Chapter 19: Research Methods
Link squinted fiercely as the minecart at last squealed out of the mouth of a cave, emerging into bright sunlight that stung his eyes after the blackness of the Depths. He rubbed the sides of his head wearily, feeling as though his migraine had tripled in intensity.
Food, water, rest – which one comes first?
He grimaced inwardly. Actually, getting myself patched up should come first.
The minecart came to a stop before a small Goron staring openmouthed at them next to the tracks. "Aww, it's just you guys," Dugby grumbled, absently kicking at a chunk of stone. "I thought I'd finally found the tracks that lead to Gorondia!"
Yunobo chuckled, hopping out of the cart. "You'll never believe it, Dugby – these ones actually do!"
"Naw, you're pullin' my leg," Dugby sighed. "There's no way!"
"He's right, actually," Link affirmed, clambering over the side of the minecart with a wince. "I saw it, too."
Slowly the young Goron's eyes widened and a wide smile broke out across his face. "No way!" he exclaimed. "I gotta go see!" He rushed towards the minecart, which Yunobo quickly lifted up off the tracks.
"Not without an adult, okay?" Yunobo said sternly. "Come on – we'll go find someone to go with you."
"But – but – oh, alright," Dugby huffed. "Promise?"
"I promise," Yunobo grinned. "If no one else wants to go, I'll take you myself!"
"Yeah!" Dugby exclaimed, and followed much more eagerly as they headed back to Goron City. The tracks had ended not far from YunoboCo HQ, to Link's relief, where they boarded another minecart that took them all the way back to the city.
The air was fresh and clear, only a slight sulfuric whiff from the hot springs around the city drifting on the gentle breeze. The smoke from the marbled rock roasts was gone.
"Hangin' in there, Link?" Yunobo asked quietly as they left the minecart behind and started down the main road.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," Link whispered back. I'm not fine currently, but I will be, once I get back to that hot spring. His head was pulsing with pain; his wrist was throbbing hard enough that it felt like its own heartbeat, and he was beginning to notice that, on top of the aches and bruises across his body, his blood was burning with the corruption from Ascending through the Marbled Gohma. There was a shrine on the edge of the city; he wondered which would be best for him to address first – the corruption, or the broken bones.
I don't want anything to heal improperly, he decided. I still need to be able to use all of my limbs. And besides, Yunobo's power cleared up the worst of the corruption for now. Hot springs it is.
As they entered Goron City proper, Link didn't see a single Goron with eyes still glowing magenta. Many of the younger Gorons who had gotten addicted were emphatically apologizing to their elders, and the rest seemed to be hard at work. The sound of pickaxes ringing against stone clattered throughout the rocky crags surrounding the city. The marbled rock roasts themselves were nowhere to be found.
So the old Sage of Fire was right – with Marbled Gohma's defeat, the marbled rock roasts are all gone – thank the Goddesses!
Bludo waved a greeting from the entrance to his home as they neared, smiling wider than Link had ever seen.
"If I had to guess, I'd say the two of you figured somethin' out, huh?" he grinned. "Everything's all back to normal!"
Yunobo scratched the back of his head bashfully. "I… I'm real sorry about how bad it got to begin with," he said glumly.
"Yeah, but you fixed it," Bludo pointed out. "That's what counts, kid. You set it all back to rights. Just don't go diggin' up any more weird rocks. Got it?"
"Yup – got it," Yunobo said with a shudder. "Especially because – well, as it turns out, I'm the Sage of Fire. And that's a lot of responsibility! So… no more weird rocks."
Bludo squinted. "The – the what now?"
"It's – it's a long story," Yunobo started, glancing uncertainly at Link. "But Link here got kinda… well, before I start telling any stories, we should…"
Link patted his elbow. "I remember the way to that one hot spring," he said. "I'll just be there."
A look of understanding came over Bludo's face. "Yeah, get yourself taken care of," he said worriedly. "I'll have someone bring food down, alright?"
Link managed a tired smile. "Sounds perfect," he said, before setting off through the city. The sound of pickaxes wasn't doing any favors to his head.
He made his way back to Simmerstone Springs and wearily undressed, wincing at the sight of dark bruises along his ribs and the red, puffed-out mess that was his wrist. He noted as well that the marks of the corruption along his right shoulder and side had spread – a thin tendril reached out from his collarbone, pointing directly towards his heart.
