Transcript:The Legend of Zelda One-Shot: Lookout, Here We Come!

Pre-show
MATT: Hello friends, and welcome to a very special "The Legend of Zelda" one-shot. We have some wonderful friends here on the table to join us for this. Let's pop around this, and we have Liam O'Brien joining us here. Hi, Liam!

LIAM: Hi. What do we do? We're talking about what we play?

MATT: No, we'll get there.

LIAM: Hi, everybody!

(laughter)

MARISHA: No. Shut down!

(laughter)

MATT: Denied!

ROBBIE: Classic RPG! No! And introduce yourself!

(laughter)

MATT: Perfect! Next thing, we have Emily Axford. Thank you so much for joining us.

EMILY: Hi! Thanks guys! Just to introduce my character a little bit--

(laughter)

MATT: Oh! Out of the gate, getting sassy!

(laughter)

MATT: Next up, we have Omar Najam. Welcome, buddy!

LIAM: Woo!

OMAR: Hello, everyone! And I'm playing...

EMILY: (laughs)

OMAR: Just kidding.

MATT: I mean, at this point we could just introduce it now. I mean, if people are this excited for it. We have, at the table on this end, Robbie Daymond.

ROBBIE: Hi!

MATT: Hi, Robbie!

ROBBIE: I'm glad to be here.

MATT: Happy to have you.

MARISHA: Me too!

ROBBIE: I've never played a Zelda game! I'm so excited! Just kidding! My entire tattoo is Zelda!

(laughter)

MATT: And Marisha Ray.

MARISHA: Hi! Liam is playing...

(laughter)

EMILY: That's good!

MATT: Roasted out of the gate. What can possibly go wrong?

(laughter)

MATT: I'm going to destroy you all! But no, this one shot has been a wonderful collaboration with our friends at Nintendo to celebrate the release of "The Legend and Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom." Super excited to play in this world that I'm pretty sure everybody at this table has been very familiar with for most of our lives.

MARISHA: Booked out a weekend.

MATT: Indeed!

MARISHA: Let's go!

(laughter)

MATT: It's going to happen.

LIAM: Plus, I was there, boots on the ground as a kid when the original "Legend of Zelda" came on the NES!

MATT: Heck yeah!

LIAM: This is so surreal! Let's play!

MATT: Yep.

(laughter)

MATT: That golden cartridge sits in a garage somewhere, after my mom sold it.

(laughter)

MATT: But nevertheless, you may recognize the places explored and the monsters fought tonight as being inspired by elements from "The Legend of Zelda" series. However, we want to emphasize that our characters, in the events of this one-shot, are our own creations and are not official content from "The Legend of Zelda" series, merely an inspiration. In that space, we shall play tonight. That being the case, I'd say let's jump into this wonderful "Legend of Zelda" one-shot for Critical Role.

ROBBIE: ♪ Da da da ♪ ♪ (Legend of Zelda theme music) ♪

MATT: Welcome to the kingdom of Hyrule. Here, after 100 years of Calamitous existence here, the missing hero, swordsman Link, gone in a time of great turmoil. The people waited for Zelda to finally rise up and banish the terrifying Calamity, Ganon. And, with Link's help, succeeded not too long ago, ending this 100 year reign of terror. Some time has passed since and the people of Hyrule rebuild, they expand, they begin to transition from a time of turmoil and now into a time of contemplation and expansion. And it's here, not far from the outskirts of Hyrule Castle, in the bustling fort area known as Lookout Landing, where a research group has been working hard under Purah to now look into some of the mysteries that still remain here in the land of Hyrule, one of which being the mysterious Zonai people of ancient Hylian history. Only brief facets of their existence have been uncovered in the years that have passed and they've grown to be a rather strong fascination for a number of researchers that work under or adjacent to Purah, and one of those researchers has been chosen to helm a slight excursion towards the nearby Zonai Ruins, a specific researcher known as Marga. As we now begin to--

MARISHA: I'm the leader? You didn't tell me this!

(laughter)

EMILY: It's okay. I'm very charismatic. I can take over, if you need.

MATT: You are the only researcher in this group, so yes, you are the one helming the researching expedition.

ROBBIE: Yay!

MATT: But here-

MARISHA: You got this, Marga.

MATT: (laughs)

MARISHA: Every morning, she gives herself a pep talk in the mirror.

(laughter)

MARISHA: Just don't mess this up.

MATT: It is here, beyond a number of fields, rolling hills, dense forests, and bits of dangerous terrain we come into the Faron Jungle, and cresting the hill of one of the nearby paths, we see Marga crest the hillside, pack in tow. If you would please describe yourself as you come upon a visual perspective of the Zonai Ruins.

MARISHA: Okay, well, you see a young, bright-eyed rito with yellow feathers on top and green feathers covering the rest of her body. She's covered in gadgets and gear that she made herself, one being a giant pair of goggles as well as some snorkeling equipment because, even though her people are kings and queens of the sky, she's fascinated with what lies below the still waters and rivers, and does not wish to be limited to merely one section of the domain, and wishes to traverse every section of Hyrule that she can. So yeah, she's got all of her gear, she's got her research equipment, she's got her bow and arrow on her back, maybe a journal or a clipboard. She's got a clipboard. That feels more official. She talked herself into that this morning.

(laughter)

MARISHA: She was like: Clipboard, that's what I need. And yes. I guess she turns to everybody else, and goes: Come on! We need to be on time. If we are late, it's going to reflect poorly on me and really nobody else. So come on! Chop chop!

MATT: Turning around past the crest of this hill, we see the remainder of the troop that's been escorting her to the site of the Zonai Ruins, beginning over here with Tota, if you want to describe yourself.

OMAR: They are around the same height as you with beautiful yellow feathers that catch little bits of breeze that others might miss, and they've got piercing eyes that are looking around as a leaf pinwheel that they've thrown just a couple seconds ago into the sky is now circling back and they draw their bow and arrow and fire it off. Their arms are built.

EMILY: Yeah.

MATT: (laughs)

OMAR: Just want to make that clear.

MATT: It's important.

OMAR: Yeah.

ROBBIE: (laughs)

OMAR: Real, real brick of a bird.

(laughter)

EMILY: ♪ He's a brick ♪

MATT: ♪ Bird ♪

LIAM: ♪ House ♪

(laughter)

MARISHA: A brick bird house!

OMAR: They take a real sharp inhale, watch the target, and then exhale and let an arrow go at the target.

MATT: For the heck of it, roll for me a body.

MARISHA: First roll!

OMAR: Okay.

LIAM: First roll in Hyrule!

EMILY: First roll, first roll, first roll! It's going to set the tone.

LIAM: High roll in Hyrule!

OMAR: Okay. That's eight.

MATT: That's an eight. So indeed, it (whooshes) fires through this pinwheel, but also (vibrating) sticks into the side of a nearby tree not but a couple of inches away from the head of Dink.

EMILY: (laughs)

MATT: Dink, if you would like to describe yourself.

ROBBIE: Yeah! Sure!

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Dink is a young goron lad, possibly late teens, early 20s. He is large and imposing, big arms, what you'd classically think of when you think of a goron, except he doesn't seem to be wearing his normal cultural garb. Instead, he is costumed, of a sort, in blue and brown tribal gear, various pouches and symbols he doesn't fully understand.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: It's as if someone had told him who the Hero of the Wild was, but he didn't get the notes quite right. It looks like a bad homemade cosplay.

MATT: (laughs)

LIAM: Oh my!

ROBBIE: But he's done it all. He's got bristly blonde hair that's tied up into as much hair as his ponytail can go into, bright blue, hopeful eyes; and as the arrow... Oh, and he's got a sword on his back. But instead of a one-handed sword, it's a two-handed monstrosity cobbled together out of various stones. It's more of a bashin' sword than a cuttin' sword.

MATT: (laughs)

ROBBIE: As the arrow goes (vibrating) by his head, he goes: Wah! Wo-ha! Whoa! Then, he goes back to what he was doing and he pulls out the sword, finds a patch of grass, and just goes (laughs) He's just spinning in circles--

(laughter)

ROBBIE: -- cutting down grass.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: And that's Dink!

(laughter)

MATT: Perfect!

(laughter)

ROBBIE: We'll see!

(laughter)

MATT: Watching this incredible display, one of the other soldiers sent along this mission with the other two armed figures to see this researcher and companions to safety, we have Yolo. If you wouldn't mind describing yourself, Yolo.

LIAM: Yeah. Yolo the zora is a tall, lanky gym rat of a zora, blue skin, blue hammerhead shark-like head and he's gripping, he's got a a polearm slung over his back, but is holding a boomerang and is just hacking down plants out of Marga's way to clear the way for her.

MARISHA: Thank you.

LIAM: Yolo is wearing, he's got some aviator goggles that are hanging around his neck and is wearing a small, tight vest that is lined with feathers all along the sides, and he's got a little medallion hanging from the vest that is identical to one that Marga is wearing. It's got a beautiful, intricate little design of clouds above waves, and if you're really close, you could see the words "Skydive" printed right in the middle of it.

MATT and ROBBIE: (laugh)

LIAM: Yolo loves the oceans where he hails from, but he's gotten a taste of flying, has spent a lot of time with the rito, and Marga specifically. They are longtime buddies and would spend a lot of time leaping off of Shatterback Point using a glider. Well, I have to use the glider. Marga can use her wings--

(laughter)

LIAM: -- and just glide through the air off of Shatterback Point until we hit the ocean and then go swimming for hours. So like weekend warriors together. Marga leaned a little more nerd bird and I'm a little bit more of a jockey bro zora.

(laughter)

LIAM: But best pals forever, and I make sure that she and the team stay safe while we trek through the wilderness and deal with bokoblins and lizalfos and all that mess.

MARISHA: Thanks, Yolo! Team Skydive!

(laughter)

LIAM: (laughs) (whooshes)

(laughter)

MARISHA: Awesome!

MATT: Helming up the caboose of this troop, cresting over the hill into the Faron Jungle proper, we come to Babs, or Babson. If you wouldn't mind describing yourself, Emily.

EMILY: (New Jersey accent) Yeah. Babson Wizzblin. You can call her Babs. Everyone does. Is a proud representative of the Hudson Construction Company where she's pretty high ranking, if I do say so myself. I love all things construction-related, grout, excavators.

(laughter)

EMILY: Hey, I can build it, I can break it down! You know, that's what we say. You'll see I'm also wearing a bit of monster jewelry because I have sort of a pet love for collecting of monster parts. So I do have an octorok necklace, I've got a bokoblin fang bracelet, and I think maybe in this moment, I've got another bokoblin fang and I've got some smithy's tools to make the roots pliable and I'm turning it into a mobster's pinky ring.

(laughter)

EMILY: I kiss the tooth and I think: This has been a good addition.

(laughter)

LIAM: Nice! So appreciate that extra third syllable in the word bracelet.

(laughter)

OMAR: A brace-a-let.

EMILY: A brace-a-let and a pinky ring. Yeah, I'm honestly just happy to be here. I feel like the crew's good. We've got a good momentum, and I'm freaking proud to be representing Hudson, who's the best boss I ever had!

MATT: You were given a brief moment of Hudson's time before being sent on this excursion.

EMILY: Yeah.

MATT: Wanting to ensure that your responsibility in this, like the researcher is definitely supposed to research what they can find in the ruins, the soldiers to keep you safe while you're there. But you also are supposed to, as a survey team, create a base of operations here in the ruins where the research can continue, and that's where your specialty comes in.

EMILY: Yeah. So I'm looking around, I'm thinking: Where are we building the research? Where are we building the above ground pool? You know, I've got ideas, so I'm looking around.

MATT: Fair enough. Now, it'd actually be a good time for me to throw in that we are, I forgot to mention the system at the beginning. We are playing a hacked version of the "Powered by the Apocalypse" system that was designed in conjunction with the wonderful people at Nintendo Treehouse team. Thank you so much for being awesome. But for those who aren't familiar with that, most any tests in this are going to be a 2d6 system plus any sort of modifiers. On a one to six is a failure, a seven to nine is a mixed success, usually with some sort of consequence, and then 10 plus is a glorious success. That's the general scale. So that way, you can follow along. Anyway, as the team now has gathered here, the energy, both of the day's travel and the excitement of coming upon your destination for what you are set out to find begins to build. As you step over the hill and down, you can see the risen cliff sides of the rolling hills that mount around side this portion of the jungle, the high trees and the large floppy fronds of the jungle trees that cast this dark shade over the entry point, down into the water-soaked jungle floor beneath where small, little puddles seem to spread out beneath. Indeed, there you can see elements of the exposed Zonai Ruins, these massive stone structures embedded in parts of the nearby cliff sides. You can see some sort of dragon or beast-like face that is partially exposed by the elements over time. At initial glance, the excitement catches you with the immediate realization that you weren't the first to arrive. As you glance down into this small valley here within the depths of the ruins, you can see, settled around a small built circle of stones with a crackling flame in the center, three massive lizard-like beings, long curled horns at the front of their extended snouts filled with teeth, you can see them wearing bits of piecemeal armor over their shoulders and back. Some of them are clutching polearms at their side and they all just sit there, cackling and talking amongst themselves in whatever language that lizalfos speak in. They haven't noticed you yet, but they certainly occupy the destination that you see fit to begin constructing this site.

EMILY: Okay, we got squatters.

(laughter)

LIAM: Man, we couldn't have one easy day?

(laughter)

EMILY: I feel it! I feel that, too, right?

(laughter)

EMILY: I haven't even had breakfast yet. All right.

MARISHA: I just take a few steps back and just let everybody else step forward. Yeah, that's where we need to go, though. That's where we need to go, so--

EMILY: What are you saying? We just go down there and clear the path?

ROBBIE: Are you asking me?

EMILY: Yeah, you have a huge sword and you use it really liberally.

ROBBIE: Oh yeah! That's my favorite.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Well, we are the designated soldiers, so we should probably go down there and do it, huh?

LIAM: All right, so head on?

ROBBIE: Oh, no.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: These are your soldiers.

(laughter)

EMILY: I mean, I'm not a soldier, but I'll come.

ROBBIE: Okay, and I'll lead the way!

(laughter)

ROBBIE: (grunts) I'm running, but I'm also tucking and rolling every two feet for no reason. Yeah, yeah. I hear this is a faster way to get there!

OMAR: My attention was elsewhere. So when I turn around--

ROBBIE: I'm rolling down the hill right now. Toward the enemy!

OMAR: Very dangerous monsters. I will suddenly start loading my bow and arrow, chasing after you.

MATT: Easy enough to do. You're getting quite a bit ahead of the troop. Also, the element of surprise is entirely lost, as all three of these lizalfos go--

(reptilian garbles)

EMILY: Dink, it's working too well. You're so far ahead!

MATT: They pull out their weapons.

ROBBIE: I know, thank you.

MATT: They all begin to go in a three pointed charge in the direction of the massive goron that is now rolling towards them.

LIAM: No, I'm still back. Oh man, I thought we were going to talk about it for 30 seconds, and then go.

EMILY: I know. He just--

LIAM: I'm going to stay with you two, just in case.

EMILY: He rolled so fast. I've never seen momentum like that. It structurally, doesn't make sense.

(laughter)

MATT: Perfect, and to that degree, I need everyone to roll initiative.

(exclaiming)

ROBBIE: I'm sorry.

OMAR: (laughs)

MATT: So to that point, everyone roll a d20.

EMILY: Great.

MATT: Okay.

LIAM: Oh! So low.

MARISHA: Okay.

OMAR: Very good.

MARISHA: That's good. That's good.

LIAM: So low, Yolo.

(laughter)

MARISHA: So Yolo.

MATT: So for this one, do we have 20 to 15?

MARISHA: Oh boy.

LIAM: Oh my.

EMILY: Oh dear.

LIAM: I'm in the basement.

MARISHA: Yeah, same.

MATT: 15 to 10?

ROBBIE: 12!

EMILY: (as Dink) "I'm going first!"

LIAM: That's right!

MATT: Yes!

OMAR: There we go!

MATT: That is perfect.

EMILY: Dink, give them something to be scared of.

(laughter)

MATT: All right. 10 to five?

EMILY: Ooh! Seven.

MATT: Babs.

OMAR: Six.

MATT: Followed by Tota.

EMILY: The music.

MATT: All right. Then what do we have over here, Marga?

MARISHA: Four.

LIAM: Two, man.

MARISHA: Okay, that's great. That's great.

MATT: All right, with Yolo at the end. All right, so.

LIAM: Highly toned machine. Let's go.

MATT: As you continue to roll down, and the rest of you scoot in to carefully pull back, the noise seems to have knocked loose some of the other denizens that were hidden within nearby brush. As suddenly you hear (screeching). You see wings flapping, as these small creatures with leathery wings and singular eyes that sit in the middle of their face, these pointed tooths at the bottom of it. Two keeses begin to suddenly emerge from the nearby brush, and swarm over in your direction. Currently, the one that spoke most recently would be you, Yolo. One of them streaks over towards you, to strike you. You can try and roll to defend yourself, if you'd like.

LIAM: Yeah, I'll do it, because I want to roll something.

MATT: Do it.

(laughter)

MATT: Go ahead and roll to defend.

LIAM: Okay, so this is one of my stamina, right? As I practice the rules.

MATT: Correct. It will come back at the top of your turn.

LIAM: Oh, at the top of my turn? Oh, then for sure. So it's 2d6 plus defense, correct?

MATT: Correct.

LIAM: That is a 12.

MATT: That is a 12. (swoosh) You manage to knock it out of his way. (screeching) Screeches off and prepares itself again. (wings flapping) The other one, however, is going to go towards you, who've been keeping the furthest back, and caught off to the side.

MARISHA: I'm so unassuming.

(laughter)

MARISHA: What?

MATT: Would you like to roll defense?

MARISHA: Yes.

MATT: Go for it. 2d10, plus your defense.

EMILY: No, our fearless leader.

MARISHA: 2d10 plus my defense. Ooh, also a 12, two sixes.

OMAR: Wow!

MARISHA: This is going to turn.

OMAR: Skydive, okay.

ROBBIE: Let's go!

MARISHA: Team skydive!

MATT: Spend them at the top. That's what it's about.

LIAM: Give me some feather.

MARISHA: (poof) Ah!

MATT: It is that high five that almost knocks the keese out of its way, as it pulls back, confused as to why you're doing this in the middle of they fray. (screeching) Finishing their go, Dink, you're up. Still rolling down, you have the three lizalfos rushing towards you, weapons out. What do you want to do?

ROBBIE: Oh, so I'm not under attack.

MATT: Not yet.

ROBBIE: All right. Okay, I guess, do I need to spend movement to get to the closest one? Who's the biggest one? Who's the biggest guy in the yard?

MATT: Oh, that's the center one.

ROBBIE: I want him.

MATT: All right. So, we'll say it'll cost you-- Well no, because you're right up front. It won't cost you any stamina to get there, because you're the one who rushed forward. Everyone else to get up there, it'll cost a stamina, probably. But you're right there.

ROBBIE: All right. So I'll (grunts) come out of my last roll. I'm going to go (grunts). I learned this from a weird old guy in an attic, in a town. (grunts)

(laughter)

MARISHA: In an attic, in a town.

MATT: In a town.

EMILY: We need to unpack that after battle. See me after battle. We're going to talk.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Even though I weigh almost half a metric ton, I'm going to try to jump in the air, spread my legs out, and stick my sword down for a downward strike.

MATT: All right, go for it.

OMAR: Yes!

MATT: Make an attack. You spend one stamina.

ROBBIE: Spend one stamina. Bee-boop bee-boop.

OMAR: An attic.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Learn your lore.

MARISHA: Just the map as it pulls out.

EMILY: ♪ In an attic ♪

(laughter)

MATT: So actually on this-- This actually, for attacks, it's the enemy's defending. That's right, I have to remember. This is a new system. So now the enemy gets to try and defend against your attack. You just do damage. So the first lizalfos there is going to try and defend with one. That's going to be a failure on his end. So how much damage do you deal with that?

ROBBIE: With that one? Oh, that's right. I don't even have to roll for it.

MATT: No, that's right. You roll to defend. You just hit.

ROBBIE: My two-handed sword actually cost me two stamina, and it's five. Five? Minus five.

ROBBIE: Yeah. It's a big boy.

MATT: (sword slicing) One heavy strike. (screeching) It falls back, catches itself. Giant gash through its armor. It's a pretty heavy hit, but it's still standing. Not looking too bruised yet, definitely angry. The other two stop. They were going to charge past. One of them glances over, and sees that you dealt a pretty heavy blow. It is going to stay while the third one is probably going to continue to push towards the rest of your friends. But you still have the rest of your stamina. Do you want to spend more or do you want to save it to defend?

ROBBIE: I've got so little. I'm going to save it. So finishes it, and he's just as shocked as everyone else that it actually landed. He goes: Ha ha ha! He lifts the sword up and he goes, (grunts), and he just stands there.

MATT: Okay.

ROBBIE: Like a rock, ready to defend, if necessary.

MARISHA: Like a rock.

MATT: You got it. All right. So, to that point now. The creature that you just struck as you flow down with your blade, knocking it backward, it's going to turn around and take its polearm and jam towards you. If you want to roll to defend.

ROBBIE: Yeah, and my-- One of my natural traits here that I was given is Solid as Stone. So I get to roll 3d6, and I get to discard the lowest.

MATT: Yes you do. Go for it.

EMILY: Ooh!

ROBBIE: Yeah yeah, yeah yeah, yeah. That's necessary. If I get rid of the three, that's a seven.

MATT: A seven, okay. So with a seven on this, you take half of the damage. So as the lizalfos strikes forward, you take only one heart to you. You manage to just lean into it. Your hard goron form pushes past it. Not a heavy hit, but a little scratch. Just a bit of scratch. With that circumstance, now it has two more stamina. It's going to strike you two more times.

ROBBIE: Uh-oh.

LIAM: This is adorable.

MARISHA: It's so cute.

(laughter)

EMILY: Stay strong, buddy.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: I'm in the middle of a jump down, and you're like, adorable.

(laughter)

LIAM: You jump like a bowling ball.

EMILY: Yeah.

ROBBIE: (grunts)

EMILY: I picture a little rocky meatball.

ROBBIE: Eight, eight.

MATT: Eight. It goes and turns back around and strikes a second time. You actually try and dodge. It catches you right near the torso, scrapes a bit, but you catch it in your armpit. So you take another heart of damage.

ROBBIE: Ooh, ha ha. It tickles.

MATT: It's going to go for its third and final strike. It's not even going to go for defense. It's full offense on you.

ROBBIE: 11.

MATT: 11, that is a success. This time he just can't pull it from your armpit. You grappled it there, and it's (slobbery grunting) unable to pull free. The one that stopped and is trying to help its friend makes one strike at you. So you can, if you have enough stamina to try and defend a third one.

ROBBIE: No, that's it. I'm outta juice.

MATT: All right, then with that, you take three hearts from the polearm, right in the back of the shoulder.

ROBBIE: Five. All right guys, I'm down! (laughs)

MATT: (laughs)

ROBBIE: No no, just kidding. Not down. I'm down from seven to two.

OMAR: Ooh!

EMILY: Ho!

MATT: You've stumbled into, already, a tough marching pit here.

ROBBIE: (laughs)

MATT: That one, however, is going to turn towards the rest of you. It's going to prepare itself to defend as you all begin to rush towards it. There's another one that's running towards you that's going to spend one of its stamina to move forward. The other one's going to rush up. It's going to strike towards you with its first attack, if you want to try and defend.

OMAR: Yeah, absolutely.

MATT: Go for it.

OMAR: Ah, Dink.

ROBBIE: Sorry.

OMAR: Eight.

MATT: Eight, okay. You take one heart--

OMAR: Okay.

MATT: -- as it slices outward with its polearm.

MARISHA: That was perfect.

MATT: It catches you near the thigh, but you just manage to dodge the brunt of the strike and hold yourself at the ready.

OMAR: Okay.

MATT: It has one more stamina left. It's going to attempt to strike you a second time.

OMAR: Okay. Five.

MATT: Five, that's three hearts damage to you, as it spins the polearm and with the backhand it actually clocks you right underneath the beak, sending you back a few feet. But you're still clutching your bow at the ready with your arrow nocked. That's going to finish that turn. The other ones, that's used all of its stamina. That one's going full offense. The other one is going to hold the rest of its turn to defend itself, polearm in front going (slobbery taunting). That finishes their go. That brings us now to Babs, with Tota on deck.

EMILY: Okay. I got to get to Dink. How much stamina to get me to Dink?

MATT: One stamina to run up to him.

EMILY: Great. I'm running up to Dink.

MATT: All right.

EMILY: Hey, you're never alone in this world.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: That's so motivational!

EMILY: It's all Hudson. (laughter)

(laughter)

MARISHA: I got that off of a break room poster.

EMILY: I tell you what.

OMAR: Not here, but not forgotten.

EMILY: He read a book on managing people, because he's doing it right. Then I want to... Oh boy, I shouldn't. I want to try to equip one of my monster parts to my sword.

MATT: Okay, so you're going to spend a stamina to assemble?

EMILY: Yeah, because I'm rich in stamina.

MATT: Go for it. All right, so spend one.

LIAM: I got stamina.

MATT: Go ahead and roll 2d6, adding your wisdom to try and assemble which item?

EMILY: Can I use my combat trait that I can use power instead of wisdom?

MATT: Yes, you can.

EMILY: Okay, I'm going to do that. All right, trying to put this horriblin horn onto my sword. I do not.

(laughter)

OMAR: Just racing up, cobbling that together.

EMILY: What happens?

MATT: So, that's a failure. You try and assemble it, and it's just not sticking.

EMILY: Okay. Okay.

MATT: You mash them together and like... Dang it, it's not quite, not quite fitting into the space. So you wasted one stamina. You can try again if you'd like to.

EMILY: Okay, that's fine. I'm good with stamina. Now I'm going to use my weapon. I'm going to go after the guy that's on Dink.

MATT: All right, go for it.

EMILY: Okay.

MATT: This is the one that's already taken a heavier hit from Dink earlier.

EMILY: Okay, so attack.

MATT: So, they defend against you.

EMILY: Oh, okay. Great.

MATT: So you go one strike with a long sword?

EMILY: This is with a one-handed sword.

MATT: Got it. All right, cool. One-handed sword to defend. Oof, that's going to be a six, which is a failure. So how much damage does it deal?

EMILY: Two.

MATT: Two damage. (wet tearing) One nice little chunk off of it.

EMILY: I'll look in his mouth at the teeth he's working with.

OMAR: (laughs)

EMILY: I'm going to turn those into a pinky ring.

MATT: As it pulls back, it looks at you with its chameleon-like eyes and goes, (screeching questionably)

(laughter)

MATT: Genuinely disturbed by this.

(laughter)

MATT: Do you have any other stamina you want to use?

EMILY: Then-- Okay, so I've used two stamina. I still got five stamina. Can I do something to help? Can I do something to help guard Dink?

MATT: If you have that sort of defensibility, like with a shield.

EMILY: I do not.

MATT: Or sorry, there's a soldier ability that can do that. But if you want to, you still have stamina to attack the creature that's been hurting him. Or you can try--

EMILY: I can attack again?

MATT: Oh yeah, you can. As much stamina as you want to, you can keep attacking.

EMILY: I'm going to attack again.

MATT: You can spend them all to attack, if you want to.

EMILY: I'm attacking again.

MATT: All right. He's going to try and defend.

EMILY: Huah, huah!

MATT: That is going to be a mixed success. So he takes half damage, so that's?

EMILY: So that's one.

MATT: One heart, all right.

EMILY: So I'm down to four stamina. Okay. I'm so sorry. Can I try to assemble my thing one more time?

MATT: Yes, you can. Yes, you can. So you spend another--

MARISHA: Yeah. Come on!

OMAR: Just give me a sec.

EMILY: Hitting twice.

OMAR: Just give me a second.

ROBBIE: Surely it'll work!

EMILY: Okay, okay. I got to go. I'm feeling good. One more go at this.

MATT: It's been a while since you swung this blade. So you're like, okay okay, I got this.

EMILY: Eight?

MATT: Eight is a success.

EMILY: Yes!

MATT: A mixed success. Which means you do manage to connect it, but it breaks after one use.

OMAR: Ooh.

EMILY: (laughs)

LIAM: (laughs)

EMILY: Everything's okay.

(laughter)

EMILY: I'll save the rest of my stamina to defend.

MATT: Okay, you got it. Holding onto that, that brings us to Tota, with Marga on deck.

OMAR: Okay, I watch you roll down. I get hit. It's the most belabored sigh of, (sighs) okay. I'm going to spend a stamina to rise into the air--

MATT: Okay. (wings flapping) OMAR -- to fly at five feet. I'm going to spend another stamina to attach my ice chuchu jelly to my arrow.

MATT: Nice.

(laughter)

OMAR: That's an eight.

MATT: That's an eight. That is a mixed success. Which means you will fire the arrow, but it will destroy the arrow when it hits.

OMAR: That's, yeah. We're in a rush. That's fine.

MATT: Okay, go for it. You got it.

OMAR: Spend them if you got them. I'm going to blast at the monster in front of the two of you.

EMILY: Yeah.

ROBBIE: Yeah.

EMILY: Yeah, that's great.

ROBBIE: Yeah!

MATT: To clarify, too, it's not-- Your weapon doesn't break. It's the add-on that breaks.

EMILY: Oh, okay. I also realized I didn't add my power when I hit. So it should be two more on the one, and then one more on the other.

MATT: Okay. So yeah, so the power--

EMILY: Sorry.

MATT: That's okay. Power actually reduces the opponent's defense when they try and defend against it.

EMILY: Sorry. Okay.

MATT: It's all good. Once again, we're learning this as we go. It's the first time any of us are playing this particular mashup, so do not worry. All right, so you've attached it. But you only get one shot on it.

OMAR: Yep. I'm going to go for it.

MATT: All right. It's going to try to defend. This is the one that she's already attacked? The same one?

OMAR: Yes.

MATT: Yes. That is a five. That is a failure. So how much damage does it do in total?

OMAR: That's going to be two plus three, five damage total.

MATT: Five points of damage on that strike. (impact) The arrow hits, and you watch as a giant blast of ice energy cracks around. Being ice damage to it, the defender has to roll a d6 on this. No, they-- On a one, they're are chilled and lose one stamina until the end of their next turn. It's the one they just hit. It has one less stamina on its next turn as the ice chills it down and it's shaking a bit.

EMILY: Thank you, Tota!

ROBBIE: Where did that come from?

(laughter)

EMILY: Dink, it's Tota.

(laughter)

LIAM: That's why they called him the Hudson Hawk.

(laughter)

MATT: Woo! It's looking pretty rough, too. That hit definitely shook it around.

OMAR: I'm going to save to defend myself.

MATT: You got it. Okay.

OMAR: I'm going to get hit again.

MATT: Finishing your go, that brings us to Marga, with Yolo on deck.

MARISHA: Okay.

LIAM: Yolo.

MARISHA: (shakily) Ha. Ah.

EMILY: (laughs)

MARISHA: Yolo, come here. I take out my horriblin horn, trying to follow the lead of Babs a little bit. Here, let me just get-- Give me your arm. Give me your pole arm. Then, thank you. I'm going to take out some tape, and then start around, some leather straps. I'm going to try and attach--

EMILY: When I did it, I hocked a loogie out.

MARISHA: (laughs) Yeah.

MATT: All right, so roll to assemble. That's 2d6, plus your wisdom.

MARISHA: Plus my wisdom. Okay. Yeah, that is 10 total.

MATT: 10 is a complete success. So you attach that.

MARISHA: When I, on a 10 plus-- That's not the right one. On a 10 plus, it doubles the effect of the attached item, which is.

OMAR: What?!

MARISHA: That's part of my researcher ability. So that's an additional plus six hearts.

(cheering)

LIAM: That's why you're my best friend, nerd bird.

MARISHA: Skydive! And then-- I'm so stressed out, I am going to spend a stamina to also jump. I am going to try and take out-- This is not my forte. I'm going to pull out my gun-- or my gun.

(laughter)

MARISHA: I pull out my gun!

(laughter)

OMAR: Marga!

(laughter)

EMILY: Marga!

ROBBIE: What?

MATT: Look, look.

MARISHA: Marga just came from a different video game.

MATT: The 100-year Calamity really, really changed Hyrule.

LIAM: Ancient tech.

(laughter)

MATT: You pull out your--?

MARISHA: My bow.

MATT: Your bow, okay.

(laughter)

MARISHA: Let's see. At the end of this game, that might be true. Then, I'm going to fire at the one that's looking real rough.

MATT: You got it.

MARISHA: I add my power?

MATT: No. Your power lowers his defense. So what's your power?

MARISHA: Minus one.

MATT: So he gets plus one to his roll.

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: That's a 10 for him. So he manages to dodge the attack.

MARISHA: Oh wait, I don't roll. That's right. Yeah, fail. Okay. Yeah, that's why I don't, I don't do this. I'm going to save the rest of my stamina. Actually, I'm going to do a Perfect Guard.

MATT: Okay. So you're going to spend a stamina to go into Perfect Guard. So roll 2d6, and add your defense and your courage.

MARISHA: Okay.

EMILY: Whoa.

MARISHA: Oh, that's good. 10 plus my defense, which is nothing. My courage, which is-- So 11 total.

MATT: Oh yeah. So essentially the next attack against you, you can automatically avoid.

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: But that's the end of your turn right there.

MARISHA: Yes, it is.

MATT: You got it.

EMILY: Marga, what was that? That was so powerful.

MARISHA: Oh. Anxiety.

(laughter)

OMAR: Ow.

MATT: Yeah, I--

EMILY: I see.

MATT: Feel that.

MARISHA: (scared noise)

(laughter)

MATT: Does that finish your turn, Marga? That does.

MARISHA: Yes.

MATT: All right. You're up, Yolo.

LIAM: So, Marga and Yolo are back aways, right, with the two keese? Are the keese next to each other? Or are they opposite sides?

MATT: The keese are, I'd say the keese are next to each other at the moment. But they're flying around a little bit. There are the two undamaged lizalfos that are both running up, in tandem, towards you.

LIAM: Okay. So they're on their way here. So first thing I'm going to do is leap. I'm going to spin this gnarly looking polearm in one hand, and then catch it with the other, and then slash it across both keese. Which is something I can do with a polearm. That's one stamina.

MATT: One stamina to attack both. Indeed, so let's see if they can defend.

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: What's your power?

LIAM: It is one.

MATT: One, all right. So it's minus their defense roll. First one, that's a three. It's a failure. On the other one, even worse, a two. Both of them failed. Doing how much damage?

LIAM: Five each. Whoo.

EMILY: Isn't it double?

MARISHA: It's double.

MATT: Because the--

LIAM: Oh, so. Well, it's originally a two. So if that's double, that's four.

MATT: It's two originally. Well, it's two, and then doubled the item that she attached to it. Because she rolled a 10 plus to attach it. So, technically that would be eight to each of them.

LIAM: Ah!

(laughter)

MATT: So, much like using a baseball bat to kill a mosquito, both of these keeses look at each other with their singular eyes, and go (squeaks) before (disintegrating). They are "Terminator 2" disintegrated at the strike of both sides of your polearm in the air. Quick quickly, and they're both scattered.

(chitters)

LIAM: (whooshing) He catches in under his arm. Then he starts running towards the fray going, I've got the best friend in the world. Here I go.

MATT: Okay, so spend a stamina at a run.

LIAM: Stamina. So that's one stamina to attack. One stamina to run up.

MATT: Indeed, and there's the two lizalfos that are getting to the secondary crew, that have left you behind about to fall with the other one.

LIAM: So Yolo is going to yell his own name and say Yolo, and slide between his friends, and then do a repeat, and slash across these two as well.

MATT: You've got it. All right. So for their defenses, they do--

LIAM: Power of one.

MATT: They do have a defense of one, so it cancels it out.

LIAM: Sure.

MATT: That's a success on one, for a full 11. The other, however, is a six. So one of the manages to jump out of the way, (snarls) not being damaged, the other one takes a full eight points of damage to it.

ROBBIE: (whistles) Dang.

MATT: You can see, the hit knocks it back. It's already looking kind of rough in just that one strike from the pole arm. "(insectoid growls)" It's growling at its friends. One of them looks confused, like, "What am I supposed to do?"

(laughter)

EMILY: You're fighting. We can use this.

(laughter)

EMILY: Turn 'em into tasty chowder.

ROBBIE: Turn 'em into-- (laughs)

LIAM: So that was. I have six total, that was one--

MATT: Two, three.

