When the three adventurers returned from the Shrine, they found that it was nearly midday. Clearly they had spent more time underground than expected.
"Lady Edelgard, you have returned," Hubert greeted them. "I had begun to fear the worst."
"I am quite all right, Hubert. As you can see, there was nothing to worry about," Edelgard reassured her retainer. "I am sorry we took as long as we did."
"The only thing that matters is that you are in good health, your highness. All other things are immaterial." Hubert gave his liege a sincere smile.
Kronya decided to talk to Leonie. "What exactly happened in there?"
"Oh, it was freaky," Leonie told her. She described the events of the Shrine to Kronya, and when she got to Oman Au, Kronya clenched her teeth. If there were undead monks with way too much knowledge in all the shrines, that meant she couldn't enter any of them without risking her identity being exposed.
Sure, destroying Calamity Ganon might have been Kronya's priority, but the primitives might not see it that way.
Also concerning was that Link was apparently the "Chosen of the Goddess," or some such. The Agarthans had little fondness for gods, and the feeling was mutual. From context clues, she figured that this Goddess, Hylia, seemed to oppose Calamity Ganon, but still...
Kronya would need to learn more. That would be the best course of action for now.
The machine that the three of them fought was another interesting topic. She wasn't sure what to do with the information, but maybe it was important.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Link using the Magnesis rune to hoist three metal crates out of the lake.
"Oh, that's right! Oman Au said there were weapons and clothing in the lake!" Leonie remembered. "Let's get these open."
Within minutes, the group had managed to pry the crates open. The first one contained a dozen steel broadswords.
"Property of the Hylian National Militia, Great Plateau Garrison," Hubert read the script on the crate's removed lid aloud before turning to Edelgard with a frown, "It would seem that our guess was right, milady. This place was a thoroughfare before it was abandoned... and a Militia outpost as well, it would seem."
The second crate contained uniforms of some kind, consisting of dark hoods, standardized red tunics with sturdy leather chest and shoulder protectors, and simple light brown trousers and leather boots. This crate was thankfully just as water tight as the one with the swords. Kronya picked out a uniform that seemed to be about the right size for Monica von Ochs, though she thought it would be a snug fit if she ever dispelled her disguise. The others also quickly selected uniforms, seemingly glad to have something other than their pajamas to wear.
There also seemed to be bags of some sort in the crate, with straps for easier carrying. The remaining uniforms went into the bags, and everyone agreed to take them with them to bring to their peers. Kronya, of course, went along with it to avoid raising suspicion.
The third crate contained two bows and a few quivers full of arrows. Leonie claimed one of the bows for herself, while Link took the other.
"One must wonder why the crates were waterproofed so well," Lorenz questioned.
"I'm not complaining," Leonie said.
Edelgard didn't seem to want to try to insist that "Monica" not be able to take a sword, but she did quietly ask Kronya, "Are you going to use that sword...responsibly?"
"My only priority at the moment is figuring out how to destroy Calamity Ganon," Kronya answered. "All of you are potentially useful to that end, especially Link and Flayn. So yes, I'll play nice."
"Destroy Calamity Ganon?" Edelgard asked. "What makes you think we can do that? And I understand Flayn, but why is Link important to that goal?"
"Oh, come on," Kronya said. "A dead monk says Link is 'The Chosen of the Goddess.' There's a special sword that can hurt Calamity Ganon. Link is an exceptional swordsman. Connect the dots!"
Edelgard thought about that. "If that's the case, where do we come in?"
"Maybe the local Goddess figured he needed some help. Maybe your Goddess decided to contract all of us out for her. I don't know. All I know is, if Ganon gets loose, everything dies. And not just in Hyrule, but everywhere. And I know you don't think much of me, but I think the world being destroyed would be inconvenient. So yes, I'll play nice."
Edelgard decided that "Monica's" reasoning made sense. She wasn't sure what to make of her theory; she thought the idea that they might have been thrust into a situation like a tale out of a storybook rather absurd. But...their entire situation was rather absurd, wasn't it?
If "Monica" was right, and Link was a hero chosen by his local Goddess to save the world...Edelgard wasn't sure what she thought of that.
For now, she decided on, 'if this Hylia is so active here in Hyrule, Sothis had better have a damn good excuse for being so passive.'
"I think we can do two more Shrines before nightfall," Link suggested.
"Then by all means, we should make haste," Ferdinand said.
The seven of them made their way to the next shrine as quickly as they reasonably could. In a little over an hour, they reached the location of the next Shrine.
