Cool green eyes surveyed the valley with unease. The man they belonged to clicked his tongue in distaste, scratching at the sideburns adorning his chubby cheeks.
Twin earrings hung from his ears, one green as the forests and one blue as the rivers.
A pipe settled between his teeth as he took a long puff.
"There's a chill in the air." He murmured to himself. "I wonder if I should've let Durz fly of like that..."
"Malo! Come in, dear!" His betrothed called.
"Coming!" He called back, tapping his pipe on his palm to extinguish it. He sat up and gazed out to the valley again, over his kingdom from atop his wooden fortress.
"Be right there..."
"Was this your idea of a camping?" Zelda inquired, glancing to her royal guardian.
"Well...It's better than sitting around, ain't it?" Link replied with a small smile.
The Princess and her Knight, along with their circle of allies, were standing in the open Hyrule field.
A massive shadow loomed over them, the wean hours of morning becoming known as the dawning light illuminated Vah Medoh soaring high above, reddish-orange lines running along it's exterior.
Agahnim gulped as he peered upwards, obviously uncomfortable with fighting such a massive entity...or machine, in this case.
Using the Sheikah Slate's zoom function, Link examined the Divine Beast from afar for any signs of life aboard, so far he saw none except for the figure of Teba flying around it.
"He's dodging something." Twilight murmured, gazing upwards. "...There's something aboard, I don't know what."
A mask in the shape and style of a hawk covered his upperface and eyes, enhancing the distance he could survey.
With few options, the Sheikah Slate not being able to warp them there, along with Twilight unable to do so either since he'd never been on it to visualize the landing point, another plan was enacted.
An opportunity to test the flying invention Zelda had come up with would suffice for the situation. With a quick warp from Twilight, Link soon held the brown cloak the Elytra was disguised as.
"I don't get it." Tennessee said, inspecting the fabric. "It's just a traveling cloak."
"Do not let simple appearances fool you." Zelda said with pride, running a finger along the cloak. "With Sheikah Guardian Technology, what seems to be a handle could easily be a sword and what can be a ring can easily be a shield."
"Alright, we have the plan down?" Agahnim asked.
"Yeah, I'll head up and activate the warp medallion." Link held up the useful trinket and pocketed it. "Then you guys will warp up."
With a nod from the Princess, Link tied the cloak around his neck, the new article flowing over both his shoulders. He looked down and around his person uneasily, then back up with a befuddled look.
"So how do I activate this thing?" He inquired.
Zelda gave a bemused grin, stepping forward and gently pressing on his right shoulder. With the simple touch, the Elytra became rigged and separated into two wings that flowed down his back like it's namesake part on a beetle.
"Now jump."
"That's it?" Twilight asked incredulously. "Jumping?"
"It's worked most of time, has it not?" Time retorted, glancing at Link. "Go ahead, boy."
Link nodded, tensing up...
And jumped.
Revali's Gale had activated, but the updraft that accompanied it was devoid of the green spirit of the Rito champion. Before Link could lament on this, his stomach flipped instantly as the Elytra gave a high pitched whistle and he shot up into the air.
"Holy shi-!" Tennessee's voice faded within seconds.
A yelp became lodged in his throat as the wind whipped past his hair and his weapons rustled in an attempt to fly off his back, though in vain. The elytra itself had folded outwards to the side, giving the illusion of wings on his back. A blue streak of light trailed from the base, propelling him forwards even out of the updraft.
Link looked down, immediately noticing the already far, and increasing distance between himself and the ground below. Thankfully, he still had the paraglider in his pack, or this would've been a one-way trip with a potentially messy and abrupt end.
The hero steeled himself and tested his movement carefully, finding that leaning to the sides steered him and moving his arms manipulated the wings. Keeping both arms to his side had them fully extending and going max speed, but when he put both forward, it closed them and halted his acceleration.
"Alright, getting the hang of this..." He narrowed his eyes. "Now for the moment of truth."
