The wind blew behind them as Krystal and the King of Red Lions were propelled to the east, the sail pressed open all the way by the favorable wind. While Krystal looked around as they sailed, enamored by the expanse of the Great Sea and being out in the middle of it like this, the King of Red Lions kept his head pointed forward, his eyes focused on their destination off in the distance. With the wind blowing the way it was, he felt that they should be arriving soon.

After a few minutes, Krystal faced forward and saw an island with a tall mountain up ahead. There was a circular cloud swirling around near the top of the mountain, and looking up further, she was surprised to see a large red dragon sitting on the peak. She let out a small, curious gasp, which the King was able to hear. He said, "Yes, Krystal! Do you see it? That is our destination: Dragon Roost Island!"

Krystal blinked and thought, "Dragon Roost Island? I remember that name… That's where…." She looked back up at the dragon and started, "Um, that dragon up there…"

The King responded, "That is the great spirit of the skies… His name is Valoo, and I have brought you here to meet with him."

Krystal asked while steering slightly towards the small beach ahead, "What for?"

The King answered, "You must request from him a jewel called Din's Pearl. Obtaining this pearl is the first step you must take to prove you're worthy of the great power of old." He looked around as Krystal lowered the sail and they drifted the rest of the way to the shoreline, "This island has been a calm and peaceful place for as long as I have known it. It seems oddly quiet today."

Krystal turned and leapt off the boat into the water and walked up onto the sand. "How will I meet with… the great sky spirit?" she asked while shaking the water off of the bottom of her dress.

"Ask the Rito tribe that inhabit the island about that. They are deeply connected to the dragon, so they would know what is required to be granted an audience with Valoo," he explained. She started up the beach, but stopped a moment later when he spoke, "Oh, I almost forgot! Wait just a moment!" She turned to look at him, "After I pulled you out of the water, I placed an important object in your pouch. You should take a look at it before you go."

She reached her hand inside her pouch and felt something firm inside. She grabbed it with her fingers and pulled it out; it was a small white baton. "What is this?" she asked as she looked it over.

He answered, "That is the Wind Waker. It is a baton of sorts that was used long ago when the people played music in prayer to the gods. In those days, simply using it allowed one to borrow the power of the gods… but I do not know if it still works. Even so, I believe it will be safer in your possession, and it may be of some use to you. Let me teach you how to conduct with it…"

A minute later, Krystal turned away from the King of Red Lions and walked up the beach onto the rocky ground past it. She looked down at the Wind Waker one more time before putting it away in her Adventure Pouch, resolving to find out more about what it could do later. "Right now, I should focus on meeting with Valoo," she thought. She looked to her right; she saw an opening on top of a cliff that wasn't overly high, but the edge was too high for her to reach, so she turned to the left and walked towards the marked path leading up. She noticed several strange blue flowers growing next to the path around a sign, so she walked over to read it. "Bomb plants… I'll have to be careful if I see any more of these," she thought after she read the warning on the side, returning to the path afterwards.

About a minute later, she had made her way up and around to the opening. She walked through the short tunnel and spotted a Rito near the other opening, looking up at the mountain. With the way he was turned to the side, it only took a second to recognize him. "Quill!" she said as she exited the tunnel.

The postal worker blinked and turned his head to look at her when he heard his name. "Krystal?" he asked, turning to face her fully as she approached him. "It is you! I'm pleased to see you're okay." Krystal smiled at this. He held his hand to his chin, "I must say… you've traveled far for one with no wings." He then asked, "And your sister? Is she…?" He trailed off.

Krystal frowned and looked away. "Um… no. I only saw her for a few seconds before that bird…"

Quill realized what she meant to say and said, "I see. Well, try not to worry. If she's anything like you, I'm sure she'll hang in there." She continued to look off to the side, so he thought for a moment. "I have an idea, Krystal. How would you like to meet our chieftain?"

Krystal looked up at him, "Your chieftain?"

Quill explained, "All of us have heard about the kidnappings across the Great Sea, and we've all been concerned. When I returned, I shared your story and everyone was interested that someone would be willing to leave their home and try to do something about it. I think they would be interested in meeting and helping the young fledgling I told them about."

Krystal looked down as she thought about his words. "The chieftain would probably know the best way to get to and approach Valoo," she thought. She looked back at him and said, "Yes, I would like that. …As long as they'll have me, of course."

Quill nodded, "It's settled, then! I'll fly ahead and let everyone know you're coming!" He turned and flew up to a wooden deck built into the side of the rock face. Krystal followed the path to her left, which led to another deck built around an opening going inside.

Inside, the cavern had a tall ceiling and a ramp leading to the upper level. She looked off to her right and saw a dozen red mail boxes stacked up against the wall near another opening. She faced forward and saw Quill talking to another Rito who she guessed was the chieftain based on his more opulent garments in the middle of the room. There were two other Rito flanking him that had their arms crossed. They looked like they were trained warriors. She approached the gathering and Quill noticed her after a moment. "Ah, here she is. Chieftain! This is Krystal."

The chieftain looked down at her as she stopped in front of him and said, "Ah, so you are the one Quill was telling us about." He shook his head before saying, "I insist you let us know if there's anything we can do to help. We shall do everything in our power to assist you. However, in the meantime, we have a problem of our own to deal with…"

Quill asked, "When you were approaching the island, did you notice the dragon perched atop the mountain?" Krystal nodded in confirmation.