LIAM: -- first attack, two to move, three. I'm going to then rebound and come back. I brought it across one way, and swing and bring it back again. Do the same thing.

MATT: You've got it. All right, so--

MATT and LIAM: -- both enemies

MATT: -- again. That's a nine, so it's half damage to one of them. So one of them takes four. It's the first one that you didn't hit last time. Takes a small hit, but manages to continue on. The other rolls a seven, which is a half success. It also takes four damage. So then you hit them both for half impact, and they both take the hits, and lean in. The one that you hit last round though is like, (breathing hard) It's not having a good time.

LIAM: Okay, and then to end, I'm going to roll and come up in front of Dink in perfect guard.

MATT: Okay, okay.

EMILY: Yeah!

LIAM: So I have to do that, right?

MATT: To get, I will say to get up to Dink, it will take a stamina--

LIAM: Oh, okay.

MATT: -- to travel over to him since he--

LIAM: I have just enough to get to Dink, and then--

LIAM and MATT: Do Perfect Guard.

LIAM: Then I'm out of gas.

MATT: You got it. But however, roll 2d6, and add your defense and courage.

LIAM: Defense and courage. That is five. Six, seven, nine.

MATT: Nine, all right. So that is the next attack. You'll be able to, if you choose to, to negate half of the damage.

LIAM: So that, but if someone. I'm setting that up, so that I can use my soldier perk of extra training. It allows me to interrupt a nearby enemy's attack on a nearby ally.

MATT: Correct. So the next attack against anybody who's nearby, you can--

LIAM: Canceling the enemy's attack.

MATT: Indeed. Then you get to an attack on it.

LIAM: Yes.

MATT: Indeed. So you can, you indeed can do that. That is your special perk as a soldier.

LIAM: Yeah.

MATT: Great. All right, so it may come to that. That ends the round. The keeses are destroyed. So it comes right to Dink. Still standing, a little rough for wear.

LIAM: Let's go, big buddy.

ROBBIE: I'm watching Yolo, and drinking it all in.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Whoa. Grabs Yolo.

EMILY: Yes, Dink.

ROBBIE: Don't try this one if you're not a nimbly bimbly forest creature. He's going to start--

LIAM and EMILY: (laugh)

EMILY: Ooh, you're making me want to try it.

ROBBIE: -- to spin. With his big sword, but. Well, it's not the shot put. It's the other one. It's the rock. That one, you know? That's kind of what it looks like. The weight of the sword is out of control. He's spinning, and he's going toward the weaker of the two.

MATT: Okay, you got it.

ROBBIE: The main guy.

MATT: Go for it. So swing it towards him. He rolls. That's going to be a failure at a three. So what's the damage on that?

EMILY and OMAR: (clap)

ROBBIE: That's five.

MATT: Five, with that single swing, (impactful whooshes) wham you watch it flying in an arc. (screaming, dusty impacts) And it's done.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: We have a problem though. The momentum of this cannot be stopped. So it is continuing on.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: He somehow manages to swing his body around, and aim it at the last remaining guy. So I attack.

MATT: Okay, it will take a stamina to get to them.

ROBBIE: Ooh, a stamina to get to them. Then I'm out of sauce. So.

EMILY: Oh, he's so little. So little stamina.

ROBBIE: I'm committed though. (screams) Then, I'll just sort of stop-- face-to-face with him.

MATT and EMILY: (laugh)

ROBBIE: -- because I can't quite get there.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: I'll remember what I saw. Because I've only got one stamina point left. I'll drop in, I'll drop in to Perfect Guard. Or try my best to.

MATT: Okay, you got it. Roll 2d6, plus your defense and courage.

ROBBIE: That's a 10. Plus my defense and courage, 14.

MATT: That's great. Yeah, so the next attack against you, you can essentially negate it, if you wish.

ROBBIE: Hey, Yolo, look what I did! I'm doing the exact same pose that he's doing.

(laughter)

LIAM and ROBBIE: (exuberant, aggressive laugh)

(laughter)

MARISHA: The team of meat heads.

MATT: The two standing lizalfos--

LIAM: That's why you're here!

MATT: The two standing lizalfos, taking the hits, turn around, and see this exchange. They both look at each other and go, (growling incoherently) back at you.

EMILY: You see, they run on chemistry. They run on chemistry!

MATT: They're extremely jealous.

EMILY: Shining a light on them--

MATT: They want what you want.

EMILY: -- in this tree.

(laughter)

MATT: The one that's nearest. Since they're both nearest to you, they're both going to take one strike at you. So make two defense rolls. Although, unless you want to--

LIAM: Well, I could, but I'm not. That's not how Yolo rolls.

MATT: Actually no, they each have to spend a stamina to get to you, since you rushed past. They have to spend a stamina to get up to you. They're both going to make a strike against you. If you'd like--?

LIAM: Well, I'm out of gas. So they just hit?

MATT: They just hit, yes. You take. Both polearms come to you. Three points and three points.

LIAM: Three points and three points. All right, so I don't want to die, either. So I'll take the first, and I will use my expert training for myself, I guess. Because I was trying to keep Dink up. But Dink looks like he's doing all right. So I can cancel that attack. So I can take a stab--

MATT: Indeed.

LIAM: -- and then clang their weapon out of the way?

MATT: Yep, and the other one that's coming for you, you come around and manage to get one strike at him. So you take three hearts. The other one, that's going to be a seven. So he takes half damage. So it's still four points of damage. Which to that one, nope. So yeah, they're both looking real rough. (laughs) They both have one more stamina. They're both going to save them to defend. All right, finishing their go. Babs, you're up, with Tota on deck.

EMILY: Okay. I'm going to do exactly what Dink did. I'm going to start, (sword swinging) build up some momentum, and then I'm going to go after one of the hurt ones.

OMAR: (laughs)

MATT: All righty, all righty. You would have to spend a stamina to get to them.

(laughter)

EMILY: Oh, I have to. Yeah, okay so I do that.

MATT: Keeses moved back.

EMILY: I do all that, and then I walk over.

(laughter)

MATT: Perfect. All right, so. One of them looks a little more hurt than the other.

EMILY: I'll go for more hurt.

MATT: Go for it. So it's going to move over with the sword. That is going to be. What's your power?

EMILY: My power is two.

MATT: Two. Oh, their defense is only one. That turns their seven into a six, which is a failure. They take full damage from this. What's the full damage of your weapon?

EMILY: Five.

MATT: Five.

EMILY: But, I think my horablin horn that I horribly fixed breaks now, right?

MATT: Indeed it does. So you can toss that.

EMILY: Okay.

LIAM: Blaze of glory.

ROBBIE: Is that five with the horablin horn added?

MATT: It was, yeah.

EMILY: Yeah yeah.

MATT: But now it's gone.

EMILY: I do have a stamina to try to attack another.

LIAM: Hold on a second.

(laughter)

EMILY: There is a temptation to just keep adding to Yolo's weapon. Will I comp-- Do I have a chance of compromising this amazing weapon?

MATT: Each weapon can have one thing attached to it.

EMILY: Oh, okay. Okay, great. Okay, so I won't do that.

MARISHA: That would have been awesome, though.

EMILY: I wanted to--

MATT: To make one massive nuclear weapon of a melee strike.

EMILY: So I do that. Then I'm like, okay. Okay, break. Time out.

(laughter)

EMILY: Craft break, craft break.

LIAM: Start button!

OMAR: Car!

(laughter)

EMILY: I'm going to use power. I'm going to use my once a turn combat up. I'm going to add power to this.

MATT: All right.

EMILY: 13, baby.

MATT: 13, so you're attaching your other horn to that thing. Easy enough. You affix it to the outside of your one-handed sword. Now, you have this massive one-handed sword, with a big old horn fixed under the end of it, that hooks upward, with a blade edge to the front.

EMILY: This feels good. This feels right. I'm going to attack again.

(laughter)

MATT: All righty, so going to defend. No, this one is out of stamina so it just takes the hit.

EMILY: All right. That's five damage. And then. It's so funny that we have an action to eat, but we don't have anything to eat.

OMAR and MARISHA: (laughs)

MARISHA: Not yet.

EMILY: So that takes me down to five stamina. Can I just attack again?

MATT: Yeah, if you want to. All right.

EMILY: Attack again.

MATT: It can't defend, because it's out of stamina. So you do another damage.

EMILY: I can't stop.

MATT: How do you want to do this?

(cheering)

EMILY: I do a impression of Dink doing an impression of Yolo.

(laughter)

MATT: Much like a copy of a VHS of a copy of a VHS. Diminishing returns come through, but nevertheless.

EMILY: It's fuzzy, but it's got its charm.

MATT: Wham! You strike it on the side. "(screams)" It falls into one of the nearby puddles that sits in the middle of this area. With that, the ruins come to a calm state. You also, as the element of this, you have left behind from the destroyed keeses, and two horns from the lizalfos. (small bell achievement tone)

(gasping)

LIAM: Just straight endorphins.

MARISHA: Deedly deedly dee!

LIAM: That's the dopamine there.

ROBBIE: Are they the horns?

EMILY: Keese eyeballs.

ROBBIE: Who are our crafters?

MARISHA: I'm a crafter. Yeah, the two of us are crafters.

ROBBIE: Are these to be split--

MATT: However you wish.

ROBBIE: Oh, okay.

MARISHA: However we wish. I can always add to this weapon.

ROBBIE: Chuck that on an arrow.

OMAR: There you go.

MARISHA: Check this on.

EMILY: They can add to a weapon. Okay, keese eyeballs says arrows attached cannot be defended against when fired. Arrow? Are you arrow?

ROBBIE: We're both.

MARISHA: Sure, yeah.

EMILY: Oh, you're both?

MARISHA: You use that.

OMAR: Are you sure? Okay.

MARISHA: Yes, please.

ROBBIE: I still have all my, I still have all my goodies. So you guys spent all yours. You should take them.

EMILY: Oh, okay.

ROBBIE: Yeah.

EMILY: Okay, okay.

MARISHA: Always craft with other people's crafts.

EMILY: In the middle of when we were fighting, did anyone have the thought like, "Oh, we should have made breakfast," because--

MARISHA: I did.

EMILY: -- you're hurting for hearts.

ROBBIE: Oh yeah. Hold on a second. I'm going to scavenge the area, with my special ability, mineral gourmet. So I'm going to look around for some rocks to eat.

MATT: Yes, please. Go right ahead, Dink.

ROBBIE: Okay, I can roll 2d6. Let's see. That is a eight, so seven and nine. I get enough rocks to heal one heart. I can save it for later. But I'm not! (giant gulp)

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Still not great. I think that only puts me to three.

MARISHA: Before we join the others, I look at Tota and I tell them. It's a weight to it. Good work. And then walk away.

OMAR: As you're walking, because I'm still floating.

(laughter)

MARISHA: Good job.

OMAR: The clipboard was a good touch today, so.

MARISHA: Thank you. Does it, does it make me look official?

OMAR: It reads authority. It's good.

MARISHA: Thank you.

ROBBIE: I sense a deep and storied background.

(laughter)

OMAR: I'm going to scout. I'm going to, and I'll take off.

MATT: Okay. Flying up in the air, keeping around. What are you scouting for?

OMAR: Looking for other monsters, anything around.

LIAM: Also, some apples!

EMILY: Yeah, my stomach is. The bread basket's rumbling.

MATT: All right, whoever would like to take a wisdom check to try and survey the territory for any sort of scavenged goods may do so.

EMILY: Wisdom check would be, add our wisdom to a 2d6?

MATT: Correct.

EMILY: Okay.

MARISHA: Can we all just do it, just see what happens?

MATT: I'll say each of you can give it a shot once per location section.

MARISHA: Okay. Ooh, yeah, that's good.

EMILY: Eight. Eight for Babs.

MATT: That is a mixed success. Which is a, you know, in this situation, not an amazing, but you do manage to find one errant acorn amongst the ground.

LIAM: This is a wisdom roll on this one?

OMAR: Babs!

MATT: Yes.

EMILY: Everybody, stop everything. I found an acorn.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: That's the most condescending item drop. You managed to find an acorn.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: That's so funny.

EMILY: Can I try to--

MARISHA: Accidentally steps on a squirrel, and just like, "Oh!"

EMILY: The squirrel died, but he left me this acorn as an heirloom.

(laughter)

MARISHA: I rolled a 13.

MATT: A 13. With that I'll say, right hand or left hand?

LIAM: What's the question?

MARISHA: Left.

MATT: Left hand? All righty. You find a mighty thistle. (gasping)

(oohing)

ROBBIE: None of us know what that is.

MARISHA: No.

LIAM: (laughs)

MARISHA: It doesn't taste good, but it's good.

EMILY: Can I?

LIAM: I roll a seven.

MATT: You roll a seven, okay. You find a little, a little mealy, a little soft in the ground, but a functional apple.

LIAM: Ah!

EMILY: Oh! Look at you.

LIAM: That's my favorite.

EMILY: Can I try to? Oh, were you going?

OMAR: I got to, I got a two. I think I was just getting away.

(laughter)

MARISHA: From the awkward conversation.

MATT: You're pretending to scout and look around. But you're so deep in your thoughts right now. You're just like--

OMAR: Yeah. Yolo, there's no apples around here anywhere.

EMILY: (laughs)

LIAM: Okay.

EMILY: You're flying through trees. Not an apple?

OMAR: No, no, no. I'll keep looking in this tree.

ROBBIE: Did we add a plus one, or a plus from our wisdom? Is that what you said?

MATT: Your wisdom, yeah.

ROBBIE: Oh, well that would be a negative one. So I got an eight.

MATT: Got an eight, okay. Well, with an eight still you do manage to find your own matching acorn.

(exclaiming)

MATT: You can do it. I believe in you. You got it.

MARISHA: Dink's stubby little arms.

ROBBIE: Look at those cannons.

(laughter)

EMILY: Did you also step on a squirrel?

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Uh-oh.

EMILY: Can we try to cook them?

MATT: If you'd like to, yeah.

EMILY: I'm so curious. I just kind of want to do it.

LIAM: Well, are we going to squat in this ring of stone down here? Right, wasn't it like a Zonai ruin?

ROBBIE: Did they have a campfire?

MATT: There are the remnants of a fire pit that the lizalfos had been utilizing as their squatting space.

EMILY: Should we try to cook them?

LIAM: You have a pot?

EMILY: Do I have a pot?

MATT: If you think you would've brought cooking materials.

EMILY: Yeah, of course. We take like three lunch breaks a day. Yeah, of course I do.

MATT: That's your union rules.

(laughter)

MARISHA: I'm going to toss over this thistle, because it's not good on its own. But it adds some attack damage to whenever, yeah.

EMILY: Oh, okay. I'm going to try and make myself a thistle acorn skillet.

MATT: All right. Go ahead and roll 2d6, and add your wisdom.

EMILY: Oh wow. I've never wanted anything more. Come on!

MARISHA: Come on.

EMILY: Six, seven, eight. Eight.

MATT: Eight? With an eight.

(small bell achievement tone)

MATT: You cook the meal without issue.

(laughter)

EMILY: Oh my god, that sound.

MATT: So if you want to, you can tape those together. That is, together, a singular meal. So you can spend a stamina in combat, or out of combat, if you want to, to eat that, and get the benefit of both of those items, cooked.

EMILY: But you can, someone could eat this. I could pass this to someone who was hurting in battle, right?

MATT: Yeah, you can.

EMILY: Cool.

MATT: You're now looking around you. You can see here, in the depths of this jungle, like a small-- You can see a chasm or a small valley. The recent rainwater that has built up, and you can see the puddles and the muck, as well as the clear water that fills the space. Dragonflies and little insects buzz around. Looking up in the nearby moss and grass covered edges of the ruin walls, you can see the pillars and the sculptures of the ancient Zonai people. The spiral designs that are seen, as reminiscent repeated patterns through the few bits of their structures that have been discovered and researched up to this time. But you begin to set the excavation site here, for the purposes of your survey team, and future teams to come. Is there any other cooking or anything else you wish to do in the interim?

LIAM: Yeah, I'm going to stick my apple on a stick and roast it.

MATT: Go for it. Roll 2d6 plus your wisdom to cook it.

LIAM: Okay.

OMAR: Toast them if you got them.

LIAM: Oh no, that's real bad. It's a four.

LIAM and EMILY: (chuckle)

MATT: That's a four. Now, you fail to cook it.

(laughter)

LIAM: This is an uncooked apple?

MATT: It's just an uncooked apple.

LIAM: I can't get it over the fire, you guys.

(laughter)

LIAM: I just keep missing.

(laughter)

EMILY: You're so good with a polearm.

(laughter)

LIAM: I'll just eat the dang apple.

MATT: Okay, so you can eat the apple. Get rid of the card, but you heal yourself the uncooked points of it.

LIAM: Okay.

ROBBIE: Dink is squatted by the fire, concentrating very hard, and he's got a tiny little skillet with just one acorn in it.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: He's trying to cook it over the fire. Oh.

MARISHA: Oh no!

ROBBIE: Five.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: (grunts)

MATT: You don't know if it's your fault or you just found a not great acorn.

(laughter)

MARISHA: Blame it on the acorn.

MATT: But it's a little hollow. It's a little mushy. It's not going to do much uncooked, unfortunately.

ROBBIE: And my acorns are worth nothing uncooked.

LIAM and EMILY: Oh.

ROBBIE: It's okay, guys.

EMILY: Can I do a little-- Wait. Oh, whoa.

LIAM: Fire is cursed.

EMILY: Hold on, actually. You just need a little, let me put some seasonings on it. Can I put my little thing on so he thinks he cooked it right?

OMAR: A little switcheroo?

MATT: Sure, yes.

EMILY: A little switcheroo. Wait, hold on. There's something salvageable in there.

ROBBIE: What is it? What is it?

EMILY: Yeah, there's something in there. Just peek in that skillet.

ROBBIE: (gasps) I'm a professional chef.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: What did I get? Oh my god! Thank you! Well, that's very nice of you. I'm all jacked up, huh? I need it bad.

EMILY: Yeah.

LIAM: Yolo goes and sits down next to Marga by the fire and says: Marga, is there a way where you could attach this lizalfos horn to my boomerang that makes aerodynamic sense?

MARISHA: Let me do the calculations.

EMILY: (chuckles)

MARISHA: We'll find out.

(laughter)

LIAM: Do you need the things?

MARISHA: You hold the things.

LIAM: Oh, it's too late. I threw them across the table.

MARISHA: No, this is better. It's better for the pantomime.

EMILY: Yolo, you're so impulsive.

(laughter)

LIAM: Well, you know, the zora have an ancient saying. "You only live a single time in Hyrule."

MARISHA: Oh.

EMILY: Whoa.

LIAM: Except for that one guy, but everybody else only gets a single time in Hyrule.

EMILY: Live singly, yeah.

MARISHA: There's been a few people who have lived a few times, but that's-- Okay. Oh, actually, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10 total. 10. Yes. So, once again, that lizalfos horn does double.

MATT: Dang, so your boomerang is now the most wicked-looking throwable object this side of Hyrule.

MARISHA: Anybody else? I'm on fire right now!

EMILY: Yeah.

LIAM: Except my apple isn't.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Can you make my sword more smashy?

MARISHA: Yeah.

EMILY: Do you need lizalfos?

ROBBIE: You've already given me too much already. And I'm going to pass that off to her. In fact, if you, it was delicious, by the way, and if you ever get hungry, and I hand her a handful of pebbles.

OMAR: Oh.

LIAM: (laughs)

EMILY: You know, I've never had rocks, and that's actually really close-minded of me. I throw some down the gullet.

(laughter)

EMILY: It's great for me! Oh, oh!

ROBBIE: Uh-huh. Appreciate the texture.

MATT: This faint rumbling sound fills the space around you.

MARISHA: Okay, eight, so it doesn't do double damage, but it is attached, and I attached the horn in a way to the top of your sword where it looks like a scythe now. You can hook people with it.

ROBBIE: Got it.

OMAR: Ooh.

MARISHA: So, what it is--

ROBBIE: What do I get?

MARISHA: You get all those hearts.

ROBBIE: Dude, there's a penalty, right, of some kind?

MATT: No penalty.

MARISHA: I don't think so.

ROBBIE: Oh, no penalty. It just works.

MATT: You do now eight damage, eight hearts when you hit with it.

OMAR: Wow.

EMILY: Yeah!

LIAM: And, with this--

ROBBIE: Plus two from your thistle.

MATT: For the next battle, yeah.

ROBBIE: You and I have cannons right now, soldier.

LIAM: Oh my god.

ROBBIE: We're strapped up.

LIAM: Yeah, this is a mega boomerang too, right? You rolled so high that it's double.

MARISHA: That is double. Yeah.

LIAM: Oh my gosh.

MATT: That low rumble that you felt that you thought might've been your stomach--

ROBBIE and OMAR: Oh.

MATT: Grows a little louder.

OMAR: Was that you, Babs?

EMILY: Yeah. I just ate some rocks. I think it's me. Everyone, just relax.

LIAM: Just the digestive process at work.

MATT: (whooshing) This terrifying, cataclysmic, screeching, tearing sound begins to reverberate through the very sky around you, sourcelessly. You begin to reach out for ground you can grab onto as it shakes and quakes beneath your feet. Stones and bits of the nearby scenery begin to shake and fall loose in places. You watch as dozens and dozens of nearby birds hidden in their homes and trees take off into the sky. As the coloration of the very air above you begins to go dark and purple, you hear this horrible, horrible sound. As the sky gets darker and darker, you have no perspective of sight, being down here in the valley, but all you can see is the sky growing more and more shadowed. What are you doing?

MARISHA: Not again! It's another Calamity! Ah!

ROBBIE: Ah!

ROBBIE, EMILY, MARISHA, and LIAM: (screaming)

(laughter)

EMILY: I love everyone in the moment discovering how their characters screams.

OMAR: I'm watching all of you yell at the sky, and, while terrified, I will start to load an arrow. I will not join in on the yelling.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Do it! Do it, Tota! Shoot the sky! Not this guy. The sky. Shoot the sky!

EMILY: Oh my god. Take out the sky!

OMAR: I can't do that.

MARISHA: Believe in yourself.

OMAR: What are we dealing with?

MARISHA: Oh, yeah, what are we dealing with?

EMILY: Have we experienced this before? Is this the Gloom?

MATT: You have not. All you see is the sky above growing darker, but you are within this ravine in the ruins. You don't have a good point of visual perspective on anything surrounding you.

MARISHA: Does there look like there's an alcove or something that we can tuck into so we don't get hit by falling rocks?

MATT: Sure. Yeah. You can find a small divot underneath one of the nearby hills.

LIAM: Under any of the ruins, maybe.

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: Yeah, you can hide underneath some of the larger ruins, if you like.

EMILY: Does it seem like some- thing that's going to pass or does it seem like we should go try and trek up higher ground?

MATT: About a minute or so has gone by and you can still hear the sound growing in places and then fading and echoing, and then once again (growls). You hear these heavy thuds, distant. (thudding) These hard-to-quite-see shadows appear amongst the clouds in the sky above.

OMAR: I unconsciously block you. From whatever entrance we're in, I get in between you and the sky.

MARISHA: I take their wing and hide behind it.

EMILY: I'll definitely stand in the mouth of a cave. I'm curious.

MATT: (rumbling) Eventually, that horrible rumbling and tearing sound begins to fade. The echoes vanishing in the distance, and then a stillness comes into this region, along with a very, very faint beginning of rain begins to patter down into the middle of this ravine around you. The sky still looms ahead, dark.

EMILY: Okay, so we're going to need earthquake retrofitting at the research station for sure.

MARISHA: Uh-huh. Would I know anything as a researcher, my Zonai expertise? Do I recognize this? Can I see anything? Does it look...

MATT: Go ahead and check your wisdom to glance about the environment around you and the sky above.

MARISHA: Does Zonai focus apply to this?

MATT: No. I wouldn't say so.

MARISHA: Okay. Eugh. Seven.

MATT: Seven. A mixed success. You step out from the inside of this alcove that you've used as a temporary base of operations, and, looking up, you can see there is, amongst the clouds above, one heavy, dark shadow that sits in the sky, like something is blocking a light from beyond the clouds, and then you watch god knows what distance away in the sky above the horizon, that way, another shadow. (rumbling) Like something is descending from above the clouds, and then comes to rest partway in them. As it stops, it looks like a land mass, like an island, but not in the ocean, descending from beyond the very clouds themselves, and then coming to rest who knows how high in the sky above.

LIAM: Can we all see that, or--

MATT: As you glance out and take a note, the rest you follow her eyeline.

MARISHA: The sky is falling. The sky is falling.

LIAM: Skydive.

OMAR: Slowly.

LIAM: Does it just look like? Oh, sorry, go for it.

OMAR: No. That one stopped.

MARISHA: Uh-huh.

EMILY: Yeah.

LIAM: Is it just a chunk of stone, or do we see any discernible architecture or carvings on it? Does it look like it's of the ancients?

MATT: It's hard to tell. At this distance, it looks like it could be hundreds, if not thousands of feet up in the sky above you.

LIAM: Whoa.

MATT: You do hear (air whooshing). And, glancing up, you see a large chunk of stone that is currently plummeting from the sky above. I'd like you all to roll a power test.

LIAM: Scatter!

MATT: Or courage, your choice.

MARISHA: I'll do courage.

EMILY: Yikes. I need to be doing my non-combat.

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: Okay. Over here?

LIAM: 13, courage.

MATT: 13. You dart out of the way. With that high enough roll, you'll allow somebody else to reroll one dice.

EMILY: Five, power.

MATT: Five, power. Would you like to reroll one dice?

LIAM: Reroll.

EMILY: Okay. The one or the two?

LIAM: Oh.

EMILY: I got another one.

MARISHA: No!

EMILY: What?

(laughter)

OMAR: I got an eight.

MATT: An eight. Okay. So you manage to pull aside, dodging out of the way of the stone.

ROBBIE: Nine, courage.

MATT: Nine. You as well, darting beyond the space, and then?

MARISHA: 10 with courage.

MATT: 10 as well. All of you manage to dart out of the space. You're trying to protect Babs as you dart, but, Babs, you end up just--

EMILY: Yolo, it's not the moment.

(laughter)

LIAM: I grab a strap and try to pull her along and it breaks, and I run with a piece of cloth in my hand. I got you!

MATT: As it, boom, slams in the middle of the rain and muck valley that you resist, and it splatters you entirely with bits of stone and nearby rock and earth. You do take one heart of damage, but as it sits there and rests, the dust and the mud eventually coming to settle, and this large piece of stone that sits now in the middle of this area, now cracked and broken from the impact. You glance initially, and it looks to be a fallen piece of mountain, rock, natural, but there are parts that look carved, parts that have designs that are immediately similar to you. There appears to be some semblance of Zonai architecture and design, to some of what's been carved into this chunk of stone.

MARISHA: Oh, wow. This is quite the archeological treasure trove that literally just landed at our feet. It almost feels unbelievable, but it's here. Okay.

OMAR: We'll come back to investigate it later. We need to get out of here. This is dangerous. We should not be here right now.

MARISHA: We can't leave. This is-- This might be the greatest discovery that anyone in Hyrule has ever made, and you want us to leave?

OMAR: I know you love old stuff, Marga, but we need to figure out what's going on with the sky, so I vote we take a step back, find some shelter, get some information.

LIAM: During the debate, Yolo is sizing up this chunk and using the zora trait of the ancient people. Since we live longer than most, I know things, because I've been around for so long. So I want to see if I can glean any information or understand what I'm looking at.

MATT: Sure, test your mind for me, or does it have a specific--

LIAM: It says, seven to nine, I get one piece of information and a 10-plus, I get two pieces of information.

MATT: You got it.

LIAM: Yeah. I got a seven to nine.

MATT: Seven to nine. Okay. Indeed, the carvings in the side here, these are ancient Zonai markings, and there is an element of power that sits in them. There's a faint glow that seems to follow in a pattern through some of these carvings, and you can see, as you move around the opposite side of this large piece of stone, where it's broken open, it looks like this was part of a subterranean structure, some sort of a negative space carved within the rock, and where it is cracked and broken on one side, you see there are two strange glowing objects that seem to have been dislodged or scattered from the impact. You, seeing these, would immediately know, from your history.

EMILY: Oh wow.

MATT: Two ancient Zonai artifacts fall from it, and a third piece that looks lodged in the stone from where you are is handily pulled from the rock itself.

LIAM: You guys.

EMILY: Yeah?

LIAM: I've seen stuff like this before.

EMILY: You have?

LIAM: These are machines from a long time ago. I have no idea how they work. This thing over here is a big wheel that you can set going. I don't know. You take a look at that.

EMILY: Yeah. Yeah, definitely.

LIAM: This is a whole hecking cart.

MATT: You see, it's a massive stone slab that settles about three feet by five feet or so that's resting on the side with the runes glowing along the edges of it, and that over there is a singular massive wheel that has an axle built into it, and they're both loose and settled there. The third and smaller one you found looks like a spike with runes along the edge.

LIAM: Oh, I don't have that one. Oh, there it is. I didn't see that one.

EMILY: I'll pass them around, everyone can look at them.

OMAR: I don't want anything to do with them.

EMILY: I'm going to use this moment to use my well-traveled trait.

MATT: Okay.

EMILY: Um. Guys, I'm really well-traveled.

LIAM: Where have you been?

EMILY: So yeah, I'm just saying I'm really well-traveled. I've been all over Hyrule, and--

MARISHA: What's your favorite place?

EMILY: Tarrey Town.

LIAM: Top three?

MARISHA: Tarrey?

EMILY: I've got a dream of owning a unit there, but I didn't get in on the ground floor. Anyways. This moment reminds me of a story. Yeah, so one time, we were building on the Lightning Fields. You ever been to the Lightning Fields?

ROBBIE: No.

MARISHA: Yeah.

EMILY: So we're building. Really dangerous place to have a bunch of construction equipment, right?

ROBBIE: Yeah.

EMILY: It's a nightmare. It's a terrible build, okay? And, you know, we were just building some jerk's second house, so morale was low. But, you know, come third meal break, we were getting creative. You know, morale was low. I took a bunch of meat, stuffed it into some metal. Lightning came down. Bing, bang, boom.

ROBBIE: Hot dogs?

EMILY: Delicious hot dogs. Delicious hot dogs.

ROBBIE: I knew where this story was going!

EMILY: Right? So, I guess the moral of the story is: Sometimes, proximity to danger can be delicious.

LIAM: I remember when the shops started selling hot dogs. You're the inventor of the hot dog in Hyrule?

ROBBIE: Whoa! You're famous!

EMILY: Yeah, I invented hot dogs. Yeah, I invented hot dogs.

ROBBIE: Sounds like canon lore to me.

(laughter)

EMILY: I mean, I tried to get them to call them Babs dogs, but hot dogs stuck. So, I hope that this tale inspires you, and, next time we all roll a 2d6, you can reroll.

MARISHA: Whoa!

EMILY: You can reroll one or both d6. So what I'm saying is, the moral of the story, which I came up with on the fly, is that we are close to danger and that feels scary, but these items came off of this, and it could be a good thing. We could be making something new. We could be inventing the hot dog.

LIAM: I mean, I think--

MARISHA: In a way, innovation leads to success.

EMILY: Yeah, that too.

MARISHA: That's great.

LIAM: I mean, I think I'm just jazzed to know that we've been traveling with a celebrity all this time.

EMILY: Yeah, thank you. Thank you.

LIAM: That's dope.

EMILY: You know, I try to keep it somewhat anonymous, but yeah.

LIAM: I like to take a keese eyeball and squeeze it out along the hot dog.

EMILY: Oh, that sounds delicious. Keese relish?

LIAM: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

EMILY: That sounds good.

MATT: There's an odd scent, almost flavor to the air since the sky has darkened around you.

LIAM: Is it hot dogs?

MATT: It's not hot dogs, strangely.

(laughter)

MATT: It has almost a sour rot flavor to the general moisture in the air, and as you glance around and get your weapons ready, in case of any possible threat, you also notice the texture of your weapon is different. You glance at the metals and stones and materials that currently form your means of defending yourself out here in the field, a growingly dangerous field, but the materials seem withered, cracked in places.

LIAM: Whoa.

MATT: Like their integrity has somehow been siphoned away by what shadow now falls upon the kingdom. I would like you to replace your weapon with the decayed version of these.

LIAM: No!

EMILY: Oh no!

ROBBIE: Oh!

LIAM: The scotch tape is coming off.

(laughter)

EMILY: Aw.

LIAM: Now, what does that do for our--

MATT: Go ahead and carry over the item that you have. So, you can remove it from--

LIAM: So remove the fresh weapon.

MATT: Indeed.

LIAM: With the decayed.

MATT: Yes. Now, these weapons, they work the same, but every time you use it, you have to reduce the number of uses. When it goes to zero, the weapon breaks.

OMAR: Oh no.

EMILY: Oh! Hey, guys, we got to keep the morale up, right? Was my point.

LIAM: Who's got the scotch tape?

MARISHA: You've got one right next to you.

LIAM: Oh. That's my backup in case I run out.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: You could use your backup.

(laughter)

EMILY: Can I use your backup?

(laughter)

MATT: You hear this low, some sort of muffled impact, some nearby space. You watch as one of the cracks from that fallen chunk of stone that sits in the muck and dirt nearby falls open like some sort of massive stone egg. Part of that interior pocket that you had seen, a secondary chamber that's partially broken within is revealed. You hear (vrooming) as something begins to shift out of it.

OMAR: Nope.

MATT: You see this structure built of deep greens and jade and cerulean stone, and metals, similar in construction as some of these artifacts that you just saw also jettisoned from this impact. But this is multiple layers that are built upon itself. Long extended weird arms that shift and move with glowing energy throughout, some sort of a Zonai soldier or a construction seems to have emerged from this with a weird glowing singular eye at the top of its totem-like body form. As it rotates, the eye glows brightly for a second. You see it begin to form an aggressive stance as a blade emerges from one of its extended arms. I need you all to roll initiative.

MARISHA: Oh!

LIAM: That's new, or old.

(laughter)

MARISHA: Ooh, boy.

ROBBIE: Ooh.

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: Okay, and then-- Right. 25 to 20.

MARISHA: Natural 20.

ALL: Ooh!

ROBBIE: Whoa!

MATT: All right.

EMILY: Gorgeous!

MATT: All right. 20 to 15?

ROBBIE: 16.

MATT: 16 over here, we got Dink. All right. 15 to 10.

OMAR: 14.

MATT: 14 over here, we got Tota.

LIAM: 13.

MATT: And all right. Yolo. What'd you get?

EMILY: Three.

MATT: Three. All righty. (laughs)

MATT: All right. And that. The construct creature, as it spins around, acknowledging all the rest of you. You see also from the nearby surroundings of the forests, some weird reddish glow is beginning to emerge from the underbrush. Top of the round. Marga, you're up, with Dink on deck.

MARISHA: Wait, was something coming from the underbrush?

MATT: Looks like on the top of the hills, there's three dull, red lights that seem to be-- You're not quite sure what they are. You see the glow from nearby bush.

MARISHA: It's very overwhelming! Okay, because I can do Zonai Focus and evaluate a Zonai creature.

MATT: Indeed, you can.

MARISHA: Is that useful here?

MATT: It appears to be a Zonai in make, you can.

MARISHA: I could maybe get more information about it?

MATT: Indeed.

MARISHA: Okay, I'm going to start with that.

MATT: All right.

MARISHA: Oh god!

ROBBIE: Oh my gosh!

MARISHA: Double ones.

EMILY: Wait, wait. No, no. I just inspired you.

MARISHA: Oh, you did!

MATT: You can reroll both.

MARISHA: I can reroll. I can reroll both. Yes!

OMAR: Well done.

MARISHA: Oh my god! (laughter) Do I add my wisdom?

MATT: Yes.

MARISHA: Oh, man! This still is not enough. It's a six.

ROBBIE: Oh wow.

MATT: Six is not enough, unfortunately. You have no idea what this creature may be hiding or prepared to do. All you know is it's Zonai and it looks angry, but that is the top of your turn. That's one stamina to do that.

MARISHA: One stamina. Okay. Okay. Ha! Ha! Then I'm going to attack! I'm going to jump! I'm just going to jump.

MATT: All right. So leap over towards it, or leap away from behind and fire with your bow.

MARISHA: I'm going to attach a keese eyeball real quick. Does that also take a stamina or can I just...

MATT: It does.

MARISHA: Whatever, I'm doing it.

MATT: So use that and then roll to attach, or to assemble. 2d6 plus wisdom.

