#akkala lab

[vioshortforviolence]

They just can't get my nose right!

[oktaviaslabyrinth]

Akkala Ancient Tech Lab // The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)

[hyrule-photos]

akkala || akkala ancient tech lab

[angryskeletonnoises]

I had to do a double take at the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab

[onefey]

the ancient set in botw has so much nonbinary swag. i owe robbie my life for this one.

[sunnidear]

HATE legend of zelda botw

[athena-theunicorn]

Link always followed Zelda. He was always willing to give chase. He was always willing to find her. He was always willing to spend time with her and make her feel better.

A century ago, he would run after her escape attempts. He would track her down and bring her back. Or he would let her wander, let her explore just to make her smile. Or he would make it up to her by sneaking her away himself. Once Link snuck her to Akkala ancient tech lab all the way from the Spring of Power.

A century later, he would run after her through the fields and pastures and roads. He would follow her like a puppy. He wouldn't leave her side. He would always make her smile. Once they were spotted in the forests outside of Hateno, running around like kids.

Now, he runs after her shadow. He spots her in the sky and runs to action. He chases her over fields and sky islands and cliffsides. He runs up and down her back. He sits on her head and braids silent princesses into it. Once he chased her all across Hyrule field for miles and once he finally caught her, feel asleep on her head.

[bahbahhh]

begin again

a lot of change happens in between Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. let’s fill in the gaps. zelda pov | zelink | totk spoilers | multichapter | rated T zelinkweek2023 | @zelinkcommunity [ ao3 ]

Chapters: [2 ] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

The Calamity is gone. The remaining leaders of Hyrule gather for a Summit to determine the future of the kingdom, starting with how to repurpose all the Sheikah Technology. Zelda is among them, and while everyone still calls her Princess, she’s not sure she wants to lay claim to an old throne. What she really wants is to move on. She wants to continue her research, to prove her worth beyond her bloodline, and to spend as much time with Link as she can…which sounds an awful lot like what she wanted a hundred years ago…

[ A story set between BotW and TotK, containing many spoilers for TotK as it was born from my need to explain many of the changes we see. A tremendous thank you to @zeldaelmo who volunteered to beta read this before she knew what she was getting herself into. I am immensely thankful for your eagle eye and your patience. ]

chapter 1

for the prompt “yearning”

Zelda doesn’t have a bed. 

She thinks about this lying on the spare one in Purah’s study. She’s staying with Purah for the Hyrule Restoration Summit, which is what they are calling the first official gathering of Hyrule leaders since the fall of the Calamity, and the more she thinks about it, technically speaking, it's a cot.

It’s not unlike the one she uses when they are in Kakariko, albeit a few inches shorter, like everything else customized for a child in Purah’s lab. Zelda has to lay at an angle to fit and even so, her feet dangle over the edge when she straightens her legs. Symin offered her his bed, as Paya had in Kakariko, and like there, Zelda declined. 

When she traveled a century ago, families were forced to give up their entire homes to host her. Royal quarters were permanently built in Kakariko, Rito Village, Gerudo Town, and Zora’s Domain. Due to the hostile environment surrounding Goron City, the Gorons agreed to travel to Akkala Citadel whenever there was official business with the Royal family which, in addition to a military fortress for the Hyrulian armed forces, acted as a second residence for her family. Another bed.

But that was all before. Akkala Citadel is in ruins, all the Royal quarters have since been repurposed by their respective domains, and Zelda will never ask anything more of the people of Hyrule so long as she draws breath.

Still, selfishly, and in the safety of her own thoughts, she yearns for the comfort of a real bed. Nothing extravagant, no need for anyone in Hyrule to forfeit their comforts on her behalf. Just somewhere she can readily count on for rest when sleep decides to visit. 

That’s what Link says: a visit of sleep. 

They are alike in this way. Their internal clocks recalibrated in the prolonged absence of waking, such that their bodies don’t readily cue the need for sleep. In the beginning, it took her weeks just to register the sensation of fatigue again. She stayed awake for two full days after the final confrontation on Hyrule Field before collapsing abruptly during the climb up to Kakariko’s western entrance. Link had to carry her the rest of the way. She slept for ninety-two hours straight. 

When Zelda finally awoke, someone was smoothing her hair out of her face. Another sensory experience she needed to register again: touch. Not toxic oil on her skin, claws of shadow raking down her spine, or darkness pulling so tight it feels like it might become one with her. Actual human touch. 

She hoped it might be Link in a delayed return of her affections for a heartbeat, but when she opened her eyes, it was an old Sheikah woman at her bedside. Zelda’s expression must have soured or pulled with confusion, because the woman began to laugh. Laughter. Warm and inviting and familiar. The sound vibrated inside Zelda like a bell. She gasped, set her hands on either side of the women’s face and felt a sudden and painful ache that has accompanied every subsequent realization of her losses. 

She will never age like she was meant to. With the people of her time, with the people she loved.

And after a century in stasis, she is on the verge of being completely left behind.

“Now, it’s not that bad, is it?” Impa teased.  

Zelda didn’t answer. She wept.

It has gotten a little better in the months since she returned to her physical form. She’s started to suspect Link is “visited’ by sleep out of preference more than necessity. But really, he slept for a hundred years, so she can’t blame him for rejecting a more traditional sleep cycle. She, on the other hand, was frozen. Not sleeping, not waking, just there—like gravity itself. Holding everything and everyone in place, unnoticeable until she wasn’t, when the Calamity would slip free of her grasp, swirl about the castle, and remind Hyrule of the horrors that awaited them if she failed again. 

Zelda smudges a tear against the side of her face and turns onto her back. Regardless, she can’t help but feel like having a bed, a ceiling overhead she recognizes, and the freedom to get up and roam down to a kitchen for a slice of fruitcake when the night is still young, that she might be visited by rest more willingly when she wants it. Needs it.

Like tonight. 

“So, what you're really talking about is wanting a home,” Zelda tells herself, a habit formed in the decades of solitude. Sometimes, in periods of dormancy or resignation, the Calamity would growl back at her in a tone that was almost human. But for the most part, she started talking to herself in and out of days and throughout the years until her sense of time too was a thing Hylia claimed in penance for her failures. 

“That’s not accurate,” she chides herself and flips onto her stomach. Blaming the Goddess is a bad habit she is trying to change. When she finally unlocked her Powers, suspended in divinity, the closest to holy she’s ever been, the Goddess didn’t even answer her then. It was just the sound of her own voice, echoing back at her from inside the Calamity. 

A bed. Something simple and fixed, like the one Link has in his house right on the outskirts of the village. Zelda’s caught glimpses of it when they’ve stopped there to replenish supplies; nestled against the wall on the second floor, beneath the only window so natural light kisses him awake when he finally decides to rest. He has a small dresser for linens and travel spoils, and a bedside table that is home to a painted vase from Rito Village he often fills with fresh flowers. 

She wonders which flowers are watching over him right now. Has sleep visited him? Or is he rolling about his sheets, worrying about the Summit, trying to break old habits, or craving something warm from the cooking pot down the stairs?

If he is awake, it is likely the latter. He would be able to sleep on a night like this. The air is cool. Everyone at the Summit knows him personally; is indebted to him in some way, although he carries no ledger. He is known. Respected. Tomorrow is just another day. Sleep will visit.

Zelda’s role in all of this is yet to be defined. While news of Calamity Ganon’s defeat spread quickly, there was no whisper of the lost Princess’ return at first. Rumors focused on the disappearance of the shadow around Hyrule Castle and then later, turned into formal requests for Link’s presence in the aid of investigating the Divine Beasts sudden malfunctioning. No one asked about her.

And it was nice. 

