The leaf bikinis were surprisingly comfortable, and they looked great as well. Kat couldn't see herself, but she looked at both Ruru and Maomao with a pleased grin. They were both pretty pale, with small chests, but the green leaves contrasted against their skin well. Maomao more so, Kat admitted. Green suited her.

"Excellent job Ruru," Kat praised. "Now we all look the part."

"How do you put up with clothes that cling so tightly to you?" Maomao asked, pulling at the hem of her bottom halves to try to adjust them. "It's like a second layer of skin."

"You'll get used to it," Kat assured her.

Maomao didn't look convinced, but she let the matter go. "So, now what?" she asked instead.

Kat considered that for a moment. "I dunno, I guess just play around some? We're at the beach after all, I could go for a swim."

"Aren't you exhausted?" Maomao asked with a raised eyebrow. "It was only this morning that you rescued me, and I remember that including a lot of running."

"Yeah, but I took a nap?" Kat replied in a confused tone.

Maomao gave her a strange look but then sighed. "Well, have fun then I suppose."

"Aww, you're not going to join me?"

"I don't know how to swim."

Kat blinked at her. "Really? Well, we can't have that! I'll teach you!"

Maomao's back stiffened. "You- no, that won't be necessary. I'm perfectly fine-"

"Nope, no arguments," Kat cut her off as she grabbed the other girl's hand and started pulling her to the waterline. "We'll be spending way too much time around water for you to not at least know the basics."

Maomao looked back. "Ruru!" she pleaded to be saved.

"Do not worry, I am perfectly capable of swimming despite being an android."

"That's not what I meant!" But it was too late by then, as they had reached the water. Maomao had little choice but to follow her instructions as the tanned girl instructed her on how to swim. To her surprise, she found Kat to be a patient and skilled teacher, slowly but surely guiding Maomao in the art of swimming. And she even did it with minimal groping.

Unbeknownst to her, Kat actually had lots of experience teaching others how to swim. She spent most of her free time on the beach after all, practically growing up there. Teaching cute girls how to swim was a fantastic way to get closer to them, both emotionally and physically, so she had plenty of practice.

They called it a day once the sun started going down and the sky was cast in a deep orange hue. Maomao hadn't become an excellent swimmer in that time, but she was capable of floating and doing the doggy paddle so long as the water was relatively calm, which Kat considered good enough for her to be safe in the water at least.

They hauled themselves back onto the beach to discover that Ruru had set up rudimentary sleeping spots. They were just spots of the grass that had been folded flat with a blanket laid on top of it, but Maomao and Kat were both too tired to care.

Despite her claims of being fine thanks to her nap, Kat was starting to really feel the past 36 hours catch up to her, so she once more laid down on a towel and instantly fell asleep, uncaring that she was still wet and completely exposed to the elements. Maomao hesitated, but she was just as tired and so she followed suit after thanking Ruru.

Ruru, who didn't need sleep, stood there for a bit, making sure that the two of them were okay and didn't need anything. Then she sat down nearby with her back to a tree and closed her eyes. She wasn't sleeping, but she did turn down many of her systems and functions, entering an idle state that used less power. It was as close to sleep as she could get.

And so the second night of the Seablock passed by without incident.

It wasn't until the sun had risen once more to a spot well above the horizon that they woke up. First Maomao, followed immediately by Ruru, and then Kat a few minutes later. Neither Maomao nor Kat were morning people though, so there was little talking as they took care of their biological needs and splashed some water onto their faces.

Once she was a bit more awake, Kat stopped to inspect a small sproutling sticking about a foot out of the ground. She looked around and saw several more of about the same size. "The trees we planted are growing pretty quick, aren't they?"

"It appears so," Ruru said. "At this rate of growth, they should reach full size in approximately seven days. However, the trees that were already present have not grown a noticeable amount. It is unclear at this time if it is only newly planted trees that grow abnormally fast, if they slow down their rate of growth, or if they have a maximum size to which they can grow."

Kat hummed. "A week would be pretty nice. We wouldn't have to worry much about wood if it's that fast. How about the fruit?"

