Link curled up in his blanket, more thankful than ever that his body automatically heated itself up. He'd loaned his extra blanket to Ghirahim. Rito Village wasn't as cold in the daytime; he'd felt a chill when Revali and Komali showed them around the ravine, but nothing terrible. They spent the time after the tour getting used to the colder village and going back to points of interest.

There was a woodworking shop near the east end of the ravine, so Damien practically abandoned the group to continue his carpentry work. There were a number of different tech workshops that Linebeck took interest in, and even started a conversation with Revali about the kind of technology that resided in Rito Village. After the tour Linebeck stayed in their inn room to work on more of his projects with the new materials that Mipha had provided him with.

Komali showed them to the western half of the Village, where the more human-like Rito resided. "You're all separated?" Link had asked, bemused.

"Not really," Komali said. "It's mostly just split up by postal on the west, technology and weapons on the east. The homes are more intertwined, on the higher level of the Village," he'd explained, pointing upwards at the higher huts, either built against the walls of the ravines or suspended in the middle by wooden beams and bridges.

Most of the technology in the village were metal fans positioned higher up, and bright lanterns scattered around. Some beams that held up structures were metal, with conveyor belts of sorts on their undersides, carrying baskets and deliveries around the village.

Revali smoothly explained why they lived in a ravine- they usually didn't since they had a second village further up the mountain, but during half the year, there were regular avalanches that would make living in the mountain village dangerous. They would move up to that village once it was safe, and when the ravine water would rise. It made things difficult but worked anyways. He explained that repairs were quick.

Were heaters a thing? Link pondered that question as he rolled over in the soft bed. The inn room had no walls, so cold air freely blew in. Midna and Ghirahim handled the cold well enough and fell asleep early in the night. Linebeck ended up sharing a bed with Damien near midnight. While the others fell asleep, Link lay awake, staring at the ceiling. He could remotely switch himself off at any time, but something kept him awake.

Link sat up, rubbing the back of his neck. He got off the bed, taking the blanket with him. He tossed it over Linebeck and Damien when he passed them and left the room. Link wondered just how cold it'd have to be for it to bother the Rito. They lived at the base of a mountain and dealt with avalanches and frequent snow.

A few night guards walked the bridges as Link wandered the village, wielding spears or bows. It was peaceful, despite the roaring river below him, and the creaking and slight swaying of the bridges. All of the lanterns were still on, but the lights were dimmed. There were no glass windows, but curtains of tightly woven and colorful thread designs hung from hut windows. The colorful thread seemed to be a tradition in Rito Village- Link had seen it on their weapons, clothing, architecture, even tied on their instruments.

When passing the music hall that day, Damien had quietly explained to Link that both he and Linebeck could play an instrument. He didn't elaborate past that.

People looked a bit on edge, like the Zora had; though just based off of how many Rito he walked by, they clearly weren't having kidnapping problems.

Perhaps it was a monster infestation? Most guards looked ready to fight at any moment. Revali had his impressive-looking bow stowed on his back during the entire tour. He'd given them directions to an archery range up the mountain. Linebeck managed to get Revali to begrudgingly agree to tutor him in archery. There was a tension between the two of them, so Link found himself curious about their history. He knew that they both often entered robots in tournaments only for Linebeck to come out on top every time.

Many of the guards that Link passed eyed him suspiciously. After a few minutes of wandering, he returned to his bed.

No one here knows any great magic," Midna complained, leaning against the railing. Ghirahim said nothing, only glancing sidelong at her. "It's gonna be hard to practice with no one else with a magical proficiency."

"You've got me," Ghirahim sighed, pushing himself off the railing. "But yeah, it's gonna be difficult. We're making progress! I can help teach you, since I've unlocked more."

"We've unlocked the same amount of magic," Midna scoffed. "You're just jealous 'cuz I get the cool shadow-walking. Can't we both, in theory, teleport, though?"

"Yeah," Ghirahim sighed, now walking down the bridge. It was warmer in the day, but he still wore his crimson cloak over his torn clothes. Midna did the same, wearing her own thin cloak. They spent the beginning of their morning looking for the others. Damien was quickly found in the music hall, Linebeck was apparently at the archery range being instructed by Revali, and Link was most likely wandering the village out of curiosity.

