The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Deity [CLOSED]

[Shadow Zero]

Raven arrived at the drawbridge shortly before Deralen had finished up his business in his hotel. To his surprise, Mira and Billos were both there, although Lorenz was not. Raven guessed that he was taking care of some business in the town like Deralen was before he came here. "Hello Mira, Billos." Raven said inclining his head politely. He was not entirely sure what to say in this type of situation, and so was relieved when he noticed that Deralen was walking up right at that moment. "Hello Deralen." Raven raised a hand in greeting and said "Skull Kid should be joining us shortly, I think." Raven dismounted and walked Raizen with him over to Mira and Frost Shard. He pats Frost Shard on the side of her neck and says to Mira "You be careful okay? I don't want to come back here and find out that you got yourself into trouble because you were reckless." Raven sounded a little sterner then usual when he said this, but he had looked up as he spoke to Mira and knew that she would be able to see the concern in his eyes, even if she decided to reply with a sharp rebuke.

[Hydra of Ages]

Sariri stood on the top of a building, leisurely swinging the rope upon which a metal claw was attached. The weapon looked simple, but had hidden layers of complexity that anyone not a Rito would ever discover; The specific weight of the claw, the angle of the edges, the width of the palm, and of course, the very specific knot that connected the rope to the metal portion...

 

Her crimson eyes were trained upon her target; an outcropping of brick from the building next to her. She wasn't entirely sure what it was for, she reflected, brushing a lock of hair away from her eye with the hand that wasn't spinning the hook, but it didn't particularly matter in this instance.

 

She let the hook fly. It soared through the air like a metal bird, propelled forward farther than most would have thought possibly with the comparatively little effort used to throw it, but it landed straight and true. She smirked. Obviously, she hadn't gotten rusty on her aim.

 

The hook collided with the outcropping first with the rope. The rope portion bended around the hardened material, quickly wrapping around it due to the claw acting as a ballast. Eventually, the claw itself was slammed into the bricks after the rope had already been tied about three times, locking itself in with the rough texture beneath it and anchoring it into place.

 

Sariri smirked, gave it three experimental tugs to assure her that it was properly anchored, took a step backward and ran forward to jump off the roof of her house, wings firmly kept to her forearms.

 

She soared through the air, giggling to herself as velocity made her dip into and out of a pendulum-curve, eventually dropping her gently onto the tiles of the next nearby roof. She smiled, turned, and gave a leisurely tug to the still-tied hook; Immediately, the entire thing collapsed where it stood, as she dragged it back with three brief motions into a simple coil again.

 

Obviously she hadn't gotten rusty.

 

Now came the hard parts, she said to herself, giggling, as she opened her wings and dived off the roof of this house. Quickly picked up by the wind, she drifted to the side a little to catch a thermal, which quickly sent her upward into the sky.

 

Smiling, she transferred the coil of grappling hook to her talons, where she held it in a similar matter to how she held it in her hands. Truthefully, she couldn't really fight with a blade in her talons -It hadn't been made for that purpose, obviously, and fighting in the air was NOT recommended for a Rito- but when it came to her Grappling hook, it was almost easier to throw it with her feet. They had more dexterity, strength, never hit her in the head if she messed up... All and all said, it was much easier to throw the semi-weapon with her legs than her arms.

 

It took her less than a minute to find the Post Tower. After all, she reflected, any Rito knew where the Post Tower in any given area was. And she had been to the one in Castle Town enough to know its location off by heart; Even if she were blind, deaf and numb, she doubted she'd be unable to make her way there.

 

She noticed, near the bottom, a pair of specs that were of course, Erzet and some sort of horse. She ignored them for now, circling around the Post Tower a couple times. A few Postrito gave her funny looks, but none recognized her, she thought with relief. She was fairly infamous over at Dragonroost Mountain, so these ones either hadn't really seen her, or were too far away to recognize her.

 

Either way, she found what she was looking for; A ledge near the top of the tall tower, from which she quickly launched the claw of her Hook at. The Grappling Hook grappled, and she gave it a couple tugs to ensure that it was on their securely. Then, giggling, she flew by the wall, and transfering the rope to her hands, recoiled her wings. It took a second of awkward shuffling, but eventually she was being held from the ground only by the length of rope attached to the tower.

 

Expertly putting her talons to the wall, she held the rope loosely as she walked down the wall as if it were a cavern wall. She bit her lip a little bit; This part was harder than she remembered, more because of the wind that kept trying to blow her off than anything else. Being so light and aerodynamic, it was a genuine effort to keep from being blown off the rope, let alone the wall.

Still, she persevered in scaling the tower wall, despite its impressive height.

 

She dropped down from the rope next to her theif ally and his steed, giving a sigh of relief and a smirk of accomplishment when her talons stuck the ground rather than the stone wall. She gave her lifeline a brief tug, and once again, it came free, as she made two more motions to retrun it back to a loose coil.