For a brief moment, she fantasized about cutting her hair, burning her dress, and letting Zelda disappear with the embers into history. Maybe she would accompany Link as a traveling scholar under another name? Or join the Sheikah and train with the weapons she was forbidden to touch a hundred years ago?

Impa, however, had other plans. She suggested Zelda travel with Link to investigate Vah Ruta so the Zora could verify her identity. They found her old travel clothes, Link presented her with a descendant of her horse, Storm, and the dreams of obscurity ceased. The Zora instantly recognized her, adding credibility to the announcement of her return and soon, her identity grew heavy with an unspoken claim to a throne that needed rebuilding.

No one has officially said anything, but there is a generous amount of speculation surrounding tomorrow and the opportunity to reestablish a centralized and unifying governing body. If they asked it of her, she would have no choice but to accept, right? It is the duty tied to this life. This title.  

Maybe she could convince them of her usefulness as a scholar? She no longer has any restrictions on time spent researching. She could help the Sheikah redesign their technology. Perhaps to aid in the great restoration…if she could just get the Divine Beasts up and running again, they would prove so useful in the rebuilding! 

This part of her, shunned by her family and now forgotten with them, could be the key to proving her worth beyond a head to carry the crown. She will show them. She has to.  They don’t seem to know what else to do with her, otherwise. Rarely does anyone use her name, even after they realized who she is.

They all call her ‘Princess’.  

Except for Link. 

Zelda turns onto her side and inspects the empty sliver of cot beside her. She runs her hand across the weaving and thinks about how she used to be able to visit Link. When the Calamity was dormant and her Power was still new and untaxed, she would separate a part of herself from Hyrule Castle and ride the wind to the Great Plateau. She watched the seasons turn by Link’s side in the shrine until the Calamity would wake and pull her back into herself like a rubber band. This went on for decades. 

When he finally woke up and the shrine’s toll for restoring his life was realized, Zelda felt her strength begin to waver. She is not aware of a word that accurately describes the feeling of being forgotten by the person you tethered your heart to; to have it remain connected to that person and witness it drift behind them, becoming more of a dark cloud than guiding light.

Her love for him burned for a hundred years. Somehow, in the depths of a living, breathing, rageful hell, it grew. It grounded her within the swirl of eternal darkness, the unyielding burn of malice, the mourning of time. As his memories of their kingdom, their comrades, and of her, returned to him, his reckoning of it all remained indistinguishable. 

The last six months between them were uncomfortable. He never outwardly answered her question on the field. He extended his hand and led her away from the castle. He was gentle yet reserved, closer than the three paces he once stood as her appointed knight and still somehow further than when he sunk into the glowing waters of the shrine and she stepped into the center of the darkest night.  Did his love die with him on the field that day? Was it left in the spot where he bled out, where flowers now grow? Has one unknowingly ever made it back to his bedside table? Could he recognize it now? 

Did he want to? 

She glances over her shoulder quickly, half expecting him to be there like he always was all those years ago, appearing out of thin air, as a part of her as her own shadow. 

But there is no one else in the room. Her shadow is empty. Her window shut. 

Zelda turns her attention back to the empty spot beside her and begins to imagine the weight of his arms around her. The sound of his sleep. His breath on her face. The cot is small, like his bed, but in the way she imagines they might fit together, it would be enough for sleep to find her. Even on a night like this. 

But there is no one else in the room. 

Just her and a bed, that's not even a bed, that doesn’t belong to her. 

—

Sleep doesn’t visit her. 

Zelda eventually gives up and pours her energy into drafting up a proposal on how to repurpose the Sheikah Technology. The Divine Beasts will be a tremendous asset. Vah Ruta can create new water reservoirs. Vah Medoh can mass transport supplies and people across Hyrule. Vah Rudania and Vah Naboris will be essential for maneuvering the harsher terrains of each region. 

She is confident she and Robbie could reprogram the guardians and assign them different purposes. She will recommend they remove all of the mechanics for combat, save for a select few machines that will be assigned to aid in monster defense.

Their greatest challenge will be finding a new power source. When Zelda obliterated Calamity Ganon from the realm, her Light purified every non-living thing it held influence over; every pool of Malice evaporated instantly and every guardian -earthbound, skyward or decayed- from the North Akkala Beach to Daval’s Peak stopped working. Robbie has yet to find a working ancient core and hypothesizes Zelda “nuked the network”. Whatever that means. 

The Sheikah Towers and shrines remain functional, so once they isolate the remaining source of power, she is confident Robbie and Purah will be able to design and power up new cores. 

 If only she had access to the old blueprints in her study…

On her way down to the main floor, she scribbles a note about returning to the castle upon acceptance of the proposal. She folds the pages carefully and tucks them into the small leather satchel Link gave her. Purah assumes ownership of the Sheikah Slate whenever they come to Hateno, so Link presented her with a satchel enchanted by the koroks so she can carry multiple items outside of the Slate on her at all times. Link has an identical one. 

He jokingly calls it an ‘adventure pouch’.  

Purah, Symin and a few others are already buzzing about the lab. Purah has the Sheikah Slate in the Guidance Stone, a tear drop of crystal blue bouncing between the stone and the Slate every few seconds. Zelda always thought it was interesting that information takes the shape of a teardrop. Was it intentional by the Sheikah who created the technology all those years ago? Or is it just the natural form of data? Of memory? 

There is so much for them to learn.

“Good morning, Princess!” Purah says without looking up from her work. Zelda decided earlier this morning, just as the sun started peeking through her window, not to fight the title of Princess anymore. She would help them rebuild the kingdom, sit on a new throne if they asked it of her, but she would have a hand defining the responsibilities of the title. 

“Good morning,” Zelda answers. 

Purah rapidly flaps her hand in Zelda’s direction. Zelda moves into the spot beside Purah, who is balanced on her knees on a pillow in order to sit level with the table. There are sketches of the Sheikah Slate, looking very much like a six year old drew them, along with an unflattering portrait of Symin, and handwriting Zelda won’t even attempt to decipher. 

“I think I can duplicate the Slate,” Purah says, snapping her fingers.

Zelda grins. She imagines each region having their own Slate. The possibilities for research, for communication. How quickly Hyrule could share information…the problems they could solve! 

Link pushes open the door to the lab. Zelda imagines how his shoulders might relax the more Hyrule becomes connected. His burden would finally be eased...then maybe…

“Good morning!” She practically bursts. 

Link waves and crosses the room to the cooking pot. Symin starts explaining what he is cooking and Link casually dumps the entire contents into the fire. Symin sighs in relief and pulls out a notebook. Link produces the ingredients one by one from his pouch, displaying each carefully so Symin can copy the recipe. A dozen eggs, Hylian tomatoes, assorted mushrooms, a handful of greens, and a tiny bottle of Goron spice. Zelda’s mouth waters before he even starts cooking. 

She watches Link demonstrate how to slice the tomatoes before setting Symin to work, involving Symin in the salvaging of the meal and in doing so, lessening the blow of his failure. It is a change in Link’s behavior she has loved witnessing: he is eager to share his knowledge after awakening from the shrine; to spread it generously with everyone who asks for his help. In this way, he is teaching Hyrule how to need him less in the long run, a step forfeited a century ago by the pressure he felt and the structure of the role assigned to him. 

Hero, knight, swordsman; whatever title he is to carry moving forward, she will protect his freedom to define it as well. 

They eat quickly and head down the hill toward the village together. Hateno is the chosen location for the Summit because it has the largest settlement of Hylians, who, as a whole, have been without formal leadership for over a century. Central Hyrule was initially considered given the proximity for all participants, but the general consensus is six months of calm is not enough time for anyone to meet comfortably in the shadow of the castle. 

