A/N: So this is the first point in the story where I'm really tinkering with the lore behind BotW, simply because the canon version offers more questions than answers- if you'd like a more detailed rundown, you can check out my Twitter, but beyond that, enjoy the chapter! :D

Link collapsed back to the metallic strut as the last of the Company, Daruk, ascended, needing the whole collective might of the other Champions to adequately pull him up the great height. With quick attentiveness, Mipha scurried to his side, though he was quick to wave her off.

"I'm fine, really," he assured, weakly, keeping a pressured hold atop his waist, "Nothing a month long bruise won't handle."

Revali cocked his head upward, "Pah, such an arrogant statement, to be sure."

Groaning, Urbosa returned dolly, "Like you wouldn't be in the same state were the roles reversed."

"I was destined to bear the wings of my people! There wouldn't ever be any roles to be reversed!" Revali easily retorted.

"Then you'd just invent some reason why succumbing to your injuries is the 'Way of the Witwiki' or whatever," Urbosa grumbled.

Revali's feathers curled distasteful, "Witwa, you dolt. You'd best respect our gods, lest they make themselves known in the most discomforting of ways."

The two of them continued rambling as Mipha knelt down beside Link, to his shock, placing her hand atop his stomach where his had been resting. He watched her hand there for a moment, her red and white scales so contrasting with the light green cloth covering him, unable to keep his eyes from peering up toward her face for long, catching her eyes closed in such serenity, lips trembling in near-empty speech.

A brittle sort of warmth emerged beneath her hand, catching Link off guard as he returned his attention to her clutch, her hand now glowing a gentle golden hue. While he couldn't examine his skin, he could tell that his bruise was being soothed from existence, if only by so much. His head bolted up as Mipha let free the smallest of giggles, smiling in return.

"I told you years ago, I would allow nothing to harm you," Mipha confirmed softly, nearly whispering, "It might have been a promise between two young beings, but it was a promise nonetheless."

Link eyed her with curiosity, as if he'd had trouble recalling the promise she was citing, though he put on a confident face, inferring enough already that such a promise, however spur of the moment between children, was a rather magnanimous thing indeed.

"Thanks," he spoke up.

She smiled, "Feel any better? I'm afraid magic can only do so much when it comes to bruising ."

"Oh no, it's much better," Link nodded, suddenly feeling a pang of discomfort at the realization of just how intimate a setting the two of them were currently, silently thrilled that Urbosa and Revali were currently stealing the spotlight from the two of them, "Thanks. really."

Hoping his flat addition to his thanks would subtly request Mipha's departure, lest the two become the subject of someone's, mostly Daruk's, teasing, Link allowed a wave of relief over him as Mipha nodded, still smiling a bright lit smile as she stood back up, readying her trident that had fallen to the ground in her helpful surge. Helping Link to his feet, the two turned back to the others just as Zelda had finished breaking up the bicker-off between the most headstrong two of the Company.

"Alright, alright; you're both idiots if that's what it takes to even out this mess!" Zelda complained, "Now, we're here for a reason, on a surface tread upon by nobody in nearly a millennia. We're not about to squander this opportunity."

Revali nodded, spreading his arms in a bow, "Ah yes; let us never forget which of us made such a scare opportunity possible in the first place."

Frowning, Zelda muttered, "Look, I'm about five minutes from-"

"Entering scholar mode, yes," Link finished for her, earning him a glib stare from the Princess.

"Its not a mode- I-" Zelda quickly groaned, taking a pause to ready her words, "Don't you all realize just how magnificent this is? We're standing atop a machination of the most ancient of people, so vastly more advanced than ourselves. Think of the opportunity they hoped- prayed would be bestowed onto us."

Daruk dug his fists into his hips, nodding dramatically, "She does speak the truth! Quite the eloquent one she is, as well!"

Suddenly embarrassed, Zelda covered her face, "I- I'm not-"

With the warmth of a Goron, melted into tenderness, Daruk patted her shoulder, laughing boisterously, "Now is no time for shame. It is time for research, as you said! Seeing a Divine Beast this close- it does fill me with curiosity about Death Mountain's own creature of machine."

Zelda peeked out from her hands. It was as Daruk proclaimed: the time for curiosity, not embarrassment. She cleared her throat, digging into her satchel and pulling out her Shiekah Slate, much to the awe of some within the Company.

Handing it to Link, she instructed, "Alright. You are to follow me and record notes. Understood?"

