After walking across the snow covered landscape, Aloy and Link walk up the short inclination of the hill to the Sheikah Shrine. More snow falls softly around them. Link activates the shrine and they go inside and down. Once they get off the elevator, they find themselves inside a massive room that is more tall than wide. A monk named Sha Warvo welcomes them and offers this test in the name of the Goddess Hylia. There are a series of hovering platforms rising ever upward, each with fans on them blowing upward.
"How do those platforms hover?!" Aloy marveled in silent awe.
Link speculates that it must be the Sheikah technology.
"Fair enough . . . I still don't really understand the technology of the Old Ones."
They go to the end of their platform and first Link whips out his paraglider to fly upward to the next platform. Aloy follows after him. At the second platform, they can see another smaller one that has only a chest on it, along with a small Guardian. Link looks to Aloy and tells her that they should get to the top as he walks up to the fan and flies upward, not wanting to annoy Aloy over having to go out of his way simply to get a chest.
Platform after platform, they fly upward with the use of its fan. It is at a tall narrow column that Aloy had to hang back as she cannot readily see any fan up there. She watches Link disappear around the other side of it and into it, then comes shooting up through the top. She flies up there and maneuvers her paraglider until she sees an opening on the side with a fan facing upward. She too glides inside and is shot up through the top to join Link on the platform that has the monk. The monk does not wear a veil to cover his mummified face but wears a hat similar to Impa's, and has his hands raised up to his face. Aloy and Link get their spirit orb and glide back down to the elevator below, with Link stopping along the way to destroy that small Guardian and get that chest to collect a purple rupee from it.
Once back outside, they check the Sheikah Slate again to get their bearings.
"That's just over that hill," Aloy said while pointing to another incline.
They go over it and are greeted by the sight of a massive maw of a chasm before them. There are flags and pendants about the place, along with a single tall thin pillar of rock in the center. There are bright blue circles on it and the walls of the chasm as well. They notice that wind perpetually blows upward as the waving flags show. Next to it and up high so that it can only be accessible by a ladder that can be seen is a large building built in the style of a Rito house, complete with a platform for takeoff or landing.
"I can see two Rito in that building," Aloy said as she uses her focus to see their outlines. "I'm guessing they're Teba and Harth."
Link urges her to come and they climb up the ladder and enter the interior where a fire is lit in the center of the room with a cookpot over it. There is a bow in one corner called a swallow bow, an intricate bow with yellow ends and a supple drawstring that makes it fast on the draw. Link takes it, then takes ten arrows to split into five between himself and Aloy.
They look to the platform to see two Rito males sitting across from each other on either side of it and fiddling with their bows. The one on the left has white plummage and the other on the right has dark grey plummage but with black crestfeathers slicked to one side and down the back of his head.
"Ah, excuse us?" Aloy said upon approaching them.
"Your excused," the dark plummaged one said in a gruff slick voice as he glances back at her, revealing yellow narrow eyes that look fierce.
"Heh, charming Rito aren't you," Aloy said dryly, then sighed. "Look, we know that one of you is Teba and the other is Harth. So who's who?"
"I'm Harth," the dark plummaged one said.
"Then that means you're Teba," Aloy said to the white plummage Rito.
"Yeah," Teba answered in a gruff tone as he glances over his shoulder at Aloy, revealing yellow eyes as well, though wider. "I don't know you," as he goes back to fiddling with his bow, "and we're actually pretty busy here. You two should probably go."
Link walks past Aloy and the two Rito warriors notice this.
"Did you need something?" Teba asked Link as he pauses in fiddling with his bow. "We're busy here."
Link tells them that he and Aloy can help them.
"Help us?" Harth asked in an arrogant tone. "With what exactly?"
"That Divine Beast Vah Medoh," Aloy answered.
"Let me get this straight," Teba stated curtly. "Some random Hylians want to help us bring down Divine Beast Vah Medoh? We're not buying it. What're your names, strangers?"
"I'm Aloy," she said, and Link introduces himself as well.
"Aloy and Link, huh?" Teba said.
"I'm guessin' the elder asked them to come here and talk some sense into us," Harth said to Teba, then turns to Aloy and Link. "Am I right?"
Link verifies it.
"Just like the elder to trust any fool wandering into town," Teba muttered bitterly. "Look," as he speaks up to Aloy and Link, "you two seem all-right, but let's get one thing clear: me and Harth and not going any."