MARISHA: Oh boy! Four, five, six, seven.

MATT: Seven, that does succeed. But after one shot, you lose the attachment.

MARISHA: That's okay. That's all right. I'm going to do the keese eyeball so it can't defend when--

MATT: You got it.

MARISHA: Boof.

MATT: So you're firing at the construct?

MARISHA: Yeah.

MATT: All right. So the damage on that is?

MARISHA: Two.

MATT: Two. It takes two hits. It can't even defend itself, as your arrow strikes in with a flash, the keese eyeball, detonating upon impact. As it pushes through its armor, it begins to seemingly angrily drawn by the impact of your weapon. But it's still your turn. What do you want to do?

MARISHA: Oh no! I made it mad.

(laughter)

MARISHA: I'm going to try and attach my electric keese eyeballs.

MATT: Okay.

MARISHA: And see-- And hopefully I roll better. Yeah, that's better! Seven, eight, nine-- 10 plus.

MATT: So it doubles--

MARISHA: So it doubles. Okay. Wait, I've already used-- So that's down to seven. Now, so all my arrows until further notice have the--

MATT: Correct.

MARISHA: Okay, awesome. That's good. They do the two-- Oh wait, hang on. Oh no, they can't defend. That's right. Okay. Sorry. Sorry. Okay, so that's going to be four, five, six total for these. Okay. I'm going to shoot it again!

MATT: Okay. It will defend this time because it can since you lost the eyeball from the last one.

MARISHA: Oh, and I'm also supposed to roll a six after attacks, because after the six--

OMAR: If you're airborne.

MARISHA: To see-- if I'm airborne, to see if it does double damage. It does not. Okay.

MATT: Okay, no worries. Next strike, it's going to try and defend with a six.

MARISHA: Oh, but now, let me do for this one. No. Okay.

MATT: What's your power?

MARISHA: Negative one.

MATT: Negative one. It avoids the strike on the attack. No damage taken.

MARISHA: No damage taken. Okay, that's it. I'm going to do a Perfect Defense.

MATT: All right, roll for your Perfect Defense and--

MARISHA: Or Perfect Guard, or whatever.

MATT: Perfect Guard.

MARISHA: That's good. 10.

MATT: Okay, so the next strike against you, you'll be able to avoid.

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: Dink, your time.

EMILY: I just want to point out, I reread my trait and it's only regale a member of your party. So I guess I only told that story--

MARISHA: Only to me.

MATT: Ah!

MARISHA: No one else was paying attention.

MATT: Yeah.

(laughter)

EMILY: So much more awkward.

(laughter)

OMAR: Pulling someone aside to tell them that story.

EMILY: I just cornered Marga. Looks like Marga. (laughs)

MARISHA: Uh-huh. Uh-huh?

EMILY: So no one else can do the reroll.

MATT: Sorry, friends.

OMAR: They should be called Babs dogs. Anyway!

LIAM: She's actually allergic to hot dogs, which is why it did no good.

(laughter)

MATT: That's perfect. Dink, your turn.

ROBBIE: Dink sees this creature and his crystal blue eyes go (whooshes). He goes: Mom's stories. Don't worry, guys, I know what to do! He runs out there, and I want to use some movement to not engage with the enemy, but to search the encampment of the baddies. I'm looking for something. Can I do that?

MATT: Okay. Yeah. So we'll say a stamina to dart past and get over to that space.

ROBBIE: Okay.

MATT: Then you can make a wisdom test to try and search the environment. I'll say you're mid-combat, so I'd say wisdom or courage. Because this is also trying to push through the intensity of battle.

ROBBIE: Right. Hey! Sick. That is a 12.

MATT: 12. What are you looking for?

ROBBIE: I am looking for any kind of enemy shield, a wooden, metal, doesn't matter to me. I'm looking for a shield.

MATT: With that roll, you indeed find a shield amongst the equipment.

ROBBIE: The way he's looking for it is running through the camp and he's picking up all the pots and barrels and going: (heaves)

OMAR: Yes.

ROBBIE: (heaves)

MATT: (shattering)

MARISHA: Break the pots.

ROBBIE: Then one of them, a shield comes up. So that's two stamina. I'm going to use another stamina to get back over to Marga, and I'm going to go: (grunts). I'm going to throw up the shield and set my Perfect Guard.

MATT: You got it. So roll 2d6 plus your courage and defense.

ROBBIE: Sick. 13.

MATT: Oh, yeah. So the next strike on you or whoever you wish to defend against using your soldier ability, if you have that, you get to attack.

ROBBIE: I do. Yeah.

MATT: Great.

ROBBIE: I did take Expert Training because I learned it from you!

EMILY: Aw!

MATT: Look at that. Aw.

LIAM: I learned it by watching you.

MATT: Finishing Dink's go. Tota, you're up, with Yolo on deck.

OMAR: I tense up so much when this creature emerges. This is the nightmare scenario to me. The fact that it's turning to you, Marga, is offensive on the highest level. So I am going to try to slam this keese eyeball onto my arrow.

MARISHA: Yes.

MATT: Go for it.

OMAR: That's going to be 10 plus--

MATT: For assembling, it's plus your wisdom.

OMAR: That's going to be a nine.

MATT: Nine, okay. So it attaches, but it only is effective for the next attack.

OMAR: Okay, that will work for me.

MATT: All right. Are you attacking the creature?

OMAR: Yes, I'm going to blast the creature with an arrow.

MATT: How much damage does he take?

OMAR: That's going to be two hearts.

MATT: Two hearts off it. It can't defend because of the keese eye, which, unfortunately, is destroyed with the firing of the arrow. But that is another strike, too. You see a little wear and tear to its stone exterior. It's still pretty strong, but it seems to be taking hits.

OMAR: Okay.

MATT: So yeah, that's your first strike.

OMAR: I am going to fire two more times.

MATT: Two more times. All right, so it gets defend against it. What's your power?

OMAR: My power is one.

MATT: One, okay. Its defense is one. So that negates to a single roll. That's a seven. So it takes half damage. So it takes one heart.

OMAR: Okay.

MATT: On the first strike. The next one is a nine again. So it takes another heart from that. So it's four hearts total on this round from the three shots from the arrow. (impacts) The eye emblazons brightly. But yeah, it's taking hits.

OMAR: I am going to burn one more to set up my Perfect Guard.

MATT: You got it, roll 2d6 plus defense and courage. Sorry.

OMAR: All right. So five plus two, that's seven, plus courage. That's nine.

MATT: Nine. Great. All right. The next time you want to defend against something, you can take a nine, if you want to, on that. And that's half damage.

OMAR: Perfect.

MATT: Great, that finishes your go. Yolo, you're up.

LIAM: Okay, Yolo.

MARISHA: He says his name for every attack. Yolo!

(laughter)

LIAM: Gotta know who's coming in!

(laughter)

LIAM: I see that my bird buddy's taken care of. So I'm going to stay by Babs, and I'm going to use Battle Grace, which I haven't done before. "Your fluid movements can befuddle your opponents."

MATT: Ooh.

LIAM: "When attacking, you can spend one additional stamina to add flair to your attacks."

EMILY: Ooh!

(laughter)

LIAM: "If your target defends, they must roll 3d6 and discard the highest." So.

OMAR: Wow!

LIAM: I'm right by Babs and almost in a Capoeira fashion, I leap in the air and spin and throw my boomerang at a distance.

MATT: Okay, you got it. Range check.

LIAM: Three times in a row.

MATT: Three times in a row. All right. So--

LIAM: Just catch it, twirl, catch it, twirl, throwing every time.

MATT: You got it. What's your power?

LIAM: My power is one. You have to discard your highest of the 3d6.

MATT: Correct. So its defense is one, so it's a straight roll.

MARISHA: Oh that's cool.

MATT: But indeed, it is not in its favor. So discarding that brings it to a seven, so it takes half damage from the first hit.

LIAM: Bing!

MATT: What's the total damage of your boomerang?

LIAM: That is... (garbled searching noises) That's doubled, so it's six!

MATT: Six, so it takes three damage from one shot. The boomerang, (ping) flies off and sparks, you can see a big gash across its stone form. As it flies back into your hand, you swing again another time. This will bring it to... Oh man, that'll be a five. That's a failure. That's full damage. Six damage on it there. Your last hit here, three, even dropping the lowest, that still brings it to a nine. So it still takes half damage. Each of these three hits, wham, wham, wham you can see leaving large gashes and marks into its stone armored form. Each of these uses does diminish the decayed--

LIAM: Yeah, three times. Yep.

MATT: Yeah, by three. But it's looking rough. The soldier is not in a good place.

LIAM: So, that was one stamina for the Battle Grace. Then two, three, four for the attacks. Then I'm going to hold onto a stamina, but I'm going to plunk-- Boomerang get shoved into the belt and I polearm out Perfect Guard to protect Babs.

MATT: You got it. Okay. So roll for that.

EMILY: Thank you.

OMAR: (laughs)

LIAM: Oh, right. I roll now to see how good it is.

MATT: Yes.

LIAM: Right, that. Ooh, it's terrible! I don't get to reroll because that was just for Marga.

MATT: Yep.

LIAM: So Perfect Defense is defense plus courage plus the roll?

MATT: Yeah, it's defense plus courage.

LIAM: Four, seven.

MATT: Seven, okay. So half damage on--

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: If you want to defend with that, or your soldier ability. Nevertheless, those three weird red glows that you see, now the leaves begin to emerge and actually burn away as you see three of these small, somewhat gelatinous looking round creatures with odd bulbous eyes and flames looking off of their red and orange form. You see three fire chuchus begin to roll down the side, drawn by the sound of combat and battle here in the middle of the rainstorm, seeking some refuge and get excited at the prospect of nearby flammable things.

LIAM: Chuchus.

(laughter)

LIAM: Chuchus!

MARISHA: Chuchus!

MATT: One of them is going to roll up over towards you, Dink, since you're the largest one. If you can roll defense, or you can take your Perfect Defense if you want to.

ROBBIE: Oh!

MATT: Perfect Guard.

ROBBIE: I'm out of sauce.

MATT: If you're out of sauce, then Perfect Guard is the only way you can defend.

MARISHA: Oh, no.

ROBBIE: Oh, I don't want to. All right. Oh, no!

(laughter)

ROBBIE: That's actually tough from an economy standpoint.

MARISHA: Oof.

ROBBIE: But here's the-- Okay, I'll use it.

MATT: Okay.

ROBBIE: I don't have enough health. I'll use it.

MATT: So it goes towards you, the flames beginning to brighten around you and, using the shield you just found, bash it off and it rolls back before flames emerge from it. It begins to reset itself to gather the flame. One of them is going to roll towards you, and the third's going to roll towards you, since you're both in the process of pulling a bit back in the air. So--

LIAM: Question.

MATT: Yes?

LIAM: About rules. So, I used all but one of my stamina.

MATT: Yes.

LIAM: Stanima? Stamina. Damn it, Taliesin!

(laughter)

MARISHA: Stamina.

LIAM: Stamina. Am I able to defend for myself and then use the Expert Training to try to stop Babs?

MATT: Yeah.

LIAM: Okay, so that's what I'll use. I'll use defense for myself.

MATT: So roll defense.

LIAM: Yep. Not great. Six.

MATT: Six is a failure.

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: So you take two hearts of fire damage. As it slams into you, and ignites and burns off you, as you get knocked back a bit. Go ahead and roll a d6 for me.

LIAM: Okay. Two.

MATT: Two, all right. The flames don't catch for additional damage, thankfully.

LIAM: Because I'm wet from the rain!

(laughter)

MATT: Well, the third one is now moving towards you as its bulbous eyes are gleaning around, the flames, beginning to brighten.

LIAM: If I use Expert Training, allows you to interrupt a nearby enemy's attack and a nearby ally, before the ally rolls to defend, canceling the enemy's attack and allowing me to attack immediately.

MATT: Indeed. So you strike towards this fire chuchu, which is going to try and defend.

LIAM: They just defend, right?

MATT: They just defend. That's a five. It's a failure. So how much damage do you do?

LIAM: So that is eight.

MATT: Eight damage!

EMILY: Oh!

MATT: (whooshes) The fire chu gets struck and you see it wither to this tiny little candle of a fire. It's barely holding on. It's like (snarls).

LIAM: Yolo has got a little bit of blood trailing down his face and he's like: Got 'em!

(laughter)

EMILY: Good job!

(laughter)

MATT: All right. With that, finishing the chuchu's turn, it goes to the--

LIAM: Like tears in the rain!

(laughter)

MATT: The soldier construct--

MARISHA: It's like they're tears from the kingdom! (laughter)

(groaning)

MATT: Because of that, it's attacking you.

(laughter)

MATT: So--

MARISHA: No!

MATT: The soldier construct, its large extended arm with a blade at the side of it, whoosh! Whips it in your direction. Do you wish to defend?

MARISHA: Yes. This is the construct?

MATT: This is the construct.

MARISHA: I'll take my Perfect Defense.

MATT: Okay. You rolled a--?

MARISHA: 11.

MATT: 11, so, yeah. So you ignore the first strike.

MARISHA: Dang!

EMILY: Oh!

MATT: That's one stamina gone there. It's going to take a secondary strike again in your direction.

MARISHA: Tota!

MATT: Do you have stamina to spend?

MARISHA: I have one stanima.

MATT: Okay, so roll with your defend.

MARISHA: Seven, eight. Eight.

MATT: Eight, so that's half damage. You take one heart.

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: Yeah, it's going to go all in. It's going to use its last stamina on its last legs to strike at you again.

MARISHA: What?

MATT: Any stamina left?

MARISHA: I don't have it. No. No, I'm toastied.

MATT: Okay.

LIAM: Doesn't like birds.

MATT: All right. You take three hearts.

LIAM: Oh!

MATT: As the blade carves into you. The soldier construct, a dangerous entity and driven as it is pushed towards the edge of its own crumbling. That finishes its turn, though. Babs, you're up.

LIAM: Not like this.

EMILY: I want to go after that weapon that it just used.

MATT: Okay.

EMILY: Does it have a weapon?

MATT: Yeah, it has a longsword blade.

EMILY: Okay, I'm going to use my Structural Weakness.

MATT: Okay.

MARISHA: Oh, yeah!

EMILY: "You know how to build things up and you know how to tear them apart." "When you attack a nearby monster, you can choose to target its weapon rather than the monster itself." So, I'm going to roll 2d6 plus power. On a 10 plus, the weapon is destroyed.

MATT: You got it.

LIAM: Oh!

EMILY: On a seven to nine, the monster's weapon is destroyed, but I have to choose one of the following complications. So I'm going to use a stamina.

MARISHA: Come on!

MATT: Do it.

MARISHA: Come on, Babson!

OMAR: Inventor of the Babs dog, let's go!

(laughter)

EMILY: I'm picturing the Babs dog. I'm picturing Yolo with rain and blood dripping down him.

(laughter)

EMILY: Come on. That's going to be a 12.

MATT: A 12.

(cheering)

MATT: After the blade strikes past and leaves a large mark across the front of Marga's body, the blade turns around to try and strike towards you, and as you catch it, it shatters into a dozen pieces. Now, its arm's whipping around and it glances at them, weaponless.

EMILY: Okay, and then I'm going to turn to that-- That's one, I'm going to turn to the chuchu, that looks like it's not having a good day.

MATT: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

EMILY: I'm going to try to attack that with my sword.

MATT: All right. It does not have any stamina to defend itself, so how much damage do you deal?

EMILY: Five.

MATT: Five damage. (explosion) The chuchu immediately is scattered and sinks down into the nearby rain puddles, destroyed.

EMILY: Yes, save the parts. Is there another chuchu?

(laughter)

MATT: There are two more.

EMILY: Okay, I'll do another attack on another chuchu.

MATT: Okay, the other did save a stamina, so that one's going to go and that's a five, it's a failure. So that takes two damage off the bat there.

EMILY: It's another--

MATT: Oh, sorry. Five, right?

EMILY: I think it's five, yeah.

MATT: Five damage, that one's already carved down to about half its capability in one hit.

EMILY: What are we doing here, Babs? We do it again!

(laughter)

MATT: You're doing it again?

EMILY: Yeah, doing it again.

MATT: Okay, okay.

MARISHA: Do it for Hudson!

(laughter)

MATT: This one has no more stamina. That's five extra damage. This one, indeed-- (sword slice) You carved the other one that ignites mid-air and then the rain settles the rest of its body as it liquefies into the ground, destroyed.

EMILY: All right, Babs. All right, Babs. Bring it down. Bring the energy down, Babs. (laughter) I will spend a stanima--

(laughter)

EMILY: -- to Perfect Guard. Then I have a couple left over.

MATT: You got it.

LIAM: Man, you are crazy if you think I'm not going to go home and play "Breath of the Wild" for five hours tonight.

(laughter)

MARISHA: I also never say any of the words out loud when you're playing. So hearing "chuchu jelly," is a little bonkers when you say it out loud.

(laughter)

EMILY: What do you call it? Oh, yeah, yeah.

MARISHA: I just read it and I'm like, yeah.

EMILY: Cu-hoo cu-hoo. But when you say it-- Yeah.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: That's how everyone says it.

MARISHA: Yeah.

(laughter)

LIAM: Keese! Keese!

MARISHA: Keese!

MATT: Barb, Barb, Barbara, Babs.

EMILY: Yeah.

MATT: Are you done with your turn?

EMILY: Oh, yeah, yeah. I'm done with my turn. I've entered a Perfect Guard.

MATT: All right. You marked what you rolled there. Up at the top, we have Marga with Dink on deck. There is one fire chuchu that's been unscathed and there's the soldier construct that is looking really rough.

LIAM: "Dink on Deck" is your solo game after this.

(laughter)

MARISHA: Dink on Deck!

EMILY: And you do, it is a swashbuckling pirate sword.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Yeah, yeah.

MARISHA: "Dink on Deck," coming to TLC this summer.

(laughter)

MARISHA: Can Dink find true love?

EMILY: Dink is the captain of a cruise filled with potential mates.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: I'm a crab fisherman!

(laughter)

ROBBIE: He thinks he's on the wrong show. Where are all the crabs at?

(laughter)

LIAM: How do you feel about rocks?

(laughter)

MATT: All right, Marga. What you got?

MARISHA: Oh no. Oh, I have all my stanima back, right?

(laughs)

MATT: Yes, you do.

MARISHA: It's just stanima now. I look at my boys and say I'm hurting real bad, but I'm still going to keep trying to take down this construct. Actually, no. One more time, I'm going to try my Zonai Focus and see if I can figure out any insight into how to stop this construct.

MATT: Certainly.

MARISHA: What the F? Well, okay. That's six plus two, so eight.

MATT: All right. So that's a mixed success. In it's damaged--

MARISHA: Oh, oh! But, I treat a seven through a nine as a 10 plus as a part of Zonai Focus.

(cheering)

MATT: That's true.

ROBBIE: You read the rules.

MARISHA: ♪ I read the rules ♪

ROBBIE: ♪ You read the rules ♪

(laughter)

MATT: Perfect.

MARISHA: I highlighted the important parts.

(laughter)

MATT: So in looking at this heavily-damaged construct, you do get the sense that within its heavily-damaged body, there is some sort of power source. In fact, a lot of Zonai technology, what little bits you've read about or encountered, require power to function. So somewhere within this, there is likely some means of running itself.

MARISHA: Okay. I'm going to look at Dink.

ROBBIE: Yeah?

EMILY: (laughs)

MARISHA: Inside its chassis.

ROBBIE: Yeah, deep in his tummy?

MARISHA: Deep in his tummy.

ROBBIE: Deep in his tummy.

MARISHA: There's probably a battery.

ROBBIE: Okay.

MARISHA: Or a power source.

ROBBIE: What's a battery?

MARISHA: It's like its heart.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Okay, heart, got it. His heart's in his tummy, go on.

MARISHA: If you punch through it--

ROBBIE: Punch his tummy heart!

MARISHA: Then rip it out.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Yeah, what?

(laughter)

MARISHA: We might be able to stop it!

(laughter)

ROBBIE: You-- You want me to rip its heart out?

MARISHA: Yes.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Seems a little dark, but okay.

(laughter)

EMILY: Dink, these are dark times.

ROBBIE: I get it, I get it.

(laughter continues)

LIAM: You're on deck, Dink. Let's go!

(laughter)

EMILY: Dink on deck!

MARISHA: Then as I'm telling him this, I'm going to start plugging it with my chuchu electric, no, they're not chuchus, they're electric keese ball arrows.

MATT: So it can't even defend, right?

MARISHA: No. Oh wait. Oh yeah, it can't defend.

MATT: All right, how much damage does it deal?

MARISHA: We messed that up last time, I think. "Cannot be defended against, and it deals an extra..." Then I rolled high on that. So these are just six damage.

MATT: All right. With that final shot, the soldier that you instructed Dink to pull the heart out of takes a hit from the arrow and then crumbles from the inside and then slowly detonates from the interior before falling into a pile of rock.

LIAM: You did it, Dink. OMAR (laughs)

MARISHA: Its heart exploded.

ROBBIE: (choked exclamation)

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Just a single tear drops out of his eye.

EMILY: No, it needed to happened, Dink. It needed to happened.

ROBBIE: I know, I know.

EMILY: It had ill intent.

MARISHA: Ill in tents.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: There are tents all over the place.

MATT: Anything else on your turn, Marga?

MARISHA: Oh, there's still...

MATT: There's still a fire chuchu.

MARISHA: Okay, pop.

MATT: Okay, it will try and defend.

MARISHA: It can't defend.

MATT: Oh no, it can't! That's six damage, right?

MARISHA: Yep.

MATT: Wham! Six damage to it. Kind of quivers at the impact. It's looking hurt and the flames are sputtering.

MARISHA: It's looking hurt? Then I'll stop there.

MATT: Okay.

MARISHA: Save the rest, just in casies.

MATT: Dink, you're up.

ROBBIE: (groans anxiously) (laughs) I'm going to look at the chuchu jelly and go: Tear its heart out! And run at it with my sword.

(laughter)

OMAR: Yes!

MATT: It can't defend. How much damage do you deal? Actually no, it does have one stamina, it will try to defend, because it couldn't from you, but it can you. That's going to be a seven, so it takes half damage.

ROBBIE: Okay. Oh, we did the degraded sword. It's still, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, half of that.

ROBBIE: How do you want to do this? (exciting yelling)

(laughter)

ROBBIE: I run and I just skewer it!

MATT: (garbled smoldering)

ROBBIE: (whimpering) Oh, I'm so sorry.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: (poof) I will never forgive you for this.

(laughter)

OMAR: Oh my.

MARISHA: Why did you become a soldier?

ROBBIE: You told me-- I don't know.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: It sounded cool in the signups.

(laughter)

MARISHA: Maybe Hudson, after this mission, maybe you can reevaluate, and maybe Hudson is looking for more construction workers.

EMILY: I have to be honest, you'd be fantastic in demolition.

ROBBIE: Oh, thank you.

EMILY: Yeah.

MARISHA: I don't know if on good conscious, I could recommend you to Purah as a researcher, but we could think about it really hard.

LIAM: I know I'm bleeding out, but no one said it yet today. Your cosplay is awesome.

ROBBIE: Thanks. Are you okay? I'm going to start stuffing rocks in his mouth.

(laughter)

LIAM: (groans)

EMILY: Give in to them. If you go limp in the throat, they go down easier.

(laughter)

LIAM: I don't think we can do that in this game.

(laughter)

OMAR: I stroll past you, I give you a very hardy pat on your back.

ROBBIE: Oh, thanks.

OMAR: Well done, well done.

ROBBIE: I didn't want to tell the others. It kind of awoke something inside of me. It felt kind of good.

OMAR: Oh, well, follow that.

ROBBIE: Just keep that between you and me.

OMAR: Okay. Dink, this will be our little secret.

ROBBIE: Yeah, I like secrets between friends.

OMAR: Well, this one will be ours.

ROBBIE: You'll be my special secret friend?

OMAR: I'll be one of many?

ROBBIE: I'm going to tell you all my secrets from now on.

OMAR: Oh, okay! Okay.

ROBBIE: (shushing)

(laughter)

LIAM: (as Dink) "That was the day murder entered my heart."

(laughter)

OMAR: With that weight on my shoulders--

(laughter)

OMAR: I'm going to do another survey, and I'll hop up and fly around the rock again. Really just to get away from the conversation.

(laughter)

MATT: Understood.

EMILY: Tota consistently not wanting any other thing to do with it.

(laughter)

MARISHA: So true.

MATT: While you're beginning to ascend, one, you find amongst the materials here left behind in this fray of the battle one fire chuchu jelly that seems to have merged.

ROBBIE: Nice.

MARISHA: Okay. Okay.

MATT: A horn from the construct that you just destroyed.

MARISHA: Fire for your arrows.

MATT: Indeed, fallen from the inside of its main torso, there is a small container that glows with a bright green-blue energy.

MARISHA: Oh, a Zonai charge.

(small bell achievement tone)

OMAR: (gasps)

ALL: Ooh!

MARISHA: "A Zonai device gains four energy." Okay. If anyone needs any of that.

MATT: While you all take stock of this space, Tota, you begin to ascend up above.

MARISHA: Please find food.

MATT: As you glance in the environment above the surrounding jungle trees, and get more of a bird's eye view, literally, of the environment around and beyond, indeed, you see across the horizon of the sky, not just the two strange shattered land masses that hang far above you in the sky, but dozens of them. These massive islands of different sizes and stretches that all seem to have emerged from above and now rest like massive monoliths of some sort of ancient rock, unknown origin, looming over the entirety of the sky over Hyrule. Here amongst the rain as it falls around, you can also glance and see the ground in various places where once was just rolling grass and field, you can see fissures, you can see cracks renewed into the surrounding environment. As you glance back from where you came from, the distant sight of Lookout Landing and beyond that, Hyrule castle seems to have been plucked from its seat and is now held aloft in the air. The expanding black and reddish energy that seeps from the gloom that has been known to slowly permeate the surrounding land now seems to lift it above, and the crater that sits beneath it now this darkened shadow below. You can also see occasionally, falling from these massive chunks of mysterious land, hunks of stone, not unlike the one that nearly crushed you and your friends. Who knows when and where they may fall. But the lands of Hyrule have now grown a little more dangerous. You get the sense that the Zonai ruins you came to research perhaps are a little less important than the need to get home safely. And that's where we're going to take a break.

Part II
MATT: And welcome back. So as you are in the process of gathering your materials and assessing your environment, Tota has taken a full view of the surroundings and the danger that continues to grow just beyond the horizons of your perspective. As you begin to descend from your position, you can see them unaware of the scope of what you found yourselves in.

OMAR: I land as I'm loading up an arrow.

EMILY: (gasps) Tota!

OMAR: Okay, we're out. We're going, we're leaving.

MARISHA: I think he might be right. This looks bad. Maybe we should get back to Purah.

EMILY: Okay.

OMAR: We need to get to a safe place somewhere. I'm shaking. I am absolutely shook.

EMILY: This bird brick house is shaking.

OMAR: (laughs) From the foundation, yeah.

EMILY: Wow!

OMAR: Okay, all right.

EMILY and MARISHA: Okay.

OMAR: Enough talking, let's go.

MARISHA: Just real quick, I run up to the Zonai Ruin and I tried to do one of those charcoal relief rubbings.

MATT: Rubbings? Okay, let's go.

(laughter)

EMILY: Okay. Walk and talk, though. We have these Zonai charges. Do we want to give ourselves a little car?

MARISHA: I like that.

EMILY: I mean, if we're trying to beat feet.

LIAM: What does that even mean?

MARISHA: (sighs) Okay.

EMILY: (laughs)

(laughter)

EMILY: That looked painful. Are you okay?

LIAM: (poof) Last heart's gone.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: No!

(laughter)

MATT: Oh my goodness.

MARISHA: So by my calculations that I just did.

EMILY: So accurate.

MARISHA: I think if we take the cart, and maybe the big wheel, and then maybe the battery and we attach the battery to the wheel, that maybe we can make ourselves a car.

EMILY: Yeah.

MARISHA: It's like a cart, but you take the T off of the end, and then it's just a car, because it's more efficient.

LIAM: Where does the horse go?

MARISHA: The--

EMILY: The battery, it's like an invisible horse.

MARISHA: Yes.

LIAM: How do you make an invisible horse?

MARISHA: Well, you see, the Zonai people, you know, they're very mysterious.

MATT: (growling)

MARISHA: Okay, we should go!

MATT: You hear the growling of distant creatures

MARISHA: Can we try and assemble this? Can we do this as a team?

MATT: You can indeed. It is an assemble test. So what are you attaching? You're attaching the cart and the big wheel?

MARISHA: Uh-huh.

MATT: All right.

MARISHA: Then the battery to the big wheel.

MATT: Okay. So make two assemble checks, 2d6 plus your wisdom.

LIAM: Dink, I got this.

(laughter)

MARISHA: Can this be something that me and Babs do with our research?

MATT: Mm-hmm.

MARISHA: Let's do that.

LIAM: Oh, you want to do something sensible? Fine.

EMILY: Okay, okay.

MARISHA: So each one of us, and we add our wisdom, right?

MATT: Yes.

EMILY: It seems like a moment that I should regale you with another tale.

OMAR: (laughs)

MATT: It has been a second game hour, so yeah, you can do it again, if you'd like.

ROBBIE: Oh!

MARISHA: Oh yes. Before we go.

LIAM: How were hamburgers invented?

EMILY: Right.

(laughter)

EMILY: Actually, I'm going to tell you a different story.

ROBBIE: I'm going to sit cross-legged right in front of her.

EMILY: Picture, camera zooms in on the Gerudo Valley.

ROBBIE: What's a camera?

MARISHA: The Sheikah used to have them.

OMAR: Oh yeah! (laughs) Yeah, canonically, yeah!

MARISHA: She's asleep.

EMILY: We're breaking ground on a shopping mall in the Gerudo Valley.

MARISHA: Oh yeah.

EMILY: I'm at the excavator.

MARISHA: Okay.

EMILY: I'm about to claw right into the sand, and there's a rustling. It's a sand seal with a litter of pups.

ROBBIE: Oh.

MARISHA: (sighs)

EMILY: So I mean, obviously, I think twice about what I'm doing. I'm not going to disrupt them, you know, just for a shopping mall.

MARISHA: Displace an entire family.

EMILY: Exactly. So instead, I built a public library.

OMAR: (snorts)

ROBBIE: On top of the seals?

MARISHA: In the same place, though?

OMAR: Oh god. (stifled laughter)

(laughter)

OMAR: The spirit of that, Babs, is incredible. Genuinely. The execution of it...

(laughter)

ROBBIE: I feel motivated somehow.

(laughter)

OMAR: What--

EMILY: Yeah, on top of.

ROBBIE: I think that we should endanger some animals.

MARISHA: Do seals read?

OMAR: Yeah, was it--

EMILY: What I'm trying to say is you got to burn a couple seals to make libraries, so let's do it!

ROBBIE: I've heard that saying before, you can't make a library if you don't burn a couple seals.

EMILY: Exactly!

(laughter)

EMILY: You are inspired.

(laughter)

MARISHA: I feel so inspired, yeah.

LIAM: Yolo looks down at all of his own first-degree burns and just--

(laughter)

LIAM: -- shrugs.

(laughter)

MATT: All righty. So you are first attempting to assemble the wheel and the cart?

MARISHA: Maybe I do the battery to the wheel and she does the wheel to the cart.

MATT: Okay.

MARISHA: I'll do that.

EMILY: I want to do whatever the construction-ing.

MARISHA: Yeah.

MATT: You got it.

MARISHA: I'll do more Zonai focused one.

MATT: Okay.

MARISHA: Oh man, don't feather this up.

MATT: I mean, it's all Zonai.

ROBBIE: Yeah!

MATT: All these artifacts are Zonai.

MARISHA: Oh, it's all Zonai.

ROBBIE: Oh.

MARISHA: Okay, well, I did a good. So that's 13 for me.

MATT: Okay, and this is for the charge to the... So the charge you don't have to affix, the charge you just use.

MARISHA: Oh.

MATT: Yeah.

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: So for this. So the charges, you basically utilize the item to give four energy to it. You're just attaching the two objects. So you succeed.

MARISHA: Okay, great!

EMILY: Amazing. Then we're good.

MARISHA: But I still have that inspiration for--

MATT: Indeed, you still have that inspiration for later.

EMILY: Yeah, okay.

MATT: So with that, you affix the cart which has its own small wheels, this massive stone construct with little spirals of Zonai design and language and runic symbols along the side. Then the one massive wheel is now affixed to the front of it. It has an energy port where you utilize the Zonai Charge to instill it with power for a short time, if you'd like.

MARISHA: All right.

EMILY: Maybe we should save it for when we really need it, because we can push this.

MARISHA: To get to like a flat--

EMILY: Yeah.

MARISHA: -- straightaway. That makes sense.

EMILY: That seems good, right?

MARISHA: All right.

ROBBIE: Yeah.

EMILY: Okay.

LIAM: In the jungle?

MARISHA: In the jungle?

LIAM: Flat straightaway?

MARISHA: I don't know.

EMILY: Yeah, but okay. Okay, we could do it, though, because the two of yous are on the side chopping trees, right?

LIAM: Sure.

ROBBIE: Yeah.

EMILY: Okay.

LIAM: Man, I want some mighty bananas right now.

EMILY: Yeah, I know. We really need food, right?

MARISHA: I'm so hungry.

EMILY: Let's try to get some food.

MARISHA: Yeah, definitely. I think that construct hit my spleen and it's not good.

EMILY: Okay, so we need to go, but first we're maybe going to cook. (laughs)

OMAR: (laughs)

MARISHA: Mm-hmm. I don't have any food. Does anyone have food?

EMILY: Can I look for some food?

MATT: In the Zonai ruins you've already pretty much picked it clean.

LIAM: We picked them clean.

MATT: But in your next area you move to you can.

EMILY: So Tota, lead us in the right direction.

OMAR: Okay. All right, everyone follow me.

MATT: All right.

OMAR: I'll turn. (laughs)

EMILY: And you fly away.

(laughter)

MARISHA: Ah.

OMAR: Yeah, a panicked soar, and then a--

LIAM: There he goes.

MARISHA: Yeah. (laughs)

OMAR: Right, no, of course. Yeah, of course, of course.

(laughter)

OMAR: My apologies.

LIAM: They're gone.

OMAR: Of course. Follow me on the ground.

MARISHA: And they're gone.

EMILY: Okay, okay.

OMAR: Yeah.

MATT: Gotcha. There is a, while not a formal road, there are some pathways that have been walked through the years that you can see where some foot travel has led to some dirt, roundabout curvatures and open spaces to walk through. So guiding them through this path, you're able to pull the cart and large wheel through, the heavy (rhythmic squeaking) squeaking wheel sound as you begin to roll it through as you go.

LIAM: I thought there were monkeys there for a second.

MATT: Emerging from the ruins and now back to the woods that you traversed previously. Who is currently guiding the path here?

MARISHA: I imagine--

OMAR: Me.

MARISHA: Yeah.

MATT: You. Make a courage test for me, if you don't mind.

OMAR: Okay, great.

LIAM: Woo!

MARISHA: Come on, Tota!

OMAR: That's going to be a seven.

MATT: That's a seven. Okay.

EMILY: Ooh.

MATT: So you begin to lead the crew deeper through the jungle and it begins to disperse a bit, as well as the rain begins to slightly subside. It is no longer a heavy downpour, and with the final bits of the storm beginning to fade, you feel a little bit more confident in the journey before you. The mud will begin to subside and the coldness will begin to dissipate, you hope. As you begin to drift beyond the jungle and begin to hit more of the outside of the Finra Woods a little ways down the journey, you are within a more natural space here. But, you also hear a (whistling) (thudding) on the ground next to you. You glance down and you see on the ground there is a heavy stone that's (thudding) on the ground.

OMAR: I aim my arrow at it, and then glance around for where it probably came from.

MATT: You glance in the direction where it came from and you see something beyond one of the upper hills where the trees are emerging from that ducks down below, and you hear this faint sound. (guttural growling)

OMAR: I let out a little whistle. Now, I want to say previously I instructed everyone, if you hear this whistle hide behind a tree.

EMILY: Right.

OMAR: I don't know how much of that information was absorbed by the party.

MARISHA: Yeah.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: I'm already hiding behind a sapling, but it's only this big.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: But I'm frozen!

OMAR: I can see! Again, spirit of-- (laughs)

MARISHA: I hide behind Dink.

(laughter)

EMILY: Me as well.