“I heard this is the first time King Dorephan has left his domain in two hundred years,” Purah whispers to Zelda as they turn the corner down the split in the road to Hateno Pasture. A farmer named Dantz offered up his land, which borders Lake Sumac, to host. The water provides an added measure of comfort for the Zora. Zelda spots King Dorephan sitting close to the shore with several elder Zora and Prince Sidon.

There are a handful of Hylians mingling with leading members of the Sheikah, Rito, Gorons, and Gerudo. 

Purah and Symin split off to join Impa, who is sitting in the shade of a nearby tree with Paya. Their movement pulls the attention of the crowd in Zelda’s direction. She watches recognition ripple across the group. The conversations soften and then die off completely at the mere sight of her. Just like old times. 

Zelda flexes her fingers. 

Suddenly, there is a hand in hers. She jumps, glancing to her side where only Link stands. He’s looking right at her, the same way everyone else is, but she doesn’t feel the weight of the crown on her shoulders in his gaze. He squeezes her hand and nods her forward.  

“Right. Okay, then,” Zelda whispers.

Link leads her around the crowd so she can make introductions before the Summit starts. She is already known to the Sheikah, who are represented by Impa, Robbie, Purah, Symin, Paya, and Cado, and the Zora. Prince Sidon embraces her and compliments Link relentlessly. 

It is Zelda’s first time meeting the Goron Boss, Bludo, who introduces Zelda to a young Goron named Yubono and emphasizes he is a descendant of Daruk, as well as the Rito Chief, Kaneli. He is joined by a Rito warrier named Teba, and his son, Tulin, who begs Link to go shooting with him later that day. Link offers the fledgling a thumbs up and then gestures like, you want to go now, quick? 

Teba scolds them both. 

Her favorite introduction is the last one. Chief Makeela Riju, who insists Zelda calls her Riju, informs Zelda the Gerudo sun has missed her and personally invites her to come meet her pet sand seal. 

There certainly is a lot of personality, but Zelda feels certain the proposal will appease them all equally. The fact Link’s hand has remained in hers the entire time only boosts her confidence. Should she request the floor immediately or wait to see if there are region-specific needs she can weave into her proposal? She wants to emphasize the importance of each region’s involvement. 

“I think it’s time,” Impa makes her way out of the shade with the other Sheikah and takes the spot closest to Zelda. “that we begin again, don’t you all agree?”

“Well said. The Zora recognize the start of the Hyrule Restoration Summit,” King Dorphean says. 

“As do the Rito.” 

“And the Gerudo.”

“The Shei-kah!” Robbie throws his hand in the air and postures. 

“Gorons,” Bludo grunts.

“The Hylians have elected four representatives: I, Reede of Hateno Village, Elder Rozel of Lurelin Village, Hudson of Tarrey Town, and Traysi for the Stable Association. We recognize the start of the Hyrule Restoration Summit.”

“I officially call this meeting to order.” Impa claps her hands together and sits. She thanks everyone for traveling and for the village of Hateno for their hospitality. She summarizes the objective of the meeting as a gathering of the people of Hyrule in preliminary discussions about plans for a massive restoration following the purge of Calamity Ganon. She explains the forum will be open, but organized, in order for accurate minute keeping. Everyone motions in favor of detailed records. There are too many nameless ruins, too many stories and lessons lost to time scattered across Hyrule.

“Since there is no old business to attend to, I suppose it might be best to open the floor up to hear any initial recommendations for the restoration?”

Link raises his hand. 

He so rarely speaks out loud that the anticipation of it commands the attention of the entire Summit immediately. It might be her imagination, but Zelda swears the wind stops, too.  

“Let the record show the Hylian Champion and Hero of the Wild, Link, has the floor,”  Impa dictates and gestures for Link to continue. Zelda fishes her proposal out from her adventure pouch and folds it in her lap. Whatever he says, she’s assuming he will have some brilliant suggestions on how the former trade routes can be optimized or offer insight into the state of Central Hyrule for an exhibition, it will provide the perfect opportunity for her to follow. 

Link turns and smiles at her as he rises. It’s small. Relaxed. The kind of smile that’s only meant for the space between two people. Which means it is meant for her. 

She smiles back. 

With her plans for the Sheikah Technology, which will no doubt be strengthened by Link’s expertise, they can face this new Hyrule together. Self-chosen, this time, not forced by fate and the responsibilities of an old kingdom. 

Her heart flutters so rapidly at the thought, it takes her brain a moment to register what he actually says:

“I propose the first step in the restoration of Hyrule should be the destruction of all Sheikah Technology.”

[orange-content-rater]

ORANGE YOU SAY???

this is from botw, my special interest!!!! this screenshot is from akkala, possibly near a stable or the ancient tech lab!

this one is sunset in gerudo town!

this is the akkala ancient tech lab

thank you for listening to my brainrot :3

WohHOLY SHIT

Orange??!!

Orange!!!!

Very pretty oranges

Ahahah!! Ehahahah!!!

10/10

Best orange of the year

[hyrule-photos]

akkala // tumlea heights

[ganondoodle]

For the TotK rewritten project: What would be the main tutorial area? I 100% agree canon caters way too much to people who didn´t play BotW before but having an isolated area to get a hold of the controls and systems at least in the tutorial feels pretty neccessary. Love all your work so far!

Hi! and thank you!!

been thinking about it alot and while i love how botws tutorial especially is kinda not overtly a tutorial and blends naturally into the gameplay, i think trying to do it again is a little forced, i guess it makes sense in canon totk but in my rewrite i think i might just directly make it a more typical tutorial

so you know after the intro when zelda gets link out of the caves and his arm is heavily damaged, they make their way to purah, who has a proper lab now, so she can save link by getting rid of his infected arm and replace it with the prototype shiekah prosthetic

since thats a big operation and thing to get used to i think its kinda logical if purah wants to test whether it functions at all, sicne it was an improvised quick solution to save link and keep him in a fighting condition so zelda, while able to defend herself now, isnt fully on her own

so, ill be honest, this is a part im kinda stuck at, bc slowly introducing abilities is a really good thing to do but i want it to feel natural, it did in botw but it kinda failed to feel as natural in totk imo

so im wondering if it would be better if you get a few abilities at the start, like two for example right away, but purah needs more parts to improve it, so you need to visit the hateno and maybe the akkala lab as well so fetch some parts that will get you the next ability once you get them to purah, an incentive to go to interesting locations too, getting you started with the yiga stuff in akkala and with the sagono (fashion lady) stuff in hateno

im also thinking about how to better integrate the sages abilities, bc i think in canon its very much not ideal to have 5 ghosties glitch all over the place while killing the frame rate making you yell at the screen bc you keep getting ahold of the wrong ones

im wonderign whether it would be better to integrate it into links arm abilities so you can choose which one to activate or at least to make it more natural feeling like the champion abilities in botw

this is a big thing to im trying to get to work out and havent yet gotten to it much but i will absolutely make a bigger post about it once i think of something, im taking ideas for it too if you got any!!

[hurricane105]

Y'all Hyrule is BIG. Outside of fast travel with the slate or swapping horses out, it would take days to travel across the continent. Zelda isn't getting to the Spring of Wisdom in a day.