Midna peered around, spotting many other Rito, but not Link. "Who do you think he's bothering? He asked about the next pendant a whole lot yesterday. I'm worried that he'll bother the chieftains and get us kicked out. As important as getting the Master Sword seems to be, it's not a good idea to risk building a negative reputation."

"What, you want to track him down?" Ghirahim asked.

"Yeah, sure, we've got nothing else to do," Midna sighed. "Wouldn't hurt to walk around. It's pretty here," she said, gesturing to the colorful banners around the village. "Funny how well everyone seems to be doing despite Hyrule's past destruction."

Ghirahim shrugged. "I mean, only the wasteland and the junkyard seem to be having the most difficulty, and, even then, the city is doing well. Aside from general violence in the streets and the Yiga, things are good." He placed his hands on his hips as he walked, shaking his head. "I mean, we just need to get rid of the Yiga, right? Why does that require the Master Sword?"

"Who knows," murmured Midna, following after him, the two of them heading up the stairs to the second level of the village. "Zelda mentioned the possibility of them having some kind of beast under their control, but they just seem to be a rogue rebellion." She waved at a pair of passing Rito.

"The sword decides when it's needed, right? So if we find it and it won't let Link wield it, then we don't need it," the demon declared. "Simple. Want to spar? Or should we try and track down Linebeck? I get the feeling that Revali is gonna try and bully him while teaching him."

"How about we split up?" Midna offered. "You can look for Link, and I'll look for Linebeck. Damien is trustworthy, so we can leave him alone."

"Fine. I'll make sure Link doesn't get us all into trouble. See you later today?"

"Let's meet up around noon. At the inn." They nodded to each other and set off in opposite directions.

Link stared down at the rushing river below the village. Did fish live there? It would be a good food source if that was a case. Wheat was common around this ravine; he'd taken a walk at the edge after waking up. He'd also had a quick talk with Linebeck when he'd woken up. The engineer was with fiddling with his bow, swapping its thunder magic crystal power source out with some other crystal.

"This is what powers most things in Hyrule?" Link asked, holding up the thunder magic crystal. It looked almost like a topaz in a clear cylinder, crackling with electricity. "How is it made?"

"The Gerudo usually manufacture them with some help from the Gorons. The Goron mine topaz and send them into Gerudo Desert, where Gerudo who are skilled with lightning magic will infuse the stone and set it into the cylinder. It's efficient but runs out fast. This crystal that Mipha gave me," he said, holding it up, a yellow ball encased in more black and brown unknown materials, "is similar to a power source I found in you, albeit much smaller. It seems to last for much longer, and considering that you've been 'alive' for what might be the past 200 years, and is considerably more powerful."

"Who do you think made all of the ancient parts you've been collecting?"

"I'd be willing to guess that it was probably made by the Sheikah during one of the times where technology was especially advanced. Midna told you about that underground city yesterday, right? Yeah, you were there. The tech down there is supposed to be really advanced. I wouldn't mind sneaking down there at some point."

Link had nodded, finished getting ready for the day. "That sounds like it'd be fun. When we're done with this, maybe we can check it out."

Linebeck had shown him a fair bit of his newer projects before Link left. One of them looked like the beginnings of a spear, while the other three were more abstract looking, unfinished and with wires poking out from every opening.

On his walk through the village, Link took note of any technology he saw. The conveyor belts looked simple enough. There were a few metal doors that led into closed-off larger buildings. He'd asked a passing Rito about it; they'd told him that they were blacksmiths or labs where new technology was being tested.

The lanterns looked simple enough, set on a timer so that they would automatically dim or brighten at certain times. Each home had ovens and stoves and usual cookware as well as more electric lights. All of their weapons looked to be metal and wood, so they didn't have any technology integrated into their weapons.

It was still more than he saw in everyday life in Kakariko. Link spotted and had to even hop over what seemed to be a number of small robots, about the size of a cat, traveling around the village. They were simply designed, just little rectangular boxes rolling around on wheels. He'd met a Rito engineer by the name of Teba, who'd explained to him that their purpose was to check the stability of the walkways. Link personally though that they were cute.

There were no maps of the village for Link to find. He'd asked residents and checked in the few shops, finding no maps for sale, instead taking note of arrows and foodstuffs. They had countless arrows, not counting the selection of bomb and elemental arrows. They seemed more equipped for a fight than Zora's Domain had been. The Zora had their spears and armor and constant guard patrols, but they didn't have shops dedicated to weaponry like the Rito.