Link looked up to the Divine Beast above him, easing up and towards the platforms on it's underside. As he drew closer, a low red shield suddenly surrounded Vah Medoh. Link gasped and reeled back, arms outwards as he put his feet forward.
His sudden move slowed himself down enough to not splatter against the shield. Instead, he slowly touched down on the underside of it with his feet. He could feel the heat through his boots and he kicked off before it could cook through them.
"Damn, there goes that idea." He growled, flying upwards, feeling the chilling updrafts already, though a quick spicy elixir fixed that almost instantly, at the cost of nearly spiraling out of control from the sudden movements of his arms.
Now above the Divine Beast, Link gazed down through the shield, already noticing black figures dotting the outside and top of the ship. Before he could investigate further, an arrow sailed past his shoulder.
With a grunt, he drew his bow and a single arrow, flipping over onto his back with his weapon bared towards his assailant.
To his surprise, and the other's as well, it was Teba.
"Link!?" The Rito Champion gaped in shock.
"Nice to see you too." Link waved, setting his bow away and flipping back over. "Figured you could use some help."
"It'd be appreciated." Teba frowned. "What is that contraption?"
"A glider of some sort, Zelda made it." He smirked. "Beneath the Duties of a Princess and the Skills of a Sheikah, she's still quite the scholar."
"It's ingenious. Now, you can soar like us Rito."
"That was the idea." Link gazed down. "The barrier is back up..."
"Yes, the cannons won't be long." Teba flew alongside him. "It's a shame we'll have to destroy them again, now that we finally fixed them. Get your bow ready, and pray you have good control on that glider."
"Not a problem now, I took a moment to practice." Link remarked, drawing his bow again, along with bomb arrows.
A loud screech echoed from Vah Medoh, the four turrets at each side emerging from the shield and already charging up to shoot down it's former master and his ally.
"Any idea who's controlling it?" Link inquired as he nocked an arrow.
"No." Teba replied gruffly. "But I don't plan on letting Medoh remain in their custody."
The pair parted, diving in different directions as shining blue beams parted the clouds in the journey to their targets. Link dove in on one as it recharged, it's red reticle painting a dot over his heart.
It was in pieces before it could fulfill it's purpose.
"One down." Link flipped up and over Vah Medoh, gracefully skimming the shield's surface before rocketing upwards.
Then back down to dodge a hail of arrows aimed at him as the shield fell away for a split moment to let them pass. As soon as he'd corrected his flight path, the barrier had been reactivated to prevent them from breaching their only means of protection.
Whoever, or whatever, had attacked were nowhere to be seen. Though, in part to his sharp senses, Link did catch glimpses of the dark figures darting about cover.
"Link!" Teba's voice called.
The Knight's head snapped to attention, registering the incoming guardian laser heading right for him. He had enough time to think of something, flipping over and raising his arms as if to shield his face.
The elytra reacted accordingly, clicking and folding back together, creating a shield that both tanked and deflected the laser without difficulty.
"Whoa!" He quickly dropped his arms and corrected himself, the wings expanding out again as he watched the beam sail into the air and explode in the distance.
He grinned. "Goddesses, Zelda...I love you!"
His expression became determined as he dived towards the source of the beam, the cannon coming to bear on the approaching hero.
Another down.
Wasting no time, the last two fell quickly, and with another ear-piercing screech courtesy of Vah Medoh, the barrier fell away to the two heroes.
"This is our chance!" Teba hollered, breaking into a dive.
Link followed suit, bringing up the rear as they came to the top of Vah Medoh for a landing next to the Main Console. The Rito Champion landed as gracefully as he'd always had, while the Hylian Champion landed with a thump on the knee, catching himself with his palm, his hand which held his bow extended to the side.
He seethed a bit from the rough landing, his knee and palm aching as he thumped his shoulder with his fist, the Elytra folding together and forming back into it's cloak form.
"Don't try three-point landings, it looks cool, but it hurts." Teba chided lightly.
"Noted." Link grumbled, putting his bow away and rolling his shoulders.
"CHAMPIONS!"