"As Rito warriors, we can't rest until our people are safe," Harth added intently. "There's only one way we're going back to Rito Village."
"And that is?" Aloy asked.
"Once Divine Beast Vah Medoh falls from the sky," Teba answered grimly. "If we have to kill Medoh . . . so be it."
"Only then will we return to the village," Harth added.
"What do you think, Link?" Aloy asked. "Should we get started?"
Link agrees, causing the two Rito warriors to quickly look up at Aloy and Link with intent stares.
"Are you serious?" Teba said with a scornful tone. "Ha! Well, far be it from us to talk you off the ledge."
"But it's as the elder said," Harth added. "The only way to stop Divine Beast Vah Medoh is to get inside it. Fat chance of that happening."
"There's no way we can set foot in Medoh," Teba said.
Link then tells them that he and Aloy can glide up there onto the Divine Beast Vah Medoh, causing a laugh from the two Rito warriors.
"So not only are you two wingless," Teba snorted. "You're both brainless too. Let me fill you in," as his tone turns serious while glaring up at them, "the only people able to enter the Divine Beasts are the five Champions of old. And unfortunately for us and the rest of Hyrule, they all died a hundred years ago."
"If it hadn't been for Ganon-" Harth stated.
"Nevermind," Teba interrupted. "Let's focus on bringing down Medoh . . . one step at a time. If we approach Medoh recklessly, it's cannons will blast us out of the sky before we even get close."
"Wait, what?!" Harth interjected incredulously as she sits forward. "You're serious about helping these two loons now?!"
"Correction," Teba answered flatly. "We're gonna help these two loons now."
Harth stares at Teba while blinking, wondering how to answer that.
"Now then where was I?" Teba continued up at Aloy and Link. "Oh yeah, we're going to test you two before we take you with us."
"How?" Aloy asked.
"We Rito warriors use the updraft in this ravine to hone our aerial archery skills," Teba answered.
"The updrafts in this ravine are so strong here that a person could just open up a cloth over their head and float up easily," Harth added.
"Now let's see what you're capable of," Teba said. "You'll have to maneuver through the air and destroy five of the targets set up in this valley in three minutes."
"Okay," Aloy said slowly as she looks at Link with a look of uncertainty. "Any pointers?"
"Using a bow in midair is just like using a bow on the ground," Teba answered.
"I can grasp that," Aloy said. "I've used a bow in midair at times."
"Use your arrows to destroy five targets in three minutes," Teba added. "If either of you can't do that, you don't stand a chance against Medoh. Of course, it will be one at a time. So which of you are ready to be tested first?"
Link tells Aloy that he will go first.
"Okay," Aloy said.
"Then go destroy five targets with your arrows," Teba said.
Link walks past Teba and Harth to the front of the landing platform. He then tells them that he is ready. Teba counts down from three and Link jumps off the platform and flies upward. Aloy watches as Link next whips out the swallow bow, given its faster drawstring, and shoots off two arrows and hits two targets, all in a couple of blinks. He quickly puts away his bow and whips out his paraglider once again to fly higher again and shoots off three more arrows, hitting three more targets. Again in a few blinks of her eyes.
Link drifts back down onto the platform before Teba, Harth, and Aloy.
"That was amazing, Link!" Aloy marveled. "You moved so fast!"
"You're," Teba began, "a skilled archer."
"Yeah," Harth agreed. "It was as if time stopped with every arrow he let fly."
Aloy sighs. "So now it's my turn now."
She walks past them up to the edge of the landing platform and looks down into the seemingly bottomless ravine as she can feel the wind blowing up past her. While she has released arrows in midair hundreds of time, it was always as she was jumping with the ground directly underneath her. Never hovering high in the air over a seemingly bottomless ravine.
Aloy uses her focus to scan for the position of the targets, then marks them. Next, she removes the meteor rod from her back so she won't accidentally grab that. She repositions her war bow so that she can be quick on the draw with it because of its fastest reload out of her three bows. She checks out her arrows and with the extra five arrows, she has a total of fifteen arrows. Those she puts into position so that she can grab them as well. She does a brief check of the sky to see that the sun is low in the west, but the clouds block it so it will not get in her eyes.
With her gear at the ready, she takes a deep breath.
"Are you ready, Aloy?" Teba asked.
"Yes," as she tenses herself. "Count me down."
"Three . . . Two . . . One . . . Go!"