He hopped up the last few stairs to the upper level of the village, looking for Komali's father. Unlike with Zora's Domain, his mind was set on finding a problem to solve in order to get the next pedant. He walked past a few buildings, intending to go to the northern chieftain, the postal Rito chieftain. He considered contacting Komali, but Link decided not to bother the shy boy.

Link entered a more musically inclined part of the village, glancing to the side to see Rito playing and practicing instruments. He could hear string instruments, wind instruments, and everything in between while he walked. There were various melodies and scales and tempos being played, but it all sounded good together. Despite having rarely heard any music since waking up, but Link was able to recognize each individual instrument, his mind automatically picking them out and identifying them

Passing by a few of the last huts, he spotted Damien peering at some sheet music with an instrument in his lap. Link lingered where he was for a moment, considering going to talk with him, but decided against it. From the looks of it, Damien was focused on his task. He brought his instrument to his mouth, and Link immediately recognized it as a clarinet.

Medli and a Rito who bore resemblance to perhaps a parrot, with a darker and more vertically broad beak, were in the last hut, playing a tune together.

Much to Link's disappointment, Komali was in the chieftain's hut, clearly speaking with his father. The young Rito looked nervous, wringing his hands, and his father, standing with his hands clasped behind him, seemed to be listening intently, occasionally nodding his head.

Ghirahim got Link's attention by placing a hand on his shoulder. "What are you doing?" he asked, sounding rather accusatory. "Midna had me come and find you before you cause problems for everyone here."

Link scowled. "What, you two don't trust me?"

"We don't want you sticking your nose in places where it doesn't belong, prying into people's private lives in order to validate your need to be a hero."

"I am the hero," Link muttered. "Besides, I was going to wait until Komali left before talking with the chieftain."

"Why not talk to Kaneli?" Ghirahim countered, referring to the other chieftain, a friendly old Rito who apparently spent his days allowing meetings with citizens who had questions. "He's probably more willing to listen to you."

"I considered it," Link admitted. "But he's apparently not as involved in matters outside the village, while Komali's father handles foreign affairs. Besides, I'd feel less comfortable with bothering Kaneli than taking my questions to Komali's father. Besides, if this backfires, then I can go and ask Komali himself."

Ghirahim sighed. "You don't want to bother the old man who spends his days answering questions, but you'll gladly ask some poor anxious boy stuff you'd originally ask his father? Either way, I'm sticking with you." He smiled smugly at Link, who barely gave him a second glance before walking to the bridge.

The pair of them waited until Komali was clearly finished talking with his father. The young Rito spotted them outside and opted to stay in his father's hut while the robot and the demon strode in, practically side-by-side. Link offered a smile to Komali, but Ghirahim ignored the boy completely. The chieftain's eyes were steely, but not unwelcoming. "Hello, do the two of you need anything? You're esteemed guests, as the possible saviors of Hyrule."

Link was painfully aware of Ghirahim standing just behind him, arms crossed and standing like he was ready to fight at any minute. He hoped it wouldn't make the Rito chieftain uncomfortable while Link talked. "Yes, I have a few questions. I know we haven't been here very long, so I apologize in advance if I accidentally step over a line."

The chieftain only nodded; his expression inscrutable. Link hesitated, waiting for a response, and continued on. "When Komali and Revali were showing us around the village, we noticed that Komali would start to mention something, but Revali would cut him off. I'm here with my friends on a quest to attain the Master Sword, and we'll need the three Pendants of Virtue. We already have wisdom, and we heard that you may have courage, but I'm aware you wouldn't just hand it to us. I apologize for prying, but I'm curious if your people are in any danger that I can try and fix."

The chieftain regarded him, then sighed. "Us Rito are a proud people, so it makes sense that Revali would try and cover up our current situation. I'll be honest with you, since the Queen trusts you, and since you now have a reputation for helping the Zora. Right now, we are in the summer mpnths, as you know. It may seem a bit cool here for you, but, to us Rito, it is hot. Normally, we would be living in our mountain village- but that is not an option."

"We normally live in the mountain village in the summer and spring months and live down here in the winter and fall months," Komali quickly explained.

