Chapter 2: Scuffle in the Sands

Jin woke up that morning feeling more refreshed than ever. The knowledge that he didn't have to travel through miles upon miles of desert sand had almost everything to do with that feeling. He took his time getting ready as the sun was already beginning to rise. Once dressed for the day, his cloak protecting him and his head from the desert sun, he left his camp and headed for the front gate where he saw Dorrah and Merina talking with two other guards. As he approached them, the two other guards left, leaving the two he knew.

"Sav'otta, any news about Danda?"

Merina answered, "Sav'otta, we checked with the night guards. No one came in last night. We told our captain about it yesterday, and since we got the same report overnight, we think she'll send a scout to Kara Kara Bazaar."

Dorrah nodded, "I normally wouldn't be so free handing out information to a voe, but something dangerous might be going on, so you should be careful."

"I appreciate it," he looked over towards Kara Kara Bazaar, "How far a walk would you say it is from here to the bazaar?"

"A couple of hours if you walk, it's meant to be a rest stop between here and the rest of Hyrule," Dorrah stated.

Jin rubbed his chin in thought, he looked to the guards, the direction of the Bazaar, and his camp.

"How about we make a deal?" Jin asked.

Dorrah was immediately skeptical, "Explain."

"I'll run ahead and scout out the bazaar, and all you gotta do is make sure no one steals my stuff while my camp is here. I'll even pay you 20 rupees a piece, not bad considering you're both here all day anyway, right? It's easy money."

Dorrah considered the offer. It was a fair point, they would definitely be here all day. Making sure no one ransacked his camp would be easy enough.

"Alright, I'll do it. How about you Merina?"

Merina shrugged, "Might as well, we're here all day regardless."

Jin bowed, "Sarqso, just gotta grab some weapons, and I'll be heading off."

Dorrah and Merina watched as he ran back to his camp and began sifting through his gear.

"He's a strange one, but at this point he doesn't appear to be a threat," Merina stated.

"Agreed, but still, I can't help but feel like-" her thoughts were interrupted as she saw Jin walking off towards the bazaar. He was armed with what looked like two well used scimitars and a spear, but what caught her eyes was the shield on his back. There was no mistaking the design of the Gerudo shield on his back, it was a Radiant shield. One that signified a Gerudo had reached the rank of captain. She was so stunned that she didn't say anything until he was well out of earshot.

"Merina?"

"Yeah?"

"You saw it too, right?"

"I did."

"And you saw its condition?"

"Pristine."

"...watch the gate, I'm going to let the captain know."

Walking through the desert with everything on his back had been arduous and annoying. Now, with only his weapons weighing him down, he felt he was moving much easier and freely. Time flew by as he kept an eye out for any potential trouble on his way to Kara Kara Bazaar. However, as it was now clear in his view, the trip had been quiet…

"Too quiet, I would have expected at least a monster or two. Maybe a lizalfos or a few bokoblins." He focused more on the upcoming settlement and noticed some peculiarities as he continued closer.

'The whole town is surrounded by some small barricades, looks like a bunch of people milling about too.'

It happened quickly. The ground around him began to shake, move, and rise up. Jin reacted quickly by jumping and rolling as far as he could. Not a second later, a roar was heard as something big erupted from the sand where he had been just moments ago. Turning to face it, he saw what was undeniably the most dangerous monster one could encounter in the Gerudo Desert. It's appearance was similar to a cross between a whale and an alligator, the menace of the sands, a molduga.

"Well shit, found the problem!" He shouted out loud while running towards the bazaar as fast as he could. He heard as the molduga landed, reentering the desert sands.

'Think Jin, molduga follow the vibrations of movement in the sand, look for a rock, a stone pillar, anything to get me off the sand!'

Unfortunately for him, there was no such landmark nearby. Forcing him to choose a different option.

'Gotta run towards the Bazaar, hopefully I don't endanger any civilians, but I'm not equipped to fight this thing on my own right now!'

As he ran towards the town, he could hear the sound of the sand shifting behind him, the molduga in hot pursuit. He could see some guards waving him over as he closed in on the town, but he knew he wouldn't make it. He would have to make one more dodge.

'Shit, I'll have to dodge again. Should I use it? I might hurt someone if I don't use it right, but I don't want to risk a last second dodge like last time...'

"Fuck it, I'm not dying here. Focus on the legs."

He concentrated while running, then stopped in place for a second. This second was all the time the molduga needed to catch up.