With a grunt he eased himself into the spring and rested his head back against the side with a soft exhale, closing his eyes.
The mark spread. Was it from Ascending through Marbled Gohma, something filled with so much Gloom?
He was battered and exhausted, so it hadn't been particularly noticeable, but he could feel the telltale burning in his blood that came from too much exposure to Gloom. It still wasn't as bad as it had been when he first awakened on the Great Sky Island, nor as bad as his two disastrous encounters with Gloom in the Depths. Nonetheless, the mark had spread.
It's… it's been far too long since I spent time in a shrine, he reflected, as the hot spring began to ease the pain in his chest and arm but the burning in his blood remained the same. I was wrong – I should've gone there first. But it's been difficult – I've kept getting injured, and the most logical place for me to recover from that is here, in this spring – it's not as if a Goron could set a Hylian's wrist bones. But that means that I haven't been resting in shrines. I need to do better at balancing that. I need to rest in a shrine just as soon as I can.
The mark had not shrunk once since he received it, even with his nights spent in shrines. And now it had, in fact, grown longer. He felt an uneasy tightness in his gut, a deep sense of dread. I have no reason to think that damage can be undone. I must be more careful – I don't want to find out what'll happen if the mark actually reaches my heart.
He spent a full day in the spring, and then he moved on, much to the Gorons' consternation.
"You gotta take some time to recover," Bludo insisted. "You'll get hurt again if you don't! Just be patient – this is the quickest way to heal in all Hyrule!"
Link continued wrapping up his left arm in a sling, his thoughts fixated upon the charred-looking gray marks across his chest, the corruption in his veins, and nightmares of a blood-red moon. "I have to move on," he told Bludo quietly. I don't know where Zelda is – again. But she's clearly not here. And I'd like to find a shrine in a useful direction for me to travel – I'm not just going to sit and wait in Goron City.
"You're dead on your feet – I see it in your eyes," Bludo protested. "Look – if you won't stay here and heal, then at least do this – give yourself a break. Don't go chargin' headfirst right into danger again. Find somewhere nice and peaceful, and just – just slow down, at least for a bit."
That's the same thing as staying here to heal, Link thought, but then an image came into his mind – the Unity Bell in Tarrey Town, Hudson's stern but caring face, Rhondson's solicitous tutting over tears in his clothes, Mattison's bright gaze and boundless energy.
Somewhere nice and peaceful…
He remembered Purah describing how Hudson had helped build Lookout Landing and the Skyview Towers across Hyrule, to help search for him and Zelda, and his heart twinged. Does he… does he even know we're still alive?
Link set out with Ember on the old road to Goron City, which would take them past the Foothill Stable on the way to Akkala. It was a route he hadn't traveled in a long time, not since well before the Upheaval. But it was the most direct route from Goron City to Tarrey Town, and he was beginning to feel more confident in the idea of visiting.
As he rode, he thought back to the last conversation he'd had with Hudson, and his heart ached bitterly. I was going to ask Zelda to marry me. And then – then the Upheaval happened. I… I don't even have the ring anymore. Goddesses only knew what had become of his clothes, where the ring had been stored, after the Demon King's devastating attack. On the Great Sky Island, he had awakened wearing only underwear.
And now Zelda's… she's being weird. She's clearly not doing well, but she won't let me help her. Won't even speak to me at all. All because… because of what happened after I lost her.
His heart sank down to his toes, guilt bubbling up inside of him. I told Hudson I was hesitant to ask her to marry me because I was afraid of failing again. Because so often, it seems that my failures only cause pain for her.
A failure at Fort Hateno – he was nearly killed, his body torn to pieces. Then Zelda had to wrestle a demon for a century.
And now… I failed to catch her, didn't I? She fell, and got lost in time, and had to fight the Demon King. And presumably because of that, she's… the way she is now.
His throat felt painfully tight when he reached the Foothill Stable just past sunset. He rode Ember up to a Shrine of Light perched on a hillside behind the stable. He tethered Ember with plenty of grass to nibble on through the night before passing through the veil of emerald flames to the inside of the shrine.