"I picked all of them while the two of you were swimming yesterday," Ruru said. "I estimate that they'll be ready to harvest again some time tomorrow."

"Neat," Kat said with a nod. "Speaking of which, I'm starving."

As they helped themselves to a breakfast consisting of more dates, Kat frowned. "These are good and all, but I'm already starting to get sick of them," she said.

"You could try the seaweed," Maomao suggested, referring to the plant life they discovered under the water while they were swimming.

Kat scrunched her nose. "Pass." She shook her head. "No, I think it's time for another mission. Ruru?"

"There are no new missions available."

"Ugh, but I'm bored!" she groused, giving voice to her real feelings as she leaned back and laid down in the sand. "Yeah this place is going to be cool eventually, but there's nothing to do here. Unless…?" she tilted her head to look at Maomao. "Wanna have sex?"

"Pass," Maomao said, repeating Kat's denial. "I'm still not recovered from yesterday."

"Bullshit, my special powers mean you should be fine."

That was true, physically speaking. Maomao had recovered rather quickly after their session last night, despite the fact that she should have at least been rather dehydrated and sore from the position. But she was neither, thanks to Sexual Calibration.

Her mental state was another matter entirely.

She was pretty sure she was straight, or she had been, for as much as she cared about such things, which wasn't that much. But now… she found her mind drifting back to those sensations and feelings, and the taste of Kat's cum, and how she wanted more. And she wasn't sure how she felt about that yet.

"Why don't we come up with a plan?" Maomao suggested, changing the topic. "You might not have a mission now, but I don't want to end up in another situation where your best bet is jumping into a freezing cold river."

"How am I meant to plan for missions I don't know in places I don't know, for or against people I also don't know?" Kat asked, turning away from Maomao as she looked back up at the sky.

That gave Maomao pause. "That's… a good point." She frowned as she cast her mind out for more known quantities that they could plan for. "You mentioned those perks you can get, right? Are there any you want to get soon?"

"Hmm," Kat hummed as she tried to remember what she read in the catalog of options that she had been given. "There are a bunch of cool upgrades for our bracelets, including a shield. I want some of those. Oh, and I should probably get something to make me stronger."

Maomao tilted her head. "You mean physically?"

"Sorta? Pretty much, yeah. Like, Ruru kicked all sorts of soldier ass, right? But I couldn't. But there are a ton of things that could make it so I could kick ass. I just sort of ignored them, because I was thinking of this like a job." She paused. "Well, a normal job. But I'm pretty sure the worlds are only going to get more and more dangerous."

"That is partially correct," Ruru commented. "Both this world and Maomao's world have a Danger Rating of three. Our missions could very well lead to less dangerous worlds, however it is statistically improbable as the majority of worlds are rated higher."

"The highest is ten, right?" Kat asked.

"Correct. The increase in danger, however, is not linear. Each rank of danger is an order of magnitude more dangerous than the previous one."

Maomao was shocked. Her shit hole of a home, where life was cheap and death came easily, was only a three on that kind of scale?

"What was Earth again?" Kat asked, referring to her own homeworld.

"It has a Danger Rating of two."

"Hmm. Yeah, that sounds right I guess. But yeah, if things are going to get more dangerous, I need an edge."

"The Talents you possess will allow you to grow your physical abilities through training and experience," Ruru pointed out. "Athletic will improve your baseline physical abilities, while Martial will help you learn how to fight better."

"Sure, that's a good start I guess, though I hate training." She typically avoided training and exercising when possible, preferring to get those benefits from just doing the thing. Mostly swimming, but she'd joined a few sports clubs in her time as well.

"Heritages offer a solid path to power," Ruru continued.

"Ugh, those gave me a headache even when I skimmed them. A couple seemed okay, but aren't they also really expensive?"

"To purchase a Heritage completely costs one thousand Credits and an Imaginary Ticket. However, the total price is largely irrelevant to you, as the majority of your perks will be earned from mission rewards rather than spent Credits."

"True, but we only get good rewards for hard missions, right? And most of the individual perks were worth a lot more than what we got from our first mission. I'll need something before we hit the point where we're doing missions worth Heritage stuff."