"Release!" He jumped forward, a blast of fire erupted below, sending him flying towards the town just as the molduga burst from the sand where Jin had been a moment ago.

It was only now that his panic showed, "MOOOOOOOOVE!" He shouted hoping to avoid colliding with anyone. He saw some Gerudo and a few Hylians dive for cover, even those that weren't near him. His propulsion continued pushing him forward. He was going over the town's oasis, so he plunged his hands down into the water. The sudden resistance from the water caused him to slow and crash right into the oasis.

Jin collected himself as he broke the surface of the water, and swam ashore. There was obviously a crowd waiting for him, mostly Gerudo.

"Sa'oten, you just gave a bunch of us the biggest scare. You alright?" one of the guards asked as he got out of the water.

"Gonna be honest, that was a close call. Ah shit!" He reached into one of his pouches and pulled out a small box. It was just about the size of his hand, and looked like it was made of wood. "Whew, good, the seal didn't break, the contents should still be fine." He stuffed the box back into his pouch. He looked back at the guard and noticed the look he was getting.

"Sorry, got distracted. Yes, I'm OK, sarqso." He answered quickly.

"Well, good enough I suppose. I'm not sure what brought you hear, but it looks like you'll be stuck with us for the time being. That molduga showed up the other day and has been circling the town. We were hoping it would leave on its own, but it's been keeping us closed off from Gerudo Town and the rest of Hyrule, and that's bad."

Jin nodded, "Right, cuts you off from trade and reinforcements. Forces everyone here to survive with what little food is here."

The guard nodded, "You are correct. My name is Ripp, I've taken charge of things here in conjunction with Kachoo, the innkeeper."

"I'm Jin, wish we were meeting under better circumstances."

Ripp looked to the vicinity where Jin encountered the molduga, then back to him "That, said, mind explaining how you did that?"

Jin scratched the back of his head, "Bit of a trade secret, sorry to say. Oh, but I came here as a favor for the guards at Gerudo Town, they were concerned why no one had been coming." Ripp grimaced, "Well, it's pretty obvious why that is now that I'm here."

Ripp made a stern look, "We were planning on trying to form a counter attack, but there's only a few of us here, and while we have knowledge of molduga's, none of us relish the thought of fighting one."

"Do you have bomb arrows? Or even just arrows? Bombs?" he asked.

Ripp nodded, "We got what supplies we could from the merchants here, even so it's not too much."

"Ok, give me a minute, then I'd like to help you fight this thing. I have an idea that should work."

"Alright, I still have to make sure our soldiers are prepped for combat. Come find me whenever you're ready."

"Got it, sarqso," Jin ran off towards the merchants. They were easy to find, and his purchase was simple. Just four hydro melons. Only after completing his exchange did he remember something important.

"Danda. I should find her. Can't risk losing my life or the package fighting that giant sand whale." He bought an extra melon and, thankfully, he was able to have the merchant hold the four melons for him until he returned.

He looked at the inn, "That's the most likely place to find her." He ran to the inn as fast as he could.

Once he entered, he could see it was slightly crowded with Hylians, but the Gerudo inn-keeper was the vai he was looking to speak with. Luckily Kachoo was standing at the front desk as expected.

"Sav'aaq, you the voe that made it past the molduga?" she greeted him.

"Sav'aaq, yeah, that's me. Word sure travels fast."

"Given the circumstances, faster than normal. How can I help you? If you're looking for a room, we're a bit overbooked at the moment."

Jin shook his head, "No no, nothing like that. I'm actually looking for a Gerudo named Danda. I heard from the guards at Gerudo Town that she came here." Kachoo looked a bit perplexed until Jin continued, "I have a package to deliver to her. I was under strict orders to not hand it over to anyone other than her. Given everything going on, I wanted to make sure I delivered it before helping out against that molduga."

Kachoo nodded, "Well you're in luck, she's indeed staying here. Given the people milling about you probably can't see her sitting on one of the beds."

Jin looked ecstatic, "Wonderful, thank you so much! Sarqso! Here, a token of my thanks." He offered her the hydro melon he was carrying."

"Oh, sarqso! I was craving one of these, but haven't had the chance to run over and buy one," she took it from Jin and placed it behind her desk, "How'd you know I wanted one?

"A lucky guess, enjoy." He waved and made his way through the crowd of people. When he reached the beds near the back, he saw her. An older Gerudo vai, one that clearly matched the description "vaba".