Both whipped about at the voice, Link drawing his sword and Teba his bow as they faced down it's owner. A man, hylian presumably, in full Yiga footsoldier gear atop one of the four pillars surrounding the main console.
Yet, he appeared different. He wore a red hood similar to a Blademaster over his head and carried more weapons than the conventional bow and sickle of the clan. He bore an elegant, dual edged sword on his hip. A spear with a black tip and a duplex bow on his back, with two Yiga sickles hanging from his hip.
The white mask he wore with the inverted Sheikah symbol, the mark of the Yiga clan, was covered with soot and bore an inverted triforce on the right cheek, the topmost glowing with a sickly orange light.
But on his hip, next to the sword, was an artifact that gave Link pause.
"A Sheikah Slate?" He murmured. "That would explain how he controlled Vah Medoh..."
"So! You come before me, expecting to take this pile of ancient junk back so easily?" The Yiga sneered, his voice was distorted and dark, like talking through a cumbersome helmet, but it was nasally and sounded like a troll speaking. "I think not, for Ganon wills it!"
"Look, let's just cut the formalities." Link rolled his eyes. "I know you have more with you, just bring them out and let's finish this, Assassin."
The Yiga seemed amused. "Oh? It seems you have quite the sixth sense, Hero." He chuckled. "Very well, I shall summon them...But I warn you, it is not Yiga I have brought..." He raised his arms high. "I bring death, for you and your foolish acolytes!"
He threw his head back and gave a whistle of a low tune.
And was promptly shot in the shoulder by Teba, dropping to his knee in shock. The Rito's gaze was icy cold as he lowered his bow, already nocking another arrow.
"And I shall only say this once, leave while you still draw breath." Teba said cooly. "Vah Medoh is not yours, or Ganon's, to control. That responsibility falls to I and I alone."
"Urgh...Uff...Hehe.." The Yiga chuckled. "...Too late, Rito. You shall soon know hell, in it's most horrid form."
He chuckled again. "Until this moment, you have not known suffering..!"
He stood up from his kneeling position, ripping out the arrow without any hesitation or pain. Teba promptly raised his bow and let it loose. The man was faster this time, drawing his sword and deflecting the arrow with little effort.
A deafening screech followed, not of Vah Medoh, but a great many different ones that joined together to form a frightening reverb through the morning sky.
Both Link and Teba looked skyward in confusion, finding the sky above dotted with black figures circling around. Footsteps echoed from the sides, leading the two to move so they were back-to-back.
Clawed hands reached up from over the sides, their owners leaping up from the side and into views. Their lizard-like forms adorned with decorated and battle-scarred ancient armor that mocked an ancient curriass.
"Lizaflos?" Link frowned, holding his blade low. "How'd they get up here?"
As if to answer his questions, wings sprouted from behind their backs, from underneath their armor.
"Aeralfos!" Teba exclaimed, bringing his bow to bear. "Watch out! These guys are tricky and fast!"
The Aeralfos held dark swords and decorated shields of unknown creation, their crested heads covered in steel helms, the small amount of flesh exposed from underneath their armor was heavily armored with scales. Compared to their non-flying brethren, they were much larger and bestial.
They surrounded the duo, walking slow and with heavy footfalls, wings either spread out or tucked in behind their backs. Hisses and distorted growls were murmured from the ever-growing army of winged lizaflos.
"Link...please tell me you have a backup plan?" Teba hissed under his breath.
"Maybe..." He replied, already reaching for the travel medallion.
"Traitor!" Came a hissing voice.
Link and Teba snapped their heads to the side as the Aeralfos horde parted to reveal what could only be their commander. He wore a real set of ancient armor everywhere but his head, which instead was adorned by two sleek horns with overgrown scales forming a makeshift, natural helmet around his face.
He wore a ashen-black shield and scimitar with blue markings on his back, the top of both the only indicators of their presence underneath his wings.
"Ar-Janek, you are treacherous snake!" He glared daggers at the Yiga atop. "You swore no Rito be involved in these dealings!"