"In that case, my suggestion is a Template Stack. It is only twenty Credits and will give you a growable power. Depending on the power, you could soon grow to be on par with me when aided by Talents."

"Oh yeah, there was that option, wasn't there?" Kat sat up with a grin. "Alright, I like the sound of that. We'll aim for that."

Maomao frowned. "Didn't you say you don't have control over what perks you can get?" she asked. "I know I was the one that said you should plan for what perks you want, but I was imagining something more along the lines of putting them in an order of what you want the most. You can decide you want a Template Stack now, but until you get a mission with one, there's not much you can do."

Kat opened her mouth to reply, but she was cut off by Ruru.

"We have just received three missions, each one offering a different Template Stack as a reward."

Kat and Maomao both looked at Ruru. Kat was grinning and excited, but Maomao looked stupefied. "Are they listening to us or something?" she asked nervously.

"Probably," Kat replied with a shrug. "Template Stacks can be anything right? What are they offering?"

"The first one offers a Template Stack of a Solar Exalt," Ruru explained.

Kat blinked. "Pretend I don't know what that is."

"Based on the limited information I have access to, a Solar Exalt is someone who excels at what they strive to do, to levels that transcend common sense and physical laws of reality. A Template Stack of one would improve your abilities and allow them to grow to extraordinary levels."

Kat tilted her head. "Isn't that what Talents do already?" But then she shook her head. "Sounds kind of boring either way. What about the next one?"

"The second mission offers a Template Stack of 'Ability Borrowing'. This is a generic ability not based on any specific character or setting so I cannot surmise about it beyond its name."

Kat nodded, and then frowned. "Hmm. How about the last one?"

"It is a Template Stack for a character named Medaka Kurokami. It seems that she is capable of learning the skills and abilities of others and improving them."

"Is she cute?" Kat asked, perking up.

Ruru blinked. "To be clear, you would only gain a weakened version of her powers, not the girl herself."

"That's not what I asked. Is she cute?"

Ruru didn't answer immediately and was still as she struggled to determine how to answer that. After a moment she settled for projecting the image that was on the Catalog entry for the character in question.

Kat looked at the image. "Ooh, yeah she's pretty cute. Okay then, I've decided. Let's do the second mission, with the Ability Borrowing thing."

Ruru cut off the projection. "Can I ask you to explain why you decided on that one?"

"Well, they all sounded pretty similar, which is a little annoying but none of them sound bad," Kat said. She knew that her boss was curating her rewards and likely only offered ones she thought suited Kat, and Kat trusted her insight on that. But not all of them appealed the same.

"But the first one sounds boring and vague, and the third one is attached to a cute girl. What if we end up meeting her later and I can convince her to join me but we have the same power?" Kat shook her head. "We can't have that, so that leaves the second one, which sounds pretty neat."

Maomao sighed and shook her head, only half understanding what they were talking about but fully understanding Kat. She was impressed with herself for adjusting to her new master's particular quirks so quickly.

Ruru was once again silent for a moment. "Such an answer is illogical," she said eventually. "There is no downside to having multiple members of a retinue have the same set of powers."

"Maybe strategically or whatever, but don't you think that's boring?" Kat replied.

"I do not."

Kat shrugged. "Well, I do. It's not like the ability borrowing one is a bad choice, right? They all start at the same level."

"There are enough differing positive and negative traits for each ability, as I understand them, to make direct comparison difficult. However, you are correct in that none of the presented options are bad choices. The ability that appeals to you the most should be the one you pick."

"Exactly," Kat agreed with a grin. "And that's the one that doesn't overlap with the cute girl."

Ruru sighed. "Very well. Should I accept the mission now?"

"Let's finish eating and get dressed first, then we'll head out."

They did exactly that, changing out of their leaf bikinis for their normal outfits. They were an eclectic group— one modern teenage girl in a t-shirt and jeans, one villainess straight from a Sunday morning cartoon, and one girl from ancient China.

They stuffed everything into the Pocket Space, harvested fruit included, and Kat instructed Ruru to open the portal. She did so by accepting the mission, and the now-familiar twisting of space appeared on the beach in front of them.