"Excuse me, are you Danda?" Jin asked.

She looked at him with eyes that had clearly seen much in their long life, and wasn't expecting too much of the voe before her. She also looked annoyed, most likely due to being stuck with the molduga outside.

"I am, who're you?" She was definitely blunt. Whether that was due to the circumstances or just her nature, he wasn't sure.

"My name is Jin, and I'm here to deliver a package to you," he dug around for the package. He pulled out the small wooden box, "It's waterproofed, so it might be hard to open. May I?"

Danda nodded, giving him permission. Using a bit of force he tore the top of the box open, but left the lid sitting on top, and handed it to her.

Danda opened the box and looked curious at what was inside. She pulled out two folded up letters and a small jewel.

"This looks like a bindi, the forehead jewel some Gerudo vai wear."

Jin nodded, "Looks like it. I've seen a few before, but not that one."

Danda hummed, placing the jewel back in the box before opening one letter. Jin gave her some time to read it. He wanted to make sure everything was good before he headed off. As Danda continued to read, her face changed. What annoyance had been on her face before was gone, replaced with shock, and almost horror. Jin was getting concerned.

"Is everything OK? You look unwell," he asked politely.

Danda looked at him, her face still unsure, but eyes sharp, "Boy, did you know about anything written in these letters before you delivered them to me?"

He shook his head, "No, the box was already sealed when I was tasked with delivering it. I don't know what either letter says, nor did I know about the jewel…is everything ok?"

She closed her eyes and sighed, "I'll be alright. You plan on helping to fight that molduga out there?"

"Yeah, something like that can't be left unchecked. It could easily take many lives, and ruin even more. I feel obligated to help those in need, it's a trait I got from my father."

"I see…" she closed her eyes and sighed, "be careful out there, Jin."

"I will, sarqso. I'll be taking my leave now, maybe we'll run into each other on the way back to Gerudo Town once this is all over."

"Maybe…sarqso."

With that, Jin nodded and made his way outside, waving to Kachoo on his way out. Danda looked at the letter, reading it once again. "That damn fool."

Jin walked up to Ripp carrying the four remaining hydro melons. At first she looked confused, but then it clicked.

"You plan on using those as bait?" She asked.

"Sure am, I'd rather lose some melons than someone's life."

"Did you find any bombs or arrows?"

He shook his head, "No bombs left. There were some arrows, but I don't have a bow, not to mention archery isn't my strong suit."

"Fair, we all have our strengths and weaknesses. The few of us that are here have enough bows and bomb arrows for about three volleys."

Jin grimaced, "That's not much."

"It isn't, so we'll have to make it count. Are you ready?"

"Yeah, let's go."

Besides Ripp and Jin, there were ten others. Seven Gerudo armed with spears, shields, and bows. The other three were Hylian men armed with short swords and bows. The bomb arrows had been distributed evenly among them so they all had three, but the Hylian archers had bundles of regular arrows as well.

Jin looked awkward with a hydro melon stabbed on his spear, and another three in a bag he was carrying that was loaned to him.

'Good thing they know these melons are for bait, I'd feel like an idiot otherwise'

Ripp was leading the group, while Jin remained close behind. They wanted to make sure the bait was front and center. Ripp signaled the group to stop. Everyone had looks of apprehension. Jin took a few more steps so he was beside Ripp.

"You see the thing?" He asked.

She pointed to her 11 o'clock position, and Jin could see sand moving in an unnatural way.

"Alright, I'll bait the thing out," he started.

"Then we'll hit it with bomb arrows before it can submerge," Ripp continued.

"Then we all hit it with everything we've got," Jin finished, "sounds all so simple when we say it like that." Jin felt a hand on his shoulder.

"What you're doing is exceptionally dangerous, most would even call it reckless. Please be careful, there are far too few voe in the world with your type of bravery."

Jin chuckled and smiled, slightly embarrassed by the praise, "Thanks, how about dinner once we survive this, my treat?" 'Ah, damn it, I'm flirting again!'

She smiled back, "Only after we survive this," she patted his shoulder, and he began his charge, the others following a distance behind him.

"Alright, let's kill this bastard." He charged towards the moving mound of sand. As he got closer, he used his spear to launch the melon forward. It hit right near the sunken molduga, and the effect was immediate. The molduga rushed the melon and erupted from the sand. He got a much better look now then when he was running away, this monster was big. Calling a whale was an apt description. As it reached the peak of its ascent, he heard Ripp shout.

