Life in Zora's Domain

Chapter 117 - I Met a Man Who Wasn't There

Summary: Tila finishes the Zora Armor for her husband. Mipha encounters something important, but with severe consequences.

It was cooler in the underground cavern that offered a respite from the scorching heat of the Eldin Region not far from Death Mountain. Two travelers had just recently returned and were discussing things with a third person, a scientist.

"Nice to see you again," said the scientist. "How did it go this time?"

"Very funny, and much better," said the first traveler. "That dog caused no trouble at all this time. But riding two on a cycle is a bit uncomfortable. Anyway, I think you solved it."

"That's great news!" said the scientist, happily rubbing his hands together. "Our leader will be pleased. You know, it wasn't easy for me without Grendon."

"Yeah, what exactly happened to Grendon?" said the second traveler. "We heard we lost him, but not how or why."

"Sadly, he overheard something he shouldn't have, though the person he overheard it from isn't with us anymore either," said the scientist, shaking his head. "Grendon only cooperated with us because he thought we were funding his pure research. When he overheard someone discussing our plans, he snuck off. Luckily, we were able to catch up with him and eliminate him before he could reveal anything. Unluckily, he left before he completed his research. I've been trying my best to continue his work from what I learned while he was here, but it hasn't been easy. He was terrible at taking notes or keeping records, relying on his memory for everything. Though I suppose that was also to our advantage since he left no record of his work behind in North Hyrule either. Grendon may have been a fool in some ways, but he was a genius in others."

The first traveler yawned, partly from being out all night, and also because he found the topic boring.

"So, when will be ready for some serious field testing? I'm getting impatient with all the small steps," said the first traveler.

"Soon, perhaps," said the scientist scowling at the traveler. "Maybe even in a couple of weeks. But the next phase may involve more senior people than you two. And by the way, if I were you, I would keep my opinions to myself. Our leader doesn't want to rush this. The plan's success depends on coordination and stealth. We're not dealing with fools, you know. There are top tier scientists in both North and South Hyrule."

"I just think the longer we wait, the more chance the enemy will figure things out," said the first traveler. "But what do I know? I'm going to sleep now. It's been a long night."

"Same here," said the second traveler.

They left to get some rest, while the scientist went back to work to prepare a summary of the project's status.

Meanwhile, in Zora's Domain, Tila and young Link were at Veiled Falls watching their daughter Tara playing in the water.

"I love the armor, sweetheart," said Link. "Thank you so much. I'm still getting the feel of it, but it's very comfortable, and my swimming is unbelievably better!"

"I knew you would love it!" said Tila. "I got a good deal of advice from Mother, so you should thank her as well. I wanted you to be able to keep up with Tara as she gets older."

"Now I know why you let slip the 'we' in how we could teach her to swim up waterfalls," laughed Link. "I just never dreamed you would do something like this. It must have taken you forever!"

"It was tricky keeping it hidden from you. You're so nosy sometimes," laughed Tila tweaking him gently on the nose. "See, I can speak Hylian phrases, like 'nosy.' But, I could tell how surprised you were and knew you didn't know about it."