The chieftain explained, "As you can see, we Rito are profoundly connected to the sky. The airways are essential to our way of life." He looked up, "We do so by the graces of the sky spirit, Valoo. When a Rito comes of age, he or she must journey to the top of Dragon Roost to receive a scale from the great dragon. It is this scale that enables a Rito to grow their wings." He looked back down after a moment, "Recently, however, the once-gentle Valoo has grown violent and unpredictable. Sadly, we can no longer safely approach him. If this continues, the fledglings who are of age will never be able to receive scales from Valoo. They will remain wingless, and in time, our very way of life will be threatened. As chieftain of the Rito, my first responsibility is to solve this problem. My apologies, but I must ask you to wait for our assistance until this is done. Will you do so?"

Krystal nodded, "Of course. That makes perfect sense."

Quill turned to the Chieftain and spoke, "Chieftain, what do you think about having Krystal meet your son, Prince Komali? As you can see, Krystal is a gallant young lass! Perhaps Prince Komali would be willing to open up and speak freely to her."

The chieftain turned his head to look at Quill. "Yes, perhaps…" he whispered to him. He turned back to Krystal and spoke normally, "Let me be direct. My son, Komali, is of the age to earn his wings… However, due to… recent events, he has become weak in some ways, and in light of the current situation, I'm worried he may just give up on ever getting them…" Krystal nodded, showing she understood. He then asked, "What say you? Would you be willing to meet with my son and share some of your courage with him?"

Krystal hesitantly replied, "Well, certainly. I'll do what I can to help him."

The chieftain replied, "I thank you! That is all I can ask of you. We shall do our best to resolve our problem as quickly as possible so we may better help you with yours." Another Rito warrior flew down by the chieftain and whispered something in his ear. "…Yes, I'll be right there," he responded. He turned back to Krystal as the warrior flew back up, "I have something I wish for you to give to my son. A young girl named Medli is holding it for me. Would you find her and take it?" Krystal nodded, and as he turned to leave, he added, "I am counting on you!"

Krystal and Quill turned to watch him walk away with his two warriors for a moment. They then turned back to each other, Krystal saying, "He's a good chieftain. I'm sure he's a good father as well."

Quill replied, "I'm pleased to hear you think so, Krystal. You should find Medli in one of the upper rooms. Don't worry about this trouble with the great Valoo; we'll sort it out. In the meanwhile, do your best to aid Prince Komali!" He then spread his wings and took off, leaving Krystal alone to seek out Medli.

Krystal had to walk up the spiraling ramp to get to the upper level, where the mail sorting center was. It didn't take her long to find a young Rito girl whom she assumed was Medli in one of the open rooms she peered inside. The girl was placing a golden harp on a stand when Krystal saw her, and the girl noticed her a moment after she stepped into the room. She turned to look at her and excitedly said, "Wow! You really do have blue fur and a fluffy tail… You're Krystal, aren't you?"

Krystal replied, "Yes, I am. And you must be Medli."

The girl answered, "Yes. I am an attendant to the great sky spirit, Valoo." She became a bit bashful, bringing her hands closer together as she said, "Well, to tell the truth, I'm not an attendant quite yet. I'm still studying to be one."

Krystal said, "Oh. Well, I'm sure you're doing very well with your studies."

Medli replied, "I suppose. Oh, but am I thinking? The Chieftain wanted me to give this to you." She reached into a pouch on her back left hip, "He wants you to give this to Prince Komali."

She handed an envelope to Krystal, who took it and looked down at it. She then looked back up at Medli, "Thank you. Where is Prince Komali right now?"

Medli answered, "Prince Komali's room is in the back on the first floor. You'll have to go back down a bit to get there."

Krystal nodded, "Thank you." She turned to leave.

Before she could, Medli spoke, "Please don't be offended by Prince Komali's manner when you meet him. I promise he has no bad intentions." Krystal nodded in understanding and started to leave again, but Medli spoke up again, "By the way… Um…" The fox turned back to her again, "Listen, Krystal… I have a small favor I'd like to ask of you… Could you please come to the entrance of Dragon Roost Cavern after you talk to Prince Komali? I'll explain everything then." Krystal looked at her for a moment and then agreed to do it. This time, Medli did not stop her as she left the room.

She found Prince Komali's room and tried knocking on the door. She didn't receive an answer; after a few moments, she tried the doorknob and found it was unlocked. She opened it partway and peered inside; there was a young Rito boy laying on the bed in the corner of the room, looking at a bright orange orb with a pattern on it that he was resting on his abdomen. Krystal stepped inside and shut the door before asking, "Prince Komali?"

The boy slowly sat up, resting the orb behind his knees, and looked at her. "Huh? Who are you?" he asked.

Krystal walked over to him, saying, "I have something for you…" She held the envelope out to him.

"For me? …From my father?" he asked, noticing the handwriting on the envelope. He snatched it from her and opened it surprisingly quickly, pulling the letter out to read it. After a few seconds, he let go of it, letting it fall to the floor, and looked up at Krystal, saying, "Oh, sure, it's easy for him to tell me to be brave. It's not like he had to go through that horrible experience. It's not like he still has to get a scale from Valoo."

Krystal started, "Oh… well, I'm…"

Komali cut her off, "You're the girl he mentioned in this letter, aren't you? Well, what do you want from me?"

Krystal was surprised by his bluntness, but replied, "I'm not looking for anything from you, Prince Komali." She wasn't sure what else to say to him. She looked at the orb he was holding; remembering one of the Rito postal workers she passed on the way down mentioned asking him about it, she said, "That looks very beautiful. It must be very special."

Komali glanced down, "Oh, this? It's strange… Holding this calms me down. I forget all the bad things. It's called Din's Pearl. My grandma gave it to me."

Krystal blinked and looked up at him and then back down at it. "That's what the King of Red Lions wanted me to get from Valoo. But he has it instead," she thought.

She looked up at him when he spoke, "My grandma used to be Valoo's attendant. She was the only person on the island who understood Valoo's language.

