The Hyrule Paradox: Worlds Collide | BOTW Isekai (Book 1)

Chapter 41: Atop The Precipice

_______________________________________

They went over the plan again. They would sneak into the hideout via the main entrance, quietly taking out any guards they came across. Matt, Olivia, and Jordan would break the prison cells open, while Link would go on ahead to find the Thunder Helm. Then, if all went well, the humans would sneak back out the way they came and head for the shrine nearby. Once Link got the Thunder Helm, he would rendezvous with them there. From there, Link could teleport everyone back to Hateno and they would be safe. It was a rough plan, and there were many things that could go wrong, but it was the best they had.

They got up from the fireplace and went out onto the sands. They found the woman who was renting out sand seals and paid her for four. The creatures traveled similarly to Molduga through the sands, and they could traverse the desert quickly by attaching a rope to their backs and riding behind them on shields. They prepared their shields and they were quickly on their way west towards the bottom of Karusa Valley, the sun's remaining light waning before them.

Nobody spoke as they got closer and closer with each second to their dangerous destination, the looming plateaus of the highlands growing taller as they approached. The sound of the rushing wind and the sand shifting beneath their shields made it impossible to hear anything.

After a couple of minutes, they topped a sand dune and turned due north as the beginning of the valley was spread out before them. Farther in, Jordan could see the valley gaining elevation and becoming narrower, the walls becoming intimidatingly steep as the valley carved further into the highlands. They moved in, and there were wires hanging between spires over the valley, a trademark of the Yiga. After another minute or so, the ground started to become more compact, and they could no longer rely on the sand seals to keep moving. They let the yellow and beige animals go, and started up the valley on foot.

Now that the sun had sand beneath the horizon, it was starting to cool down. It wouldn't matter as much as they got deeper into the highlands, but it still meant that the four of them would be much fresher after walking all the way up the valley.

Jordan's legs started to get a little sore as they walked further and further up the path. Every so often, giant boulders would fall down from the sides, and they would have to leap out of harm's way. The path started to get steeper and steeper, but eventually, they made it to the shrine, which was just off the beaten path on a platform that felt like it was cut out of the rocky wall. Link stepped forward and placed his sheikah slate to the pedestal, and there was a small jingle as the Shrine activated and the entrance revealed itself. Jordan, Olivia and Matt all glanced around nervously, worried that the sounds the shrine was making would alert a Yiga Clan sentry, and they kept their eyes peeled. Nothing came of it though, and Link stepped into the shrine, and disappeared into the earth.

The three humans sat outside the shrine, not saying a single word to each other. All they could do was think about the daunting task ahead, and stayed on the lookout for any sign of an enemy presence. But there was none...or was there?

Link only took ten minutes to complete the shrine, but to them it felt like an hour. Their stress levels were running high, and Jordan was having a hard time tempering himself. Link was as he always was, stoic and unreadable, and his body language hadn't changed a bit. Jordan tried his best to calm down. The dark magic was reacting to his anxiety, and sparks of the plasmatic energy were crackling off his body. He breathed deeply, steading himself as he visualized his goal in his mind. His anxiety was dulled and he started feeling more confident. Finally, he stood, telling himself he was ready to go.

"C'mon, we can do this. We can't get spooked now. If they catch us, we can fight our way out." he said, partly to himself. Matt shook his head in despair.