Korok Forest (black line): Hyrule Castle bridge to Boneyard Bridge to Helmhead Bridge to Woodland Stable to the platform in front of the Great Deku Tree: 33 hrs 10 min

Goron City (orange line): Hyrule Castle Bridge to Orsedd Bridge to Thims Bridge to Foothill Stable to Bludo's house: 65 hrs 15 min

Spring of Power (pink line): Hyrule Castle Bridge to Orsedd Bridge to Thims Bridge to Akkala Span to Shadow Pass to where the trail splits for Skull Lake to the Spring of Power (last stage was cross country): 66 hrs 30 min

Akkala Citadel (red line): Hyrule Castle Bridge to Orsedd Bridge to Thims Bridge to Akkala Span to Akkala Citadel: 45 hrs 10 min

Zora's Domain (blue line): Hyrule Castle Bridge to Orsedd Bridge to Thims Bridge to Inogo Bridge to Mipha's statue: 59 hrs 20 min

Kakariko (purple line): Hyrule Castle Bridge to Sacred Ground Ruins to Mabe Prairie to Rebonae Bridge to Sahasra Slope to the stairs in front of Impa's house: 27 hrs 20 min

Spring of Wisdom (purple line): Hyrule Castle Bridge to Sacred Ground Ruins to Mabe Prairie to Rebonae Bridge to Sahasra Slope to Great Fairy Fountain to Lanayru Promenade to Lanayru Road - East Gate to Naydra Snowfield around Mount Lanayru to platform in front of the goddess statue in the Spring of Wisdom: 52 hrs 10 min 

Hateno (white line): Hyrule Castle Bridge to Sacred Ground Ruins to Gatepost Town Ruins to Proxim Bridge to Big Twin Bridge to Fort Hateno to the gate of Hateno: 55 hrs 40 min 

Spring of Courage (green line):  Hyrule Castle Bridge to Sacred Ground Ruins to Gatepost Town Ruins to Bridge of Hylia to Faron Woods to Zonai Ruins to platform in front of the goddess statue in the Spring of Courage: 44 hrs 30 min

Gerudo Town (yellow line): Hyrule Castle Bridge to Giant's Forest (pretty much straight south, then turned west at the Great Plateau) to Digdogg Suspension Bridge to Gerudo Town: 74 hrs 5 min

Rito Village (brown line): Hyrule Castle Bridge to Carok Bridge to Tabantha Great Bridge to the arch guarded by Mazli at the base of the stairs into Rito Village: 63 hrs 15 min

Royal Ancient Lab Ruins (gray line): Hyrule Castle Bridge to Carok Bridge to Royal Ancient Lab Ruins: 20 hrs 50 min

*these routes follow the shortest/most direct roads, doesn't go cross country unless it's unavoidable (like when approaching the springs) or unless it looks like a road was there pre-Calamity (like the Sahasra Slope); the exception is the Spring of Courage, where I didn't see any obvious route; I'm guessing they either did some climbing and cross country hiking, or rafted up the Dracozu River

*this is the slowest walking speed I could get - any slower and Link stopped moving, but I think it's still faster than the walking speed shown in the memories, especially #3 (Resolve and Grief) - pushing the left stick all the way forward results in what looks like jogging, not walking

*this doesn't include time for sheltering from inclement weather, sleep, making/breaking camp, rest/meal breaks, monster attacks, walking slower due to changes in elevation (the hike to Goron City has to be brutal) - it's literally a walking pace straight through

[vg-music-i-like]

Akkala Ancient Tech Lab // TLoZ: Breath of the Wild

[bahbahhh]

begin again

a lot of change happens in between Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. let’s fill in the gaps. zelda pov | zelink | totk spoilers | multichapter| rated T zelinkweek2023 | @zelinkcommunity [story index] [also read on ao3 ]

Again, I can't thank @zeldaelmo enough. It has been an absolute honor to have your eye and your ear! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

chapter 7

for zelink week "free day"

Her cot is gone. 

Zelda stares at the empty spot on the second floor of Purah’s Lab, adventure pouch dangling on the very tips of her fingers. She caught it just before it dropped onto the floor. She had meant to deposit onto the cot, eager to relieve the extra tension from her tired shoulders when she noticed it was missing at the last second.  

She narrows her eyes and glances about the room, everything ordinary and untouched, save for her trunk of belongings, which is also missing. She frowns at this, having wanted to spend her free time reviewing Tauro’s research notes again. In addition to possibly connecting the Thyphlo Ruins to the Zonai, he recently presented evidence that the Labyrinths in Akkala, Hebra and the Gerudo Desert are Zonai as well and hypothesized that the Zonai maintained a presence in the sky and below the ground.  

Something about the Zonai has caught her attention, a tug on a line from the depths of the past. Sure, it could just be her energy shifting from one technologically advanced civilization to the next, but whereas the Sheikah Technology felt more like an escape, the Zonai and their ruins feel like a calling. 

Who knows. The fact of the matter is, right now, it's all missing with the rest of her things. 

Recently, Purah has been reorganizing parts of her laboratory at random. She claims it’s another bizarre side effect of her re-aging. Symin thinks it's the result of being held responsible for cleaning up after herself. 

Zelda sighs and back peddles to the stairs, pulling the strap back over her shoulder.

“Purah?” 

Zelda descends into the main floor and nearly trips over a box of scrolls. Dozens more clutter the space; filled with papers and construction parts and other miscellaneous items. Zelda spots fishing nets, a dozen yellow paper lanterns, and massive coils of hollow wire, but her belongings and the Sheikah Director are nowhere to be found. Link isn’t here, either. Not that she was expecting him, he told her early in the day he would be with the Hateno monster defense team, helping to clear out a hoard of bokoblins that moved into the Milda Woods to the west of the village. Since he’s teaching them how to properly handle the monsters and safeguard the woods with traps more efficiently, he estimated it would take a while. 

She, on the other hand, spent the majority of the day helping a man Bolson with the final touches at the school. Zelda originally commissioned Hudson to help her build out Hateno School, but he wrote back with the recommendation his former boss be the one to handle it as he was responsible for the revitalization of Hateno following Calamity Ganon’s attack. 

There is something to be said about starting something and being able to see it through, you know? Hudson had written. 

Zelda formally nominated him for a position of leadership in New Hyrule the same day. 

Bolson showed her how to put together the small chairs, explaining where to put the nails to create a lasting, sturdy joint. He also taught her how to hold the nails to minimize the risk to her fingers under the glare of a hammer. When they were done, he shook the sawdust out of his thick fur collar, kissed her on the cheek, and handed her the blueprints so she could put together more in the future. She’s got a few splinters she’ll need to dig out of her fingers, but they come with a sense of accomplishment and hope she hasn’t known in over a century. 

Zelda peers into the kitchen. “Symin? Purah? Hello?” 

The lab is completely empty. She crosses the room, pushes the door open, and steps back out into the fresh air. The village of Hateno is always busy in the afternoon. Today, there is a nice breeze turning the giant windmill blades lazily. There has been recent talk about updating the village face, specifically the market front to entice more travelers. There is a rumor that a new business owner, a fashion designer, has proposed integrating mushrooms into the architecture.

Zelda wonders if the windmills will stay.

She has a few books at Link’s place, so she decides to head that way while she looks for Purah. She’s almost immediately stopped by a group of children, the same she will be teaching once the school is open. One of the children asks about the first day of school and another formally requests - please, oh pretty please, Miss Zelda! - they have a designated time every day for coloring. Zelda sends them on their way, slips into Kochi Dye Shop, and asks if Sayge can donate some dye for her to make courser beeswax crayons. 

“Basic colors, okay? Or, I could experiment and come up with an extensive palette for you, if you like?” Sayge says, filling up five small vials with concentrated ink. 

“I think this is a great start, thank you so much. Perhaps you would be interested in presenting to the class in the future? I wo—”

“Say no more! An opportunity to share the traditional craft of Hateno dyeing with the younger generation? It would be my honor! ‘We live–”

“To dye!’” Zelda smiles and takes the vials. “I’m writing out a curriculum with Symin. I’ll let you know when it makes sense to have you come in.”

“Splendid! Oh, and–” He looks over her shoulder and she knows he’s searching for Link. Sayge continues in a hushed voice. “About that order we discussed. I’ve almost landed on the correct shade of blue. Should be able to replicate the tunic exactly. I do have additional armor I’d recommend to go with the piece, in order to protect it from wear and tear moving forward. How do you feel about leather?”