"I'm afraid the terms have changed, Durz!" 'Janek' retorted from atop his pillar. "You have Vah Medoh, with only one Rito witness, I say it is quite in your hands."
"You still have gone against your word! You tell your master to return the treasures we have given you, it is only fair to my people!"
"I'm afraid not, old friend." He bowed. "Your part is done, farewell."
In a puff of smoke, he was gone.
"You are no friend of mine, Ar-Janek!" Durz cursed furiously, leveling his glare at the two heroes in front of him.
"Feh, I kill him later. Only fair." His eyes narrowed. "I kill you now. Forgive us, it is only fair."
Link drew his shield and readied himself.
"Oh? A warrior, this is good." He cackled a hissing laugh. "We fight, yes? I warn you though, I am very quick. Fastest of my kin, yes."
Link met his glare with a challenging one of his own. "Prove it."
"Seriously!?" Teba looked at the Hylian in disbelief.
"Hehe, I like this one." Durz chuckled to his fellow Aeralfos. "Very well, I show you."
The Aeralfos leader's wings stretched out, as if unused for a long while which was probably untrue given where they were. His spiked feet tensed and tug into the ancient stone beneath them, his wings pushing forward.
And with a gust of powerful wind, he was gone.
Teba blinked, looking at the place Durz had been, the Aeralfos giving chuckles of amusement.
"I am here...!" The Aeralfos' voice called from behind, becoming quiet before exclaiming in surprise. "What!?"
Teba did two things.
He turned around to face Durz who had reappeared behind them.
Then did a double-take when he realized Link had already turned around before Durz even called out.
"Did...he see him?" He thought, amazed.
Durz seemed taken aback and disturbed at the same time, nervously staring at the Hylian Champion who had tracked his movements so expertly.
"What are you playing, Hylian?"
Link remained silent, looking down at the Master Sword in his hand. He stayed that way for a moment, before putting away his shield and straightening up.
"Teba, fly up to the pillars." He ordered.
He'd normally argue, as a warrior. But that look on his face made Teba not want to get on this hero's bad side right now. With a few flaps of his wings, he was safely on the high ground, watching as the force of Aeralfos surrounded their commander and Link.
"Draw your weapon..." He commanded. "And come at me with your quickest attack."
"You challenge me?" Durz inquired, tongue flicking in interest. He himself straightened up and drew his sword, the blue lines tracing it's handle and blade shifting to a bloody crimson.
The Aeralfos watched, tongues flicking in great interest, some standing to attention, some crouched down, as their commander faced off against this Hylian.
The two stared one another down for quite some time, building up the tension until it was so thick you could cut it with a blade.
"Please let this work..." Link murmured, bracing himself.
Without a second wasted, Durz began to move.
And time began to slow.
Link ran full tilt across the battlefield, Durz meeting his movements until they met halfway, their blades clashing together in a shower of sparks and energy.
Time resumed at it's normal pace, the spectators of the clash recoiling in surprise as the two vanished from their spots and reappeared in the center in a blade-lock.
"...Impossible!" Durz hissed.
"That's only half the speed I can go, my friend." Link smirked in triumph, taking the moment to inspect the Scimitar his opponent wielded, it seemed to react negatively in contact with the glow of the Master Sword. "...That blade, it's of Twilit origin, isn't it?"
"...It is, It was a gift to I by our former kin-master."
"You should count yourself lucky, not many hold the blade of a fallen king and live to tell the tale."
Like a lightning bolt, the hero of Hyrule had vanished again before Durz could respond, reappearing behind him in the next second, twirling and stabbing his blade behind him, the Master Sword sliding into the Armor's joint and through the scales of it's target, emerging from the front of Durz's shoulder.
Durz howled in pain and fury, swiping his now-free blade behind him. Link casually ducked and weaved under it, his sword yanked from Durz's shoulder and sliding into place through his unarmored back.
Victory in place, Link withdrew his sword. Copious amounts of blood from the impalement staining the stones beneath them as Durz lurched forward, clutching his wounds.
"You...you cheat." He gasped.