He closed his eyes, his shoulders slackening as he felt the peace within the shrine wash comfortingly over him. But there was a tightness inside of him that wouldn't be eased, something he couldn't quite put his finger on. As he lay down on the soft, pale sediment on the ground, he felt all the more firmly convinced that heading to Tarrey Town to talk with Hudson was the right idea. He's always helped me out – always had excellent advice. I… I could use some of that, now.
With a soft sigh, he let his mind drift off to sleep.
"May the Light of our blessing grant you the strength you seek."
In the morning, he emerged from the shrine feeling full of fresh energy, though his stomach was eager for a proper meal. His blood didn't burn anymore, though as he expected, the mark hadn't receded. It hadn't spread, either, of course, which was good. Nonetheless – I must be more careful. No more Ascending up through Gloomy creatures if I can help it.
He took Ember's reins in hand and started walking down towards the stable, intent on getting the two of them something to eat. But he stopped short halfway down the shrine's hill, half-convinced he was still asleep. He stared at the stable, unsure if he was seeing properly. Ember snorted next to him.
"Yeah, they're all in underpants," came a disgusted female voice, and he turned to see one of the stable workers sitting on a rock some distance from him, surrounded by the stable's hounds.
Link shook his head slowly, entirely bewildered. "Why?"
"I didn't stick around to find out!" the stable worker said. "I'm sorry you had to show up with all this going on, Link. A bunch of guys in their undershorts, everywhere you look! It's just the worst. I'm starting to think they won't ever leave, too!"
Link scratched his head. "What in Din's name…" he muttered. His brow furrowed as he spotted Penn's familiar white feathers. Penn, fortunately, was fully clothed.
So… whatever madness this is, at least it's not contagious, I suppose.
"That's why I'm here with the dogs," the stable worker went on glumly. "Just doing some self-care, you know?"
"Sure," Link nodded. "I think… I'm going to go talk to them."
"Just don't join them," the stable worker shuddered, and Link led Ember towards Penn.
The Rito noticed them coming and walked closer. "Fancy seeing you here, Link," Penn murmured out of the corner of his mouth. "Truly bizarre stuff going on right now. See all the men in underpants?"
"Hard not to," Link muttered back.
Penn snorted. "True enough," he said wryly. "See, they're all members of the Zonai Survey Team. From what I've gathered, it seems this group got their orders straight from Princess Zelda herself – and she told them to dress this way!"
Link choked on his own spit. "Wh – what?" he sputtered, staring at Penn. "She… told them to go around in their underwear?"
Penn raised a feather, glancing down at his notes. "The official order was, from what they've said, 'We will find our future if we chart a new course, leaving the safety of indoor study for exploration in the wild. So, prepare your mind and body, and then explore in underpants!'"
Link pinched the bridge of his nose, a whirlwind of confusion spiraling through his mind. That's… that's pretty specific. She told these men to go out and study in their underwear. Why… why would she do that?
He looked back up at Penn. "Any indication on when she gave those orders?" he asked, dreading the response.
Penn scratched his head. "Not sure," he answered. "I take it they've been here at least a month. But factor in time for them to receive those orders, and then travel time, she either gave the orders shortly before the Upheaval, or shortly afterwards. We could ask…"
"Yeah," Link muttered. "I'll go ask."
There was a large group of the men gathered at the front of the stable, all of them gathered around one of their number, who looked to be trying to rally them. Not sure it makes much of a difference if it was before or after the Upheaval, he thought bitterly. If it's after, then… this is yet another example of her baffling behavior. Why would she ask a bunch of men to go around practically naked?
A stinging thought occurred to him. If she had given the order before the Upheaval…
Directly before the Upheaval, of course, he had been working to build the school in Hateno. And then he and Zelda left for Tarrey Town shortly after that. But all of that happened after… after we didn't see each other for quite some time, because I… chose not to follow her to Hateno. His gut clenched. Goddesses only know what she did during that time; maybe this is her way of… looking for someone else?
He felt a wave of old doubts and insecurities wash over him. Physically, he knew quite well that he was far from the ideal. When the Gerudo sent their daughters out into the world to find husbands, he wasn't what they were looking for. Most people who didn't know him very well couldn't resist a jibe about his height and stature. Not to mention the scars, raised up from his skin, uneven and ridged and discolored, marring most of his body. Whereas all of these men were considerably taller and didn't have any scars, although they didn't appear to be nearly as strong as he was.