Kat and Ruru approached it, but Maomao hesitated. "I don't think it's necessary for me to join you," she said nervously. "I wouldn't be of much use."

Kat turned to face her and raised an eyebrow. "That's probably not a good idea. I mean, we're taking the water with us. And even if we weren't, I don't know how long we'll be gone. If it's more than a few weeks then you'd be in serious trouble."

Maomao's shoulders slumped. "Right, I suppose that's a good point." She sighed. "Fine, fine, I'll come along."

"Aww, don't be like that, just think of all the new plants that might be on the other side!"

Maomao perked up instantly, eyes glistening. "Let's hurry up and go!" she cheered.

Kat laughed and then stepped through the portal. She was surprised when her foot came down on more sand. But that was where the similarities ended. She was immediately hit with a wave of dry heat, and as she looked around all she saw was orange rock.

The portal had dropped them off in some kind of canyon filled with sand. Tall rock walls loomed over them, orange-brown in color. Sand and worn down rock made up the ground below, and a faint breeze brushed against them.

Fortunately Kat also noticed signs of civilization. The ground wasn't just random dirt and stone, as there was a clear section that ran along the length of the canyon's floor that was worn down and smooth, obviously well traveled. A naturally formed path, but a path nonetheless, one wide enough to fit at least a car. Second was a simple lamp post, though the lamp was only a bit taller than her. The light glowed a deep orange, with some kind of source ensconced within either a thick glass or rock salt, she wasn't sure which.

Ruru and Maomao stepped through the portal after her and looked around as well. "What is this place?" Maomao asked.

"Oh yeah, I never asked what the mission was, did I?" Kat commented. "So what's the score, Ruru?"

"We've been brought to a land known as Hyrule," Ruru started to explain. "Specifically, we are in Gerudo Canyon. We have been hired by our client to retrieve a stolen artifact. There is a place nearby where travelers can rest and resupply, we are to meet them there."

"Retrieve a stolen object, huh?" Kat mused. "Not sure if that's a step up in difficulty or not. Which way are we going?"

"West along the road."

"Which way is west?" Ruru pointed and Kat nodded. "No sense in wasting time then, let's go."

As they walked, Maomao looked at Ruru. "So, how dangerous is this world?"

"It currently has a Danger Rating of four."

Kat turned back to face her with a raised eyebrow. "Currently?"

"Just like your own world, a Danger Rating can change depending on the time period or ongoing events," Ruru explained. "This world has many periods of high danger events, but is currently in a more peaceful time."

"Ah, I see," Kat nodded.

But Maomao wasn't satisfied with that. "Hold on, it's a peaceful time and yet it's still an order of magnitude more dangerous than my world?" Then she blinked. "Wow, I just said something incredible right now like it was nothing."

"One of said events was quite recent," Ruru explained. "Reconstruction efforts are still ongoing and dangerous lifeforms commonly referred to as monsters roam the wilds."

"How dangerous?" Kat asked, looking up. Ahead and to the side there was a very rickety wooden bridge that crossed over the canyon.

"The majority are roughly equivalent to a trained soldier. There are some that are more dangerous, but most of those should be easy to avoid."

"How do you know so much about this place anyway?" Maomao asked. "I thought you didn't have that kind of information?"

"Many of the monsters have entries in the Catalog," Ruru explained. "By collating the data of all of them, I am able to learn much of the current state of this world."

"So the Company deals with more than just people?"

"It is not their primary focus, but many supernatural life forms are also available for purchase and reward Credits upon capture, though only the first one. Additional captures of that same type of creature will not reward additional Credits."

"Not that we'll get any Credits from those kinds of captures," Kat cut in. "I gave up those profits for more starting budget. Didn't really want to have to deal with all that, you know? Getting what I wanted through missions sounded much more fun."

"Fun?" Maomao repeated with a hint of incredulity in her voice. "Was jumping into the freezing river fun too?"

"Kinda, yeah!" Kat agreed with a laugh. "It was super dangerous but it really got my blood pumping, you know?"