"No, I just ignored the rules of engagement." Link replied flatly.
"..." Durz stared upwards. "...All the same then."
He fell on his face, scimitar clattering noisily to the side as the Aeralfos around growled and hissed in a rage, readying their weapons to avenge their commander.
"...Won't be able to take them all out, even with speed..." Link murmured, reaching into his pouch, withdrawing the Travel Medallion. "Time for Plan A."
The Medallion shone brightly, marking the ground infront of him as the warp point was marked.
"Teba, come on!"
The Rito didn't think twice, despite the shock he'd been in. Flying down so he was back to back with the hero, looking about as the Aeralfos closed in on them...
Then Zelda and company appeared in a cloud of wispy light.
The Princess gave one good look around before giving Link a completely open look of befuddlement.
"Aeralfos?" Twilight said aloud.
"No time to explain! Brace!" Link exclaimed, drawing his shield as the hordes around them charged.
Steel met Steel as the Group either blocked or parried black blades vying for their blood. It quickly devolved into madness, with many fighting with a panicked style.
"Just like the ones in your era, Twilight!" Link called.
"Shut it, Wild! I know!" He called back, blocking a blind swing. "Shit!"
Link and Zelda double-teamed their foes, the former fighting with an extremely relaxed posture, with casual parries with his blade and the occasional spin to block with the Elytra. Zelda waded around him, keep his back clear while also using him as a shield.
Twilight and Time were back-to-back and fending off attacks from all sides, giving battle cries of sheer fury as they showed no mercy. Time gave quick swipes to fend them off, while Twilight focused on heavy strikes to break their ranks.
Needless to say, nobody was putting a dent in their armor.
"What is this stuff?" Agahnim yelled, locked in battle alongside Tennessee. "My blade won't pierce it!"
"It's a form of Ancient Armor!" Link hollered. "It's tough and won't yield easily! Aim for the joints!"
"Kind of hard when they're swarming us like this!" Tennessee yelled in frustration.
"Forget this!" Time exclaimed, shielding his blade as his palm began to glow red.
"Fuck, everyone take cover! He's using Din's fire!" Twilight yelled, bracing himself with his shield aimed towards Time.
Agahnim took a second to register what the Hero of Twilight had uttered, quickly shrouding Tennessee and himself in a crystal barrier. Link grabbed and pulled Zelda down, covering her and using the Elytra as a shield.
Time smacked his palm into the cracked stones, a huge barrier of flame surrounding him before expanding out in a massive wave of destruction. The Aeralfos who took the hint had flown away, leaving their slower comerades to get burned and blasted across Vah Medoh by the ancient spell.
Link felt the heat scorch his exposed boots and the back of his neck, he ignored it and looked about to see the Aeralfos forces scattered like dead insects around them, some even having been blown clean off Vah Medoh and desperatly trying to fly back up.
Time huffed, dropping to his knee from using such a draining spell. Everyone else slowly rose from their defenses and looked about at the carnage.
"Wow..." Zelda mumured.
"He really is the Hero of Time." Tennessee breathed.
"You...Huff...flatter me..." Time sat down, gasping for breath.
Link glanced about, realizing a crucial detail. The Aeralfos were getting back up and didn't even seem perturbed by what had happened.
"We are routed! Fall back!" A hissing voice commanded.
Link whipped around to see Durz on his feet, clutching his bleeding stomach as his kin followed his command, departing Vah Medoh and soaring off into the air.
The Hero narrowed his eyes, keeping his blade at the ready as he walked over to the Aeralfos commander, who only gave him a glance on ackweknowledgement.
"...How's the wound?"
"Have had worse, nothing medicine will not fix." Durz replied curtly. "You fight well for Hylian, we respect warriors. If you ever find yourself in Ordona, in what Ordonian's call 'Tone cliffs', come to our camp for rematch."
"...I might take you up on that offer." Link smirked, then frowned. "But don't you serve Ganon?"
"No, we will not serve the dark king now." Durz snorted. "I care too much for kin to allow that. It might start war with Rito, cannot have that."