MARISHA: Yeah. (laughs)

MATT: As you all dart off to the sides, also now being pointed in that direction, there are three small, pig-like creatures with pointy long ears and long limbs that have these backpacks on. You see them reaching in and grabbing things out and (forceful snorting) throwing them off and arcing. This time what you see looks to be some sort of a heavy chunk of electrical flashing energy there. (thud) (electrical zapping) Explodes and shoots out electrical field-like energy. It spirals in the space around it. Because you all initially hid out of the way, it lands in the space where you were and it's open. As soon as that goes off, you hear (frenzied snorting) all a sudden shouting off to the side, and you can see there's a cluster of at least three or four bokoblins that are hiding in the vicinity with some sort of amassed collection of ranged hit-and-run weaponry.

MARISHA: (nervously) Ah.

OMAR: I am uncomfortable about all of this ancient technology that's reappearing. So this is familiar to me.

MATT: Yeah.

OMAR: Sounds in the forest? Great, I'm in. This is what I know. Is there a chance I could quickly do an evaluation and see if there's anything around here that might give us any advantage? Like an exploding barrel, anything like that?

MATT: Make a wisdom test for me.

OMAR: Okay, great. (laughs) Great.

EMILY: (laughs)

OMAR: Very good for me.

EMILY: Ooh!

OMAR: Okay, that's two sixes, so that's going to be an 11.

MARISHA: Eyy!

MATT: That's an 11. Looking around here, the woods are decently dense, but they get denser the further in you go. Also, the path that you're currently walking is fairly open and straight as you go. The number of bokoblins that are around you, especially seeing as how they have the jump on you, put you in a precarious situation. But with enough speed on a straightaway, you would be likely able to avoid the brunt of their attack, and it may be safer to avoid than engage directly.

OMAR: I am down to one heart, so I understand that very well.

ROBBIE: Oh!

EMILY: So should we get in the car?

MARISHA: Should we do this?

EMILY: Should we get in the car?

OMAR: My eyes go onto the energy source. I'm uneasy about this.

MARISHA: Look, I know that this is a thing for you, but I really think we should trust it right now. Just have a little bit of faith.

MATT: (angry snorting)

EMILY: I'm down to trust it, and also if you with your arrow, you're comfortable with that, if you could try to intercept some of their little bombs midair before it gets to our cart.

MARISHA: Do you want me to add the chuchu jelly to your-- (laughs) the flaming chuchu jelly to your arrows real quick?

OMAR: I don't really have a choice. Yeah, okay. I take off my quill and I throw it over to you.

LIAM: (gooey splats)

MARISHA: (grunts) Let's see what happens. Ooh. Oh! I think about the seals. (laughter) Well, you know what? Hang on, wait. That's seven. Hang on, hang on.

MATT: You can reroll one of the dice--

MARISHA: Maybe I save the seals.

MATT: -- if you want to. It's up to you.

MARISHA: I can reroll one?

MATT: You can reroll one or both, right? That's how it works.

EMILY: One or both.

MARISHA: I'll reroll one, because I want a 10 here.

MATT: Think about the seals.

MARISHA: Oh my god, it's the same thing! But--

ROBBIE: You got that.

MARISHA: It's still nine. It's still a nine, with my wisdom. So I successfully attach it, but they're not juiced up.

OMAR: Okay.

MARISHA: But you do have flaming arrows now.

EMILY: Okay.

OMAR: Thank you.

ROBBIE: Shotgun! Then I hop into the car.

(laughter)

EMILY: I hop in as well.

ROBBIE: I put my hands up.

MATT: So you attach it to a weapon, right?

MARISHA: Yeah.

MATT: Which means you have two choices here.

MARISHA: His arrows. Yeah.

MATT: Either it's fragile, which means it breaks after one use, the add-on, or you can take a heart, as you hurt yourself in assembly.

ROBBIE: Oh, no.

MATT: The choice is yours.

EMILY: What?

MARISHA: There's something amazingly poetic about me like...

LIAM: Going out with an arrow?

EMILY: Then we're in an ambulance, essentially.

MARISHA: What happens when I go down?

MATT: If you go down, you're dazed and you're unconscious and are essentially out of the scene.

MARISHA: Until I get food or something?

MATT: Until you all are into a safe space in a new scene, in which case I'll say you go back to one heart.

MARISHA: I got to do it for the narrative. It's too cool.

OMAR: No!

MARISHA: So I'm thinking about mine and Tota's past, the good times that we had in high school.

ROBBIE: I knew it!

MARISHA: The fact that we became a little bit estranged and they decided to choose a life of being a protector for the realm and I decided to choose a life of being a researcher. The arguments that we had, the jealousy of my relationship with Yolo.

(snickering)

MARISHA: But it doesn't matter, because deep down inside, I still care about them. I stab all of the arrows, and one backfires a little, and it singes my feathers!

MATT: (fire roaring)

EMILY: Marga!

MARISHA: I just have enough wherewithal to hand over the arrows and collapse onto the cart, and I'm out of hearts.

OMAR: I grab these, I turn to you: Do whatever you need to do. As I load these up and wander in the direction to start firing.

EMILY: I lick my fingers, put it through my eyebrows, grab the steering wheel, I'm ready to do this. Let's go! Hi-ya!

(laughter)

MATT: So you you take the Zonai Charge and you instill it into the wheel.

EMILY: Yeah.

MATT: All right, you take the charge. It takes two energy of the four that the charge has to do so. As you expend the two, you hold the charge up and you watch as all the runes in the side of the wheel (humming) all light up, and the wheel immediately (roaring) begins to rocket at an intense speed in the direction you're facing it. Where do you face it?

EMILY: I face it in the direction that we're trying to go.

MATT: Okay, so to further the path you are.

EMILY: Yeah.

MATT: (roaring) The wheel begins to take off. The rest of you are clustered onto this?

LIAM: Are our enemies clustered, by the way, together?

MATT: No, they're scattered on the sides amongst the trees.

EMILY: So we're in for a mine cart ride here.

MARISHA: Yeah!

OMAR: Yes.

ROBBIE: Yeah!

MARISHA: Come on!

MATT: You are off the cart.

OMAR: I'm off the cart firing, giving cover fire.

MATT: Right.

OMAR: While screaming Marga's name.

MATT: You got it. (cart rumbling) As the cart speeds up, the Zonai power of the artifact tearing forward, you hear one of the nearby bokoblins like, (snorting) throw something. You see it ricochets off one of the trees, and is arcing in the direction of where you and the cart are. What are you going to do?

OMAR: I inhale sharply, hold my breath. I believe in the air. I believe in the wind. That's how I navigate this world. I'm going to hold that in my lungs, and I'm going to fire an arrow at the object.

MATT: All right, I'll say make a power or courage test to see if you can lay your aim straight in the moment.

OMAR: Let's go for courage, here we go.

MARISHA: Come on.

OMAR: (laughs) You got any of those great stories?

(laughter)

EMILY: I can only do one an hour. I know, we all wish I could do more.

OMAR: That's going-- (laughs) That's going to be a five.

MATT: A five, okay. So you fire and it goes wide and ricochets off and actually (thudding) hits you in the chest. You glance down and see a Hylian pine cone that is covered in heavy sap that (splatting) adheres to your chest. You're an experienced individual out in the field and you understand these pine cones, while terrible for eating, are extremely explosive. You are now attached to an explosive, as you hear other (snorting) and you see flames starting to flicker up. What do you do?

MARISHA: You do you have your flaming arrows.

OMAR: I have my flaming arrows, I've got an explosive on me.

MATT: Yeah, adhered to you in the moment.

OMAR: Oh, but it hasn't gone off. There's nothing igniting it?

MATT: Not at the moment.

EMILY: Oh!

MARISHA: Does the chuchu jelly-- Oh, it doesn't do like a can't. Does it do a cannot defend thing, or is it just fire damage?

OMAR: No, it just does fire damage.

MARISHA: Okay, okay.

OMAR: So I-- Let's see here. I'm going to take to the sky and I'm going to start flying, and they have identified their locations using fire. That's a huge mistake. Now I have targets.

MATT: Yes.

OMAR: So I am going to, as I'm crossing by them, since they seem to be attacking when someone's close, I'm going to start firing at the ones closest to me as I'm going past them.

MATT: Got you. So you're cruising, following in the wake of the cart as it's tearing through.

OMAR: I want to activate them. I want to be like: Okay, yeah, you put a target on me? Go ahead, try it. See what happens.

MATT: Great.

(squealing)

MARISHA: Yeah!

OMAR: (laughs)

MATT: Three arrows come arcing towards you with streaks of flame. If you want to make three defensive rolls, if you'd like.

OMAR: Okay, here we go.

MARISHA: Oh, oh, oh!

OMAR: Great, okay.

EMILY: Yes!

OMAR: That's an 11.

MATT: An 11. (whooshing) Goes wide.

OMAR: Okay, great. Do I add my defense to that?

MATT: You add your defense to these rolls, yeah.

OMAR: Just kidding, it's a 13.

MATT: 13, out of the way. No issue.

OMAR: Easy, easy. That's going to be a 12.

MATT: (whooshing) Duck the other one.

MARISHA: Yes!

MATT: One final one's arcing (whooshing) in your direction.

MARISHA: Do a barrel roll!

OMAR: That's going to be an 11.

MATT: An 11. (whooshing) You duck out of the way! (cheering)

(clapping)

MATT: One of those hitting would've been real bad!

(laughter)

EMILY: I was ready to try and catch your body.

(laughter)

OMAR: That last one, it's a full bird breast out like: Go ahead, go ahead! As I'm slowly gliding by, like: Here, right here, I'll slow down for you! Here you go.

MATT: Fires it, it just arcs past, you've drawn the fire away from the cart, so none of you are targets of this. But in pulling behind, you're slower than the cart necessarily, but the cart, the energy carrying it on for a little bit, you still manage to move forward and catch up. The bokoblins, who are now currently stuck through the trees aren't able to keep up the same speed of your flight. So most of them fall back, there's only two more left that are trying desperately to keep up, and they're both going to fire towards you.

OMAR: Great.

LIAM: In the middle of the road running after the cart?

MATT: Two of them are, yeah.

LIAM: I'm going to huck a shock fruit at them.

(cheering)

MATT: Okay, okay. So yeah, so you throw it outward. The shock fruit, they both pull back the arrows and "(caws)" look at each other. (squelchy explosion) A explosion of a spinning maelstrom of electrical energy fills the area and all three of them take three points of electric damage.

LIAM: We're not sharking around, man.

(laughter)

MATT: We'll say to that point, it does distract them as they both fire on you. Which means for the strikes on you, you roll three dice and drop the lowest for your two last defensive rolls, if you'd like.

OMAR: Okay, that's a 12.

MATT: 12, (whoosh) out of the way.

OMAR: That's an eight, and that is a 10.

MATT: Okay, well, it was two arrows on you.

OMAR: Right, so it's just the 10 and the 12.

MATT: So it was the 10 and the eight, you rolled which on that one?

OMAR: Yes. Let me see if I remember. Sorry, I rolled a 12 first.

MATT: Correct, and then it was an eight.

OMAR: Yes.

MATT: You need to roll three dice, sorry, and then take the lowest of the dice.

OMAR: Oh! Got it, got it, got it, got it.

MATT: Sorry.

OMAR: Just kidding, now I understand.

MATT: That's okay.

OMAR: Okay, please be good. That's going to be an 11.

MATT: An 11, there you go. The distraction from the shock fruit is just enough to throw them off balance as they fire these wide arcs to their arrows. The flaming streaking through the air, no longer put out by the rainfall as it does. As we see you gliding through the air, wings out wide to the sides, one of them arcs in your direction and you catch it in the corner of your eye and go into a side spiral and it goes wide. No impact as you cruise down. The bokoblins shrieking and yelling and begin to scatter, falling back and dissipating amongst the forest, realizing they no longer have the upper hand, as you slowly catch up to a cart in which has now run low on its energy. But in doing so, you have now come out of the immediate threat and are now deep within the Finra Woods in a new space with new adventure to explore.

OMAR: Could I land directly next to Yolo at the end, on the cart itself?

MATT: You watch as the cart begins to slow down--

OMAR: While still keeping the arrow out, eyes out, without turning to you, just like a: Thanks.

LIAM: I can barely hear right now, I'm so burned.

(laughter)

OMAR: I said thanks.

LIAM: Oh, you're welcome. Man, I remember that high school. It's really more of a community college. It was just the tallest tree in Rito Village. But that's the past, and she's just my buddy, man.

EMILY: (laughs)

OMAR: I'm going to go and find some fruit, and I'll--

(laughter)

LIAM: Yolo just lays down, the cart's still going on this muddy road?

MATT: It's slowing like--

LIAM: Okay, Yolo just lies down and half passes out next to his unconscious friend.

EMILY: Okay, okay, Dink, we got...

ROBBIE: Oh yeah.

EMILY: We got people to feed.

ROBBIE: Oh, you want to consult with me about the plan?

(laughter)

EMILY: Is there a plan about getting some grub for our friends?

ROBBIE: Oh, if you told me, I'll do it.

EMILY: Okay, yeah. I'm going to dispatch you, you go and get--

ROBBIE: You're going to dispatch me? No! I'll pull out my sword.

(laughter)

EMILY: I pull out my sword. Dink, I didn't want it to come to this! I just wanted you to get some fruit!

ROBBIE: I knew it, Seal killer!

(laughter)

OMAR: As I'm doing my lap, I'd love to swing by this, if that's all right?

ROBBIE: Hey, (babbling). (stage whisper) Secret buddy, she said she was going to dispatch me.

LIAM: Why are you stage whispering on the back of the cart?

ROBBIE: Because he's my secret buddy! This is how we tell our secrets to each other.

LIAM: I need a banana.

EMILY: Okay, okay, I'm going to put my weapon down, okay? You and I, we're going to fight--

ROBBIE: How do I know I can trust you?

EMILY: Because we're going to fight later, right?

ROBBIE: Oh

EMILY: Yeah.

ROBBIE: This sounds like a plan.

EMILY: Yeah, okay. Well, right now, we got to get some grub for these two. So I'm going to go look for food.

ROBBIE: Okay.

EMILY: But you and I are going to fight.

ROBBIE: I'll go look for food on your behest, but don't you try to dispatch me when I'm not looking.

EMILY: Yeah, well, I--

MARISHA: This is why there's only one hero in all of Hyrule.

(laughter)

MARISHA: He is not here right now.

ROBBIE: What are you talking about?

(laughter)

MATT: That's valid. Those who would wish to search the new environment for any sort of materials that can help, you may roll a wisdom test.

LIAM: Oh, sure thing, we're going to search for food.

EMILY: Eight.

MATT: Eight, all right.

LIAM: Yes, I rolled two sixes! Give me all the fruit! 11.

MARISHA: So you can find a goat, find some meat.

MATT: So you manage to pull out some Hyrule herb. As you're wandering about, you got an 11, you said? Oh man, I will go ahead--

LIAM: 12 minus one.

MATT: I'll give you both in this space, an acorn, and some courser bee honey that you managed to find.

(oohing)

OMAR: I got an eight.

MATT: An eight, all right. That'll bring you to a delightful batch of mighty bananas.

OMAR: Thank you!

MARISHA: Hey, there's the bananas.

OMAR: I was actually looking this time.

ROBBIE: Seven with my negative one.

MATT: Seven with your negative one. That'll bring us to an apple.

(cheering)

MARISHA: Makes you wonder what he missed.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: This is like a shiny, red rock.

(laughter)

MATT: You can also search for rocks in a new region, too, if you'd like, since that is one of your abilities.

ROBBIE: Okay!

(laughter)

ROBBIE: I'll look for a rock. I found one.

MATT: So you go and roll for your ability.

ROBBIE: Oh, I have to search for it.

MATT: Yeah.

ROBBIE: Oh, I do have to. 10.

MATT: 10, all right, there you go.

ROBBIE: Sweet!

MATT: So that allows you to heal--

ROBBIE: Oh, and I get a bonus.

MATT: Right, what's it say for the 10 plus on that?

ROBBIE: Yeah, 10 plus heals one heart and gives you a bonus heart.

MATT: Okay, so you get to heal two hearts.

ROBBIE: Cool.

EMILY: I'm going to get to cooking my herb, because I'm trying to get it down this one's gullet. I'm cooking with an unconscious body next to me.

MATT: We are out of the scene now, technically, so you do recover one heart and come to consciousness.

EMILY: Oh, okay, good, good, good.

ROBBIE: I can save my rocks for later, so I'm going to pocket mine, just for a rainy day.

MATT: Go for it. Pocket your rock.

ROBBIE: Pocket rock--

(laughter)

LIAM: Careful, careful, careful.

(laughter)

LIAM: Ignore the first three puns that come to your mind.

(laughter)

MATT: All right, so you're trying to cook your Hylian herb.

EMILY: Yeah. Do I get the sense--

MATT: Hyrule herb, sorry.

EMILY: Can I get the sense if it's going to be better if someone adds it to their meal, or if it's worth it just to cook it? Just a nice sauteed dish of herbs.

MATT: That's up to you. I mean, you can cook two things to get the ability from both, which is more useful for you to eat in the middle of the rush of combat. Because you get the bonuses of both for one stamina. But if you're just using it to generally heal.

EMILY: I think we all need some healing. So yeah, I'm going to try and cook my herb.

MATT: Go for it.

EMILY: Do I add wisdom to that?

MATT: Yeah, 2d6 plus wisdom.

EMILY: It's going to be a seven.

MATT: Seven, you cook it without issue.

EMILY: Yay!

MATT: Seven's the minimum you needed to succeed.

EMILY: Yes!

MATT: So there you go, your herb is cooked, which I believe is a nice three hearts restored.

EMILY: It's a bit more. I only need one. So I'm just like, who wants this? This sauteed herbs.

MARISHA: Can we share it?

EMILY: I'm going to give it to Marga.

OMAR: Yeah.

EMILY: Hey, I got some, yeah.

MARISHA: Oh my goodness, so kind of you.

LIAM: Hey, do you know if acorns cook well with bee honey?

EMILY: Do I know?

LIAM: And could you cook it for me, because...

OMAR: (laughs)

EMILY: Yeah.

LIAM: I'm real out of it.

EMILY: Yeah, you know what? Yolo, you come here, okay? You're such a hero. Let someone else be your hero today.

MATT: (laughs)

LIAM: You only cook once.

EMILY: I'm going to try and cook some courser bee--

MATT: You only cook once. YOCO?

(laughter)

EMILY: -- acorn.

LIAM: That's my brother.

EMILY: Okay, eight!

MATT: Eight, all right, so you succeed, those both cook together. Which an acorn and what is it together you put?

LIAM: The acorn is a two and then the courser bee honey is another three plus one stamina for the next encounter.

MATT: Yeah, so whoever eats that heals five hearts and has plus one stamina per turn for the next encounter.

EMILY: I spoon it into your mouth.

ROBBIE: I'm cooking an apple. 10!

MATT: 10! Roll a d4.

ROBBIE: Four!

MATT: So whoever eats that heals two and then gets four bonus hearts on top of that.

OMAR: Wow.

ROBBIE: Two and four, who's our biggest squishy? Who's our squishy?

MARISHA: I've got four hearts right now, so I'm actually okay.

EMILY: I've got three hearts, but my max is four.

ROBBIE: Hey, you remember a while back there? You gave fruit for me?

LIAM: Oh, oh no.

EMILY: Yeah.

ROBBIE: I make fruit for you.

EMILY: (laughs) Fruit for Babs?

(laughter)

ROBBIE: To the hotdog queen herself.

EMILY: Fruit for Babs?

ROBBIE: Yeah, yeah, you can eat now or you can save it.

EMILY: I'm going to season it with this salt, you know? Thank you so much.

ROBBIE: From your tears?

EMILY and OMAR: (laugh)

ROBBIE: Yeah, that's nice.

EMILY: It's an apple, right?

ROBBIE: I like the way you eat.

EMILY: Thank you.

ROBBIE: Do it again.

MARISHA: (laughs)

ROBBIE: That is cool.

EMILY: Yeah, it's important to chew a lot, you know?

ROBBIE: Yeah.

EMILY: Digestion.

ROBBIE: (stage whisper) Hey, secret buddy?

OMAR: Yep.

ROBBIE: You ever notice how Babs is super pretty?

(laughter)

OMAR: Yeah, is this a secret that you're?

ROBBIE: Yeah, it's a secret. Nobody else can hear it besides us. Do you think she's super pretty, yes or no?

OMAR: As I turn to you, as you are slowly eating the apple? Yes, yeah, yes.

ROBBIE: I knew it.

LIAM: Yolo's sitting between them going like this.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Okay, I told you a secret, you tell me one later.

OMAR: I owe you one.

MARISHA: (laughs)

ROBBIE: Owe me one what?

OMAR: A secret, I owe you a secret.

ROBBIE: Oh. Oh, right. Okay, yeah.

OMAR: Yeah.

ROBBIE: Okay.

OMAR: Yes.

ROBBIE: That's our-- Okay.

MARISHA and OMAR: (laugh)

OMAR: I will turn to Yolo as I hold out my mighty banana, because I know that you were interested in one earlier.

LIAM: Oh man, I'm topped off.

MARISHA: (laughs)

LIAM: I feel great.

EMILY: Although, you could eat it mid-battle--

LIAM: I could.

EMILY: -- because it restores one and then you can get that.

LIAM: Oh my gosh, that's so kind of you.

MARISHA: Yolo, take the banana. It's a big gesture for them.

ROBBIE and MARISHA: (laugh)

MATT: That's if it's cooked.

LIAM: If it's cooked. Raw it restores, okay. Babs?

OMAR: (laughs)

EMILY: Yeah?

LIAM: I have this very special banana that I got.

EMILY: You want me to take a go at it? Yeah, yeah.

LIAM: Yeah, could you cover it in chocolate and put it on a stick?

EMILY: Absolutely, absolutely, I could put it in a bun, too? Okay.

(laughs)

OMAR: (laughs) Your specialty.

EMILY: Oh no.

LIAM: Oh, uh-oh.

EMILY: There's no way to change that.

OMAR: (laughs)

ROBBIE: What happened to the banana? How'd it turn out?

LIAM: (ploop) (whizz)

(laughter)

EMILY: I think the chocolate was a bad call.

(laughter)

EMILY: That's a five.

MATT: That's a five? The mighty banana remains just a mighty banana.

LIAM: So it's still a usable banana?

MATT: It's still usable. It just cannot be cooked now.

EMILY: Okay.

LIAM: Okay.

ROBBIE: What was that bonus on my cooked apple you said, because of the ten?

MATT: Four bonus hearts.

ROBBIE: So you should have, yeah. So if you used it to sauce up, you should have a plus four on there, yeah, yeah.

LIAM: I stick the banana next to the boomerang, like a smaller boomerang.

OMAR: Yes.

(laughter)

MATT: Companion-erang.

EMILY: Can I attach a lizalfos horn to the banana?

(laughter)

EMILY: So that it doesn't have--

OMAR: The shape works.

(laughter)

LIAM: Time to eat my banana.

(laughter)

MATT: All right, has everyone scavenged who would wish to?

EMILY: Yeah.

MARISHA: Yeah.

OMAR: Yeah.

MARISHA: Just coming back to consciousness. Tota, when I was coming in and out from the dark place, you were really brave.

OMAR: Well, you are really good at assembling these arrows, I will admit.

MARISHA: Okay, I might need a little more practice with flaming chuchu jelly, but I'll..

OMAR: In the heat of battle, you were able to keep it together and you got us all out alive.

MARISHA: Was that a pun? (laughs)

OMAR: I now realize what I said.

MARISHA: Oh.

OMAR: I didn't intend, but...

MARISHA: (awkwardly) Humor, your strong suit.

OMAR: Okay, thank you again for what you did.

MARISHA: Yes, thank you.

OMAR: Are you okay?

MARISHA: I'm feeling much better.

OMAR: Great.

MARISHA: Yeah, thank you.

OMAR: I will admit that possibly my reservations about these technologies might be a little blunt.

MARISHA: Yeah, how did the cart? Babs, did it work?

EMILY: It was a gorgeous little ride.

(laughter)

MARISHA: I'm so sad I missed it.

EMILY: I've got two more charges, so I think you're going to get your chance to drive it.

MARISHA: Phenomenal.

EMILY: Also, does Tota still have a explosive attached to them?

MATT: You do.

OMAR: Oh yeah, yeah.

EMILY: Can I try to extricate it?

MATT: You may indeed. You can make, your choice, power or courage to try and remove it.

EMILY: It's going to be power.

LIAM: I could just hit it off with my polearm.

OMAR: Okay, well...

EMILY: That sounds really cool, yeah.

LIAM: Hold still.

OMAR: No, wait, no, no.

ROBBIE: Yeah, yeah, yeah, do it, do it!

EMILY: Yeah, Yolo, come on!

MARISHA, ROBBIE, and EMILY: (chant) Yolo! Yolo!

OMAR: Babs has a lot of experience with grout.

LIAM: How can I deny it?

(laughter)

LIAM: Yep, it's happening.

(cheering)

ROBBIE: Peer pressure!

MARISHA: Come on! Team Skydive!

OMAR: Sweat pouring down my face.

(laughter)

OMAR: Down my beak because-- No, you know, let's put it to a vote, maybe. Or maybe not, maybe not a vote.

EMILY: Yeah, I vote for Yolo.

ROBBIE: I vote for chopping it off.

EMILY: Polearm, yeah.

MARISHA: Polearm for sure.

OMAR: Maybe I should get a couple more votes considering it's my--

ROBBIE: No, you'll be fine! I'll put my arm over his shoulder and just hold him there.

MARISHA: Yolo's got this.

MATT: Power of courage, Yolo.

LIAM: How many hearts you have?

OMAR: I'm at one.

(laughter)

LIAM: Oh yeah?

MARISHA: Oh!

MATT: Have you scavenged yet?

MARISHA: No.

MATT: Maybe we'll get to that.

MARISHA: Maybe I should.

MATT: But before that happens.

MARISHA: But we'll see how this goes.

LIAM: I give Tota my banana. Maybe eat that.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Oh, I can do this, I'll make you more comfortable. I'm going to chew up and spit it in his mouth.

MATT: Are you going to baby bird them?

OMAR: Oh no, that's more of a family affair.

ROBBIE: You're my baby bird now.

OMAR: Oh, well! Okay. Okay, that's...

LIAM: While he's being...

OMAR: Specifically for chicks.

LIAM: While they're being grossed out by the goron and they're so distracted.

MATT: Yep.

LIAM: (slices)

MATT: Go for it.

LIAM: I did, I rolled and I got a seven.

MATT: Got a seven?

LIAM: Right on the line.

MATT: Right on the line.

LIAM: Right on the line.

MATT: So in doing so, you have dislodged a Hylian pine cone.

MARISHA: Oh, that's good.

MATT: There you go.

LIAM: Nice.

MATT: However in doing so, you do knock free the pre-chewed banana from the transfer and thus the healed heart is lost.

LIAM: Oh, we lost the banana.

MATT: You lost the banana.

ROBBIE: I'm sorry, I thought it would work.

OMAR: Dink, I appreciate that very much, thank you. No, that was wonderful.

ROBBIE: A for effort, right?

OMAR: A for effort.

ROBBIE: D for Dink!

OMAR: And D for Dink. It brought us together, it brought us closer. In the idea of chewing up, masticating, moving on. Maybe we should continue our journey and get somewhere safe where we can rest up a little bit more.

EMILY: I agree.

MARISHA: I'll quickly do my scout now that I am up and conscious. Just 2d6?

MATT: Go for it, 2d6 plus wisdom.

MARISHA: Okay. Oh, four, seven.

MATT: Seven, okay, seven's not too terrible.

ROBBIE: You're going to get a sweet acorn.

MARISHA: Come on. (laughter) Yes, give me that acorn.

OMAR: Exploring!

(laughter)

MATT: You do get a Hyrule herb.

MARISHA: Oh, I get an herb. Okay, well that's something.

EMILY: Okay, okay!

LIAM: Tota, here, careful, it's super sticky.

(laughter)

OMAR: Thank you.

MARISHA: I'll pass this to our resident hotdog connoisseur.

EMILY: I only have one to wisdom. Does someone have better than that?

MARISHA: I have two.

ROBBIE: Negative one.

LIAM: Negative one.

EMILY: You have two, so you would actually be better at cooking.

MARISHA: Am I?

(laughter)

MATT: Technically, yes, but thematically, that's up to you.

MARISHA: But thematically, it's funnier. Okay, I'll see what I can do real quick.

MATT: All right.

MARISHA: Okay, seven.

MATT: Seven is bare minimum. You cook it successfully.

MARISHA: Okay.

EMILY: Okay.

MARISHA: I give this to Tota.

OMAR: Thank you.

MARISHA: Yes.

OMAR: Dink, I hope you take no offense if I eat this myself.

ROBBIE: Oh, please go for it.

(laughter)

OMAR: I'll totally have that, and restore three. Thank you.

MATT: Get rid of that to the side and restore three hearts.

MARISHA: All right.

MATT: Taking stock of where you are this deep in the woods, the path through here-- The speed of the cart helped you, but you also find yourself a bit lost. You know the general direction of how to get back. You have two choices here. There is a winding path that goes deeper into the woods. Uncertain over that direction necessarily leads you to or what may reside within there. However, not far from here. You know this from your previous research, though you've not visited it yet, there is, just within sight on a nearby mountain range, a cavern where you know the Finra Woods excavation site resides. That in itself is some of the other uncovered Zonai ruins that is mid-excavation. You do know it can be a shortcut.

EMILY: I mean, I know my way around an excavation site. In fact, if we go through there, I might be able to pilfer a couple things that could help us.

MARISHA: That's very, very true. Yeah. It's untested. I don't know. We could run into some more danger, but, you know, I'm feeling pretty confident in all of our abilities, especially having Dink here.

ROBBIE: Ah!

EMILY and MARISHA: Yeah.

MARISHA: Should we try it? Excavation? What do you think, Yolo? You still--

LIAM: You guys are the brains, man!

MARISHA: Yeah.

LIAM: I'm just here to take hits.

OMAR: And you do a fantastic job.

EMILY: I guess the question is: You might be taking a lot of hits.

LIAM: Just leap and land in a plank.

OMAR: Oh!

LIAM: On the ground.

EMILY: Emily Blunt style!

MARISHA: Successfully.

LIAM: Yeah, successfully.

OMAR: That was an out-of-character reaction.

LIAM: And start doing one-handed shark pushups.

ROBBIE: Whoa!

LIAM: I'm in the best shape I've ever been in my life!

(laughter)

LIAM: Which is going to last maybe one more day.

(laughter)

LIAM: Let's do it.

OMAR: Okay, the shortcut, I vote we head that way.

EMILY: Yeah. You feel good about that?

ROBBIE: Yeah.

EMILY: Okay.

MARISHA: All right.

EMILY: Let's do it.

MATT: Okay, so leading you through the shortcut, you push through the woods until eventually, you come to the base of the rising mountain range. Here, where the grass and moss of the nearby forest floor begins to subside into the brown and gray stone that rises up towards the peaks. It's a small, worn path where you can see it is indeed labeled here as "excavation site" in Hylian. There, a cavern opens and descends deeper into the rock. Who's leading the journey within?

EMILY: I mean, I think I'm like excavation site, I can be like, "Hey, avoid that, it's a power tool!"

MATT: Fantastic.

(laughter)

MATT: All right.

LIAM: Are we walking past-- Is there ancient carvings and stuff on the way in?

MATT: Not on the exterior of it. It looks like it might be deeper within.

LIAM: All right.

MATT: But in following suit, Babs, you guide them into the shaded interior. Within, there's very little light beyond what creeps in from the stormy overhead here in the subterranean space. As you begin to go deeper and darker within, you can hear the droplets of moisture slightly ricocheting off nearby stone. You, being a rather observant individual, can hear in the back some sort of whirring sound, an occasional shifting.

(whirring)

OMAR: I will saddle up next to you and match your pace.

EMILY: It's a brisk one.

OMAR: (laughs) I'll try to keep up. Babs, I'm hearing something down the hallway.

EMILY: Does it sound like Hylian technology or some kind of other technology?

MATT: Make a wisdom test for me, if you don't mind.

EMILY: Six.

MATT: Six, could be either, you're uncertain.

EMILY: Okay. Maybe the best thing is to just be on alert.

OMAR: Okay and I'll rush up again to keep up. Okay, that sounds good. In case you need anything, just whistle and--

EMILY: Yeah. You taught us all that. The whistle means hide, yeah.

OMAR: I mean, you can give me a direct whistle and I will fire off ahead.

EMILY: Okay.

OMAR: Yeah. You know what, actually, and I'll fly because it's easier for me to do that to keep up with you. Okay. Now we're at pace.

EMILY: Yeah.

OMAR: If you need anything, just let me know.

EMILY: Okay. Yeah.

LIAM: Marga.

MARISHA: Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

LIAM: How long are you and Tota going to feather step around each other?

MARISHA: Oh, you know, that was, I mean, that was--

LIAM: They're totally into you. I don't need a bird's eye view to see it.

(laughter)

MARISHA: You know, I-I-I just felt like that was, you know-- Of course, like feathers, you know, birds of a feather flock together. But it's just in our past, we've kind of, we've grown apart, and that's okay.

LIAM: All right. I just know what I've seen. Again, like my people always say, you only live a singular time in Hyrule.

MARISHA: I thought you said that was a Zonai saying?

LIAM: No, no, that's us.

MARISHA: Oh, it's a zora saying.

LIAM: Yeah.

MARISHA: Okay. Sure. Thanks, Yolo. You're a good friend. Team Skydive!

LIAM: (blow whooshing)

MARISHA: Ah!

LIAM: Oh, I'm sorry. Sorry.

MATT: It's about this time, Tota and Babs, as you are cruising down this tunnel you can see there's the wooden planks that hold up parts of the excavation until eventually, a dull green light source, a number of them, begin to alight part of the subterranean cavern. You can see well-sculpted stone structures. The interior of this larger chamber in itself is of Zonai construction and design. There are shelves above and contain within them more, many more of these artifacts that you saw stumble from that fallen stone piece earlier. All strange shapes and stuff that are all placed up in these upper shelving areas. You can see there are containers on the ground that contain a handful of what look like weapons that have been resting in this space. But here in the center of the chamber, you hear the source of the whirring and grinding as, occupying a rather large space on the opposite side of the chamber, you see what in some ways resembles that construct you had battled back at this Zonai ruins. But here within this excavation site, this is roughly two or more times the size of that entity. Its entire body sits in Zonai construct construction. This center torso piece where these extendable flexible arms of multiple disks splinter off about 10 feet in each direction. At the end of one, you can see it has some sort of folded apparatus in the other, there's a hidden retracted blade. As its neck rises up into this spread disk, into a very, very high winding point you can see multiple of those glowing eyes that sit in a vertical pattern up. You can watch as seems to be moving from one side to the other, inspecting some of these relics and then shifting to the other.

EMILY: Okay, we got to escape this gaze. Right?

LIAM: Does this fall into the purview of my non-combat trait again, An Ancient People?

MATT: It might, yeah, if you want to roll.

LIAM: Okay, so I want to roll to see if I know of any weaknesses that things like this might have. It's a seven. So that's one piece of information.

MATT: One piece of information. You're not terribly certain of any weaknesses beyond the fact that some of these constructs see themselves as problem solvers as much as they are defenders. In seeing its movement, it's like you're watching it compute.

MARISHA: Do we still have our our cart with our charges and everything?

MATT: Yeah, you're still pulling it behind. Yeah.

MARISHA: Uh-huh.

OMAR: This is blocking our only way through?

MATT: There is a way through that continues past it. It's not blocking it, but it is definitely adjacent to the path you're taking.

OMAR: Got it.

EMILY: So I mean, can we get in the car--

MARISHA: And just--

EMILY: -- and get it going fast and have everyone on arm duty? Right? Does it feel like these arms are going to?

MATT: It's possible.

MARISHA: You said there were weapons and stuff lying around? Are we able to access them where we are now?

MATT: Not where you are now, but if you're quiet enough, you may not draw its attention.

EMILY: I kind of want to pick up some stuff.

MARISHA: I do, too.

EMILY: Let's try to quietly pick up some stuff, maybe?

ROBBIE: Yeah. I'm very light on my feet. Being from a small forest community, I'm used to tiptoeing through the underbrush. Almost ethereal, some people call it. I'm ready to sneak.

EMILY: (laughs)

MARISHA: Well--

ROBBIE: I'm already starting a sneak.