Maomao just sighed and closed her eyes as she tried to decide how much she regretted following such a crazy girl. It was not the first time she had asked herself that. But she was torn from her thoughts as Kat came to a stop.

"What's that up there?" the tanned girl asked with her neck craned upward. Ruru and Maomao followed her gaze to spot a purple clump high up on the rock wall.

"It is some manner of plant matter," Ruru announced. "It has visual similarities to many kinds of fungi."

Maomao perked up. "Really?! What kind? Or is it new? What do you think it does? Are there any closer?"

"I see a bunch," Kat said, spotted half a dozen clumps on the nearby cliffs as she cast her gaze about. "They appear to be fairly common. Hope they're not dangerous."

"If they're growing above a main road they probably aren't," Maomao guessed, head swiveling as she also looked around, trying to find a clump that was more accessible so she could get a closer look. "Or at least they probably don't release dangerous spores. They're high up, touching or eating them might still be dangerous."

Kat hummed in acknowledgement and then looked down at Maomao, who looked more excited than she ever had before. So she grinned and turned to Ruru. "Can you get a clump for us?"

"Understood," Ruru replied, bowing her head.

"Wait, hold on, I just said that they might be dangerous!" Maomao protested, getting suddenly serious.

"Worry not. As a robot, I am immune to biological hazards." Then she turned to the wall and started climbing up it, fingers digging into the sheer rock with ease.

Maomao watched, stunned. "That's… impossible."

"Oh, is this your first time seeing how strong she is?" Kat asked, watching Ruru climb with a grin. "Yeah, it's pretty crazy, right?"

"Crazy is a good word," Maomao replied faintly as she watched the absurd strength and power of their companion. Her fingers were going into the rock.

"Hey Ruru!" Kat called up as the gynoid got close to the clump of mushrooms she was going for. Ruru paused and looked down. "I can see up your skirt!"

Ruru stared down at Kat for a moment before silently looking back up and resuming her climb.

Kat chuckled. "Aww, she's so cute when she's being shy."

"...what part of that was her being shy?" Maomao asked, looking at her in confusion, but Kat didn't reply.

Ruru soon had the mushrooms in hand and then descended back down the cliff side. She then turned and presented the purple mushrooms to the two of them.

Maomao approached carefully, her arm raised in front of her face so that her sleeve covered her mouth and nose as a makeshift mask. "I've never heard of a mushroom like this," she muttered. "The color certainly makes it seem poisonous, but that doesn't mean much with fungi."

Kat, meanwhile, approached casually and reached out for it. Maomao's eyes widened. "Wait, don't!" she said, but she was too late as Kat pinched one of the broad and wavy caps.

"Eww, it's squishy," Kat commented, her nose scrunched.

"What are you doing!" Maomao yelled, grabbing her wrist and pulling her away. "Quick, Ruru, we need water to rinse her hand."

"Relax, Maomao, it's fine," Kat insisted, pulling her arm away. "It's not poisonous."

"You don't know that!"

"I do, actually." She tilted her head. "Wait, how do I know that?"

"One of the benefits of Wild Talent is the ability to identify edible food," Ruru provided.

"Right! And if it's edible, it's safe to touch, right?"

Maomao grumbled, heart still racing, but she looked at the other girl's fingers and saw no trace of any immediate reactions. That wasn't necessarily indicative of it being safe, but it did make her feel a bit better. She sighed. "I don't like leaving it only up to your vague power."

"That's fair, it hasn't had time to prove itself yet," Kat said. "In that case, I'll let you examine it. You'll enjoy it even if it is poisonous, right?"

"I have no idea what you mean," Maomao said as she quickly turned away. "But if you insist, I will ensure that it is safe."

Kat laughed as she took the purple mushroom from Ruru and the three of them set off down the road again, Maomao poking at the strange fungus and even slipping a bit of it into her mouth when she thought no one was looking.

It was chewy, but it tasted pretty good actually, and Maomao perked up a little as she took another bite.

A few minutes later they passed under a natural stone arch and rounded a corner to spot a building, and a rather large one at that.

