Sir Link Outset set off for Gerudo town in the rain. He made his way to the Outskirt stable, and once he took out Epona, continued on towards the Digdogg suspension bridge in the rain. There was a camp of Zonai constructs right before the bridge, and he took them out easily before continuing on. Before long he found a Mini stable, and the stable master told him that horses were terrified of the Gerudo region. So Link boarded Epona at the stable and set off on foot. Where a Hinox used to sleep, there were now large Zonai ruins, being looked over by a small team of Hylians. Link decided not to check it out, he probably had more knowledge of the Zonai then they did anyway.
He ran on into the Gerudo canyon pass and was faced with a Gerudo warrior blocking the road. Her name was Naia and she let him know that the weather beyond her point was functioning like the Gerudo desert, blazing hot in the day, bitter cold at night. She asked him a few questions to make sure he had some survival skills.
Heeding Naia's warnings Link had made some chilly dishes, and he moved from shade to cave to cave, using the glowing bluepee's as a guide. It seemed that the Upheaval had changed the paths through Gerudo Canyon immensely so he first got the Skyview tower to get a better handle on where he was going.
When he got there Link met a man named Sawson who told him that the tower was out of order and the elevator wasn't working. To fix the elevator Link used Ultahand to move a large box that he could attach to the elevator. He found a path up the cliff and he wondered why the man couldn't have just walked to the tower himself. When Link had fought off a few Ice Lizalfos, he was glad the man had been lazy.
As he flew down after getting the map, he saw Farosh below him. He hopped on her back and shot her horn. Sure enough he'd be able to attach the horn to a weapon later. Then he teleported back to the Tower and continued on his way. He had the pleasure of paragliding down to the Gerudo Canyon stable, before he continued on into the desert.
Once he got to the edge of the desert he immediately noticed something was wrong. A large sandstorm stood still right before the Kara Kara Bazaar. He met up with Kohm and Pokki just outside the Gerudo Desert Gateway. He learned from the Gerudo women that the sandstorm near the Kara Kara Bazaar was called the Sand Shroud and that they'd moved their sand seal business out of Gerudo town to help travelers traverse the desert. Both women were skittish around what had actually happened to the town, so Link rented a seal and got on his way.
The Kara Kara Bazaar was much like it had always been. A Gerudo named Saula sold him her last Desert Voe Headband, but then reminded him of something important. Voe weren't allowed in Gerudo town. So he climbed to the top of the Bazaar to see if the Gerudo man from seven years ago still sold Vai outfits, but Link just found a Gerudo scout, who asked him not to play around in the lighthouse. Still from the lighthouse he noticed a large updraft right before the Sand Shroud.
That was Link's way in.
The sand storm was terrible. Link immediately got sand in his eyes, and couldn't even see the Purah Pad's map. He had to just hope that he was going towards Gerudo town.
The first scare from the desert was a new rift that had opened up, presumably during the Upheaval, and he only avoided it due to Tulin's power. He found another updraft, and found that he was much closer to Gerudo town than he expected.
That turned out to be more of a curse than a blessing. Gerudo town was a wasteland, the sands moved freely through it. There was no one to speak of, not even a Gerudo warrior to stop Link from coming in. Shops were torn to shreds, homes were covered with sand. Worst of all were the monsters. Skeletons with bug-like faces lay all over the town. As soon as Link approached one, the thing would get up and walk towards him. Link didn't even think as he struck it down with a spear he'd just fused out of a Gerudo spear and a Electric Lizalfos horn. It went down fairly easily, but Link was still horrified by the creatures. He was glad to see that none of the monsters had made it into Patricia's pen, or Riju's throne room. As he was exploring the rest of the town, he came across a house that had a strange stone block on the floor. When Link moved it, he fell down into a passageway with a stream running through it. It had lights on the sides as well. Gerudo lamps to be exact. Link raced up the corridor, pleading with Dinn that the Gerudo were somehow safe. He got to the end of the cave and his heart sank. Despite the Gerudo lamps, they held no actual Gerudo women.
That was when Link heard a splash to his right. It seemed like bottles were dropping regularly from a hole in the ceiling. Link didn't dare to hope, but he used Ascend to get through the cave ceiling.
And there it was. A Gerudo hideout. As soon as he jumped into it he heard a female voice shout out.
"A Voe! There's a voe here! Stop him!"
He should have expected as much. If only the women had had a front door! He was taken into custody by Marina and Ploka.
"Voe are not permitted here!" Shouted Merina sternly. "You must leave at once." Link was about to raise his hands to explain himself, when a door behind him opened. So that was their front door. But instead of moving, Link heard a new voice shout.
"Hold on!"
Buliara, the Captain of the Gerudo guard, stood in all her glory in front of Link.
"It has been some time, Swordsman…" Buliara said, before turning to her guards. "It's alright. This one has the Chief's permission to enter, and he is welcome to visit any of the shops and businesses. Spread the word, let everyone know this is the case." Then she turned back to Link.
"For you to come all this way, enduring the strange storm that plagues us… you must have some important news to share."
Link nodded, and raised his hands to explain. Buliara seemed to take it all in stride except for one detail.
"The Princess of Hyrule is still missing?" Buliara tapped her great sword on the ground, "We heard of the events at Hyrule Castle, but this… Things are dire indeed. Still Swordsman… I mean Link. I am impressed you made it here through the storm that surrounds Gerudo town."
"How long has the Sand shroud been here?" Link asked, guessing that it probably popped up after the Upheaval.
"The sand shroud settled on us some time ago." Buliara confirmed. That would make sense considering Link had spent a few weeks in the sky and then at Rito village. "We sent out patrols to try to determine what was causing it, but… A swarm of monsters called Gibdos suddenly appeared, attacked our troops and forced us to retreat."
Link shivered involuntarily. Gibdos must be the monsters Link had encountered in Gerudo Town.
"You may have noticed that the Gibdos made their way into town." Buliara said, obviously noting Link's reaction. "As a result, everyone was evacuated to this shelter for their safety…" Buliara paused before lowering her voice. "As someone charged with protecting Gerudo town, I am ashamed of our situation. This is all to say that, although I wish I could help you search for Princess Zelda, now is… not a good time. I'm sorry."
"It's alright. Do you know where I can find Riju?"
"Lady Riju is currently training. She is trying to become strong enough to save us from this disaster." Link raised his hands to sign, but Buliara cut him off with a knowing small smile. "If you are hoping to speak with Lady Riju, you should visit the ruins to the north."
Link nodded in thanks, and moved to leave the shelter. That was when Buliara called out to him.
"I am glad to see you back, Link. You never fail to aid the Gerudo in trying times, and I expect that this shall be no different." Buliara nodded to him in respect before turning back into the Gerudo Shelter. Interestingly, Link didn't feel pressured by her vote of confidence. It was hard to earn any Gerudo's respect and Buliara was one of the most difficult to impress.
He would find Riju, and they would work to save the Gerudo from the sands and the Gibdos. So Link set off towards the northern ruins.