 

"Hey." she said chipperly to Erzet. "Ready to go?"

[Saiba Aisu]

Erzet rolled his eyes, superbly unimpressed by Sariri's antics. "Was it really necessary to fly to the top of the Tower just to climb back down?" he asked dryly, stroking Casban's glossy dark neck. "I've been keeping an eye out for any Rito in the sky," he said, indicating the airspace surrounding the Post Office. "It wasn't exactly hard to notice you, my little sparrow, with those distinctive black feathers of yours."

 

Still, his words were mere teasing—whether he chose to admit it or not, Sariri certainly knew what was she doing with the Grappling Hook. Those skills would definitely come in handy in the Sunken Skull Dungeon, according to what Princess Zelda had said. "So," he continued, eying the Rito girl and the coil of rope in her hands. "Do you have everything? I've got our supplies and my equipment," he said, indicating the supply satchels tied to Casban, and the thief's tools he carried on his person, "so I'm ready to go—hopefully you managed to figure out your mount issue."

 

With a firm pressure from his knees, Casban started forward at a brisk walk towards the nearby Castle Town Gates, which opened onto the rolling green land that characterized much of the central area of the country, known as Hyrule Field. The sun was beginning to descend from its zenith, yet they still had a few hours of daylight left. It seemed amazing to him how much his life had changed in a matter of a few hours, but there was nothing to be done about it. If they set a good pace, they would be able to reach the first village by nightfall; or if they chose, they could sleep outside, on the grassy land. Erzet had no fear of bandits or robbers bothering them—after all, even though Hyrule Field was considerably large, this section of it was close enough to Hyrule Castle Town to be patrolled regularly by Guards to keep crime and violence down.

[Andx]

It had taken a good few minutes but Lorenz had arrived at his home. It was slightly bigger than the average home in the Castle Town but not by a whole lot. It was in a neighborhood where the houses had a bit of distance in between, still it wasn't a whole lot, which was more than the usual homes that all just ran into each other. There was a small fenced off area outside the home where Lorenz kept his horse. It had no name as Lorenz had never saw the point in naming an animal unlike the Hylians who seemed to really like giving animals names. He opened the gate and slowly walked the horse out.

"Well, I don't use you all that often but I need you now." Lorenz said very quietly.

 

Lorenz closed the fence and then made sure to check that all the doors and windows of his home were locked. The last thing he wanted was to have his home robbed while he was off saving Hyrule. He brought three containers of water that each held about a liter out of his home with him so he could have something on the road. Once he finished checking his home he hitched the bag with the containers to his horse and mounted it which was a very strange thing to him still. Riding another animal was not something a Zora often did in their life, at least not land animals. Though Lorenz did know how to ride. He set the horse off at a light trot as full speed could be potentially dangerous in town. Still, the horse's trot was a good bit faster than Lorenz walking. He headed back for the main gate where Billos and Mira would be waiting for him.

[Hydra of Ages]

Sariri rolled her scarlet eyes, though she had a hint of a smile on her face. "Sparrows don't have black feathers, Erzet." she said nonchalantly.

 

She put her hands towards the sky and stretched a little, glancing back at the thief with a nod. "Yeah, I've got everything I need." she said with a nod, tying her grappling hook around her waist and tucking the sharp metal tip into her belt. That was, she could reach for it if she ever needed it quickly, and it wouldn't impede her flying any.

 

Rito walked over to Caspan hesitantly, flinching slightly when the desert horse breathed out through his large nostrils. With a hint of reluctance, she stroked the flank of the creature.

 

"Rito don't get around very well with horses." she muttered. "They're big, heavy, and tend to panic if if they mistake us for a Roc or Dragon from above. They like to trample Kargarocs too, who knows why." she shrugged, glancing up at him. "I've... sorta got a mount, but I prefer to fly until I get tired. More reliable."

 

She shrugged. Any Kargaroc she rid on anyway would be slower and tire quicker than she would, so it was better to save them for when she was tired.

 

When she saw Caspan and his rider start to walk towards the gates, she opened her wings and started at a leisurely glide at their side, not getting too much altitude. She felt the familiar fuzzy feeling in her stomach when she was going on a new adventure, as the gates came into sight. And, she reflected, this was the first time she had someone else with her.

[Blake]

Billos paced, waiting for Lorenz. He wanted to get going, and not be stuck with Mira. The only person, per se, he wanted to be around, if anyone, was Lorenz. He was the only one he resonated with. "Where is he?!" Billos snapped, in his mind. His demeanor was col on the outside, but inside he was fidgety, and itching to go. He pulled out his tome, under his cloak, and began to mess with it. He ad no blood, so nothing could happen. Then he looked at Frostbite. "Darn horse." he thought, "We could be there in a second except for that beast."