OMAR: (laughs)

EMILY: Wow.

MARISHA: Why don't we have a sneak team, and then a cart team, in case things go bad.

LIAM: What does one use for sneaking?

MATT: For this, I would say that would be, in this instance, a Courage, as you're having to keep your wits about you in the proximity of a dangerous entity.

LIAM: Ooh, ooh. I'm slippery as a dolphin.

OMAR: (laughs)

ROBBIE: Sneak team.

MARISHA: Wait, what did you say? It was wisdom? Courage? What did you say?

MATT: Courage, in this instance.

MARISHA: All right. Yeah.

EMILY: I'll stay back. I'm not sneaky.

LIAM: We're just trying to quietly loot. Is that the plan?

EMILY: Yeah!

MARISHA: Maybe the soldiers go.

EMILY: Yeah, soldiers. Maybe you could go loot.

OMAR: Is there anything in particular you want, Babs?

EMILY: Yeah, I want anything that looks like it could break ground, install tile.

OMAR: Oh!

EMILY: Erect an above ground pool. Drill out a '70s conversation pit. Install Venetian blinds.

MARISHA: I've always wanted one of those. Legitimately. I've always wanted one.

(laughter)

OMAR: All of these going over my head.

EMILY: Carpet a bathroom.

OMAR: Okay. Okay.

MARISHA: But if the durian fruit hits the fan--

OMAR: Mm-hmm.

MARISHA: -- we'll fire up the cart and come buzzing by, and you guys can get on.

EMILY: I like that.

OMAR: Okay.

MARISHA: All right.

LIAM: Like seals.

ROBBIE: Like seals in the night.

LIAM: Yeah.

OMAR: Like seals in the night sneaking through.

ROBBIE: But not the ones that she killed, not those. Not the ones she murdered. Better seals than those.

LIAM: Yeah, the analogy stops at a certain point.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: I understand the analogy.

EMILY: (laughs)

ROBBIE: 600 pounds of sneaky goron.

MATT: If we could have sneak team, please, both of you roll Courage for me.

ROBBIE: Oh no.

OMAR: Oh, and I'm going with them as well.

MATT: Are you as well? Then roll Courage for me as well.

OMAR: Yeah.

MARISHA: Come on. Okay, okay.

EMILY: Gorgeous.

OMAR: 11.

MATT: 11.

ROBBIE: Nine.

MATT: Nine.

LIAM: Nine.

MATT: Nine. Okay, so two mixed successes. One success. So you sneak forward and begin to enter the chamber and within a closer proximity, as the rest of you are hiding up the tunnel, now you can see this massive Zonai chamber the high ceilings and the long, wide walls, the enclosed doorways and entrances. You can see the one tunneled cavern that leads out and you can see a bit of daylight a little ways up as it climbs up to an exit point. But across the way, that massive construct, this captain-like construct stands there (rumbling) whirring. You can see there is a container of some of those odd loose weapons right there. As well as some of the devices, these Zonai devices that line up in the pocket. You can see one that it's about maybe two feet long and about, let's say, about eight inches at the base before it comes to a conical point at the end, like some sort of a large bullet in its design. You can see also there is a wide device that has openings across the front and back of it and it has blades centered within the middle of it. You also see a small wheel compared to the one that you had affixed before. But all these are at your disposal and the entity there at the moment you stop, not sure if it's safer to progress forward.

OMAR: Okay, I'm going to lift up off the ground. I'll stay sentinel. If you two want to grab anything you want to grab.

LIAM: The blade device you described, the second to last? Looked too big to carry?

MATT: You can carry it.

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: It's big. It's about this big around, but it can be carried by one person.

LIAM: I'm super tall and lanky. I'm going to get that one.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Okay. What's the other thing?

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Oh no! I've embodied the character.

(laughter)

MATT: He's gone too deep.

ROBBIE: Oh no! What was the other shiny--

LIAM: Small wheel blade device and the earlier one--

MATT: There's the blade device. There is something that's a conical shape, like a bullet that comes to a point.

ROBBIE: Oh. I'm going to go for the pointy one.

LIAM: Okay.

ROBBIE: Okay. I'm going to go for the conical thing.

MATT: Okay, you both grab these devices and as you do, part of the platform that's underneath them crumbles and rocks (clattering) fall back as they do. The creature (whirring) whirs around as you both dart off just out of view from one of the nearby pillars.

EMILY: Ooh!

MATT: You've managed to remain stealthy, but your mixed success means it is definitely aware of something in the proximity. You (whooshing) dart off to the side and now its eyes, which were settled in a dull orange are now bright and intense as it's now beginning to patrol through the center of this chamber, aware of something.

ROBBIE: Nailed it.

EMILY: (laugh)

ROBBIE: As I (laughs) move in there, I will 100% just crane my neck and just. Okay. Okay.

LIAM: Is it eyeballing, like lasing our area? Is that what's happening?

MATT: It's now traveling up and down the chamber like it's in a patrol pattern.

EMILY: Okay. Marga-- We're back in the car.

MATT: Mm-hmm.

EMILY: Which is a cart right now because it's not a car.

MARISHA: Right.

EMILY: Without the charge, it's not a car.

MARISHA: So it's just a cart.

EMILY: Needs a charge to make it a car. Okay.

EMILY: We have this Zonai stake and it's a wondrous stake that can affix itself to any surface whether horizontal or vertical. Objects attached to this stake remain fixed in place. I wonder if we could fix this little patroller guy in place.

MARISHA: Oh, that's a great idea. It just might mean getting close enough.

EMILY: Yeah.

MARISHA: Maybe I can--

EMILY: Shoot it with your arrow?

MARISHA: Fly up to it. Oh!

EMILY: I wonder if you could put the stake in your arrow?

MARISHA: That's brilliant! Yeah, I'll try it.

EMILY: Also, I have a quick question.

MARISHA: Yeah?

EMILY: Do you ever think that Dink is kind of

OMAR: (clapping)

EMILY: -- handsome?

(laughter)

MARISHA: Hm. Hm. Um, hm.

(laughter)

MARISHA: I--

EMILY: Are you saying--

MARISHA: It hasn't crossed my mind yet, but--

EMILY: Yeah, but you've been busy. You've been too busy--

MARISHA: I've been very busy.

EMILY: -- for this, I bet.

MARISHA: I almost died.

EMILY: Yeah. Maybe if you look out behind the clipboard sometime, you might notice how handsome he is.

MARISHA: Yeah, yeah.

EMILY: Might be.

MARISHA: I kind of, as Babs is saying this, I'm watching Dink as he's--

(laughter)

MARISHA: He's got a-- You know what he's got? He's handsome in like his doofy charm, you know?

EMILY: Yeah.

MARISHA: He's got a great personality.

EMILY: Okay. All right. All right. Well, back off, all right?

(laughter)

EMILY: You're coming on a little--

(laughter)

EMILY: -- strong now, okay.

(laughter)

MARISHA: It's good to have someone who makes you laugh, you know? It's great.

EMILY: Yeah.

MARISHA: I don't know if he's intending to be funny, but.

(laughter)

EMILY: So.

MARISHA: But, yeah.

EMILY: Yeah, I get it.

MARISHA: Yeah.

EMILY: Yeah. I guess, yeah. That's cool. So do we want to try and--

OMAR and ROBBIE: (laugh)

MARISHA: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let me try it. So can I try this?

MATT: You can certainly try.

MARISHA: I can certainly try.

LIAM: What are you attempting again?

EMILY: Oh, you guys aren't here, so you actually can't talk us out of it.

MARISHA: Yeah.

LIAM: No, but I can do something stupid in opposition to it.

EMILY: It's "a stake that can affix itself to any surface whether horizontal or vertical. Objects attached to the stake remain fixed in a place." So if this thing is patrolling, maybe we could--

MARISHA: You have an arrow.

EMILY: Essentially like a nail in someone's bell bottoms keeping them--

LIAM: An arrow could do it.

MARISHA: Yeah.

MATT: You, being a person of some Zonai experience, know that firing the arrow could definitely put it into position. But to actually affix this as part of an assemble roll, you would have to be next to it and the surface you want to attach it to. It's doable. But this would be a two-part attempt. But firing it and succeeding to do so would make it easier for whoever attempted to actually make the assemble roll.

EMILY: What if we write a note on it that's like, "Hey guys, if you found this, we're in a good place."

MARISHA: Activate it.

EMILY: If you found this, then--

MARISHA: Okay.

LIAM: Simultaneously.

MARISHA: Then.

OMAR: Oh no!

LIAM: Okay, Dink, you're back on deck.

ROBBIE: Yeah. D's for deck, Dink and deck, both.

LIAM: Once that thing comes back and turns, we're going to wait 'til it moves away a bit and we're going to bolt.

ROBBIE: Okay.

LIAM: We're going to get back.

ROBBIE: Okay.

LIAM: Stealth's out the window. We're just going to book it for the cart.

ROBBIE: Oh yeah, yeah, sounds like a great idea. I'll book it with you.

LIAM: You got your gams ready?

ROBBIE: I got both of them fired up.

LIAM: All right.

(laughter)

OMAR: Just been doing little--

(laughter)

MARISHA: Psst! Tota!

OMAR: Then I, from my little column. Yeah?

MARISHA: I'm going to attempt to fire this immovable device, and then maybe you can rush in and click into place.

OMAR: Am I close enough to hear that, or am I just seeing your gesticulations?

MATT: I'd say you're pretty decent at reading beaks.

OMAR: Okay, yes. (laughter) (whispering) Okay, do you want me to distract with my arrow, or are you just going for your shot?

MARISHA: Like one, two, three go?

OMAR: We'll both go. Okay, let me tell these two.

MARISHA: I like that. Okay.

OMAR: Swivel over to you two. Okay, so listen, we have a plan, everything's good, everything's good. Okay.

LIAM: I don't read beak.

(laughter)

OMAR: Okay, then I turn back to you. One--

MARISHA: Wait, wait, wait, I got to attach it.

OMAR: Then I turn back to you two.

MARISHA: Okay, I have a question. From the seal library story.

(laughter)

MATT: Uh-huh?

LIAM: Going back to that lore.

MARISHA: Going back to that. I only used one dice re-roll. Does that mean I have another?

MATT: No, it's only one roll, one or the other.

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: But good looking out.

MARISHA: Okay, let me not--

MATT: Okay, so you're firing your arrow. So the attach roll is for whoever gets to physically-- Right now, it's whether or not you can hit with the arrow.

MARISHA: Okay, so I don't need to attach it.

MATT: You don't need to attach it yet. Someone has to get to it to attach it once it hits. But to shoot it, it's going to be just, I'll say a defense roll on its point, just being its natural defense.

MARISHA: Okay, okay, so, all right. So then that's just ready?

MATT: Yeah, what's your power?

MARISHA: Okay.

OMAR: Also, I'm firing an arrow to distract it. You know how in the game you can do that to get things to turn around?

MATT: Okay, yeah, then roll a power test to focus on the direction and strength of it.

OMAR: Here we go, here we go. Okay, that's only a 13. (laughter)

(cheering)

MARISHA: Let's go.

MATT: You fire it and it arcs over and it impacts one of the Zonai devices that sits on the opposite side of the room. As it impacts, it rolls and hits the ground and it's one of those conical bullet pieces. As it hits the ground, the back of it ignites into flames, and you watch it go and it's a rocket, and it fires across the chamber, and it hits the side of the room and it's like (roaring fire) into the wall on the opposite end of it, as the creature whips around and begins turning towards it, distracted. So now it actually has to roll three dice on its defense and then removes the highest.

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: Which leaves it at a six, that's a failure. So indeed you fire the arrow, the Zonai stake, I think it is, right?

MARISHA: Yeah.

MATT: Lands on and within one of its opening bits of armor where there's a loop to it at that point. So now it's affixed to it, and now it needs to be activated and assembled to another surface while it's distracted, but it is currently focused on this rocket. What are you all doing?

MARISHA: Okay, we can lock it into place.

OMAR: I turn to you two.

MARISHA: Yeah.

LIAM: It's faced away, it started away, so that was our plan. So I think we start fast-- (panting)

(laughter)

MATT: All right, so you both go, leaving with a-- I'll say for this, you have a fan--

ROBBIE: What do we get?

MATT: -- and this.

MARISHA: A fan?

ROBBIE: I want the paper.

MATT: A Zonai fan and a Zonai rocket.

OMAR: (gasps)

LIAM: Oh, here's a rocket.

ROBBIE: Is it a cone? Is it a rocket?

OMAR: (laughs)

ROBBIE: Give me that.

(grunts)

MATT: So you guys both with this distraction, rush past without it seeing you with those items, but you are now separate from the group. The rocket now begins to lessen its strength. Am I looking at this thing, seeing it barrel into the wall and then looking down at the thing, and realizing that it's the same thing that's in my hand?

MATT: Yep. Yes it is.

ROBBIE: (excited yelp)

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Okay.

MATT: The three of you, what are you doing now? It's distracted, but it won't be distracted long.

MARISHA: So if we go in and we affix it, will it-- Does someone have to go in and affix it?

MATT: Someone has to rush up to it and make an assemble roll successfully.

EMILY: Babs is running in.

MARISHA: Come on, Babs! Let's go!

MATT: All right.

OMAR: I don't know this part of the plan, so now I just watched Babs run.

EMILY: I'm improvising.

(laughter)

MATT: Perfect.

MARISHA: I'm going to ready the cart, just in case.

MATT: You got it.

LIAM: Dink and Yolo are running towards the cart as Bab runs past.

(laughter)

EMILY: Like a linebacker.

(laughter)

EMILY: Out of my way.

MATT: You're rushing up. (powerful footfalls) Right as you're there, you see the top of its head, it curls around like the head has multiple disks. It rotates like a spiral, and the eyes turn towards you just as you get up to it. Go ahead and roll your assemble test. 2d6 plus wisdom.

EMILY: Okay.

MARISHA: Come on!

EMILY: Seven.

MATT: Seven. That's a partial success.

MARISHA: You made it, you just made it.

MATT: As part of the assemble roll, you succeed, but you have to choose one of the following. Either it breaks after one use or in this instance will break in a moment. It will hold it, but not for long. Or you can take a heart as the process injures you.

EMILY: (sighs) I'm so full of heart right now because of Dink.

(laughter)

EMILY: I'm going to lose that heart because, honestly, I think today I did give my heart away today.

(laughter)

MATT: All right, so you take a heart. As you manage to reach over and grab the side of the spike, and shoulder slam it into part of the ruin and activate it. As it fuses, you see the light glows and all these runes on the side of the Zonai stake pin it to the wall at this point, and as it does, it spins and one of its massive battering arms hits you on the side. That's how you take the heart damage as you fall to the ground.

OMAR: (groaning)

MARISHA: Babs!

MATT: As it slams the wall, other parts of the device (thumping) tumble to the ground. You see a glowing container of some kind roll. Other bits of small pieces falling crack on the ground, partially damaged pieces. What are you doing?

EMILY: I say: Get the car ready!

MARISHA: I fire it up. Get in, losers.

(laughter)

MATT: All right, so you expend--

MARISHA: We're going to the mall!

MATT: So you expend the last two bits of energy for this.

ROBBIE: It's a library now!

(laughter)

MATT: You expend the last two bits of energy from your Zonai charge on the wheel?

MARISHA: Yes.

MATT: All right. (electric charging) It begins to pick up, cruising into the chamber, spinning around to the right to catch up with the two of you as you hear it now rocketing and spinning in your direction. You are now on the ground dazed with the artifacts around you on the ground. As you see the cart rapidly approaching, what are you doing?

EMILY: Reach up a hand. Grab me!

(laughter)

EMILY: Or I'll jump in, if I can.

MATT: Are you going to try-- Is someone in the car?

ROBBIE: I got you!

(laughter)

MATT: All right. So you reach out, go make a grab, pick her up by the hand, and pull her away. The construct will get one swing at... Hmm.

EMILY: They're coming for me.

MATT: I'm going to roll. On a one to three, it's you. On a four to six, it's you.

OMAR: Oh.

MATT: Oop. There we go. It's going to be you, Dink.

ROBBIE: Oh no.

MATT: You want to make a defense roll?

ROBBIE: Yeah, I guess so.

MATT: All righty.

ROBBIE: But, I'm solid as a stone, baby.

MARISHA: Ooh!

EMILY: Yeah!

ROBBIE: Nine, 10, 11.

MATT: 11. It strikes you, but shears off the side of your hard, rocky exterior and as its blade pulls off, I'll say with that roll, you grab and pull her up, and there is a moment where you can see that strange glowing artifact, that cylinder that's rolling on the ground is right within grasp, if you want to try and go for it.

ROBBIE: Nothing can hurt me when you're nearby.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: I'll try and make a grab for it.

MATT: Okay.

(laughter)

MATT: Make a power test for me to see if you can pull it--

ROBBIE: Oh no!

MATT: -- before you all get pulled off by the cart.

ROBBIE: Is it just two, right?

MATT: Just 2d6 plus your power.

ROBBIE: Come on, orb.

(laughter)

MARISHA: Oh!

ROBBIE: That's what I get for trying to be slick. That's a double one, baby.

MATT: Double one.

ROBBIE: (groans)

MATT: Your fingers touch it and it rolls away.

ROBBIE: (dejected groan)

(laughter)

MATT: But you collect her, you both get up into the cart. The rest of you jump in as you can. At the behest of Marga, who is currently directing it.

MARISHA: (shakily) Ah!

MATT: Cruises up as the entity, the construct reaches over and grabs one of the nearby rockets and you watch as it attaches it to the cylinder that you didn't grab because it cannot move. Suddenly-- (fire roaring).

MARISHA: Come on, let's go.

MATT: Releases it (smoke hissing) as the rocket comes flying off in the direction of your cart.

MARISHA: No!

MATT: You're currently driving it right now. I would like you to make a defense roll for the cart.

ROBBIE: (laughing) Oh!

MARISHA: For the cart?

ROBBIE: For everyone?

MARISHA: Does it have better defense than me?

MATT: The cart?

MARISHA: The cart.

MATT: I'll say it uses your defense score, but you have to roll three dice and drop the the highest.

EMILY: Okay. And drop the highest?!

ROBBIE: Whoa!

MATT: Yes, because it's a cart.

OMAR: You went from great, wait!

ROBBIE: Oh my god.

MATT: (laughs)

MARISHA: It's not good. All right.

ROBBIE: Come on!

LIAM: It's super awesome. You're screwed.

MARISHA: Okay, okay.

EMILY: Okay.

ROBBIE: Okay, okay.

OMAR: Okay.

MARISHA: Eight.

MATT: Eight is a mixed success.

(laughter)

EMILY: Better than a failure.

MATT: So, while the--

MARISHA: Oh my god.

MATT: While the captain construct cannot give chase, the rocket it sends after you as you're cruising out and going up the ramp of the tunnel, you see the exit light of the sky above as it gets brighter and brighter as you approach. You hear (fire roaring) up from behind as you try and pull off to the side just as you emerge. Shooting out in an arc over, you can see now the forest below as you emerge from the other side of the ruins in the sky, as the rocket impacts the back of the cart. As it hits, all of you feel it jostle and the stone cracks.

MARISHA: (nervously) Ah!

MATT: You can feel it begin to crumble as you descend into the road. It impacts and stumbles out. You all hit the ground rolling, tumbling ass over tea kettle. Until you all come to rest. The cart itself, destroyed.

ROBBIE: Oh no.

MATT: You still have the big wheel, you still have whatever you emerged with it and you have a half-spent Zonai battery and a destroyed rocket. So you have a half-used Zonai battery.

OMAR: Okay.

EMILY: Oh!

MARISHA: Used Zonai battery and a destroyed rocket?

MATT: The rocket is just gone; it's broken with the rest of it.

EMILY: No, you mean-- Oh, that rocket?

ROBBIE: Mine's good.

MATT: His is good, but the one that damaged and destroyed your cart is inoperable.

MARISHA: Okay.

ROBBIE: We only got half a charge on our battery?

OMAR: Yeah.

MATT: Yes, so there's six energy in that as opposed to 12.

LIAM: Those batteries have to be attached? You can't eek out a little bit of the energy you need and then share it between different devices, right? It's just glued to one object?

MATT: You can attach it and then you could remove it if you want to attach something else, I'll say.

EMILY: Okay.

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: You have to roll for each time you attach it to something.

LIAM: Okay.

EMILY: We got a fan.

OMAR: Yes.

MARISHA: We got a fan.

ROBBIE: What are our functions?

LIAM: We'll fly.

EMILY: We have a battery with six energy.

MARISHA: We should fly.

EMILY: Oh yeah, you're right. If we put a fan and faced it down.

LIAM: Yeah.

OMAR: Mm-hmm.

ROBBIE: With the rocket.

MARISHA: With the rocket.

EMILY: With the rocket. (gasps) Let's all get little flight attendant outfits.

(laughter)

OMAR: Let's go around to each other, checking on each other.

ROBBIE: Do we have time for a space campaign?

(laughter)

OMAR: Would you like a steamed towelette? Would you like a steamed towelette?

(laughter)

OMAR: Okay. First of all, is everyone okay? Is everyone all right?

EMILY: Yeah. I'm okay.

MARISHA: I think so.

LIAM: Just my pride.

MARISHA: Yeah.

EMILY: Really? What took your pride?

LIAM: This game.

(laughter)

EMILY: Game of life, but you only do it once, right?

(laughter)

MATT: As you gather your senses here, you did, from the top of that arc before you descended and crashed here into the surrounding woods, you did see you're not far from the bridge of Hylia, which does cross past the massive body of water towards both the castle and Lookout Landing, where you know safety awaits you, or at least direction from Purah and whatever else you may need to do.

MARISHA: Do we see anything that we might be able to retrofit? A pallet, some wood planks, stone, to make a little platform?

EMILY: Yeah.

LIAM: Wooden fence.

MARISHA: Well, yeah.

EMILY: A little platform to put on top of a rocket.

MARISHA: A rocket and a fan.

MATT: You can try--

OMAR: In theory.

ROBBIE: I'll let you do the smart stuff, I got to go to the bathroom.

(laughter)

MATT: I will say while the cart itself is busted, the wheels are destroyed, there are still chunks of the stone that might be serviceable if somebody were to attempt to, I don't know, have experience to apply--

EMILY: Carpentry?

MATT: Carpentry skills.

MARISHA: You said that we're looking out at the bridge. Does that mean there's a river between us and there?

MATT: Well, you don't see it now that you've landed, but you know you're not far from where the bridge is. The bridge goes over a massive lake, essentially, that sits between where you are now and the rest of Hyrule towards the castle.

EMILY: So we need to get over that lake.

MARISHA: Hover boat.

EMILY: Yeah, we could even use the fan.

LIAM: Yeah. We've got a fan and a rocket. I'm trying to decide, being a dummy, what goes on the bottom and what is the propulsion forward.

MARISHA: Sometimes people-- Maybe if we can get to the lake shore, some people will leave rafts or boats or something.

EMILY: Or if we get one of those octoroks, right?

MARISHA: (gasps) The balloons!

EMILY: Then we could tie six of them together.

MARISHA: That's a good idea.

EMILY: Maybe?

LIAM: Who does that, by the way? There's boats all over Hyrule! People just abandon their boats!

MARISHA: People do just abandon their boats. People really need to respect their property.

EMILY: There's just a boat surfeit in Hyrule, you know?

MARISHA: That's true.

EMILY: They ordered too many and not enough demand.

MARISHA: (laughs)

EMILY: So. Okay. All right, so should we get to the lake shore and see if there's anything?

MARISHA: Okay. Yeah, that sounds good. Do we know how far the lake shore is?

MATT: Probably a 20-minute walk from where you currently are.

MARISHA: Okay.

EMILY: 20-minute walk.

OMAR: That's not bad.

EMILY: That's not bad.

LIAM: All right, Dink, stay here and watch our exit.

(laughter)

OMAR: Thanks, Dink.

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: All righty. So, as you leave behind the ruins of your previous contraption and head through the woods--

EMILY: Well, I think we are bringing the ruins of the cart with us.

MATT: Okay, you're going to try and salvage from it?

OMAR: The slab?

EMILY: Yeah.

MATT: You can try and salvage from it.

EMILY: Yeah.

MATT: So roll a wisdom check for me to see if you can try and salvage any of it.

LIAM: Come on, Babs!

EMILY: Come on, I'm looking at it. I'm like, what's rotten, what's good? Ooh!

OMAR: (laughs)

LIAM: That's it.

EMILY: 11

MATT: 11. That is a valiant success. Not only do you salvage a piece of the stone, but with the wheels freed from it, you can see that there is a path of energy flow through the Zonai construction of it, which leaves it as a Zonai hover stone. but it requires energy to run.

EMILY: Hover stone.

OMAR: What?!

MARISHA: Well, then we're good.

EMILY: We're good. A thick, rectangular stone slab, sounds like someone I know, huh?

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Two Cs.

(laughter)

OMAR: All my arrows flare up a little bit at that comment.

(laughter)

EMILY: "When activated, it hangs free standing in the air wherever it's placed."

MARISHA: Well then, maybe we try this now instead of the hoverboard ride.

EMILY: I think we need this for when we get to the lake, right? Well, there's a bridge, actually, right? Is there a bridge that we can take over the lake?

MATT: There was a bridge. It's a massive Bridge of Hylia, yeah.

MARISHA: We've got a fan and a rocket.

ROBBIE: Why are we not just walking?

MARISHA: (laughs)

EMILY: Well, maybe we should build it and then walk and then if the durian fruit hits the fan. Then we charge in, we're in a sky ship.

MARISHA: Okay.

LIAM: I've been attacked on a lot of bridges in this place. I'm just saying, so a Plan B's not a bad idea.

MARISHA: Bridges are, I mean, maybe you should talk to maintenance ordinance bridges, or infrastructure is really rough.

EMILY: Yeah, I'll look into that, I will look into that.

MARISHA: All right.

EMILY: I'm more of a private contractor, but yeah.

(laughter)

MARISHA: Yeah, Department of Hyrulian Water and Power.

(laughter)

MARISHA: It's just a little rough.

EMILY: I got friends, I'll reach out.

MARISHA: Okay, so are we attaching the fan or the rocket to the slab or both?

EMILY: Then there's this hover stone. There's this hover stone that we could attach to the rocket and we all sort of sit saddle or side-saddle, depending on our mood, on the rocket.

ROBBIE: Is this a theory or is this a tested thing that we're making?

EMILY: It's a theory, we're experimenting.

ROBBIE: All right.

EMILY: Then the fan would-- Although, maybe we need a sail, right? Then blow with the fan.

MARISHA: This is your diagram, right? That's good.

EMILY: Does that mean it's hover stone? Yeah, maybe we don't even need the rocket, actually, now that I think about it.

MARISHA: Why don't we start with maybe the fan and the hover stone.

EMILY: Fan and the hover stone.

MARISHA: Maybe see what happens?

OMAR: Yeah, I think it's a good plan. Let's see if that pushes it.

LIAM: That's like a hover barge. Maybe after we could put the missile on as defense.

EMILY: (laughs)

MARISHA: Oh! That's also a good idea.

EMILY: Okay.

MARISHA: Okay.

EMILY: So we're going to try and put the fan on the hover stone.

MATT: Okay, how are you orienting it? On the back?

MARISHA and OMAR: Yes.

OMAR: Because it's already hovering.

EMILY: Yeah.

MATT: Okay.

OMAR: So we'll activate it to hover.

MARISHA: Yeah.

OMAR: We can use one of the battery charges?

EMILY: We can--

MATT: If you want to. It doesn't hover unless you put a charge on it, and then it hovers for a bit.

EMILY: Oh, but then we need charges for the fan as well.

MATT: Correct, so if you wanted to, you can attach the battery to it and have it power it all. But it expends whatever's left in the battery and whatever's left in your-- Well, you just expended the last of your Zonai charge, so you have six energy total to use.

EMILY: Okay.

MARISHA: Okay.

OMAR: It's a good idea.

EMILY: Is it?

OMAR: Because we don't need to power the levitation once we get into the water. All we need to do is power the fan.

MARISHA: That's true.

EMILY: Okay.

LIAM: Let's not ask if we should, only if we could.

EMILY: I like that.

MARISHA: Okay.

EMILY and MARISHA: You only live a single time.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Yeah.

LIAM: Centuries' old saying.

MARISHA: That's great, that's great. Who's making this roll?

EMILY: I think you should because this is Zonai technology.

MATT: Indeed, all right, so make--

EMILY: I can-- Oh, sorry.

MATT: No, it's okay, I'm saying, if you want to do that, make an assemble test. This is to assemble all of it as one design.

MARISHA: Has it been an hour? Do I get another inspirational story?

EMILY: Oh.

MATT: It is your third hour.

OMAR: (gasps)

EMILY: Okay.

LIAM: Story time.

MARISHA: I feel like I'm just getting all these inspirational stories when we're playing K'NEX.

EMILY: Marga, let me take you to the side for a second.

MARISHA: Okay.

EMILY: Okay. So you know I like to collect monster parts, right?

MARISHA: Yeah!

EMILY: One time--

MARISHA: It's such a good aesthetic.

EMILY: Yeah. One time, I'm pretty good friends with Kilton, right?

MARISHA: Oh, wow!

EMILY: I was visiting the Fang and Bone, you know, looking for some monster parts.

MARISHA: Mm-hmm.

EMILY: He asks for my number. (laughs)

MARISHA: (gasps)

EMILY: Of course I said no. I'm a career driven woman.

MARISHA: Sure. You're a career girl.

EMILY: (laughs) That's it. That's the story.

MARISHA: Yeah.

(laughter)

MARISHA: Uh-huh.

EMILY: So I thought maybe my commitment to my craft would be a story that might inspire you.

MARISHA: More attractive? Oh.

EMILY: Yeah.

MARISHA: Yeah.

EMILY: Yeah.

OMAR: (laughs)

EMILY: Yeah.

OMAR: (laughs)

MARISHA: Wow! No, I feel like we have that in common.

EMILY: Yeah.

MARISHA: You know, because I make-- I mean, really, when Tota and I started growing apart is when I was like, ooh, I kind of want to focus on being this researcher.

EMILY: Yeah, and that's when you started getting the crush on Dink?

MARISHA: No, that's you.

EMILY: Oh, okay.

OMAR: (laughs)

MARISHA: Yeah. No. But, I mean, I really think you should pursue it because it's like what Yolo says, "You only live a single time."

EMILY: Yeah. You could even say you only love a single time.

MARISHA: Wow!

EMILY: (laughs)

MARISHA: You only love once.

EMILY: Yeah. You only love once.

MARISHA: That's great!

EMILY: Anyways, he was really nice about it though, Kilton. He was really nice about it.

MARISHA: That's good!

EMILY: I mean, we were both feeling it out, and ultimately, I chose my career over, you know?

MARISHA: Wow.

EMILY: Going on a date.

MARISHA: I'm proud of you.

EMILY: Thank you. Yeah. So that's my story.

MARISHA: And now you're a hot dog entrepreneur.

EMILY: Yeah. Yeah, I am. Yeah.

MARISHA: Construction worker.

EMILY: Yeah. Yeah.

MARISHA: You have so many amazing things ahead of you.

EMILY: Thank you. I'm so excited about the future.

MARISHA: I can't wait to see what you do next.

(laughter)

MARISHA: The future is bright for us.

EMILY: (laughs)

ROBBIE: (laughs)

MARISHA: Okay.

(laughter)

MATT: You get to re-roll one of them, if you'd like.

(laughter fades)

OMAR: Or both, right?

EMILY: Yeah you can do one or both.

MATT: Or both, if you'd like.

MARISHA: But I'll keep the four.

LIAM: One's okay.

MARISHA: Let's see what happens. Yeah! Okay, I'll take the four and the five for an 11 total.

MATT: That is a complete success. So as you've moved--

MARISHA: Also it's-- Oh, but that's assembling a weapon.

MATT: Correct.

MARISHA: Okay. Never mind.

MATT: So indeed, you manage to take this stone slab, which two of you can carry it when it's not being used. It's heavy, but between some of the brawny folk that are present, you can lift it along. But you manage to attach both the fan on the back facing outward and the Zonai battery, which sits right in front of the fan that is connected through the power of the entire device. So there you are. But indeed, you carry it to the edge of where the bridge begins. You can see the beautiful bridge of Hylia before you, the extended smooth stone and the high pillars that sit, and you can hear the nearby rivers and waterfalls that cascade down into the open waterway that stretches before you. Now you've seen this a number of times, but it's not quite the same as you recall. On the left hand side of the embankment, far on the opposite end where the massive hills rise up out of the west, or the left side of the water, you can see this massive, glowing, detailed glyph of some kind that is nothing you've recognized before. It stretches the entire face of the hill, rising upward, and there it just glows ominously to the right-- or on the left. On the right hand, side down in the water, the water itself is gathering into a gargantuan whirlpool that just swirls and vanishes into the darkness of the water below.

EMILY: Oh!

MATT: But the bridge is yours.

EMILY: Mmm.

LIAM: So there's a glyph on its side, like--

MATT: On the side of the hill, almost like it's been carved into the hillside on the far far end of the water, hundreds and hundreds of feet away out there.

LIAM: Is it on an angle?

MATT: It's on an angle.

LIAM: Okay. Okay.

MARISHA: If we cross the bridge, are we going to interfere with either of those two things?

MATT: You won't cross any of them. No. You're more just taking in the changes in the scenery around you. Also, the rest of you can now see what you saw originally. Way across the path, beyond the hills and the ruins and other elements that are between you and Lookout Landing, you can see Hyrule Castle, and it is currently lifted out of the ground itself, slightly shifted in the air as the extended bits of black and red energy curl up around it. An ominous sense around this space, as you also can see on the edges of the earth around it those cracks that you see opening up in the ground and this dark gloom-like energy that just spills out from them, growing more and more recurring the closer and closer you get to your destination.

EMILY: This all came from the sky turning dark.

MARISHA: I know. Marga does a quick sketch of what the glyph looks like.

MATT: Okay.

EMILY: All right. Nothing to do but trust the bridge, right?

MATT: (stone crashing) Behind you, about 200 feet that way, a massive stone hits the ground, dust out of it.

OMAR: Shoulders tense up at the proximity of your words to that, as if you made it happen.

EMILY: Did I do that? Did I do that? You were right, Yolo. Bridges are dangerous!

LIAM: Are you a wizzrobe?

(laughter)

EMILY: Yes, I am-- No.

(laughter)

LIAM: (ripping)

(laughter)

MARISHA: All right, on the hoverboard.

EMILY: Okay.

MATT: All right, so are you initiating it or are you carrying it still?

EMILY: Yeah, we have to put the charges into it.

MARISHA: Should we blast--

EMILY: Let's do it.

MARISHA: -- across the bridge?

LIAM: Wait, and we successfully got the fan on it for propulsion of some kind?

MATT: You do.

MARISHA: Yeah.

LIAM: The missile has not been attached, though?

MATT: No.

MARISHA: No.

LIAM: Okay.

ROBBIE: I don't even think we've got enough sauce to use it.

LIAM: Okay.

ROBBIE: Yeah.

MATT: All right. So what are you doing?

EMILY: I think we're going to try out our invention.

MATT: Okay.

OMAR: Yeah!

MATT: All right. So it is one energy for the hover stone, correct?

EMILY: Uh-huh.

MATT: It's two for the fan, I believe?

OMAR: Yeah.

MATT: No, it's one for the fan!

EMILY: No! One!

MATT: So it's two energy expended. So you spend two of the six.

OMAR: Okay! I have four!

EMILY: So we've got--

MATT: Four left.

ROBBIE: Oh.

MATT: As now, suddenly--

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: You watch as the Zonai battery lights up and you watch the interior begin to slightly subside as the runes begin to glow. The stone platform (whooshes) rises up and just drifts into the air. It's small enough where you're all going to have to get real comfortable.

EMILY: Oh!

MATT: A knotted cluster of you leap onto it and it feels odd as it shifts with your weight, but still maintains itself right as the fan in the back (whirs) begins to pick up and (whooshes) begins to cruise like a hoverboard across the bridge of Hylia.

EMILY: This is kind of cool technology! Are you still so suspicious of it?

OMAR: I admit, I'm softening a little bit on my stance against ancient technologies. This is fun.

EMILY: This is cool!

OMAR: It feels very similar to flight, (Zelda discovery music) but for everyone!

MATT: As you all now have discovered--

MARISHA: Oh! What?

MATT: That was a discovery solve of a puzzle.

ROBBIE: Yes!

(oohing)

ROBBIE: Yes!

