganon was cunning, and he responded with a plan beyond our imagining. He appeared from deep below Hyrule Castle, seized control of the Guardians and the Divine Beasts, and turned them against us. The Champions lost their lives. Those residing in the castle as well. The appointed knight perished while defending the princess… And thus, the kingdom of Hyrule was devastated absolutely by Calamity Ganon. However… The princess survived… to face Ganon alone… That princess was my own daughter… My dear Zelda. And the courageous knight who lost his life was a boy named Link,"
Aryll picked up on something in the story, "But wait. If Link is dead, doesn't that mean it is impossible to seal away Ganon?"
The king shook his head, "That brings us to something that was not a part of the legend. Along with the princess and her knight was a brave squire, a friend to the princess. They stood by their side throughout the two's journey throughout Hyrule. When the knight, Link, had met his unfortunate, the former squire took his place and defended the princess to the very end. They were the knight's sister who had trained alongside him since they were but children. The person who defended my daughter was none other than you Aryll,"
She was startled by the revelation, "Me…?"
King Rhoam nodded, "You fought valiantly when your fate took and unfortunate turn. And then, you were taken to the Shrine of Resurrection. Here you now stand, revitalized, 100 years later. The words of guidance you have been hearing since your awakening are from Princess Zelda herself. Even now, as she works to restrain Ganon from within Hyrule Castle, she calls out for your help. However, my daughter's power will soon be exhausted. Once that happens, Ganon will freely regenerate himself and nothing will stop him from consuming our land,"
The man lowered his head, "Considering that I could not save my own kingdom, and the things that I had done to you and Zelda, I have no right to ask this of you Aryll… But I am powerless here… Please… I beg of you to save her… Please save my daughter. And do whatever it takes to annihilate Ganon,"
It was a big task that was presented in front of her, but she already knew her answer from the start, "I will,"
The ghost raised his head and lowered it in thanks, "Allow me to give you some advice. Somehow Ganon has maintained control over all four Divine Beasts, as well as those Guardians swarming around Hyrule Castle. I believe it would be quite reckless of you to head directly to the castle at this point. I suggest that you make your way east, out to one of the villages in the wilderness. Follow the road out to Kakariko Village. There you will find the elder, Impa. She will tell you more about the path that lies ahead. Consult the map on your Sheikah Slate for the precise location of Kakariko Village. Make your way past the twin summits of the Dueling Peaks. From there, follow the road as it proceeds north…"
"I will heed your advice," she told him.
He nodded in appreciation. Reaching behind him, he pulled out a bundle of fabric and held it out to her, "Go on… Here is the paraglider, just as I promised,"
"I'll be honest, I got a little caught up and completely forgot about it,"
He chuckled, a small smile left on his face, "With that, you should be able to safely fly off the cliffs surrounding this area. And… I think that's it. I've told you everything I can…"
The man's body started to glow and fade once again, "Aryll… please… save… Zelda…"
As he completely disappeared, she said one last thing to him, "I promise,"
Looking at the paraglider in her hands, she gazed out into the distance, preparing herself for the rough road ahead.