[Saiba Aisu]

Erzet nodded to the two armed Guards stationed on either side of Hyrule Castle Town Gate as they passed them, Casban's hooves thudding across the wooden drawbridge. Slightly above the thief and his horse, Sariri glided gently, like a piece of eiderdown drifting on the breeze. As soon as Casban took his first step upon the grassy turf of Hyrule Field, both rider and steed's spirits alike rose with expectation and an exhilirating sense of freedom. Casban whinnied slightly and snorted, eager for a quick, joyful gallop. Although Erzet was equally as pleased to be out of the city—living in such cramped and strange conditions bothered him—he made sure to check their position on the map Princess Zelda had lent them, tracing the red line that marked their journey towards Lake Hylia and beyond.

 

He estimated that the journey to reach the freshwater lake would take little more than five days or so, if they went at a fast pace and did not waste too much time. He looked up at the Rito, soaring confidently in her element, and pulled down his gray-colored veil, revealing his sun-browned features, which were arranged in a rare smile.

 

"Sariri!" he called out to her, her black-winged figure shining with a slight golden tinge in the sun's dwindling light. "Let's have a little race, then!" he said, drawing Casban's reins in to slow the horse to a trot. Although he knew that it was necessary to conserve energy during their journey, the Rito and the desert horse would have plenty of time to recover once they settled down for the night—and at the pace Casban was capable of holding, they would be sure to reach the next village before the sun set.

 

Not waiting for her reply, and unable to contain Casban's high spirits or his own for any longer, the Gerudo slackened his grip on the reins. With a loud whinny from the horse and a laugh from his rider, Casban sprang forwards into a full-fledged gallop, Erzet leaning forward expertly with his knees slightly lifted, urging every ounce of speed from his steed.

[Hydra of Ages]

Sariri blinked in surprise when Erzet took off like the theif that he was across the verdant fields that made up the bulk of Hyrule.

 

She furrowed her brow, and muttered a little quietly to herself. "Oh, you're so on." she said determinedly, spreading her wings and angling herself upward. The wide thermals that characterized massive fields filled her wings with the wind, fueling her rapid ascent, and she smirked as Erzet and Caspan descended into small black splotches against the emerald glades, marked with the occasional tree.

 

Hyrule field certainly deserved its name. While it was pockmarked with sporadic bunches of thin forest, small springs and rivers sired by the massive Great Lake Hylia and tiny communities, one could argue that the field on a whole was a whole lot of nothing. Grass ran undertoe like the majestic carpet of a palace, which Sariri figured it kind of was. The field was the Heart of Hyrule, and the base of Hylian authority. While minorities of other races existed inside Castle town, and some would make their homes in the field, almost all of the races could be found regulated to the far corners of the Continent.

 

Even her own people, the Rito, spent most of their time in Dragonroost Mountain, found beyond the Death Mountain Range. While it wasn't as massive as the more well known Death Mountain, nor as dangerous, it was notable for being one of the tallest mountains ever scaled by mortals of any species. What was hilarious was that there were others that spanned even higher; when she had made her nest in Dragonroost, she could see them right from her bedroom, tapering into the sky not because that was where they ran out of mountain, but because her eyes weren't strong enough to see anything higher than that point. The Heavenly Mountains, is what they were called at least by the Rito; A chain of rocks and mountain, near impenetrable, with harsh cold winds that no creature could fly through.

 

Some said that the Heaven's Mountains were the resting place of Dragons; Nobody could scale the top the check, or even cross it. There really hadn't been a big attempt to see what was beyond the Heaven's Mountains... the range was gigantic, spanned from coast to coast, and was uniformly impenetrable. Nothing was getting past there.

 

She planned to cross them one day. But not today.

 

Today she had to beat a Gerudo at racing.

 

She tipped the balance of her wings forward, losing a bit of altitude in the process but allowing the forces of gravity to work for her, as she angled her wings so she would glide quicker. Essentially, she'd be falling at a wide angle now, which she hoped would give her the speed necessary to match the horse. She was sure that it would. After all, she thought to herself, the horse was strong, but she had the power of the winds on her side.

[Andx]

Lorenz rode his horse until he approached the street to the main gate. It had clearly taken less time on horse back but it was still a few minutes at least. He saw not only Billos and Mira, but Raven and Deralen. He approached the group and dismounted. He turned to Billos as Mira seemed preoccupied with Raven, and he had no desire whatsoever to get in the middle of that.

"I'd apologize for the delay if it wasn't for that the fact that me getting my horse will speed us up in the long run. I have nothing more to do before we leave so I say we do so now." he said to Billos. He could tell Billos was barely hanging on with his patience. He'd clearly wanted to go the moment Zelda had left the group.

 

"By the way, do you have a horse or some other means of transportation?" Lorenz asked. He was wondering how Billos would keep up with two horses if he was on foot. But if Billos hadn't done something by now it obviously wasn't concerning him. Lorenz would give him a ride if it was needed though he seriously doubted Billos would consider that.