He drew in a deep breath and let it out, pushing aside the doubts. That's a stupid thought, he told himself firmly. It doesn't even sound like she gave these orders in person, and besides, she's not that shallow. Or… or she wasn't, before the Upheaval. He swallowed. I guess I don't know how that might've changed.
"Princess Zelda has given the order!" the researcher who was standing in front of the rest exclaimed, pounding his fist into his palm. "So let's go – no more dallying! Find your courage, men!"
"After you, Sango," one of the others scoffed, and the rest laughed.
Sango's face turned red in embarrassment. "W-well, it won't be scary if we all go in together, all at once! We have strength in numbers, and numbers we have! For the Princess!" He raised his fist skyward.
"Yeah, no," another man grumbled. "Not until we get some backup at least!"
"Well, but she did say we needed to prepare our minds and bodies," one of the researchers chimed in. "We should start up that exercise routine Bougan keeps talking about. Then we'll get strong enough to handle anything in there!"
"Thank you, Drant!" Sango grinned. "That's the spirit – we'll rise to the occasion and get stronger!"
"Oh, sure, and then we'll what, punch a horriblin to death?" another shuddered. "Is that even possible?"
Link shouldered his way to the front of the group. "What is going on here?" he demanded.
Sango's eyes went wide. "You – you're – Hey, everyone! It's the Princess' swordsman! This is perfect! You can escort us all down to do our study!"
Link's eyes narrowed. "And what does that entail?"
"Well, there's a cave we're supposed to be investigating," one of the researchers next to him explained. "Only… we keep hearing weird noises from it. So we think there's monsters inside, and… uh… we're not really… cut out for taking care of them."
Link gestured to his left arm, bound up in a sling. "I've got a broken wrist."
"But… you're the legendary hero," Sango countered hesitantly. "I mean, unless you fight with that arm…"
"No… I'm right-handed," Link admitted reluctantly. "Fine. Where's this cave?"
Sango beamed. "He's going to help us! This is great! Okay, okay – so we'll show you where the cave is, but you'll have to go in wearing as little as we are."
Link gave the man a flat look. "Why?"
"That's what Princess Zelda's orders were," Sango responded, sounding confused. "You go in that cave, you have to do it in underwear."
"You've got to admit, it's a pretty specific order," one of the other researchers added. "She had to have a reason for it. Maybe there's something in the cave that gets rid of clothes anyway!"
Link frowned, remembering the like-likes he and Yunobo had encountered. What was it Yunobo said? They'll eat up weapons… and overalls?
Is there actually a legitimate reason for this order after all?
"Fine," he ground out, turning back towards Ember. "Give me a minute."
"Great! Thanks!" Sango beamed. "Alright, everyone – get your notebooks and rulers and everything all together! We're doing this!" Sango led the other researchers in a cheer as he passed back through them, much to his embarrassment.
Penn was staring at him with his beak hanging open when he reached Ember again. "You're… not actually going along with this, are you?" the Rito asked in disbelief.
Link carefully unwrapped his left arm from its sling. "Seems like a decent way to figure out what's going on," he shrugged. "See what's so special about this cave. There's a monster out there that eats clothes, which very well could be why she wanted them to explore it in their underwear. If they're not wearing anything it would eat, maybe it'll leave them alone."
Penn hummed thoughtfully. "I guess that does make sense," he nodded slowly. "But if it eats clothes… doesn't underwear count as clothes?"
Link frowned. "Maybe," he muttered. "Let's hope not."
"You don't have to, you know," Penn pointed out as Link removed his gauntlets and belt. "I already sent a message to Lookout Landing asking for verification that these were, in fact, the orders given. It might be a big misunderstanding. We just have to wait for someone to get word back out here."
I've done enough waiting around.
And there was certainly a part of him that felt fairly insistent about proving that he could fulfill these special orders from Princess Zelda, when all of these other men couldn't.
He left his trousers, shirt, chain mail, and tunic in a pile on the ground next to his gauntlets and boots before fastening his sword belt once more around his waist. Then he set out once more towards the group of men now carrying backpacks full of surveying materials and various notebooks and measuring devices. He kept his chin high as he neared, trying to ignore the way they all seemed to be trying not to stare.