“If it will offer protection without restricting mobility, I think that’s great.”

“Come by in a week or so. I’ll send Link on an errand and then I’ll show you what I’m thinking.” He winks at her.

Zelda tucks the ink away carefully and smiles. “Perfect.”

Pruce waves her down as she passes the East Wind. He anxiously invites her into his shop, shuts the door to prospective customers, and immediately asks for her thoughts on phasing out the bomb arrows. Apparently, he had been threatened with a fee by Reede for improper dangerous weapon storage. Zelda can tell he’s offended and embarrassed, having previously displayed the explosive arrows in a straw basket for anyone, including a curious child, to handle. She gently reframes this as an opportunity to be a model business owner and that seems easier for him to stomach. He donates his entire stock of arrows to her for Link and the monster defense efforts. Luckily, she has a quiver in her adventure pouch that she pulls out and attaches to her belt so she can carry them safely. 

Prima catches her just outside the shop and enthusiastically introduces Zelda to her fiance, Worten. They’ve met, many times, and Zelda was made aware, multiple times by Prima, of the engagement, and still she smiles and waits for Prima to finish telling the story of how he proposed. 

She makes it a few more steps before a Zora warrior stops her. There has been more traffic from the Zora through the village in recent weeks, a source of massive curiosity with the children (and most of the adults, too) who had never seen the “fish people” from the north, except for during the Restoration Summit almost two years ago. They come up from the Necluda Sea from Hateno Bay, restocking supplies, sending messages back to their Domain via courier. Divine Beast Ruta was put to rest in the deep waters of the ocean, an arrangement struck with the settlement of Zora that call the seas home. Apparently, Prince Sidon had been hidden away there for protection for a time during his youth after Calamity Ganon’s siege and Mipha’s death. He formed a strong bond with the Princess there. 

The Zora shares, rather cryptically, to be on the lookout for “exciting” news from Zora’s Domain, regarding Prince Sidon. There have been rumors of leadership following in Impa’s footsteps, whispers of the great Zora King finally stepping down from the throne. The Rito are already turning feathers. Most recently, Zelda heard Teba was the popular choice to ascend. 

She parts ways with the Zora, who heads back in the direction of the bay, and picks up her pace to convey urgency. Not that she minds the interaction, she sees all the hands reaching for her now, and finds great purpose in the quiet ways she can nurture Hateno Village especially, but sometimes it takes her an hour, like today, just to walk from one side of the village to the next. And now that Purah has seen fit to move all her things without much consideration to the very specific order to her chaos or the possessiveness of what little Zelda has to her name, her cot feels more impermanent and insecure than ever. 

If only she had a hidden place, like her study in the tower, where she could keep her things and be with her thoughts in peace without worry of interruption…

She spots Link’s house on the hill.  Zelda glances to the west, at the empty spot in the horizon atop Marblod Plain where the Hateno Sheikah Tower once stood. When the shrines were finally all gone, they realized the blue flames inside the towers and the furnaces were dying off. Without power, the towers began to crumble in on themselves, leaving a pile of rubble and dust that will be dealt with in time. Purah intends to go through what remains to see if anything can be repurposed for the new towers, but by the looks of her laboratory, the design is better suited with materials that are new and synced to her Purah Pad. The skeletons of the Sheikah furnaces will be tossed off the cliffs and into their respective surrounding sea by the Sheikah this summer.

Like pyre ash. 

She’s so distracted by the finality of it all and the comfort she feels that she almost runs into him.

“I’m sorry!” Zelda exclaims, and then upon recognizing who it is, grabs Link by the shoulders to steady herself. He laughs, a sound more frequent and unburdened since the Great Plateau, and steps into her, threading a hand up into her hair at the base of her neck.

He kisses her until she’s dizzy. 

She’s not sure she’ll ever get used to this, or if she even wants to. The luxury of this closeness, the casualness with which he always seems to reach for her, like it’s always been the easiest, most obvious thing in the world for him to do. 

“Hi,” she says when he finally pulls back. His eyes linger in a hungry way on her mouth, long enough to twist her stomach pleasantly.

“Hi.”

“I thought you’d still be gone? Did you clear all the monsters already?”

He tucks her hair behind her ears. “I lied.”

Zelda blinks. “You lied?”

He nods, looking a little smug.

“What do you mean, you lied?”

He steps back enough to sign. ‘I wasn’t taking care of monsters in the woods today. That’s tomorrow. Are those for me?’ Link slides his hand down the length of her side to her hip where the quiver full of bomb arrows sits. She shivers.

“The arrows? No–well, I suppose yes. I finally convinced Pruce to remove them from his store front. Bit of an odd and hazardous mix, you know, wheat, eggs, goat butter, explosive arrows. I suppose you can have them for the monster defense…which you said now is tomorrow?”

‘Always has been.’ He turns and starts walking them up to his house. Zelda follows him curiously, still a little too giddy from the kiss to be cross with him.  

“Why lie about that?”

‘Didn’t want to spoil the surprise.’

“Surprise?”

Link pulls out a key from his pocket and unlocks the door. His house has been almost completely gutted. The weapon mounts are gone, a few empty picture frames hanging from the nails in the wall. The furniture has been cleared out, the table empty. He’s added a stove. She can see a few boxes under the stairs, perhaps where all of his things are tucked away or the restart of provisions storage for next winter.

“You lied so you could clean out your house?” She furrows her brow at him.

“Your house.”

“W-what?”

“It’s your house. Here.” He leads her around the space and then up the stairs. The bed is there, tucked in the far wall, still under the lone window for natural light, and guarded by painted vase on the nightstand with a single flower- a daffodil - to watch over her.  She’s a little surprised it’s not a Silent Princess or another blue nightshade, but it's the first of the flowers to bloom after winter. A symbol of new beginnings.

“Purah’s going to forward all your correspondence until word gets around. I already wrote to Tauro and let him know he can send the next batch of his research here. Riju, too. You can keep the furniture or swap it out for something different. Bolson offered to help redesign the interior. Whatever you like.”

Zelda stands shell-shocked in the center of the loft. There is a desk to her left. She can smell the freshness of the cedar. He built it for her. Across the top, her research notes and books in the same chaotic order they were kept in on the cot at Purah’s. Her trunk sits ready at the end of the bed. 

“It’s really mine?”

“Your home,” he says plainly. Like he’s giving her a cube of sugar for her tea. “I’ll leave you to it. Probably should survey the bokoblin camp before the team head’s out tomorrow. Make sure a Moblin hasn’t joined them.” 

She feels him starting to move, but she can’t take her eyes off the bed. It's more vast than any cot she’s ever known, even with its twin frame, with four sturdy posts and modest pillow; there is enough room for two people to lay side by side comfortably, so long as they fit together. 

Is having a bed what makes you feel rooted to a place? Is it the memorization of cracks in the ceiling to count when you're tired, or having someone who helps you heal the cracks buried deep inside you? Is it a kitchen to escape to in the middle of the night for a slice of fruitcake or a bowl of meat and rice, or having someone who knows how to make it just for you? Is home just having the people you love simply love you back? 

She glances from the bed to the flower to Link and her heart leaps into her throat.

Zelda doesn’t feel any guilt this time, none at all, when she reaches for his hand and tells him:

“Stay.” 

[loquaciousquark]

Work's Done Wednesday Stream

Hyrule's past has more holes in it than Swiss cheese right now. It's time to fix that.

Last time: a bunch of stuff happened, including tons of plot, but the biggest, most shocking thing was that Link went somewhere he wasn't supposed to be yet and got vastly overrewarded for it. Hooray, Master Sword? This time: a few quick stops for necessities, including the Akkala lab, and then we're hunting down the geoglyphs come hell or high water. It's time to fill out this storybook!