Most of it was better called a tent, in truth, as the circular base seemed to be mostly made of colorful canvas held up by wooden support beams. But the central support beam rose high above the tent and held up a massive effigy of a horse's head.

Even from a distance they could see a handful of people milling about. One person seemed to be cooking over a fire, another was chopping wood nearby, and Kat could see another person sitting just inside of the tent, behind some kind of counter erected in one of the entrances into the tent.

"This the place?" Kat asked.

"Correct. That is the Gerudo Canyon stable, a rest area for travelers with access to well water and facilities for tending a horse. Our client will be waiting inside, sitting at the table."

"Coolio, let's get going then."

As they approached the stable they could make out the people better. At a glance, they looked like normal humans, but Kat couldn't help but to notice that their ears were just a little pointed. Not hugely so, but enough that she was worried that they would stand out.

And while they did get a few looks as they approached, none of them seemed focused on their ears. If anything, they were distracted by their strange clothes and apparent lack of supplies, but seemingly not enough to earn a comment.. They passed the man chopping wood first, who only spared them a glance and a nod before returning to his work.

It was the man behind the counter that called out to them. "Hello there!" he said in a friendly tone. "Welcome to the Gerudo Canyon stable. You girls don't look familiar, and I don't see any horses with you, but if you're looking for a place to rest or spend the night, we can provide! My name is Piaffe, by the way, just give me a holler if you need anything."

"We'll do that, thanks," Kat replied with a polite smile. "We probably won't be here long though."

"You might want to wait a couple of hours if you plan on heading straight on to the bazaar," he said. "The desert is at its hottest right now, and it's still a couple hours out on foot. Though you don't want to be out there at night either."

"Do temperatures drop a lot at night?" Kat asked, pausing. If there was something she lacked it was cold weather clothes.

"Oh yes, it's just as cold at night as it is hot during the day," Piaffe warned them. "But more than that, it's hard to spot the Lizalfos at night. It's hard enough to see them when they're buried in the sand during the day, but at night?" He shook his head. "I'm just glad we don't have to deal with the skeleton ones anymore."

Kat was tempted to ask more about that, but she was worried about looking even more out of place, and she spotted the table with a man sitting at it that was looking at them with something that wasn't curiosity or confusion. "We'll keep that in mind."

Piaffe nodded. "Sure thing, don't let me hold you up." His eyes then moved to Maomao, who was still fiddling with the mushroom. "Oh, is that a rushroom? Don't let Pirou spot you holding that, or else he won't stop trying to buy it from you." He sighed and shook his head. "He's addicted to them, but he's too old to be able to get them himself."

Maomao froze. "These are… addictive?"

But Piaffe shook his head. "Not normally. Pirou is just… a fanatic, I guess?" He shrugged. "If you want to know more about them though, I doubt there's anyone else who knows them better than he does."

Maomao's eyes sparkled and she turned to Kat, clearly wanting to go speak to this purple mushroom expert.

Kat rolled her eyes, but she smiled. "Sure, sure, we've got time. Why don't the two of you go talk to him for a bit? I can handle things on my own."

Ruru's eyes flicked to Piaffe, who was watching them with mild curiosity, and then to the table within the tent where their client was waiting. "Are you sure?"

"I'll be fine," Kat reassured her. "Just gonna sit down and relax for a bit."

Ruru hesitated for a moment longer, but if that was what Kat wanted, then she would obey. "Very well." Maomao and Ruru turned to Piaffe to ask where Pirou was, and Kat headed into the tent and approached the lone table there, beside a row of four beds that curled along the inside wall.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked the man sitting there with a smile, though she pulled out the chair and sat down without waiting for an answer.

He glared at her. "You're very nearly late."

His tone was disapproving and annoyed, but his voice was very normal. He sounded exactly like he looked like he should sound, and he looked pretty boring. If Kat were to pick the most normal looking person she'd ever seen, well, he wouldn't get the prize because of the pointed ears, but if you considered those normal then yes, this man would be very normal.

The only thing that gave him away was his eyes. His gaze was too sharp and too intense compared to the rest of him.

"Doesn't that just mean I'm precisely on time?" Kat replied. His only response was a sour look, so she shrugged. "Either way, I'm here. What's the job?"