"Erm… that's a lot of scars," Sango gulped.
Link's smile felt as thin as his patience with this group. "Yep. Where's the cave?"
"Uh… this way!" Sango said, pointing down the road. "Alright, let's go, everyone!"
"And that's why we didn't want to go down there," Link heard someone whisper from behind, and he fought the urge to roll his eyes.
Yeah, I've got a lot of scars. Get over it. I got blasted nearly to pieces by corrupted robots a century ago. So yes, I'm going to have scars. He wondered what exactly people thought had happened when they discussed the Calamity. 'The princess' swordsman was gravely wounded' – what do they think that means? That I got a few scrapes and bruises?
He drew in a purposefully deep breath, trying to reign in his rising impatience. It was unfortunate that many of the scholars Zelda associated with had rarely set foot outside of their own villages. They all seemed so ignorant of what the real world looked like. Zelda herself was the exception – she had personally stitched his wounds closed on several occasions. She knew how to gather safe ingredients from the wilderness to make food. She knew how to make snares and trap small game for meat, and she knew how to start a fire. Although she was content to let him skin and clean any animals or fish they obtained, her practical field knowledge was nonetheless, he was sure, a cut above most of the other scholars in the world.
She doesn't just read about things – she discovers them for herself.
Link exhaled deeply, giving himself a slight shake, refocusing on the present. It seemed the ache in his heart grew stronger and stronger by the day. Goddesses, I miss you, Zelda.
"Okay, this is the cave we're supposed to investigate," Sango said, gesturing to a narrow crevice in the mountainside. "It's just, uh… we go a few feet in, and we start hearing the sounds, so we stay away."
"Got it," Link said, drawing his sword. "Stay back out here. I'll go in, clear the monsters, and let you know when it's safe."
"Fine by me," one of the researchers said with a shudder, and the others rapidly nodded their agreement.
Oh, come on, Link scoffed inwardly. I'm beginning to think Zelda was right to order them to strengthen their minds and bodies, too. A little training in self-defense never hurt anyone!
Link passed through the crevice into the shadows beyond without any difficulty whatsoever – a benefit of his small size, he reminded himself. He crept slowly deeper, allowing his eyes to adjust, his bare feet padding almost silently against the rough stone. The cave remained narrow for some distance, it seemed, winding slowly deeper through the mountainside.
Then he heard a strange, wheezing bellow, echoing loudly through the cave, and he stopped, puzzled. He could hear the researchers at the mouth of the cave shouting out in excitement and fear. His brow wrinkled. This is what they heard?
The sound came again, and he realized that, bizarrely enough, it sounded like a cow in labor. What in Din's name…?
If it was a cow, there had to be another way into the cave – there was no way a pregnant cow would have been able to get through the tiny opening.
But if this is the sound they've been hearing all along, why hasn't it stopped? The cow would've given birth by now…
He inched further into the cave, keeping his sword drawn. There seemed to be a faint snickering sound coming from further ahead, and then another odd wheezing bellow. After that, Link was certain he heard the sound of poorly-muffled laughing.
"Do the horriblin next," he heard someone whisper. "You're better at that than the moblin!"
"Okay," another sniggered, and a moment later he heard a loud, high-pitched whooping sound that indeed sounded similar to a horriblin. Link's eyes narrowed. Kids playing a prank, he thought, creeping nearer. Pretty determined, though, to keep it up for so long.
The barely-suppressed laughter seemed to intensify. "Oh, that one scares the crap out of them," one of them giggled. "Do it again!"
The horriblin imitation echoed through the cave once again. Link was beginning to see a dim orange further down – firelight. He continued grimly, sword raised, ready to give the kids a scolding they wouldn't forget. If that's really what's been scaring those researchers for all this time…!
He could smell the woodsmoke. Pressing his back against the cave wall, he carefully peered around a bend, into a much wider room beyond. There was a campfire in the middle, smoke drifting up through a narrow hole in the ceiling. Behind the fire stood a large stone statue carved in the shape of an owl, with something green and glowing faintly caught in its beak. Zonai ruins.