His father nodded. "Indeed. Unfortunately, these past few weeks, there have been an oddly frequent number of avalanches, making nearing the village dangerous, despite our flying ability. We can't near the village without being in danger. We're unsure what's causing it. Revali and a group of warriors camped out near the top of the mountain and found that the avalanches are caused by strange tremors constrained to the mountain."

"Could it be some natural phenomenon?"

"No, then we would feel those tremors as well. We're in no real danger, but our mountain village is where most training for both postal and warrior Rito takes place, and it's safer from monsters. We rely a good bit on that village. We've had our sharp-eyed Rito explore the mountain, looking for anything out of the norm on the mountain, but we've been unable to find anything."

"We could check out the mountain," Link offered. "As a robot, my eyesight and other senses are especially heightened, and I would be able to last out there for as long as I need. I at least want to try and help, if you'll allow me to."

The chieftain crossed his arms. Komali nervously shifted his weight. Link heard Ghirahim let out a breath he had been holding as the chieftain finally nodded. "You would have to run it by both Kaneli and Revali, but you have my permission. Revali is in charge of the parties who look for the source, and he reports to Kaneli. If you can help us solve this, then I would consider giving you the Pendant of courage. It's a treasure to the Rito, so you are right in saying that we wouldn't just give it to you."

"Where's Revali?"

"He should be at our archery range; you'll find it by following the marked path. That path starts at the east end of the ravine."

The path was easy to find, and the cold was Midna's biggest problem as she made her way to the archery range. Her iron-toed boots were warm enough, but her pants and shirt did nothing to defend against the chill as Midna advanced down the gravel path. She wasn't even in the snow yet. The archery range was supposed to be a bit further up the base of the mountain. Her thin cloak was going to do nothing to warm her up.

Midna cursed herself for not getting any kind of Rito-made clothing. They were specially made to help a traveler survive in the mountains, and Midna decided they weren't needed because she underestimated just how cold it would be. She was around a mile down the path now, going up a slight hill as snow slightly piled up on the side of the path.

So used to either silence or the occasional call of a bird, Midna flinched and reached for her spear when someone called out to her. She held it out, ready for a fight, when it occurred to her that the person she was pointing the spear at was not hostile. The man stumbled back, holding his hands up. "Wait! Wait, sorry, I didn't mean to startle you, don't hurt me!"

Midna blinked, then fumbled to stow her spear away. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, you surprised me." She paused, a little surprised to see a little bird on the man's shoulder. "Are you going to the archery range?"

The guy nodded. He looked fairly pale, with green eyes and black hair. Midna unconsciously noted that he looked rather similar to Link. He was much more prepared for cold weather, dressed in a purple cloak and wearing a long, black and blue striped scarf. She spotted a quiver clipped to the back of his belt, and a bow on his back. "Well, then, nice to meet you," Midna murmured. She held out a hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Midna."

The guy blinked, then walked over and shook her hand. "Hi, I'm Ravio. I've heard of you. Aren't you part of the team who won the last robot tournament?"

Midna nodded. "Yeah. People know about that?" She rubbed her hands together when they finished shaking hands. "Damn. But, yeah. We're traveling around Hyrule now."

"You lot are a bit famous since word is getting out that Zelda's put you on a quest of sorts. That the robot you're with might be a hero! I'd like to meet him, personally. I'm not the bravest of people, and just being in the presence of someone like that, I'd hope that their courage and general good traits rub off on me."

"You'll probably get a chance to meet him," Midna offered. "But I don't know where he is. We can go to the archery range together, though, and one of my friends should be there. You're going to practice, right? I can see your bow and quiver."

"Oh, yeah." The little bird let out a short chirp. "We're going to practice." Ravio held out his hand, and the bird fluttered down into his palm. "This is Sheerow, by the way. Please don't aim for him, he's my friend." Ravio chuckled at his own little joke.

The pair of them made comments about Sheerow being cute and were on their way down to the archery range. Ravio was apparently a bit of a traveling merchant, and one that Midna recalled hearing about. Once the archery range came into view, Ravio said, "I heard that Revali, the best archer in Rito Village is tutoring someone down here."

Midna shrugged. "Yeah, he's tutoring my friend. They're both assholes, though, so don't bother with them."

"Ah. Well, why are you heading down? From the looks of your skill with that spear, you don't seem like the type to get into archery."

"I'm checking on my friend. He's not good with other people despite how he might act, and I just want to make sure he stays out of trouble, really."