MARISHA: We did it!

ROBBIE: Yes!

(clapping)

MATT: (whooshes) As it cruises across the bridge, the land mass behind you begins to vanish, and now you sit amongst, looking outward in the expansive water below you and the true scope of the changes that have suddenly come different and equally, if not more terrifying than the heavy shades of the Calamity that were once banished. The ominous sense of what now holds the skies and lands of Hyrule around you begins to really sink in as you look around and, at all sides of the periphery, you can see dozens and dozens of these land masses at different levels, just floating in the sky. Who knows what terrors, mysteries, dangers this brings? All you can think about is getting home.

MARISHA: Hey, Tota. I just look over my shoulder to see--

OMAR: As we're all bunched together.

MATT: Yeah, you're all like.

MARISHA: Yeah, how much space I have between Babs and Dink.

LIAM: You know you both can literally fly, right?

EMILY and OMAR: (laugh)

OMAR: We could free up a little bit--

MARISHA: Should we? Yeah.

OMAR: Yeah, we'll give you all a little bit of room.

MATT: (laughs)

MARISHA: We'll give you some room.

EMILY: Glad you said that, Yolo.

OMAR: That makes sense.

EMILY: I was thinking it.

OMAR and MATT: (laugh)

MARISHA: I think Babs has a crush on Dink.

OMAR: I'm so glad you said something because-- Oh wait! (stage whispers) I can't say anything about it.

EMILY: (laughs)

ROBBIE: Good man!

MATT and MARISHA: (laugh)

OMAR: But that's very interesting information that you have!

MARISHA: Really? You have a bit of a tell. Like, I feel like maybe--

OMAR: No, I don't have a tell.

MARISHA: Did Dink maybe happen to say something to you?

OMAR: I can't express one way or another anything that might have been communicated to me in any process of conversation, whether as secretive or not.

MARISHA: Mm.

OMAR: But I will add, you are incredibly observant.

MATT: (whooshes)

OMAR: I'm hearing something.

MARISHA: Oh, our conversation!

(laughter)

MATT: (menacing squawks)

ROBBIE and MARISHA: Oh no!

MATT: You hear the screeching sound as you suddenly glance up and see, leaping from nearby high pillars of the bridge, some shadowed entity: wings out, emblazoned.

OMAR: Oh!

MATT: All you notice, the first instance, as it swoops down, is its size. This massive dragonoid creature, flying in proximity overhead, three extended heads that end in dragon forms their faces, teeth-filled, as flames burn at the top. Those of you who know the history and mythology of the gleeok know that this is certain death descending upon you, here in the center of the bridge.

(growls)

MARISHA: Shouldn't have taken the bridge!

(laughter)

MATT: What do you do?

LIAM: It's plummeting out of the sky at us?

MATT: It is now cruising in your direction.

LIAM: We're over water?

MATT: You're over the bridge and there's water about 50, 60 feet down on each side into the middle of the space and you're only halfway across the bridge.

LIAM: Okay. Okay.

ROBBIE: Dink's got--

EMILY: Oh, can we speed it up by putting more battery in it?

MATT: Unfortunately, it's cruising at a decent cruising speed, but not as fast as this creature is.

EMILY: Okay.

MARISHA: Not the rock king, of course.

EMILY: Dink, what do you think?

ROBBIE: Oh!

EMILY: Dink, what do you think?

ROBBIE: No, I wasn't going to go there now. I was like, Dink's got this little tablet that's hanging from his chest that's got little carvings on it, and he takes it off and he holds it up and uses it like he's looking through it at the creature. He's like, tell me! Tell me what I'm looking at! But it's just a rock.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: It's just a literal piece of slate rock.

OMAR: Yes!

MATT: If you'd like to make an assess roll, anyway.

ROBBIE: And--

MATT: Yes!

ROBBIE: I have Veteran, so I am using it, but not really. When evaluating non-Zonai creatures, I treat a seven to a nine as a 10 plus.

MATT: You do! Go ahead and make a roll. Add your wisdom.

MARISHA: Come on!

ROBBIE: Wait! Is there a modifier? Wisdom?

MATT: Wisdom.

ROBBIE: (shouts) Please!

EMILY: No!

ROBBIE: Five.

(laughter)

MATT: Nothing.

ROBBIE: You failed me again!

(laughter)

ROBBIE: I hate that! I just ride. Oh, you had a chance, Dink!

MATT: All you do notice is the massive tooth-filled jaws of this beast as it gets closer, begin to brighten with a red flame.

ROBBIE: Oh no!

MARISHA: Should we take this puppy off bridge?

ROBBIE: (laughs)

EMILY: Yeah, let's do it!

MARISHA: Maybe?

EMILY: Yeah.

OMAR: I'm going to draw its attention for a little bit. I think your plan is fantastic. Do what you need to do. I'm going to buy everyone some time. I'm going to try to fly close and get its attention while trying to put out one of the arrows. All my arrows are flaming arrows. I want to try to put one of them out, just like on my vest. Ow, ow, ow! I would like to take the sticky explosive, the... Where is it? Where is it?

MATT: The Hylian pine cone?

OMAR: Yes! And try to attach that to my arrow.

MATT: Okay. It still has a little bit of that stickiness to it. So yeah, go ahead and assemble that, if you don't mind. So make an assemble roll.

OMAR: Wisdom, right?

MATT: 2d6 plus wisdom. Yeah.

OMAR: Great! That's going to be a seven.

MATT: A seven succeeds, but you have to pick between it breaking after one use or you take a heart. I think this probably breaks after one use anyways.

OMAR: I'm not getting that back.

MATT: So yeah, I don't think so.

OMAR: I'm not fishing that thing out.

MATT: I will say, for the purposes of this, it's a little bit fragile so you can still hit with it, but I'll say it's a little bit harder to do.

OMAR: Okay.

MATT: But it is affixed to it.

OMAR: Okay. Great! I'm going to go for that.

MATT: Okay, so as you're all cruising as fast as you can (whooshes) across the bridge, (flapping) (squawks) as it's flying, the head, it's charging up energy within its jaws and you turn around and--

OMAR: I want to blast it into the mouth that's firing up energy.

MATT: Okay. Okay, so this is going to be, I'm going to say--

OMAR: Oh wait, I don't have to...

MATT: Well, this is going to be, because this isn't an attack on it, necessarily. It's trying to aim at it. I will say this is a power test for you.

OMAR: Okay.

MATT: However, it does get its defense, which means whatever you roll minus three.

OMAR: Sure! Yeah! No, that's good!

ROBBIE: Big bad?

OMAR: Here we go! All right! Cool! And this is power.

MARISHA: Oh no!

MATT: This is power.

MARISHA: Isn't good.

OMAR: Okay. Minus three?

MATT: Yeah.

OMAR: That brings me to a zero.

MARISHA: (gasps)

MATT: You fire it (whooshes) and as it arcs in the air, one of the heads sees the shift and fires this red beam (blasting) like a flaming fireball. (blasting) It curves up and, while it doesn't go towards you, it does hit at mid-air (blasting) and detonates it to no effect.

OMAR: Okay.

MATT: The other two heads, though, do look in your direction and (whooshes) fire off towards you. Do you want to make a defensive roll?

MARISHA: (whispers) Tota, get out of there!

OMAR: Yes.

MATT: Go ahead and roll defense. So whatever you roll, add your defense--

OMAR: Mm-hmm.

MATT: -- and then reduce it by three.

MARISHA: I know!

OMAR: Yeah. Okay.

MARISHA: I know!

OMAR: Okay. That's going to be a six.

MATT: That's a six.

ROBBIE: Oh no!

MATT: (blasting) You guys watch as Tota's flying in the air, turns around to try and swoop, and then (blasting) gets blasted in the back for six hearts.

MARISHA: (gasps)

EMILY: Oh!

ROBBIE: Ho ho ho!

OMAR: I'm down.

EMILY: Okay, we got to catch 'em! We got to catch 'em!

ROBBIE: We got to what?

MATT: Tota just plummets out of sight.

MARISHA: Team Skydive!

MATT: -- off the side of the bridge.

LIAM: Is falling off down on the side?

MATT: Yeah, the impact hits and Tota just goes limp and vanishes off the side of the bridge, out of sight below.

LIAM: I dive.

MARISHA: Let's go!

EMILY: Yeah!

MARISHA: Yeah, let's go!

EMILY: I think we got to--

MARISHA: We got to go!

LIAM: I'm off the cart.

EMILY: I whip the fan with my sword to try and divert the path in a different direction.

MATT: You can adjust that. (whooshes) The fan adjusts and (whooshes) it cruises off the side of the bridge. (whooshes) As it's clearing off, you dive off the side, and you get--

LIAM: Full squirrel suit.

MATT: (whooshes) Down below.

OMAR: Yes!

MATT: The rest of you hold on best you can as it coasts off the side.

(whooshes)

MARISHA: I put on my goggles and prep my breather.

MATT: (crashing)

MATT: Breaks the surface with a heavy impact. Whoever's holding onto this, I need you to make a power test to see if you can manage to clutch the sides of this device, whereas you just dive within.

ROBBIE: (gasps)

MARISHA: Uh-uh.

EMILY: That's going to be a 13.

MATT: 13. You clutch onto it strongly. You maintain control of it.

MARISHA: Definitely not. So I'm going to, knowing what's coming, Team Skydive. I'm ready to go. I'm just going to try and make a safety maneuver into the water.

MATT: Okay.

ROBBIE: We'd splash off the bridge or into the water?

MATT: Oh, you go off the side and then land on the surface of the water with a heavy impact. So what is essentially, and may still be for a little bit, you're not sure, a hover device, at least impacts the water hard to break the surface with the force, and in doing so, knocks you free and you catch yourself in the water. What did you roll?

ROBBIE: So...

MATT: (laughs)

ROBBIE: A five. A five.

MATT: Okay.

EMILY: Ooh!

ROBBIE: So I'm ejected from the cart, I assume?

MATT: You are also ejected from the cart.

ROBBIE: So I'm still holding onto the rocket. It's all I managed to hold onto, if I can try to, and I'm going to fall into the water and as stone, I'm going to instantly start to sink. As I do, I'm just going to go: I really like the way you eat apples. And then (bubbling) and I'm sinking like a stone.

MATT: You watch as Dink begins to vanish below the surface. Both of you have dove into the water and--

LIAM: We're slicing through the air, upside down. I just go (whooshes)

MARISHA: Okay. So wait, you're going for--

LIAM: Yeah.

MARISHA: Okay, for Tota. I am not strong enough!

LIAM: Maybe reverse that. I yell, "Dink!"

EMILY: I think I could get Dink! I think I could get Dink.

LIAM: With the cart?

EMILY: I think if I took the charges out, free falled, and then put the charges into the rocket, he would shoot off to the sky, maybe?

LAM: But what's the physics? What's happening? You're holding into the cart and the cart plummets down along with Dink?

EMILY: I'm going to take the charges out so that then we would fall and then I could put it into the rocket.

ROBBIE: You're going to scuttle the ship down to me.

EMILY: Yeah.

ROBBIE: In a Hail Mary attempt to assemble a rocket underneath water and shoot us both to safety?

EMILY: You're right. Maybe one of you should get--

ROBBIE: I love it! No, I love it!

(laughter)

ROBBIE: I love it!

OMAR: It's 100% a plan!

ROBBIE: What? It's amazing!

OMAR: It's 100% a plan!

ROBBIE: I was trying to go on the visual journey with you.

EMILY: I just meant that we're hovering

(zooming)

MATT: You are, as you right this hoverboard, you are just a few inches off the water and it's spraying off the sides as you're hovering off the surface. You can certainly try.

ROBBIE: (laughs)

MARISHA: So wait. You've got them.

LIAM: Well, I can handle one, maybe, or I can help--

MATT: It's about now (splashing) Tota hits the surface, unconscious.

ROBBIE: Oh! And is the demon still in the sky? Is the gleeok--

MATT: If you glance up, it is indeed. The gleeok is (squawks).

MARISHA: Oh my goodness gracious!

MATT: It's still above the bridge and it's circling around. It's still a distance, but it's looking.

ROBBIE: That's so many problems.

MARISHA: So many problems!

ROBBIE: (splutters)

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Let's see here, 600 pounds--

MARISHA: Okay, do you want to maybe go for Dink?

LIAM: I will. I'll say that I went for Tota, but I saw Dink plummet so much faster.

MARISHA: Yeah.

LIAM: Then just dove, cut through the water to go down.

MARISHA: Then, I'll go for Tota.

MATT: Okay. So, for both of you--

MARISHA: Then, you can be plan cart.

EMILY: Yeah, I can be plan B. If you have a hard time, we can do something really weird.

MATT: Okay, so you're still directing on your own. You're the only person on the cart, cruising towards--

EMILY: I haven't taken it out yet.

MATT: Okay. So you're holding onto it. You have your hand on the battery, still cruising across the water, shooshing out the sides.

EMILY: Take it out!

MATT: You go and swim over to grab Tota.

MARISHA: Yeah.

MATT: Go ahead and roll a body test for me or courage. Your choice.

MARISHA: Courage. Eight.

MATT: Eight. Okay, it's a mixed success. So you do manage to swim over and grab Tota and you pull. Make sure that he doesn't being to drown or sink beneath. Unconscious, but in your grasp. You hold him over your shoulder as you're treading water. You cannot get to the cart yourself, however. But you have kept your friend.

MARISHA: That's okay.

MATT: That's going to be on Babs to try and retrieve you.

MARISHA: All right.

MATT: You roll a power or courage test as well. But you get to roll three dice and take the highest because you--

LIAM: Because I'm a swimmer.

MATT: You're a zora.

ROBBIE: Yeah!

LIAM: Yeah! Or courage. It'll be courage. Six, four, 10. That is an 11.

MATT: 11. Sinking as you are--

LIAM: 12.

MATT: -- as the light begins to vanish, looking above, what little bit of the shadowed, cloud covered sky of Hyrule above begins to dissipate as the bubbles escape from your mouth. You begin to think about, I don't know. Probably not much.

(laughter)

MARISHA: Oh my god!

MATT: As one shadow begins to grow larger and larger and you glance and see the goggle-adorned face of Yolo begin to emerge from the shadow, reach out and grab you and begin to, with (grunts) all his kicking might begin to lift you back up towards the surface.

ROBBIE: (chokes)

LIAM: Holy jeezy peach! He's heavy! (grunts)

(laughter)

MATT: So they've both reached the surface now. You've maneuvered in a way where the two of you, with your roll, will catch the directional path that you are currently taking it.

EMILY: Yeah.

MATT: But you guys are a little off the side. It'll have to be your direction to try and pick them up as you go.

EMILY: Okay. Okay, what do I roll for that?

MATT: So you go and cruise over, and with that, you reach over, both of you, and grab the side of the cart and lift up and get on the inside. Still tight where you're holding on. Now, as cramped as the five of you were earlier, necessarily, but as you're holding on, it's scooting around. This is a courage roll. This is full on--

EMILY: Okay, but this is kind of combat and my grit and determination lets me choose to use either my power, wisdom, or courage valid to any roll.

MATT: I'll allow it because, up ahead, you hear (squawks) as the gleeok now has taken sight--

ROBBIE: You willed combat upon us.

MATT: -- of your troop and is now, as opposed to its rotating viewing above, it is now going into a slow dive to try and intercept the direction where you're going. It's still a ways away.

EMILY: Okay. Okay. Come on!

MARISHA: Oh no!

EMILY: Seven.

MATT: Seven is a mixed success. It's still a success.

EMILY: It does rhyme with heaven. Right?

MATT: It does.

OMAR: It does. It does. Yeah, that's right.

MATT: So you cruise off the side, essentially drifting it, like side drifting. The fans blasting behind, the water is being scattered--

EMILY: We only just invented this vehicle!

(laughter)

EMILY: It doesn't come with a manual!

(laughter)

MATT: In doing so, you do manage to scoot over to the side and one of you reaching out, grab Marga, and in doing so, also pull Tota, unconscious, up into the cart. It's now once again a crammed waterlogged space here and you're all trying to grab to what you can. There's no walls on the side here, so you're having hold onto each other in the sides to hold on. However, because it's a mixed success, the gleeok is still cruising in closer. As you hear that screech one more time, you're slowly coming to consciousness and you see above, as you're laying back in the cart, three red glows beginning to brighten up above. What do you do?

MARISHA: How many charges do we have left?

EMILY: We have four charges left, which is enough for a rocket, I think.

MARISHA: 100%! Do we attach the rocket to the board? We're going to--

EMILY: Oh, so that we can go super fast away? I mean, I would do it. It's still going to come-- I mean, can we take this beast?

MARISHA: I don't think so! I'm going to try it! I'm going to attach this rocket to this board.

EMILY: Yeah!

MATT: Go ahead and roll to attach. Make an assemble roll. 2d6 plus wisdom.

MARISHA: Oh!

ROBBIE: Oh my gosh!

MARISHA: Dude, I got nothing for this!

EMILY: If I told a really good story right now, would you--

(laughter)

MARISHA: Six. No, five! Five!

MATT: We are past the third hour.

(laughter)

EMILY: Oh no!

MATT: So I will allow, if you have here in the midst of this chaos--

OMAR: Yes!

MARISHA: Babs! Babs! I'm freaking out, Babs!

EMILY: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay.

MARISHA: This won't work!

EMILY: You know those dragons that you sometimes see, you know? They get far away and you're like, "Ah, I wonder what those are?"

MARISHA: Yeah. Yeah, like those?

EMILY: Yeah! Yeah, no! But the nice ones!

MARISHA: Oh yeah!

EMILY: You know the nice ones that, when you see it--

MARISHA: Uh-huh.

EMILY: -- one time, I was--

OMAR: (laughs)

MARISHA: I've run out of time!

EMILY: -- I was mountain climbing.

MATT: (squawks)

EMILY: And I saw one of those and I said, "Heck! Let's try it!" I jumped onto its back. At the very same time, a shooting star landed into my--

(laughter)

EMILY: -- into my hand!

MARISHA: You caught--

EMILY: Into my hand.

MARISHA: You caught a shooting star?

EMILY: All of that came-- I caught a shooting star before it even touched the ground, mid-shoot. Right? Mid-shooting star, all because I had the courage to jump from the mountain to the dragon.

MATT: One of the gleeok heads goes (questioning squawks).

(laughter)

EMILY: That's right! That's a story about a time I caught a shooting--

(laughter)

MATT: You can reroll.

MARISHA: I look at everybody and I go--

ROBBIE: Beautiful!

MARISHA: -- we're going to jump a dragon!

EMILY: (laughs)

MARISHA: That's better! That is a 10!

ROBBIE and OMAR: Yay!

MATT: That is a successful. With that, you click the rocket in above the fan, and where the battery is the battery, (clicking) the battery, the Zonai battery lights up even brighter and then the back of it fires, and suddenly your airboat (revs) cruises up, sending a vast wave of water behind you right as the gleeok fires its beams of flaming balls downward (crashing) into the water behind you where you were going to intersect. But you are far beyond where that blast impacts. You could hear behind you (blasting) the blast of steam and detonation of these fire bombs hitting the water. But you are beyond it, as your all hairs' being blown back, all holding on, lips (slurps) from the wind.

(laughter)

MATT: As you (motor rumbling) cruising it past the water. Eventually, the gleeok, noting that it cannot, within its own strength, catch up with you begins to swoop away back up towards the bridge that it now claims as its territory.

MARISHA: You're very courageous and brave!

EMILY: I lied about catching a shooting star.

(laughter)

MARISHA: You know--

EMILY: Sorry! I never caught a shooting star!

MARISHA: I kind of knew.

EMILY: (laughs)

MARISHA: But it didn't matter.

EMILY: Yeah. Hey.

MARISHA: It's about the imagery.

EMILY: You did something as good as that, attaching that rocket. Are we still careening through space?

MATT: You're all (motor rumbling).

EMILY: Everyone jump off before it makes impact!

MATT: You are approaching land on the opposite side here.

OMAR: I wake up a little bit. I'm out of the water.

EMILY: I think we got to, let's all maybe jump on the back so we make the rocket go into the air.

MARISHA: Go up? Okay.

EMILY: So it doesn't hit--

ROBBIE: Got it!

EMILY: Yeah. I want to--

(laughter)

MATT: As Dink slams the back, you all feel the front of your feet lift up for a second. You almost get ejected in that moment from it as it leans back just as you hit the base of the land as it hits, it skips and you all rocket straight up before the rocket eventually (sputters).

LIAM: Do you ever wonder if we should just open up a gift shop instead?

MATT: (whooshes)

MARISHA: Are we falling?

MATT: You are falling, and then hit the ground, and all of you get thrown from it as the stone slab sticks like a gravestone (crashing) into the ground and throws you all, rolling, (bodies thumping) coming to rest on the opposite side.

LIAM: Bloop, bloop, bloop, bloop, bloop!

MARISHA: Yeah.

(laughter)

EMILY: (sighs)

MATT: You all do take one heart from the impact.

EMILY: Oh!

MARISHA: (lips vibrate)

ROBBIE: Oh boy!

EMILY: That could have been worse.

OMAR: (laughs)

MARISHA: I'm pretty proud of that, actually.

EMILY: Yeah! So this new technology is interesting.

ROBBIE: I think there's a culture lag between the technology and implementation, but I don't know. I pull a rock out of my pocket. I start eating it.

(laughter)

MATT: "My goodness! You all okay?" You hear a voice from nearby and you glance over in the direction, as the dust settles from the impact. You see a figure running towards you, a Hylian gentleman in his later years, balding head, a bit of a tattered skullet with a long widows peak in the center. He has a long, pointy jaw, and as he rushes towards you, you can see he's wearing a little bit of armor, brawny for an older fellow, with a weapon to his side. He starts running and coughs a bit. "(pants) That was incredible! Whatever that was, whatever you did, I've never seen something like that before! (sighs) You all okay?"

LIAM: Well, I think we're going to need five beds, and not regular ones.

(laughter)

LIAM: Soft ones!

EMILY: Yeah, I could really go for a soft bed.

LIAM: Oh, my tailbone!

MATT: "Well, that's fantastic. Me too, but we're a bit ways away from any sort of soft beds, unfortunately."

LIAM: Figures.

MARISHA: We're just trying to get to Lookout Landing.

MATT: "Kind of same. See, my name's Kadav. I'm part of a Monster-Control Crew. Me and a bunch of my friends were sent out when all of this started happening. You know, try and make sure that, it's been a resurgence of a lot of localized dangerous monsters and such in the vicinity of Lookout Landing, and--"

EMILY: Did you see what happened to the castle?

MATT: "Yeah. Yeah. That was our first sign that things went torso up, I guess you could say."

EMILY: (laughs)

MATT: "But, well, it's about that time that we were we were hoping to head back and tell everyone what was going on, and we ended up being ambushed by a bokoblin raiding party. It looks they built quite the stronghold not far from here, over at the Gatepost Town Ruins and they kidnapped my buddies."

EMILY: Do you need us to clear out this raiding party?

MATT: "Or if you know somebody, you can help. I don't know if I'm up for doing it myself. To be honest, I wandered a little too curiously towards one of them, what people are calling the chasms, and I got this cough now."

OMAR: Oh.

EMILY: What? What's the cough like?

MATT: "I don't know. Usually, if you wander too close to some of these, it's like when the Malice was around, and I don't know, I feel the shadow in myself that, I don't know, usually taking a little bit of time out here in the open, under the Hylian sun makes you feel a little energized again, but it's not, I don't know. I'm still feeling diminished, you know?"

EMILY: Okay. Yeah. No, we are actually quite capable. We can help you get your buddy and get rid of that cough.

MATT: "Okay. I appreciate that."

LIAM: Have you had eyes on this encampment?

MATT: "Yeah. Yeah." He points off along the way and you can see there's, in the Gatepost Town Ruins, you've been nearby. It's a long fallen, big, tower gatepost area that's partially crumbled in and there's some older, historical labeling to some of the region there. The word I'm looking for in this case, my brain is... Totally lost it in my brain. Regardless, it is a historical site that has markings that mark it as a historical site, which was what I was trying to get to in a roundabout way.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: We got there.

MATT: We got there eventually.

MARISHA: Landmark?

MATT: Landmark! There we go!

ROBBIE: Ah!

EMILY: Ah!

ROBBIE: Yeah!

EMILY: Wow!

ROBBIE: Good word!

MATT: Sometimes, old noggin just shuts off in the wrong moment.

(laughter)

MATT: "Whatever you're doing over there," and points back and you can see there's the crumbled stone slab and there's just smoke (hisses) up from it. The fan is like, (clicking).

EMILY: (laughs)

MATT: Rocket's still sitting there fine, but the rest of it's wrecked.

EMILY: Okay.

ROBBIE: Well, Babs says we can help you, we can probably help you. I don't know much, but I do know we're pretty much heroes.

EMILY: Yeah.

MATT: "Well, that's what I need. We were hoping to be heroes, too, but you know, to be honest, it was our first time out and it went bad real fast."

EMILY: It's not for everyone, but it is for us.

OMAR: (laughs)

EMILY: You know?

MATT: "Oh wow! Please don't. Well, I'm glad I ran into the right people, then. Yeah, I'll show you where they're currently hold up on. (coughs) Come on." He puts a sack over his shoulder.

MARISHA: Should we be near him?

EMILY: Yeah. I'm worried, like werewolf or something like that.

MARISHA: Yeah. Yeah.

EMILY: Is there some equivalent to a medicine or an insight or something with this cough?

MATT: Make a wisdom check.

OMAR: Mm!

EMILY: It's nothing to report.

(laughter)

MATT: Probably just, you know, went swimming in lots of water, you know?

MARISHA: Doing great in the third act.

EMILY: Yeah, I can't clock it.

MARISHA: Wow!

(laughter)

EMILY: All right, yeah, let's follow behind.

MATT: Okay.

MARISHA: Tota, do you need food?

LIAM: Yeah, I was going to say, is there anything edible?

MATT: You can search around. You're in a new region.

MARISHA: I want goats! I going to search for-- Can I do my Updraft Instincts to send in the air?

MATT: Yeah, yeah. You can do that as part of your search.

MARISHA: Do a scout?

MATT: Sure.

MARISHA: Yeah. That's pretty good. 10 again.

OMAR: Ooh!

MATT: 10 again!

EMILY: Yeah.

MARISHA: 10! 10 again!

MATT: Okay.

OMAR: (laughs)

MATT: That will give you a, say, a golden apple.

OMAR and EMILY: Ooh!

LIAM: I got a seven, but I got to go to the little sharks' room.

(laughter)

MATT: Okay, we'll come back to you, then.

LIAM: All right.

(laughter)

EMILY: I got an eight.

MATT: You got an eight?

MARISHA: Ooh!

EMILY: Yeah.

MATT: All righty.

EMILY: So funny to outrun a dragon and then make food.

MARISHA: Yeah!

(laughter)

MARISHA: Who's up for S'mores?

MATT: Hyrule herb out in the space there.

OMAR: I got a one, which makes sense. I'm so beat up.

MATT: You are wrecked!

OMAR: Yeah.

EMILY: Aw!

OMAR: Yeah, like: I'll look around. Nope, can't turn my head. Okay.

MATT: You find a flower and you're like, "Is this edible?" It withers from the nearby Gloom. You see nearby, there is, as you're walking along and Kadav points out, he's like, "This is what I was talking about, the chasm." You look past this embankment and there is this massive hole in the ground, this pit that descends about 15 feet across, and around the cusp of it, there is black and red corruption that has spread out with it, with this dark Gloom energy that you've seen throughout the various crevices throughout the landscape. "There's a few of these opening up around the landscape. We don't quite know why and we don't know how deep it goes or where it leads. I was getting a bit curious and standing a little close and that's when I started to get this cough. So maybe don't get too close."

EMILY: Okay. I'll avoid it.

MATT: "Anyway." So in that point as well, did you want to--

ROBBIE: Yeah, seven for me.

MATT: A seven for you? Okay. You manage to find some mighty bananas.

ROBBIE: Mighty bananas!

EMILY, OMAR, and MARISHA: Ooh!

ROBBIE: Restores one health. Good. Restores health and--

EMILY: All right, I'm going to try to cook the herb.

MARISHA: That herb. Ooh!

EMILY: That is only a six.

MATT: A six. It is not cooked, but it is still edible.

EMILY: I'm going to pass it to you. Hey, it's uncooked herbs.

OMAR: Thank you!

EMILY: Yeah.

MARISHA: I want to try and cook this apple. 10.

EMILY: I'm going to use the little sharks' room now.

OMAR: Ooh! (laughs)

MARISHA: Do wisdom.

ROBBIE: It's going to give us the tinkles, running around.

(object thumps)

ROBBIE: Oh! Something--

(laughter)

MATT: There you go.

MARISHA: Hmm!

ROBBIE: You you cooked them?

MARISHA: I did.

ROBBIE: I'm going to cook these nanners.

MATT: Do it!

ROBBIE: Oh sick! Double sixes.

MARISHA: Nice!

OMAR: Whoa!

MATT: Great! So yeah, so you cook it and roll a d4.

ROBBIE: Oh, that's right!

OMAR: (gasps)

ROBBIE: Man, I'm a good luck cook!

MARISHA: Do I do the same thing with a 10?

ROBBIE: Three.

MATT: Yeah.

OMAR: Amazing!

MATT: There you go. So it is cooked and then it gives three bonus hearts to whoever eats it.

ROBBIE: Who's the most messed up looking around us?

MARISHA: Ooh! Four!

MATT: Four. All right. So mark that four bonus hearts on whoever eats that.

MARISHA: Okay. That's yellow hearts, right?

MATT: Yeah.

OMAR: Messed up looking.

ROBBIE: I mean, who.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: I'm trying to like, who's hurting the worst? I was trying to keep the above table talk to a minimum. Who's hurting?

OMAR: I'm--

MARISHA: You're hurting, right?

OMAR: I'm at one.

ROBBIE: Oh, you're at one!

OMAR: Yeah.

ROBBIE: Hey! I cooked these bananas for you!

MATT: (laughs)

OMAR: Thank you!

ROBBIE: Oh, I forgot!

(scarfs)

MARISHA: (laughs)

ROBBIE: (chokes)

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Just do it! They're really good!

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Do it! Lean into it!

OMAR: Okay.

ROBBIE: It's nice, right?

OMAR: Yeah.

ROBBIE: It's nice?

OMAR: Yeah.

ROBBIE: Okay.

MATT: That's some secret buddy bonding right there.

OMAR: Yeah.

MATT: (laughs)

ROBBIE: So that one-- Yeah. So you got an extra three.

OMAR: Thank you!

ROBBIE: So three fills, four total, and then an attack bonus.

OMAR: Oh!

MARISHA: Heck yes!

OMAR: Okay.

MATT: Yeah, you do an additional damage for the next encounter on every attack.

OMAR: So four total.

ROBBIE: Mm-hmm.

OMAR: That brings me up to normal.

MATT: Great!

ROBBIE: Sweet!

LIAM: I'm going to cook my herb.

MATT: Do it.

LIAM: I'm not good at it. Nope. I'm not good at it.

ROBBIE: (sighs)

LIAM: It doesn't cook.

MATT: Okay. But you have an herb.

MARISHA: Are you down? Pretty low?

LIAM: I'm fine. I was just trying to maximize.

MARISHA: I'm only down two, so maybe I'll eat one of your guys' biffed herbs.

EMILY: Yeah.

LIAM: Here, have this biffed herb.

EMILY: I gave my biffed herb to Tota. I don't know if they used it or not.

OMAR: I did. I'm sorry.

MARISHA: Okay.

EMILY: Anyone else feel like Tota's appetite is bonkers?

(laughter)

MARISHA: He is a brick house bird!

MATT: We did establish that.

MARISHA: It takes a lot of protein. Okay, well I have this golden apple for when things get bad.

LIAM: A hummingbird. They never stop moving.

ROBBIE: Weird. I ate my rock. Oh, oh, oh! New area? I'll look for another rock.

MATT: Oh yeah, go for it.

OMAR: Yeah!

ROBBIE: Oh, look! I found one!

MATT: (chuckles)

MARISHA: This is going to heal eight whenever anyone is in a bad spot, but I don't think any of us are down that far yet.

ROBBIE: Seven.

MATT: Seven. Okay. So you got one heart whenever you want to eat it.

ROBBIE: I'm going to eat it now.

MATT: Go for it.

ROBBIE: I think that puts me back up to... No.

ROBBIE: I'm dumb. Six. I'm still one down. All right.

MATT: All right.

MATT: So following the drive of this old Hylian soldier cutoff, eventually going through the hill paths, the grassy fields that spread beyond, the castle getting closer. In the distance, you can see the central point of Lookout Landing, which is the Skyview Tower, of which there are a number throughout the town. There was one in the center of this and particular fort-like encampment that is your guidepost to the direction now that you're close enough. But following Kadav, he's talking about how "There are a bunch of great folk. There's Drosun, who's--"

EMILY: Ah! Drosun, that works for Hudson.

MATT: "Oh, yeah. Yeah."

EMILY: Yeah. We haven't crossed paths yet, but been on a couple emails together.

MATT: "Trying to flex a little bit of his skills and ability. There's Ratak, she's the badass of the troop. Would've been a lot worse if she hadn't have taken the brunt of the attack. Then there's Tudo, who's just a sweet, sweet gal at the heart. But anyway, last I checked they're right over there." As you crest around the side of the Gatepost Town Ruins, you can see, built along one of the broken towers, there is a massive wood structure of platforms and rope bridges that is built on a spiral around the side of it up into a tree in the back. You can see there are these massive carved pointed pikes around it with banners that hang and ropes that unfurl. At this glance, you can see there are a few huts made of leather and thatch that are built along the side. This is indeed a bokoblin stronghold.

EMILY: Okay. What kind of maneuver do we want to do?

MARISHA: I know. I don't want to fight all of them.

EMILY: Yeah, that's true. We could draw a couple out, right?

LIAM: Yeah, make a big ruckus.

EMILY: Yeah, make a big ruckus, have a couple come investigate.

MARISHA: All these people were the ones that got captured that you were just mentioning?

MATT: "Yeah, the last I saw they were taken in there, so."

MARISHA: Do we see any signs of them?

MATT: Go ahead and make a wisdom test for me.

EMILY: Oh!

MARISHA: Yeah. 12.

MATT: 12.

MARISHA: Two fives.

MATT: Glancing past, you do see there are three major platforms amongst this stronghold, and there's a hut on each platform. The two smaller ones, you can see, they have some containers, some baskets that are filled with all manner of odd things. You're uncertain what they are. But within the bottom hut, you do see one figure that is tied up with rope and off to the side, and you see one bokoblin that's poking them in the face and chuckling to itself. Further up the second one, you did roll pretty high. You can see there's another figure that's currently tied up and is placed on top of the hut. You see nearby, perched onto it, some creatures you don't really recognize. They're these large, winged frog entities. They have this olive green coloration to them, and they're both perched up there, and they're both just sniffing on it, and the person's quietly weeping.

EMILY: Mm!

MATT: Upwards, the third hut is a massive one that sits at the apex, and you don't see anything. That one appears to be closed off.

EMILY: Okay.

LIAM: What exactly is closed off? Like, it's--

MATT: The third, the highest hut that's built in the stronghold, you don't see an entryway and there's no sign of anything on the outside. It's enclosed and--

LIAM: So it's not a platform. It's a full-on--

MATT: Yeah.

EMILY: So in terms of combatants, we've got one who's threatening a tied-up person, two winged frogs. Anything else in addition to that?

MATT: Yeah, those are all that you see on the outside.

EMILY: Okay. I bet we can work with that.

MATT: I'd say, a moment later, you do see there are two bokoblins that are running a perimeter, walking on the outside, scoping around, like (slobbery snorts).

EMILY: All right, let's get these two out of the way, right? What were you going to say?

ROBBIE: Is the structure all outside platforms, or is there an interior, domed something?

MATT: It's built like a tree house, three platforms outside. They're in an upward spiral that go into part of the ruins, then up into a tree that's behind it. But they're all outside, except for the huts that are built onto the platforms.

ROBBIE: Oh, okay! Got you. I got you.

LIAM: There's a closing off hut on the top one?

MATT: Correct.

LIAM: Okay.

EMILY: I say we hide in the bushes, get these two on patrol.

MARISHA: Mm.

EMILY: Then, if we scuffle with them, we might draw a couple more out.

LIAM: How tall is the grass around here?

MATT: It's pretty tall. It's about waist high.

OMAR: Oh!

EMILY: (laughs)

MARISHA: Any barrels? Any explosives? Any other thing that might be able to use?