"Aim!" the molduga began to drop.

"FIRE!" Ten bomb arrows were loosed towards the monster. Thankfully, due to its size, they all hit their mark. The molduga lurched to the side and landed on the sand.

"CHARGE!" Those with swords and spears charged. Jin quickly stashed his spear and took out his two scimitars. While normally dual wielding such weapons would result in a more refined and elegant fighting style, Jin was foregoing that in exchange for dishing out as much damage as possible. The others quickly joined in trying to damage the molduga as much as possible. Eventually, the monster righted itself, and began burrowing back under the sands, causing the group to disperse and spread out.

"BAIT!" Ripp yelled. Jin put away his swords, pulled out another melon and lifted it up for her to see. Now they had to spot the thing again. Thankfully it shouldn't be too difficult to-

"Ripp, it's coming at you!" another Gerudo shouted. Jin could see it coming towards her as well, he threw the melon in between the two to try and distract it. The melon landed right where he was aiming, but the molduga ignored it and kept going towards Ripp.

"Shit!" Jin swore and took off running towards them. He quickly took out another melon, his spear, and stabbed the melon with his spear. He ran right past the moldugas path, while dragging the melon behind him with his weapon. This maneuver pulled the molduga away from Ripp, but now it was chasing Jin. 'Just keep running Jin, he'll catch up and bite the bait eventually. No chance of outrunning-'

His thoughts were interrupted as an explosion of sand behind him knocked him clean over, the bottom of his cloak flipping and becoming tangled on his person, covering his face in the process. "FIRE!" He heard Ripp yell, followed by the sounds of explosions. Jin panicked and tore off the cloak, he'd worry about it later. He was first greeted with the sight of the molduga coming down way too close to him for comfort. He dove and rolled out of the way, and heard the monster land on the ground with a thud. Not wasting any time, he turned and took out his swords, desperate to deliver as much damage as possible.

He swung and cut, sliced and slashed, but eventually was forced to back off again as the molduga burrowed.

'Ok, gotta take stock,' he looked around for his spear and saw it lying on the ground split in two pieces. 'Damn, that was a good hand me down, sorry dad.' He checked his bag and found that he had fallen on and crushed open the last melon he had. "Shit."

Ripp was close to him this time and saw why he swore. "Damn, no more bait and we're down to our last volley."

Time seemed to slow as Jin thought to himself. 'No more bait. One clear shot left. Anybody could be its next target, and chances are high whoever it is, is going to die…should I use it? We're out in the open so there shouldn't be collateral damage…'

"Jin, it's coming this way!" Ripp's declaration stirred Jin from his thoughts.

"Shit, no choice then. Ripp, whatever happens next, tell them to fire, then use that time to retreat."

"Whatever happens next? What the hell are you plan-" she couldn't finish as Jin ran towards the rising sand away from her, "Jin!"

Jin ran forward a good ways, until the molduga was almost upon him. He held his arms out with a sword in each hand.

He spoke to himself out loud, "Focus Jin. Focus into your eyes, then breathe. It'll seem like everything is…slowing…down" his breathing slowed, and he watched as the mountain of sand moved closer to him, and closer, and then underneath him.

Ripp watched as, with a roar, the molduga erupted from below. "JIN!" she looked up at the molduga, hesitating to give the order to fire, when she saw something.

Jin was on the molduga. His swords had pierced into the moldugas mouth, and he was hanging on for dear life. Ripp shook from her stupor and gave the order, "FIRE!" For the third and final time of the fight, the arrows were loosed towards their target. 'Now or never,' "Everyone, start falling back!" 'You better get out of there alive Jin.'

Jin felt the moment the arrows hit, the trajectory had changed sharply. "Now or never, come on legs!" Abandoning his swords, he focused on his legs and jumped out from the moldugas mouth into the air as high as he could. He was now about ten feet above the molduga, and dropping towards the ground slightly slower than the monster.

"Alright, focus everything in my right arm, give it everything I've got!" He did as he said, feeling heat gathering in his arm, before feeling it burst into flame. "Too damn much! Gotta hold it!" The monster of the sands crashed to the ground, and Jin was right on above it.

"RAH!" He swung his fist, colliding with the molduga. There was a loud thud, and an explosion of fire. Sand was strewn everywhere, blinding all those still nearby.