"Does he get into trouble a lot?"

"He's good at aggravating people, and, well, he has aphenphosmphobia, so if it gets physical then he's screwed. Then again, he's good at figuring out if he needs to shut up."

Ravio chuckled, but there was an underlying nervousness.

The archery range was built against a cliff, with three different levels made out of wood and metal. The same electric lanterns used in the village were set up to illuminate the range. Targets were set up against the cliffside at varying distances and heights. Midna and Ravio strode up the long staircase, a heated argument coming into earshot. Midna only sighed, not remotely surprised as she recognized Linebeck and Revali's voices.

It was a childish argument, going on and on about how they were better than each other at engineering. Midna was mildly shocked by the fact that a third person was present. Ashei was silently shooting arrows at a distant target, standing only a few feet from Linebeck and Revali. It was if the argument so close to her wasn't even happening. Midna was silently impressed by the woman's stoic calmness.

Ravio awkwardly stared at the argument and quietly made his way over to one of the farther targets. Midna crossed her arms and walked over to Linebeck and Revali. Based off of the target they were standing across from, with a few arrows in the out rings with the rest in the floor, Linebeck was making... progress. However, there were only a handful of arrows, so it was clear that the archery tutoring had been quickly derailed.

"Can you just shut your damned beak and teach me how to aim?" Based off of the tired and terse tone that Linebeck's words took, they hadn't gotten much of anything done.

Revali scowled haughtily. "Quit criticizing my skills, then. I'm the best in Rito Village, so you have no right to even try. The fact that I'm even bothering to teach you should be an honor." His own impressive bow was stowed on his back.

"I've stopped! You decided to fail as a tutor the moment I mentioned that I built this bow on my own. I'm a better engineer than you, so shut up, rip out the stick that's been shoved up your ass, and teach me how to properly use a damned bow."

Rage washed over Revali's face, and he opened his beak to shoot back when Midna loudly cleared her throat. If the argument continued, then Linebeck would only continue to give Revali more and more reasons to throttle him. "I can see you two have decided to be children instead of well-educated adults."

Linebeck scoffed. "Revali decided to forget his age once I brought up my bow."

"You were being a prick and going on about how you made it in barely a few days. I pick up on boasting very quickly."

"Oh, sorry, I wasn't aware that I was hurting your poor, poor ego."

"You bastard-"

"Okay, OKAY!" Midna roared, even managing to get Ashei's attention. "You two go as well together as oil and water, holy Hylia. I knew this would turn out this way." She turned to Linebeck. "Curb your ego, okay? You've gotten real good at doing that recently, and as far as Link is concerned, you're nothing but a self-hating recluse. You're a fantastic engineer, but you don't need to be an ass about it." She then turned to Revali. "You too. Your boasting is supported by your actions, so prove it by actually teaching the person you're meant to. You're a good engineer, but not nearly as good as Linebeck. Suck it up. You're still the best marksman in all the land."

There was a moment of silence, and the two of them nearly started shouting at each other again, but Midna ripped her spear out and, after a few minutes, managed to force them into actually practicing archery. Linebeck's jaw was set as Revali begrudgingly gave him instruction, but his aim quickly improved. Having a robotic arm that could lock in place if he needed certainly gave Linebeck an edge. Midna would've been willing to bet that Bellum was giving him some help with it, too.

Despite the tension, things had very much calmed down between them. Ravio kept glancing at Linebeck while he practiced, and Midna couldn't tell if it was out of curiosity or admiration or something else. He seemed nice. Midna could've sworn that Ravio's hood had a pair of fabric rabbit ears sown onto it. Sheerow stayed on his shoulder as Ravio practiced his archery. It didn't seem like he needed much practice, based off of his near-impeccable aim.

Midna tried to hide her shivering as she stuck around. Linebeck managed to focus on practicing and taking Revali's advice, slightly tilting his bow's angle and changing the way he held the arrow in place. Revali still seemed like he very much wanted to hire a hitman to kill Linebeck, but he seemed a bit calmer as well.

Ashei left after a few minutes, leaving without a word. No one else showed up for a while, until, much to both Midna and Linebeck's surprise, Ghirahim and Link approached them. Link could regulate his body temperature, and Ghirahim had clearly bought some warmer Rito clothing, like new gloves and a jacket that he wore under his crimson cloak.