Krystal asked, "The only one?"

Komali looked back down at the pearl, "Oh, Grandma… If she were here, I know she could calm Valoo down. I just know it… But my father and the rest? They'll all fail… no matter how hard they try. I know it. No one else can calm Valoo down. It's impossible…"

Krystal tried, "Well, there must be something that's causing his rage. Some tangible reason. If they can figure out what it is…"

Komali interrupted her, turning halfway away as he angrily said, "Forget it. No one's going up Dragon Roost while Valoo is so angry. I'm certainly not. And if you think talking to me is going to make me give up my treasure, you're mistaken. If you're so sure, why don't you go find someone who can reach Valoo, you do-nothing girl?"

Krystal's eyes widened and then narrowed momentarily before she took a step back. "Well… this has been nice, Prince Komali," she said before excusing herself from the room. Outside, she slumped to the ground, her back resting against the door. She felt a bit drained after the meeting. "It's not any fault of his. He's just a kid going through a tough time, kind of like me. And Medli did warn me before," she reasoned. She raised her head, "Medli! She wanted me to come meet her afterwards." She pushed herself up and walked down the hall.

Krystal felt the hot, dry air as soon as she stepped outside. She looked around; the wind was whipping around, constantly changing directions often and settling down far less often, and the air felt quite uncomfortable with her fur. "The guard wasn't kidding," she thought, wiping her forehead with her arm as she walked forward. "The bomb plants really are all withered here, and there's the rock plugging up the spring." Looking down further, she saw Medli standing in the middle of where the spring was supposed to be, looking at the other side of the broken bridge.

The Rito girl turned around when she heard Krystal climbing down the dangling remains of the bridge. "Hey, you actually came!" she exclaimed when the vixen reached the bottom and ran over to her.

"Of course. You asked me to," she replied. She looked around, "What's going on here?"

Medli replied, "This is a dangerous place. I wouldn't have asked you to come here if it wasn't important! There used to be a spring and a lovely pond here, but… The great Valoo… he got mad, and in his rage…" She looked over at a large boulder nearby.

Krystal looked over as well and noticed the bottom of it was surrounded by a sizable puddle of water, undoubtedly from the water that managed to get out despite the boulder plugging the spring. "I see," she remarked.

Medli turned back to her, "Oh, but where is my mind? Tell me, how was Prince Komali?"

Krystal slowly exhaled as she thought how to calmly and tactfully tell her how her meeting with the prince went. "Well, he told me that no one, not even his father, will ever be able to calm Valoo and his only grandmother could, and he called me a do-nothing girl when I tried to suggest otherwise. At that point, I decided to let him be for a while," she explained.

Medli looked down as she thought, "Oh… That doesn't sound good at all…" She looked back up, "I may be partly to blame for the bad turn Prince Komali has taken."

Krystal tilted her head, "How so, Medli?"

The Rito girl explained, "Prince Komali's grandmother was the great Valoo's attendant. She was an amazing woman, unparalleled in her dealings with the great Valoo. I was very honored to have her as my teacher… I can't help but think that if I possessed a little bit of her strength, Prince Komali would have felt safer…"

Although she knew what she was going through was different from what Komali was, she felt that she kind of understood how he felt. She remembered the flurry of emotions she experienced when that giant bird grabbed Aryll, leaving her so still that she had to be dragged by Tetra back across the bridge before it collapsed. She couldn't be mad at someone who was experiencing a much greater loss than she was, and that was on top of everything that was happening with Valoo. "Perhaps, Medli, but him losing someone he loved very much… I'm not sure there was anything anyone could have done to help him," she tried to reassure her.

"I suppose you have a point. Still…" Medli trailed off.

Krystal asked, "So, what did you want to see me here for?"

Medli replied, "Ah, yes. Where is my mind? Krystal, I need your help. I have to get into Dragon Roost Cavern."

Krystal asked, "May I ask why?"

Medli explained, "There's a shrine at the peak of Dragon Roost, right below where the great Valoo rests. I want to ask him what's causing his rage, but the Chieftain won't allow it."

Krystal asked, "Are you able to understand what Valoo says? Prince Komali said his grandmother was the only one on the island who could understand his language."

Medli replied, "That is true, but… she taught me some of it, and I've studied since… I may be an attendant in training, but I can understand some of it." She looked down, "I'm not exactly brimming with confidence, but…"

Krystal said, "No, no, I believe you. Like you said, this is important, and you wouldn't be here if you thought you couldn't do something to help. So, how can I help you?"

Medli looked up at her, "So, you'll help me? Oh, thank you!" She turned to look up at the other ledge, "I need to get up to that ledge, but the changing air currents mess with my flying. If you could pick me up and throw me from a high enough spot, I could get the wind under my wings and glide over there."

Krystal looked at a small sloped rise behind her and turned back to Medli, saying, "Let's see if that's high enough." She ran up on top of the formation and Medli followed her up.

While Krystal looked around and got a feel for the way the winds were blowing, Medli turned away from her and pulled out a small bottle that was filled with water. She pulled the wooden cork out and raised the bottle to her lips, quickly drinking the water inside. She let out her breath afterwards and looked down at the bottle for a moment before setting it down. She then turned back to Krystal and said, "Okay… I'm ready." She knelt down and Krystal picked her up. The wind had settled down for a moment, so she was able to turn and position herself to be ready when it started up again.

She felt the pricking at the back of her ears as the wind began to pick up again. She threw Medli as hard as she could, the Rito girl's wings extending as she reached the height of the throw. Sure enough, the wind carried her towards the ledge and she had just enough between her feet and the raised ground to land safely. Krystal smiled and let out a sigh at this. She then noticed something bump into the back of her foot.