But the room was empty other than that. There was no other tunnel leading somewhere else. Then… who…?
"Think we scared 'em off yet?" came a whispered voice from midair near the fire.
"Probably, but they'll be back," another voice sighed quietly. "Give 'em another moblin just to be sure!"
The hoarse, wheezing bellow echoed off the stone walls once more.
Link's brow furrowed heavily. They're Yiga, then. Trying to keep the survey team away from this statue.
He waited for a moment in the shadows, considering. The Yiga clearly hadn't noticed him yet. But nor could he actually see them, though he could guess where they were.
Well, two can play at their game. I've got a decent lizalfos impersonation. He grinned, looking at his sword. And I've even got a prop.
He angled himself so that the tip of his blade was only just protruding into the next room and made a harsh, rasping croak.
"Wh-what was that?" one of the Yiga gasped at once. "That – that didn't sound like a researcher!"
"Shut up!" one of his companions hissed. Link croaked again, moving his sword so that it imitated the quick, jolting movements of a lizalfos' head as it investigated its surroundings.
"That's a lizalfos!" a Yiga whispered fearfully. There was a sudden yelp.
"Look! There's its horn – Magnificent One preserve us; it's right there!"
"Well, go do something about it! We're Yiga, aren't we? We can take a lizard!"
Link croaked, lifting his sword up, fighting a grin.
"…Why don't you do something about it?"
There was a brief pause, and Link let out a series of croaks – a lizalfos ready to pounce.
"Fine! I'll go deal with it!"
Link listened carefully, croaking once more, to the soft tread of booted footsteps against the stone. He was ready when he heard the Yiga's confused yelp of surprise when it saw him and quickly thrust his sword through the man's chest. He let the man slide off the end of his sword and slit his throat even as he groaned in his death throes.
"G-guys?" one of the Yiga whispered in terror. "Did – did you see that?"
"We – we'll have to fight it all together," another murmured, determined though his voice shook. "Alright? C'mon, guys – show yourselves so I know you're with me! I'm not going without the rest of you – we have to do this together!"
One by one, with light puffs of air, five Yiga footsoldiers appeared around the campfire. Together they began walking towards Link's hiding spot.
He lunged for the nearest with a nearly feral snarl, plunging his sword right through the man's heart before he had a chance to react.
"What! You're –" another stuttered, taken entirely off guard, and Link's sword danced across his neck, swiping his head from his shoulders.
"Underwear!" one of the remaining three yelped in terror, managing to leap backwards out of reach as Link slashed towards him.
"How-did-the-researchers-get-this-good!" the second gabbed, bringing up his blade to block Link's attack.
"He's not a researcher!" the third exclaimed in shock. "That's him! That's Link!"
The second Yiga was distracted enough by the revelation that Link stabbed him through the center of his chest and yanked his blade out in time to block an attack from the third.
"Go tell Master Khoga!" the third Yiga gasped, barely managing to parry Link's counterattack.
"But –" the other Yiga gulped indecisively, his blade shaking in his hands.
"Go!" the third roared, even as Link buried his sword in his chest up to the hilt. At once he yanked his blade free with a spray of blood and charged the last remaining Yiga, hoping he remained indecisive long enough that Link could –
With a puff of air, the final Yiga disappeared in a thin cloud of smoke.
Link's heart lurched, and he gripped his sword tighter, panting lightly, sweat gleaming across his skin the stuffy, hot air of the cave. He circled warily around the small room, awaiting a hidden knife in his back, listening closely for the sound of footsteps.
Nothing. He's gone.
He let out a heavy breath, wiping his brow on his forearm without sheathing his sword. Soon, the Yiga Clan will know I'm alive. I'll have to be on my guard.
With a wry smile, he glanced down at himself, his skin spattered with their blood. Not a bad distraction technique. Anyone would be caught off guard if they were attacked by a short man in underwear with wild hair.
Link examined the small room more closely, his brow furrowed. The way the Yiga had spoken to each other, it seemed that this had not been a trap intended for him. Their purpose here was to keep the researchers out. Perhaps, even, to keep them away from this stone owl statue. He squinted at it, his eyes drawn to the small stone glowing green in the owl's beak. I… didn't think the Yiga were particularly interested in historical artifacts.