"How do you know I have a job for you?" he challenged. "I could just be some random traveler who has no idea what you're talking about."

Kat snorted. "No, you aren't."

He stared at her for a moment longer before relaxing marginally and leaning back. "Well, at least they sent someone of passing skill. Fine, but I'll only tell you this once, so listen carefully."

"My mind is like a steel trap," Kat nodded in faux-seriousness. He glared at her again, but that just made Kat smile wider.

Was it smart to antagonize her client? Probably not. But something about him just made her want to do so.

"You've been hired to steal back an important artifact of ours, the Thunder Helm," he started. "It has belonged to our clan for centuries, but our vile enemies, the Gerudo, keep stealing it from us. Just a few years ago they sent a Champion to plunder our home and take it from us."

"Sounds like a nasty feud," Kat commented.

"Quite so. Normally we would simply work to steal it back ourselves, as we have done before. However we currently have more pressing matters."

"Like what?"

"You don't need to know that. All you need to know is that we cannot afford the manpower required to steal it back, and that is why Master Kohga, in his eminent wisdom, has instead outsourced that to you."

Kat shrugged. "Okay, sure. What's the Thunder Helm do, anyway?"

"It protects the wearer from any and all lightning," he replied. "We have attempted to recreate the feat, but our attempts have had limited success. And for our plans, nothing less than perfection will do."

"Lemme guess, I don't need to know those plans either."

"Correct. All you need to do is acquire the helm and hand it over to us by this time next week."

Kat raised an eyebrow. "A time limit?"

"Yes, a time limit," the man replied, barely avoiding a sneer. "Master Kohga is the one with the need for the helm but he's a busy man, much too busy to waste time waiting on you. He will be visiting our village this time next week. You need to give it to us before he has to leave."

Kat sighed. She hated deadlines. "Fine, fine. Alright, where's this helm and what does it look like?"

"It is held by the Gerudo in their town to the west of here, past the bazaar," he said before sneering. "Their chief displays it in her home like a trophy. Truly, they are barbarians with no sense of respect or decorum. As for how it looks, it should be obvious. It is a great helm made of gold with six blue gems set into the face of it. You cannot mistake it for anything else."

"Don't say it like that, or else I might take that as a challenge," she teased. He gave her a rather unamused look, and she sighed. "Jeez, you're no fun. Anything else?"

He looked like he wanted to reproach her, but he restrained himself. "Your description and the description of your companions has been spread to our clan members, so you can approach our village without being attacked by the guards. But let me be clear, you are on your own. We cannot spare the effort to help you." He shrugged. "Other than that, no. So long as you hand Master Kohga the Thunder Helm, we do not care how you do it or what else you do."

"Alright, I can dig that," Kat replied with a nod. "I'll get it done."

He leveled a flat look at her and studied her face for a moment before nodding. "See that you do." Then, without so much as a goodbye, he stood up, grabbed a large bag from the ground next to him, and slung it over his shoulder before walking out of the stable, leaving Kat as the only one inside.

Kat sat there, fingers tapping against the wood. Something about the way he had spoken had her not trusting him. Not that she thought he was trying to set them up or betray them. No, he was an asshole, but he was just an asshole.

But she shrugged and decided not to worry about it. She then pushed herself to her feet and went to find Ruru and Maomao so she could bring them up to speed.

They had a job to do, and only a week to get it done.

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AN: A Solar Exalt would actually be a very good TS for Kat, but neither her nor Ruru knew enough about it to realize that. Me either tbh, which is the main reason I didn't choose it. And a Medaka TS is powerful but it's so powerful that honestly it's a bad idea. 'Ability Borrowing' is, yes, a power copying TS, but I'm being pretty careful with how it works and its limits.

The setting is, in case it wasn't clear, Breath of the Wild. Technically it's in a semi-murky point in time between BotW and TotK. I wanted to be more coy about the world they ended up in, but avoiding the hints any longer would have felt out of character. Kat doesn't care too much about the details or planning, but she does need some information to get her started. Writing without metaknowledge has been fun though, it's a nice change of pace.