Medli turned and ran back to the ledge. She saw Krystal running over and called down, "Oh, thank you! Now I can climb Dragon Roost and find out what's engaging Valoo!"

Krystal called back while holding up Medli's bottle in her left hand, "That's great, but you left your bottle here!"

Medli called back, "Oh! …Well, that's okay. You can keep it! It's not much, but thank you for helping me!"

Krystal lowered her arm and asked, "Are you sure you'll be alright?"

Medli answered, "Yes! Don't worry; I still remember the way up! Just… please look after Prince Komali! And don't tell anyone about this!" Krystal nodded, so she added, "Well, good luck! …To both of us…" With that, she turned and ran towards the mountain. Krystal looked down at the bottle and then over at the spring water. She scooped up some water in it to drink later and made her way back indoors.

Back inside, Krystal wandered upstairs as she thought about Prince Komali. She wasn't sure what to say to him after earlier, especially since Medli told her not to tell anyone. While she was thinking, she ended up walking near the Mail Center, where she nearly knocked over a large stack of unsorted letters. Fortunately, the Rito in charge noticed her and got her attention by calling, "Ah! Look out!"

That snapped her out of it and she came to a stop, now noticing the stack of letters inches away. "Oh, my goodness! I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed.

"That's okay. I was more worried about you walking into the counter," he replied.

"Oh. Well, what about all these letters?" she asked.

"It wouldn't make much of a difference. All the letters in that pile still need to be sorted," he explained. He looked at her for a moment before asking, "Say, you wouldn't happen to be here about our part-time offer, would you?"

Krystal asked, "You're looking for help?"

He nodded and said, "Oh yes. The situation with the great Valoo has unfortunately also affected the mail delivery side of things. We're a bit short-staffed since some of our mailroom workers have been asked to help with that, so we could use some additional help with tasks like getting these deliveries properly sorted."

Krystal thought for a moment before replying, "Okay. I'd like to help."

The Rito replied, "Wonderful! We'll start you off with a little test to see what you're capable of." He retrieved a small timer from under the counter and, while winding it up, asked, "You see those shelves behind the counter there?" Krystal nodded, so he explained, "Go through that pile of letters and sort them according to the symbols marked on them. If you see any that aren't marked, set them on the side. See how many you can sort in under a minute. Let's see if you can sort fifteen letters, first of all. Ready?"

As soon as he started the timer, Krystal went over to the stack of letters and began sifting through it, taking a moment to look up at the shelves to get an idea of what she should be looking for. She tossed any envelopes at the shelves with matching symbols and set aside any that weren't marked yet. Her aim wasn't always perfect, more than a few letters failing to reach the intended target and landing on the floor instead, but when the timer went off, the Rito determined that she had sorted fifteen letters in the minute she'd been given. He congratulated her for her sorting efforts and gave her some Rupees as her pay, saying she could do some more sorting and earn more Rupees if she felt up to it.

Krystal was eager to take him up on his offer, finding the subsequent sorting to be easier now that she knew what she was looking for and what she had to do to get the letters to land where she wanted them to. It may have been work, but she found it oddly relieving, her sorting the letters helping to clear her mind. She managed to get up to twenty-two letters after her work minute was up and, as promised, was paid even more Rupees for her efforts.

She was considering doing another sorting session when she suddenly heard a scream, which caused her to pause and look around. It seemed that no one else had heard anything since all the Rito in the Mail Center were still going about their business. Had it only been in her head? But the thing that was nagging her was that it had sounded like it was Medli screaming, which should have been impossible since she was climbing Dragon Roost, yet it sounded like it came from right next to her. "Maybe…" she started to think.

The Rito looked up and asked, "Would you like some more work?" He noticed the anxious expression on her face and became more concerned. "Is something the matter?" he asked.

Krystal looked back at him for a moment before, "Um… excuse me. I just remembered something I need to take care of!" She turned and ran out of the Mail Center, ignoring the Rito's call to her. She weaved around two Rito who were looking down at their clipboards while walking and made it down to the first floor. She ran towards the opening leading to the pond, only for the Rito guard to step in front of her path, causing her to skid to a stop. Before she could say anything, she heard flapping wings behind her and turned to see Quill landing right behind her. "Quill," she uttered.

"Krystal, what's wrong? Koboli said you just ran out suddenly. Where are you going?" he asked.

"Well, I…" she started. She decided she wasn't going to go against what Medli asked her and opted for a partial truth, "I just wanted to take another look at the Dragon Roost entrance."

Quill said, "You really shouldn't be going out there. You must have seen the boulder that plugged up the spring. Who knows what else could happen due to Valoo's anger."

Krystal replied, "I know. I just… I'm trying to explore all my options in order to help Prince Komali."

Quill sighed and said, "Well, as long as you're trying to help the young prince, I suppose it's okay, but please be careful. We're all on edge with this situation. I overheard one of the guards saying they saw a girl that looked like Medli going up Dragon Roost."

Krystal wasn't sure if she should take that as a good thing or a bad thing, but she tried to keep her uneasiness hidden. "Oh, really?" she asked.

Quill replied, "I question it. Medli can certainly fly, but I don't think she can fly with those currents out there. Still, it is concerning. Perhaps I should go keep watch for a bit."

Krystal nodded, "It probably wouldn't hurt." She noticed he seemed to be satisfied, so she turned back to go outside again, the guard allowing her to go through.