[Saiba Aisu]

Neither Erzet or Sariri ever knew who reached the the closest village of Din's Gate first, but they would continue to argue about it good-naturedly for some while afterward—the Rito would claim that she had passed the first building by a small margin, being unaffected by the slight incline Casban had to climb, but the Gerudo would counter by claiming that this couldn't possibly have been so, due to the wind that would have been blowing against her and slowing her down.

 

Sitting inside the well-lit tavern of the local inn, The Dancing Fool, Erzet smiled slightly at the Rito's mutinous expression over the rim of his earthenware mug and sipped some more of the precious water inside it. The barmaid had given him an odd look and raised her eyebrows when he had refused all offers of the local wine—which was famous across the land, apparently—but the Gerudo preferred water. It wasn't that he disliked wine; on the contrary, the Clan of Thieves had a fine appreciation for all forms of liquor and equally capable heads to deal with them. It really was extraordinary the way people here wasted their unbelievably precious resources of water on things as trivial as scrubbing tables or cooking utensils—in the desert, the Gerudo had to make due with scented oils and grains of sand to eliminate stains or unpleasant smells, since the small amount of water obtained from local oases and the stream branching off from Lake Hylia into the Gerudo Valley was used only sparingly.

 

He would never get to used to it, really, the way that these soft, untried people wasted the incredible resources of the verdant land around them. Why, not a single one of the women milling about the town or the inn seemed like she would be able to hold her own in a fight! Instead, they seemed to moon after the men to protect them, from the smallest mouse to an armed robber. Erzet frowned, realizing how ridiculous the concept of the pampered Hylian female would seem to the women of the Gerudo Tribe, all of whom whom were capable warriors and would not shy from battle or blood. Stirring from his thoughts, he downed the rest of the precious liquid eagerly before setting the mug down once more upon the table with a muffled clunk.

 

The silence between Sariri and Erzet had not been uncomfortable or oppressive in the slightest; rather, it had been warm and companionable. Although the Gerudo often disapproved mildly of her happy-go-lucky nature, he knew that beneath her cheerful and animated exterior was a talented flier and a deadly warrior, and he respected that. Still, he was profoundly curious of the Rito people, having never traveled in the direction of Dragonroost or the Heavenly Mountains, and talking with her regarding her past seemed the best way to learn more about them.

 

So, it was the best of intentions and no ulterior motive that Erzet broke the silence, saying, "So, Sariri... Tell me more about Dragonroost Mountain, where most of the Rito people live. What's it like there? Are the Heavenly Mountains really so tall that you can't see the top of them? And what about this oc—ocean—of yours," he asked, trying the exotic word slowly on his tongue. "Is it really a sheet of water, as far as the eye can see?"

 

For a moment, Erzet had dropped his steadfast and serious manner, profoundly interested in everything that Sariri could tell him regarding her home and its many strange and wondrous sights. To the thief, who was still amazed at the size and depth of Lake Hylia, the idea of any larger body of water was almost incomprehensible.

[Hydra of Ages]

Sariri nursed her wineskin amicably as she slowly took in the ambiance around her. Unlike her companion, she had indeed opted for the local's famously brewed Hylian Wines, the greatest in the fields apparently. Though they had offered her a more comfortable glass to drink from she had simply instructed them to fill the leather pouch from which she drunk out of; It was more habit than anything, really. Long ago, the Rito had decided by majority vote to all but outlaw Postrito from drinking while on duty. Even if they did opt to have a drink, they were honorbound to use only a personal skin they kept on them at all times, lest somebody slip something into their drink and possibly prevent certain delivers. Once upon a time, it was fairly common for Postrito to be drugged and have their messages stolen, especially during periods of war between the races.

 

Though Sariri wasn't paranoid about being drugged, she was already acustommed to drinking from a skin. After all, she had used it hundreds of times before, why stop now? Besides, it meant that she could keep some for later if she so wanted.

 

She smiled a little and resisted hiccuping at Erzet's question. She had noticed him looking at the Hylian women, more than likely marvelling at the differences between the females here and of his own race. She had been about to make a particularly filthy comment at that, but thought better of it at the last moment. While Sariri had long learned to hold her liquor, it didn't change the fact she had nearly half the body mass of the average man that would drink as much as she did.

 

She giggled a little as the thoughts of her home came to mind. "Dragonroost is a fine... fine place." she said airily. She noticed she could still organize her thoughts... not well, but well enough she supposed. She obviously wasn't liquored up enough, she reflected.

 

She smiled. "Mountains that reach far... far into the clouds. You couldn't see the top of Dragonroost from the ground." she muttered, making a circle with her finger on the table infront of her idly. "Not even on a clear day. It reaches up, far past the clouds, like a huge pin made of rock."

 

She paused for a second. "It's mainly hollow. We have this big shaft inside, that runs from the base to about half way up -we think it must have been a Volcano once upon a time- And our city's inside. There's this big spiral ramp that runs along the inside, you see, that we use to get up an... go to all of our, you know, rooms. And shops. And... city stuff." she finished lamely. She blamed her lack of eloquence on not being liquored enough yet.