Previous stream archives: desktop link (hover over “Tears of the Kingdom” in the top left to access all videos); mobile link (scroll down to the Tears of the Kingdom collection).

Stream starting here in about five minutes!

[sombersummerskies]

A Champion's Love: Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Skull Lake

Word Count: 4678

CW: None

Want all the chapters? -> Masterlist

~~~ <> ~~~

A mechanical hum was ever-present within the walls of the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab, and its source could be attributed to the robot in the center of the room. Affectionately named ‘Cherry’ by the resident scientist Robbie, the bright blue eyes of the machine bore into your soul as you walked into the laboratory. As if taunting you, the robot made a series of chirps and whirring sounds once you and your companions shut the door.

“Ah, Champion!” Robbie greeted you from the other side of the room, “come in, come in!”

You offer a smile toward the eccentric and nod your head toward his wife Jerrin as well. The older woman gave you a small grin before returning to the books she was organizing on the shelf. While Tauro remained beside you, Calip quickly walked ahead of you to marvel at the Sheikah machinery in the center of the room.

“How marvelous!” Dr. Calip beamed, the most excited you had ever seen him, “such intricate design, what is the purpose of this machine?”

Robbie seemed eager to boast about his beloved project, “ah, this is my precious Cherry, it is an ancient oven! The machine takes ancient parts, and rupees, and crafts them into useful weaponry and tools!”

The two men proceeded to go back and forth, giddily discussing the mechanics and functionality of the machine. Your ears perked up at the sound of a deep, sad sigh. Turning to your left you see Jerrin with a frown on her face, staring at dejectedly at the bookshelf. Slowly you tip-toe over to her side, gently clearing your throat as you lean against the wall.

“You alright?” you ask her.

She shakes her head, strands of blonde hair falling loose from her bun, “... sometimes I feel like he cares more about that machine than he does for me.”

‘Awkward,’ you think to yourself, swallowing nervously. You hadn’t intended to get caught up in marital troubles today. “Umm,” you reply, “well, we came here to ask Robbie about undocumented shrines, but… he seems occupied now.”

You mentally curse Calip for putting you in this situation.

Jerrin, however, seems to perk up at this, “oh? Shrines? You’re in luck then. I’m an amateur scholar of ancient history, but I’ve been focusing a lot of my research on shrines. Of course, they will all be getting dismantled soon…” She trails off, seeming disheartened about it, before quickly continuing, “oh, but that reminds me! If you’re looking for shrines, there’s somewhere you need to go. The left eye of Skull Lake!”

“A lake with an eye?” Tauro pipes up, having moved to stand behind you as you spoke with the fellow Hylian.

She nods, “I know it sounds weird, but when you see the lake for yourself you’ll understand. The lake has two ‘eyes’, so to speak. It’s a challenge to get to it, though… the left eye of the lake is very high, near impossible for the average climber to reach the top of. You’d have to have a supernatural amount of stamina, or have some kind of technology to reach it.”

You turn and look up at Tauro, folding your arms, “well, it’s the best lead we’ve gotten so far. After we stock up on supplies at the stable we can check it out and then make a plan for reaching the labyrinth after?”

He grins, giving you a cheeky thumbs up, “sounds like a plan to me. Want me to grab Calip?”

You lean to the side, peering around the taller man. Behind him, you see Robbie and Calip, still chatting one another’s ears off about Sheikah technology.

“Yes, please,” you chuckle, rolling your eyes at them.

The three of you make your way outside once Tauro has managed to pull the other Hylian man away, much to the doctor’s disappointment. As you walk down the path away from the laboratory Calip huffs, his cheeks red with embarrassment as Tauro pats him on the back playfully.

Once you return to the nearby stable you exchange rupees with the stablehands for a new batch of supplies. Your canteens are filled with water, you replenish your rations of food, and you exchange dirty linens and blankets for fresh ones. You even pay to have the staff give the three horses a cleaning to ensure they feel refreshed as you continue to travel.

As you speak with the stable owner, Rudi, you’re kneeling to give the stable’s shepherd dog a hearty amount of pets.

“Skull Lake?” he repeats once you’ve told him about your plans, “mighty ominous place, you sure it’s safe to go there?”

You shrug your shoulders as you scratch behind the dog’s ears, “I haven’t heard anything dangerous about it. Why, is there something we should know?”

Rudi glances side-to-side before leaning over the counter, as if he’s about to share a secret, “well, it’s just some rumors, but other travelers have told me that at night they’ve seen mysterious lights on the surface of the lake. Others have reported eerie sounds and odd smells.”

Your brow furrows as you mull over the man’s words. Lights, sounds, and smells? You shuffle through your memories to see if you can recall any kind of monster you can attribute this to, but nothing comes to mind.

“Huh, okay,” you mumbles, standing to full height, “I’ll keep that in mind. It’s only been reported at night?”

The owner nods.

Once you return to Tauro and Calip you relay this information to them. Both men seem intrigued by the mystery. “Maybe we could camp nearby tonight,” Tauro suggests, “not close enough to the lake to alert whatever it is about our presence. But within enough of a distance to survey any activity.”

After discussing the fine details the three of you saddle up and head northwest. The ride to Skull Lake takes about half of the day, the sun already beginning to set in the west. Once you arrive at the cliffs that overlook the lake far below. You managed to avoid any incidents with monsters, though you were aware that to the east there were still a handful of camps with recent activity reported.

As Persephone slowly trots toward the edge you realize what Jerrin meant by ’it’s a challenge to get to it’.

Locating the shrine was no problem, it was out in the open and incredibly easy to spot. The real issue was where the shrine sat. It was perched upon an incredibly tall, jagged stone pillar. The stone stretched far below you, blending into a fog that made it difficult to see the ground down below. You could only assume that somewhere in the mist was the lake which the stone protruded from.

“Sweet Hylia,” Dr. Calip gasped, steering his steed to stand beside your own, “how is anyone supposed to climb that?”

With a frown you stare down the shrine, attempting to formulate a plan in your mind. Months ago you would have been able to easily accomplish the task by utilizing Revali’s Gale. Now, though, you were without that connection to the champions. You would have to reach the shrine on your own merit.

You dismount from Persephone and whistle, instructing her to move away from the cliffside. After digging through the bag you’d brought with you, you produce two items. Your paraglider and your climbing bandana. You wrap the bandana around your head, pushing your hair back and away from your face. You shed your outer layer, a long-sleeved tunic, leaving you in the fitted tanktop beneath before strapping a pair of gloves onto your hands.

“Champ, don’t tell me you’re going to try to climb that thing,” Tauro asks, a small hint of shock in his voice as he looks over at you, “what if you fall? We have no clue how far down it goes-”

“Tauro,” you say, gently interrupting him with a smile on your face, “trust me, I’ll be fine. I think I’ve accomplished significantly more difficult feats.”

You give him a reassuring pat on the shoulder before scoping out the highest point you could launch from. You stand at the cliffside and attempt to mentally calculate the distance. Just as your boots brush against the edge of the rock you hear a shout.

“I think this is an incredibly foolish idea!” Calip shouts, stubbornly crossing his arms while still sitting on his horse’s back, “if you mortally wound yourself I refuse to be held liable!”

“Dr. Calip,” you say, turning to glance at him, “I say this with all the love and care in my heart: shut up.”

Tauro stifles a chuckle while the other Hylian lets out an indignant grumble.

You take in a deep breath as you focus on your target once more. After taking a few steps back, you sprint, getting a running start before jumping off of the rocks. You unfurl the paraglider, catching the air and allowing you to glide toward the pillar. The action puts more strain on your arms than you’d expected, and you have to remind yourself that you hadn’t used the paraglider much at all recently.

