"And...that's enough practice for today!" Daruk told the axe-wielders. "Caspar, I'd like to talk to you in private. The rest of you, go get some rest, or something to eat, or whatever you like!"
Annette began teleporting the others off of Rudania, while Caspar met Daruk below deck. "What's this about?"
"I offered Yunobo my Boulder Breaker," Daruk told Caspar. "He said he didn't want it. Said he wouldn't know what to do with it, and he'd be better off using his fists in a fight."
"I get that," Caspar said. "Giving me a bow would be worse than giving me nothing at all in a fight."
"Heh! Same here!" Daruk said. "Yunobo...he has my gift, you know."
"Your gift?" Caspar asked.
"Daruk's Protection, it's called," Daruk said. "With some practice, he could get better at using it than I ever was."
"So...what does this have to do with me?" Caspar asked.
"Well, kid, if you're gonna pull stunts like you did with that monster, you're gonna need some protection yourself," Daruk told Caspar. "I'm gonna give you my Boulder Breaker, and Daruk's Protection. And I'm gonna teach you how to use them both."
"Neat," Caspar said. After Daruk gave him an orange orb of light, he tried picking up the Boulder Breaker. He lifted it with both hands, but it was obviously difficult for him. He dropped it, and the Divine Beast shook. "I can't fight with this, unless...Wait here for me."
Several minutes later, Caspar returned wearing the Zonai battle armor that the monk in the labyrinth had given to Link. With it on, he was able to pick up the Boulder Breaker and swing it. "Nice."
"There you go, brother! Now let's teach you to use Daruk's Protection!" Daruk said.
Yunobo and Raphael were visiting a certain place in the Eldin region where certain Gorons challenged themselves. "Here's the deal," one of the Goron trainers told them. "You two get to take the Gut Check Challenge. You get three minutes to climb Gut Check Rock."
Raphael cracked his knuckles. "This'll be a piece of cake."
Back in Zora's Domain, Sidon led the spear-wielders in a drill. "You're all getting better," he told them.
Lorenz went to where the water bags were to get a drink. There, he saw Leonie.
"Hey, are you okay?" Leonie asked him.
"Considering that I just recently learned that my entire lineage's legacy was based upon lies and the blood of the innocent...as well as can be expected," Lorenz said.
"Do you...want to talk about it?" Leonie asked.
"I don't know...I just placed so much importance on my family's legacy, that finding out it is in truth worth nothing, less than nothing even..." Lorenz trailed off.
"Hey," Leonie protested. "Yeah, Gloucester the First was scum. That's undeniable. But I know you well enough to know that you're proud to be your father's son because of who your father is, not because of who his ancestors were. And don't you have plenty of other ancestors you're proud of?"
"I do," Lorenz admitted.
"You can be proud to be a Gloucester without being proud of being descended from Gloucester the First," Leonie told him. "Sure, your family name wasn't worth anything in the beginning, but there were people who made it worth something."
"I thought you hated the noble families," Lorenz said.
"I do, but you're a good guy," Leonie said. "If you have ancestors you're proud of, they can't have been all bad."
Lorenz smiled. "I'd like to think that's the case. Thank you, Leonie."
In Kakariko Village, Kronya was sparring with Claude. Once again, she disarmed him.
"And that's eight for me, one for you," Kronya said.
"I'm not really connecting with the Sheikah fighting style," Claude admitted. "I like it in theory, but I don't think I can use it properly."
Kronya paused. "Can I talk to you about something? In private?"
"Sure, Monica, but why me specifically?" Claude asked.
"I think you're the person who could understand best," Kronya told him.
In truth, Kronya had been thinking about her options regarding revealing her real identity. She didn't want to reveal it to everyone at once. That was just asking for someone to sway everyone else against her. It would probably be Edelgard. Barring Flayn, Edelgard had the most reason to hate the Agarthans.
Instead, she would reveal her identity to a few people who might be willing to support her first, and when she did reveal it to everyone, they could help her plead her case.
Dimitri was right out. He was too honorable, too straight-laced. If she told him half the things Thales and the other Agarthan leaders had done, he would react emotionally. Ideally, that emotional reaction would be to swear to help her free her people from their tyrannical ruler, but that would only be if he was willing to hear her out, and if she could convince him that Thales was really that much of a tyrant.
Claude, on the other hand, she was sure she could convince. She had listened in on a conversation between him and Hilda on the subject of Almyra. He seemed to dislike a lot of things that both the Almyrans and Thales did, such as the use of child soldiers, so passing Thales off as a cruel tyrant to him would be easy. And yet he also seemed sympathetic to the Almyrans despite their failings, so he might also be willing to stand up for the Agarthans if need be.
Kronya took Claude to where the Vault was. It had already been emptied by the Sheikah, so there should be no one there to listen in on their conversation. "I have something to tell you. I'm not actually Monica von Ochs."
"You aren't Monica von Ochs? Then who are you?" Claude asked.
"A spy, meant to impersonate the real Monica von Ochs," Kronya admitted. "My name is Kronya."
"Okay...Kronya," Claude said hesitantly. "You said you were a spy. Who were you spying for?"
"Let me give you a little history lesson," Kronya told him. "Thousands of years ago, there was an empire known as the Agarthan Empire. I don't really know why, but the Agarthans fought a war against Sothis and her children a long time ago, long before Nemesis. Agartha lost the war, and the Agarthan Empire was shattered. Many of the surviving Agarthans were forced to hide underground, and hoped to someday reconquer the surface world."
"Kind of hard to do that when you're up against a Goddess." Claude spoke with a jocular tone, but there was no mirth in his eyes.
"True. But an Agarthan named Epimenides decided to tip the scales," Kronya said.
"The same Epimenides who taught Nemesis how to make Relic weapons?" Claude asked.
"The same," Kronya said. "Along with that, he tried pulling off a Darkhallow ritual."
"Given that we don't have a formerly-Agarthan god running around, I'm guessing it didn't succeed," Claude inferred.
"Actually, it did. But Saint Seiros killed him not long after," Kronya said. "But his general, Thales, survived, and made himself immortal using a Nabatean heart. He rules the remaining Agarthans with an iron fist. He's been trying to weaken Fódlan in hopes of conquering it."
"And you're one of the Agarthans," Claude realized. "Why tell me?"
"Because I want you to help me overthrow Thales," Kronya told him. "I've decided I don't want the lives of my people to be thrown away to satiate Thales's ego. I don't want to wipe out the rest of the Nabateans, I don't want to enslave humanity, and I certainly don't want to see my people die trying."
Claude looked at her thoughtfully. "I'd like to hear more," he finally said.
Kronya relaxed slightly, relieved. However, just at that moment, a huge man in a Yiga uniform appeared in a puff of smoke. Both Kronya and Claude drew their weapons.
"Allow me to introduce myself," the Yiga man said. "I am Sooga, son of Sooga, right hand of Master Kohga of the Yiga Clan. May I have the pleasure of taking your lives?"