 

She shrugged. "The city's not that great. I think Castle Town's better. But it's the outside that's the best part..." she smiled a little at the thought.

 

"We've got all sorts of plants. Stuff like you wouldn't even imagine, big plants that usually only grow down south. Vines, exotic trees... green everywhere, with splashes of bright color. Nobody's sure why... we think Valoo's makes it warm enough to grow, though."

 

She paused. "Oh, yeah. At the top of the mountain, the very tip... it's so high up that the air's so thin it's hard to breath. Nobody can fly up there, or at least not for very long. We have a shrine to our Wind God, up three, very pretty... I remember it, full of bright red streamers, and lanterns, and arches, artwork from the centuries of Rito civilization... statues, everything we've accomplished in our entire existence. Kinda breathtaking. Course' by then, your breath's taken already, on account of how hard it is to breath." she added.

 

"But the biggest attraction in the Wind Temple is our God... Valoo himself." she giggled a little to herself. "We've got our God right where we can see him, right? Which I think puts us a little ahead of the Hylians and Gerudo and whatnot. He's a dragon. Big, fat red one too."

 

She giggled a little. "He's really old. Really wise too. Doesn't speak our language though, just this really ancient dialect of Hylian from thousands of years ago. some of us just think he's too lazy to learn anything newer. Anyway, there's always one Rito -Always the opposite gender from our chief, not sure why- whose' named his Attendant. Valoo's Attendant, that is. Very important job, they need to learn Valoo's language an' everything... they tell the rest of us what Valoo wants us to do."

 

She paused and glanced down at her wineskin, though didn't take a sip. Recounting all the stuff about Dragonroost made her feel a twinge homesick over the fact she was probably exiled for running away now.

 

"That's why we never take sides in anything, right? Valoo told us a long time ago, not to join wars. Don't help them kill eachother, is what he told us. Instead, he told us to find a way to help them both instead. So that's why we started the Post Office... at first it was just a little courier pet project, but you know... as the years go by..."

 

she smiled. The Rito Post Office was more or less singlehandedly responsible for any foreign correspondence whatsoever.

 

"But for the rest of the stuff around there..." her eyes lit up. Those were the parts she remembered so fondly... the Heavenly Mountains and the Oceans that flanked Dragonroost Mountain on either sky.

 

"If you think Dragonroost is tall, then you've never seen one of the Heaven's Mountains." she said breathlessly, recalling their massive imposing size that never failed to put her into awe.

 

"From the bottom, they look the same size as Dragonroost, but that's just because you can't see the tops of either, right? But even at the top of Dragonroost, you can barely see where they end. I'm not even sure if that's their real tops, or if they just keep going and going..."

 

She giggled. "Some say that Valoo could fly over them, when he was younger. But he's old, and not as strong before. That's why he sticks around, some think, because he can't get over the mountains again... All the other Dragons probably live over there, on the other side. We haven't really seen any... though, you know, once in a while..."

 

She smiled. "Dragons sometimes come around Dragonroost, either to visit Valoo or just on their way to... somewhere. Not often, but you know. Only three passed in my lifetime. One when I was barely a chick, and I never saw it. One passed by apparently when I was out delivering something, so I didn't see that one. But the last one..."

 

It took her a moment to find her words. "I was flying near the mountain when he... or she, I guess... passed overhead. She had bright blue scales like midnight, wings hundreds of times the size of mine... It was magnificent."

 

She giggled. "Trying to fly when she was overhead was like trying to fly in a hurricane, you just couldn't do it. I've never felt so much like just a visitor in the winds, as I did that day. I think the rest of the animals felt the same. What's funny is that I don't think she was nearly the size Valoo was. Valoo can still fly, though he doesn't do so often... I don't think he's flown in over a hundred years."

 

She giggled. "Trying to imagine what he would look like while flying is impossible, really. He'd probably blot out the sun over Dragonroost."

 

Sariri paused for a couple brief seconds, wondering how to do the Ocean justice. "The Ocean is... well..." she hesitated breifly.

"It's like the desert. The desert is a vast, vast plane of sand as far as the eye can see... The ocean is like that, but with water."

 

She giggled. "Deep, blue water with waves shifting like moving dunes, far as the eye can see. When they get near the shore, they crest with white foam on the top... It looks beautiful, but it's really dangerous. Many, many dangerous things live there from what I've heard... beasts, bigger by far than anything on land, live there. Octorocs the size of small cities. Serpents as long as two dragons standing tail-to-tail. Common fish as big as Lord Jabu-Jabu. Who knows that lurks within them?"

 

She was excited now. She liked talking to people about all the things that she had seen, the wonders she felt... it was what she lived for, getting out and seeing as many things as possible.

[Aqua Girl]

Mira looked at Raven with a trubled look of sadness wich is true, she was sad but she wouldent let it hinder her, she must be strong, "Dont worrt Raven.... I'll be fine!" Mira says with a smile.