Link shook his head, "No? I'm not even a part-"

"You're job is to protect me, correct?" Zelda asked with a wry smirk, "Then you must protect my thoughts and observations from leaving me."

The Knight narrowed his eyes, peering suddenly toward Urbosa, who'd done much the same not one hour ago, before grabbing the slate and frowning, "You two really are mean for doing that, you know."

Zelda smirked proudly anyway, patting her hands together before turning down the length of the strut that hung from the bottom of Vah Naboris, "Okay Champions. We explore now and ascertain this Beast's functions, capabilities, everything. Most importantly, we must find a way to manipulate this creature, should we need to."

"Like a pilot?" Mipha asked sincerely.

Zelda nodded, "Something like that. According to legend, these Beasts were used by the Sheikah to confront the most ancient of evils before being left to the primitive beings of the world. Some scholars assert that the Divine Beasts were created for the four peoples of Hyrule, but I believe it's the other way around. I believe the races of Hyrule came into their own as a result of the Beasts' presence- that is, your people were evolved for the Beasts, not the Beasts created for you."

Frowning at such an esoteric thought, Daruk stroked his beard, "Hold on. I'm confused."

"Just think about it," Zelda asserted easily, "The Sheikah couldn't have possibly known who that the Zora would sprout from those Lanayru waters. But they left Vah Ruta there, hoping that its life-giving properties would prove fertile for a race of beings who would one day be destined for its reigns. Same with the Gerudo, the Rito, and Gorons."

She nodded toward the Zora among them, "So who better than Mipha to pilot Vah Ruto? She has the eyes of a thousand generations upon her- countless years of understanding of that Beast that has bred her very people."

"Same with Urbosa and this Beast here," Zelda explained further, "My hypothesis is that, while they might resemble one another from a technological angle, there's something more to them, perhaps a fail-safe of some sort, that only their respective representative can keep in check. An energy field of something."

Still rather miffed, Daruk bowed his head, unable to make heads or tails on what was being said, though Urbosa was quick to offer up her own questions, running her hand along the ornate material covering the Beasts' interior, "So, what, how do we figure this out? I mean, I'm not about to blindly drive this thing into Gerudo Town, am I?"

"Well, that's the thing," Zelda confessed quietly, thoughtfully gripping her chin, "I mean, that's the whole point of this, correct? Learning how these things work, to begin with. but if the Sheikah truly expected such primitive beings to one day helm these Beasts, I'm sure a people as knowledgeable, and full of foresight, as them wouldn't make it terribly difficult to understand."

She began strolling down the strut that would ultimately lead up into the insides of the Beast, still in awe over the twisting, winding view of the desert surrounding her, "Let's just begin by making observations. Studying 101."

Daruk turned to Link, who was sliding a pocketbook from his satchel, lips curled unsatisfactorily at the idea of his knighthood having lead him to notation, the Goron sighing, "Man, you're lucky the Hylians don't have to worry about these things…"

"Oh, I'm sure we'll have plenty more to worry about, don't worry," Link groaned, "All those excavations to find so much Sheikah technology caused a massive uproar to begin with. I can only imagine what might happen if Zelda stumbles upon some new venture that drains the public stores. The reason Akkala's loyalty to Hyrule grew tense in the first place was that they were losing out on luxuries due to the excavations. It's how my father died."

Daruk frowned, eyes wide in realization, "S- I'm sorry, brother."

"It's no big deal," Link assured with a shrug, "I'm just hoping she knows what she's truly getting into is all. Zelda thinks this is all leading to a single end, but there's a million other repercussions to consider."

Urbosa charged in, her voice fierce, "Watch your words, knight. Your Princess is wise beyond her years. She understands what she's doing, as do I. The lives of so few living now is nothing compared to the innumerable lives left to walk this world who've yet to come."

"Easy for you to say," Link suddenly challenged, "Your family wasn't a part of those who died."

Readying his pack, slung over his shoulder, Link chewed at his lip, burying his head low before trudging along to catch up to Zelda, muttering quietly as he passed Urbosa, "Sorry."

She shrugged, "I understand. Just know that I consider my people to be my family. I wouldn't wish any harm on them, or anybody else, for that matter."

Link made his way after Zelda, out of earshot as the other Champions prepared to follow along as well. The downtrodden atmosphere lingered for only a moment before Urbosa turned to the others, crossing her arms and declaring rightly.

"Alright, perk up. We've got a Beast to figure out, and I've to learn how to drive it, apparently," she ended unsurely.