Once you arrive at the column of stone your grunt, fumbling as your boots and hands find their footing in the rock. With one hand you manage to strap the paraglider to your back. Craning your neck, you look up and estimate that there are still roughly ten meters that you’ll need to climb before reaching the top.

“You got this, champ!” Tauro cheers you on from the cliffs.

You breathe in deeply as you begin your climb, careful with where you place your hand and balance your weight. A small hiss passes your lips when you feel the rock chip one of your nails. Slowly you progress upwards, not daring to let yourself look down at the foggy abyss below you. Even if there was water, you weren’t going to take your chances.

‘Distractions, I need a distraction so I don’t focus too much on the height,’ you think to yourself, ‘errr… I wonder how good of a climber Sidon is?’

You laugh internally, of course, your first instinct is to go straight to musing about the prince. It’d been about two weeks since he’d left and the majority of the time it was his face plaguing your thoughts. ‘I really am hopeless, aren’t I? Of course, I am. That charming voice, that handsome smile, that personality-’

A loud yelp escapes you when you misjudge one of the crevices where you tried to place your right hand. The consequence is sliding down a mere inch before you regain your hold on the rock. Your eyes are wide as a bead of sweat drips down your forehead.

‘Goddesses above. Okay. Not the time to think about Sidon, then.’

The rest of the climb goes without a hitch after that small fumble. You hoist yourself up onto the very top of the pillar, arms shaking and sore after the ordeal. It takes a few moments for you to catch your breath, but eventually, you stand and offer your researcher companions a thumbs-up to let them know that you were alright.

You hear an enthusiastic shout in response, no doubt from Tauro again.

From a small pack tied to your waist, you produce a small Sheikah device, one of Purah’s inventions. It was, in essence, a tracker- one that would be used to mark the location of each shrine once their dismantling began. You attach it to the pedestal and take a moment to look up at the shrine with fondness in your eyes.

‘I think I’m gonna miss seeing these everywhere.’

…

“And then guess what happened-”

“What?”

“He let the sheep out of the pen.”

“No way!”

“And guess who got blamed for it.”

“Don’t tell me, you did?”

“Yes, me,” Tauro replies, throwing his hands up in the air as you burst into a fit of laughter.

The pair of you sat near the campfire, laughing as you told stories about one another's lives. While your recollections leaned more on the serious side, involving stories of your battles, Tauro’s memories tended to have a lot more humor. Such as the last story he told, about his younger brother losing the sheep their family would watch over in Lurelin Village.

You smiled as you drank from your cup, but in the pit of your stomach, there was the nasty feeling of envy that you were attempting to stamp out. Yet again you were speaking with someone whose life was, by all accounts, far more normal than your own. And yet again here you were, feeling jealous of lived experiences that didn’t match yours.

Other people go to play with their siblings and care for livestock as children. You, on the other hand, were raised from birth to be a fighter. You never had a chance.

In an attempt to push these emotions away, you glance over to the other researcher and say, “hey Calip, you got any funny stories?”

The pale Hylian glances up, lifting his face away from his journal and glaring at you as if your question had been an inconvenience. “No,” he answers, rolling his eyes as he looks down at the book, “and even if I did, I’m not one to share.”

“So boringgg,” you drawl, tossing another stick into the fire.

Calip shuts his journal, “well I’m not here to entertain. I’m here to do research. And frankly, I think our talents are being wasted with this shrine nonsense. When I spoke with Princess Zelda I was seeking permission to conduct survey work in the Faron region.”

“There you go, talking about Faron again,” you retort, watching the smoke from the fire rise, “what’s so special in Faron?”

This time it’s Tauro who answers, “it’s the ruins. You must’ve seen them when you were journeying in that region, they’re pretty hard to miss.”

You think back on it. The time you’d spent in the Faron region hadn’t been very long compared to many of the other places in Hyrule. You recalled the thick jungle you traversed through, how you’d stumbled across the fountain of the Horse goddess Malanya, and how you’d stayed overnight in gorgeous Lurelin Village.

“Ruins…” you mumbled, tapping on your chin, “yeah, I think I passed by some of those in the jungle. There were some old statues. They looked like… birds and dragons?”

Tauro nods, leaning back and tossing his cap and goggles aside, “that’s right, though we’ve narrowed it down to the statues being one of three types: boar, owl, or dragon. They’re remnants of an ancient civilization known as the Zonai.”

‘Zonai…’ you repeat in your mind. The word felt familiar to you, maybe Zelda had brought it up in one of her many rambles about Hyrule’s history.

“I’ve been working on deciphering their language for years now,” Tauro explained, “it’s fun work, but it’s not exactly a way to make a living. I can’t just sit around and translate ruins all day, as much as I wish I could.”

He whispered the last part, and you couldn’t help but smile at his passion.

“Hence why we sought out the princess,” Calip continued with a curt nod, “but she stated that this Sheikah technological overhaul would take precedence.”

You hum as you lean back, folding your arms behind your head as you lay in the grass, “huh, alright. Well if it’s that important to you both, I’m sure we can explore it. There’s got to be at least a few shrines hidden away in the jungle. We could probably travel in one big circle and wrap back around all of Hyrule.”

Both men seemed pleased by this and began to chat with one another about the ruins in the south. As they do you curiously peer over the side of the cliff. The fog from earlier in the day had dissipated, and though it was dark you could just barely make out the watery surface of the lake down below. However, there were no lights or sounds as the stable owner had told you about.’

‘Sure hope this isn’t a huge waste of our time,’ you wonder to yourself, rolling over once more.

You turn back and decide to join the conversation to pass the time. Once supper’s been had and the tents are arranged, the full moon sits high in the sky. ‘Looks to be about midnight, still no sign of anything on the lake,’ you think as you set up your mat and blankets.

“Bit of a bummer,” Tauro sighs as he attempts to stifle a yawn, “was hoping to make some kind of discovery tonight.”

“Ah well,” you reply with a shrug of your shoulders, “not every lead is going to be accurate. Let’s just rest so we can check out that labyrinth in the morning.”

You bid one another goodnight as you lay down in your tent, leaving the front of it open so you can watch the fire crackle. It was a colder night so opted to let the fire burn itself out. You slow your breathing, lying on your stomach as your eyes follow the embers.

Slowly you begin to fade in and out of sleep, mind lazily bouncing from thought to thought.

Your eyes flutter shut…

.

.

.

Before you wake up with a start. You pant, attempting to catch your breath as you look around in confusion. The fire was snuffed out and the moon had moved across the sky. Your companions were long asleep. You clutch a hand to your chest, blinking as you regain a sense of your surroundings.

‘Shit… what time is it?’

Just as you turn to pull your blankets up, you hear a droning sound. Your head whips around, brow furrowed as you peer into the darkness. Slowly you step out of your tent, attempting not to make any noise. You strap the scabbard for the Master Sword around your torso as you walk.

In the dark, you make your way to the cliff edge once more and peer down. This time when you look at Skull Lake the water is illuminated. Beneath its murky surface, there are large plants that bloom in the water. Another distant drone sends a shiver down your spine.

‘What in Hylia’s name is down there?’

You retrieve your paraglider and prepare to jump. The two researchers are still sound asleep in their tents, meaning your absence will go unnoticed. You brace yourself as you launch, the wind whipping past your face as you glide down past the tall stone pillar.

As you move downward you’re able to get a clearer view of the light source. It’s some sort of man-made craft, built with layers upon layers of fabrics, boxes of storage, and rope. Small lanterns hang off the sides of the structure. You only grow more and more confused the closer you get.