"What are you guys doing here?" Linebeck asked, lowering his bow. "Is Link causing problems?"

"Just about," Ghirahim sighed. He glanced at Midna. "You look cold." Midna scowled and flipped him off, her temper at its limit. "Anyways. We need to talk to the Rito's golden boy for a bit," he drawled, pointing lazily at Revali.

The Rito sighed. "What do you need?" Beside him, Linebeck deactivated his bow and started walking away to collect his arrows. "It had better be either a request for a demonstration of my skills or something truly important."

"We need to ask about the avalanches that are keeping you lot from getting to your mountain village."

"How did you-"

"Komali's father told us about the situation," Link said. "He said that we can help you with it. As a robot with heightened senses, I might be able to find something you guys haven't noticed."

Revali scowled, snatching up the arrows that Linebeck held out to him. "What, you need my permission? I don't see why some Hylian-looking robot would be the one to solve the Rito's problems. I'm the best warrior in the Rito. You're not much better than I am." He thrust the arrows into his quiver, sparing a withering glare at Linebeck. The man only rolled his eyes. "If you were to go along with this, you would only get things done with me on your side. Sure, you're a robot, but I'm sure my eyesight is much better than yours. I can spot a peppered moth in a birch forest yards away."

"I bet I could do the same," Link retorted. "All we need is your permission, and you can come with us if you'd like. I need to do this so that I can collect the Pendants of virtue in order to get the Master Sword."

The Rito scoffed, crossing his arms. "Of course, of course. Fantastic. You're the savior of the world." He scowled, peering around the archery range for a few moments. Link frowned and opened his mouth to ask a question, but Revali quickly cut him off. "You can help us with this, but I'll go with you. If you're going to do this, you'll do it under my supervision. If you want to go out and explore the mountain, you'll need my permission and presence. Agreed?"

Link huffed. Revali tilted his head to the side, smiling thinly. Ghirahim shot Link an irritated look, communicating his own unwillingness to work with Revali. Midna simply looked tired, shaking her head, and Linebeck was busy picking up his arrows, quietly talking with Bellum. "Fine," Link snapped. He sighed, looking down at his feet to avoid seeing his friends' glares aimed at him. "I agree. Thanks... thanks for the offer."

Once they returned to the inn, the group cornered Link and berated him for being a push over. "You didn't even bother with negotiation," Midna hissed.

"You've done nothing but bend down and let everyone do what they want with you," Ghirahim snapped. "You've never really effectively tried to assert anything for yourself, dammit. You're doing everything Zelda tells you to, and you let people do what they want."

"I'm a robot, a tool," Link retorted. "and I'm the hero. I'm supposed to serve people and protect them. I'm supposed to do what people of authority tell me to do."

"Congratulations, you're a dumbass," Linebeck muttered. "People are going to manipulate and use you to do bad things. If you blindly do what people tell you to, you're not going to be much of a hero. At least put effort into checking if the person talking to you wants to use you for good. You're just being stupid by not standing up for yourself."

"Nothing wrong with wanting to do the right thing," Midna added, "But the way you're doing it is making you so vulnerable to manipulation and being seen as little more than some tool. Hell, if we hadn't stepped in so often, I bet Zelda would've just taken you on as her own and made you her personal servant or something."

Link pressed his back against the wall, crossing his arms. He averted his gaze, staring out the nearest window. He let out a long sigh, and the others paused, waiting for him to speak. After nearly a minute, Link said, "I'll work on it. I suppose I'm too eager to be a hero."

"You suppose?"

Link glared at Ghirahim. "I said I'll work on it, give me some credit. I think we should still help the Rito, obviously. Should we start exploring the mountain tomorrow? We could probably ditch Revali if we wanted."

Linebeck looked up from his current project. "Fantastic idea!" He picked something up off the table and tossed it at Link. "Anyways, here's this. Check it out, it's a small thing I've been working on. It's not finished but tell me what you think."

Link caught the little item, and it was obvious that the first topic had been dropped. Midna turned and picked up a book of hers, and Ghirahim immediately left. Link sat down on his bed, turning the little object in his hands. It was about the same size as the map tablet that was connected to his tracker, just in the shape of a circle. "What's this supposed to be? It looks like some kind of... plate. What blueprints are you using, if you're using any at all?"

"Some of the stolen ones," Linebeck sighed, briefly holding it up. Link barely got a chance to see any pictures or writing.

