"Are you asking as tourists? As tradesmen? Well... Don't trust the Yiga Clan. They are bandits, criminals. Their symbol is an inverted Sheikah eye."

He sketches it.

"We don't know how long we are going to stay. Intrinsically speaking, the possibility of never return is, well, possible."

"Well, there's nothing else you urgently need to know as a matter of survival, I think."

Nod. "Thank you. Is there any work around the house you'd need done?"

"Not particularly. Though if you choose to make a donation of any kind, I will certainly use it to assist in the preservation of Historic Fort Hateno."

"Maybe later."

"Good luck on your travels. It's a straight shot to Hateno Town from here if that's where you're going - ignore the side roads."

"Thank you! Good luck and skill with your research!"

"Cool guy."

The cool guy seemed vaguely grumpy the whole time, though.

He goes back inside with his firewood as the pair continue on.

The next major natural spectacle are some pretty spectacular cliffs above them, sheets of rock overhead forming what would be massive caverns if they weren't open enough at the sides and top to still be considered 'outdoors'. Rock falls must be a concern for this route. They pass someone else on a horse going in the opposite direction, they don't slow down long enough to do anything but wave.

They wave back and marvel at the sights. They have turned off their phones and Aaron isn't feeling that tempted to take a picture of now, but wow.

Once they round the top of a little hill, they can see what must be Hateno Town in the distance. A large building sits high above on a spar of rock. It looks like a ramshackle observatory. Downslope a ways from that, they can see windmills and what look like farm fields.

They note the observatory, but decide to go town-wards first.

It's past lunch-time by the time they're approaching the town. The road goes down a final hill and snakes between two patches of woods before rolling up to a town gate.

...The danger sense thinks something dangerous is in the woods on the left. Where a woman's scream just came from.

Aaron informs this to Temple. He also immediately goes towards the screaming.

Temple follows.

A short ways in the woods they find two teenage-looking Hylian girls, one of them laying crumpled on the ground, the other defending her fallen friend with a soup ladle and a pot lid. Their opponents are a pair of ugly red... Things, wielding crude wooden clubs.

"Laila! Laila get up so we can run!"

She grunts in pain after blocking a club-swing on the pot lid.

Great. Aaron dismounts with amazing grace and in a single fluid motion charges forward to punch one of the red things with an electrically charged punch.

It turns to face him, but meets the punch head on and goes stiff, letting out an almost-stutter noise, electricity arcing over its body. It freezes in place plenty of time for a follow-up punch to send it flying surprisingly far, where its skin turns black and it disappears in a puff of purple smoke.

The other... Thing... Has lined up for a running leap, trying to smash its club into Aaron.

Temple does not have the grace to dismount from his horse in an instant. But he can drop air temperature around the not-goblin-thing to the point it will have trouble standing up and moving.

And Aaron can dodge from the attack anyway and let a hand graze against a leg so he electrocute the damn thing.

It freezes - doubly so - and the stunned teen beats it around the head with her soup ladle, growling angrily.

This one turns into smoke, too, except for one of its claws and one horn.

The teen takes deep breaths. "Hah, hah... I knew this was a terrible idea..."

Aaron pokes the claw with a foot. "Are you two alright? What happened?"

"Laila, are you alright?"

The downed one slowly sits into a sitting position. "I'm- Fine, I think."

"Oh, thank Hylia. I told you it was a bad idea to go hunting for Hearty Radishes without Kas or someone! -Oh, and thank you too, kind strangers. You really saved our skins from those bokoblins."

Temple dismounts. "Does she need healing?"