He padded quietly closer, reaching up to investigate the stone. It was a deep, verdant green in the center, more bluish around the edges. Just like Zonai magic, he thought, glancing down at his arm. Around the center of the stone he could see a string of Zonai characters forming a ring around it. Extending his finger, he touched it lightly, finding it soothingly cool to the touch. His hand tingled, but not unpleasantly. He pulled it free from the owl statue's beak; it had been held in place by a small cord, as if it was meant to be worn as an amulet.
Cupping it in both hands, he felt a great sense of gentle peace washing over him. His right arm seemed to tingle again, and he realized with a start that it felt almost like being in a Shrine of Light. His eyes widened. A… a shrine crystal. Does that mean… could I carry it with me? Will it heal me from Gloom, the way shrines do?
He fastened the cord around his neck. The stone hung down mere inches away from the furthest-reaching tendril of the mark of the corruption on his chest, a fact that felt at once comforting, regardless of whether the stone could actually heal him. So this is what the Yiga were guarding. Interesting.
After giving the chamber one more glance over, he walked back the way he'd come, through the narrow tunnel and out through the crevice into bright morning sunlight along the mountain road.
The researchers had all gotten bored, it seemed; they were all sitting around the cave entrance, chatting amicably with one another. As soon as one of them spotted Link, he surged to his feet, cheering loudly, and quickly the others followed suit.
"You actually did it!" Sango beamed. "You beat the monsters in your underwear!"
"Yiga, actually," Link said, and at once the researchers fell silent.
"Y-Yiga?" one of them echoed uneasily.
Link decided to spare them the humiliation of knowing that it was fake monster sounds that had them all so frightened. "They seemed to be guarding an owl statue carrying this," he explained, gesturing to the stone hanging from his neck. "They didn't want you to have it."
"Can I see it?" Sango asked intently, holding out his hand with a furrowed brow.
Link pulled the cord over his head and held it out. "I… I do kind of want it back," he said. "I think it could help me."
He watched as the researchers passed it between each other, jotting down notes and muttering observations to each other.
"It… it feels like holding sunlight," one of them marveled, squinting at it. "But it's… green."
"I think it feels like… like the happiest thing you could imagine," another said with a sigh. "Not pleasure, necessarily, but… happiness. True happiness."
"You know what it doesn't feel like?" Sango asked grimly. "Gloom."
Link frowned, leaning forward. "What do you mean? I thought you've been here since the Upheaval. Have any of you encountered Gloom?"
Several of the researchers nodded solemnly. "We got our orders before the Upheaval," one said. "Standard letter, sent by Princess Zelda herself. But then we had to gather up supplies, get everyone together… by the time we actually set out, the Upheaval had happened. Then on our way out to the location, we found one of those big holes that opened up in the ground. A Chasm."
A collective shudder seemed to pass through the group. "Bougan fell in some Gloom," one of them said grimly.
"Yeah, I'll never forget it," the most fit of the researchers said, rubbing the back of his neck with a grimace. "Here, can I hold the stone again?" It passed through the group until it ended up in his hands, and he closed his eyes. "Yeah… I'll never forget. Felt like the life got sucked right out of me. I recovered after a bunch of days sitting in the sun… this stone feels like what the recovery felt like. Warmth seeping back into you, getting rid of the Gloom, replacing the vitality it took away. It was after that I really decided I wanted to follow Princess Zelda's orders, and strengthen my mind and body. I didn't want to feel that Gloom ever again."
"An un-Gloomy stone," Link murmured. He regarded the researchers grimly. "I know you want to study this thing. But I think I need it. I've… had quite a few close calls with Gloom already."
They exchanged uncertain looks. "We… we do want to study it," one of them began.
Sango shook his head. "You're the Hero of Hyrule, and all this Gloom stuff is undoubtedly part of all the bad going on," he said, looking around at his colleagues. "You'll make better use of it than we can. Just… get it back to us when you're done with it, okay?"
Link nodded, taking the stone and putting it around his neck once more. "I'll do my best," he promised.
"Now," Sango said, rubbing his hands together. "There's still plenty to be found in that cave! And now there's no more bad in it! So what do you all say to – "
All at once there came a woman's voice, shouting, from the direction of the stable. Link turned in surprise, at once spotting Penn flying rapidly towards them above a woman wearing the Zonai Survey Team uniform charging their way on a galloping horse.