"Then why did you try to take Vah Medoh?" Teba asked, confused. "That would have surely started a war."
"Was told it was unoccupied by Ar-Janek, was going to use it to return to home in the sky." Durz shrunk sheepishly. "Forgive us for arrogance, instinct drives us too much these days."
"Ar-Janek?" Zelda repeated, frowning.
"There was Yiga up here...He was different though, more heavily armored and..." Link sighed. "He had a Sheikah Slate."
"A sheikah slate?" Zelda shook her head, holding up her own. "No, Impossible. This was the only one left from ten-thousand years ago."
"...Know nothing of Sheikah, of shadow people, but I tell you that Ar-Janek is not to be fought lightly. He is elite in Ganon's army, very deadly." Durz stood up and pointed to Hyrule Castle. "He say Town there is his next target, if you go now, you catch him maybe."
"And why are you helping us?" Twilight asked. "I killed one of your kind before, you were all evil."
"We have undone our ways from before, along with the Dark Armor Mer. Darknuts and Aeralfos are no kin to Ganon now, remember that." He smiled a wide smile, flicking his tongue. "And I have no love for traitor, especially Ar-Janek."
Durz gave a bow of his head, bending down to retrieve his scimitar, before he gave a great thrust of his wings to soar off after his Kin.
They watched him go, looking about to see no evidence of the recent skirmish, aside from the burnt grass planted atop Vah Medoh.
"He had a Twilit Scimitar, last you said, it was owned by Zant." Link looked over to his ancestor, who was watching the retreating figure. "Care to explain how the Aeralfos came to possess it?"
Twilight remained quiet, then looked to the ground.
"Not a damn clue."
Author's Note:
Hey everyone! I'm back after a little hiatus! Sooo much has happened, I can't even believe it.
Two of my Dogs were ran over and killed in the span of a week, spent a these past few days mourning them. They were good dogs and I'll miss them a lot...Sigh.
But I shouldn't bring you down with my sadness. Tbh, I thought one would come back as a Zombie-Dog on Halloween. XD
Good news: I got a new game called "Stardew Valley", which is alot like Harvest moon and is VERY fun. So, I've been distracting myself with that, had to pry myself away today just to finish this chapter. _
This Chapter:
-Ey, Prince Malo. What's up?
-The elytra is brought back and Link can finally take to the Sky like a Rito. Been planning for this for quite a long time, and he'll be keeping it for sure, even if he prefers to do things normally.
-Ar-Janek is gonna be one of the Major Antagonists I'm bringing in. He's an Elite Blademaster, one of Strum's, and now Ganon's, right hand men. Thankfully, he shall be spared from what Ganon has in store.
-Durz and his group of Aeralfos will return later down the line, as will the Darknuts (The real ones.). Though I should clarify something, when he said the Aeralfos and Darknuts do not serve Ganon, he was talking about the factions he and the Darknut leader command, not other groups.
So, yeah, Ganon will have Darknuts and Aeralfos at his disposal at some point.
-Link, after some practice with Twilight and Time, has begun to learn how to activate his Flurry Rush without needing to dodge or parry, even with Durz it was complete luck that it worked twice in a row. Of course, it isn't OP since it still doesn't last long and he can't take out a lot of people with it.
-My friend recommend I have Time do something cool since he's been majorly a background character so far, which will change soon with Daku, so I reasoned that he outta have upgraded Din's Fire at this point and uses it to blast the Aeralfos away.
-Zant's Scimitar (The one he uses to resurrect Stallord.) has ended up with Durz's family line, which is neat.
-As for the Aeralfos' concept as a whole. Along with the Darknuts, I imagined that after Ganondorf's defeat in Twilight Princess, their loyalties wavered over the years, with the Darknuts bowing to TP!Link (You'll see that in another story.) and the Aeralfos migrating from the City in the Sky to the Tone Cliffs which Ordona would eventually claim. Thankfully, they were sophisticated and "Friendly" by that point.
As always, see you soon!