Outside, she ran over to the fence going around the edge of the pond, wondering how she was going to get to the entrance of the Dragon Roost without help. She looked at the dried-up bomb flowers off to the side and got an idea. She walked over to them and pulled out the bottle of water, pulling the cork out and pouring the water on the plants. Sure enough, the water was enough to bring them back to life and the flowers grew as big as the flowers she'd seen earlier. She plucked one and held it up over her right shoulder, its fuse burning almost as soon as she pulled it out of the ground. She threw it toward the boulder, the bomb flower exploding next to it and destroying a big chunk of it. One more bomb flower was enough to destroy the rest of it, or at least enough that the water sprung forth and started filling the entire pond again. It was fully filled after less than a minute, and then it all it took was a short swim to reach the other side. She climbed up the broken bridge and, ignoring the water dripping off of her, ran towards the cavern entrance.

Stepping inside the cavern, she saw a set of stairs leading up to a wall that had three statues sitting in front of it. She walked up the steps to look at the statue. Upon closer inspection, she found a narrow gap between two of the statues and an opening leading to another room past it. By sidling up against the base of one of the statues, she was able to squeeze through to the opening, which she saw was wider than the gap after she was finished inching her way through.

"Did the Rito block off that opening after Valoo became unapproachable? Medli must have entered the same way; how did she manage to move those statues as much as she did?" she wondered as she walked through the room and through another opening. The chamber beyond had a high ceiling and a pool of magma at the bottom. Krystal peered over the edge of the nearby cliff at the magma before looking up at the high ceiling. "Medli said the shrine was at the peak, so I have to find out how to go up," she thought.

It was an arduous journey up the mountain. She had to cross wooden bridges over the magma, move along narrow ledges on the outside of the mountain, and deal with Keese and rats lurking in the dark caves. By the time she reached an opening near the peak, her fur and dress had dark patches caused by the heat of the magma as well as several scratch and bite marks where she got nicked by the creatures lurking in the caves. She was still going strong, but she hadn't found any trace of Medli yet.

She wiped the sweat off her brow again as she stepped outside into the sunlight. She turned to look up and her eyes went wide. Last time she'd stepped outside, she could see the cloud swirling around near the top of the mountain. Now she could see Valoo, or at least his head and part of his neck, above her. As she stared, Valoo suddenly let out a roar and then started pounding the ground with his fists, causing balls of fire to fly up around him. Krystal ducked back inside and saw two fireballs fall down past where she'd been standing.

Once Valoo calmed down, Krystal stepped out again and saw a set of stairs to her right. She ran up them as fast as she could and turned the corner to find the shrine Medli had mentioned. She also saw Medli locked in a small alcove beneath Valoo, wooden bars and a wooden door with a key lock keeping it closed. "Medli!" she called as she ran into the circular space.

Medli had seen her before she entered and cried out to her, "Krystal, no! Go back!" Krystal came to a stop at this. She was confused, but she soon got an answer when she heard something slamming down behind her. She looked back and saw the gate over the entrance had been dropped, a green Bokoblin standing on top beside each of the sides. They both leapt down, each wielding a long blade and a wooden shield as they leapt towards her.

Krystal looked between them for a moment before drawing her sword and shield. They edged closer to her as she backed away. She watched them carefully, waiting for an opportunity to present itself. She soon got it when one of them swung its sword at her. Recalling what Orca had taught her, she leapt to the side and rolled around it, jumping up and striking it from behind. The strike knocked it off its feet and it dropped its sword and shield when it hit the ground.

The other Bokoblin leapt at her when she landed, swinging its sword. Krystal blocked it with her shield and it reeled back, off balance. She used the opening to strike it with a jump attack, knocking it onto its back and causing the other Bokoblin, who had recovered its gear at this point, to trip over it as it ran towards her. Before it could get up, she jumped up and finished it with a downward thrust into its head. The other one got up and panicked as it couldn't find its sword. It soon noticed it, but Krystal dealt a finishing blow to it before it could grab the weapon, the monster disappearing in a puff of dark smoke.

When the smoke cleared, Krystal noticed something where the Bokoblin had been. It looked like a small silver key. She realized it had to be the key to the lock on Medli's cell. She grabbed the key and ran over, saying, "I'm coming, Medli!"

Medli looked relieved as she ran over, but as Krystal was inserting the key into the lock, her eyes widened. "Krystal, look out!" she cried, pointing. The vixen looked and saw a Moblin holding a spear being carried over the gate by a Kargarok. It was dropped into the shrine and it landed on its hooves with a snort, its gaze immediately locking onto Krystal.

Krystal's breath hitched as it looked at her, but she drew her sword and shield again anyway. "There's just one this time. Maybe I can take one," she thought. She stepped away from the cage, meeting the Moblin in the center of the shrine. Without warning, it held its spear out to the side and swung it in a sweeping motion. Krystal was able to hold up her shield so she didn't get hit by the tip, but the force knocked her off her feet, Medli gasping as she was sent flying to the side.

Krystal groaned as lay on her side, the ground hard beneath her. She opened her eyes after a few moments and saw the Moblin pulling the key out of the lock before turning to her. It taunted her, dangling the key for a moment before putting it on its waist, and she felt her anger rise. She looked around and saw her sword and shield had landed by her, next to the wall she thankfully hadn't hit. Pushing through the pain, she pushed herself up and picked them up, glaring at the Moblin.

The pig beast gave her an odd look before rushing towards her, its skin jiggling as it ran towards her. It tried to do a sideways swing at her again when it reached her, but she was able to avoid it by sidestepping up the nearby stairs and she nailed it with a jump attack before it could raise its spear. It was knocked onto its back, but it got up quickly and it tried to punch her with its left hand, but she leapt back from it. It then raised its spear over its head and swung it down at her. Krystal raised her shield, pressing both hands up against it as the wooden part of the spear came into contact with it. Even though she got on her knees to brace herself, she could feel herself getting pushed closer to the ground, the beast stronger than her. It made the mistake of raising its spear again, however, and she managed to get up and roll to the side before it brought the spear back down, rolling and striking it from the side, knocking it off of its hooves.