…

Ripp was the first one to wipe the sand from her eyes and regain her vision. She didn't know at the time, but what she saw was going to be etched into Gerudo history. Jin was slouched over, standing on top of the molduga. The monster itself had a giant, gaping, burning hole in its side. It lay dead in the sands of the desert it once stalked.

Jin raised his left arm into the air, "Victory!" His shout stirred the others who all began to cheer as well. Jin turned, gripping his right arm with his left hand. She could see the pain on his face, and the burns all over his right arm. She rushed towards him as he stumbled towards the fallen beast's mouth. She got to him right as he reached the mouth, where he attempted to retrieve his swords that were still lodged into the monster's corpse. He gave a few tugs with his left hand, but was clearly having trouble.

"Please hold still, let me help you." Ripp wasted no time in removing Jins swords from the dead molduga. She handed himself the swords one at a time, watching as he only used his left side to stow them.

"Haha, your hair matches your powers, is that your secret weapon?" She gestured to his unruly head of short hair.

"I wish, haha- ow!" He gripped his right arm again.

"Your arm looks badly burned, can you move it?"

Jin grit his teeth, "It's both completely numb, and hurts like hell at the same time."

"We need to get you back to Kara Kara Bazaar and have your arm tended to. Can you walk?"

Jin took a couple haggard steps forward, "Just barely. Catch me if I fall?"

Ripp chuckled and shook her head, "After what you just did, I'll carry you back if need be."

"Please don't."

Jin didn't help because he wanted to be lauded as a hero. He helped because that was what his parents taught him to do. He could practically hear his father now, speaking with that twang in his voice.

'Son, ya don't help folks lookin to get a reward. Ya help people cause it's the right thing to do…although a little reward every now n' then ain't the worst, after all, that's how yer mother and I met!'

What a character, his father. 'Pity I couldn't recover his spear. It wasn't anything special, but it was a nice hand me down.'

"OW!" He shouted as one of the Gerudo tightened the wrappings around his right arm. "Sorry, damn thing is super sensitive."

The gerudo shook her head, "It's fine, if what they said you did is true, then you're still lucky to have your arm."

Jin looked at his right arm. It was still numb and in pain, but the pain would subside and feeling would return in a day or two.

"Thanks for the patch up, how much do I owe you?"

"You're money's no good here, not after killing the molduga and allowing people to come and go again."

"But I-" She gripped his shoulder, interrupting him.

"No. Money. Now get out of here you crazy voe," she let him go, and he wasted no time standing.

"Sarqso, I appreciate it." She nodded in return, and Jin left the building.

He saw what looked like a caravan of vai preparing to make the march to Gerudo Town. Ripp and Danda were among them. He made his way over and waved to Ripp who saw him first.

"Sav'saaba, looks like she wrapped you up good."

"Sure did, wouldn't let me pay though."

"Of course not, after what you did, some free ointments and wrappings are the least we could do."

Jin gestured to the group around them, "I'm guessing everyone here is heading back to Gerudo Town?"

Ripp nodded, "Correct, if we leave soon we should arrive by nightfall. Are you coming with us? You know you can't enter the town, right? No amount of praise from me will let them bend that law."

He shook his head, "Of course not, I wouldn't expect you or anyone else to break a law for me. I will head back with you though, I left my base camp just outside the walls. A good night's sleep and I'll be heading off into the rest of Hyrule."

Ripp mumbled something under her breath, but he didn't catch it, "Very well, let me check with the others and we should be heading off shortly." Ripp and Jin nodded and broke off. Before he could get very far, someone called out to him.

"Jin," he turned around and saw Danda had come up to him, "You're coming to the town walls?"

He nodded, "I am."

Danda continued to stare at him, Jin couldn't quite tell what she was thinking or feeling at the moment. "I see, may we talk during our journey back. An old vaba like myself could use some good company."

"Oh, uh, sure. I don't mind." He could see a soft smile form on Dandas face.

The journey back was full of excitement and happy conversations from the caravan. Ripp decided to walk alongside Jin and Danda, of which Danda was mostly asking questions with Jin giving answers. There were mostly basic questions like "how was your upbringing?" And "what were your parents like?" Which were replied with basic answers. Until they got to some other questions.

"What did your father do for a living?" Danda asked.

"He was a merchant in a family of merchants. Knew his way with a spear that's for sure. Had to protect his family and goods after all."

"And your…mother?" She chose her words carefully.