Revali cocked his head to the side, "Such an advantage you have with four legs. Vah Medoh will prove to be far more challenging a venture; no wonder we Rito strove to better ourselves to such massive aspirations!"

With a wry smirk, Urbosa retorted, "Best be on your guard, then. You won't have anyone to save if you crash the thing into your little stone tower over in Tabantha."

"How droll," Revali concluded sarcastically, following along as the Champions carried on atop the truss beneath Vah Naboris.

"Marvelous!" exclaimed Zelda as she further galivanted around the massive terminal that sat within the belly of Vah Naboris, "Absolutely exquisite! The thought, the planning-! I mean, it looks just like a shrine, doesn't it?!"

Examining it himself, with far less enthusiasm, Link shrugged, "I mean, I suppose?"

"It's just breathtaking! The amount of ingenuity that went into-! The Sheikah created an entire empire, and from the get go, they made everything so uniform!" Zelda observed, "Almost as if they were thinking ahead a millennia from their very inception! We don't deserve them!"

Link watched with waned enthusiasm as Zelda returned to the front of the device, whipping out her Sheikah Slate and matching it to the relief that sat inside the mechanism, "A perfect fit! See?! It's almost as if they made it easy for us! Everything of theirs is just so organized and makes sense!"

Warily so, Link scribbled down the words 'makes sense' on his small pad of paper, curling his lips faintly as Daruk's voice rang out from another end of the Beast's interior, "HEEEEY! WE FOUND ANOTHER ONE!"

"Another?" Zelda muttered in awe, "That's three total terminals so far, along with that massive one up front! So, let's speculate."

Link nodded sarcastically.

"We already know that all the shrines are connected, right? Ley lines beneath the ground. So, knowing what we know about how uniform the Sheikah seemed to be- What if all of these are connected?! Maybe all we do is get these smaller terminals up and running and then control them from the main terminal!"

She hurried to place the slate into the terminal, but to no avail, Zelda's lips still trembling excitedly, "Oh, the thought of it all! How exciting! Not a single textbook ever mentioned any of this, you know?!"

The wind surrounding the two of them broke open as Revali spun down from the ceiling, letting lose a unkempt gust before landing beside the two Hylians, "It is as Urbosa surmised. There is another terminal up on one of its columns."

"Four, then!" Zelda exclaimed, "Four! Gah lee, this is so incredible!"

Link noted aloud, "You're using your research diction again."

She frowned at the reemergence of a habit meant to have been broken, though Zelda still remained plastered to the console before her, unable to take her eyes off the thing. Revali gave a scrutinizing glance, musing aloud quietly in his curiosity.

"So you believe these machinations to be similar?"

"Absolutely," Zelda replied with a nod, "These stations seem to be a power grid, though I haven't the faintest how to activate them. I would postulate that each Divine Beast has a similar power grid within them; it's just a matter of activating them and, I would assume, wrangling control from the giant terminals that I would also believe to be within each Beast."

Revali crossed his arms, "For all our attempts at investigating Vah Medoh, we haven't caught the faintest glimpse of any such thing."

"What's keeping you, if I might ask?" Zelda inquired sincerely.

A curious clicking cane from the Rito's beak, "For all Vah Medoh does to assist us when it comes to wind currents, as well as cross pollination and the like, the Beast doesn't seem to enjoy being scrutinized by the people it watches over. Any attempt to rise and meet her only incurs the furious winds of Vah Medoh, preventing much of any interaction beyond prayers and smoke offerings."

Link rolled his eyes, "And we thought this camel of a Beast was terrible to ascend to…"

Smirking, Revali guaranteed, "You'll need far more ingenuity, dear Princess, if you wish for this task to reach its conclusion. Beyond the ease of Vah Ruta, as well, where your biggest obstacle will be the Zora oligarchy, you have Vah Rudania, the lizard-like being skittering around like a bug within the volcanic depths of Death Mountain."

Zelda sighed, dropping her head as her excitement left her, "Well, I certainly didn't mean for it to be known that I meant for us to explore Vah Naboris first, simply due to how perilous the others appear. Still, I am up for the challenge, most assuredly!"

"Besides," she went on, triumphantly, lifting a valiant fist into the air, "It seems as though the Sheikah were looking out for us! There must be a way to tame even your mechanical bird."

Revali nodded smugly, "Well, to perform such a feat would mark you greater than the greatest Rito to have attempted to board such a Beast. I suppose if you Hylians are descendants of the Sheikah, I suppose you might have an advantage."