Aloy leaps outward as she whips out her paraglider, causing her to fly high up. Once high enough, she is quick to put it away and take out he bow and an arrow. With the help of her focus, she is quick to line up a bright blue target, aims, and releases; hitting the target and her focus keeps mark, along with her mind.
One!
She quickly takes out another arrow, aims, and releases; hitting that target.
Two!
She swaps her bow for her paraglider to gain a higher altitude. Again, she swaps her paraglider for her bow and another arrow, takes aim, and releases: hitting that target too.
Three!
She quickly takes out another arrow, aims, and releases; hitting that target.
Four!
She quickly takes out another arrow, aims, and releases; hitting that target.
Five!
She swaps her bow for her paraglider for the last time and glides back down to the landing platform where Teba, Harth, and Link await her.
"That was pretty good, Aloy," Teba said. "You were slower than Link, but you still managed to hit five targets in under three minutes. It was as if you knew exactly where to shoot."
"Yeah, you didn't waste time searching for your next target like Link had done earlier," Harth added. "You just shot one, gained altitude, then immediately aimed for another. And so on. And so on."
"I've got to tell you, Link, Aloy," Teba said with a tone of respect. "When you two first showed up, I thought someone was pulling a prank on us. But after seeing first you then her handle your bows, I can tell you're both the real deal."
"You both must've seen a battle or two," Harth added with a tone of awe.
Links answers hundreds of them.
"Same here," Aloy answered.
"I believe it," Teba said. "Link . . . I feel I've heard the name somewhere before . . . Well, if you really want to help us bring down Medoh, it's now or never."
"And just," Aloy began, "how are Link and I going to get up there?"
"We'll carry you up there," Harth said. "You can get on our backs as we fly up there."
"Are you sure you can handle our weight?" Aloy asked.
"That we can," Teba answered. "We'll get the both of you into position so you can give its cannons all you got. Inside that treasure chest is a bow I've modified," Teba pointed out. Link and Aloy do a double take at it because they had failed to notice it earlier. "Take it, Link, and let us know when you're ready."
Link opens the chest and takes out a falcon bow. It resembles the swallow bow, but has two red prongs sticking out from the front with the top one much longer than the bottom. He tests the string and decides to make use of this one on their attack of Medoh.
"Okay," Teba stated, "it's time to face Divine Beast Vah Medoh. Normal arrows won't put a dent in those cannons. You'll need to hit them with bomb arrows. These are a precious commodity, so don't expect me to do this again but," as he hands Link and Aloy five bomb arrows from either hand, "take these bomb arrows."
Link and Aloy take them and tuck them away with Aloy adding. "I think I can suppliment them with my remaining tearblast arrows."
"Tearblast?" Harth inquired.
Aloy takes out a tearblast arrow. "These are as destructive as bomb arrows. A product of my world."
"Also," Teba said, "it'll be cold up there. You'll want to prepare a warm meal or bring some clothes."
"I think I better put that meteor rod on my back to keep me warm then," Aloy said as she repositions the meteor rod so that it does just that.
After fiddling around in his arrow satchel, Link asks what the plan is.
"We'll draw Medoh's fire," Teba answered. "That'll be your chance to destroy it's cannons."
"There are four cannons total," Harth added. "The main body is protected by a barrier, so there's no use attacking it."
"Just focus on taking out all the cannons," Teba said. "We'll talk next steps once that's done. We can go whenever you're ready."
"So who's gonna take who up?" Aloy asked.
"I'll take Link, you go with Harth," Teba answered.
"Very good," Aloy quipped.
"We can go whenever you two are ready," Teba said.
Link asks Aloy if she is ready.
"Let's do this," Aloy answered.
"All right," Teba said. "But let me ask you both something. Why are you both doing this?"
"Yeah," Harth added. "Why risk your lives to bring down Medoh?"
Link answers that he can't just watch.
"Neither can I," Aloy answered. "Where I came from, life on my world was threatened for a second time. And if I had done nothing . . . I wouldn't be here."
"So neither of you can just sit and watch innocent people be terrorized?" Teba asked dryly. "Then imagine how Harth and myself feel as proud Rito warriors . . . That's fair enough."
"Right," Harth stated proudly. "Get on." As he turns his back and crouches while spreading his wings. Teba does the same.
Link hops onto Teba's back and Teba flaps his arm wings and they are airborne. Aloy is quick to follow suite and is soon airborne as well, much to her bemusement.