"Do you think that Zelda knows that we stole those?" Midna asked, frowning.

"Don't care," Linebeck airily responded. "Not my problem. They weren't locked up well enough." He held out a hand and gestured for Link to return the item. "I might have it finished soon, maybe in time for when we might find the problem."

"We'll go out tomorrow, then?"

"Sure."

The next few days were spent exploring the mountain. They all bought Rito clothing to keep them warm and made sure to bring along a good amount of food and supplies. They left late in the morning and returned late at night. Link and the others met up with Revali, and he led them around the snowy, freezing mountains, where they trudged through the cold, fighting off wolves and moblins. Revali hunted if they had no more food, and Linebeck was crucial to lighting a campfire if Revali had no fire arrows.

Link navigated the snow with ease along with Revali, but the Rito seemed to have little else more than disdain for him. Linebeck had the most trouble with the terrain, only compounded by the fact that no one was able to properly help him. He resigned to calling himself the rear guard, and had his bow out and ready at all times. Even if he never contributed to fights.

Ghirahim didn't seem very bothered by the cold, and Midna did a good job of stifling her shivering. Linebeck resorted to muttering his complains to Bellum, who ended up talking with Link in order to avoid him.

They didn't find much aside from strange caves or tunnels. Linebeck would wait outside while, each time, a different part of the group opting to stay with him.

There was no progress for the first few days. Before leaving each morning, Linebeck hung back a few minutes to spend a bit extra time with Damien before returning to the group. He was the only one of the four of them with someone always waiting for him, Link quietly realized during the first monster attack that first day. He was an outcast among the four of them, just not in a truly negative way.

On the fifth day of exploration, they stopped for lunch, and Revali walked off to poke around the surrounding area. Link, Ghirahim, Linebeck, and Midna all huddled around a small campfire, raw meat cooking as they waited. They all shivered, despite their Rito-made cloaks, gloves, and hoods. After a few minutes, Ghirahim sighed heavily and shuffled back to take inventory. They had bundles of arrows, along with Midna and Link's weapons. Linebeck kept his bow clipped to his belt.

Within the bag that Ghirahim was looking through was Linebeck's newest project- the completed version of the circular object he'd shown to Link. It was a shield of sorts, able to fold out from a compact shape into its shield form with a simple trigger squeeze. Just like Linebeck's bow. They tested it out a few times in battle, and it proved itself to be incredibly effective. They didn't dispose of Damien's wooden shield, however; Linebeck returned it to the carpenter, who thanked them for using it for so long.

Ghirahim tossed the bag closer to the group and shuffled back over to them. "So," he started. "Did you guys notice anything on the way here? Nothing new, if you ask me."

"I didn't notice much," Midna admitted. "Even checking out some caves via shadow magic didn't reveal much."

"I didn't see anything interesting, either," Link sighed. "We must've checked out at least a fifth of the mountain by now, right?"

Linebeck shrugged, taking the map tablet from their shared bag. He hadn't used it since they needed to track the Lizalfos. "Maybe. This is a big mountain, and the map only covers about two miles around Link. Let me see..." He turned on the tablet and peered at it, then at Link. The turned it around, showing the screen to the group. The blinking yellow dot in the middle was most likely the location of the tracker. The topography of the mountains around them was shown, and they could see the edge of the ravine in the south.

Midna scowled. "We're not even that far out? Damn."

Linebeck flipped the tablet around to peer at it. "We went further the first few days. Revali said that the first exploration parties started at the far edge of the mountain. We did the same, checking out the north eastern corner, and worked our way closer to the village. And found nothing." He tossed the tablet back into the bag and rubbed his face. "This mountain is boring as hell. I thought we might run into a chance to find some kind of treasure of whatever, but or course this frozen hell has nothing interesting to offer."

"It's been a fun little expedition," Link chirped.

"We've made no progress," Linebeck whined. "Feels like it's been a waste of a week. Where are we stopping after we're done with this bird coop?"

"Lurelin is the next stop," said Ghirahim, peering at the cooking meat. "Do you think that's done?"

Link glanced at it. "I doubt it. Let's give it a few minutes." He rubbed his hands together and looked back over at Linebeck. "You don't seem too bothered by the cold."