 

"I'm Sorry I would Offer you to use Frost Shard but she won’t let anyone ride her besides me." Mira said, to billos.

 

"You see In my culture you are the on trained to train your own horse, this is of course for obvious emotional reasons, if you grew up with your horse while training them you make a bond with its bond you can always trust the horse your with. Frost Shard grew up with me, she’s like my sister." Mira stated, to help them understand so they didn’t think she was just trying to stiff them.

[Saiba Aisu]

Unlike most people, Erzet had the unique ability to know when to keep quiet—most Hylians would have long since cut across Sariri's animated monologue with more questions by now, but he listened intently, fascinated. To him, the ideas of mountains reaching into the heavens, dragons soaring through the sky, and a desert made of water were exotic and almost beyond belief. He watched as Sariri continued to describe the Rito's capital city and the Wind Shrine that topped it, as well as the lush, wild ocean scenery and plants that surrounded Dragonroost Mountain. When she paused for a moment and settled down, he spoke slowly, but with an equal amount of enthusiasm and animation.

 

"Well," he said, "I wouldn't say that the Gerudo are unable to see their patron Goddess. It's true, we can't see her in the conventional manner most people would expect to... But we can read her presence in the arid winds that blow through our valley, in the creatures that make their homes in the Wastes, and see the mark of her footsteps across the desert sand."

 

"The desert defies all understanding and disdains all words to describe it," he continued, struggling to find a way to capture in speech the savage beauty and constant danger which characterized the Haunted Wasteland. "It loves, hates, and weeps with a passion that cannot be comprehended by mortals. As far as the eye can see, there are undulating dunes of sand, dusky-gold in the sunlight, silver-white by moonlight. It's a place of death and life alike, where the two are tied in a deep circle. It's eternal in all of its aspects, stretching back into the dawn of the world and our history—as you can see, we Gerudo are tied as deeply to the desert as you Rito are tied to the sky."

 

He paused slightly, drawing out the words which Sariri's remarks had birthed within him—it wasn't very easy for Erzet to share much about himself, but he was beginning to trust the Rito in a way that he had allowed himself to trust very few people in his life. "As to feeling insignificant in your environment," he continued, "I know exactly what you mean. Every time I cross the desert, I can only marvel at its vastness and harsh beauty, at the way that the Goddess of the Sand's influence pervades every part of it... It's the place where I feel most like a Gerudo."

 

He frowned slightly, more than a little embarrassed that he had confided such a deep part of himself so easily, but he realized soon enough that he had little cause for worry—that much was clear by her hazed red eyes and vaguely cheerful demeanor. It didn't seem likely that Sariri would be remembering too much in the morning.

 

"You're drunk," he observed dryly, smiling slightly at the stubborn expression on the diminutive Rito's face. "We'll be leaving early in the morning, to take advantage of daylight... Don't you think we should call it a night?"

[Shadow Zero]

Raven nodded once to Mira and walked back over to Raizen. He knew that Mira would be just fine, but he couldn't help but be a little concerned for her, given that they were all about to head to places that were obviously dangerous. He mounts Raizen again and looks back towards Hyrule Castle Town, thinking that he could see Skull Kid approaching the bridge, although it was a little difficult to tell though, as he was still some ways off. While waiting for Skull Kid to join himself and Deralen, Raven had seen Erzet and Sariri racing each other to the next nearest village somewhere off into the distance. In that moment, he couldn't help but think to himself wondering I wonder what my brother is doing right now.

 

ooc: this alludes to the possibility of someone else joining this rp, once i have finished helping him with his app.

[Hydra of Ages]

The raven-haired Rito giggled a little bit at Erzet's response, not because she found it humorous, but that it was simply odd to hear the usually stoic theif sound so passionate about anything. She smiled a little bit, a strange grin that seemed almost out of place among her usual smirks and smiles of humor and happiness. It seemed more melancholy than truly happy, really.

 

"Rito aren't tied to the wind, Erzet." she said, vaguely aware she mispronounced his name, but willing to blame the slip of the tongue on her alchohol.

 

"You can't tie stuff to the wind. That's why it's the wind." She giggled a little.

 

"Rito aren't born with wings, you know. Valoo gives them to us, when we're young. We take a scale from him, and if we keep them with us, we quickly grow our wings."

 

She hesitated for a second, and reached to her chest, beneath the shirt she wore under her mail coat. After a few moments, she pulled out a thin string, with a small rust-red object strung on it, looped around her neck like a necklace though tucked far beneath her collar and against her breast that it seemed unlikely any would see it.

 

"This is mine." she explained. "There are others like it, but this is the one I spent hours training for and received from my god. It's a Rito's most valuable possession. Without one, we can't grow our wings... and if we lose it, or it's taken, our wings tend to get brittle and we eventually shed all our feathers, given enough time. It's a reminder. We're not beings of the wind, like dragons or even natural birds, we just borrow their power. The wind is loose, thin, without substance... there isn't anything mortal contained within the air, no water, no ground, no plants... After all, the gods are said to come from the sky. We're not gods, and we shouldn't ever think we are."