The ruin, once against set against the edge of the Great Plateau, was evidence of what had been quite a large structure somewhere in the past. Whereas the previous shrine had been situated near a lake and a smattering of smaller ruins, this one was characterized by layers of thick stone walls, crumbing arches and other structures that made it clear that the building that had once stood at that spot had been a grandiose one. In fact, some of the more intact pieces of architecture reminded Edelgard of the style used in abbeys, churches and other places of worship constructed by the Church of Seiros.
"I believe this is the place the old man warned us of," Hubert recalled. "We should be careful."
"I agree," Edelgard concurred. "The ruin seems like an ideal place for those Bokoblin monsters to take shelter. Plus, the old man said there might be 'Guardians' of some sort active."
"I see. Therefore, there is no choice," Ferdinand stated. "As a proud scion of House Aegir, it is my duty to volunteer to approach these ruins as a scout!"
"What." Edelgard said flatly.
"Well said, my good friend! However, I cannot in good conscience allow such a brave soul such as yourself to take on this arduous task alone," Lorenz declared, stepping up right beside his fellow noble and raising his own sword, "I, Lorenz Hellman Gloucester, volunteer to stand beside the good Ferdinand von Aegir in this most dangerous task!"
"Great Nayru, they're feeding off each other," Link swore.
"No! No, you two are not scouting the ruin!" Edelgard insisted.
Ferdinand gasped. "Is it that you think I, Ferdinand von Aegir, am not up to the task?"
Link nudged "Monica." "Do you Fodlan nobles have to say your full name so much? It's getting old."
"Nope, it's just these two idiots," the impostor replied. "And let me just say, I have absolutely no faith in your ability to be stealthy. I'll scout the ruin. You will wait here."
Leonie scoffed. "And you think you'll do better why, exactly? I have experience as a hunter. I'll scout the ruin."
"Enough!" Link declared. "I think in this case we need safety in numbers. No scouts."
"I agree," Edelgard said. "Best that we go in together."
"Very well," Ferdinand agreed.
As they prepared to enter the ruins, Edelgard could not help notice those pot shaped stone mounds resting around the ruins. Now that she played more attention to them, the snow haired Princess noticed those mounds were actually statues, similar to the ones around Claude's base camp. How odd. The statutes, with their odd shape and darkened stone surface clashed completely with the architecture of the temple and the abbey ruins. In fact, they looked completely out of place when compared to everything around them.
What could these weird pot shaped statues littering the outer perimeter of the abbey ruins be doing there... and why was there a small, alarmed voice in the back of Edelgard's mind telling her she seen something similar before, and that danger was afoot?
The ruins actually seemed fairly Bokoblin-free. As the party traversed them, they didn't find a single Bokoblin in the ruins. That seemed suspicious somehow. Would these ruins not be an ideal place for Bokoblins to hide?
Suddenly, as they got close to the Shrine, Leonie heard a strange noise. Looking at Lorenz, she saw a red beam pointed at him. "GET BACK!"
She pulled Lorenz behind a half-destroyed wall. Edelgard realized what exactly was happening. "Take cover!"
The others quickly took cover behind walls. "What is that?" Lorenz asked.
"A Guardian, I think," Link said. "All I remember is that they're dangerous."
"What do they do?" "Monica" inquired.
At that moment, a blue Bokoblin, which had been exploring the ruins because it was either braver or dumber than the rest of its kind, saw them. It tried running towards them, but when the Guardian targeted it, it lost its nerve. It tried running away, but it was too late. The Guardian's beam blasted it, killing it in a fiery explosion.
"Ah. I see," "Monica" stated.
"Stay here," Link told them. "I think I can get to the Shrine if I move quickly."
"It's too risky," Leonie protested.
"I can do this," Link insisted. "Just wait here for me." He then made his way through the ruins, hiding behind pieces of rubble along the way. He managed to reach the Shrine, and entered safely.
"So I guess we just wait here," Hubert said.
Over an hour later, the six of them heard an explosion, followed by a second explosion. They feared the worst, but then Link came back. "Let's get out of here."
With that, they departed. Hopefully they wouldn't see any more "Guardians" for a while.
"War machines," Rhea said darkly.
"Yes," Flayn said. "Initially, they were meant to combat Calamity Ganon. But it took control of them."
"And let me tell you, they are a pain to deal with without a Mirror Shield," Claude added.
"Thankfully, thanks largely to the efforts of Link and your students, there aren't many Guardians left in Hyrule," Zelda added. "It's a shame to lose the technology, but it was necessary."
Rhea could not agree that losing the technology was a bad thing. Some things were better off destroyed.
"While they were on their Shrine quest, the rest of us were busy trying to put together what resources we could," Dimitri said. "And that led to some trouble all on its own..."