The Moblin got up and realized it had dropped its spear, running over to where it had fallen to pick it up. While it was doing this, Krystal's gaze fell on one of the Bokoblin swords and she ran over to it, putting her sword and shield on her back before picking it up with both hands. She turned to face the Moblin as it ran at her again. It slid to a stop in front of her and tried to stab her with the tip of its spear. She leapt to the side and used the blade to do the same, the blade hitting its face several times. It tried to stab her a few more times, but her lithe movements were able to keep her away from the attempts while she made a few strikes of her own. This made it angry and it raised its spear to do a sweeping swipe, but Krystal threw the blade at its face before it could and it was thrown off its hooves with a yell, landing on its back and disappearing a moment later in a puff of black smoke.

Krystal ran over to where the key had been left behind and grabbed it. She then ran over to the cell and inserted it into the lock, turning it. As soon as the lock was removed and the gate was opened, Medli wrapped her arms around Krystal, hugging her. "Oh, Krystal! You saved me! Oh, thank you!" she cried. Krystal hugged her back, feeling the Rito girl's fear and anxiety melt away. Medli pulled away after a few seconds and asked, "Did you know those monsters had captured me?"

Krystal replied, "Sort of. I heard you scream and had a bad feeling I just couldn't ignore."

Medli looked confused. "But I was inside the mountain when they grabbed me. How did you hear me?" Krystal didn't have an answer for her, but her eyes soon dilated as she remembered why she had come in the first place. "Oh, I suppose this isn't the time! I have to tell you what I found out! This is terrible!"

Krystal looked at her. "What? What's going on?"

Medli explained, "Some creature is doing awful things to the great Valoo's tail! That's why he's so angry!" The dragon above them, who they'd forgotten about in all the excitement, let out another roar and spewed fire for a moment before pounding his fists against the ground, sending fireballs flying. They both moved into the cell to get away from the fire. Krystal turned her attention back to Medli as she said, "The great Valoo's tail hangs down into the room right below here."

Krystal remarked, "Then there has to be a way to get inside. Those monsters must have been trying to keep anyone from finding out."

Medli said, "We have to do something!" She reached into her pouch and pulled out a rope with a metal claw on one end. "Here, Krystal! You can have this!" she said, holding it out to the vixen.

Krystal took it, looking down at the rope curiously. "What is it?" she asked, looking up at Medli.

"It's a Grappling Hook. It's a tool we Rito have used for generations, back before we evolved wings. It helped me get this far, and now you can use it to get out of here," she explained. She looked over at the ledge at the top of the stairs Krystal had gone up earlier. "Here, Krystal. Climb up there first," she said before exiting the cell and spreading her wings, flying up and landing on a long, sturdy branch directly overhead.

Krystal ran over to and up the stairs, going over to the ledge. After Valoo finished letting out another roar, Medli called, "Okay, grab this branch with the Grappling Hook and you can swing to the other side! Throw it so it wraps around the branch and hold on! I'll fly down the mountain and tell everyone what's happening. I'll see you when you get down!"

Krystal did as she instructed and wrapped the Grappling Hook around the branch. She swung across and gave it a tug as she reached the other side, causing the hand to release its grip. She landed on the other ledge and gathered up the rope, noticing Medli fly overhead as she did. She ran down the short passage that followed, using the Grappling Hook to cross a short gap, and used her sword to break through an old wooden barrier. She dropped down the ledge past it and found herself in front of the doorway that she'd come out of.

Valoo began pounding against the mountain again and she moved closer to the opening to avoid the raining fire. As she pressed against the wall, she noticed another branch opposite the stairs she had taken. She stepped away from the wall after the fire stopped and walked towards it. Past the branch, there was another pathway going around. It was short, but it looked like there was another branch at the end of it. Krystal's gaze flicked between the opening and the path in front of her, not sure what to do.

"Go, Krystal," a familiar voice said, causing Krystal to jump in surprise. She looked around, her gaze falling on her pouch after a second. She reached into it and pulled out Tetra's stone; it was glowing like when Tetra talked to her through it, but the King of Red Lions' voice was coming from it instead. "Go investigate," he said.

"How are you…" she started to ask.

He cut her off, "That doesn't matter right now! You're up there, and you have the means to explore further. You could do something to help, or you could retreat to safety and hope things work out. What will you do?" The stone stopped glowing afterwards.

Krystal stared at the stone for a moment before looking up at Valoo as he let out another pained roar. She looked back at the branch and made her decision. With a determined gaze, she slipped the stone back into her pouch and held up the Grappling Hook, swinging the metal hand around in a circle as she took aim at the branch.

Prince Komali was still sitting on his bed cradling Din's Pearl when he heard a commotion outside his room. He wasn't far enough back that no sound ever reached his door, but it was unusual for him to be able to hear something going on so clearly. He didn't really care to listen in, as he still thought there was no chance that the situation with Valoo was ever going to get better, but the sound of shocked squawks and wings furiously flapping persisted.

He held his hands to his ears in an attempt to block out the noise, but it didn't help. With a frustrated moan, he pushed himself to the edge of his bed and stood, Din's Pearl still in his hands. He moved to the door and pressed his ear to it, listening in. He thought they would be talking about Valoo, but as he listened, he heard the other Rito talking about Medli and Krystal quite a bit. That managed to pique his interest and after a moment's hesitation, he slowly reached his left hand up to his doorknob.

Krystal stepped through an arched opening into a sizable chamber with a pit of magma in the center. The path of branches had led her to another opening in the side of the mountain and she'd had to do bit of precarious jumping to make her way to this point, the sweat on her forehead and fur glistening as she stepped into the chamber.