Hiding a coy smirk at having something of a compliment blessed upon her by the headstrong Revali, Zelda went of examining the device as the others returned from their exploration, turning up nothing but the five terminals already having been discovered. Daruk had taken to shaking steps, having considered how high up they were and was quickly overwhelmed, though he had progressed considerably ever since he'd simply been seated, refusing to even stand. Urbosa and Mipha followed behind him, the latter of which quickly gave her report.

"We scoped out another terminal, however, it's atop Vah Naboris' head," Mipha concluded hopefully, "Were there any up above?"

Link replied as he continued his notation, diligently, "Yes, just one. That's a total of five terminals and a main line one."

"Oh! Did you draw a diagram?!" Zelda asked in a furious haste, earning her a piercing stare as Link's eyes peered overtop his notepad.

Nodding, he replied simply, "Of course. Where exactly was it?"

"Just underneath its head, it seems," Urbosa answered, stroking the dip of skin just beneath her chin, "I've seen it before, but didn't really think anything of it, honestly."

Mipha approached Link peevishly, sidling closer to him as she examined his handywork, finding a rather impressive looking diagram of the Beast, with each terminal pointed out in detail. Her eyes rested there pensively, her body not moving for long enough that she snapped awake, realizing how odd she appeared, and she pointed toward the diagram after Link's eyes had returned from their curious glance toward her.

"Uhm… Right about there," she spoke up quietly.

Link nodded, circling in the general area beneath Vah Naboris' head, "Alright, that should be all of them, then."

"H-Have we need of anything else here?" Daruk questioned skeptically, his trembling ever apparent.

For a moment, Zelda remained still, her lips curling inward thoughtfully before slowly allowing her head to dip up and down, "…yes, I suppose. I mean, there's obviously a power supply that is not the same as the supply powering the Beasts' movement, but-… I think, now, it would be beneficial to see how they're all similar. Especially since they seem to follow the same design, roughly- perhaps we'll figure something out with a different one. We've figured out so much with this one alone, though!"

At her words, Link slowly pulled his hand toward his chest, trying to conceal the notepad there before Revali clucked distastefully, charging a shout toward the knight, "Hey now; she's right, isn't she? Reveal it all to us, you mere scribe!"

A frown stretching across his face, Link grumbled silently to himself, shaking his head as he pulled his notepad back up, clearing his throat before going on, "Similar to shrines. Five terminals. One biggun."

"Biggun..?" Revali questioned with a haughty sort of curious air.

Zelda shuddered, recognizing one of those words often muttered during her 'phase', though without missing a beat, Link seemed all too prepared to take even a social hit for her, "Don't get riled up over your insufficiency of the finer points of Hylian."

"Tsh! For shame, scribe!" Revali darted back, "I'll have you know, my language comprehension is second to none! This 'biggun' you speak of- it is nothing of note!"

Urbosa shrugged, "I don't know; it came across perfectly clear to me."

Checking himself, Revali peered over toward Urbosa before dropping the matter, shrugging to himself before trudging off, leaving Daruk the open air to let loose his impatient, "D-Does that mean we can get off this- thing..? I fear my joint will turn into fault lines at this rate."

"Nah, you've done great so far," confirmed Urbosa, patting his arm, "You're not even clutching the columns for dear life anymore."

Daruk shuddered, "No, but I want to…"

Taking a quick breath, a nod came across Zelda as she replied, "I suppose we've gotten as much as we can glean so far, especially given that this is our first Divine Beast. There's so much more to learn, but- So long as Urbosa stands amongst her people, we won't have much issue in returning if need be."

Urbosa nodded, a worrisome glance toward Mipha, "Especially with a Zora present; it might be time to head on back. Judging by Vah Naboris' trajectory, we're just crossing the dune between Kara Kara and the entrance to the desert, anyway."

"Such a helpful creature!" Daruk sighed with relief.

Revali retorted, "Or perhaps it's simply sending us a message to leave it be and get out."

"If there is any trouble-," Urbosa grinned, patting her Thunder Helm before nodding toward Link, "Your recklessness is ill-placed sometimes, but at least you take some reservations. For that, I thank you for keeping this treasure untarnished."

Link shrugged, "I was just-"

"You know, for somebody with no investment in this venture, you sure do seem to contribute quite a bit," teased Urbosa with a wry grin.

Only a pithy glance met her.