"She was a hunter before and after marrying my father. She taught me how to use my swords. Tried to teach me how to use a bow too, but I just couldn't get the hang of it."

"I see…She's passed now, hasn't she?" Jin looked at her with surprise, "It said so in the letter."

"Oh, I see. Yes, she passed away. Taken too soon by illness. An apothecary friend tried to help, but there was nothing she could do for her. Other than to ease the pain."

"I'm sorry for digging up such memories," Danda apologized.

"Don't worry, it will always hurt, but time lessens the pain with each day."

An awkward silence overtook the group for a moment before Jin spoke up again.

"Well, enough moping around. The entrance is finally in sight, and it looks like my camp is still safe and sound."

Sure enough, Jins camp had remained untouched by anything other than sand and wind while he was away. This close to the gates everyone was hustling to get inside the town, especially since the sun was starting to set. Jin got as close as he felt he could comfortably get away with before stopping, Ripp and Danda stopping alongside him.

"Well, this is where we part ways. Both of you take care of yourselves."

"You as well Jin," said Ripp, "but I don't plan on staying in town for too long, just enough to give a report, then it's back to Kara Kara in the morning."

"Really? You're not sticking around?"

"I am not, perhaps we can head back to Kara Kara together in the morning? After all, you still owe me dinner," she hinted.

Jin smiled, "I'd like that." He looked to Danda next, "I imagine you're staying in town, Danda?"

She slowly nodded, "I am, that was far too much excitement for my old bones."

Jin laughed, "Yeah, that was a bit much even for me," he gestured to his lame arm, "Hopefully it'll feel better in the morning."

"Jin…" Danda looked torn. Like she wanted to say something, but wasn't sure how to say it.

"Jin!" his name being shouted caused him to turn, Dorrah and Merina were approaching him with another Gerudo he didn't recognize. The six of them were now in a group.

"Hey Dorrah, Merina, thanks again for watching my camp. Hold on a second, let me make sure I pay you both," he began trying to open his pouch with a sole arm.

The unknown Gerudo looked right at him, and interrupted his process with the harshness of her words "This is him?"

Dorrah nodded, "Yes captain."

The now identified captain stared at him, "Can I see your shield?"

Jin looked back in surprise, "Uh, sure." He took it off his back and showed the group.

Ripp spoke first, "Huh, I didn't notice before since everything was going on, but that's a Radiant Shield. Only Gerudo captains are given those. How'd you manage to get one, Jin?"

Jin answered plainly, "My vama, my mother, she gave it to me."

No one spoke after he answered.

"...what? Something wrong?"

The captain stepped right up to Jin.

"Let me ask you a question," her voice was dead serious, "are you implying that your…mother…is a Gerudo?"

…

"Well she passed away, but yeah, she was."

…

"Dorrah, Merina."

"Captain" They both answered.

"Take him in."

Dorrah and Merina were at his sides in a heartbeat, each grabbing one arm. Dorrah his right, Merina his left

"OW OW OW, watch the arm!" He shouted, "What's this all about?!"

Dorrah was as serious as her captain, "Sorry Jin, orders are orders. With such a proclamation we can't let you free."

"Sa'oten! Wait! We can't imprison him! He's done so much to help us already, he deserves some leeway!" Ripp argued in his defense, while Danda remained silent.

The captain spoke up again, "You can give me a full report later Ripp, but for now I've been given orders for what must be done. While voe are not permitted in Gerudo Town, we're implementing one of the exceptions now, imprisonment."

Jin was stunned silent, what the hell had he gotten himself into?

Riju lay down in her bed. Right before finishing for the day, she received a report about a voe with a Radiant Shield in excellent condition. She conversed with Buliara about the possibilities and solutions.

Possibly number 1: If he had simply found it and restored it, then nothing could be done.

Possibly number 2: He killed or stole it from a Gerudo, then he would be punished accordingly.

Possibly number 3: A Gerudo, for some unknown reason, gave him or sold him the shield.

The first two were simple, and the most likely, but something about the third possibility had Riju stuck in thought.

'No Gerudo captain would willingly give away or sell that shield once they received it. There has to be more to this that I'm not seeing…'

"Forget it, it can wait until tomorrow."

What a super long chapter! I couldn't find a better place to stop the chapter, so I figured I'd keep going until this point where I KNEW I'd stop. You, the readers, know what a male Gerudo would mean, but how will this play out?