As she stepped further in, her eyes were drawn to the ceiling, where a red tail with a hook on the end was hanging down through a hole. "This is the room where Valoo's tail is, but where's the creature that's causing him so much pain?" she wondered. All of a sudden, the room began to shake and the magma in the center began to froth. Krystal stood with her legs out to the side, trying to stay upright as the rumbling got worse.

A massive creature burst out of the magma and swung its single eye to look at Krystal. Its long body looked like a cross between a beetle and a worm. It looked like some of the creatures she had seen crawling around the cavern, only it was much bigger and it had a more armored exoskeleton.

It slammed its two sickle-like claws into the ground on Krystal's sides, knocking her off her feet and onto her back. As she raised herself up, she froze as she saw its eye staring directly at her. It reared its head back suddenly and she gasped. She quickly climbed to her feet and dove to the side, barely getting out of the way before its head slammed into the rock above the opening. She looked back over her shoulder and saw that, as it pulled its head away, the rock crumbled and fell, blocking off the opening and leaving her with no way out.

She faced forward as she started running, but the beast was too big. It swung its body around, almost leisurely, and it was immediately looming over her as she ran. It quickly grew bored and raised its left claw, swinging it down in front of her. It didn't hit her, but it did force her to stop. As she looked behind her, it brought the other claw down, sealing her in.

Krystal turned to look at it as it brought its head down to the ground. She pulled her Grappling Hook out and launched it at its eye, but it blinked, its armored eyelid shifting down and protecting its eye from any damage. It did seem to get annoyed by this, however, as it glared at her and it began gathering fire in its mouth, the heat it was becoming palpable. Krystal looked around frantically for a way out, her gaze soon locking on Valoo's tail. It wasn't the most respectful thing to do to the spirit of the skies, but she couldn't see any other way to avoid the beast's fiery breath. "Please forgive me, oh great Valoo," she thought as she swung the end of the Grappling Hook around in a circle.

The metal arm of the Grappling Hook and part of the rope wrapped around the hook of Valoo's tail, tightening around it. Krystal moved towards the creature as she gathered up the rope as quickly as she could, stepping on the armor next to its eye as she pulled herself up. The beast swung its head back, unleashing the fire in its mouth as she pulled herself up enough to swing towards the other side of the magma pit, pulling the Grappling Hook free to drop down. The beast's flames missed the Grappling Hook, but they hit Valoo's tail, causing pain to the great sky spirit once again.

Krystal managed to land away from the edge of the pit. As she turned to face the beast that was once again looming over her, Valoo was pounding his fists again, his tail flailing around. Suddenly, the circular sheet of bedrock his tail was poking through broke loose and fell on the monster. It was extremely heavy as evidenced by the fact that the monster went from standing tall to being forced down to the edge of the pit, inches away from her. Its eye rolled up and down in a disgustingly fascinating way and a loud cracking sound filled the air.

Krystal blinked; that cracking sound had come from the beast's armor. She had seen the thin cracks form in the armor around its eye, a pulsing orange glow seeping through. The creature disappeared from sight briefly, the bedrock still pressing down on it, but then it shot up, holding the bedrock with its claws. While Krystal moved to get out from in front of it and avoid the magma seeping out of the pit, it slammed the bedrock back up where it had been, pressing it back into place. Valoo's tail slipped back through the hole in it after the beast dropped back down, once again dangling.

The beast's eye swept over the ground in front of it, looking for Krystal. She was currently standing behind it, looking at it as she thought about what to do. She looked back up at Valoo's tail. "If that rock could break its armor, I might be able to hurt it," she thought. She swung her Grappling Hook around again, "Please forgive me once again, oh great Valoo."

The creature noticed Krystal as she pulled herself above it, hanging and swinging from Valoo's tail. She looked down at it, waiting to see how it would react. It swung a claw up at her and she adjusted her swinging to avoid it as it pierced the bedrock. They did this several more times before it got irritated and it lunged up at her, its jaws wide open. Krystal yelped and let go, landing at the edge of the pit while it bit on Valoo's tail instead. Once again, the great sky spirit was enraged and knocked the bedrock loose again, the creature's armor cracking more.

As Krystal looked up at its shaking eye, she thought, "It still hasn't broken yet. I wonder if I'll have to make the ceiling fall on it one more…" Her thoughts were cut off when the beast reared up and it shattered the bedrock with a vicious slash of its claws. "Oh… I guess not," she thought.

As it brought its head back down, she saw that the bedrock had done what she was hoping it would do. In its anger, the beast had also shattered its armor, exposing its body above the magma. When it leaned down at her again, she nailed it in its eye with the Grappling Hook to throw it off and then ran towards it while drawing her sword, stabbing it in the middle. It pulled back quickly, Krystal falling back from how fast it was, and swung its body around a few times before its body began to harden, an unsettling cracking sound filling the air as it became still. It started to glow orange, but then it exploded, leaving nothing behind. The magma in the pit began to cool afterwards, becoming solid and making the chamber feel a tiny bit cooler.

Krystal breathed a sigh of relief at both the battle being over and the decrease in temperature. She stood up and stepped closer to the edge of the pit, looking down at the hardened magma. Her gaze then drifted to the collapsed entrance to the chamber, knowing there was no way she could clear it on her own. "Well, I guess I'll have to stay until…" Once again, her thoughts were cut short when she felt a gentle wind blow through the chamber. She turned and saw it came together in the center of the solidified magma, sparkles rising into the air as the wind swirled around it. She felt a pull towards it and she walked over the still slightly warm rock to it. As she stood in the middle of the swirling wind, she lifted off the ground and vanished into thin air.