MATT: You do see there are a couple of barrels. You're uncertain if they're explosive, but they're two barrels on the base on the bottom one, and there's one towards the top one. That's all you see.

EMILY: We always got to kick it off with shooting a barrel. Right?

OMAR: Mm-hmm.

MARISHA: Tota's got fire arrows and I've got still electric arrows.

EMILY: All right. Shall we get to it?

MARISHA: Sure.

ROBBIE: I'm still uncertain as to the plan.

(laughter)

EMILY: Oh, so the plan is there's people tied up and we're going to kill all the people who are tying them up.

ROBBIE: That's a good one! That's a good one! How do we kill them?

EMILY: So these two guys are on patrol, right?

ROBBIE: Uh-huh.

EMILY: So Yolo was like--

LIAM: Are they patrolling together or are they--

MATT: They're patrolling together and moving as a pair--

EMILY: Yeah.

MATT: -- through the grass on the outskirts, or the base of this structure.

EMILY: Yeah, so we're going to hide in the grass. It's not a bad idea if someone wanted to shoot the barrel out of curiosity, maybe?

MARISHA: You want to try it?

OMAR: I can go in the sky.

ROBBIE: Should we all do it at the same time?

EMILY: Yeah.

ROBBIE: What if we use the secret birdie whistle and then you do the tweet tweet, and then we all do our own thing? So you do ninja attack. This is a plan. This is how we plan, right? You ninja up from the grass, you tweet tweet and shoot.

OMAR: Mm-hmm.

ROBBIE: That only leaves us. What should we do together together?

EMILY: I don't know. There's a lot you could do on it. I have pretty good stamina.

ROBBIE: There's plenty we could do on our own. We should probably-- We could probably concentrate on killing those guys for sure!

EMILY: Let's do that! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Just us with our swords.

ROBBIE: So we need a distraction at the same time?

EMILY: Yeah, yeah.

ROBBIE: You and me? Big tough, run right in, and go get them?

EMILY: Yeah!

ROBBIE: All right.

EMILY: Let's do it!

ROBBIE: Ready.

OMAR: Okay, well, that solved itself.

MARISHA: Are we going to go from the air?

OMAR: Yeah!

MARISHA: We can go from the air.

OMAR: Yeah!

MARISHA: Do we see an updraft? Oh, I just did a scout from an updraft, so there's still one nearby, right?

MATT: There is wind blowing through here, so you can find a moment to (whooshes).

MARISHA: Okay.

EMILY: All right. Let's do it. We're doing it all at once, right?

ROBBIE: Okay.

MATT: Who's initiating this?

EMILY: Who's initiating it?

LIAM: Wait. So I've got the two on patrol.

EMILY: Yeah.

LIAM: Right? You guys are in the air, aiming at who? Frogs?

MARISHA: Barrels.

OMAR: Barrels.

EMILY: Maybe, or we could try one barrel, and if it is fruitless, then we go to the frog.

MARISHA: I'll let Tota try the barrels first.

OMAR: Okay.

LIAM: You two are making a big--

ROBBIE: We're just going to go in there.

EMILY: We're just going to run.

ROBBIE: We're going to run in there We're just going to charge.

EMILY: Yeah. After. So we're definitely after the barrels, right?

ROBBIE: Both right after!

EMILY: Yeah. But right after.

ROBBIE: Syncopated.

OMAR: So we're boom, boom, and you take out the sentinels.

EMILY: Yeah.

OMAR: Then you two rush in.

EMILY: Yeah. Yeah.

OMAR: Then we join you.

ROBBIE: What if he chases out the sentinels, then you shoot, and then we rush in.

LIAM: That's what it is.

ROBBIE: Yes! You are so smart!

LIAM: Your training is tight--

ROBBIE: Dude, I've been watching--

LIAM: -- as heck!

ROBBIE: Thanks, man! I've been watching! I've been wondering where you trained.

(laughter)

LIAM: Once we get back to the village, will you spot me?

EMILY: CrossFish?

ROBBIE: I will absolutely spot you, bro! I bet you can lift a lot, though. You won't need it.

LIAM: See if I could lift you.

OMAR: (laughs)

EMILY: Let's do it, right now.

ROBBIE: It's going to rock.

EMILY: Let's do it, right now!

MARISHA: I almost want to see it, but I don't want you to pull a hammy, so--

ROBBIE: Oh, all right. Let's go. I'm stretching.

EMILY: Okay. Okay.

MARISHA: Okay.

LIAM: Okay.

EMILY: So you kick it off.

LIAM: I'm going to creep up behind those two chuckle heads. As soon as I strike, it's on!

EMILY: Yeah.

LIAM: Like goron!

ROBBIE: Yes! Yes!

MARISHA: Wow!

MATT: Okay, make a courage check to stealth up behind these.

LIAM: Come on! Just give me a good roll! Come on!

EMILY: Nice.

LIAM: Yes! It's an 11.

MARISHA: Hey!

OMAR: Yes.

MATT: (shifting grass) You slither through the grass like a zora swims through the water.

LIAM: Swim through.

MARISHA: Team Skydive!

MATT: As both of the bokoblins cruise by, one of them (slobbery grunts) scratches its rear end a little bit and the other one slaps it (slobbery grunts). They begin to cruise about four or five feet from you, not noticing your presence.

ROBBIE: (gasps) Yeah!

LIAM: Okay.

EMILY: Oh yeah!

LIAM: I'm going to leap out of the grass and make a big (wild, intense shout) to use--

(laughter)

MATT: How's that go again?

LIAM: That's my Battle Grace.

ROBBIE: Oh!

MARISHA: Yes!

ROBBIE: Nice!

LIAM: So that's--

ROBBIE: Graceful.

LIAM: -- one stamina--

MATT: Okay.

LIAM: -- spent. I have five left, and I'm going to do... Ah, man! I'm going to attack these guys until they're done. So that means that all my attacks, they have to roll 3d6 and discard the highest.

MATT: Okay! Okay!

LIAM: With my polearm, I can hit them both every time I hit them. So we'll just go until they're done.

ROBBIE: Whoa!

MATT: Okay, so that's one stamina. So the next strike, you're (whack, whack) to both of them.

LIAM: Yeah, so I'll (wild shouts).

MATT: (laughs) Just like that! Perfect!

OMAR: Yes!

MATT: All right. They both go (squeal), pull back as you strike at them. The first one's going to attempt to dodge.

EMILY: Saying you only live once right before you end them is so--

(laughter)

OMAR: This was it!

LIAM: You only die once!

MATT: They both fail the first strike.

LIAM: Right.

MATT: So how much damage is that?

LIAM: It's a lot. That's double six. It's eight.

MATT: Eight damage.

LIAM: Because this is, my best friend gave me my hoblin horn. Horriblin horn.

MATT: So (rapid slicing) that's one use.

LIAM: One attack.

MATT: They both take one hit each. (distressed squealing) They're both extremely hurt. You're striking again?

LIAM: Yeah.

MATT: All right. Both defending. That's a failure because of that battle.

LIAM: Eight more.

ROBBIE: Woo!

MATT: They both fail. The second round, (slicing) you cut through both of them. (squealing) They both crumble--

MARISHA: Amazing!

MATT: -- beneath the grass line, out.

EMILY: Yes!

OMAR: Yes!

ROBBIE: Yes!

MATT: Mind you, one of them has a hammer.

ROBBIE: (gasps)

MARISHA: (gasps)

LIAM: Oh, that's on the ground now?

MATT: Yeah.

LIAM: Yeah. Grab that.

OMAR: (laughs)

ROBBIE: Sick!

OMAR: Oh!

ROBBIE: Yeah!

LIAM: Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho!

EMILY: Oh wow!

LIAM: That's fun!

MATT: So it's two uses off your polearm. Just mark that.

LIAM: Okay. Yep, I did already.

MATT: So you both hear the (Battle Grace yell) (squealing grunts) and that's silence.

EMILY: So graceful!

(laughter)

LIAM: I want you guys to have fun. It's all yours!

EMILY: (laughs)

MATT: At the sound of this scuffle, the two frog-like creatures (whoosh) stand to attention suddenly and both of them (flapping) begin to fly up into the air--

MARISHA: Oh! They fly?

MATT: -- wings wide.

MATT: They fly.

MARISHA: Well.

MATT: Long tails dangling behind them, and you can see they have claws that curl up underneath as they take up in the air. Indeed, your presence is now being picked up from their standpoint.

MARISHA: Air battle, baby!

MATT: Let's roll initiative.

(exclaiming)

MATT: That's where we are.

OMAR: It's on.

LIAM: (laughs) I got one!

MATT: (laughs)

EMILY: Eight!

MARISHA: Three.

ROBBIE: Wow!

OMAR: Okay.

MATT: Oh my god!

LIAM: Which is good.

MATT: All right, great. So, from where that stands there, let's-- Oh, you also, from that got a bokoblin horn.

LIAM: Oh yeah!

MATT: From one of them there. What you get there to a

(small bell achievement tone)

ROBBIE: Yeah! Cool!

(laughter)

OMAR: Okay!

LIAM: Feels good every time. Every time.

MARISHA: Every time! It never gets old!

MATT: So we have 25 to 20. 20 to 15?

ROBBIE: 16.

OMAR: 15.

ROBBIE: Ah-ha.

MATT: All right. So we got Dink.

ROBBIE: Well, I am a nimbly, dimbly forest creature.

(laughter)

MATT: 15 to 10? 10 to five?

EMILY: I have eight.

MARISHA: I have three.

MATT: Okay. All right, and then we have three over here, with Marga.

MARISHA: Mm-hmm.

LIAM: Yolo.

MATT: And one over here.

ROBBIE: Whoa!

OMAR: Oh.

ROBBIE: You're spent, though.

MARISHA: I mean, yeah.

ROBBIE: You're spent.

LIAM: Yeah, I just popped off.

ROBBIE: That makes sense.

MARISHA: Yeah.

ROBBIE: Yeah. You just went.

OMAR: That's good!

ROBBIE: Bam!

MATT: Mm-hmm. Okay.

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: All right, so--

MARISHA: Now it's my turn for the little shark's room.

(laughter)

MATT: Go for it. Dink, you're up first.

ROBBIE: So we're still going with the plan?

EMILY: Yeah.

ROBBIE: All right. Okay, have you ever been to Lake World? You ever seen the animal show, the sea life show at Lake World?

EMILY: No. I'd love to, though.

ROBBIE: Oh, you will. We can go sometime.

EMILY: Yeah.

ROBBIE: But what happens--

EMILY: Okay. Yeah.

ROBBIE: There's a seal. Sorry, sore subject!

EMILY: No, not a sore subject!

ROBBIE: But a seal gets on a ball and he balances and does a trick and it's really distracting and everybody looks at it.

EMILY: Yeah.

ROBBIE: Become the seal. I'm going to roll up into a ball. Hold on!

EMILY: Okay. My turn isn't for a while!

OMAR: (laughs)

ROBBIE: Hop on!

(laughter)

EMILY: I hop on!

ROBBIE: I'm going to use my movement to roll down the hill towards the--

MATT: I'll allow that. I'll say, if you spend two stamina on this, you can get both of you down the hill to the base of it.

ROBBIE: Done! Done. I'll spend two.

MATT: All right.

ROBBIE: Yeah.

MATT: As you both land on the ground, you can see at the bottom structure, the entryway where the one bokoblin was poking the person (grunts) looks up and a second one pokes its head out, and you can see they're getting bows and arrows ready.

EMILY: Welcome to the show! I start dancing.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: I thought we were supposed to punch them, too!

EMILY: Yeah, yeah. No!

(laughter)

EMILY: You just have to go first, turn-wise.

ROBBIE: Oh, okay!

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Sure! (screams)

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Full attack with my two-handed sword.

MATT: Okay.

ROBBIE: Yeah, yeah.

MATT: One of the two of them?

ROBBIE: Just the closest one.

MATT: Closest one? All right, that'd be the one to the right. Actually, that's on my end. It's going to roll a defense. It has stamina on that. Ooh! Double sixes!

ROBBIE: Whoa! Yeah.

MATT: Woof! It dodges wide. (screeches) Do you have any more stamina?

ROBBIE: No, I literally just Toro past him.

MATT: (confused gurgling)

ROBBIE: That's it. I'm in the thick of it with zero stamina.

MATT: You got it. All right, finishing your go, Tota, you're up, with Babs on deck.

OMAR: All right! I turn... Actually, I'll save that. I'll save the flavor text. I'm going to fire at one of these flying frogs.

MATT: Go for it! Okay, there's one on the right and one to the left, we'll say. So you--

OMAR: I'll take the one on the left.

MATT: Got it! It rolls to defend or to--

OMAR: That's right! That's right!

MATT: So you fire at the one on the left. That's going to be a, oof, a two. It manages to do damage. What's the damage for your arrow?

OMAR: Okay, so my arrow is going to be two damage. Because I'm in the air, I have Air Superiority. So I'm going to roll again, or I'm going to roll for the first time.

MATT: Okay.

OMAR: If I get a six, this deals double.

EMILY: (gasps)

ROBBIE: Ooh!

OMAR: It's a one.

MATT: Okay. But hey, two damage.

OMAR: But I did additional damage from the mighty banana.

ROBBIE: Oh, that's right!

MATT: That's right! Yeah, so three damage on the first strike. (whooshes) You see it took a nice little hit, a little chunk off of it.

OMAR: Oh, and I'm sorry, this is on fire, too, so that's an additional three hearts.

MATT: Oh! So it hits! (whooshes) (flapping) You see it's flapping its wings furiously to try and kick it away. It looks fairly hurt on that first strike. Yeah.

ROBBIE: Dang!

OMAR: Let's go again!

MATT: Okay!

OMAR: Yeah!

MATT: It'll try and use another stamina to defend a second time. That's going to be a five. It misses again. That's six damage again. (thumping) Two flaming arrows in it and you see it's having a hard time keeping up in the air. It's looking really hurt.

OMAR: Okay, well, I do feel--

MATT: The other one's untouched.

OMAR: -- bad about that. I'm going to hit it again.

(laughter)

MATT: It's going to try and defend because it's all it can do at this point. The third strike catches it right in its middle of its chest and sternum. sinks inside it and falls out of the sky, (whooshes) (thumping) onto the ground. Other one (snarls) That's great! Anything else you want to do?

OMAR: Perfect! I am going to--

MATT: You're marking each one of those uses on your bow, right?

OMAR: Yep. So this is, wow! This is down to it. I'm going to, you know what? Fire one more at the one on the right.

MATT: Okay.

OMAR: Then, I will save my turn.

MATT: You got it. It's going to try and defend. That is going to be an eight, which means it takes half damage.

OMAR: Okay.

MATT: So it takes three as opposed to the six. It tries to streak off to the side. It catches in the wing, and it's not a meaty hit, but it still took a little chunk of damage.

OMAR: Okay. That sounds great! As that happens, I'm going to save the rest of my stamina, but I will turn to Marga and smile and just: Like old times, huh?

MARISHA: Yeah. I don't know what he just did.

(laughter)

MATT: He shot down one of the two flying aerocudas.

MARISHA: Oh! Just like old times!

(laughter)

MATT: Awesome! That finishes your go. That brings us to Babs.

EMILY: Okay. What kind of weapons are these guys working with?

MATT: Well, the flying creatures have two claws beneath.

EMILY: Oh no, the people that we're with, that me and Dink are facing off with.

MATT: Oh, they both have bow and arrows, and from what you can see is one has a longsword on one side, and the other one has a two-handed sword.

EMILY: Okay, that's going to be good. So, I'm going to, I'm going to start whaling on one of them.

MATT: Go for it. The one with the longsword, or the two-handed sword, or the?

EMILY: Two-handed-- eh, the longsword.

MATT: Okay. All right, so it's your power versus its defense.

EMILY: Actually, maybe, hmm.

MATT: What's your power?

EMILY: I don't know if I can wield a two-handed sword. Am I allowed to wield a two-handed sword?

MATT: You can. You just have to drop your shield.

EMILY: Oh, I see. My power is two.

MATT: Two, okay. Its defense is minus two. That is going to be a, with the minus two, a six, that's a failure, so full damage. What's your damage going to do?

EMILY: Okay, five damage.

MATT: Five damage on the first hit. Poof! (grunting)

EMILY: All right.

MATT: That's a nice heavy chunk out of it.

EMILY: Okay, going at it again.

MATT: Again, it's going to try using another stamina to dodge. That is going to be, eight minus two, six again, same roll, failure again, another five damage.

EMILY: Five more damage. Going at it again!

MATT: (grunting) It's looking--

OMAR: Yes!

MATT: -- pretty dang hurt now.

EMILY: Hey! I'm getting the impression you like this, and I'll do it again.

(laughter)

MATT: Another time? Yeah, it's going to have to spend its stamina to do that, to try and defend. It rolls the same exact rolls: six, two; six, two; six, two each time. Which with your two power means it's a-- with that, you finish it off.

EMILY and MARISHA: Yes!

MATT: The third hit, you strike it and actually knock it off the platform. (croaking scream, thuds) It lies there motionless on the ground, its weapon clattering to the ground on the platform.

EMILY: Okay, so I still have five stamina left, or four stamina.

MATT: Four stamina, okay.

EMILY: I still have four stamina left. Is it a free action to pick up the weapon?

MATT: It's a stamina to pick up an item.

EMILY: Okay, stamina to pick up the items.

MATT: Okay, so you get the-- this is the one-handed sword, right?

EMILY: Yeah.

MATT: There you go.

EMILY: Yeah, baby. Because I'm going to need you. So then, that's one, so now I'm down to three. Heck, while we're here, I'll try to attack this-- attach this lizalfos horn to it.

MATT: All right, spend another stamina to do that.

EMILY: Okay, I'll do my once a turn, I can do it with power and change out which trait I can use.

MATT: You got it.

MATT: Okay. Is that-- What is that? Okay, that's a one. Seven, eight, nine. Nine.

MATT: Nine, all right. So you succeed to attach it, you can choose to either to make it fragile, so it breaks after one use, or you can take a heart.

EMILY: I'll make it... I'll take the heart. I'll take the heart.

MATT: Okay, so, it cuts you a bit to attach it, but you do manage to affix it off, which does bring its uses to 10, because it does refill its--

OMAR and ROBBIE: Ooh!

MATT: -- durability when you attach something.

LIAM: Eyy!

EMILY: Then, I'm going to Power Guard.

MATT: Okay, okay.

EMILY: Then I'll have one more stamina left over.

MATT: You got it. So that's 2d6--

EMILY: Perfect Guard.

MATT: -- plus defense and courage.

EMILY: Well, it's pretty bad. What does that mean?

OMAR: (laughs)

EMILY: My defense and courage equal each other out, so I have five.

MATT: Five, okay. So your Perfect Defense doesn't really help. So essentially, your turn ends, and it doesn't take--

EMILY: I still got one stamina to defend.

MATT: Still got a stamina. Great.

EMILY: Okay.

MATT: Finishing your go, the standing aerocuda angrily screeches and begins to dart towards you. Well, it's going to spend a stamina to fly over to where your direction is, and it's going to reach out at you with its claws. (scratching) Do you have any stamina to defend?

OMAR: Yeah, I've got two more, so I'm good.

MATT: Two more, if you want to roll defense against it.

OMAR: All right.

MATT: Its power is one, so whatever you roll, minus one.

OMAR: Okay. So that's going to be a nine.

MATT: A nine, okay. So you take half damage, you take one heart as it strikes across you with the claws. (slashes) It's going to use another stamina to try and strike at you again.

OMAR: Okay. I'm going to roll against that.

MATT: Go for it.

OMAR: Ooh, okay. That's going to just be a four.

MATT: A four is a failure. You take two hearts as it strikes you with the claws again, arcing through you twice.

OMAR: Okay.

MATT: It's going to hold its last stamina to defend itself.

OMAR: Okay.

MATT: That finishes its go. That brings us to Marga.

MARISHA: Okay. I'm near Tota.

MATT: Mm-hmm. Just seeing this, aero-- What?

MATT: Aerocuda.

MARISHA: Aerocuda come up, just for flavor, but I want to use my bow. I'm going to dodge out of the way, and take one of my electric arrows, and stab it in the back of its neck.

OMAR: Oh!

MATT: Awesome!

OMAR: That's rad!

(laughter)

MARISHA: And it can't defend.

MATT: It can't defend against your arrow.

MARISHA: Right.

MATT: Which it has-- So yeah, it just takes damage on that. So, what's the full damage on that?

MARISHA: Six damage.

MATT: Six damage.

OMAR: Aw, that's so good!

MATT: As you strike it--

EMILY: Then it'll get electrocuted, right?

MATT: (crackling) through it. (distressed croaks) As you see it trying to fly, it dips about two or three feet before it picks itself back up, it's looking real hurt.

MARISHA: As it dips, I'm going to then pull another and fire.

OMAR: Yes!

EMILY: Yeah!

MATT: You got it. It can't defend, so with that--

MARISHA: Just spent the three uses.

MATT: This next shot, (shoop) strikes it in the side of the jaw, and you watch it, (burbles) (thuds) slam into the ground. About 20 feet down it lands, and (thuds) onto the ground, no longer moving.

OMAR: Okay, that's new.

MARISHA: Aw. I just feel so emboldened by all of you. Which maybe now is a good time to ask, do you want to maybe try again?

OMAR: I wouldn't be opposed to it, I think that's not a bad idea.

MARISHA: Okay.

OMAR: Yeah.

MARISHA: All right, we'll talk about it later.

OMAR: Okay, yeah, you're right. Let's take care of this first, save the folks.

MARISHA: Yeah.

OMAR: Yeah, okay, great! Yeah.

LIAM: Wait, wait, I'm below you here. Yeah!

(laughter)

EMILY: Kiss! Kiss each other!

MATT: All right, Yolo, it's your turn.

LIAM: Help me with my mind palace.

MATT: So you--

LIAM: What's left?

MATT: You're down in the grass.

LIAM: Yes.

MATT: There is one bokoblin at the bottom structure, which takes about a stamina to get there. I'm going to say it's one stamina to move from place to place.

LIAM: Yeah.

MATT: This middle structure, you don't-- It's an open door, but you don't know what's in there yet. The big hut up top hasn't been opened yet.

LIAM: But to get to anything up top, there's a bokoblin.

MATT: There's one bokoblin that's currently engaged in battle with you at the moment. Both of you, actually, because you went up to that first structure.

LIAM: Aw man. Well.

EMILY: But have at it, of course.

LIAM: Yeah, I'm going to come running up.

MATT: You come darting up the wooden steps, up the stronghold structure, towards that one already-- Oh, no, this one hasn't been damaged yet.

EMILY: No.

MATT: It's just standing free. It's starting to drop, or put its bow and arrow to the side, and reach for its two-handed weapon now that it's been assaulted from the front.

EMILY: (laughs)

LIAM: Okay. What's up, ding dong?

MATT: (snorting)

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Are you talking to me?

(laughter)

EMILY: Dink Donk would be a good name.

MARISHA: It would!

EMILY: It'd be a good nickname.

LIAM: I'm not going to do Battle Grace, so it's just a straight up attack.

MATT: Okay. Polearm, or--?

LIAM: Polearm, polearm.

MATT: Polearm, okay.

LIAM: Mm-hmm.

MATT: With this, it's going to try and defend. That is going to be an eight. What's your power?

LIAM: My power is one.

MATT: One. So it's a seven, so it takes half damage.

LIAM: Okay, so it takes four points, four hearts.

MATT: Four hearts from a hit. (slobbery snarling) It's a heavy hit.

LIAM: So, I swipe up under his chin, and then bring the butt of it right into this creature's sternum, and I will hit again.

MATT: Okay, it's spending another stamina to try and defend. Oof, double ones, that's a fail. So, eight damage?

LIAM: Eight.

MATT: Ooh, heavy strike. (distressed squeals) You lift it in the air a little bit, it's pierced under its side, and it's (furious snarling) growling at you.

LIAM: It's still going?

MATT: Yeah, it's still going. It's really hurt, but it's angry now. Its little short pig-like nose, and its ears flapping.

(snarling)

EMILY: Try diplomacy.

LIAM: Oh man.

(laughter)

LIAM: Just for flavor, I keep the polearm's butt pressing it into the wall, and I grab my boomerang, and go (huah!) from two feet away.

MATT: It's going to use a stamina to try and dodge that.

LIAM: Yep.

MATT: That's a fail.

OMAR: (gasps)

MATT: As you hold against the wall and throw it, it's like, (grunting) (smack)

(laughter)

MATT: It goes--

LIAM: Yeah, I'll take that back.

(laughter)

LIAM: So, that was move, attack, attack, attack. So, that's four, I have two left. Hmm, hmm. I have no idea what's above.

MATT: Correct.

LIAM: I'm going to do a Perfect Guard.

MATT: Do it. Go ahead and roll.

LIAM: And hold.

MARISHA: Perfect gerd.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: It's a perper-berper.

MARISHA: Perper gerd.

MATT: All right.

(laughter)

MATT: Finishing your turn.

LIAM: Doing a perfect gerd, holding my Herblin Hern.

(laughter)

MATT: The central hut opens up, and you see another bokoblin out there. (snarls) Pulls its bow and arrow and gets it ready. At the top, the larger structure, two bokoblins pull out of the side.

MARISHA: Oh man.

MATT: Looking out angrily. (growls) They all bring out their bow and arrow, and they're going to fire. It's going to be-- Actually, they just saw you kill the other one horribly, it's going to get two shots at you.

LIAM: Sure.

MATT: One of them is, at least. It's going to get one, two shots at you.

LIAM: Okay, so for the first one, I will use my Expert Training. Oh nope, can't. That only works with a friend, so I'll just defend.

MATT: Okay.

LIAM: Because I have one stamina left.

MATT: So, two shots out with you. So yeah, so you can make-- One you can try and roll defense against.

LIAM: Right, so here it goes. That is a seven.

MATT: A seven, so it's half damage, so you take one heart.

LIAM: Okay.

MATT: The other one you can't defend--

LIAM: Right.

MATT: So you take two more hearts.

LIAM: (popping)

ROBBIE: Oof.

MATT: So, that's three hearts to you there. Then it's going to be two shots at you and two shots at you.

OMAR: (gasps)

MATT: These are the other two that have just emerged. I will say, the two at the top, because they are far away, I'll let you roll three dice and drop the lowest for defending against those two.

EMILY: I only have one stamina left, so that's, so I only have one defend, right?

MATT: Exactly. So, one of them, you roll.

MARISHA: Are you real bad?

ROBBIE: No.

MARISHA: Okay.

EMILY: I got an 11.

MATT: An 11 means you dodge entirely.

(shifting)

EMILY: Hoo!

MATT: You do take two hearts from the second one that does catch you, though.

MARISHA: Oof.

EMILY: Okay, I can handle it.

MATT: Then for you?

ROBBIE: I'm just looking at the ceiling.

(laughter)

MATT: (shh) (arrows twang)

ROBBIE: Ah!

MATT: You take four hearts from the two arrows.

OMAR: Ooh!

LIAM: Oh!

EMILY: No!

MARISHA: Can you eat things that aren't rocks?

ROBBIE: I can eat whatever you want.

MARISHA: Okay, that's--

(laughter)

OMAR: What do you need?

MARISHA: Are you-- How many hearts do you have?

ROBBIE: Two.

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: Okay.

ROBBIE: I'm good, though!

MARISHA: How many hearts do you have? Two.

MATT: So, now you hear from above.

(deep growling)

LIAM: Oh.

MATT: (roar) The tent opens and you see, barreling through, the largest bokoblin you've ever seen.

ALL: Oh.

MATT: What looks to be the boss leader of this troop sitting in the center of the stronghold emerges. You can see its massive, pig-like nose, its green turquoise skin. Its tongue lolling out to one side, as it has a headdress with an axe blade on the back of it. Carrying a massive, massive club. You can see, it currently steps out, flanking the other two bokoblins at the top. (violent snarls and snorts) It's going to spend a stamina to throw one of its bokoblins. It grabs one of them by my head, and goes-- (squealing)

MARISHA: That's awesome!

EMILY: Oh!

MATT: (forceful whoosh) It's going to chuck it over towards, well, you guys are both flying in the air above, it's going to throw the first one at you.

OMAR: Okay.

EMILY: Oh! (laughs)

MATT: Do you have any stamina to defend?

OMAR: I don't believe I do.

MATT: You--

MARISHA: Oh no.

MATT: Take four hearts.

EMILY: (gasps) No!

LIAM: Oh!

MATT: (foomp-boof)

OMAR: Yeah, that takes me out.

LIAM: You're down.

EMILY and MARISHA: No!

MATT: You watch-- You watch as the bokoblin slams into Tota.

MARISHA: We're having this intimate moment.

MATT: Yep!

MARISHA: He gets bokoblinned?

OMAR: So, are you thinking a dinner, or--?

MARISHA: Yeah, maybe.

MATT: Boof!

MARISHA: Oh!

(laughter)

MARISHA: What? Divine beasts in the sky, what?

(laughter)

EMILY: The last thing he said was, "I am not opposed to it."

(laughter)

MATT: I will say--

MARISHA: I will never forget their last words.

MATT: The bokoblin also takes four hearts from the impact as you both plummet to the ground, pff.

MATT: You're unconscious, the bokoblin gets back up.

MARISHA: Oh!

MATT: (slobbery snarls) Tries to give you a hard time from above now that you're no longer moving.

OMAR: Oh, jerk.

MATT: That's one stamina for him. It's going to spend another stamina to run down the platform, (heavy footsteps) to get to the second platform where the other bokoblin is. (commanding snarls) It's going to shout to the one next to it, and it's going to use that for Defensive Formation. The other bokoblin next to him is going to get in front to try and defend the boss. It's going to save the rest of its stamina.

OMAR: Oh.

MATT: That brings us now to Dink's go.

ROBBIE: (grunts)

MARISHA: It's top of the turn, so all of our stamina recharges, right?

MATT: Correct. Well, it's top of your turn, it recharges.

MARISHA: Top of your turn.

MATT: Correct.

MARISHA: Okay.

ROBBIE: Ooh, I don't feel so good. What? What is that sound? I'm going to run upstairs toward with the enemy, the closest one.

(laughter)

MATT: Okay, the closest one to you is going to be either the small bokoblin that's defending the boss, or the boss itself. It's now in the middle platform now. So you glance over and see there's a massive bokoblin boss.

ROBBIE: Oh no!

MATT: (snarling)

ROBBIE: (uncertain babbling)

(laughter)

ROBBIE: (groans) I only know how to do one thing. Hmm, I should probably do it.

EMILY: (laughs)

ROBBIE: I'll take a swing at the little guy.

OMAR and EMILY: Yes.

MATT: The little guy, okay.

ROBBIE: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

MATT: All right, so he's going to-- He only has one defense left, so he's going to make it.

OMAR: Control, we can control.

MATT: That's a five, it's a failure. How much damage is that?

ROBBIE: That is a ocho.

MATT: Eight damage. A big old chunk! (slices) Through that guy.

(snarls)

ROBBIE: Fool me once, you just-- Mm.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: I stand my ground right in front of the big guy--

MATT: You got it.

ROBBIE: -- and save two stamina.

MATT: Okay, you got it.

OMAR: Ooh.

MATT: Stamina is saved. Ending your turn, that brings it to Tota, who is unconscious on the ground.

OMAR: Mm-hmm.

EMILY: No!

OMAR: They're down.

MATT: Unfortunately, you're down. Babs, you're up next.

EMILY: Okay. There isn't a way for us to feed them, right?

MATT: I'll say, if you have an herb or something--

EMILY: I don't.

(laughter)

MARISHA: I have this golden apple, so I'll jump on that.

EMILY: Okay.

MARISHA: You do what you do best.

MATT: I'll allow it for the purposes of this.

EMILY: I'm going to run, I'm going to take out the decayed one-handed sword that I just stole, and I'm going to run and go after the big guy's weapon.

MATT: Okay.

EMILY: With my Structural Weakness.

LIAM: Ooh!

MATT: Ooh, okay. So it's a stamina to rush up to him.

EMILY: Yeah.

MATT: All right, so you get up to it, and you're going to spend one to try and break his weapon.

EMILY: Yeah, so I'm down a--

MATT: This massive, two-handed, club-like thing.

EMILY: I'm coming for that weapon.

OMAR and LIAM: (laugh)

EMILY: Okay, that's going to just be a full failure.

MATT: Oh no!

(laughter)

EMILY: It doesn't say that--

MARISHA: Okay, let's just--

ROBBIE: Okay!

EMILY: It doesn't say what happens when it's a full failure.

MATT: No, it just fails. It just spends a stamina.

EMILY: Okay, I'm going to keep doing it.

MATT: Okay.

EMILY: Because I believe in me.

ROBBIE: (laughs)

EMILY: That's also going to be failure. Wait! Wait, wait wait.

MATT: It parries.

EMILY: This is a seven, so.

MATT: A seven is a mixed success.

EMILY: Yeah, seven to nine, the monster's weapon is destroyed, but you must choose one of the following complications.

MATT: Uh-huh.

EMILY: So I'm going to lose one stamina.

MATT: Yes, you--

EMILY: But then it says that it destroys his weapon.

MATT: You sunder the massive two-handed club.

MARISHA: Yes!

MATT: (slices)

(snarls)

MARISHA: Yes!

MATT: (growls) Spittle into your face.

EMILY: Ugh! Does he have another weapon on his back?

MATT: No.

OMAR: (gasps)

EMILY: Okay.

MATT: He's just got his fists now.

EMILY: Are there any other weapons around?

MATT: Other bokoblins.

EMILY: I want to--

(laughter)

EMILY: You're right. Where are the other bokoblins?

MATT: Man, good you did that because that thing does seven hearts on a hit.

ALL: Whoa!

EMILY: I think I'm going to take maybe just one swing at him because it would take a stamina to get to any other bokoblins, right?

MATT: There's one bokoblin right next to him.

EMILY: Okay, yeah, then I'm going to take a swing on that guy.

MATT: Okay, yeah, and that one is one that you already hit hard, so, that's defense on that, it has one stamina. No, I think it already tried to defend to you and failed, so it doesn't have any stamina left. So, you do your damage to it.

EMILY: Okay, so that's five damage.

MATT: Five damage to it. (grunts and whimpers) It's extremely hurt, it's on one knee, going. (snorting) It's looking back up at its boss like (whimpers)

EMILY: Okay, I will--

MATT: (growls)

(laughter)

EMILY: I'm down to three stamina, and I--

MARISHA: Do we have workman's comp?

EMILY: I look to him, and I say: This is not a safe workplace.

MARISHA: Yes, yes!

EMILY: OSHA needs to shut this down!

(laughter)

EMILY: Then I'm going to use another stamina to swing on him again.

MATT: You got it. All right, can't defend, it takes the hit. With that, you (thuds)! (whimpers) (thuds) That bokoblin is taken out.

EMILY: Then I'm saving my two stamina to defend.

MATT: You got it.

OMAR: Babs is our generation's Rosie the Riveter, I love this.

MARISHA: It's so true!

OMAR: Unionize, unionize!

EMILY: Look at him, your boss doesn't respect you; he throws you!

(laughter)

EMILY: Hudson would never.

MATT: Awesome.

EMILY: He gives us three months of vacation.

OMAR: Capitalist subordinate to the work itself!

MATT: All right, finishing that go, Marga, you're up.

MARISHA: Okay, I am going to immediately swoop down, as the person I was having a conversation with just dropped out of my field of vision.

(laughter)

MARISHA: So, I swoop down to Tota.

MATT: There's a bokoblin standing over, going. (huffing)

MARISHA: Oh, there's a bokoblin here?

MATT: Bokoblin that got thrown into him, and they both landed, and hit the ground.

MARISHA: The bokoblin is still alive?

MATT: Yeah, it's hurt. A little bit, but it's--

OMAR: It's standing right over them.

MATT: It's full-on practically teabagging, it's--

MARISHA: Okay. I'm going to take an arrow, and I'm going to dive bomb, and come down on top of it.

MATT: Okay.

MARISHA: Once it can't defend.

MATT: It can't defend against the arrow, that's right. Yeah, so how much damage does that deal?

MARISHA: Six.

MATT: Six, woof. (whooshes) (thuds) (yelps) The flames (whoosh). Is it electric or flame?

MARISHA: Electric.

MATT: Electric, you slam into it. (crackles) (snarls) It hits the ground. It's going to roll, nope, it maintains its weapon, and it stands here, turns around.

MARISHA: Still up?

MATT: (huffing) It's looking rough.