 

She paused. "According to legends... Rito used to be a people... who didn't fit anywhere. We had no place... Not in the oceans, which rejected us, the earth which scorned us, or the skies that ignored us. Valoo came and... took pity on us. He gave us a purpose. He gave us our home, Dragonroost. Our entire society is that of people without a home."

 

There was a long sight, and a slight smile. "That's why I travel. Maybe if I look far enough, we can find somewhere we belong without taking charity. Just an idea."

 

She giggled. "Yah, you're right, I'm drunk. Let's call it a night."

 

She quickly tucked the threaded scale back under her shirt and out of sight, before closing the wineskin and placing it back into her mail satchel. She attempted to get up, took a few seconds to adjust clumsily, and glanced back at her partner. She wasn't entirely sure why she decided to open up, but... she blamed it on the alcohol. And perhaps it had something to do with all the reminiscing of Dragonroost... it reminded her of her roots, why she had left in the first place.

[Saiba Aisu]

Had she been in a better and less melancholy condition, Erzet would have argued the fact that the Rito were tied to the wind—they made their livings on the airways, after all, didn't they? The words died on his lips, though, as Sariri revealed her greatest treasure to him, looped on a thin string tied around her neck—a single reddish scale, not even the size of a Rupee. Despite this, the Gerudo knew, somehow, that this tiny scale was beyond price or purchase as far as money was concerned; this was what graced Sariri with the power to fly, this was a small shard of her soul.

 

He frowned as her melancholy tone deepened as she explained how any Rito who lost his or her scale was doomed to lose their wings eventually. Although he had little love of flying after the attack by the two Demon-Keese in Hyrule Castle Town, he began to understand how frightening the prospect of being trapped on the ground would be to her—to any Rito. Erzet realized that her people were more closely connected to their Dragon God, Valoo, than he had originally thought. He had heard rumors, of course, that their proximity to Valoo was what allowed the Rito people to fly, but he had never really believed them, simply because they were known for guarding the secrets of their race. Reflecting on the manner in which the Rito traveled everywhere from their mountain sanctuary of Dragonroost while few non-Rito ever visited the capital city, he also admitted that it was as Sariri had said... The Rito people were, by nature, wanderers.

 

He rose from his seat at her words, pushing his chair back into place and letting Sariri adjust to her tipsiness of her own—in Gerudo culture, it was viewed as a grave insult to unnecessarily assist anyone, save for the wounded, sick, or elderly. Had he helped Sariri to her room and let her lean on him, he would have been intimating that he didn't consider her strong enough to make it on her own, and that would have been exceedingly bad manners.

 

Half an hour later, as he rolled over on his mattress and stared out the window, emerald eyes reflecting the few stars that were visible past the smoke, steam, and other air-borne pollution of the village, he realized that he had not been the only one in an unusual mood that evening—both he and Sariri had opened up to each other, in a fashion. Tossing aside his doubts as to whether striking up a friendship with a wetlander was a good idea or not, the dark-haired Gerudo closed his eyes and lapsed into sleep.

[Blake]

Billos pulled his cloak around him tight. "Meet me outside of Lon Lon ranch, alright?" He said to his two companions. He pulled out a diamond shaped object with a green orb in it. Then it started to glow and the wind in the area picked up, whipping around Billos. "Farore's Wind!" He called out as the orb glowed brighter. Then there was a flash of light, and Billos was nowhere to be seen.

 

Billos landed softly, but a little worn, at the base of Death Mountain, more or less below his cave. His horse, Cheval, had been there. "Hey boy." He said as he stroked it's mane and got on. "You miss me?" The horse whinneyed, and took off into a gallop, knowing just what Billos wanted. He rode solemnly out to the area, after tearing through the Kakariko village, and bent on getting to the Ranch.

[Aqua Girl]

Mira Gave Raven a soft smile.

 

"Heh guess it’s a race! Come on Lorenz!" Mira said happily as Frost Shard darted off she was quite fast even being hindered with every ones luggage, Mira Was quite happy till she heard the necklace she had made for Lorenz jingle in her coat pocket, her face had a sad depressed look of shock on her face, before her face turned sad she let a couple of tears out before increasing her speed.

[encapturer]

Deralen stood up as Skull kid came and joined the others. He smiled, for now... the race begins.

 

"Alright!" He said loudly once the three were gathered. "It's a race!" Deralen stretched a bit before returning to his normal posture.

 

"Uhh... should we go straight for the temple, or do we stop at that nearby town first?" Deralen rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. He was all ready to go, but forgot to set a destination. How disgraceful! "I'd say we stop at the town first, though, so we can set off into the temple together." Deralen continued his warmup exercises while he waited for the answer.