Once you land on the ground you crouch down. The structure is even more odd up close, decorated with skulls and purple lights and a large sign. Fang and Bone you read, brow furrowed as you slowly shuffle closer.

There’s a tinkering sound and you realize that someone is standing within the structure. Whoever it is, their back is turned to you, and they mumble to themself as they work with various objects. They’re somewhat shorter than you, dressed in an odd coat covered in patches and buttons.

You don’t get the sense that this person is a threat. So you stand at full height, loosening the tension in your shoulders as you quietly walk to the front of the craft. Not only are they not a danger, they seem to have no awareness of their surroundings.

For just a moment you hesitate, before lifting a hand and politely clearing your throat.

The being practically jumps out of their skin, turning and screaming when they see you.

It gives you a moment to better assess their- his features. He’s the oddest looking Hylian you’d ever met, with skin so grey it’s almost purple, a tuft of white hair on his forehead, and fangs hidden behind his mustache. He warily eyes before he tilts his head.

“Hmm?” he questions, shoulders relaxing, “oh, it’s just a Hylian.”

His voice is slightly grating on your ears.

“Who are you?” you retort, crossing your arms as you curiously examine him.

“Me? My name is Kilton,” he introduces, fixing the hood on his head, “I suppose you’re here because you heard I was opening a monster shop, and you wanted to see it for yourself.”

“Monster shop?” you repeat aloud, thoroughly confused. You’d heard no such thing, only about mysterious lights and sounds. You suppose this must be the source of all those rumors.

Kilton nods excitedly, “yes, I’m opening a monster shop called Fang and Bone! But… I’m still preparing for my grand opening. Er, here, a business card!”

One of his gloves hand juts out toward you, within its grasp a rectangular piece of parchment. With an intrigued smile on your face, you take it, holding it up to your face as you read the minuscule printed text:

Fang and Bone-

Come see ol’ Kilton for the most monstrous deals in all of Hyrule!

You can’t help but chuckle at the pun. When you look back up you see him staring at you expectantly.

“Uh,” he stammers, “... going to need that card back. It’s the only one I have.”

“Of course,” you laugh, handing the parchment back to him. The whole situation was humorous to you. All of these travelers were terrified over what was just an odd man and his odd shop. You lift your gaze to attempt to examine what’s behind him, seeing a variety of vials, monster parts, and even some sewn masks that resembled monster heads.

He seems to notice your wondering eyes and he pipes up, “anyway… do you, uh… are you into monsters?”

His wording makes you laugh, and you quickly try to hide it before shrugging your shoulders nonchalantly, “I suppose.”

“How, uh… how much do you like them?” he prods, leaning over the counter slightly.

You feel as if he’s egging you on, and so you bluff slightly, “oh me? I adore monsters.”

This appears to strike a chord with the odd man. He slams his fists on the table before shouting, “I LOVE MONSTERS MORE THAN YOU DO!”

You move backward, caught off guard by his outburst. Perhaps he notices the way your body tensed, or your eyes widened, but he seems to realize his mistake. He takes a breath to calm down before stepping back into the shadow of his small shop.

“I… uh… sorry! I did it again,” he apologizes, as if this isn’t his first time in this situation, “I just love the field of monster research so much that I decided to open a shop all about monsters! I travel all around Hyrule in search of rare and exciting monster parts. But I’m not sure where I should visit next. Kakario Village or Hateno? Rito Village and Zora’s Domain are also good options. Hmm… I suppose I could go all the way to Gerudo Town or Lurelin Village. But that new Tarrey Town is much closer.”

He seems to be mostly rambling to himself at this point.

“I’m so excited I can hardly contain myself! I can’t just sit around while there are monsters to be studied! I’m off!”

You jump at this slightly and interrupt his train of thought, “hey, hey, wait a moment! Before you go running off, at least tell me about your shop. What do you sell?”

Kilton beams at this, his fanged teeth forming into a grin. “Well, we haven’t had our grand opening yet, but once we do I will sell you monster-related wares for mon!”

“Mon?” you repeat.

He nods, “yes, mon, it’s the only currency I accept. And I’ll give you mon for trading me monster parts. Eyes. fangs, horns, tails, guts. I’ll take 'em all.”

“Alright, and what will you offer if I have mon?” you ask.

He hums, tapping his gloved fingers on the wood as he rattles off his inventory, “monster extract will be the most popular item. You can cook it into your meals to make them more potent. I have some weapons for sale too. But what I’m most proud of is the masks I hand-made! They each have the likeness of a monster, allowing you to get close to them without being attacked. Very important for field research.”

Your eyes glance over the stock behind him once more, and you see the masks he was discussing. One resembles a Bokoblin, another is a Moblin, a Lizalfos, and one even looks like a Lynel. There’s one that catches your eye, however. It doesn’t resemble any monster, simply a Hylian face.

“What’s that one?” you ask, pointing it out.

Kilton follows your gaze and he gasps, “oh! This is something I call the dark hood, it’s a part of a set of three pieces. It’s said if you wear all three together your stealth will increase tenfold.”

“Did you sew that one too?” you only question it as it looks so different from the monster's masks.

He quickly shakes his head, “no, I acquired it through trade. That, and-”

Kilton abruptly stops himself, clapping a hand over his mouth. You raise a brow at this.

“And…?” you repeat, curiosity peaking your interest.

Kilton whines, glancing from side to side, “well- I shouldn’t- it’s… they’re not items that I believe should be for sale.”

“Why, are they dangerous?” you reply.

“No, it’s just… look, I don’t know a lot about them, or the man who sold them to me. Mysterious guy. All I know is he claims that they can… change you,” he explains.

You twirl your hand, gesturing for him to continue.

“They’re masks. He said that when someone wears them it will transform their body,” Kilton goes on, tugging on his coat, “b-but he said it was painful! And I don’t think that just anyone should get their hands on the ability to transform.”

You stare at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. Kilton seems annoyed by this. “Sorry, I just,” you try to say between giggles, “doesn’t it sound ridiculous? Putting on a mask that changes your body? I think that man lied to you, Kilton.”

“Maybe he did,” the odd Hylian sighs, “but I’d rather be safe than sorry! Besides, I get the strangest feeling when I hold them, so they’re locked up! Not for sale!”

You decide to humor him, “alright, Kilton, what kind of masks are they? Will they turn me into a little Bokoblin if I put one on?”

He eyes you warily, “not that I’d ever give one to you, but no. They’re not monster masks, they’re people masks. One of them is, er, I think it’s called a Deku. There’s a Goron one. Um… and a Zora one-”

“Zora-” you interrupt him without meaning to, “a Zora mask?”

“Yes, it’s quite a beautiful mask actually,” he grins, “intricate details, a gorgeous shade of blue, scale-like marbling…”

All of his words are going in one ear and out the other as you stare down at the ground. A mask that could turn you into a Zora, if that mysterious man had told Kilton the truth. To become a Zora… to change your form… to-

You force the thoughts out of your mind, nearly slapping yourself for thinking such thoughts.

Transformation, what a ridiculous lie. It wasn’t possible.

‘You can’t just magic yourself into a Zora. Not. Happening. Stop thinking about it.’

“Ahem, well,” you awkwardly clear your throat, “it was nice meeting you, Kilton. I’ll keep an eye out for your shop. I’m a seasoned traveler, I ought to have plenty of monster parts by then.”

You say your goodbyes and spend the next hour finding a way back up to your camp. You tiptoe to your tent and sigh deeply, discarding your paraglider and sword. When you peer over your shoulder you can see the first rays of light peeking over the horizon. The sun is rising.

As you crawl into your blankets you groan. You stare at your hands, flexing your fingers and pressing your nails into the flesh of your palms.

Skin, not scales.

‘Stop thinking about it. You’re a Hylian. Get over it.’

You pull your blankets over your head, trying to get more sleep before your companions awake. You shiver as you pull your knees up. It was going to be a rough couple of months before Sidon came back.

~~~ <> ~~~

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