Linebeck scowled and Mida let out a short laugh. "He's a good actor, remember? He is wearing about four layers now, though." She tilted her head to the side. "You are being a bit less whiny than usual."

"Shut it," Linebeck snapped. "I don't see why I need to be here. I can't fight like the rest of you."

"You can use a bow," Ghirahim offered.

"So can Revali. I'd personally prefer staying back at the village unless you need me."

Ghirahim clear a small area in front of his of snow, revealing the cold soil. He picked at the dirt. "You'd rather spend time with your boyfriend than help save the world, huh?"

"Don't give me shit for that," Linebeck groaned. "Any normal person would prefer that. Once we get to Lurelin, I'm gonna ignore you lot until we leave to the next village. I almost died in that last dungeon, so I'm going to make the best of my time."

"Providing that you don't die in the process of trying to fix this."

Linebeck threw a handful of snow at Midna. "You'll be lucky if I bother coming with you guys tomorrow."

Once the meat was done cooking, they cut it up and divided it among the group. The pieces were small, and Link ended up handing his off to Ghirahim. They finished eating and kept the campfire going, now waiting for Revali to return. Link played around with the snow at his feet as he waited, looking around for the Rito. He stood up and squinted around. "Hey. What if we ditched him, like I said?"

Linebeck and Ghirahim looked on board, and Midna rubbed her face. "Can we get away with that? Revali's eyesight is fantastic, and we'd leave footprints."

"We've got a snowstorm on its way," Link said, pointing up at the gray sky. "It'll cover up our tracks."

"Do you think we might get in some real trouble?" Ghirahim asked, speaking slowly. "I'd hate to get arrested or something."

"It's not that hard to sneak out of a standard jail," Linebeck said, earning himself some concerned looks. "But yeah, we might get into trouble, but this might be worth it."

Midna groaned. "Sure. Lead the way, Link."

The snowstorm set in mere minutes after they left the campfire. Ghirahim had their equipment slung over his shoulder, trusted to keep track of it. The storm obscured their vision to the point that only Link was able to see very far in the snow. They made a chain of sorts, holding onto each other, Linebeck holding out an arrow for Midna to hold rather than his hand.

Link's eyes adjusted quickly, and he had Ghirahim give him the map tablet to help navigate the mountain. He led them near cliffsides, hoping for cover, and spotted a straight, thin and narrow opening marked on the map. Link squinted at it. It was probably a small ravine. It was most likely a stupid idea to lead the half-blind party over to a small ravine, but, at the same time, Revali had never mentioned that. A lead, perhaps.

"There's a small ravine near here-" His friends immediately screamed at him for getting sidetracked. "IT MIGHT BE SOMETHING IMPORTANT," Link roared back at them.

The argument for and against checking out the ravine dissolved into the four of them trying to shout at each other above the wind until Link gave up and started tugging them over to it. It was hard to see very far, but Link could see dim shapes in the distance. Even if snow would fly into his face, it didn't bother him or make the walk difficult.

"We're close to it," he shouted back. The most he got in terms of a response was Ghirahim squeezing his had so hard that Link was worried that he would bend the metal in his hand. They found the edge of the ravine quickly enough, and, much to Link's surprise, found a staircase of sorts cut from the stone. He carefully led his friends down the path, cautioning them as they managed to get out the snowstorm.

Ghirahim scowled, squinting around the narrow ravine. "There's nothing down here. At least we're out of the damn storm."

The ravine wasn't very deep, but deep enough to protect them from the storm. If Revali found them, they could plead that they were looking for shelter. Link looked around, initially finding nothing. Midna frowned, brushing snow off of her shoulders. Linebeck rubbed at his eyes, curling his lip. "Anything interesting? Revali didn't mention this place, strange since we we're so close to it."

Link shuffled away from the group and inspected the wall of the ravine. "Something seems weird." He pressed against the stone and ran his hand along it. A small crack intrigued him, and he pressed. There was a loud clicking sound, and a doorway opened up next to him.

Midna blinked at the new doorway. "...Holy shit." She rubbed her temples, eyes wide. "Holy Hylia, Din, Farore, Nayru, and pretty much every other deity. I suppose this is a lead, then?"

Link nodded slowly. "...Let's go, then." He smiled brightly. "Sorry that you don't get more chances to talk with Damien or anything before this."

"Bastard," Linebeck spat, but he was the first one to walk through the doorway, escaping the storm.