MARISHA: Okay, the point blank, poof, fire it again.

MATT: It can't resist it. With that arrow--

MARISHA: Nope, got one use left.

MATT: It's six damage, right?

MARISHA: Yeah.

MATT: (thuds) (groans) Poof, and crumbles, and full on spread out in the middle of the grass field next to the also mirroring, spread out Tota.

MARISHA: Okay, I'm going to take out my golden apple, and like a pig at a luau, just shove it right into Tota.

MATT: (chomping)

MARISHA: Yeah, take his beak, and just, Tota, this has been a game of Tota just having people feed them.

MATT: It's funny. The bird isn't feeding Tota the way that--

MARISHA: It's, yeah.

(laughter)

MATT: Dink did, that's true--

EMILY: Dink kind of set up how to feed Tota.

(laughter)

EMILY: So, I don't know if you would.

MARISHA: I saw Dink do this.

(laughter)

MARISHA: He thinks it's cultural, but it's not!

(laughter)

MARISHA: It's just gross. But it works!

MATT: All right, so how many hearts does that convey?

MARISHA: Eight.

OMAR: Whoa!

MATT: Oh, is that the--

MARISHA: Because this is the one that I rolled a d4 on.

MATT: That's right!

MARISHA: The cooked golden apple.

MATT: So you heal eight, and any that are over, depending-- what's your max heart?

OMAR: Five is my max.

MATT: Five, so you have three bonus hearts on top of that.

OMAR: Ooh!

ROBBIE: Wow!

LIAM: Lose one for mild nausea.

(laughter)

OMAR: Great! I wake up to this.

(laughter)

MATT: Yeah, you--

MARISHA: (gags)

(laughter)

ROBBIE: It's fun, right?

(laughter)

MARISHA: (weak noise) So dinner?

OMAR: Yeah!

MARISHA: Okay.

(laughter)

OMAR: As I, yeah, clamber to my feet.

MARISHA: Okay.

OMAR: Yeah! Yeah! Maybe a nice stroll or--

MARISHA: Yeah.

OMAR: -- flight?

MARISHA: Don't log that to your permanent memory, what you just saw.

OMAR: The-- I-- Saw what?

MARISHA: Don't.

OMAR and MARISHA: (awkward laughter)

MARISHA: Are there any monster parts?

OMAR: Oh yeah! Yeah!

MARISHA: I'm going to scout.

OMAR: Babs would be upset if we didn't look for some jewelry.

MARISHA: Yeah.

EMILY: Keep the parts!

(laughter)

MARISHA: Anything from bokul-- From bo-bo-bo--

MATT: Indeed. From the bokoblin?

MARISHA: Bokoblin!

MATT: And from the--

MARISHA: The aerocudas?

(laughter)

ROBBIE: You okay? You all right?

MARISHA: I never know how to say it! (laughter) Ooh!

MATT: There you go.

MARISHA: Okay. Did it take a stamina to feed him?

MATT: Yes, and it takes a stamina to pick up items in the middle of the battle.

MARISHA: Oh my gosh! That's so much stanima!

EMILY: Stanima!

MATT: (laughs)

MARISHA: Okay. Can I try and attach this aerocuda eyeball to my bow and re--

MATT: Does it already have something attached to it?

MARISHA: It does, but does that... Do I have to use the last one of it and then go, or can I just scrap it and replace it to get it refreshed back up to its uses?

MATT: Well, the bokoblin does have a decayed bow on it, technically.

MARISHA: Ooh!

MATT: I would say. So you would want to attach that, since it was firing with that.

MARISHA, ROBBIE, OMAR: Oh!

ROBBIE: Ah!

MATT: Sincey they were firing arrows at you from a distance.

MARISHA: Oh! Awesome!

OMAR: Oh yeah! That's right!

MATT: Yeah. So you could attach that, if you'd like.

MARISHA: Okay, I'll do that, and then I'll save my last stanima.

(laughter)

MATT: Go for it. Roll.

EMILY: It sounds right.

MARISHA: Come on! It does sound right.

OMAR: Yeah, it does.

MARISHA: Oh!

ROBBIE: Man, you cannot catch a break!

MARISHA: Oh!

MATT: The nerves are rattling you, watching your lifelong crush, who you just throat fed--

(laughter)

MATT: -- nearly die in the midst of this battle.

OMAR: (laughs)

ROBBIE: Just once.

MATT: Your hands are shaking and you can't quite attach it.

MARISHA: Ah! I need more time!

OMAR: You okay?

MATT: Going to save that stamina?

MARISHA: I'm great! I'm cool!

OMAR and EMILY: (laugh)

MARISHA: I'll save my last stanima.

MATT: You got it. All right. Yolo, you're up.

LIAM: All right. I know that I just downed one. Is the boss and his little bodyguard a level above me or right in front of me?

MATT: The boss, they're... The bodyguard's dead now.

LIAM: Oh yeah?

MATT: The boss is one level up from where you were.

LIAM: Okay. Okay, I yell out: If I don't make it, there's always a treasure chest on the third floor! I run up--

MARISHA: That's true!

OMAR: Yeah. Yeah.

MATT and OMAR: (laugh)

LIAM: So I'll use movement to get to boss.

MATT: Okay.

LIAM: I will leap and spin in the air and just flare out the sides of my shark face and bear my sharp teeth to do Battle Grace.

MATT: All righty.

LIAM: (growls) How much do I want to use? That was six, then five. I have four left. Let's just go one thing at a time here. I attack!

MATT: You attack the boss?

LIAM: Yes.

MATT: Bokoblin? All right. He's going to spend a stamina to defend. What's your power?

LIAM: My power is one.

MATT: His defense is one, so it's a straight roll. That's going to be a fail. How much damage do you deal?

LIAM: Eight.

MATT: Eight damage. (crashing) (growls) He just eats it and growls back at you.

OMAR: Ooh!

LIAM: I dance back and forth, and then I just wing up the side of the polearm and right under the guy's neck and chin.

MATT: All right, spend another stamina to defend. That is going to be a 10.

MARISHA: Oh!

MATT: Instead of dodging, he just grabs the polearm and almost lifts you up a little bit.

(chuckles)

LIAM: (groans) No, I'm going to Perfect Guard. I'm going to Perfect Guard.

MATT: Okay.

LIAM: I'll grip that polearm and just hold in place.

MATT: (growls)

LIAM: Swing against.

MATT: You see he's staring at you with one eye, and the other one curls off on its own to the side, like it's searching for a nearby weapon to try and re-arm itself now that its main weapon got destroyed. All right, roll for your Perfect Guard. 2d6 plus defense and courage.

LIAM: 2d6. Right there, it is six, seven, eight, nine, 10.

MATT: 10. Great! That's one automatic dodge for the next attack that comes to you. All right. The standing bokoblin that's up at the top is going to spend, gets its stamina back. It's going to spend one to rush down with its one-handed sword out, (snorts) charges back down towards the crew of the three of you. You're currently engaged. It's probably going to come after you.

EMILY: Yeah.

MATT: Do you have any stamina?

EMILY: Two.

MATT: Two? All right, it's going to make one strike with its sword for another stamina.

EMILY: So I do a defense?

MATT: Defense roll.

OMAR: Yes!

EMILY: Six.

MATT: Six. That's a failure. Two hearts as it (growls) gets one huge strike against you.

EMILY: Okay. Bring it on again.

OMAR: Oh, that's a good system.

MATT: It's going to use its last stamina to get one more strike against you.

LIAM: Oh, come on! Roll! Roll big!

MARISHA: Come on!

OMAR: Come on!

LIAM: Come on, Babs!

EMILY: I'm trying to use my shield.

LIAM: Yes!

OMAR: (claps)

EMILY: 12!

MATT: 12. The second strike, it hits you once, goes back for a second time and you just (whooshes) Just (metal clanging).

EMILY: I work for Hudson!

(laughter)

MATT: (growling screech) Looks genuinely frightened in your face.

(laughter)

MATT: Awesome! Finishing the bokoblin's turn, it brings it back to the boss bokoblin who gets all its stamina back.

LIAM: Oh, great!

MATT: (laughs)

LIAM: Cool

MATT: He's looking around for a weapon, grabs the bokoblin right next to it.

LIAM: Oh boy!

MATT: And just goes (snorts) and he's going to go (whooshes) and bludgeon you with its own bokoblin.

ALL: Oh!

LIAM: I will use the Perfect Guard for the automatic save on that.

ALL: Yes!

MATT: It does release the polearm in doing so and it swings while you (whooshes) deflect it off. The bokoblin's like (squeals).

EMILY and ROBBIE: (laugh)

MATT: -- pulls it back. (growls) (whooshes) and then tries to backhand you with it.

LIAM: Okay. Defense! Nope. Six.

MARISHA: Oh!

MATT: Six. You take four hearts.

LIAM: I'm out.

(screaming)

MATT: You watch as Yolo--

LIAM: Remember the treasure chest!

EMILY: Yolo!

MATT: (whooshes)

MARISHA: Yolo!

MATT: Just arcs off the secondary platform and plummets about 15 feet, vanishing into the grass field below. It's at this point in time, a heavy rain begins to drop from above, (light whooshes) the storm taking the field. That is--

MARISHA: Wait, the storm that we were running from has now caught up to us?

MATT: Yeah.

MARISHA and OMAR: (gasp)

MARISHA: What does it mean?

MATT: It's just rain in the field. Weather happens.

MARISHA: Weather happens!

EMILY: No!

(laughter)

MATT: With this, it's going to, standing there, looking at the rest of you in the space. Some of you guys are way over in the field. It's not even worried about you. It's going to take the current bokoblin it bludgeoned you with and it's going to try and slam it overhead towards you, Babs.

EMILY: Okay.

OMAR: Oh!

EMILY: I have no stamina to defend myself.

OMAR: No!

MATT: That's four hearts.

OMAR: No!

EMILY: I only had one left.

MATT: (whooshes)

EMILY: Yolo was right! You really only live a--

LIAM and EMILY: - single time!

(laughter)

EMILY: Tell my twin sons I love them.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Wait, wait, wait!

MARISHA: Wait, what?

ROBBIE: You're a mom?

(laughter)

MARISHA: Is that a deal breaker for you?

ROBBIE: No, actually! I've never been asked before!

(laughter)

ROBBIE: I think I'm open to it!

(laughter)

ROBBIE: I'd be a good dad. Step-daddy Dink!

(laughter)

EMILY: Yeah, step-Dink!

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Step-Dink! It's me, your step-Dink!

MATT: He's going to drop the bokoblin and then go and save the rest of its stamina to defend itself.

MARISHA: Oh wow!

MATT: Finishing the boss's turn, Dink, you're up.

OMAR: How much stamina--

MATT: With Tota on deck. Oh, he's got some stamina.

LIAM: A real baddy.

OMAR: My goodness!

LIAM: Big old bossy.

ROBBIE: (screams) Babs!

EMILY and ROBBIE: (laugh)

ROBBIE: Run in front of her. (sobs) You are not a nice guy!

(laughter)

ROBBIE: I take a big swing at him.

MATT: All righty. What's your power?

ROBBIE: My power is one.

MATT: One. Okay, his defense is one. It's a straight roll, That is a 10!

ROBBIE and OMAR: Woo!

MARISHA: Oh!

MATT: (whooshes) He just dodges out of the way and knocks the blade to the side--

MARISHA: What?

MATT: He rolled really well.

(growls)

ROBBIE: You know what? I might not be the toughest guy around, but I'm one tough guy.

(laughter)

OMAR: Yes!

ROBBIE: I'm going to stand in front of Babs and put my Perfect Guard up.

LIAM: Aw!

MATT: Okay.

ROBBIE: And end my turn.

MARISHA: Aw!

MATT: All right. So you spend a stamina and roll 2d6 plus your courage and your defense.

MARISHA: Oh!

ROBBIE: Oh, courage and defense!

MATT: Yes.

ROBBIE: Okay. Seven.

MATT: Seven. Okay. So you have one ability to halve the damage of an attack that comes in.

ROBBIE: Yeah.

MATT: All right. Ending Dink's go, Tota, you're up.

OMAR: I take to the air.

MATT: (whooshes)

OMAR: Can I fly past these two on my way over to the big boss?

MATT: Yeah. I mean, yeah. These two here, you mean?

OMAR: Yeah.

MATT: Yeah. He's still right next to the big boss right there. She's unconscious on the ground in front of him. So he's right there, currently with the other bokoblin right next to him. Yeah, you can totally. It'll take a stamina to fly there, but yeah.

OMAR: Great! So I'm going to a stamina to fly, a stamina to fly over there as I ready my last use of my decayed bow.

MATT: Okay.

OMAR: Aiming at the boss. Without making eye contact and maintaining my glare with the boss--

MATT: (snarls)

OMAR: I say: Dink! You want to know a secret?

ROBBIE: Yeah.

OMAR: Babs loves talking about construction.

ROBBIE: Yeah?

OMAR: The secret part is, I think, Babs would to talk about construction with you.

ROBBIE: That's more like advice! But I get where you're coming from.

OMAR: Okay.

ROBBIE: The secret advice--

OMAR: There's a secret folded into that.

ROBBIE: Yeah!

MATT: (confused growl)

OMAR: Absolutely. But I would recommend, now it is advice. I gave a secret, but talk to her about construction.

ROBBIE: I promise I will!

OMAR: Okay. (whooshes) I let it go.

MATT: You hear--

MARISHA: Yes!

MATT: (confused grunts) This confused expression across the boss bokoblin. As it suddenly sees you fire the arrow, (grunts) spins to try and defend itself. It only has one stamina left. That is a fail with a four.

ROBBIE: Yay!

(clapping)

MATT: So how much damage do you deal?

OMAR: That is a total of five damage.

MATT: Five damage.

OMAR: My bow and arrow shatter.

MATT: (smashing) Breaks in your grasp as the arrow's leashed. Is the additional damage any type of damage in particular?

OMAR: It is fire damage.

MATT: Fire damage? Go ahead and roll a d6.

OMAR: Okay. That's a five.

MATT: It's a five. Okay. No worries.

OMAR: But also, I was firing from the air.

MATT: Indeed.

OMAR: Because I have that advantage.

MARISHA: Come on. Six!

OMAR: That's a four.

MARISHA: Oh.

MATT: Okay, no worries. But good looking out. Okay. So (growls). Now it looks angry.

OMAR: I burn another stamina to pull out my sword.

MATT: Okay.

MARISHA: (gasps) A sword?

EMILY: Yeah!

OMAR: I've got a sword.

ROBBIE: Sw-ord?

OMAR: I've got a little sw-ord and I'm going to do an air-based attack of bringing down the sword into the big boss that I learned from watching you.

MATT: Awesome! All right, so he can't defend himself because he has no more stamina. So you just go ahead and-- How much damage do you deal?

OMAR: That's two.

MATT: Two damage onto that. All right.

LIAM: Shink!

MATT: (grunts) Starting to show a little wear and tear.

MARISHA: Oh!

EMILY: Ugh!

OMAR: Just a little.

MARISHA: Oh no!

OMAR: That was an air attack, so let me--

MATT: Yeah.

OMAR: That's a two.

MATT: Okay.

OMAR: (sighs) These are my friends. We've been through a lot in just one day. The world is falling apart. I should play it smart.

EMILY: (whispers)

OMAR: (laughs)

MARISHA: Well, that's true.

EMILY: Off of my dead body.

OMAR: Oh!

EMILY: My sword off my dead body.

OMAR: Could I use a stamina to pick up the sword and my last stamina to use it?

MATT: Yeah, you can.

MARISHA: (laughs) Conveniently holding it.

OMAR: 100%--

MATT and ROBBIE: (laugh)

OMAR: -- reach down, still in the air, pick it up. (grunts) For Babs.

MARISHA: Yeah!

MATT: All right!

(laughter)

MATT: All right, and with the strike, it has a more defense. It doesn't expect you to reach down. It's expecting to try and move away from the one sword as you actually reach down and grab the other and swing with it. How much damage does it deal?

OMAR: How much damage does this deal?

EMILY: Five.

OMAR: Five total.

MATT: Ooh!

EMILY: It's the last use of it.

OMAR: It's the last use.

MATT: (crashing) It slams in and breaks off inside its chest.

OMAR: That's a six. I'm still in the air. Still floating.

MATT: Still in the air.

MARISHA: Oh, double damage!

OMAR: So that's double damage.

MARISHA: Double damage.

ROBBIE: Yeah!

LIAM: Woo!

MARISHA: It finally worked!

MATT: There it is.

EMILY: Yeah!

MATT: So it's broken off in its shoulder. (grunts) It's starting to look pretty hurt now.

OMAR: Great!

LIAM: Oh!

OMAR: I'll follow that up with a second: For Babs!

ROBBIE and EMILY: (laugh)

OMAR: And I can't move. I'm there, right in its face.

MATT: All right, there you are. Babs is unconscious. Marga, it's your turn.

MARISHA: For Babs!

(laughter)

MARISHA: I dart out.

ROBBIE: Isn't Yolo also dead?

MARISHA: Yeah. Oh yeah!

(laughter)

MARISHA: Oh, and Yolo!

(laughter)

ROBBIE: For Babs!

MARISHA: For Babs!

ROBBIE: He's dead in the bushes.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: What about me?

OMAR: You're the one who rushed up heroically!

(laughter)

MATT: It's a hard knock life here in Hyrule.

MARISHA: Yeah.

(laughter)

OMAR: I'm so sorry!

(laughter)

OMAR: As it's raining, I'm like.

(laughter)

MARISHA: Yeah, he'll be fine.

(laughter)

MARISHA: Is big boss man standing next to one of those barrels?

MATT: Technically? Actually, if you want to try and make a wisdom test to see if you see one. There wasn't one on the outside.

MARISHA: Okay, I get my... There wasn't one?

MATT: You didn't see one on the outskirts. It was on the upper one and the lower one.

MARISHA: Okay.

MATT: But you can make a--

MARISHA: Is this a stamina to do it?

MATT: 2d6 plus wisdom.

MARISHA: Or just a check?

MATT: This will be a stamina, if you want to look for other possibilities.

MARISHA: Oh, well, I already rolled it. Four, five, six, seven, eight.

MATT: Eight? Okay. You do see, on the inside of the tent where he is standing, there is a cluster of materials. You're uncertain of what they are, but there is something behind him that's partially poking out of the tent opening.

MARISHA: Okay. I'm going to fly up, I'm going to just exhale. I'm going to use my last electric arrow to see if I can shoot the barrel, whizz right past him into the tent and see if I can ignite something and just hope and pray.

MATT: Okay, roll a power or courage test to steady your aim.

MARISHA: Courage. Seven.

MATT: Seven is a mixed success, so you fire in (whooshes) it arcs over, hits one of the barrels, (explosion) and detonates. The tent immediately explodes from that side, right behind the boss bokoblin. (crashing) (growls) It gets flung over the unconscious body of Babs and right over you, plummeting to the ground below. I'll say, what's the damage of your weapon?

MARISHA: Six.

MATT: Six damage. I'll say he takes six damage from that strike before landing on the ground (crashing) off to the side. As a mixed success, the currently tied-up individual that was also inside there, you watch go flying out the other side and go (screams) into the field.

EMILY: (laughs)

MARISHA: It's hard in Hyrule.

(laughter)

MATT: The other--

LIAM: One of that guy's buddies!

(laughter)

MATT: The other regular bokoblin who's next also gets knocked off onto the middle of the bridge that connects to the lower platform and (snarls) catches on, and he takes the same damage. You definitely blew open that middle platform

MARISHA: The big baddy is still alive?

MATT: Yep.

MARISHA: Oh yeah!

OMAR: Was that an aerial attack? Does that count?

MARISHA: Oh, it does! So I can roll. Give me a six, baby! It's not a six. It was a five.

MATT: But worth looking out.

MARISHA: So close. Okay. I don't have any food! (screams) Are there any other bokoblins up top?

MATT: No, they all got thrown. There's only one left that's in the middle of the bridge that just got blown over to the side, or there's the boss on the ground.

MARISHA: Okay, I am going to dart. I'm going to be like: Remember what Yolo said! And go look for the chest at the top.

OMAR: Oh!

MATT: Okay. You spend a stamina to fly up there.

LIAM: Oh yeah, it's that guy!

MARISHA: Yes.

OMAR: Oh!

(laughter)

MARISHA: Give me some dang lamb shank! Give me food, give me something, give me anything!

MATT: You go inside there and you can see there's a large, nasty throne that's built out of bone and wood and scraps and you can see there's leather bundles, but there is a chest that's sitting right next to it. Do you want to spend a stamina to open it?

MARISHA: Yes.

MATT: Okay. As you open that up, you get...

ROBBIE: Looking deep in the chest.

MARISHA: I know. It's taking a minute.

LIAM: The Master Sword.

ROBBIE: Plus pieces of paper.

OMAR: Three acorns.

ROBBIE: What?

EMILY: Three!

ROBBIE: Whoa!

MATT: Dazzlefruit, shock fruit, and a decayed two-handed sword.

OMAR: Ooh!

MARISHA: Okay. (inaudible reading) - up to three minutes. Wait, what? Okay, cooked. Okay. Take half damage from-- Oh great! Cool! Okay. I'm going to take the shock fruit and just punt it down and just spike it to the big boss guy and see if I can take him out.

MATT: Okay, so you just throw it down there? Just uses it.

MARISHA: Throwing it down.

MATT: Use it. Okay. What does it say for the shock fruit?

MARISHA: "A group of up to three enemies take three electric damage."

MATT: Three electric damage.

MATT: You chuck it down outside and it arcs. The boss, you hear (garbled groans).

MARISHA: Any bonus because it's raining?

MATT: (thud) (distressed squeals) (growls) Real angry, but very electrocuted.

(laughter)

MARISHA: (yells)

MATT: Roll a d6 for me.

MARISHA: Roll a d6?

EMILY: Oh, because it's aerial.

MARISHA: Three, no. No.

MATT: No, this is for electric. On a one, it does additional things.

EMILY: Oh.

MARISHA: Oh.

MATT: But yeah, he's on the ground still, (groans). He's looking real hurt.

MARISHA: Looking real hurt!

MATT: Does that finish your turn?

MARISHA: I got two stamina! Can I throw weapons?

MATT: You can throw it if you get close enough, but you'd probably have to spend more stamina to get close enough that you can do that.

MARISHA: Oh man. Okay. This attack costs-- Okay. All right. With my last two stamina--

EMILY: Yeah.

MARISHA: I'm going to take this two-handed hammer that's way too heavy for me.

EMILY: (laughs)

MARISHA: I'm going to realize it's too heavy.

MATT: (grunts)

MARISHA: Squat, use my legs, and I'm going to dive bomb.

EMILY: (laughs)

OMAR: Yes!

MARISHA: And try and let the hammer guide me--

MATT: (laughs)

MARISHA: -- head first and try and clock this guy in the head with all I got left. Screaming: Yolo!

(laughter)

MATT: He cannot dodge, so you come flying off the side--

MARISHA: Oh, because it's electrocuted?

MATT: No, because he has no more stamina.

MARISHA: Oh.

EMILY: Oh!

MATT: (slam) Slamming into him from above with a massive impact. (porcine groans) His arms go up. How much damage is that?

MARISHA: Five.

MATT: Five. (boom) The limbs fall to the side of the body and you stand there with the hammer on top of it, about to fall over and one of the hands grabs the hammer. (snarls)

MARISHA: No way!

MATT: (snarls)

EMILY: Oh!

MATT: (snarls) Starts laughing at you from below.

EMILY: What?!

MATT: That finishes your turn.

MARISHA: It does.

MATT: Yolo's done.

MARISHA: Also holding onto the hammer, seeing my fate.

MATT: It's now the boss' go. The boss gets his stamina back.

OMAR: Oh!

MATT: The boss, now handed a weapon--

EMILY: No!

MATT: -- a giant hammer, is going to make a strike at you.

MARISHA: Oh, this is not good.

OMAR: It's okay.

ROBBIE: Here you go.

MARISHA: (laughs)

MATT: Do you have any stamina?

EMILY: I think, Marga, that was the right move.

MARISHA: I don't. I don't. I was hoping that that would do it.

MATT: (swoosh) You watch Marga get slammed about five or six feet in the air as you take five hearts.

MARISHA: I'm out.

OMAR: No.

MATT: As Marga-- (splat).

EMILY: Join us, Marga.

(laughter)

MATT: -- hits the ground. The boss bokoblin gets up and glances around. Who's still standing?

OMAR: Me. I'm in the air.

MATT: You're in the air.

ROBBIE: Me, I think I'm second platform where he used to be before he got knocked off.

MATT: Okay, so he spent two stamina hitting you. He's going to use another one to rush up the side and is going to grab the bokoblin that's on the side and chuck it at you. Do you have any stamina to defend?

OMAR: No, no, I used all of it.

MATT: You take four hearts.

EMILY: (gasps)

MATT: (smack) As you're slammed with another bokoblin that takes four damage.

LIAM: This is a heart bath.

(laughter)

MATT: (screech) (thud) Onto the ground. Are you still standing?

OMAR: Yeah, I'm still up.

MARISHA: He ate that golden apple.

MATT: Oh, because of the--

OMAR: Because I had that temp.

MATT: -- the golden apple. Yep.

OMAR: Yeah, thank you.

MATT: That did it.

OMAR: Yes, that churned up.

MATT: Okay. He is now standing in the middle of the bridge now between the bottom and middle platform with you up in the air and you off to the side there and is clutching the hammer to one side. He's going to save his last stamina to defend and goes (snorts) and gives the taunting, "Come at me, bro" type hand motion. Dink, you're up.

MARISHA: It's on you, Dink.

ROBBIE: Looks like it's just you and me, secret buddy. (laughter) Think we can do this?

OMAR: Oh yeah.

ROBBIE: Oh yeah. Babs, if I had rocks to give you, I would.

MARISHA: Aw.

ROBBIE: I'll gently lay her head down. (battle cry) Then I'll start spinning--

OMAR: Yes!

ROBBIE: -- with the sword.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Yeah. I guess, do I have to cover distance or am I close enough to attack?

MATT: He's partway between. I'll say it's close enough where you don't have to spend a stamina to do that.

ROBBIE: Okay.

MATT: He does have one stamina. He's going to try and defend.

ROBBIE: Yep.

MATT: What's your power?

ROBBIE: One.

MATT: One? Defense is one, so it's a straight roll. That's a nine, so that's half damage.

ROBBIE: Okay.

MATT: How much damage do you deal?

ROBBIE: Eight.

MATT: Four. How do you want to do this?

ROBBIE: Whoa!

MARISHA: Yes!

ROBBIE: (laughs)

EMILY: (laughs)

ROBBIE: (yelling) I can't stop! He's just a human Cuisinart.

(laughter)

OMAR: Yes.

ROBBIE: He's just chopping and chopping.

MATT: He's trying to deflect it, like (clumsy clanks). (growls, gurgles) Then the bridge itself snaps from the spinning of your blade and as it falls on both sides, he falls back and lies there motionless in the rain in the grass as you catch the edge of the rope bridge as it swings back and with your arm on the side, blade in the other, you hang below looking down at the unconscious bokoblin. The remaining one that's still conscious that got thrown gets up and goes (whimpers) and goes from running off through the rain.

ROBBIE: I thought it was all pretend. I am a hero.

(discovery music)

ROBBIE: Pwing.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: A single tear.

(laughter)

MATT: So, with the immediate battle at hand come to an end, you gather your friends, shake them awake, bruised and sore. You collect the three surviving members of the Monster-Control Crew with Kadav, who rushes up and says "That was incredible. Thank you so much. I can't wait to tell everyone what we witnessed. I don't know why we're the Monster-Control Crew because obviously you're supposed to-- Anyway, let me go untie my friends." And one-by-one, you gather the rest of his allies. As the rain begins to slowly subside over the Hyrulean countryside, you glance over in the direction where you can see the outpost just beyond the ridge. There, the Skyview Tower greeting you home. Battered and sore, you all eventually cross the threshold into the interior fort walls and are immediately met with rushing members of the Hudson Construction Crew, of all the various researchers and soldiers and defenders and workers that bring the lively experience of being here at Lookout Landing together. They're asking questions and you share stories and in a moment of quiet and respite, you're brought over to one of the interior den-like resting spaces for the soldiers and are brought blankets and food and hot drink. Representatives of Purah are reaching out to call her to hear about the exploits of the research crew that managed to not just survive the upheaval, but return together. In this moment of quiet respite, you all take a moment to think on it and while everyone else is scattered amongst their business trying to gather all their necessities and prepare for whatever you require upon your return, you all have a quiet moment to talk.

LIAM: Start. Right-bumper. Save.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: What does that mean?

LIAM: I don't know.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: You guys were amazing!

MARISHA: So were you.

ROBBIE: I've never seen-- No way. (sputters) You were in the sky and you flew down and you wow-pow and you blew-- And you, wow, wow.

MARISHA: You kept doing your spinning.

EMILY: What happened? I was out of it for a lot of it. Did you do more of the polearm thing?

(laughs)

LIAM: (laughs) I feel like we were down and up so many times, I don't know if the zora were right.

ROBBIE: Well, but you did your part, you did the thing. You came out of the grass and you wa-cha, wa-cha and then yeah, you did the one thing you were supposed to do and you did it great.

LIAM: Did we get the chest on the third floor, though?

MARISHA: We did, we did.

LIAM: What was in it?

ROBBIE: Fruit.

MARISHA: I used one shock-- It was fruit.

ROBBIE: It was mostly fruit.

MARISHA: I used one shock fruit to try and (grunt) grenade the baddie and then there was also a big two-handed hammer in there that I kind of gave back to him accidentally.

EMILY: (laughs) Oh, I get it. Mind games. Like, hey, we're not done, want you to have a weapon.

MARISHA: Yeah, let's go.

EMILY: That's right.

MARISHA: That was the intention.

EMILY: That's good.

MATT: That was right. But the one thing that I still have left is this dazzlefruit.

ROBBIE: Dazzle?

MARISHA: I think it just looks pretty. I don't know. Maybe for the next adventure.

ROBBIE: Next adventure?

EMILY: Can I just say, working alongside all youse has been really something else and at Hudson Construction, gifts are our love language. So I made you all a keese wing snap bracelet.

OMAR: (gasps)

EMILY: So put out those wrists.

LIAM: The wing?

EMILY: Put out those wrists.

MARISHA: Yes!

EMILY: Put them out.

LIAM: It's just the wing snapping around?

(laughter)

MARISHA: Awesome.

LIAM: Whoa.

EMILY: So, you know, we'll always remember, right?

ROBBIE: I'll always remember when you had the hover thing and you whipped it around! You were driving, you're such a good driver.

MARISHA: You're so inspirational, you know? Especially, (sighs) just being a woman in a male-dominated field.

ROBBIE: Yeah.

MARISHA: I feel like you really have such a strong story to tell.

EMILY: I have really good stories.

MARISHA: You do, you have so many good stories.

EMILY: Yeah. Sorry I lied about that one.

(laughter)

MARISHA: It still worked. I was able to install a rocket. It worked.

ROBBIE: This is a great summary of our adventures.

OMAR: Dink, if you don't mind me opening our secret circle a little bit and sharing a secret with everyone, of mine?

ROBBIE: Oh okay, that's fine.

EMILY: Wait, I know what this is about. Dink, we got into a fight.

ROBBIE: Who did?

EMILY: Don't you remember?

ROBBIE: You and I got in a fight?

EMILY: I tried to dispatch you to look for fruit and we promised we would fight.

OMAR: Oh no, yeah. No, I--

ROBBIE: Oh yeah, I thought that was a tension thing we had going on.

EMILY: Oh, okay. I thought that the secret was we had to fight now.

OMAR: No, no.

ROBBIE: You can if you want.

OMAR: If that's a thing you both are into.

EMILY: I take a low stance.

MATT: (laughs)

EMILY: Let's do it. (laughs)

ROBBIE: Yeah. Wait, a thumb wrestle?

EMILY: Yeah, yeah. Wrestling, yeah.

ROBBIE: What was the secret you wanted to tell everyone?

OMAR: I've spent most of my life scared. Ancient beasts have flown above us and as much as they were supposed to be our salvation, for generations, they terrified the rito. We lived under the shadow of the Calamity itself. I'm not scared anymore after today. Beasts, falling islands, new machines. We can do it.

MARISHA: Yeah.

ROBBIE: Yeah.

EMILY: Yeah, I think so.

LIAM: We're just like that heroic stranger I've heard so many rumors about.

ROBBIE: Oh yeah.

LIAM: Yeah.

ROBBIE: He goes by lots of names. My mom always said Hero of the... I can't remember.

LIAM: Just like that.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Yeah.

EMILY: Yeah, we're just like that, aren't we?

ROBBIE: Yeah.

OMAR: So I guess after all this, everything we've been through, the most appropriate thing is to watch you two fight.

ROBBIE: You want to fight?

EMILY: Yeah, let's do it.

ROBBIE: Oh yeah.

EMILY: Let's wrestle. Just wrestle.

ROBBIE: Okay, you pick your weapon. If it's a duel, it's a duel. Ladies' choice first.

EMILY: Ladies' choice?

MARISHA: Come on, Babs.

ROBBIE: Yeah.

EMILY: Guns.

ROBBIE: Guns versus guns?

EMILY: These guns.

ROBBIE: So it's a showdown. Let's do it. One. (laughter) Two. Three, oh, you beat me.

EMILY: (laughs)

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Oh yeah. Oops. You win.

EMILY: (laughs) Wow, he makes me feel so good about myself.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: You don't need me for that, Babs.

MARISHA: I walk by Babs and just nudge her into Dink a bit.

EMILY: Ooh, you know Dink, you really whetted my appetite with the (laughs), with talking about that sea show.

LIAM: You got the WH.

ROBBIE: Oh, you mean Lake World?

EMILY: Yeah.

ROBBIE: The marine wildlife?

EMILY: Yeah.

ROBBIE: Yeah.

EMILY: You got me feeling pretty curious about it.

ROBBIE: Do you want me to get-- You're cur-- I will explore your curiosity with you if you so care to join me for--

EMILY: Yeah. That'd be great. Do you think you could get four tickets? Because I got-- (laughs)

ROBBIE: Four tickets?

LIAM: Twins.

EMILY: I got-- (laughs)

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Go on, I have no idea what you're about to say.

EMILY: I got two twin sons.

ROBBIE: Two twin sons? Wait, is it like four kids total? Both sons are twins?

EMILY: Yeah, yeah, two sets of twins.

ROBBIE: So six tickets?

(laughter)

EMILY: Yeah. (laughs) Yeah, yeah.

ROBBIE: No problem.

EMILY: So four extra tickets.

ROBBIE: I love kids.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: That sounds just fine by me. Instant family! (laughter)

(laughter)

MATT: Through the laughter and joyful sharing of experiences and misunderstood mathematics, we pull back away from the den here. The skies beginning to break just a bit to show a bit of the Hylian sky above, the glimmer of hope that breaks through in the middle of the storm of the upheaval. Just as beyond the fort walls here of Lookout Landing, we see heavy boots kick off the mud of a sword-wielding stranger that steps into the area and that's where we'll end our adventure right there.

MARISHA: Ooh.

ROBBIE: Yeah.

(clapping)

MARISHA: Chills.

MATT: That was--

LIAM: Cute.

MATT: -- fun! Thank you guys so much for coming and playing!

OMAR: Wow.

MATT: Oh my goodness.

ROBBIE: What fun.

LIAM: Maybe someday, you'll craft children together.

(laughter)

ROBBIE: Oops, we rolled a four.

MARISHA: If we just take this Scotch Tape.

(laughter)

LIAM: Uh... It worked.

OMAR: Fasten your child to a rocket.

(laughter)

MATT: That's the game I can't wait to play. Thank you all so much for being a part of this. It was such a joy. Thank you so much to our friends at Nintendo for partnering with us to have fun with this and for entrusting us with everything that we did to this, and I'm sorry. But we had a blast, we hope you did, too. Just a last reminder that, although our one-shot tonight was set in the Kingdom of Hyrule and inspired by the game, "The Legend Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom," that these characters- their relationships, their many twin children, their bird mouth-to-bird mouth feeding techniques- are our own creations, and are not an official part of "The Legend of Zelda" series.

LIAM: Think of it as Dink's fan fiction.

MATT: There you go.

OMAR: Yes.

MATT: It's perfect. I love it. But nevertheless, thank you so much for joining us. We love you very much, and is it Thursday yet?

LIAM: Woo!

MATT: Good night.

(fingers snapping)

MARISHA: Yay!