A Couple of Trials (ZeLink)

Chapter 74: The Perch of Tabantha

"Rumors can spawn anywhere. It doesn't matter if you're in the cold snow of the Hebra Mountains or the rainy forests of Faron. Where there is life, there is a story, and where there's a story, there are rumors destined to be entwined. Today, that story—that rumor—happens to be in the scorching deserts of Gerudo. That, my dear readers, is where I traveled to find this volume's rumor."

The scratching of pen against paper stopped as the writer looked up from her notebook. Immediately, the bright rays of the sun blinded her, forcing her to raise her hand and shading her eyes for her vision to return. Keeping her arm raised, she looked around, scanning her surroundings. As her writing had suggested, there was nothing but sand for miles, and the further out she tried to see, the more distorted the view became thanks to the heat. Collecting herself, the writer took a deep breath, rubbed the glistening sweat from her forehead, and refocused on the notebook she was holding.

"Now, you may be wondering: What possible rumors could be floating around the desert heat waves, and if there are rumors, how interesting could they be? Why would I—Traysi, author of the Rumor Mill and well-established rumor connoisseur—force myself to stand in the middle of the desert dunes in search of said rumors?

You see, dear readers, I've recently heard of something fascinating. Supposedly, in these deserts, there is a special kind of monster—a molduga— different from the usual run-of-the-mill sort. These giant beasts are the leaders of the sand sailing schools of monsters, properly named the Molduking. If it exists, that is.

This is what I am here to discover, for if these creatures are real, then the masses deserve to know! From what I've been told, the Molduking is known to swim around the sands I visited, and yet, nothing has arisen to chomp my leg off. This is unusual, seeing as Molduga are known for being attracted to vibrations. If I haven't come across anything yet, it's possible there isn't anything at all."

Traysi looked up from her writing, examining her surroundings one last time. Pursing her lips, she shrugged and took a step as she returned to her writing.

"With that, I declare this rumor untrue. For interest sake of this rumor, I give it two out of five sta—"

Suddenly, the tip of the reporter's pen began to quake as she wrote. Furrowing her brow, Traysi looked up from the pages and felt every grain of sand she was standing on shake. Confused, she desperately tried to hold on to her prized pen and notebook before noticing a small hill rising from underneath the sand's surface. The hill was moving, swimming beneath the dunes, kicking up sand the faster it went. Clutching her notebook even tighter, Traysi swallowed.

"Correction... It's real—!"

With a scream, Traysi dashed forward, attempting not to trip over the sandy waves. Only moments after she moved, an explosion erupted from the sand. Waves and dust rose into the air, the pressure forcing the reporter off her feet. Landing in the sand, Traysi rolled away, only able to get a glimpse of the dune's destruction. Along with the dust cloud and the now airborne sand, the large, fishy body of the beast she had been searching for had come into view. Its scales were a bright white, its underbody stranded with blood-red marks. Its spine was a horrifying blue, while its gaping mouth and oversized, rigid chin were black as night.

Opening its jaw, it revealed its sharp teeth as it let out a wail so loud that Traysi curled into a ball, forced to bring up her wrists and press them over her pointed ears, still desperately holding on to her pen and notebook in each hand. As sand and dust covered her body, the Molduking crashed back into the sea of sand, disappearing under the surface. As the dunes continued to vibrate as the sand beast swam underground, Traysi blew sand from her mouth. As she quickly pushed herself to her feet, sand fell from every crevice of her clothing.