"Stop," she panted breathlessly when she reached them, slowing her horse down to a stop. "You – you don't have to – whew! Sorry." She paused a moment, breathing hard, slipping clumsily from the horse's back. "You all don't have to go into that cave in your underwear! The orders you got were wrong, somehow!"
"Wh-what?" one of the researchers gasped. "What… what do you mean?"
"I've got the orders right here," Sango added, digging into one of the backpacks and pulling out a letter with a broken seal. "'Explore in underpants' – says it right there!"
"That has to be a forgery," the woman said, frowning. She slipped a letter from her pouch. "This is the official set of orders. It never got delivered. When Penn asked us to look into it, we found it in Purah's study. Purah got it directly from Princess Zelda, back when they both still lived in Hateno Village. She said she had taken it with her when she moved to Lookout Landing from Hateno, but forgot all about it and never ended up sending it." She pulled a small knife from her belt and broke the seal, opening the letter. "Here's what Princess Zelda actually said: 'We will find our future if we chart a new course, leaving the safety of indoor study for exploration in the wild. So, prepare your mind and body, and then explore all other paths!' Not 'in underpants!'"
"So – so there were two letters the whole time?" one of the researchers asked, scratching his head.
"Did an official courier deliver your letter?" Link asked Sango. The Rito were the most reliable messengers in all of Hyrule; he knew that Zelda had solicited their help to communicate with her Survey Team.
"No, it was another researcher," Sango answered. "We thought the couriers were all busy or something."
"It was a Yiga," Link growled, shaking his head. "Think about it. I found Yiga footsoldiers down there, trying to keep you out. They didn't want you investigating, and it'd be a lot easier for them to kill you and dispose of the bodies when you're only wearing underwear. If any of you tried going in, it would've been easy for them to make you disappear. This all fits their plan to keep you out of this cave."
The researchers all stared at him, aghast, and he fought the urge to raise an eyebrow. Just telling it like it is.
"So the Yiga knew it was worth investigating, and they knew Princess Zelda was going to send researchers out to it," Penn noted grimly, tapping his beak thoughtfully. "They even knew almost the exact wording to use in their forged letter. Sounds to me like there's someone who was pretty close to the Princess who's actually a spy for the Yiga Clan."
Link nodded grimly, biting his lip. Purah had the original letter when she was still in Hateno Village, before the Upheaval. That fits – Zelda was in Hateno before the Upheaval. She would've written out the orders and given them to Purah to send off. It might even have been our journey to Tarrey Town that prevented Zelda from sending off the orders herself. The timing all fits.
Which means someone in Hateno Village is a spy for the Yiga Clan.
It wasn't as though the information was actionable, particularly since he wasn't intending to go to Hateno Village any time soon, and since the Yiga Clan likely already knew by now that he was alive. But it was certainly worrying; he wondered how much the Yiga Clan had found out about Zelda through their Hateno spy.
"Well," the female researcher swallowed. "Anyway, all of you can go put your clothes back on. No need to go around in your underwear anymore. You have Princess Zelda's real orders, now, and it looks like the Yiga threat has been taken care of here, too."
"Yeah!" Sango cheered. "Let's get back to it, everyone! Back to the stable – back to our clothes!"
"I really missed pants," one of the researchers sighed longingly, following Sango as they all trudged back up the mountain path.
Link hung back, still mulling over the Yiga Clan's unprecedented interest in ruins.
"Alright there?" Penn asked quietly, walking up to him.
Link nodded slowly. "It's unsettling, how easy it would be for a Yiga to disguise themselves as a researcher," he said. "And I find it troubling that all of a sudden they're interested in ancient artifacts – that they were even before the Upheaval. I'm worried that they might be a step ahead of us."
"Yeah," Penn nodded in agreement. "Here I was, thinking they'd be tearing Hyrule apart trying to find the hero and the Princess. But instead, if they've been studying this whole time…"
They would have assumed we were dead, Link thought grimly. And if we were dead, why waste manpower looking for us?
He started back towards the stable, the little green stone bouncing lightly off of his sternum with each step.
What exactly have they been up to all this time?