Winds Of Change

XXI: Rito Village

Four weeks later, Link, Meilen, Aithne, and Fierro found themselves in front of the entrance to Rito Village. As the passed along the first bridge, a mix between a roar and a screech echoed into the mountains. Looking up, they soon realized that the agonizing sound came from a giant, mechanical bird: Vah Medoh. Shuddering with dread, the group continued on, only to stop when a laugh sounded behind them. It was another Yiga Clan assassin. Over the past few weeks, countless agents of the Yiga Clan had come after them, seeking revenge for what Meilen did to their Master Kohga. With a groan, Meilen drew an arrow, hesitating at the green light that approached the assassin from behind. With a blast of fire, the assassin fled, and Link looked to see what had come to their aid. It was a will-o-wisp, much like Aithne and Fierro. The only difference was that this one was green.

"Thank the goddesses. I hate those Yiga. Hello," It said, "My name is Vuur."

"You've been named already?" Aithne asked, flying out from behind Link. The other wisp bobbed it's head in confirmation.

"Yes. The elder of the village named me when I came here seeking protection from the merchants. And, might I add, you travelers could not have come at a worse time." Vuur deadpanned.

"What?" Link spoke up quietly, more interested in what they had to say rather than confused. He had a feeling that Vuur was talking about the Divine Beast.

"Do you not see Divine Beast Vah Medoh flying in the skies? Morale is low for the Rito, with that thing making flying near impossible. It used to be that-" The wisp began to explain, only stopping when Meilen cut them off.

"A champion of the Rito controlled it and it used to aid and watch over Hyrule? We've heard." Meilen interrupted,  not feeling like pretending to be clueless.

"How did you-"

"Know? Vah Medoh is the reason we are here in the first place. We need to speak with the elder of this town." Meilen explained to the confused wisp. After understanding their reasons, the wisp gestured for the group to follow them. The climbed up the spiral staircase that made up the walkways of the village and eventually made it to a room where a large Rito sat.

"Ah, visitors." The bird-man drawled, sitting up. "Welcome to-" The man cut himself off when he took notice of the Sheikah Slate that hung from Link's waist. "Oh. OH! That object on your hip, could it be...?  Forgive me, where are my manners? I m Kaneli, elder of Rito Village. Now then, is that not a Sheikah Slate dangling from your hip?"

"That's right." Link replied softly, his hand going to said slate.

"Oh my! So it is true!" Kaneli exclaimed, leaning forward. "That means you two must be Champions like Master Revali- one of the few able to board Divine Beast Vah Medoh!" The elder's face then fell. "Ah, forgive me. I have forgotten that the Champions have been dead for a hundred years."

"No, you were right. We are Champions." Meilen muttered.

"You are? Now that I take a closer look, you both resemble two of the Champions of old. Nevertheless, if you would listen to an old man's request, you would have my eternal gratitude." Kaneli replied, looking hopefully at the group of five.

"We'll listen." Link answered.

"We, the Rito, ask for your help in calming the Divine Beast Vah Medoh. I tried to explain to the more headstrong Rito warriors that only a Champion could enter the Divine Beast, but they would not listen. Two of them, Teba and Harth attempted to bring down the Divine Beast, and as a result, Harth was injured. I believe that Teba may once again attempt to bring down Vah Medoh. If you find him, he may aid you in getting to the Divine Beast. You may want to ask Saki where he may be. Good luck, Champions." Kaneli informed them. Meilen and Link walked off in search of this Saki person. A tall, pink-feathered Rito approached them from the lower platform.

"Forgive my intrusion, but I overheard you speaking with the elder." She said, gesturing for them to follow her. The group walked with her to the other side of the platform, where they saw another platform with  peculiar symbol on it. "It sounds like you intend to help my husband, Teba, in the fight against Vah Medoh. But to tell you the truth, there is not much I can do for you right now beyond telling you where he went."

"Where did he go?" Vuur asked. Saki turned to the platform waiting outside the room they were in.

"My husband headed to a place called the Flight Range. Its in Dronoc's Pass at the base of the Hebra Mountain's. It's a place where Rito warriors prepare for aerial combat. I imagine he's gone there to gather weapons for another run at Vah Medoh. If you take off from Revali's Landing, that platform down there, it's a straight shot down to the flight range." Saki explained, pointing to the platform. As the two Champions looked at it, their eyes glazed over as another memory broke through the depths of their minds.

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Vah Medoh rumbled through the skies as Link stepped out onto the landing. Wind blew in a large gust, revealing Revali, the Rito Champion of Vah Medoh.

"Impressive, I know." He drawled, eying Link like he was worth nothing. "Very few can achieve mastery of the sky. Yet I have made an art of creating an updraft that allows me to soar. It's considered to be quite the masterpiece of aerial techniques, even among the Rito. With proper utilization of my superior skills, I see no reason why we couldn't easily dispense with Ganon."

"According to legend, Revali, Ganon is far more powerful than we could ever imagine. Think of the most powerful being ever, then multiply it by a hundred. No matter how strong you are, Ganon will always be stronger." Meilen said, walking up to the bragging Rito. Revali scoffed.

"My ability to explore the firmament is certainly of note, but let's not- pardon me for being so blunt- let's not forget the fact that I am the most skilled archer of all the Rito." Revali argued, glaring at the small girl.

"And I am the most skilled archery combatant in all of Hyrule, therefore, your argument is rendered invalid." Meilen shot back without a moment's hesitation.

"However, despite these truths, it seems that I have been tapped to merely assist you." He continued, ignoring Meilen. "All because you happened to have that little darkness-sealing sword on your back. I mean, it's just... Asinine."

"It's always about the sword. What about his courage?" Meilen muttered, neither male hearing her comment.

"Unless, you think you can prove me wrong?" Revali asked, getting in Link's face. "Maybe we should just settle this one on one? But where? Oh, I know! How about up there?! Oh, you must pardon me, I forgot you have no way of making it up to that Divine Beast on your own!" And with those words, Revali flew off, laughing.

"Don't mind him," Meilen began, turning to the embarrassed boy next to her, "He's just mad that he's been bumped down to third-best. He was already mad at me because he was second to me." The memory faded into darkness as the companions walked back to where Zelda waited for them.

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"Champions! Are you all right?!" Saki exclaimed, looking just as concerned as Vuur did.

"It was just a memory." Meilen said, shaking her head. "Thank you for your help, Saki, but we must get going if we are to catch Teba in time."

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*EDITED ON 1/2/18*

Chapter Inspiration Song: Pursuit of the Windfish

My apologies for my absence.

School is a pain.

~Cypher