Medli was standing in front of the Rito Chieftain, Quill, and two of the guards beside the pond, near the entryway to the main cavern, explaining the situation to them when they all heard Valoo let out a roar. They all looked up towards the top of the mountain as they recognized it was different than the roars they'd heard from the dragon in recent times. The great sky spirit had sensed the change in the chamber below him and was roaring in recognition of the one who had put an end to his torment.

As they stared up at the mountain, the air around the spring began to change, becoming less dry and hot. The winds also settled down, and the cloud surrounding the summit of the mountain dissipated, allowing them to see Valoo's feet dangling over the side as he roared. Prince Komali, who had been in the entryway listening in on Medli's story, stepped outside and looked towards the top of the mountain in wonder and awe, a small smile forming on his face.

With a swirl of magic and wind, Krystal reappeared on the other side of the spring, being gently set down on the ground. She quickly noticed the Ritos on the other side and she ran towards the spring. Medli was the first to notice her and she called, "Krystal!" The other Rito noticed her at this and watched her as she dove into the spring and came up, the physical evidence of her time inside the mountain running off her body with the water droplets. She climbed out of the spring, pausing briefly to shake some of the water off her fur, and Medli ran over to her, hugging her as she asked, "Are you alright?"

Krystal relaxed slightly at the touch, the tension in her muscles seeping out as she brought her own hands up. "I am now," she murmured softly.

Quill walked over to them, his gaze briefly going back to the mountaintop. He spoke, "Medli was telling us what she discovered about the great Valoo. Did you…?"

As Medli let go, Krystal responded, "I was just trying to find a way into the chamber his tail was hanging down into. I found it, but then the creature in there caused the entrance to collapse and it attacked me. I didn't have much choice but to fight."

Quill stared at her, his eyes shining with amazement beneath their level exterior. "You actually did take it down by yourself?" he breathed. Krystal rubbed the back of her head, glancing towards the ground.

"Krystal?" The vixen and the two Rito turned to look. Prince Komali was walking towards her, still holding Din's Pearl as his father and the two guards murmured in surprise as he approached.

"Oh! Prince Komali," Quill said.

"What are you doing out here, Prince Komali?" Medli asked.

Komali looked at Medli and shyly said, "Um, I heard everything you said, Medli…" He looked back at Krystal, "Krystal… Thank you so much! I'm sorry I mistrusted you!"

Krystal rubbed the back of her head again, "Oh, that's all right. I mean, you did kind of spur me to do something. It was a bit of a motivator."

Komali looked down at Din's Pearl as he said, "I hope I can be strong like you someday, Krystal."

Medli smiled, "You will, Komali! I just know it!" She looked at Krystal, "Right, Krystal?"

The blue vixen returned the smile, "Of course."

Komali looked up at her and held out Din's Pearl to her, a new, stronger look on his face. "Here, Krystal!" She looked down at the Pearl for a moment before looking back up at him, the unspoken question on her face. "I want you to have this!" Komali said.

Krystal blinked and started, "But… you said that was your grandmother's…"

Komali nodded and said, "Giving you the thing I value most will give me the courage to stand up to bad things!"

Krystal looked at Medli, Quill, and the Chieftain and his guards, seeing them all looking at her with approval, before looking back at Komali and saying, "Well, I can't say no to that, can I?" She placed her hands on the orb and Komali's hands fell away, allowing her to feel its full weight.

They all looked up as Valoo let out another roar. "The great Valoo is grateful to you, Krystal," Medli said after a moment. The dragon let out a longer roar and Medli's expression shifted to confusion. "Use the wind god's… wind?" she asked.

Quill looked at her, "The wind god's wind?"

Medli replied, "That's what he said, but I don't know what he means…"

The Chieftain spoke, "Perhaps he's referring to the Wind Shrine." He looked at Krystal, "You might not have seen it when you arrived, but it's through a tunnel next to the beach."

Medli turned to her and said, "Perhaps. Oh, I almost forgot! The great Valoo also names you a hero, Krystal. I would have to agree with him."

Komali nodded, "Me too! I'm going to go and start getting ready to go visit Valoo myself! Next time you see me, Krystal, I'll have the best pair of wings ever!" He turned and ran back inside.

"Hey! Prince Komali!" Medli called. She looked back at Krystal, "I should go with him. Thank you so much, Krystal. See you again someday!" She then hurried after the young prince.

As he watched them leave, the Rito Chieftain couldn't help but smile, his eyes misty with tears. He blinked them away as he turned and walked over to Krystal. "I must thank you as well, Krystal. It seems you've helped both Medli and my son find a new measure of strength with your actions, especially Komali. It's been so long since I've seen him so excited and full of energy."

His guards approached as well, one of them saying, "Indeed! It fills our hearts with joy to see the young prince in such good spirits again!" He turned to the other guard, "Do I not speak the truth, Skett?"

The other Rito responded, "I believe you do, Akoot!" He turned to Krystal, "You have our utmost gratitude for helping the great Valoo!"

The Rito Chieftain continued, "And as I promised, we will do everything in our power to help you. If we receive any packages for you, we will make sure that you will be able to receive them at your earliest convenience. No matter where in the Great Sea you are, as long as you can find a postbox, you will be able to retrieve them. And we will be vigilant as well; if we discover anything, if you ever need help, we will come to help you. Most of our people may be mail carriers, but everyone is trained to know how to fight as per our old ways. You may continue your journey knowing that to be true."

As Quill rested his right hand on her shoulder, Krystal felt a warmth spread through her. What she'd managed to do was incredible, but seeing the results of her actions, knowing she'd helped the Rito through a difficult situation and that they were grateful for it… It really gave her the sense that she'd done more here than she ever thought she would've been able to.