[Shadow Zero]

Raven rather liked the idea of a race, but did not want to head over to the town. he wanted to sleep under the stars, something that he had not been able to do since he had returned home with Mira a while back. It was with this in mind as he shifted his position in his horses saddle so that he was facing Deralen and Skull Kid while he was speaking to them. "Well, we're headed in the same direction as Billos, Mira, and Lorenz up until we reach Lake Hylia, so we could travel with them up until that point. They already dashed off though, and I haven't had my morning race with Mira, so don't expect me to wait up for you!" With that, Raven turned around and faced forward, Raven letting out a joyful whinny as he did so. Without warning, Raizen suddenly starts running as fast as he can, Raven not even making an effort to control him. Within the next few minutes, Raven had passed Lorenz and caught up with Mira. As he pulled up beside her, he notices that she seemed to be upset about something, and he was pretty sure he knew what it was. Wanting to cheer her up, Raven says "You know Mira, we never had our morning race. How about we have that race now, since we seem to be headed in the same general direction?" Raven spoke in an upbeat manner, hoping to cheer Mira up and take her mind off of her troubles, if only for the moment.

[leoluiz]

Skull Kid did not know what was happening, but become excited when he heard Deralen screaming. "A race," he said happy as a child with a new toy. He accelerated as he was a little behind his companions. As he approached, he heard what Raven had to say and responded to both "see you in Lake Hylia" and without turning on if they had heard or not given the command to Wolf run.

 

Wolf had been trained to run fast, because there are many dangers in the forest, then it was not difficult for him to run in an open area like that. And he was going to the Lake Hylia as fast as he can.

[Aqua Girl]

Mira was sad but she wouldn’t let it ruin her last bit of fun with Raven for a while, she let out a sharp whistle Frost shard suddenly had a better denemor as did her master, "Raven....! You know this isn’t a quiet trot this is a race!" Mira said, pulling out her bow and placing a basic arrow on her bow she froze the tip so the tip was a ball of ice, Mira smiled and released the arrow aiming to knock raven off his horse, "A Race!"

[Shadow Zero]

"Oh no you don't!" Raven let out a joyous laugh as he leaned back, letting the arrow go shooting past in front of him. It had been awhile since Raven had been able to race Mira, and he intended to give her a run for her money. Raven eased up on his speed a bit, just enough so that Raizen could get behind Frost Shard. Once Raizen was in position, Raven lifted his legs, placing them on the saddle and umped forward onto Frost Shard. Immediately after jumping, Raizen increased his speed again, and Raven encircled his arms around Mira and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before jumping back on Raizen and saying "You'll have to do better then that if you want to beat me hun." With that, Raven Surges ahead, but also turns back and says "Hey, let's not have the Skull Kid beat us at our own game shall we?"

[Andx]

Lorenz headed off last. He had little to no interest in racing. Though he would have to keep up. Of course, his horse wasn't exactly a top-of-the-line animal, it was just for short, out of town, deliveries. He made sure to keep Mira in eyesight as he headed off to Lon Lon Ranch to meet up with Billos.

"The way he travels seems so convenient. Just warp to wherever you want? That's the way to do these overland routes." Lorenz thought. At the moment, Lon Lon Ranch was only a small speck on the horizon. Though it was the closest thing to the Castle Town in that direction so they'd be there before too much longer; to be certain it wouldn't take a whole day.

 

Lorenz looked around at the picturesque scenery of Hyrule Field. It certainly didn't seem like the whole world was being threatened on three different levels. As far as Lorenz could see it wasn't even being threatened by one. Yet he knew better than that. The events at Zora's Domain two years ago were sign enough that something was going on. If the Zoras of all people could be persuaded to go to war then something evil was surely at work. Lorenz's thoughts focused again on heading to Lon Lon Ranch as there was no point to dwelling on past events. He simply rode and kept Mira in sight.

[Aqua Girl]

Mira loaded 4 arrows and froze the tips she fired the arrows at him, she then increased her speed she didn’t look back she dashed and could see lon lon ranch.

 

"It's been a while hah? Frost Shard!" Mira said, to Frost Shard.

 

Mira remembered back to when she was training frost shard, unlike Raizen she just Ignored Mira and when she would always knock Mira off of her back when Mira tried to mount her, Mira hurt her self many times but she would always smile and just go on to different training exercises. One day Mira accidentally set fire to the barn Mira got all the animals out, but her and Frost Shard, Mira forced Frost Shard to go, trapping her self in the barn Frost slowly walked away sad that she left Mira to die, when a plank of wood hit Mira she let out a scream of pain Frost Shard Turned and she smashed in to the building then the building became incased in ice, later the adults got to Mira and she was lying on Frost Shard. The adults ruled it as Mira havening a temporary boost in magical power, since then Mira was the only one to know about Frost Shards sacrifice she has the scar on her chest to remind her, not even Raven Knows.